《Wolves and Men》


 Chapter 1a

    He was shirtless and his small, but athletic frame was not spared the paint of the waning sun. The sun is always the most brilliant when it is about to dip under the horizon of the world. Especially here, where the tree covered hills rolled into each other, creating a deep, rich valley which contained a river that flowed into the vast ocean. The red of the sky dipped and bled into the ocean turning it bright amber. The river was turned into pure mercury as it slid through the land, eager to rejoin its place in the endless ocean, denying the boundaries of land.


    He was wearing only jean shorts, no shirt, and no shoes. His deep blue-green eyes defied the power of the sun as he watched it get drawn into the water. Let the sun have his reign over the day. His mother would soon take her place in the cool vastness of her realm, night.


    He closed his eyes and let the burned image on his retinas fade from the back of his eyelids. He opened his eyes to see that the ocean had won the battle, but the sun¡¯s light was still thrown out across the sky, portending his return tomorrow.


    The reds of the sky were bleeding away into the water as the deep blue-black curtain of night continued to exert its dominance over the sky. As he was looking out over the ocean, he felt the cool silver orb begin to rise over his hills. He almost forgot himself with the elation that leapt forward in his heart. He spun around and kneeled before her great beauty. Just as he had watched the old man sink into the ocean so too, with even more rapture and joy, he watched his majestic, lunar mother rise above his valley.


    He watched as her generous, voluptuous shape rose, forming her perfect curvature. She grew fuller by the second; his eyes were wide and wanting. Her shape continued to fill out till it reached the zenith of her breast and then the curvature dissipated in no less beautiful a fashion.


    The stars were beginning to come out of hiding from the old tyrant to be soothed by their mother, and they too looked at, and through him. They believed that they were the pride of the mother¡¯s flock, he stifled a smile. The mother blessed those who she would, neither vanity nor pride played any part in that.


    It always started this way.


    The white hairs on the back of his neck stood on end and his muscles flexed involuntarily. He could feel his blood begin to warm and the wind was of no comfort. His skin began to turn red as his blood heated and tried to escape. His breath came out in ragged gasps as he tried to conquer the itch under his skin that would soon turn to pain. He felt a fire erupt in his belly and he arched his back as his neck and head shot forward. He barely kept from tipping over, balancing on his forearm. His eyes popped, threatening to fly from their sockets and his jaw tightened. His back arched like a cat and his leg shot out from underneath him as he fell on his side. His mid-section, wracked with convulsions twisted and exploded outward, ripping his shorts clean in half. He barely noticed the loss as his, now naked, body thrashed on his rock.


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    His whole body roiled, and his blood was boiling, he could feel it. He gasped and shook as snot flew from his nose and saliva sputtered from his cracked mouth. Guttural inhuman sounds escaped him, and he knew that the forest animals were startled by the sudden disturbances. His legs kicked out and he thrashed on the ground. The rock scraped and dug into his body and that pain was a relief to what was happening to him just beneath the surface. His body hair was being forced out of their follicles as it grew longer. It began to thicken and cover the whole of his body in deep tan fur. His nose elongated and his jaw was removed from its proper place.


    With his still human eyes he was able to look up and see his mother. She was beautiful. He could almost see her smiling at him but another convulsion shook his head down and around. He closed his eyes. He felt them being changed to be sharper, more focused than anything any human has ever known. His arms and legs broadened, and muscles erupted out from his skeletal structure. His ears grew up from his head, forming a sort of twin peeked crown that marked him for everyone to know. His teeth grew and sharpened as his snout elongated to accommodate them. He felt his nails get pushed out from their places. They grew, hardened, and sharpened into curved blades. Sharp enough to render flesh from underneath the thickest of hides and strong enough to support his weight from the slickest of trees. He could feel his human tailbone elongate and shift upward, coating itself in the thick tan fur that now covered most of his body; his torso from the waist up was always left relatively bare.


    He let out that which he could longer stifle, a howl of pain that shook the birds from their places in the trees. His body gave one last convulsion, he breathed one last gasp, and all was still and silent.


    The first thing he noticed was hunger, he was always hungry.


    It burned and clenched his stomach muscles. He needed to eat. Through the darkness he could smell them. Deer. He felt his saliva build up and drip from his open mouth. His eyes shot open, and he threw himself up from his rock. He looked upward and saw his beautiful mother. He bowed down low to her in gratitude and reverence, and he allowed his body to stretch to its full length as he let out a shrieking blood thirsty howl of challenge.


    The wolves of his valley never responded, and he expected no challengers. He was steward of this place, his home, given to him to be held in trust by both the old man and his mother. He let the howl die from his wet lips and he launched himself from his place on his rock. As he landed, he stretched out and began to tear through the wooded underbrush on his new frame using all four of his limbs. It was possible for him to run upright but why give up the exhilaration of using his full speed whipping past trees and bushes coming ever closer to his prey.


    He pressed his body lower to the ground and forced himself to move faster. He could see everything as he ran through his forest. Even at the speed at which he now traveled he could pick out individual vein lines in the fern leaves as he rushed past, leaving nothing but wind and a faint smell that other prey knew to avoid. He knew he was leaving signs behind. No trace a normal person could detect, but it wasn¡¯t people that he had to worry about. His hands and feet were now the paws of the beast that his mother had blessed him as. The prints that were left in the soil could be traced by those living in his forest, but even that cognizant thought did nothing to slow his rush to his prey.


    He could smell them, there were two of them.

 Chapter 1b

    As he lost himself in the smell his mind began to illustrate the picture and he could see them just as clearly as if he were watching them firsthand. One of them, the bigger of the two a male, had been alerted by his howl and was pacing into and out of the river.


    He could smell the creatures fear.


    It was tangy and vibrant, almost like what a lemon would taste like but less sour, there was nothing like the smell of fear in his prey. As he ran through the woods, his eyes could still see the smallest detail of the forest around him, a trail of sap that slowly slid down the truck of a nearby cedar. He saw an ant that was missing a leg as it trekked over the forest floor. But the smell of his prey created in his mind a second vision in which he watched his prey, inhaling even the smallest change in their scent. The deer was rotating his head back and forth looking up and down river. The deer didn¡¯t know it, but its head looked like a radar dish, constantly rotating. The deer¡¯s ears flicked forward and backwards; he hadn¡¯t yet detected what hunted him. Soon it wouldn¡¯t matter.


    He allowed himself to slow and maintain his downwind approach to his prey. He inhaled the scent again and knew that the smaller of the two, a female, was still drinking from the cool water. Should he kill them both? The thought made his mouth water as he let his animal side take over a little bit more. His thoughts began to diminish and become cloudy with pure instinct. His mind started to work. The only thing that mattered was the one thought of food and the kill.


    He knew it was dangerous to let himself go like this especially since his lunar form¡¯s instinct was so powerful during the hunt. He might lose himself forever and remain a wild animal, to be hunted by those with the intellect to conquer his less sophisticated animal mind. His prey was more likely to outmaneuver him and he was more likely to go hungry, which was also dangerous and could contribute to the erosion of who he was. But the power and apathy that came with those instincts was so great that he gave over to them willingly, just enough.


    He slowed to a modest trot. He could begin to see the river as his mother shone down on it, reflecting her beauty for all to see. She was a master painter and under her glorious light everything was touched with silver.


    The doe raised her head up from her drink and her head shimmered with the silver light of his mother.


    He watched the pair in the moonlight for a few moments more, studying them allowing his human mind to process the strengths of the prey, the angle of attack, the terrain, possible escape routes. The male was bigger and would be more filling as a meal. He was farther away and already alert. The buck was unsteady and jumpy as soon as he attacked the buck would bolt. The male would probably run down river till he could cross and run up the opposing slope. It was odd that the male had not relaxed yet. It had been some time since his howl and there was no way that the deer could have sensed his approach. It was troubling to his human mind that the animals of his forest were less docile than they used to be. As if his fair rule over the woods made the creatures uncomfortable in some way.


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    Just like the people he used to live among. He shook that thought away as soon as it surfaced, this was not the time. The doe would make a much better target. She was still drinking from the river and soon they would leave, her smell had changed to something resembling contentment which means she had quenched her thirst. She raised her head one final time and turned away from him. That was all the opening he needed. He sprang forward and the male, as predicted, bolted a touch faster than the doe. The doe¡¯s butt lowered as she kicked off the shallow bed rock of the river. She kicked up a great spray of water like a curtain, a curtain that he parted with his great shape as he leapt and came down, forepaws first, on the hind quarters of the female.


    The doe screamed and fell in the water with a splash. He used his great upper body strength to heave himself over the body of the fallen deer as she kicked and screamed, trying to get up. He brought himself to her neck and snapped down on her jugular vein. He felt the warm gush of her lifeblood spew out from around his massive jaws. The deer continued to scream and kick but the kicks were quickly becoming less forceful, less panicked and her screams were less loud. He continued to apply the pressure, squeezing her neck with his teeth. The deer could only gasp for breath now, which was coming more raggedly and shallow.


    He buried his nose deep in her neck. No animal smelled like this, except right before death, it was so much more intimate than the smell of any other emotion, even fear. It was the smell of submission to the inevitable. He could feel her very weak, rapid pulse slow and soon there was nothing. He held her in his mouth for another moment then let her go.


    She was wide eyed and her tongue was hanging out of her small gaping mouth, leaving a trail of her rich blood into the water. He retracted his claws from her flank and dipped his blood-stained jaws into the river. He scrubbed his snout with his paws and cleaned his claws. He kicked himself upright and, with water dripping from his face and arms, he looked toward his mother, and he howled his victory to her. His royal howl rang out from the sides of his valley as each tree echoed and sang his call back to each other. He looked at his mother in her rightful place in the sky and bowed low in gratitude to her, thanking her for her generosity.


    He gripped the carcass in his claws, and he threw the great weight of her over his shoulder and walked back to riverbank. He began to trudge up the hill. He had passed a large rock on the way down to the river. It would make a perfect dinner table. Just because he looked like an animal didn¡¯t mean he had to necessarily eat like one. He could eat his kill on the relatively clean surface of a rock instead of the dirt floor of his forest. Royalty had to abide by some rules of etiquette.


    He walked for a time, knowing that the carcass he carried was leaking all over the place. It didn¡¯t matter. The trail would go unnoticed and untraced. There was nothing to challenge him here, not as he was now. He came to the large boulder he had passed and walking up the hill past it a ways, he turned and jerked the dead animal down upon the stone¡¯s surface.

 Chapter 1c

    He sat down on his haunches. He straightened his back, just slightly, and with both his claws he lifted the great bulk of the animal and ripped her hind leg off. He always got a small amount of satisfaction out of that small gesture, a small reminder of the power he now wielded and what he had not possessed only a short while ago. He lifted the leg and sucked the blood from the flesh and the marrow from the bone. Still warm. He let the nourishment sink into his empty stomach and he closed his eyes. Calm and contentment flooded his body and mind. Nowhere in all of the human idea of civilization was there a feeling like this. The feeling of truly earning your nourishment and the contentment and sense of natural order that accompanied that feeling; this was the true meaning of life. Death was necessary and through death life is given to others, the natural order. He opened his eyes and torn into his kill with fervor that few humans could imitate.


    He could taste the meat in ways that he never could as a human. The deer meat he ate was tender, as if it had marinated in its own blood. The pulpy flesh was filling, and he savored every bite. He consumed the first leg in minutes while still enjoying every flavor of it. He ripped off the second leg and devoured it as well.


    As he continued to eat, he felt his stomach begin to fill. He noticed just how much he could eat now; the downside however was that he had to eat this much every time he was blessed by his mother. His mother. He looked up and could see her pale visage through the tree branches. She was in her heaven, and all was as it should be. He smiled to himself and continued to eat his kill.


    The smell and the trail of blood he had left behind had begun to attract others from his forest. The other predators of his forest, the coyotes, and of course his cousins the wolves. He watched them approach him as he continued to tear into the side of the carcass in front of him. They were majestic animals in grey and white and black fur. They walked and hunted with his permission, and they bowed to his supremacy. The old grey of the pack was standing inside the shade of a nearby tree. His golden eyes were looking at the fresh kill on the rock.


    He remembered the first time the two of them had met. It was a night like this. He had been reborn for the first time and for the first time he had had to deal with his animal instincts as well as cope with what had happened to him on his human side. The two sides were a jumble of shock and raw emotions. His human side panicked seeing his hands had turned to claws and he couldn¡¯t speak, only utter guttural dog like growls. He was hungry and his animal side sought the hunt. He could barely keep the two sides separate and he almost lost himself in his blood lust. His nose had picked up prey and it was he could do to not run off after them with the sole purpose to kill.


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    As he wrestled with these two sides of himself, he turned around and there was the biggest grey wolf he had ever seen. He was standing on a rock outcropping above him on the hill. The wolf bared his teeth and issued the challenge his gold eyes locked upon his target.


    He didn¡¯t know what to do, he had enough to deal with and then it happened. His animal side took over and pure instinct flooded his conscience, and he met the challenge with a howl and he jumped up the ledge and attacked.


    The old grey was not the alpha of the pack for nothing. He jumped down and to the side easily dodging the newcomer¡¯s clumsy uphill attack. Before he could land and pivot back toward the wolf, the old grey jumped up and snapped at his tendons catching his leg just below the knee. He howled with the surprise of the attack though for some reason the razor-sharp teeth of the wolf did little real damage. He twisted around and brought both of his hands down in a hammer blow upon the wolf¡¯s snout.


    This attack was not anticipated, and the old grey was thrown off his leg. The wolf¡¯s snout was bleeding from the blow, but he wasn¡¯t finished. The old grey was the alpha of the pack, and no intruder was going to usurp him. The wolf growled and jumped up. Its attack was blocked by his raised arm and the old grey was left dangling, almost comically, from his arm refusing to let go.


    His animal instinct was to kill this challenger but his mental fog lifted, and he saw the creature for what it was, a proud predator protecting his pack and territory. He felt a deep understanding with the wolf as it hung from his arm. The wolf¡¯s gold eyes were still hostile, but he meant no harm to the creature. However, he could afford no rivals in his forest. He lifted his arm and the weight of the wolf over his head and punched it in its underside with his other hand. He swung the beast down on the dirt and grabbed its snout in his hand. He removed the jaws from his forearm and clamped the wolf¡¯s teeth shut. The wolf worked to free itself twisting its body left and right.


    He yanked the wolf down to the ground forcing a yelp from the poor beast and looked it in the eye. The wolf stopped struggling and he let go of the proud beast. The wolf raised itself up and with his pride and dignity on display, turned away from him. He walked back to the rest of the pack with his tail hanging low. His human side almost felt sorrow for his proud opponent, but this too was the natural order. There could be only one alpha and there was no room for competitors. He did what felt right and a howl of triumph erupted from his lungs.

 Chapter 1d

    He was joined by the rest of the pack and their song echoed long and loudly through his valley. Every wolf of the pack gave their support except the old grey. He looked down at the animal and the grey stood there. He let his gaze harden and the old grey did what it had never had to do in its life, it bowed its head and put its snout into the dirt, acknowledging its new alpha.


    Now, the old grey waited a respectful distance away waiting to see if the alpha would share any of the kill. He smiled at his family and turned his attention to the coyotes. He bared his teeth and issued a challenge to them. They retreated to the safety of the trees and he shoved the rest of the unfinished carcass to his pack. As the wolves finished what remained of the deer, he turned toward the intruders and raising himself to his full height growled again. The coyotes looked up at the wolves¡¯ alpha with wide, fear-stricken eyes and without a sound they disappeared back into the woods.


    He turned to his pack and jumped down from his rock. The old grey had his snout deep inside the skeleton of the deer, but it knew when he was close. The old grey pulled its head out from the skeleton and lowered its head to the ground in respect.


    William trotted back into the trees. He knew that the wolves looked at him as their alpha and he was always troubled by that thought. Had the wolves of his valley come to depend on him? He was still human most of the time after all and what if one day he had to leave? He wasn¡¯t planning on leaving, ever. But old human habits die hard, and he couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that things were not always going to be as they are now.


    He pushed the thought away and dropped down onto all fours as his pack once again approached him. He glanced behind him and saw the wolves nuzzle the ground and look around their surroundings. This was the best part of the night and he leapt forward. The wolves were only a split second behind him and as he raced downhill with his pack. This was true happiness.


    He tore over the ground running fast. He dodged trees as he half ran half leapt down the hillside. The rest of his pack moved with him and flowed through the trees like a wave of sea water. He made a sharp, sudden turn to the left and the rest of the pack flowed behind him like a great mass moving over the land. He slowed his pace and snipped at the hind quarters of a young male running beside him. The black male kicked out and away from the bite and snapped back at him. He was quicker and kicked out to meet the nose of the young black. It stumbled for a moment but regained its balance, slowing to let him pass, the black conceding to the defeat. He glanced back at the black and watched as a smaller female raced up from behind the embarrassed male and she bit him in the tail. It yelped and spun around facing its tormentor but the female, who was also a beautiful black with a white starburst on her chest, leapt up and over the male and landed lower on the slope losing none of her speed in the maneuver.


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    He would have laughed but in his current form it came out as a short bark. The female replied back with a bark of her own and soon the whole pack was barking, snipping and playing with each other. He looked over and saw two males tackle a bigger male as they all collapsed in a heap of legs and teeth. The all got up and were soon amidst the pack once again. He led his family over the river. And with a leap that none of his pack could match he cleared the river easily landing softly on the opposite riverbank. Some of the younger males attempted the jump and just ended up splashing into the middle of the river. The rest veered off and charged through a nearby shallow ford in the river. He waited for a large amount of the wolves to cross before he turned and led his pack up the opposite slope. The pack raced and darted through the trees chasing each other up the slope of the valley.


    He saw the old grey chasing two younger females off to his left. He didn¡¯t mind the old man getting some exercise. He was old but still one of the strongest in the pack and he would make a fine mate, since his mate had died some time before he had been reborn. He could never quite understand what had happened, either that or his pack was being vague on purpose but what happened to the old grey¡¯s mate had not been communicated to him, and he hadn¡¯t sought the answer.


    Wolf communication was very detailed, though not in words. Wolf language was a complex series of vocals, scents, and movements, their fur coloring was a huge part of that and even the smallest flick of an eye muscle was an important bit of information to other wolves. His human mind got in the way sometimes and he found it difficult to understand some of the more complex things his pack would try to communicate to him. This was one topic that the pack was uncomfortable sharing and he wasn¡¯t ready to make the endeavor more painful by making them explain it in a way that he could understand, so he was content to let whatever happened to the old grey¡¯s mate lie in the past.


    He led his pack up the hill. Much of the night had passed already and as they approached the summit of the valley wall, he looked up in the night sky. His mother was already well on her decent from her throne in the night sky and he quickened the pace.


    The pack raced him almost straight up the hillside and they burst through the tree line and skidded to a halt. He stood with his forest and his pack behind him, and he took two steps forward. He sensed them following him still and he turned. His family was stepping forward to follow him. He bared his teeth and growled low in his throat. The wolves stopped mid step and turned back toward the tree line. He nodded his head and turned back toward the summit of the hill. He walked the last hundred feet and stood at the very top of his valley. He raised himself upright on the soft dirt that covered the stone of the hillside and with his back to his lunar mother he faced his pack, his valley, his home.

 Chapter 1e

    As he looked out over his family, he raised his head and once again howled in triumph to the night sky. His pack joined him in his celebration and the sound of wolves was the only sound anything in the valley could hear. Birds took flight and deer fled from their places. Rabbits and squirrels ran for their various burrows and the coyotes huddled close together.


    This valley was his and his pack¡¯s. Wolves ruled here, now and forever.


    He lowered himself on all fours and looked over his pack. They all watched him. The night was almost over and he couldn¡¯t let his pack see him change back into his frail human form. He looked at each one of his pack mates in turn and his eyes fell on two adolescent males. They were both grey with some black strips, their golden eyes shone in the reflected moonlight, brothers. He looked at them as they panted still trying to recover from the long run.


    He hadn¡¯t seen these two cubs before and he was stricken with how frail they looked, how much they still depended on their mother who stood just behind them. When will the son become the father and his circle close? He wasn¡¯t sure and he wondered if he would ever have children of his own. Not with these animals, proud and noble though they were. But there was nothing for him in the human world either. He was a freak not meant to undertake the ritual of parentage. Besides, how could he pass on this gift that, with the wrong person, would almost certainly cause unlimited suffering for those around him? And that would be just one more thing that he would have live with. One more mistake, one more misjudgment that had caused so much pain even in his somewhat short life.


    He pried his interested eyes away from the two pups and continued to survey his pack. These wolves were strong, and they had never had any history of upheaval. In fact, in the history of the pack told by the old ones, his coming to this valley was the first event of some significance to happen for eons. As his eyes slid off the last wolf in the group, he readied his last command of the night. He had made the command every time he changed but seeing them go never got any easier. His wolves always seemed so dejected, and their tails would hang low. Even though he tried to brace himself for the unfair guilt trip dumped on him time and again by his pack, time and again he died just a little on the inside. He knew what the pack expected of him and the worst knot of guilt he suffered from these days was that he couldn¡¯t run, or hunt, or lead his pack all the time. His kingship was measured in single nights not consecutive days. Sometimes he thought horrible things such as some massive predator would break into the valley and he would not be around to protect his pack, though his pack would wait for him and they would line up for the slaughter, scanning the hillside for their alpha that would never come.


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    But those were nightmares and horrible daydreams. He breathed a deep breath and barked out twice. At the sound of his command all the wolves looked up at him with wide, shocked eyes. He didn¡¯t allow his eyes to drop away from the betrayed looks he now received, and he repeated his two barks.


    Minutes rolled by the lunar mother continued her unstoppable decent below the horizon and just like every other night he was forced to stare down his pack and by sheer force of will force them to disperse through the valley.


    One-by-one the wolves turned from their places on the hill top and began their long slow march back to their den. He watched as each and every wolf of his pack stared at him as if to ask, ¡°Why are you sending us away? What did we do wrong?¡± A question asked but could never be answered, a question that broke his heart not to be able to answer. He wanted them to understand who and what he was, but his fear of them not understanding and attacking him while he was human was more than enough of a fear driven incentive to remain silent to the accusatory, cold stares of his pack.


    When the last wolf had turned away and disappeared into the tree line he stood up on his hind legs and dropped his head and breathed heavy, ragged breaths. Sometimes withstanding those cold stares, where once they were warm and welcoming, was almost too much for him to bear.


    He lowered himself on all fours and took off at full speed away from the retreating members of his pack. He rushed along the ridgeline. He glanced beside him, and the lunar mother was already touching the horizon and sinking lower by the second. He pushed himself to run faster. Not only was he racing against the moonset, but he was also racing against being followed by his pack. He had taken too long on this night and now he was paying for it.


    At a unique pairing of two white pine trees, he turned and dove down the slope of his valley. The sky was already well lit with the dawn, and he had no trouble seeing possible obstacles. He pushed himself to reckless speeds as he crashed down the slope. He had to get to his burrow beneath the redwood before the sun set.


    It was there that he lived and for some reason after he changed, and his wolf form was taken away from him he was always drained and was extremely vulnerable. It took him a day or more sometimes to fully recover and for that time he was weak as a newborn and twice as helpless. No one lived in his valley to protect him from harm. While he was a wolf, he was the king of the valley, but as a human he was just as susceptible to attack and being killed as any creature.


    He crashed through the ground shrubs, thundering over and through the dead pine needles that was the forest floor. He should be there by now, where was it? And then he spotted the old redwood. In his haste he had veered off target, but he quickly turned and kicked off the ground toward his haven. He raced around the base of the tree to the hidden portal and just as he felt the lunar mother wane, he tumbled through the passage in the depression that made up his home. He was able to turn just in time to hide the portal from being seen and with that, the last of his mother¡¯s sway vacated. He fell backwards blacking out before he hit the soft dirt floor.

 Chapter 2a

    He awoke groggy and sore.


    What time is it?


    What day is it?


    His abdomen screamed as he tried to prop himself up. He decided to lay back down flat on his back. The floor of his shelter was soft and warm and after all it¡¯s not like he had to go to work. He smiled at the thought and realized that even though he didn¡¯t have work, per se, he still had to eat and survive. There wasn¡¯t a Wall Mart down the street, and he didn¡¯t have a refrigerator either. What he caught or hunted today is what he ate today.


    Looking at the ceiling of his shelter he thought about just how much time he had spent in his forest. The forest that could kill him on any given day had been kind to him and through some trial and error he had learned to live with the forest and the forest seemed to have accepted him. The ceiling of his burrow arched over his head and was made with various logs that made a checkerboard pattern. The logs supported a thick layer of mud and clay that was meshed with other smaller branches and pine needles.


    This little burrow had taken a long time to build. His mind reached back to those early days. He was so new to this world but he had a small idea of what had to be done. Oddly enough, he had found this giant redwood on the first day. It had a sad feeling surrounding it. The great tree had a chunk taken out of it by some fire or another. The scar remained though it had begun to heal itself. It would be many years, if ever, before the wound was fully healed. But the indention of the tree lent itself to be a perfect shelter and he had begun digging out his burrow floor, which he now rested upon. He had dug out maybe two feet or more that covered a ten feet area at the base of the scarred redwood.


    He glanced around at his burrow and smiled. It was a good home, as good a one as one could ever need, and he had built it himself. Those first days had been filled with fears that some animal would come and tear his burrow down.


    He was not as unprepared as some guy who just got up and walked into a forest one day. He had brought with him tools and some supplies. To get the ceiling beams for his burrow he went out with his woodsman axe and through a few days¡¯ work he had gathered several logs and smaller branches to make the frame of his shelter. The frame was maybe the easiest part of the whole project. To get the shelter to be waterproof and also to mask his scent as well as the smell of food and other things that would attract the unwanted attention of the forest animals, he knew he would have to seal and waterproof his roof. This was a lot easier said than done. When one did not have mortar or cement, he had to make do with what was at hand and what was at hand was mud and clay from the nearby riverbed. The only problem was that his chosen burrow was a good mile or two from the riverbed.


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    He remembered taking handfuls of mud and clay from the river and climbing the hill side before dumping the clay on the roof frame and going back down for more. It didn¡¯t occur to him until the second day that he could heap mud and clay on some tree branches and carry a lot more up the hillside per trip than with just his bare hands. Even with the new technique it had still taken him the better part of three days to finish his roof.


    He inhaled the familiar scents of his home and his forest.


    This place had sustained him for what? A year? Two? He really didn¡¯t know and right now did it matter?


    Despite the protests of his abdomen, he raised himself up off of his floor. He had to bend over to avoid touching his ceiling but that was ok. He didn¡¯t spend much time here; he always had so much work to do. He looked behind him at his bed. It was a collection of logs and branches interlaced with pine needles with some deer skins covering the whole thing and a great bear skin blanket to sleep under. It was the most comfortable bed he had ever slept on and the last he felt he would ever need.


    Next to his bed was a little dresser that he had also built himself. It wasn¡¯t so much a dresser as a three-sided wooden frame where he kept what remained of his ¡®normal world¡¯ possessions, the least of which were his normal clothes. He frowned as he noticed that he only had one full set of normal clothes left. It didn¡¯t really matter though he spent the majority of his time in his deer and bear skins. Through them he had been able to keep warm through last winter and been able to function out here away from any other human being.


    This was life, not just some facsimile of a perceived life that had to be filled with the latest technology or gadgets. Life. Most people would say that he was running away from life to hide out in the woods like some estranged hermit. What did other people know? Have they survived out in the wilderness for any period of time?


    Through survival he had found that many of his ¡®civilized¡¯ accoutrements could be shed, even names were expendable. His real name had meant very little to him out here. William Hadrian Setford. What did that name mean anymore? What use was that name to him out here? To say nothing about an even more useless set of numbers, like his social security number. The United States Government couldn¡¯t or wouldn¡¯t touch him out here, why would they? He had been gone over a winter and more than a year over that. He hadn¡¯t been paid any money nor had he paid taxes. It probably didn¡¯t occur to them that there was a young man out there that simply refused to live like everybody else.


    He smiled and snorted out a laugh, a crazy person would, that¡¯s who.

 Chapter 2b

    Was it really crazy to live with yourself, test yourself against nature, and to have found true happiness? Maybe, as far as he knew he was a singularity in the human condition. Why give up all the comforts of modern living to go live among the mosquitoes and wolves of the forest?


    The wolves. His pack was his family now, even though he only got to run with them one night out of the month. He looked forward to his nights with his pack.


    A loud rumbling and squeezing of his abdomen brought him back to his reality. The reality that he had to eat. He was hungry, but it was a different type of hunger, more a nagging urge than a desire that drove him.


    He leaned down and grabbed his rich brown deer skin pants and pulled them on. They had gotten a little loose sense the last time he had worn them. He grabbed his black bear skin vest and raccoon skin hat and finished dressing himself. He was glad that he didn¡¯t have a mirror. He probably looked like an idiot, but his clothes were functional and out here he was the biggest trend setter since Calvin Klein. He grabbed his coyote skin bag and his fishing pole and pried open his burrow door.


    The sun light that slanted through the trees was a warm yellow that showed the dew and microscopic debris and dust that was ever present in the woods. It was morning and the sun was just lending his warmth to the forest floor. He could see his breath as he stepped outside his burrow. He inhaled the scents of this place, so familiar to him but no less appreciated. He looked up and smiled at his redwood. The solid old man had plenty of good years left in him and he was thankful for the companionship. Was it crazy to consider a tree a friend? Who cares what other people think? Let them spend a few years out here and see what orthodox conceptions they cling to.


    He set his fishing pole and bag down and resealed his burrow¡¯s portal. The clay and mud of his ceiling did an amazing job of covering his smell form the rest of this place and he was glad of it. Human noses are so weak compared to other animals. Good thing he could tap into some animal skills of his own.


    He stood up, grabbed his bag and pole, and made his way down to the river. He was always cautious of his woods, no matter what kind of day it was. By now he was sure that he had lost any trace of his ¡®human¡¯ smell but that did not guarantee his safety. If living out here had taught him anything it was that life was never safe and to stay alive you must be cautious, pick your battles, and sometimes, kill.


    Life was a constant struggle out here and he had found that he was well suited for it. As well as any human could be and sometimes better than any human could imagine. His thoughts kept returning back to his nights spent as an animal. This was normal for him. He was always a little sad after he awoke from his nocturnal activities shared with his pack. It wasn¡¯t easy to let go of that power and those smells. Seeing the forest through animalistic eyes was something he wished he could do all the time, not just once a month. But being in Heaven one night a month would have to be enough.


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    Sighing, he continued walking toward his river. He was constantly scanning his surroundings. He looked past the rich brown trees to his left as he walked upon the dead pine needles that made up the carpet of the forest floor. He hadn¡¯t mastered walking silently yet. He had read in stories such as The Last of the Mohicans that Native Americans were able to walk without a sound through their forests in their leather moccasins. He didn¡¯t need moccasins but being able to walk without a sound to his weak human ears would go a long way to give him some confidence about stealth and avoiding being heard by the predators of this place.


    He made slow steady progress down the hillside. Would his actions, carefully smelling and looking around the forest all the time be considered paranoid? He almost laughed out loud. Being paranoid meant that you worried about a danger that didn¡¯t exist or was perceived only in the mind of the paranoid party. He knew that his death could happen at any moment, and it wouldn¡¯t be because of his shoes or his worldly possessions. His death would be at the hands of a predator that was hungry. That was the law out here. The natural order of things and if you wanted to live another day you had to play by nature¡¯s rules.


    He stopped just in sight of the river and scanned the riverbank to his left and then to his right. He couldn¡¯t hear anything, and he didn¡¯t see anything. When he was sure that the river was vacant, he slowly moved out onto the riverbank. He kept looking and listening for anything. His wolf pack could be anywhere and as he was right now, he was not their alpha, but prey to be hunted. There were bears out here too, as well as coyotes. Come to think about it, a lot of animals shared his home, predators that really wouldn¡¯t think twice about ending him.


    He set his bag down and prepared his fishing pole. Yes, he was fragile compared to the other animals, but hadn¡¯t his survival proven he was made of at least equal stuff as wolves? He opened his bag to pull out the small box which contained his fishing tackle. This bag had been one of the first things he had made out here.


    He had planned to come out here and live. It was not just some crazy idea he had hatched and gone off halfcocked. He had planned and prepared for several months. His preparation had included taking several frontiersman classes on how to survive in the wild. He had learned how to skin an animal, how to make traps and how to gather food from the forest. He had also invested in some sewing classes.


    He had bought a fifty-pound weight compound bow to hunt with. And he had learned to use it before he had left the ¡®real¡¯ world. Some people would probably laugh at him. Why not just bring a rifle with you? The philosophical answer, for him, was that animals didn¡¯t have any real defense against firearms. The practical answer was that it was possible to make more ammunition for his bow, whereas with a gun he would have to buy more bullets, and where was there a trading post out here, or money for that matter?


    The skin that made up his bag was from the first animal he had killed while in his new home.

 Chapter 2c

    He always carried his knife with him no matter what he was doing. In those first days while he was building his burrow, he was aware of how exposed he was to this new world. He was carrying a load of mud up the hillside. He had been a little tired, and who wouldn¡¯t be? Walking a mile or two uphill per trip with an armful of mud and clay would be enough to wear out anybody.


    It was the late afternoon and he heard it, a desperate feeling that shattered his fragile sense of security and safety. He looked around and he couldn¡¯t see anything but somehow, he knew that a predator was nearby and he was the target. He panicked and started to run. He tore through the woods to get to his burrow. The underbrush clung and ripped at his denim pants, but he was only aware of how far away from the safety of his burrow he was. Not that an open frame over a shallow hole in the ground was any kind of protection. And with that thought he stopped running and pressed his back against a nearby tree. He had become very calm as he dropped his load of mud and clay, and he unsheathed his knife.


    This was the reason he had wanted to live out here among nature, to test himself and live by a higher code of life. Life had to be earned out here and there was no ¡®safe house¡¯ to run to.


    He pulled the moderate sized blade up to his chest and held it at the ready. It was a big knife, not quite a machete but bigger than a Bowie knife. He heard the creature only seconds before the animal burst through the underbrush. It was tan in color with black eyes and a black nose. That was all his mind could take in before the creature jumped up and attacked. His mind registered the snarling of the beast in midair and it was pure reactive instincts that brought his knife to pierce the underside of his attacker. He looked at the animal as it hung for a few perfect seconds in midair. He looked down into the animal''s eyes and he could see that there was no hatred there, only what had to be. This was a hunter who had hunted something that could fight back. In that second, through this animal''s eyes, he understood the price for carelessness and this predator had paid nature¡¯s tax for its negligence.


    The weight of the thing pushed it farther down on his knife and his arm was simply unable to hold the weight of the animal and as his arm dropped the predator slid from his knife and collapsed down on the ground, a pool of its blood gathering beneath its already dead corpse.


    He had taken enough classes to know that the blood would attract some unwanted attention, so he had dragged the dead coyote off away from his burrow. He stashed the carcass under some bushes and ran back to his burrow to get some of his rope. He came back to the carcass and began to skin, and butcher it.


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    He had let the blood soak into the forest floor, while the strips of meat he had carved off was laid out on some plastic from a tarp, which he had brought with him for this purpose. He knew that, while the coyote didn¡¯t give a lot of meat for an animal it would probably be too much for him to eat safely in one sitting. After he had cleaned and gutted the thing, he wrapped up the meat and bones from the dead coyote and brought them away from the butcher site and his home.


    He had built a fire and cooked what meat he was going to eat, turned out that it was only about a quarter of the animal. The rest he smoked and dried so it would keep. When he was done the sun had already set and he needed to get back to his home. He made one last trip down to the river to clean the bones and the skin.


    To wash the smell and the blood away he used a bag net. He rinsed off every piece of the skeleton and scrubbed the skin. He placed everything into the bag net and tied it to a nearby tree with the bag in a nice little alcove in the river stream that had some good water movement. The natural motion of the river would continue to rinse the small off of the articles and clean the skin.


    The next day, he retrieved his bag. The skeleton pieces were white and cold, he could detect no smell of blood on them, not that that was a big vote of confidence, but it was enough to make him secure in the fact that no other animals would be able to smell it either. He left the skeleton pieces in the bag, and he retrieved the skin. It was a sizable piece of fabric, and he knew that it would make a great bag to keep his stuff all in one place. He might need to pick up quickly if something ever happened, a fire, or a bear crashing through his home one day. You could never be too prepared out here.


    By nightfall he had finished the majority of the sewing that was necessary for his bag. He had sewn a leather strip onto the skin to use as a shoulder strap.


    That bag had been with him since the very beginning and now as he reached inside to grab his small tackle box, he was really glad that he had made the thing. He set the tackle box down next to him. He placed his fishing pole across his legs and pulled out a little of his fishing line. He then opened his tackle box and grabbed a bone fishhook that he had made. With the excess fishing line, he fastened the hook to his pole.


    He stood up and looked around him listening to his forest. He always had to remember where he was and he was always careful not to lose himself in what he was doing for too long. Satisfied that he was still alone, or as alone as could be expected, he started rooting around in the mud and dirt next to the river. He could usually find worms near the riverbank and today was no exception. With a practiced hand he slipped a caught worm onto his hook and cast his line out into the river.

 Chapter 2d

    As the hook slipped beneath the cold, rushing water of his river he indulged in closing his eyes and letting the sunbathe his face and body. He could feel the warmth building around him and he was happy to let the sun¡¯s rays warm him. He inhaled and let the aroma of the forest be absorbed through him.


    He held his pole in his hands allowing it to be tugged by the moderate current of the river. The water bubbled and washed over the rocks and stones of its bed making the water dip and turn white in some places. There was always good fishing to be had here. Still some days he had walked away with nothing. He hoped today would not be one of those days.


    As he waited and guided his hook and line on a slow serpentine pattern through the various currents before placing his pole into a premade niche in a pile of rocks and clay that he used as a pole catcher.


    He scanned his surroundings and the treetops. The river was just as blue as it had been a moment ago. The sun was painting the trees a vibrant green and added a warm golden hue to the air around him. He slapped at his neck with honed reflexes and pulled away a red splattered mosquito. He felt a slight unease; he began to feel very exposed out here next to the river.


    He unsheathed his knife as he continued to look around himself. He inhaled and couldn¡¯t smell anything, that was nothing new. He glanced up the hillside at the majestic trees as they kept their constant vigil over the river. A wind gently breezed through the valley and he could feel the suns warmth being stolen on its gentle breath. He looked across the riverbank and turned to look behind him.


    Nothing.


    His instincts had served him well since he had begun living out here and he was not likely to dismiss this feeling of unease.


    Something was watching him.


    This was not uncommon. He often felt the forests eyes upon him, but there was an underlying threat to this feeling. The image of a rat in a maze came to mind. Something was not right; and he would not allow himself to relax.


    He continued to survey his surroundings. An attack or something of equal danger was coming, he could feel it. The hairs stood up on the back of his neck and it wasn¡¯t because of the wind. He turned his body toward the river and scanned the trees and underbrush.


    He saw her, a black wolf with a white star burst patch on her chest.


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    He recognized the female from his last night with his pack. She was beautiful and she was looking right at him. He couldn¡¯t see any hatred or malice in her stare, just a contemplative look, studying this new entity that made her curious. How long had she been there? He didn¡¯t know but he didn¡¯t sheath his weapon either. The two stood staring at each other from across the river. If the river had not separated them, she could have attacked at any time, but she seemed content to just watch.


    He stood there poised and at the ready. The familiar weight of his knife put a comfortable strain upon his strong right hand. The river continued to run, and the wind continued to blow moving the tree¡¯s branches and the underbrush around them. The two held each other in their gaze, neither bowing to the other. A sudden shift to his right caught his peripheral vision and he shifted his attention to his pole which was being pulled and moved against its stone cradle.


    He grabbed the pole with his off hand, throwing his knife down to pierce the ground with the blade ready to be withdrawn at a moment¡¯s notice. He positioned the pole in his hands and with practiced movements he spun the line, tugged, and released, and drew in more line. The fish on the other end was strong and felt to be sizable. He worked his pole and concentrated on the fish. He kept some of his attention on the she-wolf across the river, she still had not moved. She continued to watch him. A year ago, that might have really freaked him out. As it was, he was content to share the spectacle with her.


    He reeled in more line and tugged. He let a small amount of line run out again and with a practiced jerk and pull, he heaved his catch up onto the riverbank. The fish was about a foot or maybe thirteen inches long and it started jumping and writhing around on the ground, his bone hook fastened through the fish¡¯s cheek. He laid his pole down pulling out some slack through the line.


    He knelt next to the fish and glanced across the river toward the she-wolf. She was gone. He scanned the surrounding landscape, but the black she-wolf was nowhere to be seen. He didn¡¯t feel uneasy about the sudden disappearance, was it disappointment? The slap of a fin upon the ground brought him back to his task at hand.


    He hunched down next to the struggling fish and with both hands grabbed its dorsal fin. The fish shook and wiggled in his strong grip, waving back and forth in the air. He brought the animal down with a swipe upon a rock, cracking the skull of the animal. It stopped struggling. He held the dead animal up and tested its weight in his hands. This would be enough for today.


    Gripping the fish in one hand he removed his hook. He picked up his pole and knife and made his way back to his bag and tackle box. He laid his pole down on the ground and sheathed his knife. Pulling out the net from his bag he placed the fish in the net and propped it up against a tree. He undid the bone hook from his fishing line and placed it back in his box. He picked up his pole and rewound his line. He placed his pole across his bag strap so he could grab both with one hand and stepped over to his net.


    He picked up the net and walked to very edge of the river. He let the icy water flow over his feet and toes, and he dunked his net into the water. He let the river water run over and around his fish and when he was satisfied that it was clean, he retrieved the net from the cold embrace of the running water.

 Chapter 2e

    Holding the net in one hand he picked up his bag and pole with his other hand and began his trek up the hillside. The appearance of the she-wolf made him move a bit more than he had earlier this morning and his progress was slow and calculated. He made his way up the hillside to a small clearing, which he had claimed long ago as his kitchen area. It was far enough away from his burrow that he didn¡¯t worry about animals tracking him in between the two places. He dropped his bag and pole in the middle of the clearing next to his fire pit. He walked back and strung up his net on a rope that he had hung upon a sizeable tree branch long ago for this purpose. He set to work gathering wood for his breakfast fire.


    He set a sizable pile of gathered wood next to his bag and pole and his dug-out fire pit.


    He sat down upon a wide slice of wood that he had cut away from a fallen tree and moved here so he would have some place to sit. No matter how often he had tried to balance the thing, it remained just a little wobbly, but he was still grateful for the makeshift chair. He reached into his bag and pulled out a simple grey, waterproof box that was the size of his small tackle box. He considered this box to be his most prized possession. He opened the box and pulled out his flint stone and Swiss army knife and placed it in his lap. Leaning over the pit he placed prepared tinder and wood shavings from the box. He closed the box and set it beside him as he dragged some wood from his pile over to the little mound of tinder and shavings.


    Once he had his kindling and small branches set aside to be added once the flame had caught, he unfolded the laughably small Swiss army blade and set it to his flint stone. Scraping the stone with the edge of the small knife he sighed as the copious amounts of sparks flew onto the small pile of tinder. Even in the bright morning sunlight the sparks still left burn impressions on his retinas. He saw a fine trail of smoke go up and he knelt close to blow on the pile.


    The smoke increased and soon an infant flame leapt up licking and consuming the pile of tinder. He placed some kindling on the flame. The flames grew and licked at the dry morsels of fuel. He added more kindling, some twigs and branches till the fire had grown to its adolescent stages. He let the fire warm him and he watched the flames dance and sway with the slight wind. He had learned some time ago that the best way to fight fear and loneness in the wild was to build a fire. If you wanted to change the channel just add another log. Fire was truly an amazing thing, no wonder cave men and the ancient Greeks thought of this as the stuff of gods.


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    When the fire had grown strong enough, he added a small log from his wood pile that was in the shade of a nearby tree. The log crackled as the fire licked and evaporated the dew it had collected over the morning hours. As the fire grew in strength and size consuming the log he got up and walked over to where his breakfast was hanging. He untied the net bag and holding it in his hand he reached up and pulled down a small, blackened pole that he had placed there for safe keeping.


    The blackened pole was about three feet long. It was sharpened at both ends while over half its length was black with the fires and smoke of two years¡¯ worth of cooking. He brought his bag and his pole over to his cooking fire. He sat down on his log and pulled out his breakfast. The fish was big and keeping it held over his legs he took his pole and jammed it down the fish¡¯s throat. The pole slipped in through the dead animals¡¯ flesh with little problem and soon the sharpened black point of the pole was protruding about an inch out of its hind quarters. That was a mistake. He would have to be careful that the fish did not slide down the pole. Why had he let the pole puncture through the fish? Had he been distracted?


    It was a small mistake to be sure, and nothing that would hinder his meal preparation. With the fish held in place on the pole with his hand and his other held under the fish as a slide stop, he jammed the pole deep into the soft ground. The pole slid seven to eight inches into the ground and he pulled the pole over the flames of his fire. The fish was at a good fifty-degree angle over the fire where the flames could not touch it. The flames licked at the thing especially when the fire drew forth the natural juices of its flesh, but the fish was held securely above the flames¡¯ hellish embrace.


    Once he was satisfied with the set up and the progress of his meal preparation he leaned down and grabbed his waterproof box. He opened it and took stock of his tinder. He would need to prepare a little more than usual. He had used more than he had wanted to build this fire. He always kept his tinder box full.


    Except for that one time he had let his box run dangerously low. He had had the foresight to stock up on dried meat and smoked fish. He had been, and still was, very cautious of how much dried food he stocked. He wasn¡¯t quite sure about how well that stuff really kept and out here there were no doctors or hospitals. If he got food poisoning, he would have to deal with it on his own. It rained for what seemed like a week straight. He was still so unused to the uncompromising environment that he had decided to stay in his burrow for the whole of that week, subsisting on his dried food stores. He woke up on the fourth of fifth day and realized that the rain had stopped. He decided to take the opportunity and go fishing while the weather held.

 Chapter 2f

    He was able after some time to catch a fish and he brought it back to his kitchen clearing. He opened his tinder box and to his horror it didn¡¯t have near what he thought and there was not enough inside to light the damp twigs and branches that he was able to gather from around the clearing. He had had to throw the fish away. He couldn¡¯t place at the time what he felt guiltier about, throwing away perfectly good food or having to miss out on a meal because he hadn¡¯t prepared. He spent that day shaving branches and gathering twigs and other kindling. He brought them back to his burrow which he placed around the ground and atop a log that he used as a chair so that they could dry. He went hungry for a few days and ever since he had made sure to keep his sizable tinder box full.


    While his fish was cooking over the fire he got up and walked into the forest. He found a good-sized branch from a pine tree. With his large knife he cut it down, and walked back to his clearing. He sat down sideways from his fire and began whittling and shaving the branch down making a nice little pile of shavings. He enjoyed this time of the morning. The sun was rising in the sky, his meal was cooking beside him, and he could enjoy the song of the forest. He inhaled the strong smell of cooking fish beside him mingled with the more earthy smells of the forest. This was the reason he had come out here in the first place.


    He opened his tinder box and dumped what remained onto the log, and put the fresh pile of shaving into the bottom of the box, putting the older stuff on top. The box was not full to bursting which was good, but more was better than less. Still, the box was full. He placed his flint stone and small red Swiss army knife inside, closed the waterproof seal on the box, and placed it inside his coyote skin bag.


    He noticed that his fish was getting a little black on the one side. He twisted the pole till the fish¡¯s other side was now facing the fire. The fish¡¯s juices were running down the blackened pole and he knew that soon the fish would be ready to eat.


    With his next day preparations done and his immediate chores taken care of he reached back into his bag and pulled out another small box. This one was black and rectangular in shape. He walked back into the forest. In the shade of the trees, he had dug out a small patch of earth and had placed a tarp inside the shallow hole. The tarp was placed to catch the morning dew for drinking and washing purposes.


    He hunched down over the tarp and opened his black box. He pulled out his collapsible plastic cup and filling it with the morning¡¯s harvest he drank the cool water. Once finished, he bent down and carefully gathered another cup full and set the cup down on the pine needle laden ground next to him.


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    He reached into his black box and pulled out a stick that was bigger than a twig but not near big enough for a branch. He dipped the stick into his cup of water and pulled a bright yellow box out from his black box. He hated this part of his morning. Flipping back the cover to the yellow box he dipped the stick into it and allowed the moisture on the stick to pull away the white substance. Taking a deep breath, he jammed the stick into his mouth and began scrubbing his teeth. Even though he had been brushing his teeth like this for a year or more the baking soda had lost none of its bitter, salty taste.


    When he was done a minute or two later, he spit out the white frothy residue and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He took up the cup and filling his mouth with water he swished the water around and then spit that out in the ground away from his small reservoir of clean water. He dipped and rinsed off his stick in the remainder of his cup. He flicked the water off the stick and threw the rest of the cup of water away. He put the baking soda and stick back into the black box and closed it. He took the cup and refilled it. He took his cup and box back to his cooking fire. Placing the black box back in his bag he set his cup of water down next to him on his log and watching the merry flame in front of him, he waited for his fish to cook.


    When he was satisfied that his fish was done, he rotated the cooking pole toward him and away from his fire. The fire was lower than it had been, and it was eating through the rest of the fuel. That was ok; he needed a bed of coals now, not a full fire. Inspecting the blackened fish, he took his knife out of its sheath and began scraping the dried blackened scales up and away from the body of the fish. He liked the sound his blade made as it caressed the blackened skin of his meal. As the scales made contact with the blade it seemed to sound as chimes, subtle and soft the closest thing to music that he could make and he loved hearing his compositions. He indulged himself for a few more strokes; this served two purposes, getting rid of some of the inedible parts of the fish but it also gave the meat time to cool. Once he was satisfied with the fish, he ran the blade up through the stomach of the thing splitting it in half.


    After some preparation he set one half of the fish to smoke and, turning away from the smoke, he picked up the other half of his fish and began to eat. He had to be careful of the bones, he never really did a chef¡¯s job of deboning the things, but he was the one who was eating it. Besides, he didn¡¯t really have anything to debone the thing with anyway.


    When he was done, he turned around to inspect the smoking of his fish. He decided to leave it there for a little longer and he gathered the bones of his finished meal. He walked back into the woods past his water reservoir and with his heal he dug out a small hole. He hunched down and with his offhand he deepened the hole till it was three or four inches deep. He then dropped the bones in the earth and covered the hole.

 Chapter 2g

    Standing up, he rubbed his hands together the juices of the fish and the scent of his meal were heavy on his hands. He walked back to his smoking fish. The smoke pillar was bigger than he remembered, and he knew that the black smoke would attract attention. He couldn¡¯t do anything about that now, not really. Besides, he had to survive too, and this was an essential part of his survival. He reached into his bag and pulled out yet another box. This one was about the shape and size of a shoebox. It was waterproof as well and it was a bright red, the bright crimson of blood.


    His mind reached back to last night and he remembered the rich blood of the doe he had killed. Even though he was satisfied with his latest meal his mouth began to water. There was something primal about the blood of animals that did something for him, something that he couldn¡¯t get anywhere else. It satisfied him in ways that fish and vegetables couldn¡¯t hope to equal.


    Licking his lips, he opened the red box. Reaching into the smoke pillar he pulled out his fish half and placed it into the box. He closed the box and clasped it closed. He pulled the green branches from the fire. He fanned them into the air till they stopped smoking themselves and scattered them around the clearing. He extracted his cooking pole from the earth and stirred the coals, burying them with the dirt of the fire pit. Soon the smoke cleared and the fire was nonexistent.


    With pole in hand, he walked back to the tree with the rope hanging from it and replaced the pole inside the truck among the branches of the tree. He grabbed hold of his rope and pulled himself an arm¡¯s length up it. He continued to climb up the short rope. It was only about six feet up, but he got a nice view of his clearing. He grabbed hold of the branch that the rope was fastened to, and hung there for a while. His arms protesting as he continued to hang in place. He allowed his muscles to work and felt the burning, sore sensation in his shoulders and forearms grow. He hung there till he decided that he had had enough and dropped down from the branch. His feet hit the ground but his legs still protested as a shockwave ran up his legs from his feet. It hurt a little but a little pain never hurt anybody.


    Isn¡¯t that what pain is?


    Smiling at his own cleverness and idiocrasy he walked back to his bag. He placed the red box inside his bag and checked around his kitchen area to see if anything was out of place. Seeing nothing, he grabbed his bag and fishing pole and net bag.


    He walked back to his burrow, keeping his head on a swivel and listening to the sounds of the forest around him. When he got home, he dropped the net and laid his fishing pole up against the great redwood. He placed his bag on the ground and opened the portal to his home. He picked up his bag and fishing pole, leaving his net on the ground.


    He ducked inside his burrow, and he put his pole in its proper place. He placed his bag on the black bear skin of his bed and taking one look around the place to ensure he had not been invaded by some rodents, spiders or snakes or anything else. Laughing at his own sudden fear he shook his head and exited his home once more. You¡¯d think after spending as much time out here as he had he wouldn¡¯t be so afraid to find one or two things that had freaked him out when he was a boy. But spiders still creeped him out and he had never been a great lover of snakes and let¡¯s just say that rodents were rodents, and they were always unwelcome visitors.


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    Stepping outside once more he resealed his burrow. He reached down and grabbed his net bag and started back toward the river. The sun was just past its zenith in the sky and soon the forest would begin to darken with the shadows of late afternoon and dusk. Not being in any great hurry he still decided to be a bit reckless and run. The cool forest air flowed into his lungs, and he could feel his blood begin to pump and his meal begin to be properly digested. The speed at which he could move now was greater than anything he had known while living in the civilized world and he let the air pass around him as he built speed running down the hillside. The dead pine needle carpet of the forest floor did not offer the best footing, but he was used to the uncertain terrain, and he allowed his feet to coast and slip over the needles. Running felt great but his human frame could not offer the sheer joy that he felt when he was able to run with his pack. His two legs offered none of the control, speed, or the pure power of when he was able to run on four legs. When he was allowed by his lunar mother to do that, he felt all the power of a god and he knew what it was like to truly be alive. But human legs were all he had so he had to satisfy himself with all the limitations of this form and make the best of it.


    He slowed down as he reached the river. His recklessness gone he stopped and listened to the world around him as his blood beat loudly in his ears. He scanned the riverbanks and seeing nothing, he stepped out onto the riverbank. He approached the river and took off his vest and his pants. Seeing a calm eddy in the river he stepped into the frigid water. He dunked himself beneath the soft currents. His head exploded with the cold and his body went numb he had to concentrate to keep from shouting as he jumped back up from the water. If he wasn¡¯t awake before he sure as hell was now. Shivering in the cool forest air with his lower body still submerged he opened the net bag and dunked the net in the water, grabbing a handful of sand he began scrubbing the net clean. Hunching down in the frigid current he worked his shoulders and arms scrubbing the net. When he was done with the net, he placed it on top of some rocks and submerged himself once more. The water was still bitterly cold but he forced himself to stay under and he grabbed handfuls of sand and washed his body with the abrasive granules.


    The water seemed to shrink his lungs and several times he had to surface and gulp more air. The cold seeped into his body. It was one of the hardships that didn¡¯t get any easier no matter how long he was here. The water was cold year-round. As he reached down for another handful of sand his hands wouldn¡¯t close properly and they were slow to open. This river posed threats just as deadly as any predator and he hurried with his bath.


    He stood up and steam came off his goose pimpled body. Reaching down again he grabbed another handful of sand and scrubbed his hair with it. He continued to scrub the rest of his body with sand. He submerged his body and twisting in the water he allowed the current to wash him clean again. Panting from the cold, he stepped up out of the water and jumped back into his warm animal skins. The warm fur was a welcome respite after his frigid afternoon dip. He grabbed his net bag from their place on the rock. Taking a deep breath, he began to run up the hillside allowing his body to fight the cold that was threatening it. His blood pumped through his body and feeling returned to his numb fingers and toes. He continued to run as his blood brought warmth throughout his body. The mile or two uphill run was the best cure for the river water¡¯s frigid assault, and he was soon feeling warm again.


    When he reached his burrow, he unsealed his portal and stepped inside. He breathed easier as the warmth of his burrow permeated his body. Even though he wasn¡¯t as cold as he was, he knew just how important body heat was to survival. Placing his net inside his coyote skin bag he laid down on his bed and covered himself with his bearskin blanket. The warm fur was always comforting, and he allowed the trapped heat under the fur to spread through his tired body.

 Chapter 3a

    He stared at his ceiling and smiled. This really was a good home and this place felt more like home to him than any other place he had ever lived. He let his thoughts drift back to his childhood. He had always been a little awkward and the fact that his parents moved around a lot didn¡¯t help him very much. He was attractive yeah, but that was a detriment to him in most cases. Whenever he went to a new place, without fail, a gaggle of stupid girls would point him out and lower their heads together to giggle. He couldn¡¯t stand the sight of them. Of course, they would think he was cute and he was playing hard to get so over the course of a week or so a parade of brightly clothed girls would come up and ask him if he thought this girl or that girl was cute. Then they would explain to him in hushed tones that whoever they had asked about thought he was cute. In an effort to be polite to these idiots, he would stand there and listen for several minutes about how their ¡®friend¡¯ was just so shy and wondered if he would ask her out.


    ¡°She really is a great girl but she is just too shy to come up and ask you herself. You know, you really are cute. So, will you ask her out?¡±


    After going through that ritual about five times in five different states he had learned to just kill the interrogations early. The result was that he had accumulated several reputations over the years one was that he was an asshole, that was the most common and usually the first. He began to hear other things as well, like that he was only interested in boys. He was mocked and had to endure hurled insults from people he had never met.


    This was his life.


    People didn¡¯t understand that he didn¡¯t want to get to know anybody because he would just have to leave them again. He had only finished a full year in the same school once. He had petitioned his parents several times about the prospect of being homeschooled. His dad thought that was actually a good idea but his mom, she had been a cheerleader in high school, was adamant about keeping him in school because of the social skills that he would build in school were essential to a healthy lifestyle. She wasn¡¯t ready to admit that moving from place-to-place and starting over once, twice, and once, three times in a school year wasn¡¯t building any social skills anyway and after his freshman year of high school his mom gave in and began his homeschooling program.


    Wow Mom, if you could see your ¡®little angel¡¯ now. What would you do if you knew that I was out here in the wilderness and those social skills you kept forcing down my throat were completely useless to me?


    He threw the bear skin off his body and sat up. He reached into his dresser, and grabbed his whetstone. Unsheathing his knife, he began to sharpen his weapon. He drew the stone down the blades edge. He was bored; he could admit it and the rhythmic scraping sound of the stone upon the steel always calmed him for some reason. He drew the stone along the edge in a practiced stroke. The burrow did allow in some light though it was always dark, a perpetual dusk that never seemed to lift fully from his sanctuary out in the middle of the harsh expanses of nature. The soft scraping sound echoed off his walls and he let his shoulders and arms work the blade.


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    Once the blade was sharp, he sheathed it and stood up. How long had he been in here? Stepping over to his portal he unsealed the door and stepped out into the dusk of his forest. He must have fallen asleep, no wonder it had been so dark in his burrow.


    Closing and resealing his portal he walked toward his kitchen area taking a circular path to help cover his passing and make it just a little harder for any predator to track him. He walked uphill and switched back away from his kitchen. He started downhill and cut to his right and he turned toward his burrow once more. He walked in the random serpentine pattern for a while and soon the sun¡¯s light was barely traceable in the deep forest. He quickened his pace and soon he came upon his kitchen clearing.


    It looked exactly the way it had when he had left this morning. He hurried across the open space, careful not to step on one of the branches he had scattered there earlier. He scanned his surroundings. The night was still, and his lunar mother had taken her place on her throne. He looked upon her heavenly glory. She was still plump, but she wasn¡¯t full. A good-sized shaving on her side had been taken out and she looked lopsided. Even with that small imperfection showing she was still beautiful. He felt privileged to be able to look on her and know that she was confident enough in herself to show with unflinching pride that she at times was imperfect, just like he was.


    The sky had been invaded by a few puffy clouds. Nothing that foretold of a storm, but the clouds were an unwelcome visitor for his mother and the stars that attended her. He lowered his eyes and thanked her for her blessings that had allowed him to truly live a night or two ago. He had gotten very good at telling at least the number of days that had passed since the last time his mother had been full. But sometimes he was a little iffy, and he wasn¡¯t sure if two days had passed or only one.


    Feeling the hairs on the back of his neck rise, he whipped around drawing his blade free and holding it at the ready. Even in the moonlight he could see well and he scanned as deep into the forest as he could. Every nerve ending was taught and his breathing had quickened. He turned around in a full circle, scanning the trees. If there was something out there, he couldn¡¯t see it. He glanced up into the tree branches as they shone with the white light of the moon. A soft wind passed by and the tree branches swayed with the movement. Keeping his knife at the ready he left his clearing and headed for his burrow.


    Something wasn¡¯t right.


    He couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that something was watching him. His forest had eyes that were watching him at all times, but this was a little more pressing than that. He hadn¡¯t felt anything like this since this morning when he had found the black she-wolf watching him from the far river bank. But before that, had he ever felt this? Had he ever felt it like this, this desperate? Keeping his head rotating and his feet moving he couldn¡¯t remember when or if he had ever felt like this. There was something he was supposed to do, or something he was supposed to see, and his stupid human senses were not allowing him to see whatever it was his instincts were telling him to see.

 Chapter 3b

    He was feeling his way through his woods now more than seeing the underbrush. He had walked the woods at night and his feet found the clear path through the roots and bushes. The moon light was still bright enough for him to cast a shadow when her light was allowed to reach the forest floor. The feeling that something was watching him seemed to be growing with every step. His heart began to beat so loudly he had trouble listening to the sounds around him. This is what a snow hare felt like just before the snow wolf attacked. He was now almost in a blind panic. All he could think of was getting back to the safety of his burrow.


    The shadows of the forest began to take on menacing shapes and he began to see predators and killers next to every tree. Every bush he brushed up against hid a poisonous viper or rattle snake. Every branch he walked under supported some hideous spider hanging from it¡¯s disgusting web waiting to drop down and bite him, eager to inject its venomous poison in his unprotected, unsuspecting neck. He wasn¡¯t concentrating on anything. All he could feel was his fear. It had taken hold of him. He hadn¡¯t felt fear like this possibly ever and it was going to kill him, he knew, but he could not get control of it and the panic had a firm hold of his mind.


    Almost blind, he stumbled over a bush and fell face first into the pine needle strewn ground. The earthy smell that he had become so used to over the past year and a half seemed so comforting. He allowed his hands to reach out and grab hold of the earth. The smell of home relaxed him, and he breathed deep the perfume of the forest. The solid earth that he dragged from its place with his fingers felt so wonderful, it was tangible, and that simple feeling of earth evaporated the shadows that had robbed him of his senses. He closed his eyes and forced his heart to slow, and he listened to his forest. The gentle song of the forest was absent. The birds did not sing and he realized that he had not heard the howl of a wolf or coyote tonight.


    His forest was silent.


    He concentrated on the lack of music around him and from the silence around him he heard it. It was very faint and still far off but it was there. Carried on the back of the wind, so faint he wasn¡¯t surprised that he had missed it in his panic, were the voices of people.


    What would people be doing here? They couldn¡¯t be hunters. They were being too loud for that. The sound of their voices was coming from the west. His burrow was to the west, but only about a thousand feet maybe.


    He got up. The feeling of being watched had disappeared and the fear was completely gone from his system. He crouched down and moved through the forest like a predator hunting his prey He moved through the underbrush, the whisper of his feet as they stepped on the soft pine needles was the only sound he made. He slid from shadow to shadow as he used the trees for protection. The forest was his home and the men he sought were in his back yard. He crouched next to a large redwood he looked out through the forest and saw the harsh beams of manmade flashlights cut through the beauty of the night like a razor and it dimmed everything around them. There were quite a few of them. The beams did a great job of illuminating what they were pointing at, but if he could avoid the direct beams, they wouldn¡¯t be able to see him.


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    Staying low to the ground he moved closer. He could count about ten or twelve beams with more being turned on and off at irregular intervals. What in the hell was going on? Using the shadows as his armor he moved closer. He could hear the voices more clearly. They were not trying to be quiet. He was becoming irritated at the lack of respect these men showed the night and to his forest. There was a lot of harsh yelling and he could hear the roar of some motor. The brightest white light he had seen in years erupted into the night, illuminating the forest and effectively blinding him.


    He turned back to the safety of his tree¡¯s shadow, and he closed his eyes to clear the retinal burn from his eyes. Keeping his eyes closed, he listened to what the people were yelling at each other. He couldn¡¯t hear much over the roar of the engine that was powering the bright flood lights that had just blinded him, but he did catch a little of what was going on.


    ¡°This is a nice little shelter,¡± he heard one male voice say.


    That is not just a shelter asshole! It¡¯s my home!


    Having some vision restored he peeked around his tree into the bright light. He could clearly see that there were at least twenty people out there. There were several guys with long trench coats, holding steaming cups of what was probably coffee. He couldn¡¯t be sure, but he was fairly certain that they were cops of some sort. There were little groups of them standing around yelling at each other over the loud machinery. He couldn¡¯t make out anything specific but the expression on some of their faces was a mixture of mirth and exasperation.


    He leaned back into the shadows and rested his head on the tree¡¯s great trunk. This was his mom¡¯s fault. It was the only possible explanation. She had finally found him. He didn¡¯t know how but somebody somewhere had pointed them in his direction. Mom, why are you doing this to me? He knew that she was probably just worried about him and she had probably spent a lot of sleepless night crying over his ¡®disappearance¡¯. That thought was sobering.


    He leaned out around his trunk and watched the unwelcome visitors. He saw people dressed in full body white plastic suits begin to come out of his burrow. He hadn¡¯t seen these people before. What were they doing wearing Haz-mat suits out in the middle of the woods? They were each carrying suitcase looking things of various sizes and as they exited his burrow his spirits dropped. The suitcase things probably held his stuff, his clothes, and his coyote skin bag with all his precious boxes inside namely the red one that still held his left-over fish.

 Chapter 3c

    His stomach crunched and grumbled at the thought of the food that was being taken away from him. What were they doing? And why did they need the carrying cases? There were quite a few of them and he knew that his burrow had been cleaned out. Even if he could get over there, there wouldn¡¯t be anything left for him to grab. He saw one officer grab the arm of a Haz-mat suit guy. The officer was yelling something at the guy and the guy tried to turn away. The officer used his leverage to wrench the Haz-mat suit guy back around to face him. Another guy, who he hadn¡¯t noticed before, came out of nowhere and leveled a night stick across the officer¡¯s face, dropping him. He winced as he could hear the crunch of flesh from where he crouched in the shadows. The guy with the night stick looked out over the rest of the group of cops and turned to follow the parade of Haz-mat suit guys up the hillside. Two officers ducked down and helped the assaulted officer back to his feet. The officer dusted himself off and massaged his jaw. The two that had helped him to his feet shook their heads looking back and forth between the assaulted officer and the retreating assailant. They were yelling something but he couldn¡¯t make out anything solid. He watched as another officer started wrapping crime scene tape around a fairly big area that enclosed his burrow.


    Staying in the shadows of the trees, he began his retreat from the scene. He was cautious of his footing but also of the bright light that burned behind him. Like a frog using lily pads to get across a pond, he used the shadows of the trees to make good his escape from these invading people. He was a wraith, unseen by men, and fast. He soon left the commotion of the scene behind him, and he began to breathe easier.


    As he walked his mind worked on the problem. How to survive without any of his gear? He didn¡¯t think he could. He had learned so much living with the forest but the tools that he had brought with him was essential to that purpose. The thought of his kitchen area struck him and he started to run, silent and swift like the shadows themselves.


    If the cops had found him out here in the wilderness, then they wouldn¡¯t leave without finding as much as they could. The place didn¡¯t seem like home anymore. The birds weren¡¯t singing. No wolves or coyotes howled. He ran, his long strides eating distance, separating him from the invaders.


    He diverted his direction to skirt around the edge of his kitchen clearing, staying hidden within the shadows of the trees. He ran around the perimeter of the clearing, using all his senses to ensure he was alone. The gentle light of his lunar mother flooded the clearing, and he could see as clearly as if it were day. His kitchen looked the same as it had when he had left it this morning. He continued to move around the perimeter of the clearing till he reached his water reservoir tarp.


    He picked up the clear plastic and shook out the water that had collected there. He was probably going to need that, but he didn¡¯t have any time. For all he knew the cops had brought dogs to track him and the dogs would have all the scent they needed from invading his burrow. He smiled at the thought of suing a cop for breaking and entering. His door had been closed and they hadn¡¯t shown him a warrant and what had he done to deserve to be arrested anyway? Those were the thoughts of a child, and he wasn¡¯t playing a game. If being happy out here in his forest meant that he had to hide from the cops as well as his mother, then he wished them luck. Humans were frail and he had become stronger than he had ever dreamed possible from his time out here. And he was sure that no human or groups of humans could possibly catch him. As he was folding his tarp into a square that he would be able to carry, he heard another sound that was alien to him. It was loud and rhythmic. His eyes widened in horror as he realized it was a helicopter. If they had brought in a helicopter, they meant to have him. Even if they had to capture him and bring him in like a criminal.


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    Placing the folded tarp on the ground he pulled out his knife and began digging in the soft ground. Of course, it would never occur to these people that he liked living out here and he didn¡¯t want to go back. No, they wouldn¡¯t understand that nor would his mother. The left-over fish that he had left in his burrow gave them all the evidence they needed to prove that he was alive. If he hadn¡¯t left that evidence behind, maybe he could have evaded them long enough for them to conclude that he had died somewhere in the forest, and they were unable to recover his body. But that was wishful thinking.


    As he dug down deeper, he fell into a rhythm of stab, stab, stab, and shovel with his free hand. Stab, stab, stab, shovel with his free hand.


    The sound of the helicopter dominated the night. He could tell that it was still far off, but he knew that it was going to find him in this clearing if he didn¡¯t hurry. His knife chinked at what he had been looking for. He wiped the dirt off his blade and sheathed it. He grabbed at the dirt with both hands and pulled the earth away till he could pull out what he had been looking for. He almost couldn¡¯t believe that it was still here. Burying this had been one of the first things he had done when he found this clearing.


    He brushed away the dirt and looked at his old tin lunchbox. The GI Joe insignia on the top of box was faded and he couldn¡¯t quite make out what, or who, was on the front. The box was rusted badly but he knew that would be the case. He unclasped the locks and pried the rusted lid open. The hinges of the tin box snapped with a loud metallic ring and the box flew open in his hands.


    He ripped the tape holding the plastic bag to the bottom of the tin. He looked at the bag and sighed. He opened the bag and pulled out the smaller bag inside. He held the bag up to the light and thanked himself for having the foresight to plan this contingency. He looked into the bag and the green bills with the large number one hundred on them were still intact. He shoved the bag into the inside pocket of his vest that he had sewn there when he made the thing. He had never needed pockets out here but back then the habit of having a pocket was so great that he had sown it into the skin vest, just another small thing that he had decided to do back then, for no real reason, that he was praising himself for now.


    He could hear the helicopter as the rotor blades grew louder and he knew that he had run out of time. Patting the pocket with his hand he took off running. He knew that he would have to put as much distance between himself and the helicopter as possible. He knew a little bit about helicopter and cop search patterns. They would start at his burrow and slowly work their way out in a circular pattern. With the helicopter taking point it would be the real eyes of the search party and soon cops would be all over this clearing. The hanging rope and the manicured stump that he had spent so many hours sitting on would point to him having been there as clearly as if he had left road signs.

 Chapter 3d

    The fear of the predators of this place was not so much his concern now. The sound of the helicopter and the disturbance of all the people traipsing through the forest in the middle of the night would do all he needed it to keep the forest clear and predators at bay, for a time at least.


    He crashed through the forest. He wasn¡¯t concerned with stealth so much as speed and he ran as fast as his legs would carry him. He kicked up pine needles as his toes gripped the earth with each stride. The wind rushing past him was contesting with the sound of the helicopter for dominance over his hearing and he found himself smiling. Even now, being hunted as he was, with adrenaline pumping and blood flowing freely through his veins he was truly alive.


    He concentrated on the ground and the trees. There was nothing else, even the sound of the wind and the hunting helicopter faded from his consciousness. All there was in his universe was the ground, the trees, and his running. Nothing else existed.


    He reached the river and slowed. He listened and studied the sound of the helicopter. It seemed to be far behind him but the sound was changing and seemed to be making a regular beating pattern. The helicopter was circling. It had found his kitchen and was studying it making several passes around it. It was the only logical explanation. Studying that place meant that they weren¡¯t coming down the hill yet and that meant that he could cross the river in relative safety.


    He ran up stream till he found the shallow ford that he had used many times and ran across. His legs kicked up great sprays of water and made a lot of noise. The water cooled and massaged his feet as they slammed down into the surface of the moving water and gripped the smooth rock bed. His toes spread and he had good footing as he crossed the river and clambered up the opposing river bank.


    Once on dry land he turned back to face southward and listened to the helicopter. It was still making the same beating pattern it had a moment ago. The helicopter was still circling but the beats of the pattern were getting longer and slower. He knew that the helicopter was widening its search radius. It would take them a long time to reach the river at this pace, but he also knew that he couldn¡¯t outrun a helicopter. He turned northward and began to run up the opposite hillside.


    He let his well-conditioned leg muscles carry him up the hillside past the remains of the deer carcass he had shared with his pack a few nights ago. Her skeleton gleamed in the soft moonlight that filtered down through the trees. The skeleton was in good shape, and it was very clean. After he had run with his wolves¡¯ other animals must have come to finish the meal. Maybe coyotes, maybe other smaller rodents, probably a combination of both.


    Leaving the carcass behind he continued to run uphill. He hadn¡¯t had any real clear idea about where he was going but his legs were carrying him on a familiar path. If the helicopter was circling it could close the distance between itself and him very quickly. He hated that damn machine that beat nature into submission with its rotor blades. By all laws of physics, the helicopter shouldn¡¯t be able to fly. The dynamics of flight of an airplane to work in harmony with natural air currents was absent when discussing the flight dynamics of a helicopter. The blades spun at speed till the air itself is forced to lift the damn thing off the ground. That is what he had come to expect of people. Why live or act in harmony with something when you could just beat it till it served or acted in the way that you wanted it to?


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    He found himself on the ridgeline of his valley. He stopped and took in his surroundings, allowing the burning sensation in his tired leg muscles to relax and rest for small time. He looked south over his valley. He saw the tiny helicopter in the distance with its bright beam of artificial light shooting out of the underside like a light saber, cutting the curtain of night as cleanly as a razor blade through butter. He could make out some other small lights making their way clumsily through the trees.


    He knelt over the rock that made up this high part of the valley. He stroked the cool rock surface and rested his hand on the rough mineral. This valley had been his home for so long and now he was being forced out. He leaned over and rested his head on the rock face. He closed his eyes and there, within full sight of his lunar mother, two single tears dropped from his eyes. They made an infinitesimally small splash and he breathed in a deep ragged breath.


    ¡°Mother, please forgive me.¡±


    He prayed for the loss of his home and his pack. He asked for forgiveness for not being strong enough to do what was necessary. He asked to be forgiven for allowing these invaders to take what they wanted and to do as they pleased with no regard for the natural laws that he had lived by for close to two years. He asked for forgiveness for having to leave his valley and all those that he had protected behind.


    He lifted himself up and looked south again. The tears were gone from his eyes but the pain of seeing that machine in the air didn¡¯t hurt any less. He stood up in one fluid motion and looked around his present location. He knew this place. This was where he had been blessed by his mother a few nights ago. He spun around and scanned the rock. He shifted and walked a few steps, scanning the ground. He trotted a few steps forward than back again. His head moved to the right and left while his well attuned eyes took in every detail of the curvature of the rock and the folds and the dirt that had collected in the crevices of the rock face. He turned around once more, and his eyes found what he was looking for. He knelt and scooped up half a pair of his denim shorts. These were his shorts that he had ripped when he changed. But this was only one half. He would need to find the other half. He wasn¡¯t going to leave a breadcrumb for these cops to follow. He wanted his trail cold and stale by morning.


    He continued to search the area in a circular pattern from where he had found the first piece of his shorts. The rock in this small area seemed to be rougher than the area he had just come from. As a result of that there seemed to be more dirt and moss growing in the crevices of the rock face. He reached down for what at first looked like the other half of his shorts, but his hand closed around a clump of dense moss. He kept looking.


    He was naked and exposed on the rock face. He knew that his time was short, but he wasn¡¯t going to leave without the evidence of his missing clothes. He looked for the other half of his denim shorts.


    With little warning, he was suddenly bathed in a pool of purest white light and was deafened by a roar of wind and a terrible sound that drowned out everything else.

 Chapter 4a

    William threw up his arm to protect his eyes from the blinding white light that now surrounded him on all sides. He stumbled to the left and sat down heavily on the rock face.


    The helicopter was talking to him, something about not running, agents would apprehend him and something about ¡®shoot to kill¡¯. He had a hard time focusing on the voice over the roar of the rotor blades above him, and the pressure of the wind caused by the rotor wash. He felt the wind force increase, and his sense of hearing was even more drowned out as the helicopter lowered itself closer to him.


    His eyes saw very little except the retinal burn from the bright light. But out of the corner of his eyes he was able to see the bushes and trees moving, and not from the rotor wash of the helicopter. Those agents are quick.


    William shook his head and with blind rage he threw himself onto all fours kicking off the rock face. Using the momentum from that he picked himself up and ran blindly towards the far clearing. If these cops or whoever they were wanted him, they would have to shoot him. He thought he felt more than heard a bullet ricochet off the rock close to him. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he felt a presence come up from behind him. He forced himself to run faster.


    What was behind him darted out in front of him. It was a wolf. Its black fur reflected the white light as it darted ahead of William. The wolf dove head first into the bushes and disappeared. William didn¡¯t have any choice, but if a wolf went in that direction, then the odds of other people being there was almost non-existent. William plunged after the wolf and dove into the bushes, rolling on his shoulder and resting behind the trunk of a pine tree.


    The helicopter followed William and the wolf and swept it¡¯s search light over the trees, trying to penetrate the light canopy of the trees. William stayed where he was and from the safety of the shadows, watched the helicopter¡¯s flood light illuminate the forest all around him. He hid himself behind the large tree. He watched as the flood light pivoted and swung back and forth all around him with its harsh light.


    A wet rough texture pushed against his arm. Startled, he looked down and the wolf was pressing it¡¯s face into his hand. Having some time to actually look at the wolf, he now saw that it was the she-wolf from earlier and hanging in her mouth was the piece of denim shorts he had been looking for.


    He reached down to grab the fabric and the wolf backed away a quick two steps, just out of his reach. He stepped away from the protection of the tree he was hiding behind and took a step toward the wolf. She turned and trotted off several feet away. There was nothing he could do but follow the animal. When the wolf saw that he was following her, she began to trot west through the tree line, going neither uphill nor downhill. The wolf wound her way through the trees, avoiding the sweeping beams of light from the helicopter, and William was careful to follow in her steps.


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    He followed the she-wolf at a trot. The helicopter¡¯s blades were still loud but it wasn¡¯t as menacing as it had been before. He looked to the north, and he could still see the flood light through the trees, but it was searching in a circular pattern, not following directly after them.


    The she-wolf trotted between the trees, almost hopping from one tree shadow to the next. She was following a pattern that he himself had used when he was retreating from the cops and his burrow.


    The helicopter must have turned around, because the sound of the rotor blades was now growing more distant faster than he and the wolf were moving through the forest. That was good but where was she taking him? She was still trotting from shadow to shadow going farther west toward the ocean. The ground beneath his feet was cold with the dew of the early morning. He had no idea what time it was, but he knew the sun would rise in a few hours.


    He couldn¡¯t see the moon, so he couldn¡¯t get a clear idea about the time. The wolf seemed oblivious to his presence, and he needed to recover the shorts that still hung from her jaws.


    He continued to chase after the animal, and he slipped from shadow to shadow in her wake. She was graceful and fluid in her movements. As if she knew with exacting precision what muscle to move when. Her trot was well balanced and easy. She far surpassed the jumpy trot of any dog. As he followed her west, he wondered where they were going. He had never been this far west. He had always assumed that his pack lived on this north side of the valley, and he had never dared to wander too far when he was to transform.


    The realization struck him; she¡¯s taking me to her den. The thought of coming face to face with a den full of wolves without being transformed froze him with terror and he stopped still in the shadow of a large nearby tree.


    The she-wolf didn¡¯t take long to realize that her charge was no longer following her. She came to a graceful stop and turned around. She trotted back to him. The piece of denim was still hanging from her jaws and she pushed his leg with her nose. He bent his leg with the pressure but didn¡¯t move. Since moving to this forest, he had lost much of his fear and uncertainty; but a den full of wolves was an encounter he could not survive. Running full speed into that situation wasn¡¯t courage, it was a death wish, which he didn¡¯t have.


    The wolf pressed against him again and when his leg bent, she growled. A low, dangerous, and primal sound that at once made him look down at her. Her lips were pulled back from her jaws and he could see her teeth as they ripped deeper into what was left of his denim shorts. Her eyes were glaring at him over her nose. He eased his knife in its sheath, ready to draw it at a moment¡¯s need. The wolf seemed to be watching his hands because she growled louder and pushed his leg again.


    What did this animal want? Where was she leading him? These questions crowded into his mind and he wasn¡¯t able to think clearly. Could he escape from a den of wolves? Was that where she was leading him too? These thoughts jockeyed for position in his mind and in his mental anguish he forgot to hold his ground and he found himself being moving and pushed by the she-wolf. She was not going to take ¡®no¡¯ for an answer.


    The she-wolf trotted ahead of him and they resumed their pace. He could barely make out the sound of the helicopter now and he knew that for the moment he was safe from his human pursuers, his animal escort and wherever she was taking him was a different story.

 Chapter 4b

    As he followed her, he began to wonder if they were going to go all the way to the ocean. He didn¡¯t have to wonder for long the wolf turned to the north and headed up towards the ridge line of the valley. He followed her while listening for the helicopter. He hadn¡¯t heard it for a while and he heard no sign of it now.


    The sky was getting lighter. He didn¡¯t feel tired but he knew that he would need to rest soon. They came out of the trees, and he looked out over his valley. A fog had rolled in from the ocean and the whole bottom of his valley was covered in a thick white blanket of mist that his eyes could not penetrate. He smiled at the thought of successfully eluding the cops. But the smile slid from his face. He eluded them for one night but if they had found him here, they would find him anywhere. Was he to be a hunted animal the rest of his life?


    As he looked out over his valley and pondered his options, he felt a by now familiar pressure against his legs. He looked out over what had been his home for the last two years, almost, and began to think about where he would live now.


    A sharp pain rang up through his leg. He jerked his head down. staring at the wolf with shock and surprise. The wolf had backed up a step or two and he could swear she was smiling at him, his denim shorts still hanging from her mouth. She just bit me, what a bitch. He reached down and inspected his pants for damage.


    ¡°Why the hell did you do that?¡±


    The mostly black furred she-wolf stared back at him. The she-wolf seemed to stick her nose in the air as she turned around and trotted north toward the top of the valley. He followed grumbling at being bitten by this animal.


    They crested the ridge line. The terrain on this side of the ridge was a lot rockier and harder on his feet than the pine needle strewn ground of his valley. He was thankful for the easy pace that the wolf stayed at and he was struck again by the question of where exactly they were going.


    The mountainous terrain they now traveled left them exposed with no cover at all. If the helicopter came back anytime soon, they would be spotted. He climbed up the loose rock-strewn boulders. While he was breathing heavily with the effort, he looked up and watched the she-wolf leap over the terrain with no difficulty at all. Not for the first time he wished he could transform into his werewolf form at will, then he could show the little wolf how it was done. But as he was it was all he could do just to keep up with the four-legged she-devil.


    As they climbed higher, he felt the cold wind coming off the ocean, chilling him through his exertion. Soon, winter would make its way to this part of the world, but it would not come for another moon or two. Here on the exposed elevated rocks, he could feel the wind cut through his clothes and his hands began to go numb. The she-wolf was oblivious to these environmental changes as well it seemed, because she just kept leaping from boulder to boulder going ever higher and north ward. He had followed the animal this far, and she was leading him somewhere. Where that somewhere was, was a different question altogether.


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    He followed the wolf down into a slight dip in the mountains. They followed this easier terrain east away from the ocean. The crevice was sharp, and he had to jump from one side to the other to avoid his feet getting caught in the sharp rocks. The she-wolf picked up her pace and jumped to the other side of the crevice. He almost laughed out loud. They were performing team figure eights. Alternating who was on the north and south sides of the crevice then they would switch places. It became a game for him to see how perfectly he could mirror the she-wolf¡¯s movements. For a time, it was fun. He felt the pure joy of life that he had experienced so often in the last year and half and he was happy.


    In that moment, the sun crested over the mountain and the crevice in which they were trotting was flooded with the warm bright sun light of the new day. The rays of the sun were a welcome relief from the night¡¯s cold wind and the stone over which they now ran. He felt warmth press down on him and through him and he could feel his feet begin to warm. The rock was still cold, but he knew that his hands and feet would be warm soon enough.


    As he trotted with the she-wolf he heard his stomach growl. He hadn¡¯t eaten in a while and he was beginning to feel it. The she-wolf might be able to go days without eating but people worked a little differently.


    They continued to trot along the crevice at an even pace neither hurrying nor slowing. As the morning wore on, he began to feel an uncomfortable warmth building on the soles of his feet. It had been so long since he had walked on stone or any surface that held heat. His feet were not used to it and he found himself jumping from one side of the crevice to another faster than the she-wolf was just to bring some relief to his burning feet.


    The two escapees continued their way along the crevice. It wasn¡¯t a question of why was he following the wolf so much as where was the wolf leading him. As he allowed his mind to work on that quandary, he almost missed the fact that the crevice they followed was bottoming out and instead of a sharp bottom it had gradually become flat. He dropped down and began to run along the flat bottom of the crevice just as the wolf was doing. They were able to move faster and again he heard his stomach growl in protest.


    The sun had reached its zenith in the sky and he was now weak with hunger. He had to stop and rest. The wolf ran onward as he slowed and rested his arm on the wall of the crevice. His head lowered as he breathed deeply. His lungs didn¡¯t seem to want to fill properly and he was dizzy. He was not just leaning on his arm but he was supporting his entire weight with his arm. He couldn¡¯t keep trotting like this. His feet burned and he was hungry to the point of having a headache. That was something he didn¡¯t miss about civilization. He hadn¡¯t suffered a headache since being out in the wild. Now it seemed like the ailment wanted to make up for lost time. The pain racked his head from the inside out and his vision blurred. He moved his tongue around the inside of his very dry mouth. He hadn¡¯t had anything to drink in a very long time. All these things plus, he assumed, the altitude and the lack of shade was working very hard to sap him of all his strength.

 Chapter 4c

    The elements were winning.


    He closed his eyes against the thunderous pain that throbbed inside his head. He just wanted to go to sleep. He had been up for so long with only a nap to sustain him. He let his legs fold underneath him and he slid down to sit inside the crevice. His wolf guide was forgotten for the time being and he was happy to rest. With his eyes shut against the harsh glare of the sun and warm rock radiating heat through his fur vest and pants he smiled as he felt himself drift off to sleep.


    A rough, wet texture pressed against his face and hands. The sensation tickled, but he didn¡¯t want to open his eyes, he wanted to keep sleeping. The sensation become more of a pressing and nudging and he tried to push it away. His hand pushed up against soft, warm thick fur and his eyes shot open. He was inside the crevice that he had followed a she-wolf into the night before. The wolf was pressing into him with her nose urging him to move. She had been licking his face and he saw the piece of denim that she had carried with her all night lying on the warm rock bed close by.


    He allowed her to help him to his feet. He was more than a little groggy and he found it difficult to keep his balance. He put his hand on the crevice wall to steady himself and pulled it away from the hot surface. His legs didn¡¯t want to respond and when he took the first step, he had to catch himself before he fell flat on his face. His headache had not gone away, and he was even thirstier now than he was before he went to sleep. It was his own fault he knew. Never fall asleep in the sunlight it just makes you more dehydrated than you were before. He had learned that from some people who lived out in the desert, back when he was still living in the land of normal civilized people.


    The wolf had already picked up the piece of denim and was walking ahead of him keeping a wary eye on her charge. If this wolf actually cared about him, and he believed she did, then she was truly a remarkable creature and he found himself wondering what he had done to deserve the nurturing care of a she-wolf. He stumbled forward as his legs and feet remembered how to work again and he followed his guide.


    They moved at a slower pace. His whole being protested moving at all and it was all he could do just to keep moving. The wolf was not oblivious to his drop in energy, and she contented herself to steadily keep only a few steps ahead of him.


    He came to the realization that the crevice they had been traveling had been widening. He also realized that it was now slanted downhill. The sun was well past its zenith and soon the high walls of the crevice would cover them in shadow. He silently thanked the goddess for the anticipated reprieve of the heat of the sun, even though he knew that the stone would hold the sun¡¯s heat for a time his feat would get some respite from the burning surface. He sighed gratefully and continued to follow his four-legged guide.


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    They continued to follow the crevice. The sun slipped out of sight and shadow covered him. He saw the harsh line between light and shade displayed sharply on the rock wall. The crevice must have changed direction and instead of traveling east they were now traveling north.


    How long would he follow her? That question was not something he had thought of before that moment. He had started by wanting to get that piece of denim back from her. He had followed her out of danger and out of his valley. He had followed her into the mountains and now at the point of exhaustion he followed in her footsteps, why?


    A piece of evidence that he wanted concealed from the cops could answer one or two of those questions but not all of them.


    Why was he following her?


    He didn¡¯t have a good answer except he had an instinctual urge to follow her. It wasn¡¯t so much intuition as it was the primal urge that he had been feeling more and more often in the past several months. The she-wolf was obviously aware of him. She had maintained his speed, not hers. She had come back and awoken him from his nap in the crevice and she was very deliberate in how she made him understand to follow her last night. This was a very special wolf. She had intelligence and an awareness that some scientists might describe as an evolutionary step for the species.


    He laughed out loud to himself. Who was he kidding? He was no scientist and besides her behavior could just be that of a mother. Had he been adopted by a she-wolf? The thought was almost too ridiculous to entertain. He couldn¡¯t keep a straight face as he allowed his laughter to echo off the walls of the rock. The she-wolf looked over her shoulder, the piece of denim still secured in her jaws. The look she gave him if she had been human would have been one of puzzlement and perhaps exasperation. Wolves felt emotion, this he knew, but giving human explanations to wolf emotions was something he had always scoffed at. And now look at him, describing a wolf with human traits and quirks. He shook his head and snickered at his own stupidity. The wolf turned back around and continued to walk on.


    As the sun¡¯s shadow line disappeared from the crevice entirely the wolf turned sharply and followed another shallow crevice. The mountainous rock was not barren here. Over the shallow walls of this new path, he could see colors, some dirt, and off in the distance he could just make out the top of trees. He could have cried. Trees meant food and shelter but most importantly, it meant water.


    The copse of trees seemed to be the wolf¡¯s destination and they walked directly towards them. He supported himself on the rock as twilight settled. The old man must have already lost his battle with the ocean and soon the cold night of autumn would be fully upon them. The wind seemed to pick up speed now that they were outside the protective walls of the deep crevice that they had followed and soon he was shivering. The wolf seemed to sense this and pressed herself against his deer skin pants. He could feel her warmth through the fur of his pants and he was grateful for it.

 Chapter 4d

    They walked towards the trees. The she-wolf¡¯s strength aided him in his strides and he let her help support him. The night seemed to come faster than he anticipated, and he could see all the stars of the heavens with a clear view that he had lacked deep inside his valley. The stars were splashed against the blue-black back drop of night. The goddess¡¯s brush had made a thick swath of dense stars through the middle of the sky and all the stars were there watching him. The moon was smaller tonight than she had been yesterday. It was always thus; the moon had her phases and she moved as the natural order of things dictated. Even if he spent every night and every day of his life without sleeping, he would never be able to count the multitude of lights that inhabited this sky. Even now, exhausted almost beyond his human capacity, his heart lifted and his spirits rose to meet those stars in the heaven and he was filled with a deep contentment and joy.


    ¡°Thank you, for allowing me to see and appreciate the beauty that still exists in this world,¡± William whispered.


    His guide led him closer to the trees and he was surprised at just how many there were. This was a small forest not just a lone clump of a handful of trees. As the wolf led him deeper into the trees he felt at home. He inhaled and he could smell cedar pines and redwoods. The pine needle floor was a welcome relief to his feet and he found his gait strengthening. The wolf led him to a clearing and he collapsed on the ground. The she-wolf watched him as he rested on the ground. She started to drop the piece of denim, but instead kept it in her mouth and ran off into the woods.


    He was left alone, exhausted and disoriented.


    He studied his surroundings. The trees smelled similar and the pale moonlight filtered them in much the same way that he was accustomed to. He didn¡¯t know if the wolf was going to be back and he was too exhausted to hunt even if he had the right weapons, which he didn¡¯t. He unsheathed his knife and stood up.


    The wind had ebbed as he was protected by the surrounding trees, but he needed to think about shelter and staying warm through the night. He began to gather wood for a fire. He searched around the clearing for various sticks and pieces of wood. He was able to find a good supply of dried, dead wood on the ground and didn¡¯t need to do much cutting. He gathered the various pieces of fuel into a nice pile and went out again for another load. Once he was satisfied that the amount of wood would last him through the night, he went looking for water.


    He walked deeper into the forest, and he found what he was looking for a clear, brisk moving stream. The water didn¡¯t look deep but it looked cold as it happily bubbled and gurgled over the various rocks of the creek bed. He followed it downstream a good distance and staying a safe distance away from the creek, he relieved himself. He hadn¡¯t had a bowel movement in over a day and his body was not happy with him. Fighting through constipation he finished and cleaned himself with sand from the creek bed.


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    He put his pants back on and walked back upstream. He leaned over the water and drank straight from the creek. The cold water lowered his core temperature a few degrees but the cold crisp water did wonders for his energy levels. He felt a little more alive, a little stronger but also ready to sleep.


    He walked back to the clearing. He didn¡¯t have to worry about double backing and covering his tracks. He knew that the she-wolf was going to be back and she would be leading him away from these woods soon. Something told him this was not their destination and, not for the first time, he wondered where exactly she might be taking him.


    Once he got back to the clearing, he cut a good, strong, green branch from a nearby tree and sat down next to his wood pile. Taking his knife and some pieces of wood he gathered previously, he shaved off a good amount of kindling and shavings for tinder. As he worked, he kept his ears alert, listening to the sounds of this unfamiliar place. It was dangerous to not pay attention to your surroundings, especially since he was a visitor here. When he had a good amount of tinder piled up, he took up the green branch he had cut down. Placing it off to one side he took out his half of his denim shorts and cut a strip of material from it.


    Taking the strip, he tied it to one end of the green branch. Putting that end of the branch into the ground he bent the stick until he could tie the other end of the denim to the other end of the stick. It took him one or two tries. The strip of denim was not as long as he would have liked but he had to make do with what he had. Once his makeshift bow was completed, he grabbed a good sized half branch and he split the thing down the middle. Once he had a good flat piece of wood to work with, he took his knife and dug out a small depression in the log.


    He couldn¡¯t help but stop for a moment. This was hard work and with his body already exhausted he didn¡¯t know if he even wanted to finish. It would be so nice to just pass out right now. But that would be close to suicide. He knew that he was cold. He could feel it even through the numbness of exhaustion. He didn¡¯t know the altitude of this place and therefore he didn¡¯t know how long it would be before the sun came up to warm his body. He might die from hypothermia in the middle of the night. It wasn¡¯t an impossibility That was enough for him to keep working.


    Shaking himself to throw off his fatigue he picked up another dry stick that was mostly straight. With his knife he removed the outer bark till the end was nothing but smooth wood. He sheathed his knife and picked up the bow he had made. Bending the stick even more to create slack in the fabric he wrapped the denim around the straight stick he had just finished working. Placing the stick face down in the depression of the log he had cut and placing a small amount of tinder around the vertical stick he began working the bow back and forth. As he moved the bow in a sawing motion, the denim wrapped around the vertical stick and spun the stick around. He pressed down on the stick to keep it vertical and create friction. He moved the bow back and forth as the heat between the two pieces of wood and the pile of tinder rose.


    It was dark at this point and he didn¡¯t see any smoke rise from his labor but he did start to see a small red glow. He took away the bow and stick, and gently blew into the tinder. The glow grew and with a final puff of air a small flame leapt up. His spirits leapt with the flame and he added more kindling to the infant fire. The flame licked and consumed the fuel with no trouble, and he added more wood till he had a good-sized fire burning.

 Chapter 4e

    He took stock of his wood pile and he had enough for the night. As the flame danced in front of him, he moved a little farther away and put his legs out toward the heat. The fire warmed his feet and he was no longer afraid of losing any appendages. The fire produced a good amount of heat which surprised him. He hadn¡¯t really expected a fire of this size to put out this much heat but it did and he wasn¡¯t complaining. He lay down on the ground next the fire and closed his eyes. He was so tired he allowed his body to relax in front of the warm glow and he fell almost instantly asleep.


    The light grew and penetrated his eyelids. He didn¡¯t want to wake up and he rolled over to shield himself from the intruding light. His body groaned as he moved it and he was perfectly happy to sleep for another two or three hours. He was only stalling the inevitable. He could never go back to sleep once he was awake and whether his eyes were open or not, he was awake.


    He opened his eyes and looked right in the face of a wolf. He jerked up with a half gasp half shout and pulled his knife free of its sheath. He over balanced as he pulled his knife free and fell backwards. As his mind caught up with him, he realized what wolf this was. The she-wolf had come back and he sighed exasperated at himself for being startled like that. The wolf seemed to look at him with mirth in her eyes, but he was just imagining things. He was embarrassed at himself for being so easily startled. He sheathed his blade and rolled away from the bed of coals that that still smoldered next to him.


    The she-wolf had brought him a present. At her feet in the early morning gloom, he saw two dead rabbits. In her jaws was that stupid piece of denim that she didn¡¯t seem to want to part with. He added some wood to the bed of coals and blew until the wood caught and became a nice fire once again. He took his blade in his hand and skinned and cleaned the rabbits as best he could. He impaled them on a stick that was just thick enough for the purpose and jamming one end into the soft ground he pulled the dead animals over the flames.


    The wolf watched all of this with rapt attention. He ignored her for the most part but when he was done and there was nothing to do but allow the fire to cook the animals, he took the time to really look at his guide.


    ¡°You can drop that piece of my shorts.¡± He had wanted to tell her that for a long time and looking her in the eyes he continued. ¡°I have followed you this far, haven¡¯t I?¡± The wolf stared at him. He didn¡¯t really expect her to acknowledge him in any way and he exhaled. ¡°I guess you¡¯re not a magical wolf.¡±


    He smiled as his mind brought up all manner of references in which magical creatures lived and talked, Little Red Riding Hood, The Chronicles of Narnia. But this was reality and yet he was following a wolf, a natural predator, to wherever she chose to lead him. He began to laugh out loud. The wolf cocked her head to side at the sudden loud noise. He couldn¡¯t help it. He was struck by the sheer ridiculousness of his situation. This wolf had hunted and killed for him, she had led him away from danger and pursuit, at least so far. Was he just a character in some fantasy story? He laughed harder till his sides hurt and he had to roll onto his side.


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    ¡°You¡¯ll probably eat me once we get to where we are going.¡± He managed to say through his laughter. ¡°Are you taking me to some evil wizard in the forest that wants to change me into some kind of killing monster to avenge himself upon everybody who ever doubted him?¡± The wolf stood there perplexed at what was happening. He hadn¡¯t laughed this hard in a long time and he found it hard to stop.


    He pushed himself up to a sitting a position. He wiped the tears from his eyes and he barked out a few more laughs till he was sure that he was ok and could keep control of himself. It really was funny though. A magical wolf, had he gone senile?


    The she-wolf stood there watching this strange behavior. She didn¡¯t move and he wondered how he looked to her right now. She did not get the joke and he wondered if wolves found anything to be humorous. Did wolves have a sense of humor? As he thought about the question he reached over and pulled one of the rabbit spits out of the ground and tossed it toward the wolf.


    ¡°You probably prefer yours rare.¡±


    The she-wolf sniffed at the dead animal and dropping the piece of denim from her mouth she began to eat the thing. He watched her tear into the flesh that she herself had caught and wondered once again why she was here and where she may be taking him. As she ripped deeper into her meal, he couldn¡¯t quite place it but there was something about this wolf. She had helped him last night when his strength had all but given out. She had helped him escape his valley, and she had caught him the meal which was cooking happily over the small fire he had built. She hadn¡¯t seemed afraid of the flames either.


    He shook his head and grabbed the other rabbit from the fire and began to eat. The flesh of the animal was tough and singed but good and as he ate, he felt strength flow back into his body. It¡¯s amazing what a night¡¯s rest and some hot food could do for the human body. He continued to eat in silence with his four-legged companion.


    The morning gloom had lifted, and the sun now shone upon them as they ate. The wolf had finished her rabbit and picking up the piece of denim, sat on her haunches waiting for him to finish. There was a good amount of meat to be had from the rabbits but it was soon gone and he began to clean up their camp site. Even here, a day¡¯s travel from his valley, he knew that leaving any trace of his passing would eventually bring his pursuers to him.


    He cleared the campsite of all traces of them being here. When he was finished, he looked over the clearing and was satisfied that after a day and maybe some rain this place would look as undisturbed as the virgin snowfall of winter.


    He looked at his guide and motioned to her. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± He paused for a moment and looking into the wolves¡¯ eyes. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t happen to want to tell me where we¡¯re going, would you?¡±


    The wolf stood up and trotted past him into the forest, not making a sound. He shook his head and whispered to himself, ¡°I didn¡¯t think so.¡±

 Chapter 5a

    The sun¡¯s rays were not as hot as they were yesterday. The two travelers were moving at a good pace but he was still cool. He lost track of time as the two ate up the distances they were traveling. He felt the cool mountain air flow through his lungs and body bringing life and circulation. The sun continued up its track and reached its zenith without his notice. His eyes were rhythmically shifting from the ground to the she-wolf¡¯s tail and back again. They were not traveling in a nice crevice today. The rocky ground was open and that was enough to motivate him. They were too open out here on the rocks. There was no cover and no escape route. If they were spotted out here, they were as good as dead.


    The wolf seemed to understand this as well because her pace had been increasing throughout the morning and now, they were at a run. Not a full out sprint but more like a marathon¡¯s pace. He breathed as he concentrated on his feet and controlling his body, not to give too much energy and to stay calm and steady. He concentrated on his breathing, deep and even. His legs pumped thick blood throughout his body. He was in good shape but that gave him little comfort when he contemplated the shear distance they had to travel.


    The wolf ran over the rock surface and didn¡¯t slow or waver in her direction, north. His mind worked on that for a moment. Could she really be taking him the couple hundred miles to Canada? He wavered in his pace as the distance that would have to be traveled on foot hit him with crushing force. That was impossible. Canada couldn¡¯t be reached by foot you needed a car or something. A plane would be nice. He stumbled to a stop and rested his hands on his knees, breathing raggedly. She¡¯s crazy. If Canada was their destination, and he couldn¡¯t think of anything between where they were and that frigid northland, it would take them months to get there. He looked up. The wolf had stopped and was looking at him.


    He began to hate this animal. This silent guide that had led him to the middle of nowhere and now what, she expected him to just follow her for weeks on end till they got wherever they were going? He stood up and walked toward the wolf but he made no attempt to hide the anger and contempt from his stare. The wolf stood there watching him approach, not moving.


    He growled low in his throat. ¡°Where are we going? Are we going to Canada?¡± The wolf stood there staring at him. ¡°You expect me to just follow you till God knows when till we get to wherever you¡¯re taking me, don¡¯t you?¡± His muscles tensed and strained more and more with each word as he allowed his anger to build. ¡°How in the hell do you expect us to reach Canada on foot?¡± His neck muscles were working, and the wolf still just stood there. ¡°Answer me. How do you expect us to get to Canada with winter coming? Snows are going to start falling soon especially if we keep going north the way we are.¡±


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    The wolf watched and listened as he continued to raise his voice, forcing it to echo off the barren rock.


    ¡°I¡¯m not like you,¡± he explained. ¡°I don¡¯t have a nice fur coat to keep me warm out here. All I have is this half vest which I wear during the summer.¡± He waved his hands to take in and illustrate the barren rocks they were on. ¡°Granted, if those fucking cops hadn¡¯t showed up and sacked my burrow and probably stolen all my gear I wouldn¡¯t have had to leave and I wouldn¡¯t be out here with you.¡± He jabbed a finger at the wolf and turning around he began to pace throwing his hands around like a madman as he continued to rant, half to himself and half to his guide. His anger was building, a sensation he had not felt in a long time and the fire of it warmed his body and enflamed his purpose, giving him strength.


    ¡°What the hell do those cops want with me anyway?¡± He looked up at the old man in the sky, squinting from his bright glare. ¡°What the hell is so special about me? Why couldn¡¯t they just leave me alone and let me live my life the way I wanted to live it?¡± He punched his hand down into his fur vest and ripped out the plastic bag that carried his life savings. All he was worth monetarily was in that bag. ¡°Oh no, we can¡¯t have some guy out there that doesn¡¯t want the latest electronic gadget. Nope, can¡¯t have that. Everybody has to be the same and those that aren¡¯t, need to be reeducated to learn how to be like everybody else. You need a job. You need to buy shit to fill up your house or crappy apartment.¡± He was yelling to nobody in particular, pacing and turning around, wandering in no special direction.


    The she-wolf watched and listened to him sitting down on her haunches. The rock had been warmed by the sun. The piece of denim still held securely in her jaws.


    He held the bag up so the wolf could see the green paper inside. ¡°You see this?¡± The wolf looked at him, her white starburst on her chest showing underneath the piece of blue denim hanging from her mouth. ¡°This paper is the only thing that matters, and this is what a person¡¯s worth is measured by.¡± The wolf continued to watch him, her golden eyes tracking his every movement. Hers was not the blank look of a dog but of an intelligent creature that was absorbing and observing everything around her.


    ¡°You see? You need a job. A crappy job you hate so you can earn more of this,¡± He held the bag up to the sky. ¡°You need to earn more so you can give it away again. You work your whole life to get it then spend it faster than you make it. And then you have to pay more money because you made the money in the first place. You have to pay your taxes and if you don¡¯t? We¡¯ll hunt you down.¡± With that last he threw the baggie down on the ground. A wet slapping sound met their ears. He took a few deep breaths and put his hands on his hips. The wolf continued to watch him with the same intensity as she had been all along.

 Chapter 5b

    They¡¯re out there, right now hunting me. The thought of being captured like some criminal and being forced to go back to that world of pettiness and greed made him want to hit something. He looked at the baggie at his feet and looked at the wolf that hadn¡¯t moved throughout his tirade. He sighed and scooped up the baggie. He jammed it back into his vest and brushing his hair roughly with his other hand he walked toward his guide. ¡°I¡¯m not a criminal and I won¡¯t let them catch me out here like a dog either.¡± He hunched down low in front of his wolf companion. He looked into her golden eyes and in a much softer voice he said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I know that was unhelpful and a waste of time. I¡¯ve followed you this far and I will continue to follow you even if you are taking me hundreds of miles from here.¡± He stood up as a wry smile crept across his face. ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to see Canada. I hear it¡¯s gorgeous this time of year. But we won¡¯t get there for a couple of months.¡± He put both his hands up in front of him motioning the wolf. ¡°After you, my lady.¡±


    The wolf kicked herself off the rock from which she was sitting and in a full run flew past him. He ran after her as they continued their trek over the barren landscape. The wolf did not keep her sprinting pace and soon she was jogging over the rocks. He fell back into his marathoner¡¯s pace keeping a good distance between himself and his wolf companion.


    The sun was already on its way down from its zenith and it sat just off his left shoulder. The sun was warm but not too warm and he was comfortable. His body was sweating and the cool air around him felt wonderful.


    The wolf continued on her steady course north. He couldn¡¯t see anything that might be construed as anything special about this area. All the rocks looked the same and the ground was rounded having been shaped by wind and rain. As he ran, he thought about how useless his earlier anger had been. I was being stupid and petulant as a child complaining, ¡®Are we there yet?¡¯ Still, he hadn¡¯t really felt anger like that in a long time except two nights ago when his home had been invaded. There was strength to be had from his anger. He remembered that being the only good thing about it though. Anger is such a base primal emotion. Whereas he had learned to live with joy and happiness, the sudden rush of hatred and anger that had invaded his soul briefly seemed alien and hostile. He didn¡¯t like it and he hoped to guard against his anger in the future.


    They continued to run. His pace was steadily slowing and the wolf was matching his pace step for step. The energy that his breakfast rabbit had given him was long gone and his stomach protested to be being expected to work without being fed.


    The old man in the sky was being drawn nearer to the horizon and he knew that soon the ocean would claim him once again. They would need shelter for the night. But the wolf continued to run. The ground was still warm from the sun¡¯s rays and he chased after his guide with the stubborn determination of a younger sibling. If she¡¯s not going to stop, then neither am I.


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    As his eyes shifted from the ground to his guide and back to the ground again, his breathing became ragged. His vision blurred, and his legs scraped against themselves. The sudden friction caused him to stumble, and he let his body collapse onto the ground. He rolled and came to a stop with his back on the warm stone. He leaned his head against the ground and looked up at the sun. The long shadows of twilight surrounded them. He watched as the sun sank ever deeper on the horizon.


    How many times had he watched the sun sink into the ocean? How many times had he watched it before he came out here? Even though he had lived out here for less than two years he was certain he had watched the sun set at least twice as many times as he had throughout the rest of his life in the civilized world. This is what life should be about. Living and surviving through your own sweat, and the strength of your back, enjoying the beautiful spectacles of nature. No movie could ever hope to duplicate the shear awesome and beautiful sight of a simple sunset. He closed his eyes and smiled as a breeze blew over his warm body drying the sweat from his face and chest.


    He felt a soft, rough, and moist texture push against his shoulder. He could smell the deep musky smell of animal fur and he knew that his guide had come to check on him. He opened his eyes to find the she-wolf standing over him prodding him with her nose, nuzzling his shoulder. He reached up around her neck and scratched at her head. He started as he realized what he was doing.


    He pulled his arm down from around her neck and heaved himself up into a sitting position. The sun was touching the horizon and soon it would be pulled down under the earth. He stood up and examined his body. He had sustained a few scrapes and a bruise on his elbow but there was no blood anywhere. He took a few steps and his legs worked without protest. He looked down at the she-wolf as she stood next to him.


    ¡°We need to find a place to camp.¡±


    The wolf watched him, making no move to agree or protest with his suggestion.


    He looked up and scanned his surroundings. There would be light left for about thirty to forty minutes. After that they would need to rely on moon and starlight which wouldn¡¯t be a problem out here on the rocks. He was sure that he wasn¡¯t going to eat tonight, and he hardened himself to that realization. What was important now was that they find someplace out of the wind. Without food, conservation of body warmth was essential. After the rocks cooled, he knew that they would suck every last ounce of warmth from their bodies if they had to sleep on the bare rock.


    As he scanned the horizon for some place to sleep the wolf took off at a run. ¡°Hey, wait,¡± was the only thing he could gasp out before he was chasing after her. She was in a dead out run and he was not going to keep up with her. She was running south now for some reason. She must have slowed down because he was able to just keep her in sight. The pace was brutal, and he knew that his body would not be able to hold out much longer.

 Chapter 5c

    The rocks began to slope downward, and he found it a lot easier to keep up, even though he was still pushing his body to his physical limit. The wolf bounded from rock to rock over the terrain. The wolf followed a fold in the rocks and began to travel down the middle of a crease that soon widened into a crevice. But the ground was still solid rock without even a thin layer of dirt to protect their body heat. The wolf continued to run along the crevice. The crevice deepened and widened. He was running without almost any light at this point and for a moment he thought his eyes had failed him entirely. In front of him was a massive blackness that had no borders.


    He stumbled to a stop as he could just make out the pure white starburst of his guide sitting next to the black maw, waiting for him. As his eyes adjusted to the onset of night, the moonlight illuminated his surroundings. He became aware that the black maw was in fact a cave. Its black mouth open but there was no sense of dread or danger emanating from it. He felt a comforting presence here. He walked up to his companion and reached down to scratch at her ears. The wolf growled low in her throat as he reached for her, and he jerked his hand away.


    He entered the cave.


    His feet immediately felt a soft carpet like substance underneath him. He squatted down and felt the surface with his hand. It was moss, soft and lush. It might spread throughout the entire cave¡¯s surface. He walked deeper inside the cave. It was pitch black and he had to hold his hands out in front of himself to avoid hitting anything. After he took a dozen steps or so he felt a solid rock wall meet his outstretched hands. He smiled and breathed a sigh. The cave was tall but not very deep and that meant that no sleeping animals would sneak up on him from behind and eat him while he slept.


    He smiled at his own unfounded fears and walked back toward the star filled curtain that covered the cave entrance. Looking down at his companion he smiled. ¡°Thank you, my lady. This will be perfect.¡± The wolf sat there watching him, neither acknowledging nor ignoring his words. ¡°I will definitely miss dinner but that can¡¯t be helped, can it?¡±


    He sat down on the soft moss-covered floor and looked at the stars and his lunar mother, who had shrunk since last night. She was only a little more than half of her true brilliance. Soon she would disappear almost entirely and be reborn anew.


    He laid back and looked straight up into the blackness that was the cave ceiling. Had anyone else lay here like he was doing right now? Had there ever been a creature or two that had called this cave home? He let these thoughts drift through his mind freely neither ignoring them nor heavily contemplating them. The day¡¯s exertion had taken its toll and as he let his body relax, his eyes closed on their own and he was asleep.


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    His eyes shot open, and he gasped in fear. He sat upright in his cave and desperately tried to make his mind work. He had been dreaming. He was drenched in a cold sweat. His limbs were still intact. He wiped his face with his hands as he took a few deep breaths trying to calm down.


    He was sitting on the moss-covered floor of the cave that the she-wolf had led him to. He folded his arms around his bent knees. He breathed deep, trying to make his heart slow down. He had been dreaming but he couldn¡¯t remember what had scared him so badly. All he could remember was that the dream had had something to do with wolves, his pack maybe? He couldn¡¯t be sure. In the dream something terrible had happened or was going to happen before he woke up.


    He hadn¡¯t had a nightmare in a long time, since he started living out in his forest, and the fear that still gripped him was something he hadn¡¯t known for a long time. When he was able, he stood up and walked outside the cave. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness of night, and he saw his companion was gone. She¡¯s probably out hunting. Still, it would have been nice to have her there. Having her there was a comfort and right now he could use a little comforting. The fear still gripped him, not for himself but for those he had left behind.


    My pack.


    The dream had called up some very nasty things and he couldn¡¯t help but feel more than just a little worried about his pack. Technically, he was their alpha and they wouldn¡¯t do anything without him. But these were also wild animals and if he wasn¡¯t there to lead them surely their prime beta, the old grey, would lead them. The species had lived on this planet longer than humans had and they had survived. Surely, they could survive the momentary invasion of some cops and federal agents, couldn¡¯t they?


    He rested his hand on the outside wall of the cave looking at the river of dense lights in the sky. A hundred million single stars painted a band that ran through the center of the night sky, and he was comforted by their steady presence. They had always been there, watching him and watching over his pack. The grey will watch over them and keep them safe. He did it before I came along, and he¡¯ll do it again. Wolves knew their duty to each other, and the rest of his pack would look to the old grey for guidance till he could return, if he could return.


    He slapped his open palm against the solid rock of the cave wall in frustration and regret. The force of it caused a jolt of hot pain to surge up his arm till it dissipated at his elbow. Grimacing with the sudden pain he shook out his hand muttering, ¡°Rock beats hand.¡± He turned away from the brilliant star field in the night sky and sat back down on the moss-covered floor.


    The she-wolf would be back soon and they would continue on at first light. He laid back and rested his head on his arm. He looked at the black ceiling as shadows danced before his eyes. He slowed his breathing and forcibly relaxed his body. He might as well get as much sleep as he could, tomorrow was going to be another rough day. With a little more difficulty than expected his eyes finally began to weigh down. He breathed and he managed to fall into a light sleep.

 Chapter 5d

    His shoulder was being nudged and he opened his eyes to find the she-wolf had come back. She was obviously trying to tell him it was time to get up. She was incessantly grinding her nose into his shoulder.


    ¡°All right, all right I¡¯m up. I¡¯m up.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t be sure what time it was. The sun hadn¡¯t risen yet and the world was still blanketed in darkness. He pushed himself up into a sitting position and stood up. The wolf had walked outside the cave and was looking out over the star filled sky. He walked outside the cave and the wolf started trotting along the crevice that had led them here.


    He followed but sleep was still heavy in his limbs. ¡°Can we at least walk for a bit?¡± The she-wolf stopped and looked back at him, the piece of denim shorts still in her mouth. The look she gave him was somewhere between, ¡®don¡¯t be ridiculous¡¯ and ¡®what? You can¡¯t keep up?¡¯ Well, he wasn¡¯t about to let some four legged, she-beast slave driver get the better of him so he took a deep breath and forced his legs to move into a trot.


    The wolf led him out into the crevice and picked her way along the crevice ridge. He followed suit. The light was all but nonexistent and he didn¡¯t want to hurt himself in the dark. The stars were fading and the sky was a deep black. Dawn was approaching, he could see the purple horizon off to the east.


    Even though the dawn was coming it wasn¡¯t a good idea to let the she-wolf get too far ahead of him. The wolf seemed to know exactly what speed he was capable of holding. She stayed at a threatening distance from him. If he slowed down, he would lose her in the predawn darkness. She kept him moving at a pace that he had to exert himself to maintain, but it could be done.


    He was surprised to find that after a few hundred yards his legs started pumping in perfect rhythm with the wolf. Even though his stomach was protesting the exertion and not at all happy at not having had been fed yesterday, he was still able to keep his body moving.


    He stumbled on a lip in the rock. He swung his arms outward to regain his balance and a few steps later he was back in rhythm with the she-wolf. The sky was brightening with each passing minute, and he knew the sun would soon peak over the lip of the horizon, bathing him, his guide, and the mountains with sunlight.


    He forced himself to keep pace with the wolf. They were running north and as he looked to his right, sunlight blazed forth, driving the shadows into retreat as they ran. He was almost instantly warmed by the bright light of morning. He closed his eyes and let the sun glare into his face. He found himself laughing at the warm rays of the new day. He opened his eyes not knowing where he was running with his eyes closed. He found he had veered off course and turned back to follow in the wolf¡¯s footsteps once more. He looked back north in the direction they were running and, in the distance, seeming to float above the Earth, were snowcapped mountain peaks.


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    He knew he would not be able to survive the snow with only the clothes and equipment he had with him. A half pair of jean shorts stuffed in his pants, his long knife, a vest, and pants were not proper snow gear by any stretch of the imagination.


    As he studied the snow-covered peaks in the distance the wolf turned to the west and started to descend a gentle slope. He followed and let his strides elongate to pick up speed while using less energy. His body was thankful for the rest, and he breathed at the easing of the run for however long the slight respite lasted.


    As he ran down the slope of rock, he watched his wolf companion glide over the mountain. She was graceful and strong. Her tail shifted behind her, maintaining her balance. He watched as her muscles worked under her coat of black fur. She was an amazing animal.


    He looked down to see where they were running to. The tree line was a sharp contrast to the barren rock they had been running on for these past few days. The pine trees here were brown. The lower half of most of the trees were dry and looked all but dead. That wasn¡¯t a good sign if they were hoping to find water and he was thirsty, come to think of it. The trees were spaced apart from each other and offered very little protection from the elements or prying eyes.


    As they passed through the outer line of trees and deeper into this particular part of the mountains, he was relieved to see that only those outermost trees were dying. Here, inside this part of the forest, the trees were spaced closer together and they were green. He was surrounded by strong tall woodlands that would have made a nice refuge. But he knew that they were not staying here, at least not for very long.


    They ran east going deeper into the woods. The sunlight had very little power. The canopy above and around them was more than enough to block the sun¡¯s rays. Here, in the shade of the forest, they ran upon the pine needle strewn forest floor. He watched as his guide darted and jumped in between the trees. He had a little trouble following her but they were on a small trail, so he knew where they were going if he lost sight of her a moment or three.


    His feet were cushioned by the dirt and the pine needles of the forest floor and again he was surprised to find that he was keeping so strong a stride in his running. He should be close to passing out with exhaustion and hunger. His stomach was making itself known to him, but he found that he could ignore the grumbling and his body was responding well, almost too well.


    They continued running east and the trees grew denser around them. The trunks began to hug closer to each other, and the shadows of the morning grew darker. The trail they were following all but disappeared and he was having difficulty maintaining his pace as more his attention was being forced to concentrate on not running into a tree and avoiding bushes, branches and stray rocks that had found their way into his path.


    They continued to run on for a long while. His stomach, not liking being ignored, was making louder and louder noises and he was beginning to feel lightheaded. Nothing serious, he was sure that he was not going to pass out, but the sensation could not be shaken away either. That feeling persisted.

 Chapter 5e

    Farther east they traveled and eventually they came to a small lake, or more of a large pond. The sun was reflected off its perfect blue surface. The surrounding trees and rocks framed the place beautifully. Pretty as a postcard and twice as dangerous. Water was the sign of civilization and what better place for cops to look for someone than by bodies of water. He had been running for two full days and a night now, but cops had that helicopter and other vehicles. They could be watching this lake right now just waiting for him to show himself.


    He crouched down next to his guide, who was staring out over the water. He was at her eye level and together they scanned the tree line. The she-wolf raised her nose to the air and sniffed, tasting the wind currents that blew off the water¡¯s surface. He couldn¡¯t see any disturbance at all. No shifted dirt, no bent or broken branches, no movement at all, except for the slight ripples that played out across the lake from the wind, sending shimmering sunlight dancing on the lake surface.


    His guide must have been satisfied as well, because she walked down to the lake and, dropping the piece of denim from her mouth, began to drink. Following close behind, he lay down next to the wolf and drank the frigid water. As the cold liquid flowed down his hot throat, he was chilled and had to grip his neck to try to warm it up again. He gasped and sputtered as the frigid temperature of the water found its way painfully into his stomach. He could almost hear the water splash down into his empty gut.


    The she-wolf continued to lap up water from the lake. As he lowered himself back down to the lake, he took smaller sips and the frigid water was definitely easier to handle in smaller doses. The water chilled him to the core and even though he had been running all morning, even the heat of the rising sun was not able to keep him warm. That was good because he knew he was not going to get to rest anytime soon, they still had such a long way to go.


    Having satisfied their thirst, the she-wolf turned away and began walking around toward the southern side of the lake. This did not go unnoticed. They had run or trotted everywhere since they left his valley and now, they were walking. He wasn¡¯t upset at this new slower pace but his mind began to think something was wrong. The wolf seemed ok. She wasn¡¯t walking with a limp and there was no visible injury. If anything, the cool lake water had rejuvenated both him and her. She was walking with more of a spring in her step and she was almost bouncing over the terrain. But they walked. He hadn¡¯t argued with her so far and he was not about to start now. Besides his stomach would not be satisfied with only water for very long and he knew that even though he felt ok he couldn¡¯t keep running without food.


    They made their way cautiously around to the south side of the lake staying deep within the shadows of the trees. They had to walk around various boulders and underbrush. They had to climb up steep inclines instead of risking straying too close to the water. Even walking he was soon sweating again with this different kind of exertion. No wonder we¡¯re walking. The lake wasn¡¯t very big, but the sun was already high in the sky by the time they reached the southern side of it.


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    Here there was a nice clearing. Better stated, it was a less densely populated area of trees. The sun filtered through here nicely and he was reminded of those manicured campgrounds that he had often camped at with his family so long ago. He mentally pointed out where the cast iron grill would have gone. Over to his right should have been a concrete slab for RVs and the connecting outlets of power water and sewage. Tents would have been scattered around in domes of bright green and orange. There would have been a heavy wooden camping table next to the grill. And the bathrooms would have been off somewhere with a wide gravel road leading to it from the campsite. He found himself sneering at the mental imagery. People ¡®camped¡¯ to ¡®get away from it all¡¯. What they were really doing was telling themselves that they were ¡®roughing¡¯ it and that they were still men with ties to their ancestors who had to live that way because they didn¡¯t have air-conditioned apartments and two-story homes to live in a few hundred years ago.


    He wiped the mental image from his mind. The wolf had gone to lay down in the shade of a tree. She had dropped the piece of denim from her mouth and was half laying on it as she rested her head on her folded forelegs. As he walked over to her, she lifted her eye brown watching him approach. He sat down and rested his back against the large tree trunk and let his eyes close. He couldn¡¯t feel the wind anymore but the shade of the tree was enough to keep him cool and safe from the sunlight. He rested his arms down at his sides and felt the soft dirt and pine needles that he was now sitting on. He smiled at the feel of earth. Moss covered rock was soft enough, but it wasn¡¯t earth and he was glad to be off rock for the time being.


    He opened his eyes and looked over at his guide. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing evenly. She had fallen asleep. That was ok. He was sure that she had gotten less rest in the past few days than he had. He gently raised himself up from his spot on the ground careful to not make any sound or disturbance so as not to wake his sleeping companion. He tiptoed away from the sleeping wolf and went off into the forest.


    He had to get something to eat. He walked off toward the lake again and started hunting for fruit bearing bushes or roots, anything that was edible and wouldn¡¯t make him puke. He was pretty sure he couldn¡¯t afford to puke up anything right now. Nor could he afford to get sick at all. He looked for the signs that would tell him of food. He eventually found some wild berries and a small patch of Miners Lettuce. He gathered the lettuce and picking one berry from the bush he rubbed the juices of the berry on his arm. He couldn¡¯t identify the berries and he had to check to see if the berry was toxic. He scratched where the berry juice was wiped on his skin to see if he was allergic to the berry or not.

 Chapter 5f

    As he waited for his body to respond to the test, he munched on some of the miner¡¯s lettuce and looked around at the mountain around him. It really was peaceful here. The wind had picked up since they first came here, and he felt a chill run through him. He turned his gaze up to the sky and frowned. The perfect blue of the morning sky was now being invaded by a thick front of clouds that was sweeping in from the west. The clouds were a light grey on the fringes of the front. Deeper inside the clouds turned an ugly dark grey to almost black. The clouds promised rain and not just a light autumn shower either.


    He had some time but not much. He looked down at the berry juice on his arm. He wiped the juice away with his hand and studied his arm. There was no redness or irritation that was a good sign. He took another berry and squeezed some of its juice on his lips and let the juice sit.


    He didn¡¯t feel anything, but he let the juice sit for several minutes. He searched for more patches of miner¡¯s lettuce and other berries. If the berries tested ok then he would need more, especially if they were forced to stay here because of the storm. He found another patch of lettuce and he gathered the vegetation. He decided that it had been enough time for the berry juice test and licked his lips clean.


    The berries had a rich flavor that spoke of summer, the way that fresh blackberries right off the vine taste like summer. There was no trace of any harmful tangy sensation. He decided that the berries were ok but he wasn¡¯t taking any chances out here in the wilderness. He gathered a good number of them but he decided not to eat them for at least another hour or so. If something was harmful about these berries, he would know about it by then. Gathering as much miner¡¯s lettuce and berries as he could carry, he rushed back to where the she-wolf was sleeping.


    The sky had already started to dim and the wind was picking up. He placed the food on the ground near her and began searching for fallen logs and large branches. He could make a lean-to with little problem if he could find the materials for it. The sky was darkening by the minute, and he knew that it could start raining at any time.


    He searched the area. He didn¡¯t see any sizable logs or pieces of wood at all. What he did find was a fallen tree that was resting against a small boulder in the mountain side. He dug out some earth around the boulder, clearing a floor area. Once that was done, he backed away and began to break off the lower branches of the surrounding trees, hacking them with his knife as needed. As he broke off the bigger branches from the trees, he leaned the green branches up against the fallen tree truck.


    Nature never waited for anyone and as he was preparing their shelter, the sky opened up and it started raining heavily. He threw branches over the shelter trying to make it as water resistant as possible. The rain water soaked through his skins. He worked through the discomfort. They needed a shelter and a place to get dry. He finished the shelter in a short period of time but he was already soaked through to the bone.


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    He rushed back through the forest to where his companion and food store was. She was awake and sitting under a densely branched tree, staying relatively dry. He picked up his pile of food and motioned for her to follow him. She looked at him with the piece of denim in her mouth and came out of her sheltered spot beneath the tree. He led her to the shelter he had just prepared.


    They moved through the trees as the rain fell heavier by the minute. The ground was carpeted in soft pine needles but there would soon be mud and running rainwater streams everywhere. Good for them to erase any traces of their being there, bad for them because the water was likely to go anywhere and everywhere.


    They made their way to the shelter and upon seeing the dry alcove under the large tree trunk, the she-wolf bolted in front of him. She raced toward the dry piece of ground and once under the shelter she shook all the water from her fur. He dove in after her and put his food down next to the boulder. The she-wolf lay down at the other end of the shelter under the tree trunk. She wedged her body so there was very little clearance between her body and the wood. She had dropped the piece of denim from her mouth and was watching him with her head resting upon her forearms.


    He turned toward the shelter opening and moved some branches around closing the entrance. It wasn¡¯t as good as his burrow had been, but for literally throwing this shelter together he was proud of himself. The wolf didn¡¯t seem to complain she already had her eyes closed and was sleeping peacefully. He leaned his back against the boulder and began to eat his meal.


    The lettuce was crunchy and crisp even with the added water. The berries were good and he soon finished the whole pile. He wished he had gathered more food. His stomach was not full, not by a long shot and he knew that it would soon be growling again from hunger. But it really couldn¡¯t be helped. He raised himself as high as he could off the ground and took off his wet vest. Wiping the excess water from his clothes he put the vest back on and sat down away from the now wet spot on the ground.


    He found himself very close to his wolf companion and her warmth was very inviting. He slid up to her as much as possible while maintaining some distance. He knew she didn¡¯t like to be petted and she probably liked having her personal space invaded much less. He stayed a good five to six inches away from her, but she produced heat like a radiator. He stopped moving and listened to the rain.


    His little shelter was a good one even it was hastily made. The rain was not intruding on them and he was able to just listen to the storm. He allowed his eyes to grow heavy. His close proximity to the warmth of the she-wolf, the dry shelter, his belly being less empty than it had been, coupled with the last few days¡¯ heavy exertion all worked on him and he was soon asleep.

 Chapter 6a

    He was back in his valley. The full moon had risen and he had been transformed again. He howled into the night sky, calling to his pack. There was an answering howl off in the distance and he ran toward the call. He glided over the terrain, darted in between the trees, and tore through the underbrush. He was free in ways that he could never be in his human form, freedom through movement and speed.


    He rushed down the hillside, howling as he went. The responding call seemed farther off than it had been only a few moments ago. He ran toward the responding call. Any moment his pack would be with him and they would hunt. His heart was always light when he thought about being with his pack reveling in the simple joy of the hunt and the exhilaration of the kill.


    He leapt over the small river that cut his valley in two. The water gurgled and bubbled over the rocks as it always had done. He stopped on the other side of the river and called out again. Something was wrong. This time the responding call was even further away. Why wasn¡¯t his pack making their way towards him? He was their alpha and they should be coming toward him not going away. He made himself run even faster and lowered himself to all fours. He tore through the trees and breakneck speeds. Clipping the underbrush and pulling branches with him in his wake as he ran toward where the last call had emanated from.


    He continued to run. He didn¡¯t really notice that he was running west toward the ocean and right then he didn¡¯t care. His mind seemed fixated on finding his pack and nothing else mattered. He called out again. His howl reverberated off the valley walls and the response was so faint he wasn¡¯t sure he had heard it at all. He kept running. His mind was wildly thinking of every type of horrible scenario it could and even though he was running faster than he ever had before he was breaking out into a cold sweat.


    He continued on in almost a complete panic. His legs were fear driven to move faster and faster. His pack had to be ok. Where were they? He called again and as he strained his ears to hear the response, he lost sight of the ground. The ground fell away from under him and as he fell down an impossibly long almost completely black drop he looked up and saw the old grey standing on the cliff edge looking down at him.


    He awoke with a scream and knocked his head against the tree roof of his shelter. The pain stifled the fear induced yell and produced one of pain from his lips. The she-wolf raised her head in alarm with a slight whine. She almost sounded concerned.


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    As he rubbed his head with his dirt covered hand he tried to hold on and remember the dream he had just had.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok. I¡¯m ok. Sorry about that. Just go back to sleep. Everything¡¯s ok.¡±


    She watched him and instead of lying back down she picked up the piece of denim she had been laying on, stood up, and moved to the other side of the shelter, with the higher roof and stood over him.


    He watched her move around him, and he twisted to face her with his hand massaging his forehead. He looked at her, still in pain from bumping his head on this stupid tree trunk and watched her as she simply stood there watching him.


    ¡°Why do I get the feeling you have been watching over me for a lot longer than I think?¡± he said as he took his hand away from his head. The pain from the bump he had given himself was dissipating and would soon be nothing more than a mild nuisance. He looked into her golden eyes and not for the first time he saw intelligence. There was a depth to her eyes a sense that she understood everything that was going on around her.


    He expected nothing less from a wolf. If she had been a dog than he would not see that intelligence in her eyes. Also, she was still a wild animal and one that while he was human could rip him to shreds with very little trouble. ¡°I¡¯m harder to kill than I look.¡±


    Why did he just tell her that? She had made no motion towards him, no threatening gestures. She stood there watching him.


    Outside the small shelter the storm continued. The rain hadn¡¯t increased but it hadn¡¯t slowed either. It would be night soon and he was content to stay here where it was dry and recover his energy from his exhausted body.


    He rotated around into a sitting position facing her. She also sat down on her haunches and moved back towards the boulder, giving him a little bit more room.


    ¡°Do you have a name?¡± The she-wolf cocked her head to the side as if wondering why he would ask such a ridiculous question. ¡°No, you¡¯re right. That was a stupid question.¡±


    They sat there for a time listening to the rain. The she-wolf was looking at him and though he knew that she was watching every move he made she was also paying attention to the storm and what was going on outside of the shelter.


    He felt safe around her. Even though she was a wild animal she had led him here and she had followed him when he led her to this shelter. Trust was not easily given by wild animals but two companions traveling together, protecting each other was something he hadn¡¯t ever really experienced. Sure, he had had friends back home. He was odd but he still had a few people who respected him and he liked being around, Brian, Nate, Dave and Corey. All those guys he hung out with, spent time with and shared jokes with. We were just a group of guys that hung out together. None of them knew to the extent that he had come to hate everything the human condition encompassed but those guys, even though they did share some of those base characteristics, weren¡¯t as bad as the disease that American humanity had become.

 Chapter 6b

    But out here he knew that this wolf was watching out for him and he in turn was going to watch out for her. She had run with his pack and when he was able, he would protect her just as he had his pack. Feeling very comfortable under the gaze of the she-wolf he lied back on the soft ground and let his eyes grow heavy once more. He fell back down into a comfortable deep sleep.


    His eyes opened slowly in the dark of the shelter. He could tell that it was night or at least morning was still a ways off. He lifted his head and looked around the shelter to find that his companion was gone. Probably out hunting. The thought of the hunt and red meat immediately made his mouth water and his stomach rumble. But he shook his head in disappointment. Even if the she-wolf was able to catch something, and he had no doubt that she could, there was nothing to light a fire with. The rain which had stopped, he now noticed, still had more than enough time to thoroughly soak every piece of wood in their vicinity. And even though he liked the taste of blood and the taste of raw meat he wasn¡¯t sure about the health risks. While he was in werewolf form the meat didn¡¯t seem to bother him. But he wasn¡¯t sure about what it would do to his human body.


    The morning was closer than he thought and the sun would soon rise over the horizon. He grabbed large handfuls of the branches that were the walls of the night¡¯s shelter and scattered them around the forest walking as far as around five hundred yards away to mask the placement of the large amount of wood.


    The sun¡¯s rays found their way under the looming dripping tree branches, and he washed his hands in the golden glow. The sun did not have much strength yet and the light didn¡¯t bring much warmth but after the gloom of yesterday, seeing the pure untainted sun rise and filter through the trees was a welcome relief.


    When he was finished disassembling the shelter, he found a gentle sloping rock that was almost completely dry and sat down waiting for his companion to return. He inhaled the scents of the forest. It did not smell unlike his valley but there were subtle differences. He could detect no trace of cedar pines. The air smelled more earthy here than in his valley. He supposed that was because this was more of a flat expanse and the wind was not aided by the terrain so instead of being pushed along, like in his valley, the wind was more stagnant here. The standing lake might also have something to do with it. This small difference would make it harder to detect things by smell. Without wind smell would just sit in place making it harder for them to move and anticipate the movements of others around them.


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    He looked around himself and studied the trees and the forest. It wasn¡¯t good to just sit here. Besides he was hungry and the she-wolf could take care of herself.


    He moved through the forest, making as little noise as possible. He really did need to learn how those Native Americans did that silent walk thing. Grabbing a nearby stick, he made his way to the lake and scanning the shore and tree line to make sure he was alone he drank the cold mountain water. He took the stick and dipping it into the cold lake water he jammed it into his mouth and scrubbed his teeth. It would be better if he had some salt or baking soda but he didn¡¯t so he had to make do with what he had. When he was finished, he rinsed his mouth out with lake water and threw the stick into the lake. He watched it splash into the gentle surface making small ripples that made their way back to the shore.


    With that business taken care of, he rose off the ground and walked back into the woods a good hundred to two hundred yards away from the lake and relieved himself next to a moderate sized redwood. He began searching for more of the berries that he had yesterday and another patch of Miners Lettuce.


    The rain dripping branched didn¡¯t do much to impede his progress but every few steps or so a large drop would plop down on his head or arms. He didn¡¯t have a fear of getting wet it was the fact that even though he had lived out among nature for so long he was still very acutely aware of just how many things out here could kill him. In werewolf form it was a different story, but in his frail human form he was just as exposed now as he had been when he first walked into his valley.


    He found a bush that was bursting with those tasty berries from yesterday and he ate many of them right then. He left a decent amount on the bush. He was careful even when eating to not leave anything that might draw attention to his passing, including how many berries off a bush he ate. There are so many ways to track a person and very few of them have anything to do with footprints. If those cops ever made it out this far away from his valley, he would be very impressed but he would not allow himself to become overconfident.


    With a little more searching he found another bush full of berries and was able to find a good-sized patch of Miners Lettuce. He ate his fill. A few days ago, he had eaten almost a full half of a dear and was fine. Today he ate some lettuce and berries and was fine. Did changing from human to werewolf do something to his metabolism as well?


    He heard movement behind him. He dove and crouched behind a nearby tree and waited. The black and white she-wolf came trotting through the underbrush and walked around the tree to face him. She was panting and she looked at him with what might be considered a smile.

 Chapter 6c

    His forehead creased. ¡°What are you so happy about?¡±


    The she-wolf turned around and trotted back the way she had come. She stopped and looked over her shoulder at him. She wanted him to follow her.


    Sighing he shook his head and looked up toward the blue morning sky, ¡°What have you gotten yourself into now, I wonder?¡± This was said more to himself than to the wolf. He walked after the animal shaking his head.


    The she-wolf started jogging once she saw he was following her. She led him away from the lake and deeper into the forest. His body was responding. He had no problem keeping pace with the wolf and he kept her in sight, even through the dense underbrush that they were passing through.


    It seemed that their pace was increasing at a steady rate and before long he was in a full out run. He noticed that they were heading north once again. Why weren¡¯t they traveling along the rocky terrain that they had run on for the past few days? It didn¡¯t really matter to him except that having to run over bushes and around trees was a lot harder than running on open rock and he found himself wondering just how long he would be able to keep this up.


    They raced through the forest. The she-wolf jumped and glided through the rough terrain. He let his long legs carry him over the underbrush and keep pace with the wolf using his long strides. He lost himself in the motion of the run, his legs pumping and his eyes moving back and forth between the ground and his guide.


    They came upon a dense part of the forest, and they were forced to slow down. The wolf immediately turned westward, and he followed. He soon saw what it was that the wolf had seemed so happy about.


    Lying on the ground next to a rather large, dead looking pine tree was the fresh corpse of a small deer. The she-wolf trotted around to the other side of the dead animal and sat down on her haunches next to the piece of denim that she had left in the dirt.


    He wished that it hadn¡¯t rained last night and that he had some dry wood. As it was, he didn¡¯t have a way to cook the animal. He looked down at the carcass. It looked good. The dead deer had claw marks down its back and a very distinctive bite mark in its neck. It was fresh and flies hadn¡¯t gathered yet, but they probably would, especially in the growing heat of the late morning. The thing had a pool of blood that was draining out of it and resting a few feet from the thing. The deer had not been eaten or disturbed in any way except that it had been killed. The she-wolf had not taken her share before she had led him here. She was going to wait and share the full kill with him. That is very thoughtful of you, my lady.


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    His body would need the protein. He wasn¡¯t going to argue that fact, but he had always been wary about eating raw meat out here in the wilderness. But he didn¡¯t want the kill to go to waste either. He succumbed to his animal instincts and decided to eat the thing raw. He wrenched his knife free from its sheath and plunged it deep into the animal¡¯s belly. With a forceful jerk he ripped the blade up toward its throat. More blood came gushing out of the animal and his hands were covered in the red ichor.


    He reached his hands up into the animal and ripped out the heart. He raised it up to the wolf. The wolf sniffed at the upheld organ. He dropped it onto the ground at her feet, being careful to not have it touch the piece of fabric that was lying there. The wolf sniffed at it once more and then lunged at it with her jaws and in one motion the organ was gone, and her mouth was red with the blood of the morsel.


    He smiled at her hunger and reaching into the deer once more he pulled out the liver and placed it at her feet. The wolf sniffed it and in the same motion as before the liver also disappeared. He continued to rip out the vittles of the dead animal and one at a time he placed them at the feet of his guide. She would sniff every piece of meat first then in one smooth, vicious motion she would devour the meat without remorse or hesitation.


    He began carving into the flanks of the deer and shaved away strips of the rich red flesh and ate them raw. The animal flesh satisfied him in ways that fruit and vegetation just couldn¡¯t do. He felt a slight twinge of guilt over not being able to build a fire and cook the animal properly. This meal might make him sick or kill him. He understood all these risks, but he kept eating. The meat was rich and good, and he couldn¡¯t bring himself to stop till he was full.


    Once he had had his fill, he cleaned the knife on the ground and sheathed it. He then tore into the animal with his hands mangling the carcass. He couldn¡¯t just leave the thing having been obviously carved by a man-made knife. He dug his hands into it and ripped at the flesh. The she-wolf seemed to understand what was going on as well because she tore into the thing with her teeth, mashing and eating the animal.


    After the deer looked as close to being eaten by wolfs as they could make it appear he stood up. He would love to go back to that lake and wash himself off. The deer¡¯s blood was already drying and very sticky. He was afraid to touch anything. He looked down and saw that his knife¡¯s handle was covered in drying deer blood and that would attract some unwanted attention.


    He looked down at the wolf. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t happen to know where a guy could get cleaned up would you?¡±

 Chapter 6d

    The wolf picked up the piece of denim once more. She looked at him as he looked around with his hands held away from his sides. The wolf turned and jumped toward the north. She landed and stopped looking back over her shoulder at him.


    He took one last look around him, holding his hands up and away from him, and shaking his head he followed his guide. She ran gracefully through the trees and he followed her as he was careful to not touch himself or anything else with his blood covered hands. He felt ridiculous running with his hands out in front of him. But it couldn¡¯t be helped he had to be sure he didn¡¯t leave any traces that could be followed.


    His mind reached into itself, and he found himself thinking about his pursuers. Federal agents did not just give up on finding someone. If they wanted to find you, they would find you, it was that simple. Especially since they had to know they had just missed him. It had been a close thing to be sure but they had to know that he had been at his burrow recently. The biggest culprit that pointed to the habitation of his burrow was that half-eaten fish he had saved. Fish, even smoked, did not keep very long. That being said the sweep of his valley was probably completed by now. Once they found no one there they would expand their search. Which direction they would search was a question that he had done his best to make the answer extremely hard.


    It is possible that the cops had followed him. It was possible but not likely. He hadn¡¯t heard any helicopters in pursuit of them and the wolf had not given any indication that they were being followed. She had been keeping a very grueling pace though. This troubled him slightly. Now that he thought about it, they had been running, as they were now, for three days straight. Except for yesterday when they got some rest during the storm. She had been driving them farther and farther north at ever increasing speeds.


    The sun had reached its zenith in the sky, warming him and drying the surrounding tree branches, which had stopped dripping some time ago. There wasn¡¯t a lot of underbrush here. In fact, instead of a pine needle strew forest floor, the ground was covered in grass. This was new and the soft blades brushed against his legs as his feet flattened and was cushioned by them. This was the most comfortable ground he had run on in a long time.


    The trees gave way to a wide-open meadow. The wolf skirted the edge of the meadow staying within the shade of the trees. He followed and marveled again at the intelligence of the animal that he was following. She had to know that they were not out of danger from pursuit and she was being just as cautious as he was to avoid being detected.


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    They looped around the outside of the meadow following its boundary to the east, then northeast, and north again. The she-wolf stopped and trotted away from the northern boundary of the meadow and lead him to a small creek that bordered the meadow on the north side. The she-wolf immediately dunked the piece of fabric in the water and shook it under the cold creek water. Once she was satisfied, she dropped the soaked piece of fabric at her feet and lapped up the water, drinking deeply.


    He fell to his knees and plunged his blood covered hands into water. Scrubbing them till they were no longer red he wiped the water off on his deer skin pants. Leaning over the creek he lowered his head to drink. The water was cold and slid down his throat almost painfully, but he drank the water, thankful for the thirst-quenching liquid.


    He took out his knife and cleaned the handle and the blade. The deer blood had dried but with only a little difficulty the blade came clean. He looked over at his guide and she was standing up, facing southward away from the creek. Sheathing his blade, he stood up and looked in that direction as well.


    He couldn¡¯t see anything, but the rigid posture of the wolf told him that something was not right. He looked out over the meadow and saw nothing unusual. The she-wolf remained where she was. He could see all her muscles were tight and she was ready to move in an instant. He couldn¡¯t figure out what it was that was making her so wary.


    He heard the faint distinctive sounds of helicopter blades. His eyes widened in shock and fear. They had eluded the cops for three or four days now, but the search had obviously caught up with them. As the realization of what was happening took precious seconds to register in his mind, the she-wolf bolted and tore off northward jumping over the creek. He broke away from where he was and ran after the wolf. The wolf moved in between the trees and stayed within the shadows. He had to jump and dodge the surrounding trees just to keep the wolf in sight.


    The helicopter was getting closer by the minute. It wasn¡¯t traveling very fast at least by its standards, but its current speed was still enough to overtake them. He continued to run after his companion. She seemed to know where she was going and he had no idea where he was, exactly. Nor did he know where they could conceal themselves from the searching eyes of the helicopter.


    The wolf tore through the tall grass of the forest floor. He forced himself to run faster. Soon the tall grass gave way to pine needles once more. The sound of the helicopter was not changing at all, except that it was growing steadily louder. Which means the helicopter wasn¡¯t really searching it was traveling in a straight line. If they were looking for him, wouldn¡¯t they be moving in a search pattern?

 Chapter 6e

    This thought gave him some comfort. This helicopter must not be looking for him. It could just be a news helicopter or a weather or traffic helicopter. It could be an airlift helicopter coming to pick up some poor hiker that had broken his legs. He breathed a little easier. This helicopter probably wasn¡¯t looking for him and he allowed himself to slow down. There couldn¡¯t be any danger because the thing wasn¡¯t searching for anything. He heaved a deep sigh of relief and slowed down to a good cross-country pace. The wolf was still darting in and out trees.


    He was confused by her panicked speed. She was an animal after all, and she hadn¡¯t slowed down at all. He soon lost her in the underbrush of the forest as the helicopter continued to grow louder. He pulled himself to a stop. He rested his hands on his knees and looked around almost helpless. Why had the wolf just taken off like that? She had to know that he was only human, and he couldn¡¯t possibly hope to keep the full sprint pace that she was setting.


    As he walked off after his guide the helicopter sound was extremely loud. The thing must be close to the ground. That couldn¡¯t be normal. All at once the fear that had gripped him at the creek flooded back into him. He had to hide. He was frozen on the spot looking for a good place to do so. His body couldn¡¯t move it just rotated in place as his eyes tried to find what he was looking for. As he was twisting around a large force plowed into him lifting him off his feet and into a nearby bush.


    His instincts took over then and he reached for his knife. The black and white she-wolf was standing over him with her snout very close to his nose. She didn¡¯t look happy, and he didn¡¯t move. Her legs were straddling his body, but she was resting her weight on his chest.


    He tried to look up and around her, but her body obstructed his view. Her head was pointed towards the noise of the helicopter. She was looking at it through the branches and leaves of the bush that she had pushed him into. He looked up and over the wolf¡¯s head and he saw the helicopter. It was definitely not a news or traffic helicopter. In fact, it looked like a helicopter from that movie he saw a while ago it was called, some kind of bird down. His eyes narrowed as he studied the black helicopter in the sky. Blackhawk Down that was the name of the movie. Was that a black hawk? From what he remembered from the movie it looked very similar. What is a Black Hawk doing out here? Deep down he knew that this military helicopter could only be out here for one reason, him.


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    He pulled his head under the she-wolf¡¯s body as much as he could while tucking his legs up under the bush. He tried to make himself as small as possible and not for the first time his was grateful for his skins. They would serve to camouflage him. What could be more natural in a forest than a wolf standing guard over her kill from others that would take away her hard work?


    He smiled slightly at the animal that was standing over him. She had never let him down and she had never abandoned him either. The helicopter passed over head without hesitation or slowing down. He stayed under the protective warmth and cover of his guide till the noisy helicopter had dissipated, signaling that it had traveled a sufficient distance north of them.


    The wolf stayed very rigid and ready; every sense was straining to detect anything that might be abnormal. Once the sound of the helicopter had faded the wolf slowly removed herself from his body and let him stand up. He looked at his guide and marveled at her. She had led them into the forest yesterday morning. If they had been out on the open rock of the mountain they would have been found and he was pretty sure that neither himself nor his guide could out run a helicopter. Had she known that this helicopter was coming? Or had she simply known that it was going to rain yesterday and she led them to a place where they could travel and find shelter when they needed to? Not for the first time he found himself thinking that there was more to this particular wolf than he had first imagined.


    She turned eastward and took off at a run. He followed her. Their pace was not a full out sprint and even though his breathing became deep and heavy he could still make out the mechanical sounds of the helicopter off in the distance. The wolf was careful to stay close to the trees and he scraped his legs against tree bark and bushes as he attempted to follow directly her line of travel.


    After some time, he couldn¡¯t hear the sound of the helicopter anymore. He knew that even though he couldn¡¯t, his guide still could and she was pushing them faster and faster to the east back toward the open rock that they had been traveling on before they had entered this forest. What is she thinking? If the helicopter turned around, they would be sitting ducks out there on the open rock. It couldn¡¯t be helped though as the wolf was running in an unwavering line east.


    He had trusted in her and she had probably just saved him from capture. She did know what she was doing. She was not just a stupid instinctive animal. She was intelligent and she had kept him alive and safe so far on their journey. He had nothing else to do but shut off his overly logical mind and just follow the she-wolf. For better or for worse she was the leader and he found that he did trust her. Imagine, a human being placing his trust in an animal. This wasn¡¯t just any animal she was a wolf, protector and predator. And right now, she was all he had.

 Chapter 6f

    They continued eastward sliding from shadow to shadow, hiding from the sight of the sun as well as the sight of anyone else who might want to be watching them. As he ran after his guide, he found that they had been increasing their speed, because he was running a lot faster now than he was this morning. It was a very liberating feeling, moving at these speeds without being tired. Running like this was true freedom. But his mind was troubled by the fact that his body was even capable of it. He was running at speeds that matched the she-wolf and from here he could see that she was exerting herself to maintain this speed. She is working hard while I am just gliding along the ground making it look easy.


    He decided to test his speed and forced himself to move even faster. He began to catch up to his guide. Even through the underbrush and staying inside the tree shadows he was able to not only match her speed but surpass it. He became a little concerned at this new ability of his. What did this mean? He didn¡¯t know and he didn¡¯t have time to worry about the consequences of his speed. He over took the wolf and looked over his shoulder and winker at her.


    The wolf looked at him and seeing him wink at her she pressed her body lower to the ground and shot forward in a burst of impossible speed, even for a wolf. If this had been a cartoon a trail of fire would have lit behind her as she took off. He lowered his head and forced himself to move even faster just to keep her in his field of vision.


    This was definitely not natural. The ground seemed to be moving out behind him like a tread mill and all he was doing was lifting his legs. This was the easiest running he had ever experienced and yet he found himself wondering what was causing this to happen. Was this just another side effect of him being a werewolf?


    He didn¡¯t know and right now he didn¡¯t care so much about the how. Right now, the only thing he was really interested in was putting as much distance between them and that helicopter as possible.


    It didn¡¯t take long before they reached the tree line and the open expanse of flat rock met them once more. The wolf turned north and dodged in between the widened spaces between the half dead trees and he followed. They had slowed their pace and were now, rather cautiously, running northward.


    He could see the wolf rotate her head back and forth. She was looking for or listening to anything that might warn her of danger. He couldn¡¯t help but do the same thing. He had let himself be lulled into a false sense of security over the past few days but the sight of that helicopter reminded him that something to do with the federal government wanted him found.


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    Why would the government want to find me? There had to be dozens of missing persons, a lot of them much younger than he was, out there. Why would the government spend this much time and money on trying to find him?


    His mind reached back to the night he was forced to leave his valley. Those guys in the haz-mat suits had taken briefcases out of his burrow. At the time he thought that those briefcases held all his stuff but looking back now he wasn¡¯t so sure. If they had been from the government then they were looking for something very specific and they had known that he had been living there. Did those guys know what he was? If they did then he was in very real danger and he couldn¡¯t afford to be caught. Cops didn¡¯t use military helicopters. If those guys found him being taken back to civilization was the least of his worries.


    He looked northward and he saw the massive snowcapped mountain in the distance. It looked closer than it had yesterday, but that was probably his imagination. The wolf continued to weave her way in between the trees. The dirt gave way almost entirely to the rock of the mountain and he found that is footing was less stable. He couldn¡¯t get any kind of grip from his feet. He was forced to slow down even more.


    The wolf must have caught his slowed pace when she had been looking around because she matched pace with him. They continued to move northward. The sun began his decent in the afternoon sky. His legs began to protest the constant movement and his body didn¡¯t like him very much right now either. His abdomen cramped up and he found it hard to breathe. He slowed down even more holding his side.


    The wolf ran ahead for a time but again she must have seen him struggling with his body because she doubled back to run next to him. With the wolf at his side the pain in his side seemed less of a problem. He berated himself for not being tougher and what a wimp he must be letting a little cramp slow him down as much as it was.


    The wolf ran at his side for a good while. The cramp didn¡¯t let up and he was forced to run at a slower and slower pace. He reminded himself that there was a military helicopter out here looking for him. There was somebody from the government that wanted him found. He felt more than just a slight twinge of guilt over the fact that it was the she-wolf at his side that had saved him from being seen but he just couldn¡¯t make himself run any faster through the pain. The pain was not dissipating at all; in fact, it was only getting worse.


    He stumbled but the pain in his side and the exhaustion that had settled over his worn body prevented him from keeping his footing and he fell hard to the ground. The wolf jumped away from him as he skidded to a halt in the shallow dirt of the tree line. His first thought was to get under some cover. When he tried to move a bolt of sharp hot pain shot up through his leg. I¡¯ve just broken my leg. He thought with horror and panicked. He immediately took control of himself and shook that thought away. He couldn¡¯t have broken his leg from falling down. He was still holding the cramp in his side. He rolled over onto his back and closing his eyes he breathed a few deep breathes. The cramp wasn¡¯t going anywhere and the added pain of his leg wasn¡¯t making any of this any easier.

 Chapter 6g

    He braced himself for the pain and moved his legs. He could feel his toes and his legs did respond but the pain that shot up into his body was so intense he had to stifle a yell. What the hell happened? His leg wasn¡¯t broke, if it was, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to move it at all. He wiggled his toes, no pain there. Then he tried rotating his ankles. Pain erupted from his ankle. He must have twisted it.  He lifted himself up into a sitting position and felt up and down his legs. There was nothing wrong with his legs and he was able to bend them slightly. As far as he could tell it was just his ankle. That was good but why was he in such pain? He felt down around the injured part of his foot and leg. He couldn¡¯t feel anything protruding or abnormal. Ok he twisted his ankle. He would have to just rest for a while till the pain went away.


    His wolf guide was walking around him, she was on guard, watching and listening for anything out of the ordinary. He continued to massage his legs and hurt ankle. His left leg could move without any problem but every time he tried to move his right leg pain shot up it. He wasn¡¯t going any farther today.


    He scooted along on his butt till he was propped up on a nearby tree. There was no cover here from that helicopter and he looked around himself for any kind of shelter. The wolf was circling him keeping her head pointed away from him. Did she know how injured he was? He lifted himself on his good left leg into a standing position. Keeping his right leg propped away from his body he hopped on his good leg away from the tree. He needed to find a place to hide and rest. The pain in his leg would go away; he just needed a few hours rest. Just then his foot slapped up against the tree and the pain almost blinded him. Maybe it would take more than just a few hours.


    He looked around himself and didn¡¯t see anything that would give them any shelter at all. He looked down at his companion. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t happen to know of a place where we could rest for the night?¡± The wolf turned to look at him. He could see himself reflected in those golden eyes. She lowered her head toward his outstretched foot. She prodded it gently with her nose. He bit down on his lower lip as more pain surged through his body. Hearing his groan she whimpered in sympathy, at least that¡¯s what it sounded like to him.


    The wolf turned and slowly walked off a little deeper into the woods. He did his best to hop after her. This was ridiculous. There was nothing wrong with his leg and yet every time he put any kind of pressure on it, he almost fell because of the pain. Maybe it is broken.


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    The wolf led him back into the forest and he was leaning heavily on the surrounding trees for support. The wolf jogged ahead of him. He tried to make himself move faster but his useless foot did everything it could to hamper his progress and he was forced to hobble along at a cripple¡¯s pace.


    The wolf disappeared from his view but he wasn¡¯t worried he knew that she would be back shortly. All he could do was move along as fast as he was able. He rested for a time against a large redwood. He could smell the bark and the earth around him. It was a comforting feeling being surrounded by the forest. This is where he belonged, this was home. Of course, he had never had an injury like this. What was he going to do if his ankle was in fact more injured than he wanted to admit? He would worry about that eventuality when it was a reality. For right now he was only concerned with moving.


    He moved away from the tree trunk and hopped where the she-wolf had disappeared from his vision. He had trouble following her trail through the underbrush. Every branch that swept past his foot was a brush with pain that he wished he could do without. The pain was subsiding slowly but he was still unable to put any pressure on it. He looked around at the sky and the old man was lower than he expected. The sun will set in a few hours. He had to find some shelter before that and he quickened his pace, as much as he could.


    After a while the wolf came trotting back to him and staying only a few feet in front of him led him off to the west. The sun was very low in the sky. The wolf was ahead of him trotting along without much concern, though her head was always moving back and forth and her ears were listening to everything. She was aware of what was happening around her but she continued forward with no rush whatsoever.


    He admired the animal¡¯s pure instincts of survival. She knew that he was injured and that he couldn¡¯t move or fight so to compensate for that loss of support she moved slower and was listening more intently to the world around her. She was preparing to defend herself and him at any time. She knew that he wasn¡¯t going to be much use in a fight and had taken the full responsibility of their safety on her shoulders.


    The cramp in his side hadn¡¯t gone away and every hop he took jolted his side and sent continuous waves of pain along his body. He had tried to tense his muscles his stabilize his side and his foot but that hadn¡¯t done anything except use up energy. So, he just had to live with the pain till they reached wherever the wolf was leading him.


    The wolf trotted away from him again. She stopped and turned around looking at him waiting for him to catch up. The sun had started to dip under the horizon and he hoped that wherever the wolf had decided to make shelter for the night was close by. He hopped toward the wolf and saw where she had led him.


    The place could be described as a thicket, or a hell hole with brambles. He was standing in front of a massive tangle of thorns and bushes. ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding.¡±

 Chapter 7a

    The wolf lowered herself and dug out a small hole and disappeared under the briars and thorns. He closed his eyes and sighed deeply. The good thing is nobody will think to look for me under there. The bad thing I might lose a pint of blood or two just getting in and out of that hole.


    The wolf did not come back out. Sighing he turned around and lowered himself onto his butt. Being careful not jostle his foot and keep it as stationary as possible he scooted backward towards the brambles. He was lifting his whole body with his arms and using his good left leg he pushed himself backwards. When he was close to the hole he laid back and pushed himself under the thorns with his left leg.


    The thorns passed over him scraping his vest and face. He turned his head to protect his eyes and face. It was a tight space but he was able to keep moving using his leg and hands to slowly propel himself through the passage way. The thorns raised themselves and soon he was able to bend his leg more and he didn¡¯t have to keep his head turned. The tunnel that he was traveling was expanding while the brambles above him grew denser.


    This place was turning out to be pretty cool. As he moved deeper in the briar patch, he found that he had more and more room to maneuver his body. The pain in his side and ankle were still there but they were ebbing and he was certain that after a good night¡¯s sleep both the cramp in his side and his tender ankle would be back to normal by sunrise.


    It had become darker in the briars and he knew that the sun had set. As he moved along, the tunnel of briars opened up to become a clearing. He twisted himself around and found that the wolf was there watching him. There was enough room here for her to sit up straight. The ceiling of thorns was a good three to four feet off the ground and he was able to sit up as well without fear of cutting himself.


    He pulled his right leg to himself and started massaging his hurt ankle. The pain was not nearly as intense as it had been but it was still too painful to walk. The wolf lowered her head toward his injury and sniffed at his ankle. She moved closer to the injury sniffing while she neared his bare skin. With his hand massaging his ankle he watched as the wolf got closer to his foot. Sometimes she acts like a domesticated pet. But he knew better than to completely lower his guard around her. Even so he let her get closer to his foot. She lunged forward and snapped at his leg just above his hurt ankle.


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    He yelled in surprise. It hadn¡¯t hurt, not really, but he was not expecting her to do that. He let go of his foot and slapped at her. ¡°What the hell did you do that for?¡± The she-wolf ducked away from the slap and backed away from him till her back was up against a wall of thorns. He moved toward her to make sure he could get some satisfaction. He was not going to let a wolf or anything else get away with snapping at him.


    As he tried to maneuver his body toward the wolf, he noticed that the pain coming from his ankle had dissipated. He stopped and reached for his foot. He tucked his right leg toward him and looked at the small red mark that the wolf had left. There wasn¡¯t even a bite mark, just some red irritation that would fade in a few minutes. He massaged his ankle and found that the pain was almost entirely gone. He looked at the wolf in amazement.


    ¡°How did you do that?¡±


    The she-wolf looked at him. She sat on her haunches, every inch of her a proud predator. She looked like an enforcer that had just returned home from some great battle after killing many people. Her eyes didn¡¯t waver from his. It was neither a look of submission, but it wasn¡¯t a challenge either. She just sat there watching him.


    He looked back down at his foot and made it rotate. There was almost no pain whatsoever. He placed his foot down on the ground and using his arms for balance he lifted his body off the ground. With his back parallel to the ground and his foot bearing his weight he stretched out his back and tested his ankle. His foot supported him with little problem. He lowered his body back down on the ground. He looked up into the thorns overhead. They were so dense that he couldn¡¯t see the sky or the forest above him. He took a deep breath and rolled over onto his stomach. He lifted his body and swung his legs out under him and landed in a sitting position facing the wolf.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I slapped at you.¡± The wolf sat there looking at him making no movement toward, or away from him. ¡°You surprised me. I didn¡¯t know you were trying to help me. All I knew is that a, no offense, a wild animal had just bitten me for no reason.¡±


    The wolf cocked her head to the side as he said ¡®wild animal¡¯. She turned away from him and started digging in the ground. She moved the disturbed soil and retrieved the buried piece of denim that she had carried over the last few days. She took the piece of fabric in her mouth. She walked toward him and dropped the denim at his feet. He looked at her and she backed away from him. He picked up the faded, moist piece of blue fabric and held it in his hands. ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± He was troubled by the gesture. The wolf lay down on her stomach. His brow furrowed as he studied the fabric and his companion. He looked from one then the other. Did I insult you in some way? Did wolves get insulted? She certainly seemed to be pissed off at him.

 Chapter 7b

    ¡°What did I say?¡±


    The wolf shifted her gaze away from him and stared out at the thorns.


    ¡°Look, I said I¡¯m sorry. What more do you want me to do?¡±


    The wolf lifted her head and looked at him. She did not growl, nor did she bare her teeth at him. She just looked at him and, in that look, he understood, somehow. The hurt that she conveyed in that wilting look would have melted a jaguar. She dropped her head to rest on her legs that were spread out in front of her. She turned her head back to the briar wall leaving him to deal with his guilt alone.


    He started to apologize once more but he knew that it was not going to do any good. In fact, it might insult her further. He lowered his eyes down to the dirty piece of fabric that he was holding. He couldn¡¯t see any damage to the ripped pair of shorts except the whole being ripped in half thing. He took out the other half of the shorts that he had carried with him inside his pants. He held both pieces of fabric together. He looked over at the wolf. She looked like she was asleep. He knew she wasn¡¯t.


    He kept his eyes on her until he could barely make out the outline of her body against the deep surrounding shadows. From behind she was covered with only softly textured black fur, almost impossible to see in the deepening dark that fall around them. He didn¡¯t know if she was sleeping or not. He looked at her for a long time before a light, fitful, guilt riddled sleep took over him.


    He awoke at the sound of helicopter blades. The helicopter was close, much closer than he would have liked. If it was the same helicopter that they escaped earlier, it was traveling much slower and much lower to the ground. He jerked himself up and looked around. The she-wolf was already at work digging under the briars of the enclosure. He wondered why she was digging. The noise from the helicopter was loud and he knew that it was close by. But even its searchlight wouldn¡¯t be able to penetrate the thorns that enclosed them.


    He moved over to the she-wolf. His ankle was fine even after so little sleep. He moved it, rotated it and put his weight on it. There was no pain and no sign that anything had happened to it. The noise from the rotor blades was deafening even though they were insulated from it by the briar patch. He moved beside the wolf. He lifted his hand to pet her but before his hands came above her head she snarled and whipped her head towards him. She bared her teeth at him and growled. Her snout was about three inches away from his face and he could see death in her golden eyes. He withdrew his hands from her head and she turned back to her work. The helicopter had either entered into a hover, or it was moving at a snail¡¯s pace because the noise of its rotor blades wasn¡¯t getting any softer but it wasn¡¯t getting any louder either. His mind reeled in panic. Did they find us? How did they find us? What would they do when they finally caught them?


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    The she-wolf obviously wasn¡¯t ready to be captured yet and she was working on an escape route. If those guys in the helicopter had tracked them here then they had followed their trail into the briar patch, so the tunnel they had used to get here was not an option. Now he understood why the wolf was digging under the thorns. They had to get out another way.


    He dove beside her and shoved his hands in the rich dark soil and began moving handfuls away from the hole that the she-wolf was digging. Those guys probably had people on the ground and if they were in a military helicopter, it only stood to reason that they would have military personnel on the ground looking for them. Those military personnel would be armed.


    He dug more. If the helicopter was still hovering, and the sound hadn¡¯t changed for a minute or two, then that would mean the ground assets hadn¡¯t arrived yet. They still had some time but he had no idea how much time. His hands became bloody from scraping up against the thorns that he was digging under.


    Time was moving too quickly. They didn¡¯t have any time. Any minute some soldier would poke his head through the entrance tunnel and order them to stop, or just shoot them both in the back. His mind was in a blind panic. What do they want from me? He was sweating with the exertion of the work but also from fear and the phantom soldiers that would shoot him any second. He almost cried out for nothing else than to drown out the noise of the helicopter. He dug faster but it wasn¡¯t fast enough too much time had passed.


    Just when he thought his phantoms would drive him insane, he could see a small opening leading out of the briar patch. The she-wolf lowered herself and scrambled through the hole. He turned around and saw the two pieces of denim in the dirt where he had left them. If those government guys had tracked him here, then there was no reason to keep the fabric. But he picked them up anyway and stuffed them into his pants. Turning toward the hole he dove after the wolf.


    The briars grabbed at him and dug into his back. He fought and kicked his way through the hole into the open forest. The night air was dark and cold. He would have looked up for the stars but the search light from the helicopter outshined all the stars and filled the would-be somber atmosphere with its loud mechanical sound that he could barely hear himself think through. He put his hands to his ears and dove behind a tree as the search light passed over where he and the wolf had escaped from the briar patch.

 Chapter 7c

    He was panting from fear and uncertainty. He knew he had to get away but he couldn¡¯t out run a helicopter to say nothing of out running a bullet. He got up and moved from tree-to-tree trying to get an idea of what was happening around him. His worst fears were realized as he heard men yelling at each other over the din of the rotor blades. They were closer than he realized and he almost gave up hope.


    Just when he was ready to make a break for it the she-wolf returned to his side. She rammed her head into his leg and the slight pain was enough to clear his mind from the paralyzing fear that had gripped him. The wolf moved off into the forest moving along the tree¡¯s shadows and moving away from the briar patch. He followed her and aided by the helicopters flood lights they were able to move at almost full speed through the night.


    His ankle didn¡¯t bother him at all, and he was soon moving at the speeds that they had traveled yesterday. His heightened sense of awareness kept the hairs on the back of his neck raised and he was sure that any second a shot would ring out and he would fall to the ground, pierced by a sniper shot.


    He wasn¡¯t stupid enough to lower his guard, or slow down. With the helicopter falling farther behind them, he started to get a feeling of where they were going. He couldn¡¯t be sure in the deep darkness of night, but he felt like they were running southward the way they had come the previous day. The wolf might be following the trail they made yesterday. If these people followed their trail to the briar patch, they would almost certainly follow them back here and hopefully they would be stuck in the endless loop that his guide was leaving for them. He marveled at the shear intelligence of this wolf. He might have been able to think about doing something like that eventually but the fear and the panic that had gripped him so completely had blinded him. He would have run aimlessly till he was caught.


    Just when he was about to breathe a sigh of relief at their escape, he heard a sharp cry pierce the relative quiet out here away from that devil machine. It was a blood thirsty howl, but it hadn¡¯t come from any wolf. His mind reached back to when he had run with his pack. The howl hadn¡¯t come from any coyote either. That howl had come from a dog. He thought about how long it would take for those guys to find them.


    The dog¡¯s howl split the night sky and he added more speed as he ran after his guide. He may not be able to run from them forever, but he wasn¡¯t going to just give up because of a dog either. He was a werewolf, King of the Forest, alpha to his pack and he would never surrender to anything, especially not to those who would hunt him down like a dog in his home.


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    He poured more and more speed into his legs. Wherever the she-wolf was leading him he hoped that she had accounted for the possibility of being tracked by other animals. He had lost faith in her once and she had saved him time and time again, he would not lose faith in her twice.


    They continued to run and he became more and more convinced that they were in fact moving south. The sound of the helicopter had faded but not disappeared. It must be following us. But it wasn¡¯t traveling at even a tenth of its potential. It was possible that the helicopter was moving just ahead of the ground units using its flood light as a screen for the actual hunting party.


    They continued to put distance between themselves and the sound of the helicopter. They heard the howl once more but it was much farther off then it had been before. He allowed his mind to wonder where the she-wolf was taking them. They were backtracking where they had traveled yesterday, of that much he was fairly certain but where were they going?


    His eyes widened in surprise as his mind caught on the answer. The creek. Of course, the she-wolf was leading him back to the creek that they had stopped at to wash after their breakfast yesterday. The dogs wouldn¡¯t be able to track them through the water. The creek would be deep enough to hide their scent but shallow enough for them to run in for a while. With the speed that they were capable of it would take these guys several days to pick up the scent again if the creek ran for any distance.


    They ran for a long while, a lot longer than he remembered running yesterday. The sound of the helicopter was almost gone from the night air, but he didn¡¯t allow himself to slow down. His guide kept pace with him, but she wasn¡¯t slowing down either, her lead was pushing him to maintain their current break neck speed.


    After some time, they reached the creek. He could see the moonlight being reflected off the water¡¯s surface. He didn¡¯t have time to admire his mother though. The wolf splashed into the creek and slowing only a fraction, she ran upstream toward the east. He crashed into the water behind her and followed her along the creek bed.


    The bottom of the creek was mostly sand, and his toes squished into it as he ran. He slowed down as he had to work harder just to pick his feet up and out of the grasping sand and the surrounding water that came up to just below his knees. The wolf was still running but her speed had slowed as well. They had put a good deal of distance between them and the pursing men and dogs, but that distance would shrink very quickly if they couldn¡¯t get some of their speed back. Unfortunately, they had to stay in the water otherwise their escape would be tracked by those dogs and everything they had worked for so far tonight would be for nothing.

 Chapter 7d

    They struggled through the water as best as they could. The helicopter was getting louder, and they heard the dog¡¯s howl again much closer than it had been the last time they had heard it. He dug his feet into the creek bed and forced himself to run faster. The wolf had adapted to the new terrain and was leaping up out of the water every other step. She was traveling faster and faster as she became used to the new way of moving. He just gritted his teeth and forced his legs to move faster and higher taking his feet out of the water entirely. Their speed was nothing like what it was on solid ground, but it was improving and they were making a fair amount of progress.


    It didn¡¯t take long for the helicopter and the pursuing dogs to reach the creek. By that time, they had traveled a good mile, mile and half up creek and were still gathering speed. He could tell the helicopter had reached the creek because the sound of the blades had stopped moving. The helicopter and pursuing agents were not stupid. The helicopter noise faded even more and he knew that the helicopter was following the creek deeper in the forest.


    That had been as good a guess as any. Why would a fugitive from the federal government run toward the open expanse of the mountains? It made a lot more sense for him to run deeper into the woods hoping to lose them in the forest. He might have come to that conclusion as well, but his guide had turned east, and he was grateful for the fifty/fifty decision that she had made. For the time being it had proven itself to be the right choice.


    They continued to struggle with the depth of the water. Their speed increased for a time but was slowed by the varying depths of the creek. They were moving faster than a normal person could move in the creek, but it was still no match for a helicopter or even for people that were running on land. It was still very dark, so he didn¡¯t have to worry about agents tracking him without the telltale noise of the helicopter and its bright flood lights. They continued to move upstream towards the mountains.


    They ran through the water and out of the forest. When the trees finally gave way to the bare rock of the mountain once again, they left the cold water of the creek. His legs, even though they had been working hard for the last hour or so, were chilled to the bone. He was glad to be out of the water so he could allow feeling to return to his feet. The wolf didn¡¯t hesitate for a second and took off running along the open rock.


    The moon was almost cut in half. Even in this phase her brilliance was unquestionable. She shone down just enough to allow him and his guide to see where they were going. The wolf did not hesitate a moment and ran eastward following the creek. He didn¡¯t quite understand this logic, but he wouldn¡¯t question her now. They ran along the rock, her footsteps were as quite as a shadow, while even though he was trying he could still hear the slight slapping of his bare feet on the rock. He tried to quite his steps in the still night but nothing he tried helped to diminish the sound of his footsteps. He soon gave up on trying to suppress it and just concentrated on running.


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    They were running along an incline in the mountain and soon the terrain was not smooth or even. They had to slow down as they entered the higher altitudes of the mountain. Now they were in the crags and crevices of the mountain. No person had ever tried to scale or traverse these small winding passes, and he hoped that fact would deter any pursuit this way. They had good cover from ground level. But being on bare rock they were still very susceptible to being spotted from the air. His mind caught on the idea that a helicopter could only fly so high, about ten thousand feet. If they could get higher than ten thousand feet that should remove the advantage of their pursuers.


    He slapped himself in the face for being so stupid. If we could get that high, we would be waist deep in snow. You¡¯d freeze to death with only that vest on, or did you forget that you are hopelessly unprepared for winter? OK, so they couldn¡¯t take the high ground. The only thing for him to do was move at pace with his guide and trust that she knew where she was going.


    After they had entered the crags of the mountain the wolf turned north once again, and they were moving faster. He had to use all his concentration on seeing the ground and not getting his feet caught in the sharp rocks. He looked westward for a moment and saw that his mother was lower in the sky than he had hoped. Morning would be coming soon. The sky hadn¡¯t begun to lighten yet, but he knew that soon the east sky would begin to paint itself with the reds and oranges of sunrise and the morning.


    Running perpendicular to the setting moon they moved northward at dangerous speeds. He barely avoided serious injuries several times, but the wolf didn¡¯t slow. She was pushing him harder than she had ever done before. Granted, they had never been so close to being captured either, but he hadn¡¯t heard any trace of the helicopter for a few hours now. And nobody could or would move through these mountains at the speeds that they were traveling at. All these facts were lost on the wolf, however, and she kept her pace like she was running away from a nightmare.


    He was using his arms as much as he was his legs. The narrow passes that they were moving through were high and he could use his arms for leverage through the difficult terrain. He wouldn¡¯t be able to see the sunrise from deep with the crevices and boulders that they were passing through, but he didn¡¯t need to. Somehow, he knew that his mother had finally set. When he looked up the sky was already fading from black to blue.

 Chapter 7e

    It was going to be a great day. Yeah, a great day. If you just ignore the fact that guys with dogs and a military helicopter are trying to hunt us down, we could probably take a break and sunbathe for a while. Sometimes his own sarcastic nature got the better of him and he grimaced at the prospect of being captured. The wolf had opened the distance between them while he was lost in himself, and he had to work twice as hard to catch back up to her.


    The sun reached its zenith and looked down to find them still moving at impossibly dangerous speeds along the razor-sharp crags and crevices of the mountain. Through the morning he had not heard the helicopter again nor had he heard any howls from pursuing dogs. Surely those agents must have figured out that they had followed the creek in the wrong direction. They had to have backtracked and followed the creek eastward by now. The helicopter had, in all likely hood gone back to wherever it was based out of to refuel. He had no idea how far away that would be or how safe that made them.


    The air was getting colder, and he could only guess that they were moving higher as well as going north. The wolf was running with an untiring iron will that impressed him thoroughly. Is she still mad at me? He hadn¡¯t thought about the insult since he had been woken up last night but now as he was settling into the familiar rhythm of following his guide his mind was able to drift and brought him back to last night. What had I said that insulted her so badly? He decided to just let it rest and not worry about it. He had apologized for what he had said and if she was still going to be sore at him for it, well, that would be dealt with later. That didn¡¯t stop him from feeling guilty about it though. He had to make it up to her somehow. If she had been human, he could have bought her flowers but what on earth could wolves want that she couldn¡¯t get for herself? He shook his head and followed his guide northward.


    After some time had passed, they came to a dark low-ceilinged tunnel. He could just make out the light at the end of it. The light shining through the opening at the end of the tunnel was no bigger than a small fly. The tunnel was dark and long. It would shield them from the sun as well as any unwelcome visitors from the sky.


    He sat down opposite his companion near the opening of the cave, where the light of the late afternoon was filtering into the dark space allowing them to see without difficulty. She sat bolt upright with her head toward the entrance of the cave. She wasn¡¯t going to let her guard down. If she had been human, he would have sworn that she was intentionally avoiding looking at him.


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    He looked at her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry if whatever I said upset you.¡± The wolf didn¡¯t acknowledge him or that he had spoken at all. ¡°I¡¯ve tried to remember but I can¡¯t remember exactly what I said.¡± He lowered his head knowing that he was not getting anywhere with his companion. She continued to look out over the mountain crags and crevices that they had traversed to get here to this cave.


    He raised his blue green eyes. ¡°You saved me last night. I know that this doesn¡¯t mean much but I¡¯m sorry for whatever I said last night. I said it without thinking which is probably why I can¡¯t remember it.¡± He shook his head. If anybody else could see him trying to talk to a wolf and apologize to her for something that he said that she probably couldn¡¯t understand he would be laughed at for the rest of his life. But that is precisely the reason why had left all those people behind to live among the animals and nature in the first place.


    He leaned toward her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    The wolf remained rigid, with her gaze fixed outside the cave. For a moment he thought that the wolf would snub him once again. He looked at her, pleading with her through his eyes, and she made the smallest movement of her head. That movement brought her eyes to lock onto his and he saw her nod her head ever so slightly. She turned back toward the cave entrance, and he leaned back against the tunnel wall. He knew in that glance that she had forgiven him, but the incident would not go unremembered.


    It was late afternoon and soon the old man would set, leaving his mother to take her place. That was good. The night would be cool, and they would be able to move a little more freely. The men pursuing them would have to have the helicopters light to search and the sound of the machine would give them all the warning they needed. He knew he should get some sleep while he could. The wolf would probably want to move as soon as the sunset.


    The she-wolf sat still watching and listening at the entrance of the tunnel. Looking at her he was struck with just how beautiful an animal she was. She had a sleek, shiny coat of black fur and her gold eyes were intense and alert. She had kept him safe and led him to this spot away from their pursuers.


    He rested his head against the cool rock of the tunnel. He could sleep easy knowing that she was watching and guarding him. He shifted his butt around on the rock floor till he was as comfortable as he was going to get. He looked down toward the exit of the tunnel. Looking into the darkness with that small hole of light at the end gave him some comfort. They had an escape route should they require it.


    He allowed his eyes to close. He felt safer now than he probably had any right to feel. His she-wolf companion was keeping watch and he felt comfortable. The solid rock under and behind him cooled his worn body through his skins and he drifted off to sleep.

 Chapter 7f

    He was running through his forest. He had changed and his powerful werewolf form was taking him easily over the land. He was eating distances and he felt no pain, no fatigue, just the pure joy of the hunt. He was surrounded by his pack, and they were running downhill. He looked to his right and keeping pace with him there was the old grey wolf that he had defeated so long ago. The grey was running with his tongue hanging out, not very dignified for a wolf but he knew the grey was just enjoying the run.


    He looked to his left and running ahead of him and gaining speed was the black she-wolf. He could make out her white starburst on her chest. She looked back at him the familiar piece of denim hanging from her mouth. He gave a short bark. The bark was repeated by the old grey and soon the entire pack was barking. The sound filled the night forest. He smiled and ran faster. They were the kings of the night, and the forest was their playground. No one and nothing would challenge them here. He was the alpha and the pack was safe. He felt the pure rush of joy surge through him, a joy at being free that very few humans would ever feel.


    He led the pack around a boulder and off to the right. He knew the river was just ahead and he wanted to hit the ford at a dead run. The water that would be splashed up by him and his pack was always amazing. With his wolf sight he could make out the river through the trees. He smiled and howled as he crashed through the underbrush and ripped through the calm moving river ford.


    His pack was strangely silent, but it didn¡¯t register to him. He was lost in the intricate sounds of every water droplet as it splashed back down into the river. The symphony that the water and he made was beautiful. Each drop making its own unique sound and pitch as it sprayed his fur or pinged off the nearby rocks, or as it splashed back down into the river itself. It was like listening to a thousand different wind chimes all at once.


    He crossed the river in a few long strides. His smile froze on his face as he realized that none of his pack had crossed with him. He skidded to a halt and looked back. His pack was stumbling and hobbling toward him. His eyes brought him horrors that he wished he couldn¡¯t see. The old grey clearly had a broken leg and his hind left leg was missing. The bloody stump where his leg should have been was trailing a grotesque amount of blood behind him. His one good eye looked up at him. He could see unbearable pain but also, he saw the unspoken accusations of the grey as he hobbled toward the river. The grey was dying and he blamed it on him. In his mind he heard the wolf speak to him in a gruff, muffled, pain filled voice. He had never heard this voice before but he knew it to be the old grey wolf speaking to him.


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    ¡®You did this to me,¡¯ the grey was saying. ¡®When we needed you most you disappeared and left us to the mercy of those humans.¡¯ The grey was walking slower but determination would not let him stop. ¡®You were our alpha and you abandoned us.¡¯


    He reeled back in agony as the voice was joined by others.


    ¡®You left us to fend for ourselves.¡¯


    ¡®What good are claws and teeth against guns?¡¯


    ¡®How could we have known?¡¯


    He fell to his knees at the mental bombardment. He held his head in his hands as tears fell freely from his eyes. ¡°I didn¡¯t know. How could I have known this was going to happen?¡±


    His pack, mangled and half dead continued to walk toward him, their blood staining the ground behind them. He saw the black she-wolf with the white starburst on her chest. She was sitting upright on a rock on the far side riverbank. She was looking at him with hatred in her eyes. She was accusing him as well. She spit the denim from her mouth into the river and the river turned a frothy red with the blood that had soaked through the material.


    He watched the piece of denim float down the river and then looked at the she-wolf again. What was hidden behind the piece of fabric that was now exposed was a charred hole in the middle of her chest. He could see her heart slowly beating and the white of her ribcage. Blood flowed freely from the wound and ran into the river.


    ¡®You left us.¡¯


    ¡®You abandoned us.¡¯


    ¡®We died because you weren¡¯t here.¡¯


    ¡®You¡¯re no alpha.¡¯


    ¡®Deceiver.¡¯


    ¡®Usurper.¡¯


    His pack continued to drag their wounded and dying bodies toward him and he knew what they wanted. They were coming for him. Without the pack the alpha is nothing, without the alpha the pack is nothing. He had left them without a leader, without direction. Now, they would exact their price for their pain. They would take payment for their lives with his.


    Tears streamed from his eyes as he stumbled to the middle of the river ford. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Please forgive me.¡± He sank to his knees in the cold water. He begged for forgiveness but his pack was not in a forgiving mood. The old grey was ahead of the other mangled wolves. The river water was red with their blood. He left himself open and the old grey lunged at his exposed neck.


    He barked out a cry of pain. Another wolf lunged at his outstretched arms. If the wolf had been a little stronger, he would have ripped his arm clean out of its socket. He howled in pain as the rest of the pack descended on him ripping and biting into him. Their claws and razor-sharp teeth torn into his exposed flesh. He looked down in horror as he saw he was no longer in werewolf form but his frail, pink, painful human form. He cried out as the pack pulled him off his knees and ripped into him, his back pinned down on the frigid riverbed. He looked up reaching out for something or someone. Sitting there on the riverbed rock, not having moved at all was the black and white she-wolf. She was watching him being torn to pieces and he saw her smile down at him in the moon light.

 Chapter 8a

    He screamed in pain and shoved himself away from the cool tunnel wall. He gripped at his body. No blood. His arms were still in place. His legs, though drenched in sweat, were fine and he moved them gently to test for damage. He felt at his face. His nose wasn¡¯t broken, and his eyes were not oozing anything. He took several deep breaths and looked out of the tunnel at the rapidly darkening sky. It was quickly becoming night. He saw the she-wolf. She was still at the mouth of the tunnel but she had lain down to sleep as well. His scream must have woken her because she was looking right at him. She didn¡¯t¡¯ get up but looked at him with her head cocked to one side. Do wolves know what nightmares are? He rubbed at his face and his strained eyes. He ran his hands over the whole of his body as he took deep breaths the calm down.


    His mind came back to reality, and he slowly made himself remember that he was still inside the tunnel that the she-wolf had led him to. He had been traveling with a black and white she-wolf for a few days now. He had escaped that briar patch when the she-wolf had heard the helicopter blades and dug a way for them to escape even though he had insulted her a few hours before. That brought an uncomfortable twinge of guilt upon him that he didn¡¯t like. She had forgiven him but there was something in the way that she had forgiven him that made him slightly uneasy. She wanted something other than a simple apology but what? As he watched the she-wolf get up and stretch her body he tried to remember what exactly he had said to offend her so badly.


    His heart was still racing, and he clutched at his chest and forced his heart rate to slow. He was still shaken by the nightmare, and he had trouble concentrating. His eyes adjusted to the darkening tunnel as the world prepared for night. He sighed deeply and wiped at his face and eyes. His breathing was ragged and uneven. He tried to calm down, but the images of his pack mangled and dying danced in front of his vision with no sign of relenting.


    He shook his head and stood up. Stifling a yawn, he turned around and pressed his head against the cool stone. What had caused him to dream of that? In the time he had lived in the wild he hadn¡¯t had one nightmare. So why had he been having them so regularly as of late and why did he have to experience one now that was such a horrible vision that no man should have to witness.


    His mind turned back to his pack. They had survived without me for years. I only led them on the nights of full moons. The old grey would take care of them. ¡®Usurper¡¯ they had called him. Because he had defeated the old grey in combat did that mean the grey saw himself as no longer fit to lead the pack? He shook his head. There was nothing he could do about that now. He was being hunted; they were not. If he went back to his valley, it would accomplish nothing except put his pack in danger.


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    The visions would not get out of his head and he growled loudly building into a scream. The she-wolf raised her head at the sudden sound. She looked concerned but also angry. That look screamed at him. Are you crazy? For the first time in a long time, he was scared. Scared for his pack and scared for himself and his companion. What if the cops did do something horrible to his pack while he was away? Now he knew what Luke Skywalker felt like on Dagobah. ¡°I can¡¯t get these visions out of my head. They¡¯re my friends I¡¯ve got to help them.¡± And look what happened to him, he lost his hand and he wasn¡¯t able to save Han anyway. He knew that it was a dream but something had felt terrible and he knew that there was something different about this dream than normal dreams. There really was nothing for him to do. He had to keep following his guide. She had been in the dream too and there was a meaning behind all of it.


    He put his hands up on the rock wall and stretched his legs and body. His mouth cracked a huge yawn. His nap had done very little to refresh him but that couldn¡¯t be helped. His method of waking up hadn¡¯t pleased his companion but they both knew that they had been in this place for too long.


    He turned back toward his companion, who was already moving toward the far end of the tunnel. The sun¡¯s light was all but gone from the world and the tunnel was already pitch black. He followed his guide more by sound and feel than by sight. His time in nature had refined both senses; even so he moved his feet out in front of him. He couldn¡¯t hear his guide as she walked, but he could hear the sounds of the tunnel and a slight whistling sound as wind moved through the tunnel.


    The light at the end of the tunnel was nothing more now, than a slight smudge of lesser black against the void of darkness that they were now walking. He wished he could move faster. The floor of the tunnel was relatively even and he tried to make his feet and legs move more quickly. He didn¡¯t know where his guide was. For all he knew she could be at the other end of the tunnel by now. Would she leave him here, alone in the darkness? Would she leave him to fend for himself? His mind started to panic and he begged his body for more speed. His body stubbornly remained moving at same slow pace.


    He knew to ensure his health and safety he couldn¡¯t move any faster but that didn¡¯t stop him from wanting to break out in a dead run toward that smudge of darkness that was the tunnel exit. His breathing was getting shorter and shallower. His vision blurred as a cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He was afraid. The nightmare had awakened fears in him that he hadn¡¯t even realized he had. He was afraid for his pack. He was afraid for his companion. If those agents caught them, she would probably be shot on sight as he was taken into custody. He was afraid that he had slept too long, and those agents would be waiting for them outside the tunnel. He would have traversed this hellish void only to be blinded by that helicopter flood light as it drowned him in its bright artificial light. Then agents with dogs would surround him and order him to the ground. The she-wolf wouldn¡¯t go down without a fight and she would lunge at the nearest dog tearing into its neck. An agent would shove a shotgun barrel under her neck and pull the trigger spraying her life blood and guts all over the surrounding rock.


    He wanted to scream.

 Chapter 8b

    He wanted to do something to drown out these images that kept assaulting his mind in the black of this death trap that he willingly entered. He was getting lightheaded as the darkness swirled around him. If he didn¡¯t get a hold of himself, he was going to pass out. He tried in vain, and the fear continued to grip at him driving all reason from his mind.


    Just when he thought he must go insane from the images that assaulted him he felt a warm presence brush up against his leg. He jumped back and away from the unknown form in a purely fight or flight reflex. He couldn¡¯t see, but he knew that the form was the she-wolf. She pressed her body against his leg rubbing up against his furs. He reached down and put a shaky hand on top of her head. He felt her thick fur through his fingertips, and he felt her warmth.


    He kept his hand there for a moment, unmoving then he removed it from her body. She pressed up against him moving and aiding him. His fear dissipated from him, and he was able to calm down and get control of his breathing. He took several deep breathes and cleansed his mind from the images and the fear that he had let get the better of him.


    The wolf moved away from him, but he could still feel her presence. He could hear a barely audible clicking bounce off the tunnel walls around him. It took him a moment to figure out that it was the wolf¡¯s claws upon the rock floor that was making the sound. Every few steps he could hear the soft click of wolf claw against rock. The sound was reassuring and the fear that had gripped him so thoroughly a few moments before did not threaten him again.


    They exited the tunnel a lot sooner than he had expected. The exit was smaller than the entrance and the forced perspective that he had viewed the exit made it seem a lot farther away than it actually was. They stepped through the small opening in the rock and breathed in the cool, open night air. The stars were shining and the moon was less than half of her true brilliance. He was struck with a sense of deep sadness seeing his mother wane like this. It was a feeling of deep melancholy that he just couldn¡¯t seem to explain or shrug off. He had never felt this way when he was living in society but looking at his mother fail in the night sky was like watching someone he loved die. It happened every time she was this weak. He knew better than that. His mother wasn¡¯t going anywhere and that it was nothing more than the earth¡¯s rotation. That her shape was nothing more than where sunlight happened to reflect off the moon¡¯s surface. Still, he couldn¡¯t help what he felt and no amount of logic could ease that sense of loss.


    The wolf had sat down beside him and her head was moving back and forth, searching. Her deep eyes were looking out over the mountain. Neither he nor his companion could hear any sign of pursuit. She had her ears cocked ever so slightly and he knew that she was listening for the things that he couldn¡¯t hear.


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    She must have been satisfied with her investigation because she began to move in the darkness away from the tunnel. She wound her way through the boulders and crevices that made up the path that they now tread, and he followed her.


    His eyes had adjusted as much as they were able to in the night¡¯s darkness. The path the wolf was leading him through was deep and the night¡¯s gentle light didn¡¯t penetrate to the mountain rock on which they now traveled. His feet were covered in deep shadows, and he was unsure of his footing. He had to travel much slower than they had been able to the previous night but it was still faster than he had been forced to move while inside that tunnel.


    Using his hands for support against the rock wall he let his feet probe in front of him. It was a taxing process but the only way to ensure that he didn¡¯t impale his feet on the sharp rocks of the mountain. He couldn¡¯t see anything more than five feet in front of him. The path was winding and twisting. The wolf was never more than two steps in front of him though, and he felt comforted by her presence.


    The wind did not relent in these deep passages of rock. Its swift movement was stealing his body heat as it whistled through the deep channels of rock. He began to shiver. His mother was of no comfort, and he knew that the cold was only going to get worse. Winter was getting closer and as they continued to move northward and higher up into the mountain the suns influence would weaken more and more. Of course, the sun had nothing to do with the night. The night was its own province and he started to wonder if he would make it to wherever the wolf was leading him.


    As if the cold wasn¡¯t enough to drive the hope from his mind, his stomach chose that moment to make itself heard. The familiar and almost painful crunching and growling sound of his stomach met his ears and his companions¡¯. She jerked her head around at the loud uncomfortable sound and he massaged his mid-section. It¡¯s been almost two days since I¡¯ve eaten anything. He knew that he could last a while longer. Hunger, like pain, could be ignored but eventually he would have to eat something or risk passing out from hunger.


    He leaned on the surrounding rocks for support to ease the stress of movement. He had to make it to wherever the wolf was taking him. He hadn¡¯t come all this way just to give up now.


    The path began to straighten out and he could see it unfold in front of him. He had lost his sense of direction in the crags of the passage. He couldn¡¯t tell which direction they were going. He had a feeling that they were traveling a little more east than they were earlier, but he couldn¡¯t be sure of anything. He concentrated on putting one foot out in front of him, probing for rocks, putting weight on that foot then probing in front of him with the other. It was a tiring process.


    They had been traveling for several hours and he noticed that he was moving faster. The wolf had been increasing their speed in the darkness as the night passed. He found that he had gotten used to the new way of moving his feet and he was walking much faster than he had been when they exited the tunnel.

 Chapter 8c

    The path they were on dipped down and he almost fell as the ground dropped away from him. The rocks surrounding the path were much smaller here and he had a clear view of the mountain side and the surrounding forest. He also had a clear view of the night sky. His waning mother was sinking to the west. Have we really been traveling all night, already? The passing of the night had completely eluded him while he was concentrating on his footing. Now he could relax a little bit. The shallow walls allowed more light onto his path and he could see that where they walk now was much more worn by travel. The path tilted downward in front of him. The Mountains surrounding them formed themselves into a bowl shape that made up a small valley, covered with dense trees. The path that the wolf was leading him on led straight into the deep protected woodland.


    Seeing the valley was a relief. It was like coming home. The green of the trees themselves was a welcome change to the tans and stone of the boulders and rock that he had been traveling on. The forest looked like a soft green carpet, and he scrunched his toes against the hard cold rock in anticipation of having the feeling of warm dirt under them again instead of cold as death stone.


    He glanced up into the waning night sky to thank his Lunar Mother for this paradise. The moon was setting in the western portion of the sky and as he was looking after her the smile he was wearing slid from his face and was replaced with shock and disbelief. As he looked west, he saw a bright light in the sky. Much too low to be a star it was moving fast, and it was moving in their direction. He knew at once that it was the helicopter that had been pursuing them for the last few days. The wolf gripped the legs of his skins and pulled him down the path. The sudden movement tore his eyes away from the helicopter and he followed the wolf down the path.


    The path was much smoother than what he had been walking on so far and he was able to jog. The path dipped down. He found himself more hopping down the path than walking. He turned his body sideways and skipped down the path using the broadside of his feet to brake with. The wolf was also hopping and bounding down the path. If he didn¡¯t know any better, he would have thought she was having fun.


    The surrounding rocks gave way to trees. The trees were sparse, but no boulders intruded this far onto the steep valley wall. The path was now more dirt and pine needles than anything. He could now almost run with the black wolf that bounced off the dirt floor in front of him. The trail became steeper as they worked their way deeper into the valley. Instead of rocks and boulders, the path was now flanked by massive redwood trees. He almost stubbed his bare foot on a root that arched over the path in front of him.


    Once they had made it down into the valley proper the soft dirt and pine needle covered floor of it met his feet and he felt more relaxed. He could move with a little more freedom no more scooting his feet out in front of him like some blind cripple, hobbling along on his way. Not that had anything against cripples, but when one was running from federal/military agents hobbling was not the best way to keep ahead of said agents.


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    The wolf took off at a run and he followed close behind. The change in terrain left his hunger momentarily forgotten. The trees of the forest were tall but sparse so near to the valley wall. The dense woodland that he had seen from the boulder path was a way off and they had to get there as soon as possible. Grass was able to grow in patches here and there away from the redwoods and the thick long blades massaged his feet. After scooting along with strict muscle discipline for so long he was grateful for the chance to open himself up and run. The wind was still very cool, but the working of his body got his blood moving and he was beginning to get warm again.


    The sky was still black and strong with nights influence. The sun would not rise for another hour or so by that time they would have reached the trees. Before they entered the forest the wolf stopped running and sat down outside the natural boundary of the woods. He stopped as well and looked at her. What is she doing now? She sat there for a long time not moving, then, without warning or a backwards glance, she entered into the forest, walking.


    He walked after her and felt a strange warmth wash over him as he walked amongst the trees. He felt like he was being watched. The trees themselves had a very odd sense surrounding them and he made a point of staying very close to his guide and companion. He thought he understood why she had waited outside of this forest. There was something wrong here, something that made his skin crawl and she had probably been debating on whether she should even come into these woods. He was pretty sure that had he not seen the helicopter she might have led him around the woods. But with pursuit so dangerously close they needed shelter and the only shelter to be had was this strange forest. The unnatural warmth made him feel somewhat nauseous and it played havoc with his already unhappy stomach.


    They walked through the woods. He found himself looking around himself more and more. His heightened sense of awareness was screaming at him to run away. His eyes were looking and darting all around him. He started seeing shadows dance and move from tree to tree. He would have sworn he saw eyes and faces leering at him. He knew he was being stupid but the sense of panic and fear that had gripped him in the tunnel earlier that night returned with a vengeance.


    He looked down at the wolf by his side. She was walking with her back straight and head held proud and high. She must have been feeling the same thing he was, that they were being watched, but she kept her eyes and ears locked, pointed forward. Her ears didn¡¯t so much as twitch to either side of her as she walked in a straight line through the woods.


    He was wide eyed as the shadows seemed to be moving closer. He thought he saw them smiling at him. His stomach rumbled and he knew he heard a laugh barked out from somewhere. The wolf didn¡¯t respond to the sound.

 Chapter 8d

    He was miserable. He was jerking his head left and right as shadows flashed all around him. He couldn¡¯t focus on the blur of motion around them and his eyes were wide and wild looking. After some time, the fear of attack faded from his mind simply because he was exhausted. If these things were real and if they were going to attack, then let them come. Dying didn¡¯t seem so bad when compared with running forever from a tireless enemy that outnumbered you by thousands.


    No, this is not where he would die. If a fight came, he would meet it with both hands, on his feet. The wolf kept walking in that same rigid fashion in the same rigid line she had been following since she entered these woods. He followed her example as she led him deeper into this strange place, this place where the shadows moved.


    After some time had passed, he and his guide stepped into a small clearing in the trees. He was able to look through the forest canopy and see the stars. They were losing their brightness and soon there would be no stars left in the sky as they submitted to and disappeared in the new dawn.


    The heat didn¡¯t seem so oppressive in this small space under the stars. He inhaled and realized that he couldn¡¯t smell anything. There was no scent at all. The trees, the dirt even the wolf at his side, nothing smelled.


    He looked down at his companion and she was sitting on her haunches looking straight forward as she had been doing since they had entered the clearing. He looked through the darkness at the trees. They were standing still, and everything was quiet. He was slightly disturbed at the thought of there being no smells here. And he was irritated that he hadn¡¯t noticed it earlier. Was the whole forest like this? The lack of scents was probably driving the wolf crazy. He knew that she hunted and was guided by her nose just as much as was by her keen sight, this must be torture for her.


    As he looked into the trees trying to penetrate the shadows, all at once there was movement all around them. He could see pine needles fall to the ground as trees were jostled by what appeared to be a tornado just outside the clearing. He could hear whooping and yelling, strange barks and laughter as shadows moved and whirled around them. They were standing in the eye of a storm of shadows and cruel laughter. The trees were being shaken and a cacophony of noise met his ears.


    The wolf sat where she was, not moving, her eyes stayed locked in front of her. He turned his head trying to follow the shadows as they danced and twirled and blended into the wind. A wind that didn¡¯t touch the clearing itself but tore into the trees bordering the clearing.


    Then just as quickly as the tornado started, it ended. They were standing in the clearing and the noise and movement around them stopped. The sudden stillness and silence made his ears howl and his skin crawl. There was something not right here. Six figures entered the clearing at the same instant.


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    He was looking ahead of him just as the wolf was. Two forms appeared in front of them while two more appeared at their sides. He felt the hairs rise on the back of his neck and he somehow knew that two more forms had appeared behind them. Standing in front of them was one human female and one very nasty looking wolf. He was covered in a dark, uniform brown fur that covered his entire body. One of his ears had been scarred where something had taken off half of it. His eyes were gold like the she-wolf at his side but darker somehow. He could see no empathy or pity or fear in those eyes. He wasn¡¯t afraid but he felt a deep sadness for this wolf. Something terrible must have happened to him to make him so cold.


    The girl standing next to him was covered in skins much like he was except she was wearing straight black bear skin pants. Her chest was left partially uncovered, while a strip of brown leather covered most of her breasts. Her skin was pale white, made even paler by the soft waning starlight.


    ¡°What are you looking at?¡± The girl spat at him. Her voice was rough and deep, almost like she hadn¡¯t spoken for a while. She shook her head and her waist long strawberry blond hair was loosened and fell over her chest covering her curves.


    He moved his eyes upward and locked his blue green eyes with her stark blue ones. She didn¡¯t pay him much attention but instead turned to his companion. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    His companion uttered a short burst of whines and barks. He found himself looking down at his companion, he hadn¡¯t heard her make this much noise ever.


    The female looked at the wolf then to him. She bent down and rubbed her hand along the neck of the big brown wolf at her side. They looked at each other for a while. The woman stood back up.


    ¡°You have us at a disadvantage.¡± Her hard look softened and she smiled at his wolf companion. ¡°You seem to know us but we have no idea who you are.¡± She stepped forward and offered her hand to him. ¡°I¡¯m Tasha.¡±


    He looked down at her hand. It was small and delicate looking. However, the man to his right was neither small nor delicate. If this woman spoke for this group, it would be unwise to underestimate her. He reached out his hand and she gripped it. Her hand possessed a startling strength and he smiled as they matched strength in an iron grip match of a handshake.


    ¡°I¡¯m William.¡±


    She let go of his hand and turned to the wolf. She lowered her self down and looked at her in much the same way as she had done with the brown wolf. He watched as the two females looked at each other.


    After a time, Tasha stood up and shook her head. Smiling she turned back to William. ¡°Your companion tells me you have been having some trouble with some agents.¡±


    William couldn¡¯t help his eyes grow wide as Tasha told him this. My companion told you what? How? Tasha must have picked up on his confusion because her laugh rang out through the clearing. It was full and beautiful. He hadn¡¯t spoken to another person in almost two years and it was good to hear the sound of someone else¡¯s voice besides his own.


    ¡°Why, William, I do believe you seem shocked,¡± she said with an overtly fake southern bell accent. He wasn¡¯t quite sure if he should laugh or be insulted. There were a lot of weird things going on in these woods, least of which this strange girl who could communicate with wolves. No stranger than you turning into a werewolf every full moon. He ignored his own sarcastic retort.

 Chapter 8e

    ¡°William, I¡¯m joking with you.¡± Her eyes hid a sense of mischief that he didn¡¯t trust. His eyes must have betrayed him because Tasha laughed out loud again. He remembered why he hadn¡¯t spoken to anyone for two years. He pulled his arms up and crossed them over his chest.


    Tasha stopped laughing. ¡°Wow, paranoid much? You really have no idea what¡¯s going on, do you?¡± Her expression changed from one of mirth to disbelief. She jerked her head down to the mostly black furred wolf sitting next to him. His companion let out a series of barks and whines, different from her last outburst.


    Tasha looked back at the brown wolf standing behind her. The wolf turned around and melted back into the forest. She looked down for a moment and she raised her eyes to meet William¡¯s. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t know. You really don¡¯t have any idea why you¡¯re here.¡±


    The sudden change in her attitude from one of mocking laughter to almost pity made his hackles rise. He took a deep breath in through his nose as he tried to control himself. No, he didn¡¯t know what was going on, not really. He wanted some answers.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Tasha of the pack. I¡¯m the alpha of those you see around you.¡±


    William looked around. The guy to his right was human while there was a female grey wolf off to his left on the other side of his companion. He looked over his shoulder to see two human females one was white with waist long brown hair; the other was black with short black hair.


    Tasha shook her head and breathed a deep sigh. ¡°I know you must be confused. Unfortunately, I¡¯m not the one to answer your questions.¡± She looked down at the she-wolf. ¡°You should have told him why he was here.¡±


    William looked back and forth between the two females, his guide and Tasha. He wasn¡¯t sure what he should do. He thought about just sitting down in protest until somebody told him something that made sense. He thought about waving goodbye and taking his chances with those federal agents that were hunting him for some reason.


    As he stood there Tasha looked over at the guy standing next to him. She locked eyes with him and jerked her head toward the forest. The guy folded his arms in front of him. Tasha¡¯s look hardened and the guy unfolded his arms and disappeared back into the shadows of the forest. Tasha looked past him at the two girls that were standing behind him. She nodded once and the girls disappeared back where the guy had gone. He looked to his left and the wolf that had been standing there had also disappeared. The three that remained stood there in the clearing as the sky above them began to turn from black to dark blue as the morning approached.


    Tasha looked between himself and his companion. Seeming to have made up her mind about something she looked at William. ¡°Look, I can¡¯t answer all your questions, but I can answer some of them. Come with me. It¡¯s not safe to talk here.¡±


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    Tasha turned and he and his guide followed her back into the strange forest. As they passed through the trees the sky brightened as the morning seemed to come a lot faster than usual. He couldn¡¯t see the sky through the dense forest canopy, but the world was getting brighter around them. He was able to make out the shapes of the trees and the underbrush. The greens and the browns of the woods came into sharper relief, and he didn¡¯t see any more moving shadows.


    Tasha moved through the trees though she didn¡¯t run. Her blonde hair streamed out behind her as she ducked and moved under the low hanging branches of her forest. She was attractive and willful, he guessed she had to be to be a pack alpha. William stopped and shook his head. This whole thing was crazy, how could a woman call herself an alpha of a pack of only two wolves? You¡¯re an alpha, aren¡¯t you? Only when his lunar mother was full in the night sky and he sure as hell didn¡¯t introduce himself that way.


    Tasha led them to a massive rock formation in the forest. It looked natural but somehow, he knew that it was manmade. The rocks rose above his head by at least two stories, about twenty or thirty feet. There was a moderate sized opening in the rocks that formed sort of a cave. It couldn¡¯t be very deep and even with the brightening of the world around them with the sun rise his eyes couldn¡¯t penetrate the darkness of the cave.


    Tasha sat down on a log that was not unlike the log he had prepared at his kitchen clearing back in his valley. He looked around this area of the forest. The trees were less dense than the areas they passed through to get here but they were not sparse. He looked around and saw evidence of human craftsmanship. He saw a rope tied to the trunk of a tree and disappear into the higher branches. He saw sort of a wall that had been built off to his right. There were gaps and crevices in the wall. If this was the eighteen hundreds that would have been a perfect barrier for Union or Confederate soldiers to hide behind and shoot at the enemy with almost no fear of being hit by enemy fire.


    There was a large fire pit in the middle of the area. The dirt was brown and dry with use. Nearby in between several small trees that had grown very close together there was rope that was tied between them. The rope had been crisscrossed and wood lay on top of the rope to keep the wood that had been stacked there off the ground. Whoever these people that Tasha led were they had done a lot of work and by the look of things they had been here a while.


    Tasha motioned for him to sit down on a small round log on the other side of the fire pit. He sat down very cautiously. Tasha rolled her eyes at the apparent mistrust of her guest. ¡°If I had wanted to hurt you in any way, I would have done it by now.¡±


    William could see the logic in it but he wasn¡¯t about to lower his guard. Come what may he had chosen a long time ago, about the time he had moved into his valley, that he would meet his death fighting. He locked eyes with Tasha.


    His companion was sitting an equal distance between both of them forming a triangle between the three of them. He didn¡¯t see anyone else. He noticed that even here he couldn¡¯t smell anything. It was like he was in a hospital, not the middle of a forest.


    Tasha studied him for a moment. She turned back to his companion. ¡°What happened and how much does he know?¡± The wolf looked at Tasha and made a few soft barks and whines. After the wolf fell silent, Tasha nodded her head, took a deep breath, and shooting a vicious look at the she-wolf she started talking. ¡°Look, all this must seem extremely overwhelming right now. You must know that you¡¯re a werewolf, right?¡±


    William feigned shock at the revelation. ¡°No, I had no idea. I¡¯m a¡­ a¡­ a WEREWOLF?, Jesus, and here I thought everybody changed into a monster when the full moon was in the sky.¡±

 Chapter 9a

    Tasha¡¯s eyes darkened and the smile that touched her lips did not reach her eyes. The she-wolf lay down and rested her head on her outstretched paws. William held his eyes wide in faux shock as he waited for her to tell him something he didn¡¯t know.


    Tasha looked down at the ground. She jerked her head up and as she did so her long blonde hair was whipped up and around and cascaded down her back. He couldn¡¯t help but glance down at the curves of her breasts. Why don¡¯t you just go and grab them? I¡¯m sure she¡¯d love that. He shook the thought away and he forced his eyes to meet hers.


    The direction of his eyes was not lost on Tasha and she smiled another mirthless smile.


    ¡°You¡¯re a comedian. It¡¯s nice to hear sarcasm every once in a while. I was just like you when I joined my first pack. I was twenty-two years old.¡± She smiled at the thought. ¡°I was so young, so naive. I thought I was some kind of demigod. I had power over my world and I could make things happen for myself. I could have any guy I wanted and I used that power foolishly.¡± Her eyes focused on William once again. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve felt the pure rush of changing and all the things you can do, all those powers of super human speed and strength.¡± He nodded. ¡°You don¡¯t have to admit to anything. I already know. I can smell it on you. It¡¯s the smell of the forest and the kill. The smell of fresh, hot blood that can never be washed away from your soul. I can see it in your eyes. And yet, your alpha tells me that you have lived out in some valley about a week¡¯s travel south of here.¡±


    ¡°I have no idea what is going on but I am the alpha of my pack.¡± He thought it best to keep his responses brief for now. The one with the most information in a game like this had the upper hand and he was obviously at a huge disadvantage.


    Tasha threw her head back and laughed, her rich full laughter filled the trees. ¡°I knew you didn¡¯t know anything, but this is ridiculous.¡± She looked at William and it was like he was looking into her eyes for the first time. Those deep blue orbs were beautiful. He found himself content being in this woman¡¯s presence. He hadn¡¯t felt this content or this happy ever. He loved her. Right then he would have done anything for her.


    The she-wolf was on her feet, growling. She barked once and William could sense, even though he didn¡¯t care, that the hair along the she-wolf¡¯s back was raised. Tasha looked away from William and bowed her head to the she-wolf. Once she had looked away, William shook his head violently. What the hell just happened? It had really felt like he loved Tasha. He didn¡¯t love her, he had only just met her for Christ¡¯s sake,


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    ¡°Forgive me, Aceso,¡± Tasha said to the she-wolf. She turned her head back to William while still speaking to the she-wolf. ¡°He had to be shown this isn¡¯t a joke.¡±


    William averted his eyes and focused on a spot in the middle of Tasha¡¯s forehead. He wasn¡¯t going to have... whatever the hell had just happened, happen again.


    Tasha cocked an eyebrow and smiled at him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, William? You can¡¯t look a woman in the eye?¡±


    He hesitated for an instant. ¡°How did you do that to me? What the hell just happened?¡±


    ¡°Pheromones.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Tasha breathed a sigh and looked at William. ¡°Pheromones are a natural scent that every creature has that directly affects the brain chemistry of others of their species. Like when a cat goes into heat. Her body produces a sort of natural perfume that the male cats are able to smell. That smell interacts with their brains, and they become horny and ready to mate with the female.


    ¡°You see, Will, since I was reborn during the crescent moon phase, I was gifted with the power of an extremely sensitive nose. I can smell things that even a wolf could not detect. More than that, I can change my biochemistry. I can produce scents and chemicals like a pheromone complex that worked directly with the pleasure center of your brain, causing an intense feeling of pleasure and contentment, which mirrored love. In actuality, it was nothing more than your subconscious brain telling you to be extremely relaxed and horny.¡±


    She glanced over at the she-wolf standing next to William. The she-wolf was looking and watching Tasha¡¯s every muscle. The she-wolf¡¯s muscles were wound as tightly as steel springs. He had never felt her this tense. Were they in danger here? He shifted his attention back to Tasha.


    ¡°Your alpha was only able to detect what I was doing because I wanted her to. That, and the amount of pheromones I released.¡± She arched an eyebrow. ¡°You were able to smell something just now, right? Like a sweet perfume?¡±


    He thought back to what had happened to him, and he had smelled something. He hadn¡¯t registered the smell at the time. It had smelled like his valley, running through the woods. It had smelled like blood and dirt, the thrill of the hunt and the pure joy of running with his pack.


    ¡°Yeah, I smelled something faint, like dirt and wind mixed together.¡±


    Tasha looked back and forth between the two of them. She looked at the she-wolf, who hadn¡¯t relaxed at all. ¡°Should I formally introduce you to your beta, Aceso?¡±


    He looked over at the black furred she-wolf. She turned her head back toward him and he saw something in her eyes that he hadn¡¯t seen before. It was almost sadness, remorse?


    ¡°William, may I introduce you to the alpha of your pack, Aceso.¡± Tasha motioned from him to the wolf. The wolf ducked her head while looking up at him.


    William shook his head, ¡°I told you that I am the alpha of my pack. This wolf is my guide. She led me here and she helped me escape numerous times but that doesn¡¯t mean she¡¯s my alpha, not by a long shot.¡±


    Tasha locked eyes with him. ¡°You did say that you would follow her, didn¡¯t you?¡±

 Chapter 9b

    He started to protest but his mind reached back to those first couple of days on the open rock of the mountain. He had been angry at people, and he had thrown his money down on the ground in frustration. It was then that he had said that he would follow her. He looked at the she-wolf and back to Tasha. ¡°I said I would follow her to wherever she was leading me but¡­¡±


    Reading the shock and frustration on his face couldn¡¯t have been hard and Tasha looked sympathetic toward him. ¡°Will, I understand your confusion.¡± She shifted her attention to the wolf. ¡°Aceso should not have accepted that as your oath of fealty.¡±


    Aceso, who only a few minutes ago had been nothing more to him than the black furred she-wolf from his pack, his guide through the mountains, and his companion and comrade. She was his alpha? This was stupid. On the next full moon, he would either fight her and regain his status or just leave.


    ¡°Will, what good would leaving do?¡± Tasha asked as if she had heard his thoughts. ¡°You still have to get to the mountain. Yes, Aceso should not have accepted your oath but right now you need her, and she needs you.¡±


    He looked down at the she-wolf and she met his eyes with hers. The look of remorse was gone and it had been replaced with resolve. Aceso was once again the proud predator. She held his gaze as she sat down on her haunches, every bit the alpha of a pack. He couldn¡¯t help but burst out laughing. He couldn¡¯t help it. A week ago, he was the king of his valley. He was the alpha of his pack, and he was free to do as he wished. Now he was a fugitive from the government, he was subservient to a wolf, and he was talking to a woman who could control her biochemistry. This whole thing was ridiculous. But Tasha was right about one thing, what good would it do him to leave? He would be captured by those agents following them and then what? Spend the rest of his life in a jail because he had decided to live outside of society? Even following a wolf was better than that.


    He looked at the wolf. ¡°Aceso, right? I¡¯m William, though you probably already knew that.¡± He leaned forward burying his face in his hands. Was he in some kind of dream? This wasn¡¯t so bad as far as nightmares went, but going from the freedom to do anything and everything to being a beta in a pack of two, running away from their enemies, instead of fighting was just a bit of a shift. He needed some time to process all of this.


    ¡°Aceso brought you here for help though I have to wonder why.¡±


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    ¡°Who are you people? What the hell was that ¡®reborn on the crescent moon¡¯ stuff and how the hell do you know her?¡± he jammed a finger toward the wolf. ¡°How do you know what her name is?¡±


    Tasha looked at him through narrowed eye lids. ¡°We are the pack of the brotherless. I first changed forms when the crescent moon was in the sky. I know Aceso¡¯s name because she told me, though she is not unknown to us.¡±


    ¡°Well, that explains everything thank you, Tasha. I appreciate you clearing things up for me.¡± He mopped his face with his hands and laughed into his palms.


    ¡°I know this is hard for you right now,¡± Tasha said. ¡°I told you I can answer some of your questions, not all.¡± She stood up and looked down at him. ¡°I can let you two rest here today. This place is safe, and no one will be able to track you inside this forest.¡± She walked a little way into the woods. She turned around and their eyes met. ¡°There¡¯s food in the cave if you¡¯re hungry. Those agents shouldn¡¯t be able to track you after you leave, either. My pack and I will lay down false trails of your scents so that if they are tracking you somehow, they won¡¯t know which way you traveled and you should have a clear path to the mountain.¡±


    She lowered her head. She looked as if she might say something more but shook her head and disappeared into the forest.


    They were alone again. He looked down at the she-wolf, Aceso. That was an odd name, but he didn¡¯t really care right then. He stood up, and as he did so, the sound of his stomach rumbling ripped through the woods and echoed off the rock formation and the surrounding trees. He rubbed at his midsection and made his way to the welcoming darkness of the cave.


    The sky had brightened and he was looking forward to the darkness of the cave. It seemed safe and he needed to sleep. His steps took him inside the cool black. He let his eyes adjust and he saw several boxes lining the walls of the spacious cavity. He was pleased to find an area of soft dirt covered with various furs. The bed looked inviting, and he immediately thought of his burrow. He missed his home, one day he would return there. But for now, he had to eat.


    He opened a box that was along the wall and found it to be filled to the brim with berries. They had been dried and he grabbed a handful. They were sweet and filling. He thought maybe they had been raspberries but however these people had dried them, the process had shriveled the berries to something that was almost unrecognizable. There was something slightly off about the taste and he was unable to identify the things by how they tasted.


    He closed the lid and opened another box. This one was much smaller and reminded him of his own little waterproof boxes he had owned. This box contained several dried fish and other strips of dried and salted beef. He took a piece of meat and ate the tough, chewy morsel. He ate a few more pieces of the meat. He knew that these had to be the winter stores for Tasha¡¯s group, and he didn¡¯t want to be greedy. He closed the lid on the box.

 Chapter 9c

    He lay down on the makeshift bed and pulled a deer skin up under his chin. He allowed his eyes to stay open and the blackness of the cave loomed over him. Slowly his eyesight adjusted to the almost pure darkness that surrounded him. The spreading daylight filtered in through the opening of the cave. The sunlight was muted, and he had no trouble ignoring the disturbance to the almost perfect dark. While he didn¡¯t feel peaceful at all he did start to feel a connection between the darkness and himself. He could feel the darkness stare back at him. All creatures are capable of looking at the darkness, few can withstand it when the darkness looked back at them.


    The warmth of the skin and the sluggishness of his brain worked to pull him down to sleep faster than he would have believed. The last thought that he had before sleep overtook him was just how beautiful Tasha really was.


    He was floating in the darkness. The floor of the manmade cave was gone and he floated on nothing. He was calm here and he felt no fear, no anxiousness, and no pain. Floating here he began to see a light. The light seemed to come from everywhere at once, soft as pure cotton. He wasn¡¯t sure he was seeing it at first. The infinitesimally small increase of the light around him confused him and he began to wonder if he was in fact seeing what he thought he was seeing.


    The light continued to grow and with the light, warmth spread through his limbs. Here he had absolute freedom of movement. He rotated around himself as the light increased around him. He felt more alive here than he did even when he was running with his pack in werewolf form. No matter how bright the light grew it was somehow soft, lacking any harshness of the light that he had come to know from the sun or artificial sources.


    There was a misty quality to what his eyes were seeing, and he came to rest, standing upright and he was able to walk. Gravity had him once more and he explored his new surroundings. He could make out his hands in front of him, though they seemed to shimmer or fade at the edges, as if he was made of vapor instead of flesh.


    He walked, aimless, in the soft white void. There was no detail here there was only the light and him. Was this Heaven? He couldn¡¯t be sure. Was he sleeping again? He couldn¡¯t be sure of that either. He was just walking. He felt no fatigue and no hunger. He saw something. Just ahead of him surrounded by swirls of air and mist was a form. It was a shadow amongst the swirling light.


    The shadow stood upright, and it was tall. It stood a foot or so taller than him if he could be sure of the distances of this place. He wasn¡¯t sure of anything not even his sight. Is this really happening? He took a step toward the shadow, and it moved away from him. The shadow was covered in the swirling light and remained obscure to him showing no real detail. He took a few quick steps toward the shadow and, like a polar opposite magnet moves away from its twin so too did the shadow stay a discrete distance away from him.


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    He was puzzled at the movement of the shadow and wondered where he was and if the shadow was in fact just a reflection of himself. He continued toward the shadow and the shadow moved away leading him through the white expanse.


    He followed the shadow. His thoughts came slower r to him and he soon gave up trying to think at all. It was much more pleasant to just walk, following this shadow as he had been doing.


    The shadow was his world. It was the only thing that mattered.


    He had always been following it. He had always been here, walking without stress or tiring.


    The shadow played with him and he was happy to play the game he had always played. He took a step the shadow took a step away from him. He smiled as he shuffled forward and the shadow copied his movements, shuffling backwards away from him.


    This was fun, as fun as it always had been. His soul was light as it always had been, and he was just as happy as he always had been. The swirling light was always here, and the shadow was his ever-faithful companion.


    He kept walking.


    The white never changed, and the swirling never stopped. The shadow, his shadow, swayed as he swayed. His breathing was coming in shorter and shorter gasps, and he felt light headed. He always felt lightheaded, and he continued to sway as his shadow danced with him.


    His stride was shorter than it had been a minute ago. His stride was the same short strides that he had walked with since the beginning of time. He heard a calming voice filter through his head.


    ¡®Relax, William.¡¯


    It sounded familiar. At once the voice called to his mind an odd form. It was a short thing that stood on four legs. It had two golden eyes. He didn¡¯t know why but he felt that he knew what this form was called even though he was sure that he had never seen such a creature before in his life. The color, however, was a strange mix of the white he had always known and his shadow that he always followed. The thing was somehow noble and strong looking though he didn¡¯t know exactly what that meant. It had a strange crown made of two things sticking up out of its head and its eyes were intense.


    He smiled as his breathing continued to slow and shorten. The mist seemed to swirl around his eyes and his hands seemed blurrier than they were a moment ago.


    ¡®Relax.¡¯ The voice was as calming as it always had been. He had nothing to worry about here where he was, where he always had been.


    His legs were wobbly, and he had trouble staying upright. He wanted to keep playing with his shadow. Why wouldn¡¯t his legs work right? He started to panic as his body seemed to be betraying him.

 Chapter 9d

    ¡®William, it¡¯s time to go to sleep now.¡¯


    He felt his body stop walking and he wanted to do what the voice told him. He always felt so good when he did what the voice told him to do.


    ¡®Close your eyes, William.¡¯


    His eye¡¯s started to water and he was so tired. Had he ever been tired before? He wasn¡¯t sure, but the question didn¡¯t help him to obey the voice. The voice was his world. He looked through his tears and all he could see was swirling white light. He wanted to sleep. He wanted to close his eyes. He tried to force his eyes to close but for some reason his body betrayed him.


    ¡®Lie down, William. Close your eyes. Sleep, now.¡¯


    He felt his legs buckle under the weight of his body. He crashed down to the ground and moaned as he discovered a new sensation that he had never felt before. It felt hot and uncomfortable. The white light had always felt soft and warm. This sensation was hot and stingy. The voice was still with him and he was happy. The hot stingy sensation flew from his mind, and he happily closed his eyes, just as the voice told him too.


    ¡®Good boy, William.¡¯


    He liked being called a good boy. He felt so comfortable here.


    ¡®William?¡¯


    He smiled as he listened to the voice.


    ¡®William, you have done very well for me. Now you must sleep. You must sleep so you can be with me. You do want to be with me, don¡¯t you?¡¯


    He nodded his head as he rested on the white light. He wanted to be with the voice more than anything. It was what he had always wanted.


    ¡®Sleep now, William, sleep for me.¡¯


    He tried to relax as fully as possible. He had wanted this for as long as he had existed and now, he was going home. He was going to be with the voice forever. His heart leapt at the idea, and he was so excited his heart rate quickened.


    ¡®Relax sweet, William.¡¯


    His breathing slowed and he felt his eyes weigh down on themselves. He couldn¡¯t have opened them even if he had wanted too, and he didn¡¯t. All he wanted to do was sleep. He felt himself drift down deeper. He could see the white light that permeated through his relaxed and tightly shut eyelids. He was going to sleep, just like the voice wanted him too. That thought made him happy, comfortable, and even more relaxed.


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    He felt a sharp hot sensation rip through his body. His eyes flew open, and he was shocked to see a strange four-legged form standing next to him. He could see eyes just above where his body was melding with the form. He could make out white things underneath those eyes and he knew they were teeth.


    As the hot, stingy sensation ripped through his body he realized that what he was feeling was called pain and that it was coming from this strange invader. The thing with teeth was biting him. He saw golden eyes and black fur and realized that he knew what those colors were. He remembered that this form was called a wolf. Why was it here? Where had the voice gone? The voice that had always been with him was strangely silent and he looked around trying to get up.


    The wolf held him down and shook his body as he tried to stand up. He wondered what happened to his shadow. The shadow that he had always played with, surely it would help him get away from this vile creature that was hurting him. He shouted out for help but the only sound that came out of his mouth where painful yelps.


    The wolf continued to shake him and as the pain grew in intensity, he saw that they were not alone. The almost pure swirling light that had always surrounded him was now being stained by the appearance of several shapes. The forms coalesced from the light and came to resemble his shadow. He was surrounded by five or six of them. He looked down at his attacker smiling. He knew that his shadow and his friends would teach this thing a lesson for hurting him. As he looked down, he saw that the wolf was covered in black fur. He twisted around causing more pain as he felt an impulse to see something. He strained his neck to see that this wolf had a white starburst on its chest.


    He stopped moving.


    He recognized this wolf. Thoughts of a time before the white light and his shadow came to his mind, slowly, as if through a dense fog of dreamy forgetfulness. Soon his mind was flooded with images and memories.


    He realized that this wolf was his guide and had saved him several times in the past few days. He remembered that the white light and his shadow had only existed for a short time. He hadn¡¯t always been here. He remembered his mother and father, his valley, and the moon. He remembered the stars and the old man, the sun. He stopped struggling and the pain in his side subsided.


    It all came back to him in a rush.


    The escape from his valley, the run through the crevice, the meal of rabbits he and his wolf guide had shared everything.


    He remembered the night escape from the helicopter and the hounds that hunted them.


    As his memories slammed back into his head, he realized that the shadows were closing in on him and the she-wolf. He tried to stand up. His legs wouldn¡¯t move. He realized that his body was growing cold. There was no warmth in this place, only the bright, soft, white light and these shadows.


    The shadows seemed to be grinning down at him. No matter how close the shadows moved to him, they never seemed to come into focus. They were always surrounded and obscured by the swirling white light of this place.


    The she-wolf growled at the approaching shadows, but that did nothing to slow their approach. He was trying to make his legs obey his orders but they remained where they were, useless on the ground. He tried to lift himself up on his elbows. He managed to get his back off the ground and hold his head up. It was like trying to roll a house sized boulder up a hill. It was quite possibly the hardest thing he had ever done. He looked around him and the cold of this place increased, and he felt his body shivering, though he still could not make his legs move.

 Chapter 9e

    The she-wolf growled at the shadows as she moved around behind him and nuzzled his shoulder. He was grateful for the ease of the burden of his own body. He felt the wolf¡¯s warm breath upon his back. The sensation was almost as welcome as the ease of the pressure from his weakening arms.


    The she-wolf came around him and stood by his side. As he struggled to remain upright on his elbows, he felt the warm spot on his back from the wolf¡¯s breath begin to grow. That was odd, this place should have robbed him of that warmth but not only did the warmth not dissipate, it was spreading over his back and shoulders.


    The pain in his shoulders and elbows eased and he found that he could lift himself up. As he moved and worked his muscles again the warmth seemed to spread through his body more rapidly, coating his cold useless limbs with comfort and strength. He looked up and saw the shadows continue to close on them. Soon they would be surrounded, and he would know exactly what it was like to join with the voice that he had listened to so willingly only minutes before.


    His legs twitched as his muscles remembered how to work. He willed his legs to move and soon his legs were folding up underneath him so he could stand. He looked at the shadows around him. They were very close.


    The light that surrounded them seemed to dim but he still couldn¡¯t make out any clear detail in the shadows themselves. Where a normal person¡¯s head and eyes should be, he only saw a globulous mass of dark mist with no substance.


    He tried to stand up, but his legs would not hold his weight and he crashed back down.


    The shadows reached for him and the wolf with outstretched extensions of the shifting darkness they were made of. There were no fingers, but he knew he wanted nothing to do with these shadows, or this place, any longer.


    He tried to stand up again, and again his legs gave out from underneath him.


    The shadows reached out. He knew that he was going to die. Or something worse than that and he was going to meet whatever fate that awaited him at the hands of these things.


    He forced his breathing to slow, and he concentrated on his legs. The muscles worked and blood pumped. He felt a wave of energy rush through his limbs, and he stood up. His legs buckled but he forced them to support his weight.


    The shadows must have been shocked by this because their extensions hesitated for a moment, frozen, outstretched, reaching for him and his wolf companion. If these things were real, he would have been only an arm¡¯s reach away. True to the analogy, the shadow¡¯s extensions reached out for him and he braced for what was to happen. He looked right at where the thing¡¯s eyes should have been and was not afraid.


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    An ear-splitting howl broke out through the mist.


    The shadow stopped reaching for him and a massive shape flew in front of him. The shadow was eclipsed by this new shape and the shadow and substance of the thing melted and tumbled to the floor.


    The surrounding shadows stopped reaching for him and they all turned their attention to this new presence. The shape was covered in black fur. It stood a good foot or two taller than he did. Crowning its head was two towering ears, sharp and majestic. Its massive arm and leg muscles bulged as it moved away from the downed shadow. The shadow faded into the white light and soon disappeared.


    It turned around and its eyes flashed with hatred, and it howled. He wasn¡¯t afraid of this newcomer. He knew it to be a werewolf. Its body was covered in deep black fur, but its chest had a white starburst on it.


    He looked around, startled to realize that his she-wolf companion was gone.


    The shadows moved toward the werewolf. They spread out away from him as they moved to deal with this new threat. His legs had regained some mobility and he took a step and then another to test his legs. He felt a blast from his side that lifted him off his feet.


    The sudden pain and force of the blast knocked the wind out of him, and he struggled just to breath. He was slung over the werewolf¡¯s shoulder before he knew what had happened and he was now facing back behind where the werewolf was running. He was being jostled and thrown around as the werewolf ran with him. Through the swirling white light, he could make out the remaining five shadows behind them. They were gliding though the light of this void. They didn¡¯t make any movements that he could see. They just moved over and through the white light like fish through water.


    He could feel the speed at which the werewolf was running, her long strides eating up distance as she could only have been trying to get back to where he had started following the shadow. But no matter how fast the werewolf was capable of moving the shadows only moved faster and they were gaining on them.


    The wound in his side from where the she-wolf had bit him was ripping with each bounce upon the werewolf¡¯s shoulder. He tried to reach back and cushion his side, but it was no use. His stomach was tight with the strain of protecting his gut and he had trouble breathing. He couldn¡¯t feel any wind not even with the speed at which they were moving. There was no wind here, no night, no sun, and no moon. Wherever he was he didn¡¯t want to stay here, and he wondered again at how he had gotten here in the first place.


    The werewolf stopped running and used her inertia to throw him off her shoulder. She looked behind them and his eyes followed hers. The shadows were gliding toward them and would be upon them in seconds.


    She grabbed him and hugged him to her in a full-bodied bear hug. He was engulfed by her warmth and her fur. He could smell the musty, earthy smell of her body and he was comforted by it. It was the only thing of the earth that he had smelled or experienced since coming to this place. He relaxed in the steel of the werewolf¡¯s embrace. His comfort was momentary as his ears were split by a high-pitched wale that would have broken glass.

 Chapter 9f

    The sound reverberated through the werewolf¡¯s body, and he felt the vibrations of it through her muscles and fur. He couldn¡¯t see anything but felt a great crushing force upon his body. He gasped for breath as he heard what he could only describe as wind rushing past him, the kind of wind you felt when riding in a convertible with the top down, only ten times stronger than that. He cried out into the maelstrom. that sound was going to make him go deaf. His weak and feeble human cry was instantly drowned by the howling that permeated his senses.


    Just as quickly as it started, it stopped. He was still surrounded by fur and the smell of earth and sweat but the sound was gone leaving behind a different kind of howling in his ears. The werewolf let him go and he held his hands to his ears trying to dispel the thundering silence that engulfed him. He stumbled back away from the werewolf a few steps and looked at her.


    She stood as she had in the void. He noticed that the opposite shoulder she had used to carry him was bleeding. He reached for her to comfort her wound but she turned away from him and held up a restraining arm. She looked at him. He saw a deep pain in her eyes and his breath caught in his throat as he knew that the pain, he felt was only a fraction of what she was enduring. She moved out of the cave. She stood in between the surrounding trees. Through the forest canopy a single ray of moonlight found its way down to the forest floor where she stood and let the moon light wash over her.


    Moonlight?


    Had he slept through the entire day?


    He didn¡¯t have time to contemplate just how long he had been asleep. He had to help her. He looked around the darkness of the cave and threw open some more boxes. He could find nothing but food and various supplies. There were no medical herbs or moss or anything that might allow him to help her.


    He stepped out of the cave toward her. He wanted to help her as she had helped him.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    It sounded feeble to his ears, but she nodded to him. Her shining eyes softened and, through her immense pain, smiled at him. He felt better and as he studied the deep wound that slashed through her shoulder, he knew he had to do something, or she would bleed to death. But the werewolf didn¡¯t move from her spot in the moonlight.


    He looked around the forest. There had to be something here that he could use to stem the bleeding. He ran around a little bit trying to find something, but the camp of Tasha¡¯s pack was almost sterile. His hands closed into fists in frustration. Why was this happening? He couldn¡¯t find anything, except dirt and wood, so he turned back toward Aceso, helpless.


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    When he looked at the creature in the moonlight he froze.


    Standing there, bathed in moonlight, the werewolf was completely healed. There was no wound on her shoulder, and he had never felt more ridiculous. He had been looking for a way to help her when she didn¡¯t need any help. He shook his head and rested his hands on his knees. He was being stupid he knew, in werewolf form he had always healed fast too, but this was extraordinary. He studied her body and he saw no traces of her wound, no traces of anything except black and white fur, muscle, and claws. She looked down at him as he gaped, openmouthed at her miraculous recovery. She barked out a laugh.


    He watched as she looked up into the night sky.


    The moonlight cascaded down over her body. He watched as she bent her legs and threw herself into the forest. He ran out past the shaft of moonlight into the dense forest in chase but she was already gone.


    He stood there in the cool night air, alone in this strange odorless forest. He didn¡¯t even feel the ever-present sensation of eyes watching him. All forests have eyes, but he couldn¡¯t feel them now and he felt alone. There was no sound to break the silence that surrounded him.


    He walked back toward the cave and stood in the single shaft of moonlight that had healed his protector. He looked up into the moonlight and let it bathe him for a long while. The moon light was comforting, and he didn¡¯t want to go back into the cave just yet.


    He sat down on the cool dark earth in the pale white light. He was reminded of the dream he had just had, a dream that was very real it would seem. His wound and the wound of Aceso was more than enough proof of that. He thought back to how stupid he had been. He had let himself fall in love with a girl he had just met because of some biochemical scent that she had given off. He had entered some weird dream where the damage one sustains is very real. But more than that, he had given in to a strange voice without so much as a struggle and he had wanted to fight his alpha who was trying to protect him.


    His alpha.


    What was the world coming to?


    Now he was readily admitting to himself, out here in the solitude of the night, in a sterile forest by himself, that he was in fact subservient to a wolf. A wolf that could change into a nightmarish beast that could rip him limb from limb anytime she wanted to it seemed.


    He reached down to the forest floor and grabbed a handful of dirt. He washed his hands with the stuff and inhaled from his palms. He couldn¡¯t smell anything. Could Tasha and her pack really scrub all scent from the woods and earth? Rubbing the dirt from his hands he stood up and made his way back into the manmade cave.


    He lay down on top of the skins of the bed not bothering to cover himself. He allowed his eyes to close. He wanted to sleep. He was exhausted beyond anything he had ever felt but sleep would not come. His lowered himself into a meditative state and let his body relax as much as he was able to and he pulled into himself. He began to feel like his limbs were a mile long and he was a very small thing inside a huge alien body. Numbness settled over him. He had meditated like this many times. He had never achieved an out of body experience, but he was able to draw himself in toward the center of himself. His consciousness shrank and his physical body stretched out from him for what seemed like miles. He stayed in this meditative state till he felt sunlight come in through the cave entrance.

 Chapter 10a

    As the dawn approached and sunlight invaded the dark of the cave, he opened his eyes. He had put off the inevitable for long enough. He stood up and stretched. He was tired. More tired than he cared to admit and his body and mind were responding like he had been coated in tar. He wiped at his eyes and stretched. His alpha should be back soon and then they would have to leave this place, this forest that was protected by Tasha and her ¡®pack of the brotherless¡¯, whatever that meant.


    He stepped over to the boxes and grabbed a handful of dried berries and some dried beef. He didn¡¯t know when he was likely to eat again. He felt guilty eating the food stuffs of other people but Tasha had said to help himself if he was hungry.


    With his stomach satisfied, he exited the cave. He was almost surprised to see Aceso, once again just a black and white she-wolf, lying down right outside the cave. She lifted her head as he seated himself on the dirt next to her. She didn¡¯t make a sound, she looked at him. He heaved a heavy sigh and meet her eyes.


    ¡°I never got a chance to thank you last night.¡±


    Aceso cocked her head to one side. She looked puzzled and he began to wonder if in fact what had happened had been nothing more than a dream within a dream.


    ¡°You, ah, you saved me from those things in that dream. You, you got hurt.¡±


    Aceso nuzzled his arm and nodded her head once. He looked into her eyes and he knew that she knew what he was talking about. It had been no dream. She stood up and walked out past the fire pit. He watched her as her tail swung as she made her way over to the spot where she had stood last night in the shaft of moonlight. She turned around and met his eyes. She lowered her head in a bow.


    Her hind legs expanded rapidly, growing in width but lengthening as well. Aceso¡¯s fore legs contorted as they shot out from her body, growing in length and expanding in muscle. She hunched over as her tail lengthened; her neck shortened as her snout shrank in on itself pressing into her face. Her ears reached up, growing tall and pointed on top of her head.


    William watched her change, each contortion of her body he knew well, but when he changed it brought about a searing agony, while Aceso¡¯s face was serene as she changed. Aceso stood up on her hind legs hunching forward as her whole body seemed to melt and dissolve in front of him into a shapeless formless mass, a shadow. William¡¯s eyes went wide in terror and recognition. Then the shadow was gone.


    Standing in front of him, where Aceso had been, now stood a seven-foot-tall werewolf. She was covered in black fur except for her chest, which carried a white starburst. William stared in shock. What the hell was that? Did I really see that... that thing? Shaking the thought away as something he must have imagined, he stood up and met the creature¡¯s eyes.


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    ¡°William, I am Aceso. I¡¯m sorry I accepted your oath of fealty. I know that was wrong. I did it so I could better protect you and escort you to the mountain.¡±


    He held up his hands. ¡°What are you talking about, ¡®the mountain¡¯? Tasha mentioned that too. What are you saying and where are we going?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to the mountain to the north. I believe you call it Mount Shasta. Once we get there your questions will be answered by those that are much better than I am.¡±


    None of this made sense and he shook his head and lowered his eyes to stare at the ground.


    ¡°William, I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t tell you these things earlier. Unfortunately, I, like Tasha, can¡¯t answer all your questions. I travel with you in my original wolf form because in that form I can better avoid the darker things in this world. The trap you fell into last night was set by our enemies. I can¡¯t tell you any more than that. I don¡¯t know why they attacked you but I can only assume it¡¯s because you didn¡¯t know what was happening. They are attracted by large groups of us. In this forest there are eight of us. Our combined energies would have drawn them here to capture and kill as many of us as possible.¡±


    He looked at her. ¡°What were those things, Aceso? What did they do to me? Were they using more pheromones? How did you find me in that place?¡±


    Aceso lowered her eyes and shook her head. ¡°William, I¡¯m your alpha by your oath. But not even I can answer those questions, not yet. I have already told you far too much, things that I am not really at liberty to do so. I should not have brought you here. The pack of the brotherless is not spoken of and Tasha gave you more knowledge than she should have. I can only tell you that the dream you had was no ordinary dream. You won¡¯t have any more dreams like that, though. I will protect you and shield you from those things that would do you harm. I have been ordered to bring you to the mountain and I will. You are very precious to me as you are to all our people.¡±


    He looked up at her. Aceso shrank and reformed back into her original wolf form. He threw his hands up into the air in frustration. I guess that conversation is over. Aceso stood there on all fours once again, nothing more than a beautiful she-wolf. He stood up and walked over to her.


    As he approached her, she turned around and started jogging into the forest. His brain was numb with everything that had happened, and his fatigue didn¡¯t help his state of mind at all. He knew that he wasn¡¯t likely to get anymore answers from her and Tasha and her pack was nowhere to be seen. He made his legs move, one in front of the other. He leaned forward and his legs jerkily threw themselves out, one in front of the other. He soon found his rhythm and he followed Aceso through the forest. Aceso was dodging in between the trees at a speed that was incredible considering the injury she had just recovered from. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder why she had run off into the forest last night. Did she run off to hunt? He didn¡¯t know and he probably wouldn¡¯t get an answer from her even if he asked. In the course of two days, he had slept an entire day and found out more than he ever wanted to know, but not enough to make sense of anything.


    At least he knew where they were going, Mount Shasta. That must have been the mountain he had seen off in the distance with its snowcapped top. That thought made him feel a lot better. Maybe this trip wasn¡¯t going to be as long as he thought.

 Chapter 10b

    Through the course of the morning his fatigue wore off like a thick ground fog burns away under the sun¡¯s warm rays of light. He was able to think clearer and move more freely than he could when he first started moving this morning. That was good he felt like this speed he was running with could be sustained. With his physical requirements taking care of themselves he found himself thinking back to everything that happened since he had entered this strange odorless forest.


    They ran through the morning and into the late afternoon. Aceso was guiding him through the forest directly north. The valley they were in was a lot bigger than his valley was and he was certain that they would have to stop here and sleep in these woods at least one more time before they broke out back into the mountains.


    As the sun dipped lower in the afternoon sky, he noticed that he wasn¡¯t hungry. Over the last week he had gone as long as two days without food, but he wasn¡¯t hungry at all. That was unusual even for him and it troubled him. Was he getting sick? The only time he didn¡¯t have an appetite was when he had been sick. He didn¡¯t feel sick. The idea troubled him and continued to gnaw at his subconscious through the fading light of the day.


    The sun had set, and they were still inside the odorless forest of the brotherless. It was dark and even Aceso didn¡¯t seem too driven to continue in the darkness. They found a nice little thicket of trees and underbrush and made camp there. His body was so exhausted as soon as he stopped moving and lay down, he drifted off to sleep.


    When he opened his eyes, the sun was already in the sky. The warm yellow rays of light filtered down through the branches of the forest canopy. He scrubbed his face with his hands trying to wake up and wondering why Aceso hadn¡¯t woke him up earlier. He looked around for his alpha but she was nowhere to be found. He stood up and stretched. His body felt a little sore, but his mind was much more alert than it had been yesterday. He would have to find some clean water at some point. He hadn¡¯t had anything to drink for a while and he was in need of some.


    He walked aimlessly for a while enjoying the forest. The lack of smell here was disconcerting, but it wasn¡¯t too troubling and he was at peace. A lot had happened to him over the past few days. He wondered where Aceso had gotten off to. If he knew her at all she was probably looking for food or water like she had done countless times before.


    As he walked through the forest, he heard a slight gurgling sound. His eyes widened slightly. It was moving water. He broke into a run toward the sound. He walked through some bushes and there was a tiny stream running along its course through the forest. He dropped to his knees and bent over the stream and drank. The cold water seared his hot throat, but he continued to drink. It felt wonderful. The cold water filled his stomach and when he had had his fill, he raised himself to see Aceso standing over him on the opposite side of the stream.


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    She looked disappointed about something, and her eyes were downcast. He didn¡¯t know what was bothering her. She didn¡¯t motion for him to move so he took the opportunity to relieve himself in the forest a little way from the stream. When he was finished, he grabbed a branch from a nearby tree. He pulled it loose from the tree and plucked all the pine needles off it. When the branch was prepared, he strode back to stream and dipped one end in the cold water. After a few moments he took the wet end and scrubbed his teeth with it. Not for the first time he wished he had some salt or baking soda but that couldn¡¯t really be helped.


    When he was finished, he threw the stick back off into the woods. He stood up and looked at Aceso who was sitting down amongst the trees looking off to the north. He hopped over the stream and joined his alpha. She sat there for a moment looking northward. She didn¡¯t seem to acknowledge he was there. He stood next to her looking from her to the north.


    He noticed that it was cool this morning, even though it was late, and the sun was well on his way up his track in the sky. William looked north and couldn¡¯t help but wonder what was waiting for him at the mountain.


    Aceso stood up and began walking north. He followed her and soon they were running again. Aceso seemed troubled by something, but he couldn¡¯t figure out what that was. She was not running at the speeds that they were capable of running, even though they were holding a pace that was much faster than any normal human could match for long distances. He began to wonder if she felt guilty about the whole ¡®accepting his oath of fealty¡¯ thing. He wondered if she was troubled by what consequences might be waiting for her at the mountain as well.


    His body found its rhythm and he was running through the forest following Aceso. He noticed that as they ran, he began to pick out faint smells. Just Aceso at first, but he began to be able to smell the dirt he was running on. He inhaled through his nose and he smelled cedar pine somewhere. This return of his senses was a welcome relief, but he knew that with the return of smells they would soon be out of this forest and the protection it offered.


    No sooner had he though this they burst through the trees, and they were outside of the forest of the brotherless. They were facing a steep rock incline. It wasn¡¯t so steep that they would have to free climb straight up. The narrow winding path that Aceso started up without hesitation was steep and it looked dangerous. He hesitated for a moment, looking up the massive rock face. He was no donkey and he supposed if his alpha could do it, he could do it too. Besides how could he challenge his alpha seriously one day if he was too scared to climb up a steep little path?

 Chapter 10c

    He found that the path that wound up the cliff face was just as steep as he had thought. He was gripping the rock face and slowly moving up the valley wall. The smell of moss and wind filled his nostrils. After not having smelled anything for two days everything smelled as fragment as perfume and twice as strong. Of course, that also meant he had to smell the dank smell of rot and decay. For some reason the moss that clung to the rock wall had begun to grow stale and rotten. Instead of a rich green that most moss had this stuff was almost black and greasy to the touch. Aceso didn¡¯t seem affected by the rank smell at all and continued to climb up the winding trail.


    At some point he stopped to look out over the forest of the brotherless. It really was a beautiful sight. He could see the whole of the valley. This is what they missed in the darkness when they first entered this valley to get away from their pursuers. That Blackhawk helicopter was always going to be a problem. Pheromones and false trails wouldn¡¯t do them much good against machine rotors and searchlights.


    It hadn¡¯t been the helicopter that had found them though. They had avoided the loud machine before, and they would continue to do so. He looked up and the sun had moved past his zenith. He looked up the cliff face and saw they were well on their way to scaling the cliff. The trail wasn¡¯t as steep here and it was at the bottom of the valley. This also meant they would not move up the cliff face as fast as they had when they started. There was still plenty of sunlight left and he had no worries that they would reach the summit well before nightfall.


    Aceso scrambled up the last bit of rock and she momentarily disappeared from his vision. He had to pull himself up over the lip of the cliff. The last bit of trail had been washed away with erosion by wind and rain. Once he pulled himself up onto flat ground he stood up and looked out over the valley they had just exited from.


    The dense forest below them looked like the softest kind of carpet you could imagine. He thought for a moment that if he jumped out over the forest, he would land on the fluffy green carpet of the forest canopy and be unharmed. He knew that was crazy, but it didn¡¯t diminish the apparent softness of the valley floor.


    The sun was still in the sky, and he knew that they had to get away from here and find some shelter for the night. Here on the exposed mountain once again he knew that they were in danger of being spotted. They had a few precious hours to put as much distance between them and their pursuers. Even though he had no doubt that Tasha would keep her word, she wasn¡¯t here. He knew that he and Aceso were alone once more.


    After a few moments and one final glance over the valley Aceso kicked off the rock and ran. He followed her and they raced over the rocky, uneven terrain. His body was rested, and the climb hadn¡¯t taken too much of a toll on him. He found he could keep up with Aceso with no problems at all. This was almost easy.


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    As they ran, he closed his eyes for a moment and felt the wind as it slapped him in the face and passed around him. The slight howl it made at it passed around his ears. He inhaled and smelled Aceso¡¯s musty earthy smell that he had become so familiar with over the past few days. The wind passed around him cooling him and he felt almost as alive as he did when he had run with his pack. Except now he was nothing more than a beta.


    He opened his eyes and watched Aceso as she ran. He found that he didn¡¯t mind being the beta of such a proud and beautiful animal. She had earned her title and his fealty. She had saved his life more than once and he had done nothing but eat the food that she had killed, drink from the streams that she had found, and sleep in the shelters that she discovered. He wondered if he would ever have the opportunity to repay her for all that she had done for him. Maybe he would someday. Somehow, he knew that Mount Shasta held the key to unlocking the secrets about himself that would allow him to be more than just a liability for her.


    The rocky terrain they were running over was rough and uneven. He had to pay attention to where his feet were going. After so many days of hard running on stone and rock his feet didn¡¯t have any trouble adapting to the surface he was running on. Still, he would have preferred to be running on grass or pine needles. The stone held the heat of the day and the old man in the sky still had about an hour or two of dominance over the sky.


    He looked north and towering over him and his companion still disembodied from the rest of the earth, hovered their destination, Mount Shasta. The single mountain dominated the landscape and its peak was coated in white snow, snow that never quite melted. He wondered how long it would take them to get there. At the speeds that they were capable of traveling it might only take a few more days.


    The rock he was running on dropped away from him and his leg slammed down into a depression. His knee locked and jerked up from the sudden change in footing. He stumbled forward and almost fell. He recovered without falling and kept running. That could have hurt a lot worse than it had, he would have to pay more attention to where he was and not where he was going.


    Aceso hadn¡¯t turned around nor had she slowed down, if anything she was increasing her speed. They were running in the crags of the mountain. They were protected on both sides by stone and rocks. It was good ground to avoid detection but from the sky they were still exposed. Aceso must have known this because she didn¡¯t slow down even as the sun was touching the horizon to the west.


    His eyes would not be able to see the ground and the sharp obstacles that littered his path once the sun set but Aceso was running at speeds that were close to the fastest they had ever run together. He took a deep breath and followed her at her pace. He hoped she found some kind of shelter soon otherwise he was likely to hurt himself again.


    He still felt stupid and a little ashamed of that night. He had twisted his ankle and he had snapped at his alpha. Of course, at the time he didn¡¯t know that she was his alpha but that was no excuse for his behavior toward her. He glanced to his left and saw the sun was already well on his way to sinking below the horizon. He wondered if he would ever again be able to watch the sun set like he used to do in his valley.

 Chapter 10d

    In his valley he had been free in ways that were unimaginable. And yet in some ways he was a child. He had no knowledge of anything that he knew now. Innocence once lost can¡¯t be regained and he wondered if he would ever see his valley again. He wondered if he really wanted to.


    The sun had set in the west and the light of dusk was slipping from the world. Aceso slowed down but she still drove hard for the north. He followed in her wake as closely as possible but even that precaution was not enough to stem his fears of injury. Seeing the ground was getting harder and the rocks and crevices were not getting any less sharp.


    Aceso slowed down to a trot and he was grateful for that. She looked back at him and he nodded toward her. She turned back around and kept moving. He hadn¡¯t eaten since yesterday even though he had drunk some water this morning. His stomach was beginning to feel past empty and it rumbled. He rubbed at his abdomen and ignored the feeling of hunger. He had gone without food some much since he left his valley the almost constant feeling of hunger was beginning to feel normal. He just ignored it. He would eat when he ate and there was nothing he could do about that except wait.


    Aceso stopped inside a sharp crevice and turned around to watch him. He followed her in the enclosed space. There was not a lot of space to move around but the rocks provided an overhang that would protect them from their old friend, the eyes in the sky, the Blackhawk helicopter.


    He lay down and pushed himself as far under the overhang as he could. He pulled one of the pieces of denim out of his pants and rested his head on the fabric as a makeshift pillow. Aceso shielded him further from sight by lying down and pressing her body up next to him. Once she had, he couldn¡¯t see the sky at all. He would miss the stars but he was warm and protected. Aceso gave off heat like a radiator and even though the rock was quickly cooling around him most of his body was off of the cool surface and the body heat of Aceso was more than enough to compensate for the heat loss. It didn¡¯t take long for his eyes to close. The combination of her warm body and her earthy scent was enough to comfort him. The last thought he had was that this was another mark that would have to be repaid.


    He awoke the next morning to find that Aceso was gone. He pushed himself free of the overhang and stood up. The frigid rock was cold and he wanted to warm himself as soon as possible. The sun hadn¡¯t risen over the mountains yet though the sky was a light blue in preparation for the suns return. He stretched and rubbed at himself. The chill of the rocks would not leave his skin and he shivered as he tried to get his own body heat working. He trotted up and out of the crevice. He raised his knees high with every step in an attempt to generate more heat. He looked north at the mountain. It was bigger than it was yesterday. He wondered what was waiting for him on that strange snow-covered mountain. They might reach the base of the mountain by today. There was a lot of flat ground to cover to get there but at the speeds that they were capable of traveling they could make some cars jealous. If that car happened to be a car that had four doors, four cylinders, and was towing a massive trailer, maybe.


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    He shook his head and smiled. He knew that boast had been ridiculous and the reality of what he had just imagined knocked him upside the head and he couldn¡¯t help but laugh at himself. He must be going crazy.


    As he gazed at the huge mountain to the north, he felt Aceso walk up next to him. He had felt her from a few feet away without hearing her or seeing her. He wondered if that was another side effect of his being part of her pack. Were the two of them able to find each other now that she was his alpha? How far away could they feel each other? These thoughts intrigued him but before he could question her at all she started running.


    Before long the sun broke over the mountains and flooded the world in warm yellow rays. They ran out of the mountains and through the northern foothills. The stone melted into grass and he found that running downhill was a lot easier than running along the mountains.


    After some time Aceso led him to a river. It was small but she was able to jump in and grab three good sized fish. He washed the food and cooked it over the fire he had prepared. They ate their breakfast and erased the signs of their passing. He relieved himself behind some bushes and Aceso disappeared for a few minutes. He understood that she was doing the same thing he was. He cleaned himself off in the frigid water of the river and before he got out Aceso was waiting for him. He jumped out of the water and rubbing his legs dry he put back on his pants and ran after his guide.


    The grass covered foothills they were now running on were soft under his feet. The gentle rolling hills gave them no protection whatsoever from inquisitive eyes. They stayed in the dips of the hills even though they could hear the nearby traffic of civilization they stayed well away from it and remained hidden.


    The hills were covered with grazing cows and horses. He had to keep his eyes on the ground; he no longer had to worry about rocks slashing his feet. Now he had to worry about other more disgusting and smelly obstacles.


    The sun was almost directly overhead and he wondered how much farther they could travel in one day. The mountain was looming ever higher in his field of vision. He knew that they couldn¡¯t reach the mountain today. There were towns and other signs of people that they had to avoid.


    The hills were becoming shallower. There was a sharp decrease in the amount of cover they had to hide themselves with. Aceso turned to the east and ran along the base of a hill. He followed her. Soon the faint sounds of traffic disappeared altogether and there was an eerie quiet that settled around them.

 Chapter 10e

    The grass brushed up against his legs and he could hear Aceso legs pump through the grass as well. But other than that, he couldn¡¯t hear anything, not a cow mooing, not a bird in the sky, nothing. The wind blew through the grass making it sway and shift. The effect reminded him of the ocean tide. The grass seemed to wave and flow just like the ocean. They could have been running on a field of green water.


    As they ran through the tall grass of the plain, he looked northward and studied the mountain. It would have taken them the rest of today and perhaps all of tomorrow to get there in a straight shot. But he knew that they had to continue on their current path eastward to ensure that they avoided the prying eyes of people. A guy running after a wolf would not only raise a few eyebrows it would raise questions and curiosities. It would also point those federal agents who were hunting them directly toward them. People couldn¡¯t be trusted in any circumstance but especially now. If Tasha kept her word the only thing, they would have to worry about was people and avoiding a certain helicopter.


    Aceso stopped running. She swung her head left and right scanning their surroundings. She sat down in the tall grass. He wasn¡¯t quite sure what was going on but he allowed his body to relax and he plopped down on the ground next to her. ¡°What¡¯s up? Do you smell something?¡±


    Aceso cocked her head at him and with a playful look in her eyes she dropped down on her forepaws in the grass. There was no cover out here except for the grass and he followed her example. He rolled onto his back. As he did so he looked up at the sky as the green brown blades brushed up against his sides and folded over him. The sky was a pure blue with a few puffy white clouds drifting with the soft wind that made the grass move in waves. He found himself to be particularly happy right now. But he was unsure of the reason they had stopped.


    Aceso probably thought that traveling in the daylight was too dangerous. She had taken what cover she could find in the deep grass and they would travel by night. Out here with little civilization there were no lights to uncover them in the darkness. It would be much easier to travel away from prying eyes if they moved at night. Besides, there are no rocks out here to trip over. Aceso had the right idea and he enjoyed lying here looking at the sky.


    He must have fallen asleep, though he couldn¡¯t remember doing it. Aceso was pressing against his side. It was still tender from when she had shaken him in that dream. It hadn¡¯t ever bled but it felt bad and had left a huge bruise that being nudged made him wince. He pushed her away and sat up. The sky was black with night. He looked up and found his mother. She had taken on the shape of a fat sickle. In a few days she would be a proper crescent shape. For now, though she was less than her quarter phase but not quite a crescent yet.


    He stood up and looked at the stars that had exploded onto the curtain of night. The dimmer the moon got the more stars filled the sky. In the mountains the stars had been amazing but now they were even more numerous, and the milky river of thousands of stars had only become brighter and more defined. He breathed the cool air. It was moments like this that made him happy to be alive. Aceso pushed his leg once and ran off into the darkness.


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    ¡°Hey, wait for me.¡±


    They ran through the tall grass, the high blades scraping up against them. They couldn¡¯t move as fast as they could on the open rock of the mountains. But he had become accustomed to running over the past few days and he had mastered running with Aceso and holding the speed and pace that she set. The only sound that followed them was the sound of the wind sweeping over the grass and their swift passage through that endless brownish green sea.


    He looked up and saw the mountain. It was black against the stars. He could only make out the outline of the mountain against the star field. The mountain reflected no light. Even the snowcapped top was black. It was a mass of darkness on the horizon.


    He looked out over their surroundings as they ran and he saw the glow of a town or city in the distance. He saw the plume of civilization make a halo of light that pushed back against the press of the night. Aceso was making a hard line away from the light on the horizon and if they stayed on the course she set, they would avoid the city, or whatever it was, without difficulty.


    The air was getting colder.


    He was glad that they were near their destination. His running and production of body heat was enough to keep the early autumn cold at bay, but he knew that if it was a few weeks later even running wouldn¡¯t be enough to keep him warm. He wondered how Aceso would do without that nice coat of fur. He knew that she cared about him and would never put him in danger unless it was necessary. Still, they were running toward a snowcapped mountain. He wondered if he would be able to deal with that or just freeze to death somewhere along the way.


    He didn¡¯t really need to worry about that right now though. Now he was a ghost running behind his phantom guide in the middle of the night. How long had he been doing this? He wondered if what he had done his entire life had all been leading him to this crazy path he was now on. The metaphysical question of who he was surfaced in his mind and the question of his past actions faded like the starlight faded around the lights of the town in the distance. It didn¡¯t really matter what he had done to get him here. He would have come this way sooner or later, being led by Aceso or by something else. He was who he was and he knew deep down that he had been born that way. He might have been moved to live out in the woods because of what he was. He shook his head and concentrated on his legs pumping through the tall grass. He was here and he had chosen Aceso as his alpha. What difference did anything else make?


    They ran through the night. They avoided the town, which wasn¡¯t that big. They did have to swing wide of an outlying ranch. The resident horses would have been spooked by Aceso, so circumventing the ranch fence and pasture took a little time but not much. And it was a necessary detour. Soon they had passed the little town. Just as the sun was rising in the east, and the golden red of the sunrise stained the perfect night sky, they were once again in the safety of the expanse and tall grass.


    The sky brightened and he was able to look around him in the brisk morning. They were once again in the flat expanse between The Sierra Nevada Mountain range and Mount Shasta. He looked at the snow-covered mountain. They had traveled much farther last night than he would have thought possible. Maybe the grass didn¡¯t hinder their speed as much as he had feared originally. The mountain loomed overhead. Its massive base commanded the entire northern horizon. He felt like he had to look straight up to see the snowcapped top. After tonight they would be there and well on their way up the mountain.

 Chapter 11a

    Aceso was lying down in the grass, and he followed her lead. He rolled onto his stomach and tried to sleep. Sleep wouldn¡¯t come. He had so many questions rolling around inside his head that might finally be answered. He felt like a kid on Christmas Eve waiting for the morning to come so he could open his presents.


    He looked over through the grass and could just make out Aceso. She was resting her head on her forepaws, watching him. Those golden eyes held such compassion and strength he wondered how he ever could have doubted that she should be his alpha. She had proven herself to be a strong fighter and a compassionate guide. Even when he had insulted her, she had not let it pass but, she had accepted his apology and they were able to move on. Of all the women he had met in his life it was fitting that the only one he would have respected would be a wolf.


    As he looked into her eyes, he felt a heavy but gentle calm settle over his body. He was being warmed by the sunlight that filtered over him through the blades of grass. The ground was fragrant with the smell of the grass and earth. He could detect the faint musty smell of his alpha as well. He was just as content at that moment as he ever had been, in his valley or otherwise. He rolled onto his side and cradling his face in the crook of his elbow he closed his eyes.


    He was interrupted by a nudging in his side. He opened his eyes and saw that the sun hadn¡¯t set yet. His eyelids ripped open and he looked at Aceso as she was prodding him. There was an earnest look in her eyes and he knew that it was time to move. He rolled over onto his stomach and waited for Aceso to move before he got up.


    Aceso pressed her body low to the ground. She had sensed something which had forced them to move. He took a quick look around their surrounds and saw nothing but waving grass as it swayed in the wind. He inhaled through his nose and while he couldn¡¯t smell anything out of the ordinary, he did feel that the wind had quickened and was a few degrees cooler. He looked up into the afternoon sky and saw why Aceso was a little desperate to move. A huge curtain of black angry clouds were moving in rather quickly from the west. The sun would disappear behind that curtain in moments. He looked at the storm head and could see rain coming down hard. That storm would overtake them in less than an hour.


    Aceso ran straight for the mountain, and he followed. He couldn¡¯t see any other possibilities of shelter. There were no trees, no rocks, no nothing except gentle rolling hills, and the mountain in front of them. Aceso ran with a wild desperation. She was pushing their pace faster than they had ever run before.


    It was all he could do just to keep up with her. His legs moved and his blood pumped as they flew over the ground. The wind was getting rougher and instead of gently brushing the grass, it was flattening it. Dust and debris were flying across his vision and he was forced to squint as he ran, to protect his eyes. He had to lean into the wind or risk being blown off balance. The sun had disappeared behind the dark angry clouds and shrouded the world in a grey, stormy haze.


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    Aceso didn¡¯t look back, nor did she slow down. It made no difference.


    He began to feel water drop on his head. It didn¡¯t take long for the rest of the storm to catch up with them and they were forced to not only run through the cross wind but also through sheets of rain as the storm poured down on them. He was soaked within minutes. He could see water drop off Aceso. As they ran, they left a narrow trail through the wet grass. The blades were flat against the wind and the weight of the water. Every step he took added more water to his skins. Aceso didn¡¯t slow down and he was forced to run through the wet grass, the wind, and the rain.


    The storm was relentless but so was Aceso¡¯s will. She ducked her head against the wind and rain and pushed onward. She ran with the wild abandon that he expected from an overdriven horse, not a wolf. She pushed their pace to increase even more. She cut through the tall, wet grass and rain as if she was a shark swimming effortlessly through water. He followed in her wake nothing more than a pale streak cutting through the storm after a supernatural guide.


    When he looked up, he was surprised to see the mountain looming ahead of them. He was so wet he couldn¡¯t feel his clothes. All he felt was the cold water of the storm. His skins had absorbed all the water they were able to, now water ran through and over them. He had given up all hope of getting dry and he was one with the storm.


    After several hours of darkness, rain, wet grass, and running they reached the foot of the mountain. Rain was making little streams running down the rocky surface of the massive formation of earth and stone. Aceso didn¡¯t lose her rhythm and keep running right up the rocky surface. He had no choice but to follow her.


    The incline and the running water made his footing a little shaky, but with a little concentration on his footing he was able to find good solid rock under his feet and he pushed himself up the mountain after his alpha.


    The sky continued to darken and he knew that night would soon be upon them. With the rain not stopping, he wondered what Aceso had in mind and if they were going to find any shelter for the night.


    The incline of the mountain only increased, and his legs were starting to burn with fatigue. He was almost surprised to find his body tiring at all. Since running with his alpha he hadn¡¯t gotten tired in days, and he wondered if Aceso was tiring as well. They had kept a sprint pace for hours and now they were running up a mountain incline that seemed to only grow steeper with every step.


    The rain wasn¡¯t going to stop. It was as relentless as this mountain. That coupled with the darkening sky he wasn¡¯t sure he would be able to see anything at all in a short time. Aceso was running toward something, and she was pushing herself far too hard. He looked up and around him and saw several places where rocks jutted out from the mountain and protected some dry places beneath the rocks.


    He made a decision to stop and take shelter for the night. His stomach was empty and even though he was pushing himself past all limits of anything he had ever experienced, he was still shivering. He turned away from following Aceso and almost dove under some rocks onto the hard cold ground.

 Chapter 11b

    Here he wasn¡¯t getting rained on. He huddled in on himself and shivered against the wind and cold. It didn¡¯t take long for him to realize that he needed to take off his wet clothes. The small rock outcropping offered little enough protection as it was but he needed to get dry. As he was taking off his vest and squeezing water from his pants, Aceso came out of the darkness and sat down next to him. He didn¡¯t look at her for a long time. She shook herself dry and sprayed him with more rainwater.


    ¡°Thanks, Aceso.¡±


    Aceso was the only thing close to being dry in the small shelter. He didn¡¯t have any room to lie down, so he sat there with his back pressed against the rock. Aceso sat there next to him offering her warmth to his naked skin.


    The run had left him exhausted, and the wind still ripped through him, chilling him to the bone. Aceso¡¯s body heat helped but he couldn¡¯t stop shivering. Even though they were out of the direct rain, the shelter was small and the wind brought sprays of water in on them with every gust. He felt Aceso radiate heat but he was still cold. He was exhausted but he couldn¡¯t sleep. He was hungry but he didn¡¯t even want to eat. Not that was anything available to eat but if there had been he wouldn¡¯t have felt like eating.


    He put his damp vest back on to help protect him against the wind. His teeth were chattering and he couldn¡¯t make himself stop. Aceso moved over to him and pressed her warm body against him. The heat her body gave off and the comfort of having her there with him did wonders for him. He stopped shivering. His teeth stopped rattling, and the gentle weight of sleep eventually settled on his tired, hungry body.


    He found himself looking out over the rain and the valley they had crossed. The storm had erased all signs of their passing and he smiled. Rain is good for something. That was the last thought he had before he surrendered to the blackness of sleep.


    It was dark but warm and he was smiling. There was a light somewhere, but he couldn¡¯t tell where it was coming from. He groped around in the darkness and felt hard shapes all around him. He opened his eyes to find the sun was already rising in the east. He could see its bright orange light reflected off of the rocks surrounding him. The sunlight was warming him and the surrounding rocks nicely.


    He was surprised to see Aceso asleep next to him. He removed himself from the small shelter and stepped out into the direct sunlight.


    They must have been sleeping for a long while because there were only a few remaining storm clouds way off in the distance. The wind had remained almost constant, and it was carrying the storm away from them. He stretched in the warmth of the morning sunlight. He found himself thanking whatever gods that had made all this happen now. If it was a little later in the year the sun would bring no comfort to him this early in the cold autumn or winter mornings.


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    Throwing his fur vest on around his shoulders, he walked down the mountain and hid behind some rocks to relieve himself. He hadn¡¯t had anything to drink or eat in a few days and his urine showed that neglect. The short dark yellow pee stained the rocks and had an odor that he was embarrassed by. He finished and turned around.


    There had to be some water around here somewhere. Now that he was warm and his clothes were being given the opportunity to dry, he could give his rumbling stomach the attention it demanded. Rubbing at his mid-section he walked back to his sleeping alpha. She really was a beautiful animal. Even when she was sleeping, her ears remained standing straight, two proud triangles that crowned her head. Her mouth was closed, and she breathed through her very sensitive wet nose. Her forepaws were stretched out in front of her and her tail was curled around her body like a blanket.


    He smiled. After so many days of her waiting on him, he was ok with waiting on her. Or he would have been. Just then his whole body was racked by an explosive sneeze that immediately shook Aceso awake and she was on her feet in an instant looking for danger.


    He wiped the snot from his nose and rubbed it off on a nearby rock. ¡°Jesus, I¡¯m sorry Aceso. I didn¡¯t mean to wake you up.¡±


    The wolf looked at him with confusion and concern in her eyes. He looked back at her.  She shook her head and stretched her body. She disappeared around some rock, and he was left there to wait for her. He knew what she was doing and the guilt of waking her up weighed on his mind. He waited for Aceso to return from relieving herself. He became aware of how thirsty he was. He looked around his surroundings. On a nearby rock in a depression on its surface, a small puddle of water sat there drying in the sun. He trotted over to the rock and lowered his lips to the puddle. He inhaled sharply and drained the puddle. The slightly warm rainwater felt amazing going down his parched throat.


    Aceso walked out and around the various rocks and outcroppings toward him. He was still thirsty and looked for other puddles that had collected on the rocks that surrounded them. Both he and Aceso walked from puddle to puddle slowly quenching their thirst.


    When he was satisfied, he looked down at the wolf. She sat there looking up at him. Her gold eyes stared at him unblinking. Her black fur shined in the morning sunlight. Her white starburst reflected the sunlight making it seem like she was glowing. The look in her eyes was solemn and quiet. She looked up at the mountain for a moment then back toward him.


    ¡°Well, we finally made it here, now what?¡±


    Aceso didn¡¯t answer. She turned up the mountain and walked. He looked up at the snow-covered peak of the dormant volcano and wondered how they were going to climb to the top. They had no climbing gear, no boots, no packs; they didn¡¯t even have a rope.


    Aceso wound her way up the slope of the foot of the mountain, around the various rocks and outcroppings. He shook his head and followed after her. The slope steepened and he had trouble keeping his footing. Aceso cut across the incline in a wide serpentine pattern. Even so, his feet slipped constantly on the loose gravel and rocks of the mountain. Aceso maintained their slow pace and he began to wonder if she was doing it out of more than just caution.

 Chapter 11c

    They came to a large rock outcropping that formed a deep depression in the side of the mountain. He could have called it a small cave if it had more defined walls. Aceso didn¡¯t stop but walked underneath the rock overhang into the natural shade of the formation. He noticed that her head was low, and he knew that something was bothering her. She seemed apprehensive and he wondered why. He could almost feel a sense of fear coming from her and he wanted to reach out to her, to pet and scratch her head to let her know that everything was going to be alright. Of course, he had no idea if everything was going to be alright. He was lost in this world that he found himself in. Who was he to tell this proud wolf that everything was going to be alright?


    Aceso walked to the very back of the small cave. He walked after her letting the shadows protect him from the sunlight. Aceso was studying the dark, back wall of the cave. He wondered what it was she was looking for. Aceso broke the silence by letting out an ear-splitting howl that shook the walls around them. He recoiled from the sudden noise that washed over him. He put his hands to his ears as he tried to recover his hearing. None of his pack had ever made a sound this terrible. He pressed his hands closed around his ears, as he tried to insulate himself from the thunderous noise that echoed and reverberated off the small cave¡¯s walls.


    Aceso let the sound die and she studied the wall once more. He let his hands loosen from around his ears. The ringing in them would stop, eventually. At least he hoped so. He wouldn¡¯t be able to hear anything with his ears ringing the way they were now. He shook his head trying to clear the sound out of his head. As he was doing that however, a new sound met his ears. This one was of a soft grating sound, almost the sound of fingernails on a chalk board. But this sound was deeper, more mineral. As he tried to figure out if this sound was just his ears or something else, his eyes widened as he noticed the back wall of the depression that had been shrouded in dark shadows was moving.


    Aceso sat where she was and watched as the wall opened into a gaping blackness where solid rock had once been. He shook his head and stared at the moving wall. It¡¯s like some secret passage straight out of Scooby Doo.


    The rock wall stopped moving and Aceso entered into the perfect black void disappearing from his vision. He was left standing there wondering what he should do. He had followed Aceso without question for days and through miles of terrain. It¡¯s a little late to be getting cold feet now, don¡¯t you think? He looked down at the ground and with a last glance at the gentle sunlight of the morning he followed where Aceso had gone and disappeared into the darkness.


    There was no light.


    He began to grope around in the perfect darkness. He wanted to turn around and look at the sunlight. As he did so, the scraping sound met his ears. The opening of the cave that Aceso and he had just come from was closing. There was a part of him that panicked at seeing the sunlight eclipsed by the black void. It was all he could do not to break out in a run and dive back outside. He began to hyperventilate, and he broke out in a sweat. This perfect dark and unknown void scared him. At that moment he wanted nothing more than to be out in the glorious sunlight. It¡¯s now or never. Just when he was about to make a break for the ever-shrinking exit, he felt a soft, warm, and familiar presence at his side.


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    He reached down and felt Aceso¡¯s ears and head. He felt calm return to his body and he slowed down his breathing. The shrinking sliver of sunlight disappeared entirely. He was with Aceso but they were shrouded in perfect darkness.


    He couldn¡¯t see anything. All he knew was that he was afraid of this place for some reason and no amount of rational thought could assuage that feeling of panic. The only thing that kept him standing in place with dignity and not running toward the exit and madly scraping at the rock with his fingernails was the calming presence of Aceso.


    The perfect void was shattered by a flash that was as bright as magnesium. His eyes were open but he wished they hadn¡¯t been. He was blinded by the sudden light and he closed his eyes, trying to erase the blue violet retinal burn from his eyes. He wouldn¡¯t have been able to see anything at the moment anyway. He blinked his eyes hard and long trying to aid in their healing process. While his eyes were closed shut, he felt Aceso leave his side. He ripped his eyes open and through the fading blue-black haze that covered his eyes, his saw Aceso walking away from him.


    She was flanked on either side by giant humanoid forms. The one on the right of Aceso was grey with black and brown streaks that ran down the whole of its back. Its tail was standing up behind it proudly as it walked with an easy gate. His claws were drawn at his hands. The one to the left of his alpha was mostly brown with some reddish-brown streaks along his arms and legs. His ears were tall and far longer than the one to the other side of Aceso, his tail was held high as well. The two werewolves escorted Aceso away from him deeper into the caves. He scrambled forward to move toward her but was stopped by an iron grip on his clothes.


    ¡°ACESO. Where are you taking her?¡±


    He struggled against the grip on his vest. He watched in panic as Aceso walked off down a tunnel that made its way deeper into the mountain. She didn¡¯t turn around. She did glance over her shoulder back at him. Her eyes held a look of perfect sympathy and sadness.


    He struggled trying to get to her. Aceso barked back to him then she turned her head around and continued walking away from him. He didn¡¯t take his eyes off her and he fought harder and with greater desperation. His only thought was to be at Aceso¡¯s side. If she needed help, he had to be there. He owed it to her to help her.


    He managed to slide out of his vest and the grip that held him in place. He sprinted after Aceso down the tunnel that she had disappeared down. He took a few steps and was gathering speed when he slammed, face first into an immovable object that appeared out of nowhere.


    His world exploded in pain and light. He stumbled back from whatever he had just run into as he tried to relearn how to breathe. He almost fell down but by some miracle he was able to keep his feet and looked around as his lungs took in small gasps of air, keeping him conscious. He gripped at the pain in his abdomen and chest as he looked around. He looked to his right and towering over him was a massive beast with huge, pointed triangle ears that crowned his head. His face and body were covered in brown fur. His eyes were pure molten gold and shined with an inner light that looked through him in absolute apathy. William could see no forgiveness or empathy in those eyes, and it was all he could do to stand his ground.

 Chapter 11d

    The pain in his torso was fading and his eyes could see clearly, for the most part. The brown werewolf that stood over him made no movement to attack or restrain him. His tail was hanging behind him. It was not limp, but not in an upright attack position either. William stood their allowing his body to take deeper and deeper breaths until he was breathing normally again. He looked around the tunnel when they stood. He noticed that the light that illuminated their surroundings was emanating from a single torch that was held to the tunnel wall in a cast iron bracket. It was medieval in design, and he wondered if that torch would lead him to some form of medieval torture.


    Looking behind him, William saw the entrance that he and Aceso had come through looked like a solid rock wall. There was no seam and no sign that there had ever been anything other than solid rock there. From the wall a wide tunnel stretched out and down into the mountain. The walls were smooth and black. The ground he was standing on was smooth and black as well, like it was covered in the purest black marble or obsidian.


    He turned away from the exit that wasn¡¯t there anymore. He raised himself up to his full height and faced the massive werewolf that stood over him. ¡°Where are those guys taking Aceso?¡±


    The werewolf stood.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± The werewolf folded his arms across his chest still not answering. ¡°Well, you just stand there like an idiot while I go find out what happened to my friend.¡±


    William tried to get around the massive wall of flesh and muscle that blocked his path. The werewolf moved to stay in front of William. He dodged to the right then cut back to the left. Every time, the werewolf was a half-step ahead of him and stayed in front of William, not yielding an inch.


    ¡°You son of a bitch, move or talk to me, What the hell is this and where is Aceso being taken?¡± The werewolf didn¡¯t respond in any way. William was going to make a break for it. He allowed his muscles to tense as he prepared to throw himself down the tunnel away from the silent sentry.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t try that if I were you.¡±


    William stopped cold as the human voice spoke out against the cold stone of the tunnel. He turned around and saw a rather large man coming out of a tunnel that William hadn¡¯t even noticed. He was wearing regular clothes. He had on blue jeans and a button up shirt that was a vibrant orange. His skin was black as a starless night and the white of his eyes jumped out of his dark face. He even wore a pair of black and deep blue shoes. The man could be called attractive and he was powerfully built with broad shoulders and huge hands that swung easily at his side as he walked.


    William watched as the newcomer approached. ¡°Try what?¡±


    The man laughed deeply and pointed back at the werewolf that was standing behind William. ¡°You try to run off down that tunnel again and Ares might take your head off.¡±


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    William looked back at the large werewolf. He took one last look down the tunnel where Aceso had disappeared. ¡°Where did they take Aceso?¡±


    The newcomer raised an eyebrow. ¡°Where they took her is none of your business.¡±


    The man closed the distance to stand within inches of William. William held his ground. The two men stood about equal height. The guy was about twice as wide as William was but he was betting on his speed and agility to equal things out if it came to trading blows with this man.


    ¡°The only skin you should be worrying about right now is your own, pup.¡± He started to walk around William and William rotated to continue to face him. ¡°This is The Mountain. This is my home and while you are in my home you will follow my instructions, or you will be punished¡­ severely if need be.¡± The man stopped and looked William in the eye.


    William met that cold stare. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    He didn¡¯t seem to move. Yet William¡¯s stomach exploded with pain and once again he couldn¡¯t breathe. His legs buckled under him, and he fell to his knees. He gasped for air as he tried to stand up. The man towered over him. His huge hands had tightened into massive fists.


    ¡°Rule number one, pup, you don¡¯t talk unless I tell you to.¡±


    William struggled but was able to regain his feet with more effort than he wanted to admit. He noticed that the werewolf had a look on his face that remained completely passive. It took his eyes off William and looked at the broad-shouldered assailant who was now standing in front of William. William allowed his eyes to drift from the werewolf back to his attacker.


    The guy was talking again. ¡°You have pretty good stamina, pup. Usually new blood has the good sense to stay down once I drop them.¡± William tensed his abdomen and readied himself for another attack. But the blow never came. Instead, he turned his back on William and walked a few steps away down the tunnel he had immerged from.


    William stared after the man as he disappeared down the dark shaft. He felt a rough shove from behind. He stumbled forward and looked over his shoulder. He saw the werewolf motion down the tunnel in front of him. Push me like that again, and you and I are going to have some serious problems. He knew that he couldn¡¯t take the werewolf as he was now. But every month brought a new full moon and then he would see about who was shoving who. As William entered the tunnel the werewolf grabbed the torch from the bracket and followed him down the dark passage.


    His new guide was walking down the tunnel. He was almost strolling. He didn¡¯t seem to care that William had joined him. They walked in silence. William was walking in between the two just as Aceso had done. The flames from the torch danced and moved their shadows along the wall. William could smell the werewolf. He didn¡¯t smell unlike Aceso, he put off the same kind of earthy musky smell that she did. There was something different about his smell though. His smell seemed, bloodier somehow. There was power and strength in his smell. There was no scent coming from the guy though, neither a sweaty unclean smell, or a garish scent of deodorant or body spray. William couldn¡¯t smell him at all, that may have been the point.


    The silence stretched out between them. The tunnel wound its way deeper into the mountain. William wanted answers and he was going to get them.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    He was slammed up against the smooth tunnel wall before he knew what happened. A Large human forearm was pressed up against William¡¯s throat and he found it rather difficult to breathe as he was forced to look into the dark brown eyes of his guide. He grabbed the man¡¯s arm and was now pressing against the iron grip trying to lessen the pressure against his windpipe. His eyesight began to blur and he was able to suck in less and less air. Tears began to drip from his eyes as the life was being crushed out of him. The strength was draining from his body as he was held in place against the wall.

 Chapter 11e

    William had always considered himself to be an honorable fighter. He never took low blows and was always ready to fight according to the rules of boxing and other forms of martial arts. His vision was darkening around his eyes and he knew that he might die here. In his desperation he slammed his right foot up in between his attacker¡¯s legs.


    The man grunted and pulled away from William. Air rushed back into his lungs and he reached out and gripped the guy¡¯s neck. They were locked in twin death grips. The other man¡¯s large hands engulfed William¡¯s entire throat. William¡¯s hands couldn¡¯t quite wrap around the guy¡¯s neck to apply squeezing pressure. That was ok. William let his thumb find and press into the man¡¯s Adams apple, the ultimate weak spot. The guy immediately let go of William¡¯s neck and punched through William¡¯s arms, breaking contact. William gasped and put his hands to his throat. He coughed as he massaged his neck. He backed away from his assailant and pressed his back against the cool stone of the tunnel wall. The other guy breathed heavily for a few moments and looked over at the werewolf, who hadn¡¯t moved. He raised himself up, recovering from William¡¯s attack easily. ¡°In the future you¡¯ll call me Mr. Davis. You got that, pup?¡±


    William stood up straight. He looked the man in the eyes. William saw pain and hatred there. He inhaled through his nose, controlling his own anger. ¡°OK, Mr. Davis. Who are you guys and where did they take Aceso?¡±


    Mr. Davis didn¡¯t answer, instead he turned away and started walking back down the tunnel. William had half a mind to stay where he was and refuse to go any further till he got some answers.


    Even as he thought that though he knew that it would be a fruitless gesture. These guys held all the cards, and they knew it. The only way for him to find out where they had taken Aceso was to play along. Tasha had spoken of ¡®The Mountain¡¯. He was at the mountain and whatever he was supposed to learn was here. It wouldn¡¯t do either him or Aceso any good if he just quit now. He wasn¡¯t sure he could ever come back if he left anyway. There were answers for him here. He just had to be patient. He caught up with the two of them and continued to walk down the dark tunnel, the torch dancing with their silent footsteps.


    Mr. Davis glanced over at the werewolf and back to William. He had a bemused look on his face, as if there was some huge joke that William was not in on. William kept his face even and didn¡¯t show his displeasure at not being aware of what was so funny.


    ¡°I usually have to carry most of the new pups in from this tunnel,¡± Mr. Davis said to no one in particular.


    William looked over at Mr. Davis and saw that he was smiling at William¡¯s confusion. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I mean, that most of the pups that come in through that door piss me off, like you just did. The only thing is they don¡¯t know the first thing about fighting and they usually pass out. It was a test, my test. I¡¯m not saying you passed, not by a long shot. But you did manage to get me off you. Regardless of how you did it. The fact is, you did it.¡±


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    They walked a short distance before Mr. Davis stopped and turned to William. There was a hard look in his eyes. ¡°Now you listen to me, pup and you listen good. For the next several hours, your ass is mine. You got that. I could kill you and nobody would question it or even care. I was placed in charge of all the new pups that come in here. You either get with my program or I¡¯ll kick you out of here faster than you can blink.¡±


    Mr. Davis turned from William and headed off down the tunnel again at a brisk pace, much faster than before.


    William walked in silence taking in what Mr. Davis had said.


    William saw a faint blur of light that must be the end of the tunnel. He had lost track of how long they had traveled or how far they had walked but it seemed that at least this part of the journey was ending. They walked the remaining distance down to the end of the tunnel. Ares placed the torch that he was carrying into a cast iron bracket that hung inside the cave wall and doused the bright orange flame. Leaving them, momentarily at least, to content themselves with the dimness of the tunnel.


    The tunnel mouth opened up into a cavernous space. The area stretched out in front of them as far as he could see. The cavern housed a massive collection of structures that looked to be glossy black children¡¯s building blocks. Everywhere he looked was some kind of building. The whole cavern, from one wall to the next, was filled with stacks upon stacks of black square buildings. The only thing he could describe it as was a city. But the city was a jumbled mess. The stacks of buildings never rose more than five high. From his vantage point above the sprawl of the buildings he would have expected it to have roads. There weren¡¯t any that he could see only slight gaps in between the buildings. He felt like he was looking down on a massive labyrinth, a labyrinth that didn¡¯t have a clear way to navigate through it.


    The city disappeared back into the haze of sightlessness as the massive underground cavern stretched unimaginable miles off into the distance. Off to the sides of the cavern the buildings pressed right up against the cavern walls. To his right however he saw something that should not have existed. Nestled against the wall of the cavern and hugged by black buildings were hundreds of acres of forest. The evergreens rose to scrape the very ceiling of the cavern. There was no wind here, so he couldn¡¯t smell the forest but the green and foliage that he did see told him that he was not imagining it. As impossible as it was, he was looking at a full underground forest. The sight made him feel easier and less tense almost immediately. There was a matching forest off to the left and he could swear that he could see another patch of green further in the distance.


    There was light here but it didn¡¯t come from the sun. It appeared that the cavern ceiling itself was illuminated by a soft white light, though he couldn¡¯t identify the source. As he stood there trying to take in everything he was seeing, he thought back to his forest, the old grey, Aceso, and all the events that had happened, and sacrifices over the years that had all led him to this moment. The journey had been anything but easy, but Aceso had done what she had told him she would. His journey was finally over. William stood in shock and in awe at the pure scale of this place.


    Mr. Davis spoke, breaking through his thoughts. ¡°Welcome to The City Under the Mountain, pup.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 1a

    He took slow steps, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness he found himself in. His feet probed out in front of him as he walked. He couldn¡¯t see anything and the light from behind him seemed to be swallowed by the perfect dark only inches from the entryway with no door he passed through only moment ago.


    He felt around in the darkness with his outstretched arms. He had felt elation when he first saw the gleaming obsidian stone of the city outside. What he felt now was cold and uncertainty in the oppressive dark of his new surroundings. He walked forward until his foot gently nudged up against a solid object. He assumed it must be a wall or something, but the perfect dark that had swallowed him didn¡¯t allow him to discern for sure. Placing his hands against the cold surface, he turned and pressed his back against the wall and allowed his body to slide down to the ground. From his new position he could see the entryway clearly, like a perfect cutout of light and life outlined in bold black that threatened to swallow that small glimmer of life outside. He found his thoughts moving backwards trying to make sense of the last two or three hours after he had first seen the city.


    *          *          *          *          *


    Standing atop the overlook with the city sprawling out and away from him, William couldn¡¯t stop the smile that crept over his face. With everything he had gone through to get here, The City Under the Mountain did not disappoint.


    The tunnel from which they had exited, emptied out onto a long ramp that hugged the cavern wall to his left. There were similar black buildings at the foot of the ramp at the very edge of the cavern, but they were only squat one-story affairs.


    Following the ramp down to the cavern floor, William could no longer see over the buildings around him and had to content himself with looking around his immediate surrounds.


    They were walking down a narrow street that cut back through the collection of one-story buildings. The winding path had so many turns and off shoots of roads around him that he was soon lost and had no sense of direction at all. Mr. Davis and the accompanying silent werewolf seemed to know where to go and led him through the streets with unwavering certainty.


    Soon they were deep enough inside the city that the buildings around them rose above them four or five stories. The geometric block structures were stacked on top of each other in a very haphazard seeming fashion. The ledges and corners of the buildings were lined with ramps leading from one story to another and in some cases, ladders were leaned into various windows connecting them with lower levels.


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    The city had a simple, but far from crude, construction. The structures were all made with exacting right angles. After spending so much time in the forest and all the natural forms therein, the geometric design of this place was a little jarring. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder who had built this place. Surely the werewolves themselves wouldn¡¯t build something that so completely went against everything natural. The architecture of this place was not human, but it looked like it could have been lived in by humans. The doorways were anywhere from eight feet high to no more than three feet. All of the windows stood black and empty though. The rows of buildings stretched out in front of them, and the end of the street blended perfectly with the buildings lining it, he couldn¡¯t see if the street turned right or left.


    He came to notice that there were faint sounds coming from somewhere. It was sullen and not enough to throw off the eerie quiet that seemed to have settled over this place. He felt cold here. There were no voices that he could hear, no lights, except that which illuminated the cavern. He couldn¡¯t help but notice the faint smell of decay. It permeated even the large cavern. The smell of stale sweat something like mold, but not as putrid, hung in the air. It smelled like death. The streets they were walking now hadn¡¯t entertained a living soul in a long time. The city was massive, but hollow. In fact, aside from himself, Mr. Davis, and Ares there didn¡¯t seem to be anyone or anything alive in this place.


    He turned back to Mr. Davis. ¡°Where is everybody?¡±


    Mr. Davis looked over at Ares who shook his head. Mr. Davis sighed and looked ahead of them. William was pretty sure he wasn¡¯t going to get any kind of answer at all. They walked a few steps. ¡°This is a capital of the shape shifters. We used to number in the thousands and this was a bustling epicenter for our people.¡± He motioned to the empty silent buildings that they passed by. ¡°All of these buildings and houses used to be filled with shape shifters. Some of them were storage and servicing houses. Some of them were homes for families, both human born, and wolf born.¡±


    William looked at the structures. The different sized doors were proof of what Mr. Davis was saying. The eight-foot-tall doors must have led to werewolf and human dwellings while the doors that were only three feet tall must have belonged to wolves. As Mr. Davis continued, William studied the different structures. The ground floor buildings were standing open with empty floor space. Others were filled with all manner of tools and equipment, sometimes weapons, nothing that he could readily identify, but they were packed in the rooms so tightly that one would have trouble moving around in the small enclosed spaces.


    ¡°The open buildings here were used for training. I call them dojos, but the elders simply call them ¡®grounds¡¯,¡± Mr. Davis said.


    William studied the ¡®grounds¡¯ more closely. He could see why Mr. Davis and others would call them dojos. They were simple open bay rooms that had no furniture at all. They would be perfect for training and fighting with each other.


    ¡°What are these other buildings? The ones with all the stuff inside them?¡±


    Mr. Davis glanced over to the equipment jammed rooms that stood open on the ground floor of the stacked buildings. ¡°Those are various shops and repair stores. Our craftsman used to make and distribute all manner of things.¡±


    ¡°Like what kind of things?¡±

 Book2 Chapter 1b

    ¡°Like plows for farming. They would make various weapons for fighting. Some of our craftsman made guns and other high-tech stuff like radios.¡± Mr. Davis stopped and looked William in the face. ¡°What, are you surprised that we shape shifters would have things like technology?¡± His voice took on a harsh, sarcastic, biting tone. ¡°Did you really think that we would live like you used to, in a dug-out burrow out in the middle of the forest? Or did you think that we all live like Tasha and her ilk, out in the forest with no ties to family or technology? You think that we live like animals and cared for nothing but the hunt and ourselves? We used to live in comfort here. This was our city. We lived and worked and grew old here. We did not bury our face in the dirt and try to ignore the outside world. We have to hide from the world out of necessity, not because we want to.¡± Mr. Davis sneered, ¡°you have a lot to learn, pup.¡±


    Mr. Davis stalked off down the street and turned to his right following an unseen off shoot of the street they were on. Ares stood at William¡¯s side and didn¡¯t move till he did. William noticed that Ares tail still had that same relaxed posture, neither drooping but not upright either. Ares seemed very much at home here and William wondered if there was anything that could unsettle the massive eight-foot-tall werewolf standing next to him.


    William followed after Mr. Davis. He studied the various ramps carved into the buildings. The ramps usually led up to those structures with the three-foot-high doors. He realized that the ramps must have been for the wolves to run up. The architecture of this place was a perfect blend of animal needs and the needs of humans. The integration of ramps for wolves was seamless; it didn¡¯t seem to be an afterthought of construction like a lot of handicap ramps seemed to be back in ¡®civilization¡¯.


    He let his eyesight roam through the various open bay buildings that squeezed in tightly to either side of them. They stood open like gaping wounds. There were thick layers of dust covering the floor and everything that happened to be inside them. This place looked like it hadn¡¯t seen a sizable population in years, perhaps even decades. What happened here? Where did everybody go? He was about to ask Mr. Davis but then thought better of it and continued to walk in silence next to Ares.


    After walking for a time, he began to hear voices and other signs of life. It was muted and seemed to be a long way off but the sound was a welcome relief to the silence that had surrounded them. This city seemed dead, but the sounds of voices and some form of equipment being used made this part of the city seem less eerie at least.


    Mr. Davis led William and Ares away from the sounds. William was about to protest until he realized that there was probably no direct way for them to get to the sounds that he was now hearing. The streets cut off at odd angles and directions. Mr. Davis led the three of them through more alleyways and walkthroughs. William noted that the closer they got to the sounds of life, the building looked more and more used. They must be approaching the heart of the city, that place which remained in use after whatever had happened here. The closer they got; the more signs of life William could see. He began to pick out lights in windows even though there were still only a handful, and never higher than the third story of the structures.


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    The open rooms on the ground floor got a progressively more used look the deeper into the city Mr. Davis led them. If he walked back the way he had come, William was pretty sure he could get an accurate idea of how many werewolves used to live here and how long ago they had lived here. This place was an archeologist¡¯s wet dream. A whole civilization with a built-in persevered timeline. He didn¡¯t need to carbon date anything to get a rough idea of the amount of history that this place must have seen.


    They walked along and signs of life became more and more evident. The smell of death had disappeared almost entirely. It seemed to be replaced with a musky, earthy smell, even though the city appeared to be made from stone and rock. The smell reminded him of the forest, of running rivers and moonlit hunts.


    The sounds of voices grew louder, and the lights were a little brighter. He soon began to see people. There were lamps hung outside some of the buildings. As they passed by, he saw a human or two or werewolves working at various tasks. He could see a red werewolf holding up what looked to be a gun of some sort. The barrel was longer than any handgun he had ever seen, and the grip was much larger. Must be made specifically for werewolves. He couldn¡¯t think of it being anything else.


    Mr. Davis stepped into a large building that was situated in the middle of the street that they were walking on. The structure was six or more stories high. He could see that the building was at the intersection of this street and three other streets that he could see. If the streets were evenly spaced at intersecting points around the building, there would be at least two more streets on the other side of the building that he couldn¡¯t see. That would make six intersecting streets that met at this six-story high building. The number six and its significance was not lost on him, though he would be damned if he knew why the number six was so important. Tasha¡¯s pack had six members, at least six that had showed themselves to him and Aceso. There were six of those shadow things that had attacked him in that creepy dream world. What did the number six mean?


    Ares was pushing him toward the six-story building. The building was more of a tower than any building that he had passed by. The razor straight edges that ran down the sides of the thing were intimidating. The structure lanced out of the ground to command the cityscape in front of him. He wondered how he had missed that when he had first looked at the city from the mouth of the entrance tunnel. The walls of the tower shot straight up at perfect verticals. Then at the apex of the structure the sides collapsed in on themselves to form a single sharp point. The glossy black finish sides of the tower was the exact same as the surrounding buildings, he couldn¡¯t get the thought of obsidian out of his head. But unlike the rest of the buildings of the city, this tower yawned over him with a terrible sense of foreboding and William found that he wanted nothing at all to do with the place.

 Book 2 Chapter 1c

    As he walked toward the tower, he was aware that he and Ares were being watched. The sound of work around him had stopped and the dull hum of voices and conversation quieted. The eerie silence that had settled over the outskirts of this shape shifter city rushed in and blanketed the inner city just as completely as if there were no souls around at all.


    William¡¯s mouth had gone dry and for the first time in a long time, he was nervous. He glanced around him. He saw that werewolves had gathered out in the street and were watching him walk toward the tower in silence. There weren¡¯t very many, but they looked proud and strong, every one of them. He saw a red werewolf standing next to a building corner. He saw another one, only this one was a deep, rich, brown nodding to him, or maybe it was nodding to Ares, he couldn¡¯t be sure.


    He reached the building and looked up. He noticed for the first time that the only lights that shone into the street from the various windows of the tower were on the sixth floor. He studied the dark doorway that gaped open in front of him. There was no door. He was aware that he hadn¡¯t seen a door since he came into this place.


    Ares stood behind him, a few steps distance. He was waiting for William to enter the building. Aren¡¯t you coming too? He couldn¡¯t really worry about that now. He glanced behind him and the massive werewolf nodded his head once with a look in his eyes that might have been mistaken for sympathy. William took a deep breath and, letting it out through his nose, he walked into the foreboding void that was the tower in front of him.


    And now he was here, in an almost perfect darkness with no idea of what to do, or what was expected of him inside this tower. He didn¡¯t know what he was looking for and his search took up long minutes. What was he doing here? How was he supposed to get to that light on the sixth floor? Was this all just a test? He couldn¡¯t be sure of anything.


    There is nothing here. How am I supposed to get up to the sixth floor if I can¡¯t even get out of the first floor? He turned back toward the open doorway and pressed his back against the cool stone of the wall. The light that streamed into the perfect darkness from the doorway looked so inviting. It was the only thing that disturbed his surroundings.


    He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply through his nose. He smelled dust and age. There was no hint of decay, not like what he had smelled on the outskirts of the city. Here there was no mold, no stale sweat. There was the slight twinge of blood though. He wondered what that could mean. He inhaled again. A slight whiff of wind cut through the blood and age of this room. It had been so slight that he couldn¡¯t feel it, but he could smell the difference in the air.


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    He stood up and walking forward, following the clean scent of moving air off to his right. He walked, probing with his feet. His eyes were useless in the perfect black but he allowed his nose to paint the room for him. He could imagine the room in his mind. If it was a block like the outside suggested, and if his feet hadn¡¯t missed anything the room began to form in his imagination. The cubic room was bare of any furniture but there was a portal in the ceiling that allowed that wind to pass through the barren space and escape back out into the city.


    How would one get up to the portal?


    The question rang out in his mind like a foghorn. He would worry about that when and if he came up to the wall. His feet kicked up against the wall. He reached out and felt the hard smooth stone of the wall that he had kicked. There was no ladder, no steps, no nothing except the clear air passing down around him from the open portal above him. He pressed up against the wall and lowered his head between his outstretched arms. He closed his eyes against the perfect void that surrounded him. His eyes were useless here anyway.


    He remembered being locked in a closet. He had wondered into the space as a young child no more than three years old. He had closed the door behind him to hide from his mom. After a few minutes the dark began to scare him, and he decided that his mom wasn¡¯t as scary as that darkness. When he reached up to turn the doorknob it wouldn¡¯t turn. His clumsy little fingers grasped and scratched at the knob and the door, but it wouldn¡¯t open. He hit the door several times but no one came for him. He had begun to cry. The dark seemed to be alive and was laughing at him. He was terrified and he shut his eyes tight against it. He cried louder and still no one came for him.


    The louder he cried the more the darkness laughed at him. Eventually, he stopped crying. The darkness would laugh at him whether he cried or not. He was only three, but he would not let anybody laugh at him. He turned away from the door and remained silent listening to the darkness. The dark room had stopped laughing and he walked slowly forward into the dark with his hands out in front of him groping his way forward.


    His hands felt against clothes, and he buried himself in the hanging fabric. He sat down with his back against the wall and the clean clothes brushed up against his skin. He felt the warmth of his mom in those clothes, and he felt the rough strength of his father in the jacket that was rubbing against his face and shoulder.


    For them he would be strong. He wouldn¡¯t let his mom find him in the closet crying like a baby. He wasn¡¯t a baby. He was three and half and he was going to act like it. He stayed there for a long time. He must have fallen asleep because the next thing he knew he awoke in his bed.

 Book 2 Chapter 1d

    He knew that there would be no mom or dad carrying him from this place though. He had learned on that day that there was always a way out of the darkness, he just had to find it. This is a city of werewolves. He thought back to the city and the architecture of this place. There had been ramps that had been built into the buildings along the way here. Those ramps could be for wolves to get to the upper structures of the city. Could it be possible that there was a similar ramp leading up to the portal he was standing under?


    He turned back toward the open doorway and walked toward the light. He walked along the wall away from the doorway, rubbing his hands against the smooth stone wall.


    He walked several steps away from the doorway and his hands felt the sharp edge of something. He probed the surface of the wall and he discovered that there was at least a ten-to-twelve-inch lip that had been carved into the stone. It was his ramp. Using both of his hands he felt out to his side, and he discovered where the ramp met the floor. Pressing his back up against the wall, he moved up the ramp.


    Reaching the top of the ramp he stepped up into the next room. The second room, one story higher up on the six-story tall tower, was just as dark as the first one and he wondered if there was a second portal in the ceiling that he was supposed to find. A slam met his ears, shattering the silence that had surrounded him since he came into the building. He instinctively turned around and as soon as he did the room erupted in a deafening roar. He pressed his hands to his ears but the sound was so loud it cut through the flesh of his hands like they weren¡¯t there at all.


    He couldn¡¯t concentrate.


    All he could hear was the cacophonous noise that threatened to drive his sanity into oblivion. He couldn¡¯t think. There was nothing but the noise. He fell to his knees as the noise passed through his brain driving him mad. He stared toward the floor. He began to hear through the noise and there were voices. Voices he had heard before. The voice of the old grey was there.


    ¡°William.¡±


    The voices whispered through the maelstrom of sounds that buffeted his conciseness.


    ¡°William, William¡±


    The voices just kept whispering his name over and over again. He didn¡¯t know what they wanted. He didn¡¯t know what he was supposed to do. He yelled back out at the voices and the noise that was driving him deaf. He pressed his hands against his ears harder, but the noise passed through them with no more difficulty than a moment ago. His yells did nothing to drown out the noise and the voices were still whispering to him, laughing at him.


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    He couldn¡¯t see, he couldn¡¯t hear, he couldn¡¯t think. He pressed his hands against the side of his face just wanting the terrible noise to end. Somehow, he knew that it would never end. He felt a warm sticky feeling on his hands. He knew that his ears were bleeding. He was going to die here. He could not stop the noise or protect himself from it. It would eat at his sanity and his brain and he would die.


    He was twelve years old. He was standing at his bus stop waiting to be taken to school. He was a little shy and a little undersized for his age. Most of the other boys his age were taller and bigger than he was. He didn¡¯t say much and tried to stay out of everyone¡¯s way. He went to school and came home. He helped his parents cook dinner and work around the house. He had a group of friends that he hung out with but only on the weekends and then only when he had finished his chores and helping his dad around the house. Sometimes, depending on the project, he didn¡¯t leave home at all. That was ok. He liked helping his dad. And he didn¡¯t mind that he wasn¡¯t the most popular kid in school.


    On this day he was standing on the sidewalk, shivering in the cold of winter. The ground was still covered with a fine layer of frost that painted the nearby suburban yards white. He used to think it was snow, but he knew better now. The bitter cold bit at his face and neck. The harsh wind cut through his clothes as if he was naked. He huddled down deeper into his jacket trying to stay warm.


    A car drove by. It was going really slow and he watched as one of the windows was rolled down. The head and shoulders of Robert Jenkins popped out. Robert Jenkins was a blonde haired, blue-eyed, broad-shouldered asshole that took any opportunity to impugn everyone else.


    He had a girlfriend, Sally Ronstadt, and that apparently gave him the right to walk around their school like he owned the place and take whatever he wanted. He would push other kids over for no reason. He was well built and that made him invincible. The teachers thought he was an angel and his girlfriend worshipped the ground he walked on.


    Robert learned out of his older brothers¡¯ car and yelled ¡°If you¡¯re so cold maybe you should buy some new clothes. Oh, wait you can¡¯t cuz you¡¯re mom¡¯s a crack whore on welfare!¡± The car immediately sped up and Robert ducked back in through the window.


    He stood there on the sidewalk. The temperature hadn¡¯t changed. It was still just as cold as it had been a moment ago but for some reason, he wasn¡¯t cold anymore. He stood up straight and did not allow his body to try and hide from the cold. He didn¡¯t flex his muscles; he didn¡¯t concentrate on the hatred he felt for that asshole, Robert Jenkins. He just didn¡¯t allow the cold to touch him. He fought against it and his body stopped shivering.


    He came to know years later that the difference between people from the north and people from more southern warmer climates is how they deal with their environments. People from North Dakota don¡¯t complain about the cold because they have been living in it their whole lives. They didn¡¯t have any choice but to deal with it. Just like people living in New Mexico didn¡¯t complain about the heat because they had to deal with it. Someone from Florida could deal with the snow and cold of New Hampshire, most just choose not to. They hide behind some bogus excuse of ¡®my blood is too thin to handle the cold¡¯ and they complain endlessly about how cold they are. The forces of the environment can be ignored and faced but only if you choose to.

 Book 2 Chapter 1e

    He got off his knees and concentrated on the whispering voices. The voices were calling his name. He couldn¡¯t see anything. Not even the opening in the floor that he had come through. He followed their whispering calls, letting the deafening roar of the noise wash over him and dull into background white noise. The more steps he walked the clearer the voices, and the duller the thunderous maelstrom around him became.


    He followed the voices through the pure darkness of the room. He kept his hands pressed against his head and ears. What little protection they provided was still necessary. You can ignore your environment but if you take it too far the environment will kill you. He was aware of the danger the noise presented and the fact that his ears were bleeding helped to reinforce his urgency to escape this place.


    The voices called to him; their voices rang out against the intense white noise that howled around him. Their calls guided his steps. His foot kicked up against hard stone. He had found a wall of the room and the voices floated over his head. ¡°William.¡± Their call was louder now and more urgent.


    With his hands still pressed against his head he brushed his face against the wall, feeling for something, anything. He supposed that there had to be a way up into the next room. He just had to find it. His face rubbed up against a sharp impression in the stone, almost like a step. He felt around for another and found it. He would have to climb up the stone.


    Taking a deep breath, he let go of the sides of his head. He threw himself at the wall and scaled it as fast as he could.


    He pulled himself into the next room.


    The noise stopped.


    He collapsed onto the hard stone floor and breathed deep gasps of relief. He laid there on his back breathing heavily. He reached up and wiped at the trail of blood that had oozed from his ears. He would probably be deaf for the rest of his life. What good is a werewolf without his hearing? If this was some kind of joke and they were just testing him he could see why this city of theirs was so empty. Their people probably ended up dying just by coming into this building. Not like he had had any choice in the matter, those that died here probably didn¡¯t have one either.


    He felt a sharp pain in his neck. He reached up and felt at the sting and pulled out a small piece of what felt like wood. He couldn¡¯t see what it was and he threw it away as he massaged his neck.


    He couldn¡¯t feel any pain in his neck at all. He couldn¡¯t feel his neck. He knew his hand was touching his neck, but he couldn¡¯t feel it. He couldn¡¯t feel any pain. He couldn¡¯t feel anything.


    He tried to lift himself up. His body moved and reacted to his commands but in the total darkness of this third room he wasn¡¯t sure where he was spatially. He tried to stand up and he over balanced and fell to the floor. He was pretty sure his face had smacked the ground but he couldn¡¯t feel anything.


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    He groped around in the dark and managed after some difficulty to get up on his hands and knees without falling over. He felt great. He found himself laughing and as he did, his weight shifted and he fell over once more. He rolled onto his back laughing. It registered in the back of his mind that he couldn¡¯t really hear himself laugh though. That just made him laugh harder. He felt drunk and lost but it didn¡¯t matter because he just felt so good right now.


    He was sixteen years old puking into the toilet of a friend¡¯s house. The party was in celebration of homecoming. He had brought his girlfriend over to his friend Shawn¡¯s house. It was actually Shawn¡¯s parent¡¯s house but they were away on vacation in the Bahamas somewhere. They were celebrating being alive, being with each other, and the fact that their school¡¯s football team had just kicked the crap out of their district opponents previously that night. The only down side to that whole scenario was that the school¡¯s starting quarterback just so happened to be that asshole Robert Jenkins, go figure. His popularity would soar after this win over Del Campo high school and William just couldn¡¯t find it in himself to congratulate the guy. His popularity in school had only increased his asshole tendencies and he had become more brazen as the years wore on.


    Robert was probably going to show up at the party at some point, but he wasn¡¯t going to let that ruin his evening. Shawn called him over for shots. He strolled over to the table and raised the shot glass to their school and downed the fiery liquid. It burned going down his throat but he knew that after a while the alcohol would take effect. He had come to learn that the more a drink burned, the drunker you were going to get. He took several more shots and drank a few beers. In another hour he wasn¡¯t walking anymore; he was floating.


    He felt no pain. Even the fact that his girlfriend had stormed out of the house yelling at him about the dumbass he was making out of himself didn¡¯t matter. He couldn¡¯t feel anything, and he was happy. He was with his friends, and everything was right with the world.


    That¡¯s when it happened. He felt a violent muscle spasm in his stomach, and he knew that he had to get to a bathroom. He rushed through the crowd trying to stall the inevitable. He reached an empty bathroom and as he threw the lid off the toilet his stomach commenced to empty its contents into the bowl. The stream of alcohol and other half-digested food came up through his mouth and splashed down into the toilet.


    After several minutes of painful vomiting, he stood up and cleaned himself off. He looked at himself in the mirror. It took him several moments of staring at the reflection to even start to recognize himself. His hair was a disheveled mess of free-standing hairs and tangles, his eyes were red and blood shot, and his lips were parted as he breathed through his mouth trying to calm down his insides.


    This wasn¡¯t him. If the price for feeling this good was looking like this and being exactly what his girlfriend had called him, a dumbass, and the inevitable hangover and twisting of his insides that was sure to follow him through tomorrow, then he would deal with not feeling that good in the first place. He cleaned himself off and walked out of the house. Nothing was worth that horrible feeling of guilt, humiliation, and shame. He never drank like that again.

 Book 2 Chapter 1f

    The laughter died from his lips as he realized what the euphoria was that he was feeling. He rolled onto his back and stared up at the darkness. He couldn¡¯t feel anything and there was a constant hum in his ears. He knew he was deaf but that couldn¡¯t be helped right now. He had come this far, and he refused to succumb to either pain or pleasure. As he stared out into the pure blackness of the void, he took several deep breaths.


    He closed his eyes and breathed through his nose. It was the only sense that was of any use. He calmed his body and stilled his mind.


    Through force of will, he rolled onto his stomach and crawling forward. He over balanced and rolled forward. Breathing hard and focusing on his task, he forced himself to search the entire room floor. Switching between crawling and rolling, he searched as best he could in the totally sightless, soundless and now almost feelingless void.


    He rolled across the floor, and he smashed into something that gave with his weight but only just. He reached out his hands and he found that his hands were able to wrap around whatever it was that he had rolled into. The thing jutted up from the ground at an angle. He grabbed hold of it and pulled himself to his knees. He groped around in the dark with his other hand, and he felt a twin to whatever it was that he had rolled into.


    The things ran at an angle from the ground upwards. He couldn¡¯t be sure, but if he had to guess he would have said that the things were at forty-five-degree angles. He lifted himself to his feet leaning upon the things that supported him. He inhaled trying to get a sense of what exactly he was holding on to.


    He smelled dirt and a sort of dryness. He thought he could smell sweat and something else that reminded him of the forest. It was rope. He was holding onto two pieces of rope. Supporting his weight on the ropes he moved his feet forward and his feet found what he had been looking for, a third rope that ran underneath the other two.


    He was on a monkey bridge.


    He slowly moved up onto the ropes. His hands were numb, and he couldn¡¯t be sure of how long he could stay standing. His feet were almost useless, and he had to constantly reposition his feet back on to the thick rope because of his almost complete lack of feeling. He moved at a slow pace. He was getting tired. He remained standing by force of will alone. He felt like a cripple trying to move from his bed to a wheelchair. Every movement took every ounce of his concentration. He knew that if he overbalanced on the bridge he would fall to the floor. He didn¡¯t know how high up he was, and the fall might break a limb, or his neck.


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    One foot scooted along the rope finding another foothold as his hands and arms supported his weight. Then he would drag the other leg behind him and start all over again. The rope was tight and didn¡¯t sway at all even under his weight. He was thankful for that. He continued to move up the rope bridge.


    His hands touched smooth stone meeting the rope. He moved his other hand up along the other rope and met stone with that hand as well. He allowed himself to smile. Flexing his arms, he held his body in suspension over the bridge and he lowered his foot off the rope bridge. He lowered his body with his arms and soon his foot found smooth stone beneath him. He dropped down off the monkey bridge and allowed himself to collapse on the ground. He lay on the cool ground resting his weary body.


    Three rooms down, two more to go, if the tower held one room per story, as he guessed from seeing the tower from the outside. Who knows? There may be more rooms and more levels than just six. But he wouldn¡¯t let himself be discouraged with defeatist logic, not now.


    The thing he couldn¡¯t help but notice as he lay there on the cold stone of the floor was the rich fragrances that now washed over him. The cool of the stone was beneath him but all around him was the smell of food. He couldn¡¯t help but think of how hungry he was and the smells that surrounded him were pure torture.


    He still couldn¡¯t really feel anything, but the smells were coming from somewhere, and everywhere, all at once. He was so hungry. He rolled and dragged himself forward and all he found was a smooth rock wall. The smells were driving him crazy as his mind was bombarded with images that manifested faux tastes in his mouth.


    He could taste meatloaf as if it was right in front of him. In the dark he couldn¡¯t tell if it wasn¡¯t there or not. He smelled sweet peach cobbler like he used to make in cast iron skillets when he was camping. He smelled hot tomato soup and sweet corn bread with butter oozing off the sides. He smelled roasted chicken and vermicelli pasta with meat sauce. The images and tastes in his mouth threatened to drive him insane.


    The smells surrounding him only reinforced the fact that he hadn¡¯t eaten in quite some time. He managed to get up and stand against the wall. He couldn¡¯t be sure where the smells were coming from. Something happened in his midsection, he couldn¡¯t feel or hear it, but he felt a discomfort and a tightening of his midsection, he knew his stomach was growling and wanted to be filled just as much as he did.


    Leaning against the wall, he closed his eyes against the darkness he was in. He could almost taste the warm blood of a rare steak. He shook his head and tried to ignore the aroma of false food. This was just another test. He had to find a way out of here.


    His body still did not respond the way he would have liked it to, but he was able to remain standing and he could move a little, much better than he could in the previous room. There had to be something here that would allow him to escape. The smells were intoxicating and every time he tried to concentrate, images of tacos, or chef salad, or pizza would invade his mind erasing all thought except of how hungry he was.

 Book 2 Chapter 1g

    He had always had a good sense of smell. He could pick out various scents from among others since he was child. When he was around seven years old, his mom would take him to the local farmers market to buy produce and other things. He would go into various fruit and food stands and standing in the middle of the wooden bins he would see how many foods he could pick out just by smell. He could smell oranges, and tomatoes. He would be able to smell pears and the wet almost undetectable scent of lettuce. He would sometimes lose his mom in the labyrinth of food, and bins, and stands. He would never panic though he would stand still and inhale the scents around him.


    His mom always smelled of Jasmine. He didn¡¯t even know what Jasmine was, but he knew her scent, and he was always able to find her after a short time. He was master of his environment and even surrounded by the sharp aromas of food and other people he could always find his mom by scent, just so long as she didn¡¯t get too far away.


    Food was always stored in separate bins. He inhaled and tried to discern different foods. The smells rushed in on him and his stomach grumbled again. He could smell tacos and lasagna. He could smell herb baked chicken and ribs. He smelled barbequed shish kabobs and zucchini casserole. But under all those different smells he could just make out the weak, but rich, aroma of sourdough and wheat.


    He took a chance on the smell of bread. The warm, soft undercurrent of wheat and the smell of his dad¡¯s holiday herb bread. It was hard to isolate the warm soft smell, it kept being overwhelmed by the stronger smells of veil parmesan, or warm holiday pies. He walked to where the smell of bread seemed to be coming from.


    He was walking easier now even though his body was still not entirely recovered from the numb sensation that had crippled him in the last room. He could remain up right, but he still needed to concentrate on walking. The surrounding smells only seemed to grow stronger the more he tried to ignore them. He was following the scent of bread which was getting stronger. He could feel warm melted butter on fresh corn bread melt in his mouth. His stomach was grumbling and he had to do his best to wipe away the sensation of tasting anything. Tasting everything and eating nothing was the cruelest torture he had ever heard of. The only way to escape was to find a way out of this room.


    He walked till he hit an obstruction. He overbalanced and his hands slapped up against the wall of the room preventing him from falling. He felt around the wall and discovered that the smell of baked bread and cinnamon rolls had led him to a corner in the room. He raised his foot up over a step and stood atop what he imaged to be a square of raised floor.


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    The promise of food was killing him and he just wanted to be out of here. He faced the corner of the room and searched blindly with his hands. Sensation had returned to his hands, but they were still partially numb. He felt for a long time along the wall, searching his surroundings. Here the smell of bread and butter was maddening. He hadn¡¯t eaten bread in a long time, hot cross buns and dinner rolls, fresh buttermilk biscuits and raisin bread was all he could think about.


    He tried not to concentrate on how the melted butter tasted on a piece of freshly toasted cranberry bread and he searched faster. He reached over his head and felt a grove that had been cut into the rock wall of the room. He reached up with his other hand and slid his hands along the lip. The groove continued out of his reach. He grabbed the ledge with both hands and slowly crawled sideways, out away from the step.


    He moved along the wall. The groove he was free climbing along was raising itself at an angle, which meant he was getting higher, and closer to the end of the torturous smell of food that made his stomach growl and only reminded him of how hungry he was. Of course, continuing to rise up along the wall, meant he was getting farther away from the floor. The last thing he wanted to do was fall and have to start over. The smell of food was only getting stronger the higher he climbed. He didn¡¯t want to know how high off the ground he was. He slid his left hand along the groove then slid his right hand to meet his left and so on. It was slow tedious work. His fingers and arms were burning with this unfamiliar muscle strain. The groove wasn¡¯t deep, only about three inches and his fingertips were not used to having to support his body weight.


    He had the strong sense of tasting Haggis. He had never eaten Haggis before. How did he know what Haggis tasted like? He didn¡¯t have time to figure that out right now.


    He had reached the far corner of the room. His thoughts were invaded by the taste of strawberry ice cream drizzled with chocolate and garnished with even more fresh strawberries on top. He shook the thought away, but the taste remained.


    His feet, found a similar set of grooves that his fingers were using. He slipped his toes and feet into the new groove below and was able to ease the tenson on his arms and fingers by sharing the load of his body weight with his feet. He moved along the wall, inching along with both hands and feet, inching ever upward as he moved.


    He continued around the room in this fashion. His calves were soon burning, and his fingers were sore and stiff. He had made it across three walls. He could barely concentrate. With the smell of grilled steak in his nostrils and the crunching of his stomach more desperate for food, he had tried to lean against the corner of the room from the two sets of grooves he now clung to. He reached out for the adjoining wall and his hands met nothing but air. He overbalanced and had almost fallen. He managed to recover though¡­ just barely. It had taken him several minutes standing in the grooves, terrified beyond all rational thought to pull himself together. He didn¡¯t know how high off the ground he was, and he was sure at that moment he didn¡¯t want to. With a lot of talking himself up he was able to move on to the other wall.

 Book 2 Chapter 1h

    Now he was moving along the fourth wall. He hoped that it was the last. Now, besides the involuntary flexing of his stomach, and the smells and tastes that were gouging out his sanity, he was certain that he could feel a wind that was pulling at his already weary body.


    He continued to move across the grooves in the walls till he found the grooves suddenly stop at the corner of the room. Not having anywhere else to go, he reached his hand out and searched his surroundings. He reached over head, and found two solid joining walls. He had reached the last corner of the room. He reached up and didn¡¯t feel anything. He moved his hands as low as he dared to reach, and his fingers felt only solid rock. There were no grooves, no place left to go. His hands frantically searched the walls. There had to be something here, anything. The frantic search of his hands found only smooth rock wall and empty air all around him.


    He reached as high up as his hands would reach. He extended his body to its full height and stretched with every inch of his body. He raised himself on his toes and his hands reached up. Just when he was about to give up, his fingertips brushed up against the intersection of wall and ceiling.


    He breathed a heavy sigh of relief. At least he had reached the top of the room. The portal leading out of this room had to be somewhere within reach. He slowly, very slowly felt over his head. He could only feel smooth rock ceiling.


    He slid his left foot along the groove and his toes slipped over the edge. He gasped and the inhalation of air only brought a painful gulp of scents that sent his stomach roiling. He was smelling deer, fresh after the kill. He could taste her blood, warm and rich run down his throat. He tried to shake away the sensation, but it persisted. His stomach was growling, and he felt the muscle spasms increase in his abdomen. Come on, William. Keep it together for just a few more seconds.


    He pulled his toes back to the groove and carefully stretched himself to his full height. His fingers brushed up against the ceiling and he gently moved them along its surface. Suddenly there was no ceiling. He pulled himself back onto the grooves violently as his body threatened to overbalance. He was breathing heavily and every breath only dulled his concentration more as the smell of turkey and sweet potato loaf overwhelmed his senses.


    He took a few deep breaths and when he was able to get his heart back into his chest he moved out to the very edge of where the grooves stopped. He stretched up and found the lip of the portal overhead. He moved his fingertips and brushed the edge of the opening. It was overhead from where he stood.


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    He would have to jump.


    His mind was reeling from the constant barrage of food that kept being replaced by better and richer foods by the second, which wasn¡¯t helping anything. He could smell cranberry sauce and Waldorf salad.


    Standing there in the dark, worn, torn, and tired past anything he had ever experienced, he closed his eyes and lifted his left arm out in front of him. He moved his legs shoulder width apart. He bent his knees, and he lifted his right arm so his hand rested in the air. He closed his eyes and in this pose he meditated. He tried to calm his breathing. He tried to ignore the smell of Sheppard''s pie and Teriyaki chicken. He breathed deep even breaths and eventually was able to draw his consciousness into himself.


    He controlled his breathing, and he was standing in a void. But this void had no smells, no substance. He was a small microscopic thing as his arm stretched out for a mile or more away from him. He remained calm and pulled himself deeper. He could feel his blood pump through his body as his lungs took in deep slow breaths. His consciousness was traveling through his body sinking deeper and becoming smaller till there was nothing left of him.


    He felt himself leave his body and he was able to look down and see himself, posed in meditation on the platform. He raised himself up and could see the room around him; he could see the portal above him. He could see everything.


    He opened his eyes.


    He drew his legs together, and with a strength that he didn¡¯t dare to guess he still possessed, he propelled his body upward through the blackness. His hands stretched overhead and as he reached the impossible apex of that leap; he slapped his hands down and gripped the edge of the portal. The sudden stop of motion and the suspension of his body in midair surprised him a little. He knew he could do it, but having actually done it, he found himself to be happy and not just a little relieved.


    Exhausted and straining every muscle in his arms and shoulders, he pulled himself up through the portal and onto the floor of the next room. It was much like the many portals he had climbed through on his journey so far. He rolled away from the open portal and lay there gasping for air, air that was mercifully clean of the smell of food.


    How long had he been in this place? Did time exist for him at all? Had he crossed over into some other dimension like that place with the shadows, the place where he almost died? He realized that his eyes were closed and he kept them shut. The perfect void of which he was climbing through was probably as impenetrable here as it was when he took his first steps into this place. For now¡­ only now, he would rest for a moment¡­ just a moment, is all he would need.

 Book 2 Chapter 2a

    He came to realize that there was light building around him, filling the room. He lifted himself up and looked around and he was aware that he was surrounded by people and wolves. The light continued to increase around him. Even so, the light was becoming painful to his eyes. As soon as his mind registered the pain though, the light ceased to increase around him. He lifted himself to his feet and studied this new room.


    The first person he saw was Mr. Davis. The large man was standing behind a rather old group of people with his arms crossed in front of him. There was an old man who was sitting in a large ornate chair almost directly in front of him. The chair towered over his head in an elaborate head piece that featured two fish chasing each other in a circle being watched by a wolf overhead. The man¡¯s head was covered with a few wispy hairs but otherwise he was bald. He was clean shaven and was unmistakably Asian of some kind.


    The old man was flanked on either side by other people and wolves. There was a small, old, but self-possessed, female red wolf sitting on a raised platform to his left. To her immediate left sat a very proud but also very old and much larger grey and white timber wolf, also sitting on a raised platform. To his left sat a man who looked no younger than the old man. However, even though his face was deeply creased with the wrinkles of old age, he still had a full head of hair. It had grayed to the point of being almost white, but it was there. That man was wearing a charcoal grey suit jacket over a black turtleneck shirt that reached up to his chin.


    Looking back towards the center and the bald man¡¯s right, sat a woman in a much less ornate chair. The head rest barely crested her head and he couldn¡¯t see anything of the chair except for the plush comfortable looking blue seat cushion and the simple arm rests. She was sitting up straight in her chair. Her dark hair flowed down to her waist, as it showered down past her shoulders. Her dark eyes were deep and penetrating. Her skin was darkly tanned to a rich brown. She was wearing a sky-blue dress that left her right shoulder bare. The blue fabric was adorned with golden stars and sunbursts.


    She gave him an appraising look and suddenly he didn¡¯t care who else was in the room. He barely registered the older woman sitting to her right who looked just as old as the others that were seated in the room. She was wearing a simple peach colored skirt with a white blouse; her hair had also gone almost completely white but he could not pull his eyes off of the beautiful dark woman.


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    The old man in the center broke the silence before he had any real chance to stare at her. ¡°William, welcome to the mountain.¡± His voice was raspy, like dried river reeds would sound if you were to brush them against each other. His voice sounded old, and something told him that this man was probably older than William dared to believe. The fact that the old man knew his name barely registered.


    ¡°What is this place?¡± William¡¯s mind was a hailstorm of questions and he saw his chance to get some of them answered.


    The old man looked over to his right and shared a knowing glance with the beautiful woman to his right. He turned back to him with a smile on his face. The woman had a look of wry amusement on her face as well.


    ¡°William, this is a city of the shape shifters. My name is Huan Li. I am the first speaker amongst the Elders.¡± The old man motioned to those that were seated around him. Huan was in the center and he motioned to the wolves and the people sitting around him. William took the time to study the beautiful woman to Huan¡¯s right. She is way too young and beautiful to be an Elder. She is a child next to all these older people. It was true. She looked to be about his age but the other Elders sitting in their chairs looked every bit as old as Huan did.


    ¡°I see some confusion on your face, young William. Perhaps you are wondering how a beautiful young woman earned a seat with all of us decrepit old farts?¡± William couldn¡¯t argue that that was a question that just so happened to pop in his head. ¡°You don¡¯t have to say anything, I already know. You might even live long enough to find out that answer one day.¡±


    William jerked his head back at the reproach that stung as if the old man had slapped him. Had he insulted the elders in some way by having the audacity to want to ask questions? There was such a huge contradiction sitting right in front of his face, how could he not want to ask questions?


    Huan sat there with a wry smile on his face and shared another look with the woman to his right. William took the time to glance around the rest of the room. The space was filling with light. It was brighter now than it was when he first entered this room. Aside from the six that were seated in front of him, the room only held five other beings. Mr. Davis and four werewolves, three greys stood behind the old people and one giant brown one stood behind him. It might have been Ares but he couldn¡¯t be sure and he didn¡¯t want to turn around to confirm his suspicion.


    ¡°William, we know that you have been through a lot. The trials you have passed through were a test, nothing more. You performed admirably.¡±


    ¡°What was the point of those tests?¡± William asked.


    ¡°As infants newly born to this world we must crawl our way out of the darkness. As it was in our birth so too it must be in our rebirth.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 2b

    ¡°Did that first room have something to do with birth?¡±


    Huan smiled and again shared a look with the woman to his right. ¡°Of course, young William, in the beginning it is always dark. Birth is the beginning of us all and being what we are we all must suffer the loss and awakening of birth a second time. Birth is a cruel and painful thing, yes, but necessary.¡±


    William thought back to his transformations in his valley. It was always painful but the joys of his changing, running with his pack, the hunt, the smell of a fresh kill were joys that he would gladly go through a thousand rebirths to experience.


    ¡°So, this whole place is just to put me through a psychological trial of being born?¡±


    ¡°Not at all, William.¡±


    He looked over at the old woman sitting to the far right of the six seated in front of him. She had a kindly motherly face, and she was smiling at him.


    ¡°William, my name is Eustace Browning. Each room was a separate test. The world is full of distractions that we must overcome, some more deadly than others. Only when we cut through the noise can we hear the message.¡±


    William remembered that room. The noise had made him deaf. He hadn¡¯t thought about it but now he was shocked to realize that he was in fact hearing just fine. He lifted his hand to the side of his face. He felt from his neck all the way up to his ear. There was no blood. Whatever had happened to him must have been in his mind.


    ¡°You must never think that, William.¡± Eustace¡¯s clear green eyes had hardened, and she seemed to be looking straight into his heart. ¡°The trial you experienced, your journey that led you to this chamber was real. Every part of it was real and your life was in danger. With every new room came a new challenge, had you failed you would have died.¡±


    ¡°So, you would have people like me who come here for help, you would have us die for nothing more than a series of tests? What that hell kind of place is this?¡± He felt the werewolf standing behind him move.


    Huan lifted his right hand to show his palm. The presence of the werewolf subsided as William guessed that it had stepped back against the wall.


    ¡°This is the mountain. We are no less cruel than nature herself. We have to be strong. The whole can only be strong if all of its parts are strong. The weak link will break the chain,¡± Huan said.


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    ¡°We are talking about people¡¯s lives, not Confucius teachings.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why you left your parents and lived on your own in the forest, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    William shifted his attention to the beautiful woman who had spoken. Her dark eyes were looking through him. He felt like such a child in front of these people.


    ¡°If other people meant so much to you, why did you abandon them?¡±


    Williams stared hard at her and the once familiar anger rose in his gut. ¡°I didn¡¯t abandon anyone.¡±


    ¡°And yet you stand there and demand to know our motivations for things that you don¡¯t know and can¡¯t understand yet, but you will. Did those shadows you encountered on the Whyte Plain show you or Aceso any mercy? Do you think they cared about your life?¡±


    ¡°You mean those things in that weird dream?¡±


    ¡°You still have so much to learn. The temptations to lose ourselves are always with us. We must always guard against the lure of oblivion and remember who we are. You lapsed in this and it almost cost you your life. If Aceso hadn¡¯t risked hers to save your sorry ass you wouldn¡¯t be here at all.¡± The brown woman¡¯s eyes were hard and uncompromising as she gazed at him.


    He lowered his eyes from her and nodded his head. He had almost been killed. The thing that still made him so disappointed in himself was that he had been happy to let it happen. He had even fought Aceso to stay there. The shame and guilt of his actions that night came crushing down on him. Who was he to question the rules and tests that these people had chosen to put in front of him? By all rights he should be dead already.


    ¡°But you¡¯re not dead, not yet.¡±


    William raised his eyes to meet hers once more. Her eyes had softened and she spoke to him in a much gentler tone. ¡°My name is Ansuya Das. You passed your test and you haven¡¯t succumbed to that temptation again. That test, for us, was probably the most telling about your character. I trust you will not forget what you have learned anytime soon.¡±


    ¡°The fourth and final test was the most difficult and for very good reason.¡±


    William turned to the old man on the far-left side of the group. He spoke with an English accent. William shook his head. ¡°Wait a minute, From the surrounding five story buildings around this place I calculated that this place must be about six floors high. The top floor had light burning in the window. I could see it from the street.¡±


    The old Englishman smiled at William¡¯s confusion. ¡°Yes, I have no doubt that you did. This building does look like it should have six floors from the outside. However, the tower changes and alters itself for each person or wolf that enters into it. The trials teach the same lessons, but how those individuals are tested can be very different.¡±


    William thought about his climb up this strange tower. Of all the rooms he had passed through the one that would probably haunt him the most was the one that was right under his feet. ¡°I thought I was going to die.¡±


    ¡°I know you probably thought that at one point, but did you? No. William, even with your limited knowledge of the world around you, and the world you have found yourself to be a part of, how far are you willing to go? How far are you willing to stretch yourself for nothing more substantial than faith?¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 2c

    William couldn¡¯t answer that. He had no idea what was going on. He felt more exhausted than he thought possible. He was starving beyond human capacity. His throat was dry and raspy. He didn¡¯t have the energy to fight or argue. His body felt ten times heavier than it had a moment ago.


    ¡°William, would you risk your life to save Aceso, the way she saved yours?¡±


    He jerked his head up and met the old man¡¯s gaze. ¡°She risked her life for me several times. If I could ever repay the debt I owe to her, I would.¡±


    ¡°Then you pass the test. Faith in ourselves and each other is sometimes all we have. My hope is that our tests showed you that you have a lot in you to be proud of and to have faith in.¡±


    ¡°Your tests?¡± William arched an eyebrow toward the old Englishman.


    ¡°I never did introduce myself did I? Where are my manners? My name is Jacob Marley.¡±


    William gaped at the man in shock and surprise. The room erupted in laughter. He was more than just a little confused. Jacob Marley? He got the joke. He smiled and shook his head. The old people were having a little laugh at his expense.


    The laughter died; the joke really wasn¡¯t all that good. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, William but the look on your face was absolutely priceless.¡± He coughed once into a white piece of linen that he had pulled from his jacket pocket. ¡°My name is Jacob Miller.¡±


    William nodded to Jacob in polite courtesy and turned back to Huan, who was sitting in his chair with his arms resting on the arm rests of his ornate chair. He met William¡¯s gaze as one would look through a window at the same surroundings that had filled said window for ten years.


    ¡°You have passed out tests, William. You will begin your training tomorrow. We have assigned Ares to be your handler and trainer. He will be responsible for your conduct while you are here with us in the mountain. Anything you do, or fail to do, will be a reflection on him and your alpha, Aceso.¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute. I have been told that Aceso should not have accepted my oath. Why is she still my Alpha?¡±


    Ansuya rearranged her dress around her legs and arms. ¡°Aceso is your alpha because you accepted her leadership. Your oath was made, and it was accepted. Whether it should have been or not, doesn¡¯t matter at this point. The bond has already been made.¡±


    William was a little disappointed in that answer. He had never served under anyone before. Aceso was fast and strong, she was his comrade. But now he would have to concede to her. He would be lying if he said that that didn¡¯t make him a little frustrated. But, if he was going to have to follow anyone, he was glad that it was Aceso that he would be following.


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    ¡°Do you have any more questions before we leave you to your training, William?¡±


    William thought for a few moments. ¡°What are those shadows and why were they trying to kill me?¡±


    The Elders shared looks amongst themselves and whispered to one another. Even the red and timber wolf were making soft noises to the people around them. It was Jacob that responded. ¡°William, those shadows are our enemy. Ultimately, they are the reason why you were brought here.¡±


    ¡°Tasha told me that they are-¡±


    Huan interrupted him. ¡°Tasha is no longer with us. She made her decision long ago and she knew the consequences.¡±


    ¡°But she helped me and Aceso escape from those agents.¡±


    ¡°Aceso is being punished as we speak,¡± Eustace said. ¡°She knew that Tasha was not to be trusted and she knew that her forest valley is forbidden to our kind. Whatever Tasha did for you it was because she thought she would receive something in return. The wilderness and her abomination of a pack have tainted her. She is not trustworthy and she just isn¡¯t a very good person.¡±


    ¡°So, Aceso is being punished because of me?¡±


    ¡°No. Aceso is being punished for her actions,¡± Huan replied. ¡°Aceso knew the consequences, you did not. She was responsible for you not the other way around.¡±


    ¡°What about those shadows? What are they and if the group of eight of us attracted them somehow, why do you continue to live in a city?¡±


    Ansuya and Eustace shared a look and Jacob leaned over toward the grey timber wolf. The timber wolf barked once. The sharp loud noise echoed off the walls of the chamber. Huan nodded and Eustace folded her hands in her lap.


    Jacob got up from his chair and the red wolf jumped down from her raised platform. Jacob walked toward him and stopped several paces away. The small red wolf sat down on the ground and looked up at Jacob with her head cocked. She lowered her nose to the ground and sniffed. She jumped back and growled loudly at William.


    William stepped back and raised his hands in front of him.


    Jacob looked from William to the red wolf and back again. He put one hand in his pocket. ¡°William, those shadows feed on us. They are dark, relentless beings that care only about feeding.¡±


    William would have loved if that small piece of information shown down on him like light from heaven and made clear everything that was going on. But it didn¡¯t. And he was even more confused now than he was before.


    Jacob began walking around the room. To William he looked like an absent-minded professor who had gone off on some tangent or other and forgotten where he was. Jacob motioned to the werewolf that was standing behind William. ¡°Those shadows stalk the Whyte Plain and capture those of our kind or humans or anyone else that just so happens to wander in.¡±


    ¡°Is that what you call that place then, the Whyte Plain?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It used to be the vehicle of great communication and travel for our people.¡± Jacob was making small gestures with his free hand. ¡°We shape shifters, both human and wolf born, used to travel freely and at immense speeds across that realm. We could talk to other shape shifters that were half a world away almost instantly.¡± He looked at William with a wry smile. ¡°It was better than the Internet.¡± William cocked an eyebrow at Jacob¡¯s humor. Of all the Elders he was beginning to like Jacob the best. He seemed to be the most approachable. ¡°We used to be able to keep track of everything using the Whyte Plain.¡± He nodded toward William. ¡°You would have been found much sooner and brought here years ago, if we could use it like we once did.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 2d

    ¡°I would have been brought here sooner? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°All of our kind are brought here, the sooner the better. In any case, once the shadows took over the Whyte Plain we couldn¡¯t use it safely. Our information network crumbled overnight. Those shadows kill us, like they almost killed you. Once a shadow kills someone they in turn become one of them. They have become perverted, disgusting versions of themselves.¡± William could hear the contempt in his voice. ¡°They are led by their insatiable appetite to feed on the bodies and souls of those stupid enough to enter their realm.¡±


    It took William a moment to digest everything he had just heard. If it wasn¡¯t for Aceso I would be one of them right now, hunting the Whyte Plain looking to feed on the souls of others. The thought made his skin crawl and he shivered involuntarily.


    William shook his head. He placed his hands on his hips and looked up toward the ceiling. He took a deep ragged breath and looked at the Elders that were still in their seats. As he did so he said under his breath, ¡°The next thing you¡¯re going to tell me is that Vampires are real too.¡±


    Huan Li held William¡¯s gaze with an even stare. Huan Li¡¯s eyes held an immense power and strength. Looking into those eyes, William felt like he was trying to move a mountain. ¡°William, you have so much to learn. Those weakling half demons are the least of your worries.¡±


    There was a finality to those words, like a gong had just sounded. Jacob turned around and the Elders rose from their seats in perfect synchronization and exited the room through a previously unseen doorway. William watched as the Elders disappeared through the dark opening in the stone. When they were gone Mr. Davis moved from his place on the wall and led the four werewolves from the room. They exited through another doorway and William was left alone.


    ¡°Hey, just leave me here, why don¡¯t you?¡± he muttered under his breath.


    He looked around the room. The shiny reflective stone that made up the room must have been obsidian. He looked down and could make out an amazing amount of detail in his reflection. He looked like shit. His hair was long and dirty. His beard and facial hair was rough and unkept. His eyes were red and bloodshot. He hadn¡¯t slept in a long time. He thought he could make out the shape of his sunken stomach in the floor as well. He rubbed his hands up and down his torso and felt the protruding muscles of his abdomen. If he didn¡¯t feel so tired and hungry, he would have smiled at his six pack but now he just wanted some food and to sleep.


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    He looked around the empty room. Now that he was alone, he could make out various intricate artistic carvings of werewolves along the wall. On the wall behind where the Elders had sat, he saw a Darwinian like diagram that showed a standing human on the far left. Through the series of pictures, the diagram showed the various stages of a man turning into a werewolf. There were about ten different pictures in the mural all showing very distinct stages of the transformation that he had become very familiar with over the last two years.


    The diagram did show something that he was not aware of. There was a stage in the transformation that he had never gone through. The diagram showed a picture of a still mostly human melt into a formless shape. The very next picture showed a full-grown werewolf. The formless shape scared him. That looks like one of those shadow things. He shivered again at the memory of what he had almost become. He looked away from the diagram and continued to study the room.


    The portal where he had emerged from the room below was no longer there. Where in the hell did it go? Am I a prisoner here? They wouldn¡¯t bring me here to just to keep me locked up, would they? The thought of being locked up in this tower without food or water was disturbing but he had gone hungry before. He would probably pass out before too much longer anyway. He noticed that there was no other exit from the room. The two doorways that had been used to let out the Elders and Mr. Davis and his cadre were not visible.


    The room was still well lit, which was nice. There was no other furniture in the room aside from the chairs and raised platforms the Elders had used. The thought of a wolf being an Elder might have been funny in another setting. But here, in this impossible city, he took it as just one more thing he was going to have to get used to. He took a few steps and the soft sound of his feet on the cold stone echoed off the walls. He couldn¡¯t help but notice that there was no sign of dust at all in this room. He couldn¡¯t imagine the Elders climbing this tower just to have meetings here on a regular basis but if not, then why was the room so clean?


    He sat down on the platform that the red wolf had been using. He was starting to get a headache and he just wanted to sleep. His mind turned to the red wolf and her reaction to his scent that had made her growl at him. Did it have something to do with those shadows and the Whyte Plain? So many things have happened to him in the last two weeks or so that he was still trying to catch up and process everything he had gone through.


    He looked up at the ceiling and realized that there was no visible light source in the room. The room was being lit, apparently, by itself. This place was actually kind of cool. If he wasn¡¯t so tired and hungry, he might be enjoying it a lot more. But right then he just wanted to sleep.


    He pushed himself up from the platform and walked a few steps. He was just about to lie down and go to sleep when he was pushed into the wall. He crunched up against the smooth reflective wall and looked into its smoky surface. He saw a massive shape moving toward him.


    He turned around and saw Ares almost running at him. ¡°Ares? What the hell are you doing?¡± Without so much as a grunt the massive werewolf picked up William like a rag doll and threw him back across the room.

 Book 2 Chapter 2e

    William¡¯s head banged against one of the platforms and his head exploded in light and pain. He tried to roll away from the platform but Ares was there already landing a viscous kick to William¡¯s mid-section.


    William forgot how to breathe, and he couldn¡¯t make his lungs fill. He was gasping but no air would enter his lungs. He looked up as Ares reached down and grabbed William¡¯s vest with one hand. The massive werewolf lifted William off the ground. He raised the human up to meet his gaze at eye level.


    William¡¯s feet were swinging about two and a half feet off the ground. The huge paw that was lifting William by his vest was closed in a vise like grip and William struggled against the inhuman strength of the werewolf. Ares¡¯ golden eyes, like the room around them, seemed to glow with their own inner light.


    Without a word Ares ripped William from his place in space and threw him over the seats where the Elders had sat. William crashed into the mural of the changing werewolf and crumpled to the ground in a heap. He knew he couldn¡¯t take much more of this. His body was wracked with pain, and he couldn¡¯t bring himself to move very fast. But he knew if he didn¡¯t do something Ares would kill him.


    He got up and managed to duck under Ares¡¯ punch. The sound of fur and bone colliding with obsidian stone made a soft gong like ring. If William wasn¡¯t running for his life, he would have admired the sound as it echoed around the empty room. William ducked behind one of the chairs and used it as a sort of shield. At least it was something to put between himself and the enraged werewolf. He fully expected Ares to rip the chair out of the ground but for some reason he didn¡¯t touch the chair. Nor did the werewolf try to punch through the chair.


    William took the small amount of time to look around the room. There were no weapons that he could see and still no exit. The question of how Ares got into the room floated across his mind. He pushed the thought aside. How Ares got in the room wasn¡¯t really important right now.


    William ducked under a grasping hand and darted away from the chair. The werewolf chased after him. William had almost forgotten how fast werewolves were. Ares stormed at him with both fists ready to land a terrible blow. One of Ares fists connected with William¡¯s face. William let the force of the punch rotate his body around to face away from Ares. He let his body fall to the floor. He let Ares think he had landed a knock-out punch. At the last instant William caught himself with his hands and kicked both of his feet out into the air behind him.


    His feet connected with fur and muscle, and he heard a very gratifying grunt. William brought both of his feet up under him and turned around. Ares was massaging his stomach. William allowed himself to smile. The smile slid off his face as Ares howled. The howl echoed off the walls reverberating and compounding on itself. The sound was terrible, and William had to fight the urge to cover his ears.


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    Ares charged after William and William just barely rolled out of the way. He felt a little like a Matador in a bull fight. He didn¡¯t get to celebrate much. Before he had even come out of his roll, Ares had his vest in his claw once more. The sudden stop of his movement disoriented William to such an extent that for a second or two he couldn¡¯t tell which way was up.


    Ares dragged the small human to his feet and then he was just holding fur. William had slipped out of his vest and was running to the far side of the room. Ares howled again and threw the fur vest down on the ground.


    William was getting dizzier by the minute. There was nothing he could do. There were no weapons in sight. Ares was charging him again. He had survived federal agents and with Aceso¡¯s help he had survived shadows. He had survived the strange tests of this tower and now he was going to be killed by one of his own kind.


    Ares scooped up William and threw him across the room. He crumpled up against the wall. His teeth rattled inside his head and his bones crunched. He probably had a few broken bones, at the very least deep bruises. He slid down the wall and lay still on the floor. He couldn¡¯t fight anymore. His head was exploding with every beat of his heart. His body was on fire and encased in tar. He couldn¡¯t speak even if he wanted to. His mouth was dry and even breathing burned.


    He looked up and Ares was standing over him. The werewolf howled and kicked William across the floor. Without his vest the friction of the smooth floor grated and scraped across his bare skin. He felt the burn of a nasty road rash forming. He stopped moving and looked up. He was up against the wall with the mural carved into it again. He looked up at the one phase he had never experienced before. The shapeless form just before the man transformed almost completely into a werewolf.


    What could that mean?


    William had not moved for all of two seconds before Ares yanked him off the ground by the wrist. Ares held the wrist in a massive paw and landed a devastating punch to William¡¯s solar plexus. William coughed blood onto the floor. Ares landed another punch to William¡¯s midsection and more blood came up past his lips. Ares ripped William to the side, throwing him to the floor.


    William wasn¡¯t thinking clearly.


    All he wanted to do was teach this wolf some manners. Rage smoldered in his midsection where Ares had punched him. He wasn¡¯t sure how, but he stood up and started walking toward Ares. Ares darted forward but before he could reach out and grab William, he ducked under Ares¡¯ arm and rotated backward. William caught himself in a bridge stretch and extended his right leg up and into the crevice between Ares¡¯ legs.


    The werewolf let out a hurt whine and retreated back a step. William raised himself up and moved toward the retreating werewolf. Ares was covering himself and staggered back a few more steps. William kicked at Ares again and even though his hands were protecting his soft area between his legs the werewolf grunted again.


    William jumped up and landed a two-legged kick to Ares¡¯ midsection. William fell to floor and even though he wanted to, his body refused to get up. The anger that he had felt a moment ago was ebbing away. He had to get up, but he couldn¡¯t.


    Ares recovered from the blows that William had given him and was standing over William¡¯s limp body. William looked up and the last thing he saw was Ares smiling down at him. Then his sight was as dark as the obsidian stone that surrounded him and there was nothing.

 Book 2 Chapter 3a

    He woke up in a dark room. He tried to lift himself up but his arms had no strength in them. Lying on his back he stared up into the darkness. He was under soft, warm, furs. There was comfortable padding that supported his back nicely. He couldn¡¯t see anything; the darkness was perfect.


    He moved his hands to rest behind his head. He involuntarily stretched his whole body and realized that he didn¡¯t feel any pain. He felt and massaged his midsection. He probed around his ribs. He massaged his temples and shoulders. He scraped his back against some of the furs that were covering him; no road rash, and no pain. There didn¡¯t seem to be anything wrong with him except being hungry. He didn¡¯t want to think about how long it had been since he had eaten. The thought of food made his stomach rumble.


    A light began to illuminate the room. He wondered what he had done to make the lights come on. He looked around the bare room and was about to get up when he realized that he was naked. That was not as disconcerting as the sudden appearance of the girl who entered his room. He glanced down to make sure he was covered.


    The girl was about fifteen, maybe. She stood about five feet tall and had gorgeous black hair flowing down to her waist. Her eyes were dark brown and her skin was tanned. She was not as dark as Ansuya had been but she was not nearly as white as he was. She was wearing a plain off-white dress that was made of some rough material. It moved with her steps and rustled against itself as she walked. The girl was carrying a basin that was filled with water. She set down the basin on a dresser that he hadn¡¯t noticed before then. Then she placed a towel on a nearby rack and set down a bundle of things next to the basin.


    William watched her as she worked. ¡°Who are you?¡± The girl didn¡¯t answer. She stopped what she was doing long enough to give him a sly look. She turned back to arranging the items she had brought around the basin. William lifted himself up on his elbows. ¡°Where am I?¡±


    ¡°Inside the mountain.¡± The girl started humming to herself. She finished what she was doing and left the room as quietly and as quickly as she had entered.


    William looked up and around him as he studied the ceiling and tried to pinpoint the source of the light. Here too the walls were deep glossy obsidian He saw shining white flecks in the deep glassy black of the ceiling. It looked like the ceiling was filled with ash or snowflakes. The impure obsidian glowed from the inside out. The flecks of impurities in the rock shone.


    A huge dark form filled the doorway. The werewolf ducked under the door jam and moved into the soft, light of William¡¯s bedroom. The werewolf stood up and William convulsively jumped to his feet and readied himself for another fight. Ares stood there with his hands held up in a sign of surrender. William lowered his hands but stood there studying the large werewolf.


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    Ares stood there watching William. He began to speak in the rough tongue of the werewolves. ¡°William, I¡¯m glad to see you¡¯re finally awake.¡± Ares sat down and rested his back against the wall next to the open entryway.


    William slid back down onto his bed as well. His stomach was growling and the sudden jump had made him light headed. He sat back down and looked across the room at the werewolf that could have killed him. Ares looked back at him.


    ¡°Where am I and why are you here? You didn¡¯t get enough of me and you came to finish what you started?¡±


    ¡°You are inside the mountain.¡±


    ¡°Is that the only thing you people can say: ¡®welcome to the mountain¡¯, and ¡®you¡¯re inside the mountain¡¯? What the hell IS the mountain?¡±


    Ares regarded William with an even look. ¡°You didn¡¯t ask for any of this.¡± Ares rose to his full height. His head almost scraped the ceiling. ¡°But neither did I, neither did any of us. I have been chosen to teach and train you in our ways, how to fight, how to kill, how to move, and everything else you need to know to survive. I am your teacher and if you want me to rip your arms off just keep yelling at me.¡± Ares stared hard at William and William shot a look of heated defiance back at him.


    ¡°Well, before you kill me can I at least have some food? I haven¡¯t eaten for a few days, and I¡¯m hungry. My throat burns and I haven¡¯t drank anything for a while either.¡± William looked around the room. ¡°How long was I asleep anyway?¡±


    Ares softened his voice. ¡°You¡¯ve been asleep for three days, now.¡± Ares crouched back down on the ground. He let his hand fall to the floor in front of him to help support his great mass. ¡°You¡¯ve been brought here for a very specific reason. It¡¯s my job to see that you are trained properly and to see if you are even capable of becoming an asset to our cause. I wish I could tell you that you could leave if you wanted too, but like I said this isn¡¯t a voluntary thing for any of us.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, I can¡¯t leave. What if I¡­¡± William¡¯s stomach grumbled and the hunger pains that shot through him was enough to double him over. He clutched at his abdomen muscles and fell over on his side. His body spasmed and he was unable to control his own muscles. He shook and his head bobbed. He strained his neck to stop moving his head as best he could. The sudden attack made his head explode in pain. Every jerk of his body compounded the pain and he could feel himself ready to pass out. He looked up at Ares for help. The werewolf had disappeared. His breath was coming out in ragged gasps as he fought his own body for control of his muscles. The spasms died down. He lay back on his bed looking up at the beautiful shining imperfections in the ceiling. The ceiling seemed to be really far away. He had heard of vaulted ceilings before but this ceiling was only just high enough to accommodate Ares at his full, almost eight-foot, height.

 Book 2 Chapter 3b

    He couldn¡¯t keep his mind off his hunger and he rolled over onto his side holding his stomach. He struggled as he crawled across the floor. He would have loved to get up and walk but the hunger pains he was experiencing made his whole body lock up and not want to move at all. If he could get to the dresser, he could at least drink some of the water that was in the basin that girl had carried in.


    He hadn¡¯t made it even halfway across the floor when Ares came crashing into the room. He stepped aside and there was another werewolf behind him. This werewolf was obviously female. At her full height she didn¡¯t quite reach Ares¡¯ shoulder. She had a coat of white fur that was as pure as any snowbank. William couldn¡¯t help but stop and look at her. She was the most beautiful werewolf he had seen, even more beautiful than Aceso. She had a liquid grace that belied her size. When she moved, she didn¡¯t walk, she glided through the room.


    She moved to William and placed her paws on his arm. She lowered her black snout close to his naked body and inhaled deeply his scent. William felt comfortable with the werewolf and her touch made him feel at ease and he leaned back and relaxed. The white werewolf inhaled his scent at different places on his body. William wanted to pet her for some reason but his experiences with Aceso had taught him that werewolves didn¡¯t like being treated like dogs.


    The werewolf lowered herself even closer toward William¡¯s body. He could feel the heat radiating off her body. He felt a sting shoot out along his side. He jerked his head up to see the werewolf lift herself off the ground. She shared a look with Ares and left the room.


    William looked down and realized that the werewolf had bit him. He didn¡¯t know if he should be angry or not because all the pain had left his body. He didn¡¯t feel any hunger pains and his headache was completely gone. He sat up in amazement and looked at Ares.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t eaten for a few days. You should lie back down and I will have food brought to you. Physis is an excellent healer, but you need to eat to fully recover from your ordeal.¡± With that Ares left him.


    William moved back toward his bed and crawled under the warm furs. The bed was comfortable and he soon found himself floating between sleep and wakefulness. The room seemed to dim and that only made him want to go back to sleep more. He was so weak he couldn¡¯t move his arms. His whole body was heavy and his mind was sluggish.


    He realized that the room had brightened again. He didn¡¯t know how much time had passed. He looked around and the girl with the black hair was striding through the room toward him. She was carrying a steaming green ceramic bowl. In the crook of her arm, she also carried a covered basket.


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    William struggled to prop himself up against the cold stone of the wall, while keeping himself covered. The cold wall made him want to gasp, but he didn¡¯t want the girl to know about his discomfort, so he stifled the gasp before it left his lips. The girl set down the bowl on the floor and placed the basket next to it. William watched as she walked to the dresser and pulled a tray table out from behind the wooden piece of furniture. She unfolded the tray and placed it over him on the bed.


    ¡°What is your name?¡±


    The girl smiled at him. ¡°I¡¯m not supposed to talk to strangers.¡±


    ¡°You can serve me dinner in bed, you can bring me toiletries, but you can¡¯t talk to me? That sounds a little crazy. What? Don¡¯t you trust me?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a werewolf, why should I trust you? You probably just want to eat me. Isn¡¯t that what werewolves do, terrorize the countryside, and eat defenseless little girls like me?¡±


    William smiled, ¡°I¡¯m not that kind of werewolf.¡±


    The girl had finished setting up the tray and placed the steaming bowl on top of it. She moved the basket closer to his bed and stood up, ¡°said the spider to the fly. Good bye, Mr. Setford.¡± And with that she left the room.


    William stared in amazement at the empty doorway, ¡°Now who told you my name?¡± He asked the empty room. He hadn¡¯t thought about that name in a very long time. It was unseemly that a total stranger would know his last name.


    He looked down at the steaming green bowl in front of him. The bowl was filled with a deep brownish red liquid. He didn¡¯t see a spoon anywhere. He reached over, careful not to disturb the tray that was over his legs, and removed the cloth from the basket. Inside he found a large wooden spoon on top of a rather large crust of bread and a wooden tub of butter. The whole thing reminded him of a fairy tale he had read a long time ago.


    ¡°My, what big teeth you have grandma.¡±


    His deep, full, laughter echoed off the walls. It felt good to laugh. It felt like he hadn¡¯t laughed in a long time. He took the spoon from the basket and began to eat his soup. The soup was thick and hot. It was filled with vegetables and large chunks of deer meat. It was flavored beautifully and the soup disappeared. He was scraping the bottom of the bowl with the spoon and wishing for more before he realized it. He picked up the bowl and resisting the urge to lick it, placed it on the ground next to the basket. He lifted the basket up onto the tray and looked inside. He took out the bread and butter and found that there was also a small piece of chocolate resting in a cloth wrapping. He took the bread and the small bowl of butter out of the basket. It had been so long since he had had real butter. He tore off a piece of bread and rubbed it in across the top of the rich, creamy surface. The bread came away with a small layer of butter on it and he took a slow bite of the bread.


    The butter melted in his mouth. He had never had butter that tasted this good. The bread was still warm, and the combination of warm bread and soft butter made his heart sing and his poor abused stomach rejoice. He hadn¡¯t been this happy to eat in a long time. But all too soon the bread and the butter and was gone also. I¡¯m not full, I want more. He crossed his arms with a huff. He knew that he had eaten a lot but that didn¡¯t stop him from being petulant and wanting to pout a little bit. I¡¯m acting like a child but I don¡¯t care. I¡¯m still hungry.

 Book 2 Chapter 3c

    Since nobody had come in to check on him and it didn¡¯t seem like anybody was likely to come in anytime soon, he uncrossed his arms and put the empty butter bowl into his empty soup bowl and placed both inside the basket. He dropped the dirty spoon inside the basket next to the used dishes. He reached to the bottom of the basket and pulled out the cloth wrapped piece of chocolate. He put the basket back on the ground next to the bed. He then unwrapped his dessert.


    He put the dark brown, solid, sugar to his lips. Do you know how long it¡¯s been since I¡¯ve had candy? The thought of his stomach made him pause. I haven¡¯t eaten in days. I haven¡¯t eaten candy in years. Will this make my stomach react violently I wonder? He pulled the candy away from his mouth uneaten. He didn¡¯t want to throw up the soup or the bread and butter he had just eaten. He wrapped the candy back in the cloth and placed it on the floor beside the basket. Better play it safe till I know that I¡¯m ok.


    He lifted the tray from his bed. He scraped the breadcrumbs into the basket on top of the two empty bowls and refolded the tray and placed that on the floor also. He slid back down under the fur blankets. He closed his eyes and fell asleep.


    The rich smell of food invaded the perfect void of sleep. His stomach grumbled and he opened his eyes. He looked around the room. The impurities in the obsidian ceiling were shining as brightly as they ever had. He lifted and propped himself against the cold stone wall once more. The sudden cold against his warm back made him wince. He looked over and saw a steaming bowl of the same kind of soup that he had eaten before. A new but similar basket had been placed on the ground next to it.


    He reached over and set the tray over his legs and placed the steaming bowl in front of him. This bowl seemed to be bigger than the last one. There seemed to be more soup than the last time and he reached into the basket and pulled out a wooden spoon. He ate the soup a little more slowly than the first bowl. He enjoyed every bite. The carrots were still al dente and delicious. The other vegetables were also crisp. He had never eaten a soup where the vegetables weren¡¯t all mushy. The chunks of deer meat were just as big as in the first bowl, there were just a lot more of them this time around.


    He savored the large chunks of protein and the vitamins of the not mushy vegetables. He felt a hundred times better than he had that morning or yesterday. He stopped to consider the fact that he had no idea what day it was or how much time had passed since he had entered this underground werewolf city. The thought quickly vanished from his mind as he continued to eat his thick soup.


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    When he was finished, he found another larger piece of warm bread in the basket with a similar bowl of butter. He scraped the butter up onto the bread and enjoyed the creamy texture of fat on the warm bread. He savored every bite but all too soon the bread was gone. Placing the dirty dishes back into the basket he found a similar piece of chocolate wrapped in cloth.


    He didn¡¯t hesitate this time, and put the dark sugar into his mouth. The rich taste exploded on his tongue and he allowed his eyes to roll back into his skull. This is what Heaven must be like. It had been so long. It was so rich he was instantly thirsty. He didn¡¯t care. The pure sugar melted inside his mouth and coated his throat. He tried to savor every bit of the small piece of candy but he couldn¡¯t help but gulp it down. In three short bites the chocolate was gone. The thick sticky goodness of the chocolate left a deep wanting in his heart for more, but also it left a sticky, burning thirst.


    He cleaned up the tray and placed it on the ground as he had done before. He threw off the furs from his body and stood up. He remembered what had happened the last time. He lifted himself off the bed. As he did so he was horrified to see his rib bones sticking out from his sides.


    He walked to the dresser and looked into the clear water of the basin. He lifted the large bowl to his lips and poured the clear, cool, clean liquid down his burning throat. He felt the water splash down into his stomach. Even though he had just eaten his stomach wasn¡¯t near to full and the sudden rush of cold water that invaded the near hollow space was uncomfortable at best. He took it slow. Lifting the bowl and taking a long swallow and resting for a moment before putting the bowl back to his lips. Even with the precautions of pausing between swallows, the whole basin was empty before he knew it. He still felt thirsty, but he would have to make do with what he had.


    He looked around the room and didn¡¯t see any other furniture but the dresser. He also didn¡¯t see a bathroom at all. He didn¡¯t have much time to think about it because just then Ares walked through the open entryway. ¡°I¡¯m glad to see you up and about.¡± He said in the guttural language of the werewolves.


    William was caught off balance by the sudden intrusion and reached down between his naked legs to cover himself. ¡°Where am I supposed to pee?¡±


    Ares eyes dropped to glance at William¡¯s hands and then back to meet William in the eye. The massive brown werewolf smiled at the apparent discomfort of his guest.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad this is funny for one of us.¡±


    Ares nodded back to the entryway that he had just walked through. ¡°We have working plumbing in only a few places in our city. The limited sewage that we use helps to avoid attracting unwanted attention. You have no idea just how closely people keep track of water and sewage in this state. I remember being a pup in the mountains and not having to worry about any of this stuff but as soon as I was taken here to the city I¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure that this is all fascinating and I would love to hear it but right now I have to use the bathroom. Could you just tell me where it is?¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 3d

    Ares laughed, ¡°Go down the ramp head down three buildings toward the tower and the first floor is our communal wash room.¡± Ares looked William up and down. ¡°You might want to at least put some pants on.¡±


    William was beginning to hunch over with the need to relieve himself. ¡°I would love to. Where are my pants?¡±


    ¡°Where do you people usually put your clothes?¡± William stared at him. ¡°In the dresser.¡±


    William turned around and ripped open the dresser drawer and his deer skin pants were neatly folded inside. He pulled them out with one hand, and he couldn¡¯t help but notice how soft they were. They smelled fresh and felt soft and warm. It had been a long time since he had been able to wash his clothes and he was grateful that someone had taken the time to clean them for him. He pulled his pants on and rushed past Ares through the open door.


    Ares reached out and grabbed him. William jerked to a sudden stop, and he turned around. He was shocked at having been stopped and he stared hard at Ares waiting for an explanation. ¡°While you¡¯re in my charge I am responsible for you. I will take you to the bathroom.¡± Ares turned toward the door and motioned for William to follow him.


    William stared with indignation at the retreating werewolf. William walked through the entryway and was met by a gorgeous view of the werewolf city. His bedroom was on the fifth floor of one of the many stacks of buildings. Right in front of the landing to his room there was a ramp that sloped down to the fourth and third floors. The ramp continued all the way down to the street level. He could see the tops of some of the buildings. The city stretched out as far as he could see till it all blurred together. There was no end of the city in sight. From this vantage point he could see the tower that jutted out from the street like some huge phallus. It kind of resembled the Washington monument. William had never seen the monument in person but from the pictures he had seen of it the tower was just a shorter, black version of it.


    William looked to his left and saw a beautiful green field that was acres across. The green field was filled with trees and other vegetation. There were trees that reached up and touched the ceiling of the underground cavern itself. There were small versions of redwoods and cedars. From where he stood, outside his fifth-floor bedroom, he could smell the clean scents of the forest. The smells brought to mind his valley and nature. He could see some young wolves playing with each other on a green open meadow portion of the forest. They tackled each other, then bolted for the dense surroundings of rocks and trees. They disappeared from his sight. Even here underneath a dormant volcano the werewolves had found a way to live in balance with nature and technology.


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    Ares was already well on his way down the ramp and had reached the third-floor landing. The view had made William forget about why he was out here. The pressure in his bowels made itself known again and he trotted after his werewolf guide. William caught up with Ares as they made their way down to the street. Once there he studied the buildings that surrounded him. This was not the street that he had taken to reach the tower on that first day. There seemed to be a lot more activity going on. He looked at the various dojos and saw people and wolves and werewolves fighting each other and doing training exercises. It looked intense. As he walked by, he saw a beautiful white wolf fighting a smaller red wolf. The red wolf twisted around and got the white wolf¡¯s neck locked in between its jaws. The white wolf whined and heaved herself up and jerked the red wolf off her neck.


    He would have liked to watch the fight, but Ares was walking too fast and soon the dojo was lost to his view. They arrived at the communal bath house. Ares stepped inside and motioned for William to come in.


    ¡°This is our bath house. This is where you will clean yourself and when necessary, go to the bathroom.¡±


    William rushed past him to find a urinal but could only find toilets. He turned around to ask about it but as he did so a woman he had never seen before walked in behind Ares. She stood about five and half feet tall with short light brown hair. She was very well developed. Her eyes were blue and she nodded to Ares. She went to a toilet and pulling her pants down, sat down on the white porcelain.


    William was forced to notice that there were no dividers separating the toilets and his wide-eyed shock drew a wry smile from the woman and outright laughter from Ares. William would have loved to be indignant and demand to know if what he was seeing was really happening but the pressure on his lower body and the need to pee was so great that he ripped off his pants and sat down hard on the cold white surface of a nearby toilet. As he did so, Ares started talking to him.


    ¡°I know this must seem very strange to you. But wolves don¡¯t have any overblown sense of modesty. There is a reason why your kind refer to it as, ¡®when nature calls¡¯. Because of this, the most important thing you have to learn is that men and women are held in the same regard as each other here. I will not have you embarrass me by gawking at every woman you see who walks around our city topless or is naked in the showers. Admire your female¡¯s bodies, but you will do it discreetly and you will also learn that there is no place in nature for false modesty.¡±


    William listened to what Ares had to say, but he couldn¡¯t help but glance over at the woman as she finished cleaning herself, get up from the toilet, pull her pants up and wash her hands. He tried to bend over, without looking like he was bending over at all. The woman finished cleaning her hands at the large bank of sinks on the opposite wall. She turned around to dry her hands. There were several soft brown cloth towels hanging up on the wall and she used one of them to dry her hands. As she turned to leave the bath house she winked at William and gave Ares a playful shove as she brushed past him to disappear in the street.

 Book 2 Chapter 3e

    William tried to ignore the fact Ares was standing very close to him and there was no walls or dividers to help hide him from the open nakedness he keenly felt by being in the bathroom like this. He had never felt this kind of awkwardness when he was in his valley or when he was running with Aceso. Why did he feel the almost forgotten pressures of society so keenly here? William had some difficulty starting. His body was locked up and even though the pressure had built to being somewhat painful he couldn¡¯t relax enough to pee comfortably. After a few minutes, the shock of where he was subsided and he was able to relieve himself. It felt really good to let go of that. The pressure immediately released and he was able to finish. He didn¡¯t know which he was happier to do, finish peeing or being done so he could pull his pants back on.


    He walked over to the sinks and turned the facet on. The water was ice cold and he gasped. His hands were soon numb with the cold water. He found soap containers jacked into the wall just like he would have found in any public bathroom. The soap smelled a little funny, but he really didn¡¯t want to know what he was putting on his hands. He rinsed his hands off in the frigid flowing water and turned off the faucet. He dried his hands on one of the hanging brown towels. The fabric was warm and soft. He was reminded of being home. His family¡¯s bathroom had always had clean fresh towels in them and they always seemed to be warm. He finished drying his hands and followed Ares back out into the street.


    Ares didn¡¯t say anything as they walked back to his bedroom. The ramp leading back up to his bedroom gave him a little bit of trouble. His legs protested with the incline and he had to lean against the building next to him several times to prevent himself from falling. They reached his bedroom and Ares moved aside to allow William to enter first. William walked back to his bed and sat down on the warm furs. He tucked his still cold hands under his armpits to try to warm them. It had been a little while since he had felt the pure cold of mountain lake water. The river in his valley seemed to be warmer than the water he had just used to clean his hands with.


    Ares followed after William and sat down across from him on the floor. William was warming up and he was already getting drowsy. The warm furs were pulling him down to sleep but Ares was looking at him and William knew that it would not be wise to fall asleep if Ares had something to say.


    The werewolf looked at William. ¡°Is there anything you want to know right now?¡±


    William was caught off guard by the straightforward question. He had seen so much in so short a time but his mind was sluggish and he had trouble concentrating. His mind slowly turned over and something that had been bothering him did come to mind. He looked up at Ares. ¡°Why were you assigned to train me?¡± Ares jerked at the question. William hoped he hadn¡¯t insulted him. ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m ungrateful. But it seems to me that training a new guy like me would be something menial. You seem to be important here. It seems that everyone knows you. So why were you stuck with me?¡±


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    Ares stood up and moved to the open doorway. He sighed and from what William could see he was looking at the indoor forest. Ares was silent for long moments and William began to think that Ares wasn¡¯t going to answer him at all. ¡°I am Ares, protector of the mountain.¡± Ares turned around and held William with a weighted stare. ¡°My pack and I are the protectors of this city. My alpha is Mr. Davis. I am the biggest and strongest enforcer in the city.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re the biggest and the strongest, why aren¡¯t you the alpha of your pack?¡±


    Ares lowered his head and scraped the floor with his foot claw. ¡°I¡¯m not the alpha because I never wanted to be.¡± Ares hunched down on the floor. He studied it keenly. When he finally looked up there was a deep sadness there that made William feel for his teacher. ¡°I only wanted to be part of a pack. When I was young and hadn¡¯t discovered my¡­abilities I was happy.¡± His eyes glazed over as he lost himself to his memories. ¡°I was just another young wolf protecting my pack, hunting, and living. I was happy to be there. Our pack alpha was a wise older Timber wolf. He was old but strong and he knew things that I could never have hoped to learn. I admired him and I only wanted to serve him and his mate faithfully.¡±


    Ares eyes refocused and settled on William. ¡°When I was brought here, I was only about four years old. I had been captured by werewolves. They were gentle but they also made me painfully aware that they could rip me limb from limb if necessary. I was brought here and they began to train me and condition my body to pain. Eventually, I was allowed to see the moon once more.¡±


    Ares stood up and looked at the ceiling of William¡¯s bedroom. ¡°I remember that night well. They took me to a part of the mountain that I had never been to before. I was surrounded by moon flowers and green grass. There was a heavy curtain that they withdrew from overhead, and I could see the stars. It had been months since I had seen stars and I was so happy that I started to bark and jump. I rolled in the sweet-smelling grass and I was happy. I looked up and the white orb of the moon was just coming into view through the opening in the volcano.


    ¡°I stared wide eyed at the beautiful, white, shape in the sky. I howled in homage to her, our moon goddess. The werewolves that brought me there were standing in the deep shadows and didn¡¯t allow the moon beams to touch them. At the time I wondered why they didn¡¯t join me in worship.¡± Ares shook his head and smiled at himself. ¡°I was so young¡­ and so naive.¡±

 Book 2 Chpater 3f

    ¡°The moon finally cleared the lip of the volcano and her full size and shape shone down on me. I noticed that some of the flowers had blossomed, and I could smell their sweet fragrance. I looked up at the full moon and I suddenly felt pain. I whined loudly and my body locked up and fought against itself. I have never felt so much pain before. I couldn¡¯t move and I couldn¡¯t breathe. I thought I was going to die.¡± Ares looked at William. ¡°You¡¯ve felt that pain too.¡±


    William thought back to the first time he changed. He thought his body was on fire and there was nothing he could do but ride the flames and hope that it would end soon. It lasted an eternity and his body felt like it would rip itself apart. William nodded his head.


    ¡°I was surrounded by nature and was under the gaze of the full moon. When the pain finally subsided, I looked down at myself and was horrified to see what I am now. My legs were too long, and I had these claws instead of paws.¡± He lifted his hands in front of him to show William. ¡°I was scared and I tried to run away.¡± Ares looked down again as if he was embarrassed by something. ¡°I tried, anyway. I made it about two steps before I fell over. I howled in pain and fear, and I wanted to die. I got up and tried to run again. But again, I was unable to make my new body obey me, and I fell over.¡±


    Ares stopped and heaved a heavy sigh. William looked and saw that he was tracing designs in the floor with his claw. Ares¡¯ claw didn¡¯t scratch the surface of the floor, but moved idly in strange circles and weird curves. William could understand Ares¡¯ pain and embarrassment. He hadn¡¯t been given a chance to be afraid. The old grey had attacked him right after his first change. If he had tried to run the grey and the rest of his pack would have killed him.


    Ares stopped doodling and looked up at William. ¡°I¡¯m your teacher because we are the same. We were both reborn under the full moon. The lunar mother has given us similar gifts. Those of us like Mr. Davis, you, and I are referred to by the Elders as Enforcers. The lunar mother granted us strength and a thick hide that is impervious to most natural adversaries.¡±


    William eyes opened wide as the sudden understanding struck him. That must be why the old grey¡¯s bite didn¡¯t puncture my leg during that first fight. William was grateful for the small tidbit of information from Ares. He was beginning to understand himself a little better and with time he knew that he would eventually master himself and with that he could master his surroundings.


    Ares walked to the entryway. He turned around and looked at William. ¡°You will have recovered your strength in a day or two. At that time, we will begin your training, just as I did when I was first brought here. Nothing I say will prepare you for what I have to teach you. Nothing you have learned from your time in your valley would have prepared you for the pain that you will be forced to endure. I can only say that I feel for you and the pain that you will go through. I went through it myself and I give you my word that the training you receive from me will be no more brutal or severe than what I myself went through. Good night, William.¡± Ares turned toward the open doorway, and left.


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    William couldn¡¯t think of anything to say and he didn¡¯t know what to think. He was tired and his mind had trouble making sense of what had just transpired. He had seen a look of remembered fear on the face of a werewolf, and not just any werewolf but the biggest, baddest, werewolf in this city, apparently.


    William tried to make himself comprehend the warning that Ares had just given him. ¡®Nothing will prepare you for what I have to teach you.¡¯ The warning rang through his foggy brain and for the first time in a long time, William was afraid. He slid under his furs and pulled them up over his head. He was glad for the light that still shone in his room. All of a sudden, this place didn¡¯t seem as safe as it had once felt.


    He suddenly wasn¡¯t as tired as he was a few moments ago. His mind was spinning with plans and ways that he could escape. He thought about getting out of the mountain. He thought about where he would go. Then he stopped. Even if I could get out of this place those agents will probably still be looking for me. Without Aceso, he knew that he would eventually be caught and thrown into a lab somewhere to be a human guinea pig. He would rather stay here and go through the pain that Ares had promised. If Ares could do it that probably meant that he would die from it but he wasn¡¯t going to go down without a fight. William eventually closed his eyes. Determination had settled into his heart and the fear left him. I have to try to repay what I owe to Aceso. She did so much for me. She is my alpha and I won¡¯t let her down. With that thought ringing through his mind William drifted off to a deep restful sleep.


    William woke some time later. What time is it? He hadn¡¯t seen the sun in a long time and he wasn¡¯t even sure if it was day or night. It didn¡¯t really matter. Either the lighted imperfections in the ceiling brightened when he awoke or they had stayed illuminated throughout the night. Either way he opened his eyes to a brightly lit room.


    His stomach grumbled and he looked around the room for any food. There wasn¡¯t any. He got up and stretched his body. He reached toward the ceiling and his hands tightened into fists. His mouth cracked open into a yawn. He sighed loudly with the motion. He still had on his deer skin pants. He walked over to the dresser and opened the top of the two drawers. Inside he found his black fur vest.


    He pulled out the garment and put it on. He looked into the drawer and found his knife and holster. Lying beside them in the bottom of the drawer was a new whetstone. He pulled out the weapon and unsheathed it. The blue steel of his faithful companion gleamed in the light of his room. He took the naked blade and scraped it gently across his arm. The blade was still sharp. That was good. Even so he took the whetstone and his knife and sat down on the furs of his bed. He began working the blade with the stone. It had been so long since he had heard the rhythmic scraping of stone on steel. The sound was comforting to his ears and he almost felt like he was home.

 Book 2 Chapter 4a

    The dark-haired girl was wearing a dress similar to what she had been wearing before, as she walked into his room. It was a simple, rough cut, dress that came down to just above her knees. It was a soft blue, almost grey color that seemed to match her mood. She wore a scowl on her face and he knew that she was definitely upset about something. She was carrying a steaming bowl and a basket.


    William slid the knife back into its sheath. He tucked the blade under the furs of his bed.


    The girl placed the bowl down and dutifully set up the meal tray over Williams legs. William backed up to sit on the bed so the girl could work. She placed the steaming bowl in front of him. William looked at her dark brown eyes. ¡°What is your name?¡±


    The girl paused for a heart¡¯s breathe and bent over to continue working. ¡°I¡¯m the daughter of an Elder.¡± She stopped and looked up at William. ¡°My name¡¯s Amanda.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a very nice name.¡±


    ¡°Save it. I¡¯m not some stupid girl that you can charm your way into my pants. I¡¯m not looking for you or anyone else to sweep me off my feet. I¡¯m not here to get to know you. I¡¯m not here because I want to be, I was made to come here.¡± She sighed and finished placing William¡¯s meal in front of him. She almost slammed the bowl down on the tray. The contents of the bowl sloshed around and came dangerously close to spilling over the side.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I just wanted to say thank you.¡±


    Amanda stood up and glared at him. ¡°You can take your thanks and shove it. I don¡¯t need your thanks or your pity, ok?¡± She whipped around and stormed out of William¡¯s room.


    What the hell did I ever do to you? ¡°Thank you, Amanda, hope you feel better.¡± He muttered under his breath as he took a deep calming breath and focused on his meal. The soup was thicker than it had been before. It was more of a stew than a soup. The thick broth was filled with large chunks of meat and good vegetables. Green beans and carrots that were still crisp and the chunks of veal were tender and flavorful. He chewed slowly so as to savor the entire bowl. The bowl of food was gone all too quickly and soon the bread and butter from the basket was gone as well. He ate his chocolate dessert and cleaned up after himself. When everything was placed back into the basket, and he had folded the tray and put it back behind the dresser he walked around his room. It had been a long time since he had done any real exercise. He looked up at the ceiling and smiled.


    He allowed his body to tip forward and fall toward the ground. He caught himself with his arms. In spite of that he almost slammed into the ground as his arms almost gave way under his weight. With some difficulty he managed to recover and began to do pushups. His arms pumped and his breathing became rhythmic with the motion of his body. He exhaled as his arms pressed his body up in the air. As he let his body fall, he inhaled. He continued this rhythm, not resting, till his arms gave out from under him, fifty-eight, not bad but nowhere near his best.


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    He flipped himself over and began to do a hybrid crunch, sit up, exercise he had learned a long time ago. Soon after he started his abs were burning comfortably and he continued to work his stomach muscles. He crunched his body in on itself and worked those muscles that he hadn¡¯t used in a while. When he couldn¡¯t hold his proper form anymore, he stopped and rested. His body had developed a coat of sweat that would evaporate with the air. He had completed a count of eighty-five of the exercise, which was also ok. Again, he had been able to do more so he would need to work on those as well.


    He walked over to the wall and slid down till his legs were at a perfect ninety-degree angle and he held himself up against the wall. He started his silent count. His legs protested almost immediately, and he wasn¡¯t able to hold the exercise for long. He collapsed down on the floor after a count of eleven. His legs would need to be whipped back into shape. He stood up and began doing lunges. He was only able to do a handful before he was no longer able to support his weight.


    He walked around his room getting some feeling and blood flow back into his legs. When he was ready, he spread his legs about shoulder width apart. He lowered his body till his legs bent at close to ninety-degree angles. He raised himself up and continued the exercise. He was able to do several more than he thought he would be able to but the strength in his legs gave out much too soon for him to be happy. He growled in frustration and stalked around the room. His legs were tired and unsteady as he made his way around the room. He couldn¡¯t stay mad for very long and soon he was laughing at his own ineptitude.


    For some reason William¡¯s mind came to rest on Aceso and he sobered almost immediately. The thought of his alpha and the fact that he hadn¡¯t been able to see her since they came to the werewolf city made him a little concerned for her. He wondered where she was and what she was doing. The Elders had said something about her serving out her punishment for taking him into Tasha¡¯s forest. He wondered if she was alright.


    He paced around the room. He found himself in front of the dresser and he pounded his fist down on the solid wooden top making a base drum sound.


    ¡°Whatever the dresser said I¡¯m sure it didn¡¯t mean it.¡±


    He whipped around toward the sound of the voice. Standing in his open entryway was Jacob. The Elder wore a black turtleneck underneath a charcoal grey suit jacket. This outfit was much more casual than the suit he had worn when William first met him in the tower.


    ¡°What are you doing here, Elder?¡±


    Jacob let himself into the room. He placed one hand into his pants pocket. ¡°Well, I came to see how you were doing. Are you telling me you¡¯ve had no other visitors besides me these past few days?¡±


    William shook his head. ¡°Well, Ares has, and he explained he was going to be my teacher. Is that right?¡±


    Jacob considered the question. He nodded his head. ¡°Yes, we have placed you under Ares¡¯ care and he will instruct you in everything you need to know about being a shape shifter.¡± He paused and looked around the room. ¡°Have you had the chance to meet anyone else?¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 4b

    William took a moment to think over the last day or so. ¡°Actually, I have had a visitor. I have met briefly with Amanda on several occasions. She brought me food. I would love to say she was a very nice young woman but that wouldn¡¯t be entirely true.¡±


    The comment drew a wry smile from Jacob¡¯s wrinkled face. ¡°You don¡¯t agree with the bedside manner of my daughter?¡± he said as he arched an eyebrow toward William.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sir. I had no idea that she was your daughter. I¡¯m sorry if I offended you in any way.¡± William was sputtering out his sentences trying to cover for the insult that he had given to the Elder¡¯s daughter.


    Jacob laughed out loud. ¡°Why are you sorry? I know how she is. All you did was speak truthfully about her. She can be a little rough around the edges sometimes. But once she gets to know you better, she¡¯ll loosen up a little.¡± Jacob paused and let his gaze drift toward the ceiling. ¡°No matter how many times I see it, the lights of our city are really beautiful.¡± William found himself looking at the lights as well and nodding. ¡°Besides,¡± Jacob continued to no one in particular, ¡°I¡¯m sure she doesn¡¯t exactly like having to serve a bedridden pup any more than you would. Am I right?¡±


    William was lost and in a very confused state answered, ¡°Right about what?¡±


    Jacob leveled his gaze at William. ¡°Having to wait on a bedridden invalid.¡±


    William wasn¡¯t sure if Jacob was talking about him or if he was asking him if his life ambition was to work at a nursing home. He shrugged. ¡°No, I guess I wouldn¡¯t like to be a wet nurse to someone who was bed ridden.¡±


    ¡°So, you and my daughter have something in common. Isn¡¯t it great how we can find common ground in the most menial things?¡± Jacob turned away from William and was pacing the open, empty space that was William¡¯s room. ¡°So, aside from my headstrong willful daughter and your teacher has there been anyone else to visit you?¡±


    William wasn¡¯t sure but this was starting to sound like an interrogation. He was pretty sure that trying to lie to an Elder would only get him into trouble. He thought back to his first memories of his room. He had woken up and Ares was there then he had doubled over with hunger pains, the most intense that he had ever felt. Then she had been there. ¡°I saw a beautiful, all white werewolf. She didn¡¯t say anything to me but she eased my pain. She seemed to know Ares because before she left, they looked at each other. There was something there even though they only looked at each other for a moment.¡±


    Jacob nodded to the far wall. ¡°How perceptive of you.¡± Jacob turned to face William again. ¡°The all-white werewolf that healed you is called Physis and she is Ares¡¯ mate.¡±


    ¡°Ares isn¡¯t the alpha of his pack how can he have a mate?¡±


    Jacob smiled at William¡¯s perception. ¡°You speak, of course, of the fact that only alpha male wolves mate within a pack?¡± William nodded in assent. Jacob continued, ¡°If you remember I said one of our most important rules is the formation of our packs. Next to that law all other laws and rules, both human and wolf, are bent or broken to preserve our culture¡¯s number one rule of pack construction and integrity.¡±


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    William was completely lost. ¡°Wait a minute, you mean that you people have a set of laws for this place? You have a constitution for the United City of Werewolves?¡± William tried to hide his smile but he couldn¡¯t.


    Jacob wasn¡¯t laughing, ¡°Our laws are kept by the Elders, me. Mr. Davis is human born while Physis is wolf born. Human born and wolf born don¡¯t mate, it just doesn¡¯t happen. She wanted Ares. Ares agreed and the union was accepted by their alpha. Maintaining our population is a concern but we do not force our females to breed if they do not wish too.¡± Jacob looked like he was telling a four-year-old child not to grab his drink off the coffee table¡­ for the seventh time that day.


    William lowered his eyes to the floor. William felt the sudden urge to crawl into a hole somewhere and not come out for five or six months.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, William? No jokes?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sir I meant no disrespect.¡±


    ¡°I would hope so, being that I could rip your arms off and beat you with them.¡±


    The thought of Jacob beating him over the head with his own disembodied arms was disturbing at best, but he couldn¡¯t help the small bark of laughter escape his lips.


    ¡°I¡¯m not so terrible either.¡± Jacob smiled and began walking around the room with his one hand in his pocket. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m really quite surprised that more shape shifters haven¡¯t come to visit you. It¡¯s not every day that we get a new werewolf in the city.¡±


    William let himself relax a little bit. ¡°Why would anyone come and visit me? I¡¯m not so special, am I?¡±


    Jacob smiled at the question, ¡°You really believe that there is nothing special about you?¡± Jacob intentionally looked up and down William¡¯s six-foot-high frame. ¡°I heard about your little tussle with Ares in the tower. You have amazing stamina, even for a werewolf.¡± William accepted the compliment and allowed himself to smile. He supposed that he was fairly enduring, but he had gotten the crap kicked out of him by Ares. ¡°Even so, most of the shape shifters here are naturally curious. I have heard people talk about you nonstop ever since you arrived.¡± He was lost in some memory or other and he started talking to the black polished walls. ¡°When I was still a pup, we used to see new werewolves in our city every other week it seemed. Now though, we are lucky to see a new werewolf every month.¡± Jacob turned back toward William.


    William regarded the Elder. ¡°Could I go out and visit other werewolves?¡±


    Jacob smiled at the pointed question. ¡°I assume you wish to go see Aceso?¡±


    William tried to keep his facial features smooth. But he couldn¡¯t hide his desire to see his alpha and his face was as easy to read as a book. Jacob saw the hope written there on William¡¯s face but he shook his head and looked toward the ground. William was crestfallen. His shoulders slumped and his eyes drooped toward the floor as well.


    ¡°Unfortunately, no, you can¡¯t see Aceso. And you won¡¯t be able to see her for some time. She is still serving her penance for what she did to you.¡±


    ¡°You mean accepting ¡®my oath¡¯? What does that even mean, anyway?¡±


    Jacob breathed a deep sigh and looked William in his eyes. William had a hard time looking back. When he did, he felt the same immense weight of time and power pressing down on him. It was the same feeling that he had felt when he had looked into Ansuya¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°William, we shape shifters have a very rigid way of doing things. The most important thing we hold to is how we form our packs. I¡¯m sure that you have been told about your little trip into the Whyte Plain?¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 4c

    William shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you mean? That place where Aceso saved my life, right?¡±


    Jacob nodded, ¡°The reason you were drawn into that place was that they had been attracted to you simply by the number of shapes shifters that was in Tasha¡¯s forest. The more of us that congregate in an area, the more likely it is to attract them to us.¡±


    ¡°Then why haven¡¯t I had similar dreams here. There are dozens of werewolves here in this city why I haven¡¯t I been lured back there and why haven¡¯t they been attracted to us here?¡±


    Jacob smiled at the outburst from William. ¡°First of all, there are not dozens of werewolves here there are dozens of shape shifters here. You are the only werewolf in this city right now. Second of all we have certain barriers that have been set up and are maintained that keep those shadows from being attracted to us and from attacking anyone who resides in this city. The formation of our packs into groupings of six shape shifters each helps protect them when they leave the city for whatever reason.¡±


    William shook his head as he tried to make sense of what he had just been told. ¡°Wait a minute, what do you mean I¡¯m the only werewolf. Are you telling me that Ares is not a werewolf? What do you call him? Because at least to me, he obviously is a werewolf or am I missing something? Or am I the only one that just so happened to notice that he stands eight feet tall, is covered in brown fur, and has a crown of two pointed wolf ears on top of his head?¡±


    Jacob shook his head. ¡°William, no one has missed anything. Ares is a shape shifter.¡± It was clear from William¡¯s questioning glare that he didn¡¯t understand. ¡°I will explain as best I can. Look, you are a werewolf because you have not yet learned to change when you want to. You are still chained to the will of the Lunar Mother. When she becomes full in the night sky that is the only time you can change into your werewolf form, correct?¡± William nodded. ¡°And yet Ares walks around in werewolf form more often that he does in his native wolf form. Why do you think that is?¡±


    William felt like he was being talked down to. ¡°Because he¡¯s a shape shifter and he can change whenever he wants.¡±


    Jacob smiled at the tone of the pup that was standing in front of him. ¡°You see, you can be taught. William, until you learn how to control your transformations you will be a werewolf, plain and simple. The only difference is that we shape shifters can change at will.¡±


    Jacob appeared to melt into a globulous shadow. For an instant he looked just like one of those shadows that had attacked him in the White Plain. Then the shadow melted away and standing in front of him was a seven-foot-tall tan werewolf. William was proud of himself for not being shocked.


    The werewolf looked disappointed. In the gruff language of the werewolves Jacob said, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re already jaded toward seeing one of us transform already, are you?¡±


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    William smiled up at the monster. ¡°No, I¡¯m not jaded; I¡¯m just not a child that is frightened by the sight of monsters anymore.¡±


    Jacob stepped closer to William. William could smell the musky scent of animal fur wafting off Jacob. It was amazing. Did every werewolf smell like this? It was something he would have to figure out for himself some time.


    Jacob looked down at the human standing in front of him. ¡°You should be. Fear, sometimes, is the only thing that keeps us alive. You would do well to be a little more afraid, especially when you don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re looking at.¡±


    Jacob melted back into his human form. His clothes were restored to their original condition.


    William could not hide his shocked expression this time. ¡°How did you do that?¡±


    Jacob looked down at himself in mock surprise. ¡°Do what?¡±


    ¡°That. How did you just change into a werewolf and back with your clothes not being ripped to shreds?¡±


    Jacob smiled and turned away from William toward the open entryway. ¡°That¡¯s a trade secret, William. Maybe one day when you¡¯re older you¡¯ll understand.¡± Jacob disappeared out the door leaving William alone to contemplate what had just happened.


    William walked back over to his bed and sat down on the black furs. He was trying to wrap his head around the fact the he was a werewolf but had the ability to be a shape shifter. All I have to do is learn how to transform when I want to. Sounded easy enough but somehow, he knew that that was just impossible. He couldn¡¯t change without the moon. He had never tried, but he knew that it would be useless.


    William was just about to lay back down on the bed when Jacob walked back into the room.


    ¡°William, until you believe that you can change without the help of the Lunar Mother, you never will be, and you will be almost completely useless to us.¡± William nodded at the revelation.


    Jacob reached into his pocket again and pulled out a small cylinder object. He tossed it to William, who caught the object and looked at it. It was a toothbrush. William became very self-conscious all of a sudden and he was pretty embarrassed by his inattention to his own hygiene. How many days has it been since I brushed my teeth? He covered his mouth.


    Jacob walked over to the dresser and placed a small yellow box there. William could plainly see the familiar logo of a disembodied arm holding a sledgehammer plastered prominently on the box of baking soda. Jacob turned toward William, ¡°A little housewarming gift. I¡¯m sure others will be visiting you from time-to-time.¡± Jacob nodded toward the yellow box. ¡°At least you can take care of yourself properly.¡± Jacob raised his hand above his head in a sort of wave/ salute. ¡°Be seeing you, William. Good luck.¡± Jacob walked towards the entryway but stopped short. He looked at William. ¡°You¡¯re going to need it.¡± With that Jacob left.


    William lay back on to the soft black furs of his bed. I can¡¯t go see Aceso but nobody said anything about not being able to go to the bathroom. With that thought William pushed himself up and threw his legs over the side of the bed. Still holding his unopened toothbrush, he walked over to his dresser and grabbed the baking soda and walked out of the room.


    This underground city was beautiful. The strange central light that had illuminated this place when he had first entered the city had dimmed and the lights from inside the various rooms were shining. The warm feeling he got from seeing those lights reminded him of Christmas or some other family holiday. Where families were gathered around fireplaces and eating large meals that made people happy and comfortably sleepy. The lights seemed to reach out with the promise of warmth and love and companionship. For the first time in a long time, he missed home.

 Book 2 Chapter 4d

    William looked over at the large patch of forest that he had seen earlier. The trees were still and he saw a small trickling stream that he hadn¡¯t noticed before. He could almost hear the water bubbling inside its banks, traveling to wherever the water was draining to. He thought he saw a wolf but that might have been a trick of the light. He wondered how many wolves lived there in that unknown acreage of forest.


    He thought about what Jacob had said about Ares, ¡®his native wolf form¡¯. If Ares ever gave him the option of asking another question, he would have to ask his teacher what that meant.


    Inhaling the scents of the underground city he started walking down the ramp that led to the street. He had no idea what time it was but he assumed by the lights in the houses and the dimming of the light that lit the whole city, that it was probably night time. He was only wearing his deer skin pants but he was comfortable, he wasn¡¯t hot or cold. His legs were not nearly as wobbly as they had been when Ares first took him down this path.


    William entered the bathroom. He placed his toothbrush and baking soda on the sink and sat down on one of the toilets. The fact that the whole bathroom was an open bay room that was missing an entire wall was something that would take some time to get used to. There was no wall on the street side of the room. Anybody could just walk by and not even meaning to see him sitting on the toilet. For some reason he was embarrassed by that thought.


    He finished as quickly as he could and for the second time in years, he cleaned himself using real toilet paper. For some reason the white paper was still a little awkward to use and ripped easily in his hands. He was going to have to relearn how to use the stuff. After some trial and error, he was satisfied and got off the toilet. He pulled his pants up and flushed the toilet.


    He walked over to the sink where he had left his toothbrush and washed his hands. The frigid water made his hands go numb. He dried his fingers that didn¡¯t do what he wanted them to do. Feeling returned quickly though and he was able to open his new toothbrush and brush his teeth. The feeling of having a toothbrush after all this time was an intense but comfortable feeling. It was like he was brushing his teeth for the first time. He didn¡¯t even notice the bitter taste of salt in his mouth. He was amazed at how the brush against his teeth felt. He had been brushing his teeth with sticks and large twigs for over a year and the sound of the bristles as they moved back and forth over his teeth was a sound that he had almost forgotten. He couldn¡¯t help it and a smile spread across his face. He knew he looked like an idiot, but he didn¡¯t care. Right then he felt happier than he had any right to feel.


    When he was done, he rinsed off the brush and placed it back into its packaging. He wiped his mouth clean on a nearby towel and walked back to his room. The streets were quiet and there was nobody outside. The whole city was quiet. There wasn¡¯t even the song of crickets to break up the silence. The familiar sounds of night that he had grown so accustomed to in his valley were absent here. He felt cold and very alone. This place could have been a dead city, inhabited by nothing more than ghosts. He found that his pace had quickened. The only thing he wanted to do was get off these empty streets.


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    He was almost running by the time he reached the relative safety of his room. His breathing had become ragged, and he tried to calm himself down. He walked over to the dresser and placed the toothbrush and baking soda down on the polished wooden surface. He didn¡¯t want to look at the open entryway, but the gaping black maw seemed to draw his eyes, no matter which way he was turned or where he was in the room.


    The dark entryway stood open like a wound in the glossy black of the surrounding obsidian walls. The dim light from the city made just enough of an impression so that the void was not a perfect black but it wasn¡¯t grey either. The void was a murky darkness with textures and depth. He closed his eyes to the opening. He turned toward his bed and abandoning all fa?ade of self-control he dove under the furs. He knew he must look ridiculous, but he didn¡¯t care. He pulled the furs over his head and tried to ignore the fact that just anyone or anything could walk into his room at any time and kill him while he slept.


    He was awoken by his furs being thrown off his warm body and a gruff angry voice yelling at him. ¡°GET UP, PUP.¡±


    William¡¯s brain was clouded by the cobwebs of sleep and he wasn¡¯t quite sure what was happening. He rolled out of bed as he tried to jumpstart his mind and grasp what was happening. He blinked his eyes and saw the eight-foot tall, frame of Ares standing over him with claws clenched into fists. Ares glared down at William, and he barely had time to raise his arms in front of him before Ares'' powerful leg swept up into his abdomen. The force of the kick knocked him back against the wooden frame of his bed and his head exploded with bright stars. The wind escaped his lungs, and it took him several second to regain the ability to breath.


    He managed to stand up even before he was able to fill his lung again. Ares threw the furs he was holding at William. The heavy fabric slapped William in the face and he was almost knocked backward by the pure force and weight of the furs. William was able to recover from the blow and he threw the furs back onto the bed.


    William stared hard at Ares as the werewolf towered over him. There was no anger in Ares¡¯ glare. It was strange but when he looked into Ares eyes, he didn¡¯t feel the intense weight or power that he had felt when he looked into Jacob¡¯s or Ansuya¡¯s eyes. Ares¡¯ stare held a certain amount of power but it was nothing that made looking into those golden eyes uncomfortable.


    Ares inhaled and William knew that Ares was checking for something. He had noticed that when Aceso and when that other white werewolf had healed him, just before they had bitten him on both occasions, they had sniffed at him. He was reminded of that now, that or how a dog sniffs at something.


    Ares stood up straight. ¡°You are ready to begin. Do you have any pain anywhere in your body?¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 4e

    ¡°You mean besides the pain in my abdomen where you just kicked me? No, I¡¯m fine.¡±


    He knew he shouldn¡¯t have said it but he wasn¡¯t thinking. Ares reminded him just where he was. As quick as the thought came into his head a pain ripped through him, rippling out from his gut and he collapsed to his knees.


    William looked up and saw that Ares¡¯ claw was clenched in a fist. The punch had come so fast he didn¡¯t have time to even see it. The ability to breath left his body again and came back even slower than it had before. He felt like a fish out of water, mindlessly working his mouth trying to make his lungs work in an environment that they were not meant to work in. After a few fruitless gasps he was able to make his lungs fill and after a few more moments he retrained his body how to breathe and he was able to stand back up.


    ¡°You will learn your place, pup.¡±


    William had never seen Ares mad. The large werewolf could crush him with his hands, literally, and seeing the massive eight-foot, fur coated, muscled frame of the werewolf mad was not something he wanted to see again. He realized that he was afraid of this monster.


    After some very long silent moments Ares stepped away from him and allowed him a little bit of breathing room. William let out the air that he hadn¡¯t realized he had been holding and inhaled. He watched as Ares walked around the room.


    Ares whipped back around and faced William from across the room. ¡°Get your stuff and go to the bathroom. Clean yourself. I¡¯ll be waiting here so don¡¯t make me come looking for you.¡±


    William didn¡¯t need any other encouragement he grabbed the toothbrush and baking soda off his dresser and practically ran out of the room. He skidded down the ramp leading from his door. He knew he shouldn¡¯t be trying to run this fast but he felt that if he didn¡¯t, he would just end up getting his ass kicked again. By the grace of some god that was watching over him he made it to the street unharmed. He darted off the ramp toward the bathroom.


    He threw his unopened toothbrush on the sink and dug his fingers into the yellow box top. The perforated edge of the box gave way easily under his fingers. The he stopped. He heard water running somewhere in the back of the room. He heard several voices, both male and female, laughing and talking. He looked around the wall that secured and half hid the bay of sinks. The tiled floor gently sloped down toward a drain that was centered in between about two dozen shower heads. Standing in the running water, naked, were several men and women taking a shower together.


    William ducked back behind the wall toward the sink. He decided that he would have to get used to the idea of showering with naked women another day. He ripped open his toothbrush packaging and wetting the bristles he dipped the toothbrush into his baking soda. He scrubbed his teeth and mouth clean. He rinsed and washed his hands.


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    The showerheads were being shut off. He imagined running face-to-face with the woman from yesterday. She would be dripping water and he wouldn¡¯t be able to look anywhere else except right at her naked chest and then he would get slapped. He shook himself out of the mental picture and grabbed his stuff off the counter. He turned and ran out of the bathroom, he hoped, before any of the bathers could ask him anything.


    Thankfully no one tried to stop him and he ran all the way back to the building where his room was. He ran as fast as he dared up the ramp as it wound around the whole of the building. He tripped as he ran into his bedroom, and he almost fell over. He was able to catch himself by grabbing on to the entryway frame. He regained his balance and looked around the open but empty room.


    Ares was squatting on the floor at the foot of his bed. He had his head down and his claws were folded in front him. It looked like he was praying. William tried to slow down and move with quiet steps. It didn¡¯t matter. As soon as William entered the room Ares unfolded his hands and stood up to his full eight-foot height. ¡°I expected you to be gone for at least a little longer.¡± Ares inhaled. ¡°You could use a shower.¡±


    William laughed. ¡°You said not to take too long, so I didn¡¯t.¡± William turned away from Ares and started to find a place to put his things in his dresser. He was also trying to hide his embarrassment from Ares.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you were embarrassed about taking a shower with your females. Were you?¡±


    ¡°No, I just¡­ I just wanted to get back here as soon as I could, like you said.¡± If he could see himself, he knew his ears were bright red right now. Anybody that could see ten feet in front of them would be able to tell that he was just that, embarrassed.


    William didn¡¯t want to turn around. His ears exploded with the loud, full laughter of the shape shifter behind him. He wished he could find that hole he had thought about when Jacob was here. He had a feeling that, at least for the time being, there would be many occasions where he would want to crawl into that hole. He tried to ignore the laughter as it echoed around the room. He placed his toothbrush and baking soda in the top drawer of his dresser and grabbed his vest out of the bottom drawer. Summoning all the dignity he could he put his now clean vest on and took a deep breath. He tried to smooth his features and when he was ready, he turned around and faced his teacher.


    Ares wasn¡¯t laughing anymore but he had a huge smile on his face. ¡°How are you going to fight our enemies and be a useful member to your alpha and your pack if you¡¯re afraid to take a shower with your women?¡± William tried to look past Ares at the wall, and he remained silent. Ares let the smile slide off his face. ¡°Maybe tomorrow you¡¯ll be ok with our showering arrangements.¡± Ares took a step toward William. In that one step Ares seemed to grow a few inches and his mood turned from mirthful to serious. William was reminded about what it was like when he watched Jacob transform into his werewolf form. Ares seemed to change, and not just physically. Now Ares presence dominated the room.


    William felt very small, but he wasn¡¯t embarrassed anymore. He wasn¡¯t afraid either. The atmosphere in the room was now like solid rock. There was no mirth in the room, but it wasn¡¯t tense either. The room had become neither, warm nor cold. William didn¡¯t feel quite safe here but he didn¡¯t feel like he was in any danger. It was the most comfortable uncomfortable feeling that William had ever experienced.


    Ares voice seemed to boom out from his being. His mouth didn¡¯t seem to contain his voice and the sound touched William from everywhere at once. ¡°William, the first thing I will teach you is how to change without our lunar mother.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 4f

    William felt a little excited at hearing this. Not in his wildest dreams did he think that he was going to learn how to be a shape shifter so early. He felt a small smile creep onto his face. ¡°When do we start?¡±


    Ares looked at William¡¯s feet and his gaze drifted up till he was looking William in the eyes. ¡°Do you feel any pain?¡±


    William took the question seriously and took a moment to flex various muscles and rotate his limbs. He felt no pain whatsoever. He shook his head. ¡°Nope, I feel like I¡¯m pretty much back to normal.¡±


    ¡°Then we begin now.¡± Ares slammed his fist into William¡¯s gut. William coughed hard and fell to the ground.


    ¡°What the hell was that?¡±


    Ares didn¡¯t answer but swept his leg out and kicked William¡¯s legs. William¡¯s legs felt like they had just snapped in two. He had to move. His legs miraculously weren¡¯t broken, and they responded when he asked them to. He threw his legs over his head into a backwards summersault. Ares missed as he lunged forward with another powerful kick. William popped out of the summersault and was on his feet.


    Ares was already moving toward him, his fist pulled back for another punch. William was ready for it and swung up his hand for a block. It felt like he had just slapped iron and Ares¡¯ punch connected with his shoulder. His whole left arm went numb with the impact. He let his legs collapse from under him and he rolled to the side just as Ares brought his leg up for another kick. Ares¡¯ leg swept through air as William was just able to dodge the kick.


    William knew that he couldn¡¯t keep dodging Ares forever. He had to attack. He thought back to their last fight and attempted the same tactic. Ares was expecting the kick between his legs and brought his arms down in a powerful block that caused William¡¯s foot to crack and explode with pain. Somehow, even though he had never suffered a broken bone before, he knew his foot and maybe his ankle were broken. William tenderly placed weight on it and his whole leg crumbled under his weight. Ares didn¡¯t seem to notice.


    The werewolf threw his leg out once more and caught William¡¯s midsection. The air was driven out of his body. He couldn¡¯t breathe but Ares didn¡¯t stop. The werewolf picked up William by the vest and slammed him into a wall. With his forearm, Ares pressed his weight into William¡¯s throat cutting off the air supply.


    The disturbing thing was that there was no anger in Ares¡¯ eyes. If anything, William thought he saw remorse reflected back at him through those gold wolf eyes. Ares loosened his grip, just barely. William was able to breathe but he had to concentrate and force air to be sucked into his lungs.


    ¡°This is no game, pup.¡±


    Ares dropped William to the floor. William coughed and tried to recover but his foot was throbbing with the pain of being broken. He looked down and just below his deer skin pants he already saw the swelling of the injury. His whole ankle and foot were an ugly red. Instead of skin and bone the injury had taken on the appearance of a balloon. William winced as he tried to move it. Using his arms, he propped himself up against the wall as best he could as he watched the werewolf.


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    Ares had stepped away from William and was looking at him with the same weighted stare as he had when he had asked William if he felt any pain. Ares looked down at the wounded human.


    ¡°I could kill you whenever I want to, pup. Remember that.¡± Ares crouched down so he was at eye level with William. ¡°First lesson is, never attack an enemy the same way twice, he will be expecting it.¡± He motioned to William¡¯s broken and now very swollen foot. ¡°By the same token, you must always be ready for an enemy to attack you in the same fashion as they have attacked you previously.¡±


    Ares heaved a heavy sigh and stood up. William had to crane his neck up to see the full frame of the werewolf as he towered over his broken, immobile body.


    ¡°The enemies we fight are both arrogant and shadows of their former selves. If an enemy finds a successful way to attack us, he will probably attack in the same manner, hoping to exploit the weakness he discovered previously.¡±


    ¡°What enemies are you talking about? Do you mean other werewolves, like Tasha and her pack? Who seem to be off limits even to speak of?¡± Ares eyes grew hard and stabbed back at William from the short distance between them, William barely registered the anger that was building in his teacher. ¡°I have been told that we are safe in this mountain even from the shadows that attacked me. Is that who you are talking about? ¡°Or maybe you mean vampires? Huan Li said that those ¡®weakling half demons¡¯ were the least of my worries, so, if they are so far beneath us why do I have to learn how to attack them?¡±


    Ares had heard enough and launched a sweeping kick that crunched into William¡¯s left arm. William felt and heard bone snap and his whole appendage erupted in pain. William didn¡¯t even try to stifle the yell that escaped his mouth. The howl of pain echoed around the room and escaped into the city even as he grabbed at the broken limb with his good right hand.


    Ares was breathing heavily, and through his tears, William could see the werewolf¡¯s chest heave in and out with the forceful breathing of his teacher. ¡°You forget your place, pup.¡± Ares spat out the words through his snout and jaws. ¡°Don¡¯t ever presume to demand anything from me. I will teach you as I was taught, and you will learn respect for our ways. If it means I have to break you, then so be it.¡±


    Ares lunged, elongating himself to run on all fours, out the open doorway.


    William was left with the pain of his two broken limbs. He would have liked to get up but lifting himself with only one leg proved to be a lot harder than he had thought. With his good arm he was able to push himself up, a little. Holding himself against the wall he moved his good left leg under him as best he could, and with an effort that surprised him he was able to push himself up the smooth glassy wall.


    With a lot of pain and some very awkward jumping he was able to move to his bed. He couldn¡¯t lower himself down on to the bed so he turned around and gripping his left arm as best he could he let himself fall backwards onto the black furs of the warm bed. His arm and foot both exploded in pain again and he let out a howl. I am really messed up. The pain was throbbing and every small movement he made seemed to aggravate the injuries he had sustained. It took a long time for the pain to dull into something manageable. With Ares having not returned and no healing expected, William had no choice but to simply surrender to the pain and he blacked out.

 Book 2 Chapter 5a

    His skin was cold and he couldn¡¯t breathe. He panicked and flailed his arms through cold water. He sucked in cold water instead of air into his lugs. He coughed and sputtered as he tried to reach the surface. He registered the fact that both his arms worked perfectly. He struggled to the surface. His face broke the plain and he threw his head back and inhaled sharply. His lungs inhaled clean oxygen and spat up water as he coughed and hacked. It took his mind a moment to recover from the shock. He shifted his gaze all around himself. It was dark here, wherever here was, but he could make out some details. He didn¡¯t take the time to concentrate on anything though. He was too busy turning his head all around himself trying to figure out how he had gotten there in the first place.


    He couldn¡¯t see anybody, or anything for that matter, so he started swimming as best he could toward no place in particular. He was just trying to get out of the cold water. He didn¡¯t swim very far before he realized that there wasn¡¯t any pain coming from his arm or his foot. He stopped and tread water for a moment. His arm didn¡¯t feel broken anymore and he could fully rotate it. He rotated his right ankle and his foot seemed to be perfectly normal as well. He was naked. That fact wasn¡¯t so disturbing. He did a tumble face first in the water and brought his body all the way around in an underwater summersault.


    He breached the surface of the water with a gasp and started swimming again. In the subdued lighting of this underground chamber, he was able to see a stone shoreline not too far from him. He swam for that. As he settled into his rhythm of swimming, he noticed a low roar that he had missed before. He stopped swimming and turned toward the sound. The low roar was caused by a waterfall emptying into this underground lake. William wondered where all the water was coming from. He would have time for that question when he got out of the water. His body was starting to get numb and he knew that if he didn¡¯t get out of the water soon, he might suffer from hypothermia. He also had to figure out and confront whoever had dumped him into this lake in the first place. He suspected Ares had done it and he was going to have some words with his teacher.


    William made his way to the rocky beachhead which was a lot farther off then he had originally anticipated. As he moved closer to the shore a voice echoed off the chamber ceiling all around him. The effect was that of an eerie reverb that reinforced and distorted the voice as it spoke to him. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about leaving that lake.¡±


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    William looked all around him but couldn¡¯t figure out where the voice was coming from. ¡°Ares. Where are you? Why did you¡­¡±


    ¡°Did you not learn your lesson properly, pup?¡± The voices echoed around him and it was as if the cavern itself was mocking him, pup, pup, pup. ¡°You do not demand answers from me. You will stay in the lake till you understand what this lesson is supposed to teach you. I know you¡¯re smart, but if you don¡¯t figure it out the cold water will eventually kill you. If you try to exit the lake, I will be there to meet you and your head will not like the welcome it receives from me.¡±


    So, if I stay in this lake, I¡¯m dead and if I try to leave, I¡¯m dead. William tread water for a time trying to get a better idea of what this underground lake was like. His eyes were adjusting well to the dim light, and he saw that there was in fact some light emanating from the ceiling. The same snowflake like imperfections that were the source of light in his room was here too. Except there were a lot less. The sound of the waterfall was a dull roar now that had been diminished by his ears to background white noise. If he hadn¡¯t been looking around himself, he would have forgotten about it.


    The water was cold but his body had become numb some time ago and he could feel some warmth from the water. He knew that that was just his body adapting to this new environment. He also knew that he couldn¡¯t tread water forever.


    He took a deep breath and submerged his body. He blew out air as he let his body sink deeper and deeper into the black water. He opened his eyes but couldn¡¯t see anything. He moved his hands in front of his face and saw only black water. He blew out more air and swept his arms up trying to go deeper faster. His lungs were empty and he had no idea how much deeper he had to go. He decided that the experiment was over and thrust his arms down to his sides, stopping his downward momentum and beginning to rise once again towards the surface.


    The black, cold water seemed to press in around him. His throat was working and wanted to breathe but he was still under water. His body was revolting against him, and he had to concentrate on not breathing just as much as he had to concentrate on keeping his upward momentum. Inky black water pressed closer all around him and his strength was beginning to ebb. He felt his arms lose power with every downward stroke.


    Just when he thought he was going to drown his hand broke the surface and his head shot out of the water as he inhaled, allowing his lungs to work and giving in to the urgent demands of his throat to breathe. His head dipped down under water, and he allowed the motion to carry him down. His head popped out of the water once more and he lay on his back, keeping the water from his mouth so he could breathe deeply the delicious oxygen of air.

 Book 2 Chapter 5b

    Okay, so the bottom is under me but it¡¯s too deep for me to reach. I guess it can¡¯t be part of the solution that Ares is talking about. What can he possibly want me to learn in this lake? He let himself drift along on his back for a few minutes. What could he possibly hope to learn being in a lake? He let his body drift along not really paying attention to where he was going. What is it about water that Ares wants me to learn?


    William focused his eyes on the ceiling and he could just make out the slight tendrils of reflected light from the water¡¯s surface, dance along the ceiling. He kicked himself forward on his back in the water. It was easier to stay afloat with forward momentum and he was conserving all the energy he could. He let his legs splash slightly as he moved through the black water.


    He drifted along the water¡¯s surface. Why am I here? Well, Will you¡¯re here because some eight-foot-tall werewolf threw you in here. He shook himself. That kind of thinking was not going to get him out of this mess. Why am I here? He thought back to his escape from his valley with Aceso. He lost himself in the memories of the last two weeks as far as he could tell. The midnight run out of his valley. The day long runs along the open rock of the mountains. He remembered the narrow escape from the forest and the briar thicket that Aceso had found. The run up that river as they had outrun the helicopter and police dogs. He thought about Tasha and everything that happened once he had entered the werewolf city. But, why am I here?


    He had followed Aceso almost blindly as she had led him to safety time and time again. It was her that had rescued him from the shadows. She is being punished right now because she took me into Tasha¡¯s forest and because she had accepted my oath of fealty. I didn¡¯t even know what I was saying when I said it. He had spoken the words but she had accepted them and now he couldn¡¯t even see her. I won¡¯t be able to see anyone if I don¡¯t figure out what Ares wants me to figure out and leave this lake.


    What does Ares want from me? He thought about calling for a lifeline, or a street shout out but somehow, he knew that only his echo would answer him. From what little he knew about his teacher; Ares wasn¡¯t exactly the type to just talk for no reason. He also wasn¡¯t in the department of clearly explaining what his intentions were. I am talking about the same werewolf that broke two of my limbs the last time I asked him something, right? No, he knew that he was on his own. Until he found the solution to Ares¡¯ riddle, calling out for help would be a waste of breath and energy.


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    William found himself thinking back to when he woke up. Ares had shaken him from his bed. ¡®The first thing I will teach you is how to change without our lunar mother.¡¯ Yeah, he said that then he went into this whole, ¡®never attack the same way twice¡¯ crap. He was getting really tired of these half answers and coy responses to his questions. Even Jacob hadn¡¯t been entirely forthcoming with any information. Why can¡¯t I get a simple straight answer from anyone around here? He thought that the only person he was likely to get a blunt answer from was Ansuya.


    Look, Ares wants to teach me how to change without the lunar mother. Fine, what does that have to do with being thrown unconscious into an underground lake? The moon does control the tides of the world¡¯s oceans, could it have something to do with that? He nodded to himself. His heart seemed to drop as he realized that this was an underground lake and how can the lunar mother influence it when it¡¯s underground.


    I have to learn how to change when I want too, not when the lunar mother tells me to. He stopped kicking his feet and let his body become vertical in the cold water. His drying chest constricted by the reintroduction of the cold water around his body. He felt his teeth wanting to rattle. He tucked his arms in close to his torso, preserving what body heat he could. He was beginning to feel the acute cold of this lake again. That is never a good sign. He was running out of time.


    He tried to ignore the cold as best he could and force his mind to concentrate on the problem that would get him out of this water. He had to learn how to change into a werewolf without the lunar mother. Did that mean he had to undergo the change now or just figure how to undergo the change? His head was beginning to get cloudy and he was having difficulty concentrating. Change¡­without the lunar¡­lunar mother¡¯s help. Jesus¡­I¡¯m even thinking in¡­thinking in shivers. He barked out a laugh that sounded a little desperate to his ears as it echoed off the walls of the underground cavern.


    I¡¯m not going¡­going to¡­to die here¡­not without a¡­a fight.


    He turned around and plowed into the cold water. He pulled his body forward with his arms and he kicked his legs in a powerful, though unpracticed, flutter kick. He pushed his body as hard as he could to try to generate heat. He couldn¡¯t shake the cold from his body and even with the new exertion, his body didn¡¯t seem to be warming at all. He pushed forward and kept his body working. The chill left his mind, if nothing else, and he was able to think relatively clearly again. As his arms pulled, his legs propelled him through the black water. He wasn¡¯t sure about where he was going but the lake was sizable and he was pretty sure he wasn¡¯t going to beach himself anytime soon. As he swam, he started working on the problem again.

 Book 2 Chapter 5c

    I have to learn to change without the lunar mother. He had wanted nothing more than to change in that first confrontation with Ares in the tower. He had been angry and that had given him the adrenaline boost he had needed to land those few blows before he passed out from exhaustion. Yeah, but even though I was pissed I hadn¡¯t felt anything that might be construed as my transformation.


    He continued to swim through the black water. His body was beginning to feel some warmth again. He could feel that his toes and feet were still where they were supposed to be. The cold water ran all around him. Even though he could feel life return to his body, whatever warmth he generated was taken away by the constant flow of cold water around him. William knew that the lake was winning and, a lot sooner than he wanted to admit, he was going to pass out from hypothermia.


    I¡¯ve been in here too long.


    William couldn¡¯t help a laugh escape from his lips. As he did so the cold lake water rushed into his mouth. The water was clean and cold, and he drank it. I never thought that I would die in water. His thoughts drifted back to days at an indoor pool. How he would watch children and toddlers wear those ridiculous ¡®water wings¡¯ splash around. Why would anyone let their kids wear those things? The idea behind them was stupid. They fit right next to the child¡¯s shoulder. How can you move your arms and teach yourself how to swim if you can¡¯t move your arms properly?


    He couldn¡¯t really blame lazy parents for wanting to cop out that way to keep their kids afloat though. Who has the time to teach their kids how to swim properly when you have a social circle and ¡®friends¡¯ to keep track of and talk to? He had seen firsthand how panicked kids would get and how scared kids were of the water.


    He had been swimming laps in the deep end of the pool on a Friday afternoon. He was in the middle of a two hundred yard I.M. He had just finished the backstroke leg of the event and was flipping himself around to begin the breaststroke. Just as he kicked off the wall the loudest, bloodcurdling scream he had ever heard ripped through the room. He immediately jabbed his head out of the water and looked to where the scream had come from.


    A little boy, maybe five years old, was being lowered into the water by his father. It appeared that as soon as the boy¡¯s foot touched the water he had screamed, because the boy was now being lifted hastily out of the water to be held by the man who had tried to lower him into the pool in the first place. William would have liked to finish his event but he couldn¡¯t pull his eyes away from the side show of this man trying to reason with a five-year-old about water.


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    The man tried to lower his son into the water again and as soon as the kid¡¯s toes touched water the boy screamed again. The man ripped him out of the water and hugged him to his chest. He remembered thinking that that kid must be part cat. William could never understand people¡¯s intrinsic fear of the water, children especially.


    He used to laugh at kids that had just started learning how to swim. They would push and contort their body so that their faces would be out of the water. They would fight the water instead of using it. Try explaining to anybody who doesn¡¯t understand water to let the water support you. If you trust the water and give in to it you can have true freedom of movement, the kind of freedom that only astronauts in space can feel.


    Give in to it?


    William swam through the water, but his mind caught on that singular thought. Give in to it to experience that freedom of movement. The freedom of movement or is it the freedom of choice? The freedom to choose where to go and how to get there. The hardest thing to teach someone about swimming was to get their face wet. You have to surrender to water and let it have some control over your body. He had learned a long time ago that to move through the water effectively you had to give up a little bit of control, breathing was a big one. If you wanted to swim you have to let the water dictate how and when to breathe. The need to have air around you is an instinctive one that can be controlled. People are so afraid to give up that control that they never learn the truth of what swimming is. To have the freedom that water allows you to have, you have to learn how to move the way water wants you to move. Water can bring down mountains and rivers run where they want. Who are humans to try and dictate what water can and can¡¯t do? Only the arrogance of people would allow the thought that swimming and water is just something else that you can exert your full influence over. Water has a will of its own and only a fool tries to fight against it for very long.


    Instead of fighting and straining against water you had to give in to it. Maybe he had been fighting against the change as well and maybe all he had to do was surrender to it and allow it to happen. Give the monster some control over his body so he could experience the true freedom of being a shape shifter.


    He smiled to himself. Surrender to the monster. Will, you¡¯re crazy, you remember what happens when you let him get too much control, you almost lost yourself once. You want to be a mindless instinctive wolf creature for the rest of your life? He considered that for a time. He remembered many times letting his other half, his alter ego, take too much control and it was a battle for him to regain his humanity. The change and the beast that was awakened every full moon in him was powerful and dangerous that was driven by his appetite for the hunt and running with his pack.

 Book 2 Chapter 5d

    Yes, but he¡¯s only that way once I change.


    He remembered back to the mural on the wall in that top room of the tower. The mural had shown a phase of the transformation that he had never experienced before. It was the formless shadow that melted and reformed into a definitive werewolf shape. He had seen Jacob melt into that shadow as well when the Elder had changed in front of him. The Elder hadn¡¯t seemed to be in pain either. It could be just like swimming. I have to give in a little, but maintain control. Just because I have to give up the natural way of breathing doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t breathe when I swim, right?


    Could he transform right now?


    The cold water was robbing him of his heat and energy. He lifted his head and saw he was swimming directly at the small waterfall that was emptying into the lake. He didn¡¯t know what that could mean but his arms were beginning to feel like they were being weighted down. He had trouble lifting them out of the water. He was too tired to try to reach any other part of the shore of the lake. He swam for the waterfall. He hoped that when he got there, there would be a ledge or someplace to rest.


    He maintained his crawl stroke as he neared the waterfall. The pressure that the falling water made as it splashed into the lake was almost enough to push his tired body away from the cavern wall. He had to fight against the current and with an effort that shouldn¡¯t have been needed, he was able to reach the cavern wall directly under the waterfall.


    The water fell around him with a great force, but he could stand up on the smooth rock face that the waterfall had cut into the cavern. The water beat down on him and the dull roar of the water as it fell all around him was a lot louder than it had been even a few feet away. He was happy to be out of the lake, but the waterfall wasn¡¯t any warmer. He sat down and let the water press down around him. The white noise and cold of the water numbed his body. The exhaustion he was feeling from swimming for all that time dulled his senses. This must be what dying feels like. Even though he was exhausted and numb with cold, he could still feel the sting of the frigid water at it crashed all around him.


    William didn¡¯t have the first clue about what to do to make himself change into his werewolf form. Even if giving in to the change was the solution to puzzle, how was he going to put it into practice? Are you in there? If his bestial, instinctive other half was somehow a part of him at all it wasn¡¯t making its presence known. He was so tired. The water was bending him over and he was too tired to try to straighten himself against the force of the water. His eyes were becoming heavy, and he coughed and sputtered as he inhaled water by accident.


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    The coughing fit helped him to straighten himself out and sit up under the waterfall but only for a moment. He was just too exhausted to fight for very long. Soon he was bent over almost entirely, and his chest was almost pressing down on his legs, as his feet dangled in the cold lake water. He wanted nothing more than to close his eyes. He was tired of all of this. He was tired of getting the crap kicked out of him. He was tired of having his life in danger whenever these shape shifters wanted to teach him something. He was just tired.


    Right now, I don¡¯t care if I live or die.


    He knew that to be true. Ares may have wanted him to die when he threw him into this cold lake in the first place.


    He couldn¡¯t even get angry. He just wanted to sleep. He felt himself drift away. There was nothing. He couldn¡¯t feel cold or fatigue. He felt nothing. He didn¡¯t worry about anything. He didn¡¯t think about who he was letting down or not. He let go of all of his stress and for the first time in his life he was truly free. He felt a kind of explosion that rocked his mind. He was ripped from his place in the universe and thrown aside. After a moment he found that his eyes were open but it was as if he was looking through something else¡¯s eyes. He could see and feel himself stand up and he noticed that he seemed to be a lot taller now than what he used to be. He looked through his eyes and could see, but he couldn¡¯t control where his eyes were looking.


    A horrible, predatory howl pierced the relative silence of the underground cavern. It took William a moment to understand that the howl had come from him. His head moved down and through his eyes he could see his hands. They had become massive powerful claws and his arms were covered with a light tan fur, shot through with lines of pure black fur that ran along his forearms. He felt his legs move and he was scrambling along the wall of the cavern. His wolf claws were digging into the solid rock and water of the lake. He was horrified to find that not only could he not direct where his eyes looked; he had no control over his transformed body at all. He watched in silent horror as he felt like he was on some kind of roller coaster from hell.


    He could feel his claws dig into the rock and he could feel the cold water as it slapped at his hind legs, but he couldn¡¯t control anything. The transformation had taken place, but in doing so he had condemned himself to being a prisoner to his instinctive animal side.


    William watched as his werewolf body launched itself into the air and landed on the rocky shore of the lake. He heard himself howl again. Only this time it was the howl of a challenge. He tried to look in all directions at once, but his eyes were locked on a single spot in front of him. He could smell Ares. He couldn¡¯t make his werewolf side take a deeper sniff at the air but through his werewolf nose he knew that Ares was here.

 Book 2 Chapter 5e

    As he was trying to focus on something at the far side of the cavern his eyes ripped themselves to the left. If he could have, he would have fallen over from the sudden violent shift. There was something back there but even though he was straining himself he couldn¡¯t make his head turn back around toward what he had seen. It didn¡¯t matter anyway because standing right in front of him was Ares, though he was in his werewolf form Ares still towered over him by at least seven or eight inches. William watched as his arms raised themselves and his legs kicked off the rocky shore. He felt his body sail through the air toward Ares.


    William wanted to close his eyes, but he couldn¡¯t and he felt his arms swing down with crushing force on Ares¡¯ raised arms as Ares blocked the clumsy aerial attack. He felt himself land hard. He felt the impact shoot up his body as his instinctive other half didn¡¯t seem to know how to bend his knees. He felt himself snarl and stare at Ares.


    Ares was standing a few feet away watching him.


    ¡°William, are you in there at all?¡±


    Ares shot forward and swept his legs out from under him. He felt the world shift out of focus and he felt the pain of the impact as he landed hard on his side. He heard himself give a howl of pain as he landed. His eyes were open toward the far side of the cavern and he was trying to get himself to focus on something that was off in the distance but as he strained himself to see, once again his vision was ripped from his focal point, and he was thrown off balance. His head, if it could even be said that he had a head anymore, exploded in pain as once again his werewolf body moved without warning.


    William could only watch as Ares continually threw his body to the ground. His other half was stupid and kept throwing himself at Ares. If this had been a movie, he would have said that it was boring. Except that it wasn¡¯t a movie. He was watching and feeling every punch, every block, every attack, and every fall as acutely as if he had full control over his body. But he had no control. He couldn¡¯t close his eyes, he couldn¡¯t speak, he couldn¡¯t even move a finger, not that that would have stopped the pummeling he was being given by Ares.


    William watched as his body threw a barrage of punches at his teacher and he felt the bone crushing force of Ares¡¯ blocks. He felt and heard himself snarl then all the wind was gone from his lungs. He felt himself gasp for air. Ares didn¡¯t wait for him to recover. He lashed out with a vicious kick, again to his midsection. He felt the concussive force of the blow and he felt a small part of him panic. What is that? He didn¡¯t feel panic it was coming from somewhere else. Is that you? He asked to his other half.


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    Ares launched a double punch, again to his exposed midsection and he felt himself fall to the ground. William could feel fear coming from somewhere. The pure instinctive, bestial side of himself was afraid. William had never felt fear so acutely before. It was wild and untamed. He couldn¡¯t soothe the fear with rationality. All he could do was experience the fear of death with the side of himself that was in control. William knew that Ares wouldn¡¯t kill him, or would he? The fear and panic that gripped his other half was infecting him as well. He was losing himself to the pure instinct of his other and he didn¡¯t like it. He tried to calm his own fear just as the fear that he was feeling threatened to drown both of them.


    He felt his body stand up and throw a howl that echoed out across the cavern. William was encased in fear and pain as his other half started to run. He felt his body jerk up and away from the ground as his throat was constricted and once again air was cut off. He felt Ares¡¯ powerful arms and legs wrap themselves around his body in a sort of sleeper hold. His other side just fought harder to get away. There was nothing except the cold emotion of fear. William couldn¡¯t feel any anger or pain just the all-consuming fear that was robbing him of his own mind.


    "William, you can¡¯t give in to the fear. Don¡¯t lose yourself.¡±


    William stopped. He didn¡¯t feel any fear. He spoke too soon the fear of dying gripped him like a snake wrapping itself around a rat. But for a moment when Ares had spoken to him, he hadn¡¯t felt any fear at all. For that one moment of clarity, he had been free. He wanted to yell out but the fear of his other was clouding his own mind once again.


    Ares was keeping a constant pressure on William werewolf¡¯s form¡¯s throat and the air was slowly trickling into his lungs. William tried to think of something.


    ¡®The one constant through all the years, Ray has been baseball.¡¯


    His mind worked as he remembered things outside of nature.


    ¡®Covey leader to Raven, come in John.¡¯


    He felt himself lose his fear as he remembered things from his life that his other half had no memory of.


    ¡®The plaque for the alternates is down in the ladies room.¡¯


    He felt the fear slide from him and he felt the fear from his other fade as well.


    ¡®I too wish to stand before the emperor, as you did.¡¯


    William felt the cocoon of instinct unwrap itself from him and he felt a kind of gratitude from somewhere. What are you so happy about? He couldn¡¯t quite explain it, but he felt himself grow. Instead of just observing and having to watch everything that was going on around him he began to become part of it.

 Book 2 Chapter 5f

    The first thing he noticed was that he could move his eyes. The oxygen he was breathing was kept at a small amount so he wasn¡¯t sure he could stand up even if he wanted too but he could at least move his eyes. He felt the fear diminish inside of himself even more and the more the fear left him the more control he was able to take over his own body. He felt his hands move at his command once more. He was able to wiggle his toes and he felt his head twist against the pressure of Ares¡¯ arms when he commanded his head to move. The more he moved, the more control returned to him. Ares¡¯ arms tightened against the wiggling of William¡¯s body.


    ¡°Ares, it¡¯s me.¡±


    William surprised himself. He had never spoken in his werewolf form but the words of the werewolf language came out perfectly and Ares released the pressure from around his neck. Ares did not let go.


    ¡°Where are we?¡± Ares replied.


    ¡°It¡¯s a little hard for me to know since I was unconscious when someone threw me into that cold lake over there. How the hell am I supposed to know where I am?¡±


    William felt Ares arms remove themselves from his body and he fell forward on the hard ground, gasping. He was overcome with the relief of being able to breathe . He stretched out his body on the hard rock ground. He laughed out loud as all of his body parts responded perfectly in turn. His toes wiggled, his arms moved, and his nose sniffed at the cool air of the underground cavern. He could smell the clean scent of the lake and everything that was around him.


    He rolled onto his back and sat up. He turned his head to look at the far side of the cavern. But when he concentrated on the spot where he thought he had seen something, there was no evidence that that spot was any different than any other part of the cavern. He could have sworn that he had seen something down there but there wasn¡¯t anything down there now and whatever it was, could have been just a result of him not having any control over his eyes.


    William stood up and was met by Ares who offered William his hand. William took it and Ares shook it. ¡°What the hell happened to me?¡±


    Ares let go of his hand and cocked his head to the side. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    William couldn¡¯t stop his jaw from dropping just a little bit. ¡°What I mean is I gave up a little control and then my other side took over, I could see and feel everything that was going on, but I couldn¡¯t control it. I couldn¡¯t speak; I couldn¡¯t even move my own eyes. But I could feel everything that was happening to me. I felt every punch you gave me, and I could see where my eyes were pointed. I could even feel its emotions. When you put me in the hold, I could feel its fear as if it were my own. It almost was my own and I could barely think.¡±


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    Ares nodded. ¡°But you can control everything properly now, right?¡±


    William rotated his arms and head once more just to be certain. ¡°Yeah, I can move ok now.¡±


    ¡°And you can speak in the werewolf tongue without problems.¡±


    ¡°I have been speaking to you this whole time, right? Or am I imagining this?¡±


    Ares face darkened at the unappreciated sarcasm. ¡°Do you feel this other side of yourself anymore?¡±


    The look on Ares¡¯ face was not lost on William. ¡°Yes, but it is very faint. It¡¯s in the back of my mind like the beginning pressure of a headache without the pain. It¡¯s almost like its sleeping.¡±


    Ares nodded. ¡°That other side of ourselves lives in each and every one of us. What we have to do is make sure not to lose ourselves to it.¡± He jabbed a single claw toward the middle of William¡¯s chest. ¡°You have to keep yourself here.¡± He pointed to William¡¯s forehead, ¡°and here.¡±


    William nodded. He wasn¡¯t quite sure how to do that, but he understood what Ares was trying to say. ¡°What happened to me?¡±


    Ares heaved a deep sigh. ¡°I wish I could tell you, William. I don¡¯t know. Maybe because I was born a wolf. I was a creature of instinct before I changed that first time. So, when I did, I was lost in this body, but I was still myself.¡± Ares shook his head. ¡°But you were human born. I have heard of some shape shifters changing and losing themselves to their animal side. Most of them become werewolves like you were.¡± Ares stopped and inhaled the air around him. He turned his head back around toward William. ¡°But you were a werewolf and from what I know about you, you were able to keep your humanity in your valley.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡± William leaned forward. ¡°So what happened this time that made me lose myself so entirely to the monster that I could very easily become?¡±


    Ares paused and thought for a moment. The waterfall continued to empty itself into the lake. Aside from the dull roar it produced, the cavern was completely silent and still. ¡°I don¡¯t know, William. The only thing I can do is take you to one of the Elders and we can ask them what they think.¡±


    William lowered his eyes and nodded.


    Ares led him out of the underground cavern. William studied his surroundings. It seems so much smaller than it had when I was in the lake. Of course, he was a foot and a couple inches taller than he had been too. William looked down and tried to see the striations in his fur. The light tan fur coat that he wore was crisscrossed with thin black lines. He had never noticed before, but now it reminded him of a camouflage pattern.


    Ares led William around the lake in silence. William was glad; it gave him time to think about what had just happened. He turned his concentration inside himself, and he probed the sleeping consciousness that was his other. That beast had been more terrifying than he had ever imagined it being. If Ares had been any less than he was the fight between the two of them might have gone a lot different.

 Book 2 Chapter 5g

    His other was sleeping. It was like a knot of pain or discomfort in the back of his mind. It was hard and unyielding. He tried to concentrate on it but every time he tried to get inside of that space with his mind, he was shocked. A mental shock like he had touched a live wire. That sleeping part of him was a part of him but separate. He guessed that he wouldn¡¯t ever be able to make peace with that part of himself. We could at least try to learn to get along. If his other heard him it didn¡¯t respond at all. His other was nothing but a collection of emotions and instincts. Ares was probably right. Trying to reason with that part of himself was going to be a fruitless endeavor. William dropped his internal investigations and turned his attention to where Ares was leading him.


    Ares had walked around the lake, past the waterfall and back around to the other side of the cavern. On this side of the lake there was a cave. Ares led William inside and the floor of the cave dove sharply downward. William had no idea where they were going. The floor was smooth, and his hind claws clicked quietly on the smooth surface. Ares turned into an alcove to the left. The alcove was well hidden in the natural folds of the earth. They walked down ward and the path curved around to what seemed like, to William back along the curvature of the lake that was now separated from them by solid rock. They walked for a long time in almost absolute darkness, the path was smooth and Ares footsteps never faltered.


    A light grew in the distance and William had become aware of the rising temperature around them. It was now unbearably hot, or at least it would have been if he was still in his human form. Areas walked William towards the heat and steam and William became aware of a rhythmic sound, something that sounded like a ceiling fan, only much bigger and faster. The narrow pathway opened up to a humid, hot, but also a sizable cavern with giant propellors over pits that hot stem shot out of. The props caught the steam jet and were turned. William didn¡¯t quite know what he was looking at.


    Ares side stepped out of William¡¯s view. ¡°This is our geothermal powerplant. This is what is responsible for most of the power we use in the city. We do tap into the power grid from the outside but only use a small amount and usually only in emergencies. Everything that uses power in the city runs from these steam jets.¡±


    William watched the turbine turn. ¡°Are those things made of¡­ what is that copper?¡±


    Ares shook his head. ¡°No, those turbines are almost solid gold, it¡¯s the only metal that isn¡¯t corrosive and can withstand the immense heat from the steam jets.¡±


    William looked at the place. ¡°I had no idea that something like this was even a thing.¡±


    ¡°We are not beasts, William, and technology does require electricity. This is our home, I bought you here to show you some of the work that has gone into creating this place, and the pride that each and every one of us has in protecting our home.¡±


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    Ares didn¡¯t say more and led William around the cavern and out through another walkway that was cut into the stone walls.


    Once inside the narrow passageway, Ares led him up a steep incline. The passageway was narrow enough so that there was never a time when he could not touch both sides of the wall. The passageway twisted and cut up through the rock of the earth. He looked up and the ceiling of this passageway was covered with white stalactites. It didn¡¯t surprise William at all. With an underground lake nearby, and the steam from the geothermal plant, there would be some condensation. He almost asked Ares why there were no matching stalagmites. The passage was so narrow, if there had ever been stalagmites, they would have been removed to keep the passageway to the lake clear.


    The walk up was long. The narrow passage winded its way up through the earth. The path finally leveled off and widened to the point where it looked like he was in a manmade tunnel instead of a natural cave. This new cave continued on an incline. With his werewolf eyes he was able to see everything, even if it had been pitch-black. The cave was lit with those shining imperfections that were used to light his room in the werewolf city.


    The tunnel leveled off. William was grateful; maybe this meant that they were close to wherever it was they were going. Again, Ares turned to the left into a well-hidden alcove. This passage was much narrower than all the others had been. The winding twisting passage was so narrow that even moving sideways he was afraid that he might get stuck. He had to force himself through a particularly narrow squeeze in the rock and he ran right into Ares¡¯ back.


    ¡°Sorry.¡± Ares didn¡¯t acknowledge the bump or the apology. ¡°Ares? What¡¯s wrong?¡± The werewolf was standing there looking up at the ceiling. William looked up as well and saw that the ceiling was very low here. He also saw that directly in front of his teacher was a solid rock wall.


    A loud piercing howl broke the silence. The close proximity of the walls made the howl that much louder as the echoes bounced off the walls. In less than a second it was as if he was surrounded by hundreds of werewolves howling at the same high pitch. William fought the urge to cover his ears. The terrible sound eventually faded away and left William with a ringing in his ears that just didn¡¯t want to stop.


    The solid rock wall that Ares was standing in front of shifted from its place in the earth and moved to the side burying itself in the rock. Ares walked through the now open passageway as if nothing extraordinary had happened. There must be something in the stone that recognizes the pitch of the howl and moves the false wall. No one had volunteered that information. It was something he would have to ask about later. Ares had stopped several feet past the opening and turned around to look at William. He looked at him, asking him the silent question, Are you coming? William hurried through the passage.


    Ares turned around and continued to follow the tunnel. William heard a muted scraping and turned around just as the passageway closed behind them. The rock wall stopped moving with a thud and then there was silence. William turned and saw that they were in some kind of dense forest.


    They had emerged from the tunnel into a lush green world of trees and rocks. William was surprised at how fragrant this place was. He looked at the nearby trees and followed their trunks all the way up to¡­a ceiling? He looked around and noticed that there was no sunlight. The light was the same artificial light of the werewolf city.

 Book 2 Chapter 6a

    William decided that they were in fact back in the city but inside the forest section that he had seen from his room. The air here was very much like his valley though. He could smell the cedars and the pine trees. He thought that he could hear something off through the underbrush. It might have been other wolves or it might have been nothing at all. The ground they walked on was a dense carpet of grass and pine needles. How is this possible inside an underground cave? Probable the same way that solid rock moves to the side to open passages.


    He followed Ares through the lush growth of the forest. If he hadn¡¯t looked up at the ceiling, he would have sworn that they had exited the mountain entirely and were now outside. He heard a creek off in the distance. As far as William could tell this was a forest. He even had to swat at a mosquito. This place was truly amazing. He looked to his right and caught sight of two wolves chasing each other through the rocks. He couldn¡¯t keep his head still. He looked over to a rock formation than upwards to the dense pine needles of the evergreen trees that surrounded him back down to the pine needle strewn floor that he was walking on then back up to the underbrush that hugged the various trees that grew out of the ground.


    He wanted nothing more than to stay here and run with the wolves that made this place their home. The thought of running with wolves made him think back to his valley and his pack. His head dropped, and he heaved a deep sigh¡­ his former pack. The thought made him depressed. The pack that he had run with in his valley wasn¡¯t his anymore. He wondered if they were ok. Had those agents left them alone? Were their hunts going well? Were they finding enough food? He had left them without warning. They were probably a little scared wondering where their alpha had gone. Would the old grey be able to take care of them? A splash of water hit his paw and he blinked. Am I crying? He wiped away the tear from his paw and rubbed his eyes and face to dry them.


    Ares hadn¡¯t turned around since they entered the forest, so he was pretty sure that he hadn¡¯t noticed. His pack would be fine. They had taken care of themselves long before he had shown up and they would take care of themselves now.


    Ares was walking at a quick pace and soon the two of them had broken through the trees into a clearing. William looked out. The black square blocks of the buildings of the city were a sharp contrast to the deep rich greens that he had just passed through. The black of the streets and the patches of shiny polished black obsidian walls on the interiors of the various rooms that he could see. The blunt change was a little jarring, but he didn¡¯t have time to dwell on the differences of atmosphere. Ares was walking away from the green grass of the forest onto the hard, cold stone of the werewolf city. William didn¡¯t have any other choice but to follow him.


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    The stone on his hind paws was cold and those first few steps jarred him and hurt his foot pads a little. Going from the springy support of grass and pine needles to hard uncompromising stone was something that he also had to get used to. Ares didn¡¯t slow down, if anything the eight-foot-tall monster increased his speed. Ares turned to the right and followed a line of stone block buildings. The buildings were separated so as they walked William was able to catch glimpses of the street on the far side of the buildings. Ares kept his head pointed rigidly forward; he didn¡¯t stop to look around at all. William had never been to this part of the city. He followed Ares doggedly as he turned down one of the narrow alleys in between two buildings.


    Ares¡¯ shoulders brushed up against the walls of the two framing building that they walked down. William could easily brush up against either of the buildings but for the most part he had some separation between himself and the buildings, Ares had none.


    Soon they were through the narrow alleyway and back on another street. Ares turned right once again, moving farther away from the indoor forest and William¡¯s room. William could see the tower jut out over the other smaller buildings of the wolf city. He couldn¡¯t see a direct path to it, but the tower commanded the skyline of the city.


    William couldn¡¯t help but remember what he had gone through to pass the Elder¡¯s test. He couldn¡¯t help but notice that his anger rose at the thought of people dying for nothing more than a test? He found that his hands had closed themselves into fists. He was seething and from that a new kind of fire erupted in his heart and mind. It was like a pure rush of adrenaline was just released and had flooded into his system. Right then he felt like he could take on anything and survive. He didn¡¯t know where all this power was coming from, but he liked it. He felt himself growl low in his throat. He hated the Elders for playing God over people and wolves. The fire was raging in his mind and he stopped.


    He unclenched his hands and tried to calm down. The anger was emanating from his own mind and the beast had been awakened. He felt its growl echo through his mind, and he was filled with the thrill of the hunt. He saw images of blood and carnage that no man should see. He saw images of death that raced through his head, killing Ansuya and seeing her brain splattered on the wall. He could see Huan Li¡¯s neck broken in half and a small trickle of blood issue from his nose. His eyes were glassy and empty, his clothes stained red from his own blood.

 Book 2 Chapter 6b

    William tried to control what he was feeling but the images kept throwing themselves in front of his vision. The thought of ripping Ares throat open before the werewolf had a chance to turn around. The taste of fresh blood from the kill flooding his mouth and making it water.


    William tried to shake away the images, he tried to let go of his anger. The harder he tried to regain control, the more control he felt slip through his fingers. He wanted to scream for help but no words would come out of his mouth. He looked as Ares walked away down the street. His teacher was unaware of what was going on. William tried to raise an arm, something, but the harder he fought the weaker he felt himself become. He wanted to stop all of this. His mind was slipping, and he was losing himself to the blood and death that wouldn¡¯t leave his sight.


    He wanted that power. He wanted that thrill. He wanted to kill everyone.


    No! No! I don¡¯t want to kill. He felt a ripple run out through his mind. Is that laughter? If you¡¯re laughing, you¡¯re not thinking about killing. He was able to move his hand and grip his left arm. With an effort he was able to dig his claw into his flesh and pinch down on the nerve, hard. The involuntary yelp that escaped his lips was the greatest sound he had ever heard.


    Ares whipped around at the noise. He stood still. For a moment he was a statue, framed against the backdrop of the black underground city. Then the shape shifter was in motion. He ran forward and plowed into William¡¯s chest. The pure concussion of the impact knocked William up and back ten feet. William sailed through the air, almost in slow motion. He could see Ares take a deep breath and watch. William could feel the air on his body as he passed through it. This is almost like swimming. Before he had a chance to move his arms to see if he could swim, he crashed down on the stone street. He winced in pain and another yelp escaped him as he met the stone.


    The impact was rough, and he rubbed his hands behind the back of his head. The beast was not through yet and he felt anger emanating from it, not from himself. William rubbed at his back as he forced the anger away from him. Was I really that mad at the Elders? William knew the anger he was feeling now was coming from the beast inside of him. William was able to control those emotions and deflect what he felt. He was able to rationalize and study the anger that wasn¡¯t coming from him. It augmented my own raw emotions.


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    As William sat up and got to his feet, he reflected on what had just happened. If Ares hadn¡¯t been here¡­ He knew that dwelling on things that could have been was unhealthy. He stood up as Ares approached him. Ares was walking in a fighter¡¯s stance. His steps were evenly spaced and controlled. He walked with his hands and arms out in front of him and his legs remained very carefully spaced apart.


    ¡°William? Are you alright?¡±


    William stood there flexing his arm muscle and looking down at himself. The beast was still awake, but he was diminished. William had full control over his limbs once again.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m alright. I, uh, I was just scratching my arm and I dug a little too deep, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°You will learn to keep it in check. Or I will kill you.¡± Ares leaned over William. His teacher sniffed at him and spun on his foot and walked off down the street once more.


    William let out the breath that he didn¡¯t know he was holding and began to follow his teacher once more. William had no doubt the Ares wouldn¡¯t hesitate to kill something that he perceived to be a threat to the city or to himself. William walked in Ares¡¯ footsteps; the question of where they were going was lost to him. He was too busy trying to understand what had just happened. It was obvious that the beast fed on William¡¯s emotions, especially anger. What are you? He asked to that part of him which he didn¡¯t understand. The beast side of him that he had awakened was terrifying and strong. The urge to kill seemed to be the only thing it lived for. Granted, he didn¡¯t know it that well but from the last two encounters with that part of himself, William was beginning to feel like it could never be reasoned with. Will I ever have full control over myself again? The question was disturbing on a lot of levels, but he didn¡¯t have the time to explore them.


    Ares turned up a ramp on a nearby building. William turned and started up the ramp as well. Ares got to the second-floor landing of a room and turned to face William as he drew closer to the massive shape shifter. Ares motioned William inside the room.


    William walked through the door and found himself in a well-lit, well decorated room. Several paper Chinese lamps hung from the ceiling. Their bright orange paper was painted with dragons and scenes of war from the steel age, men fighting men on horseback with spears and swords. On the walls hung several scrolls. One had a long and elegant string of Chinese characters flowing downward in a broad line from the top to the bottom of the white parchment. Others showed scenes of mountains sides with houses shrouded in mist. All the scrolls had some Chinese writing on them, some had more than others.


    William saw an elaborate dresser with a mirror frame crafted from plain wood. On the dresser reflected in the mirror behind it was a remarkably well-made model of a great wooden sailing vessel. He couldn¡¯t be sure, but he could have sworn that he had seen that ship, or another very much like it, before. William made his way over to the treasure trove of antiques.

 Book 2 Chapter 6c

    The dresser top held several other small knickknacks and keepsakes. He even saw a cheap little snow globe. It seemed very much out of place next to all the highly crafted artifacts it shared company with. What was remarkable about it was that inside the plastic of the small globe was a replica of the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge. William shook his head. Why would someone keep a piece of junk like that around?


    ¡°It reminds me of where I came from.¡±


    William whipped around at the sound of the voice and stood up straight as Huan Li walked into the room. William watched as the old man stood still, looking William in the eye. The weighted stare of the Elder took its toll. But even still, William answered evenly in the natural tongue of the werewolves, ¡°I¡¯m not quite sure what you mean, Elder.¡± The last was spoken in a tone of respect. William hadn¡¯t been told how to address the Elders one on one, but he was sure that some form of courtesy was necessary to be shown toward them.


    ¡°Elder?¡± Huan Li turned toward a simple wooden chair that was situated in the corner of the room. As the old man walked over to the chair his soft laugh could not be mistaken. He reached the chair and turned back toward William with a wry smile on his lips. ¡°Why the formality, young pup. I thought you hated me and my pack because we¡­ how did you put it? ¡®We would have you and others like you die for nothing more than a series of tests¡¯.¡±


    William let his eyes fall to the floor. Huan Li removed a slender walking stick from the wall. He placed both of his hands over the top of the cane and rested his arms out in front of him, waiting for William¡¯s reply. William shook his head at himself and raised his eyes. Looking in Huan Li¡¯s eyes made him realize just how little he knew about everything. William held the gaze of the Elders for as long as he could before he had to let his eyes fall to the floor.


    ¡°I thought that it would be proper to address you that way.¡±


    Huan Li smiled, an amused smile that had an edge to it. William felt very exposed and vulnerable, standing in this room filled with Chinese artifacts and a San Francisco snow globe. Huan Li had all the advantages here and the Elder knew it.


    Huan Li turned his attention to Ares. ¡°Why have you brought him here, Ares?¡±


    Ares leaned in close to the Elder. William couldn¡¯t make out what was being said. Ares kept his voice so low that William couldn¡¯t be sure of anything that was being said. Ares glanced over and nodded his head at William and continued to speak in those same hushed whispers.


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    When Ares began to speak Huan Li¡¯s face was jovial, still wearing that small smile. As Ares continued to speak, the smile turned to a flat line and then a frown. William felt the weight of the Elder¡¯s eyes move up and down his body. He never felt more naked than he did right then. He was naked, but that wasn¡¯t the point. He was covered in fur, but he felt a chill run through the whole of his body and he felt that same ripple fan out through his mind, the ripple that wasn¡¯t his own thoughts but the laughter of his other.


    When Ares finished whispering, he stood up straight and moved back against the wall. Huan Li leveled a steady hard gaze at William. The Elder didn¡¯t seem to move at all. He must have because the next thing William knew, Huan Li was standing in front of him. Even though he was over seven feet tall and Huan Li was five feet, five inches, maybe, somehow, he still felt like he was looking up at the Elder.


    ¡°You are here to ask for the secret to controlling the uncontrollable. To capture the uncatchable and win the unwinnable.¡± Huan Li began walking around William in the middle of the room. ¡°What you really want is an end to suffering, your suffering.¡± Huan Li paused. ¡°What happened to you in the lake, William?¡±


    William took a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling. The black obsidian was blemished with the same imperfections that spattered his room¡¯s ceiling. The imperfections shined brightly down on him, flooding the room in a soft gentle light. William looked inside himself to the other consciousness that had taken up residence inside of his brain. The lump of coiled emotions and hunger that it was, slept once again. What are you? His other didn¡¯t respond, not that he expected it to.


    William brought his head down and looked toward Ares. Ares was leaning against the wall. At least that¡¯s what he wanted it to look like. William could see that his leg muscles were tensed and ready for movement at a second¡¯s notice. Ares head was resting against the cold black obsidian of the wall, but his eyes were alert and watching everything that happened. William knew that Ares was watching every part of his body at once, trying to read his muscle movements to anticipate an attack or any other movement that he made.


    William could feel Huan Li standing behind him. If this was any other situation, he would be very creeped out by having an old man standing so close behind him. As it was, he was unsure how to answer the Elder.


    ¡°William, the question will not go away simply because you refuse to answer it.¡±


    ¡°I know, Elder, I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t explain what happened because I don¡¯t really know myself.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t?¡± Huan Li moved around him to face him directly. The old man leaned on his cane and looked up into William¡¯s werewolf face. ¡°Let me help you out then, pup. Let me see¡­¡± Huan Li placed a finger to his lips and looked up at his ceiling as if to draw the circumstances of what happened at the lake out from the various lights that shone around the room. ¡°You were thrown into the lake, not knowing exactly why.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 6d

    William wasn¡¯t particularly impressed with this small example of Huan Li¡¯s prognostications. He stood, waiting for the old man to tell him something worth knowing. He kept his facial features smooth and unreadable. His eyes held no boredom or malice. He was like a statue listening to some old fool confess why he thought his life was where it was.


    ¡°But that wasn¡¯t all, was it? You figured something out in that cold water. Perhaps you learned that the loss of some control was the true path to freedom.¡±


    William almost lost control of his facial features as Huan Li spoke.


    ¡°William by coming so close to death, you gave up on yourself. In that singular moment in time, you were completely free. You were free from your stress, free from your responsibility to Aceso your alpha, free of your guilt from leaving your pack. You were free from all the material things of this world. And just for a moment you were free from yourself. Am I right?¡±


    William couldn¡¯t hide the shock from his face. He stared wide eyed at Huan Li as the old man described his personal emotions and thoughts exactly as they had happened. Does this guy have a summer home inside my mind? He couldn¡¯t grasp how the Elder could know everything he had felt in that waterfall just before the change happened. He looked up at Ares. Ares was still standing against the wall. He hadn¡¯t moved and his stare hadn¡¯t lessened. His eyes held no sympathy or judgment. William knew that he wouldn¡¯t find any help from him. He turned his attention back to the Elder.


    Huan Li had turned his back on William and started to cross the room to where the paper lanterns hung from the ceiling. With his back to William, he gestured around himself with his cane.


    ¡°Do you know why I have kept these things?¡± Huan Li walked around the space of his room pointing to various artifacts and objects that adorned his room. ¡°I have kept these things to remind me where I have come from.¡± He pointed to the lanterns. ¡°I keep these to remind me of the culture of my heritage. These scenes of enforcers on horseback, they are Mongols fighting against the Chinese army, before the Great Wall was built by the first Emperor Qin Shi Huang.¡± Huan Li looked at William. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve noticed that I am of Chinese descent. I¡¯m sure the look gave it away.¡± He smiled.


    William was a little irritated at being so brazenly upbraided. ¡°Yes, Elder, I noticed that your ethnicity was of Eastern Asia origin. I wasn¡¯t sure if you were Chinese or Hmong, or Korean.¡±


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    ¡°Korean?¡± He looked up at Ares. ¡°Ares? Has any pup ever said that they thought I was Korean?¡±


    Ares didn¡¯t change his stance and his lips parted just enough to allow a ¡°No.¡± to escape.


    Huan Li turned back toward William, ¡°That is a new one. I will make a note of it. The pup, William thought that I might be Korean. I¡¯m sure Jacob will get a kick out of that.¡±


    William felt his cheeks growing warm from being embarrassed by this old man. He wanted to attack him and make the old fool respect him. He wanted to storm out of the room. He wanted¡­to stop allowing himself from being influenced by his other. His anger and embarrassment had awakened the lump of emotions in the back of his mind. This attack was much more subtle than the first one had been.


    William looked inside his mind and tried to reason with the knot of corded emotions that was now constantly fighting him. You were quiet and seemed very happy when we only changed on the full moon. What has happened to make you so blood thirsty? What have I done to allow you to influence my thoughts and emotions?


    William focused on Huan Li again to find the Elder studying him very closely. He looked over to see that Ares had pushed himself away from the wall and was in his battle stance that he had used earlier in the lake cavern. William took a very slow, deep breath and let it out. He felt his other awake and very active but at least he had full control over his emotions.


    ¡°So, it is that serious.¡± Huan Li looked over at Ares. ¡°I¡¯m sorry old friend, but I had to see it for myself.¡± Huan Li looked around his room. ¡°William, do you want to kill me?¡±


    William shook his head. ¡°No, No, I don¡¯t want to kill anyone.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. I may look old, but you will find that I am more than a match for how you are right now, even though I was reborn under the gibbous moon. Traditionally we, Scouts are physically weaker than the full moon born Enforcers, but I could still kill you very easily, pup.¡± Huan Li gestured to Ares. ¡°And if you somehow got the upper hand against me, Ares would die before he let me die by yours or anyone else¡¯s hand.¡± Huan Li turned back toward his treasures. ¡°As I was saying, my great grandmother was a Mongol. Her and my great grandfather came here in the mid eighteen hundreds. He died digging the tunnels for the great cross-country railroad, or the grand title that some newspaper man gave it, The Transcontinental Railroad.¡± Huan Li¡¯s shoulders seemed to droop for a moment and all the strength seemed to leave his back and his arms hung limp at his sides. He turned back to face William. ¡°I have come to hate that name. It is the one transgression against my people that I have never been able to forgive this country for.¡± Huan Li stepped closer to William and inhaled William¡¯s scent. ¡°I know you have hatreds of your own.¡± Before William could interject Huan Li continued, ¡°If you don¡¯t, you soon will.¡±


    William watched as Huan Li turned back toward his dresser and he picked up the plastic snow globe. He tipped it upside down and then right side up. He watched as the fake particles rained down on the Golden Gate Bridge.

 Book 2 Chapter 6e

    ¡°This was given to me by my mother.¡± Huan Li looked up from the globe. ¡°My great grandfather had given his life to this country and everything it stood for and the only thing that his granddaughter could afford for her son on Christmas Day was a cheap snow globe of the place I grew up.¡± Huan Li looked as if he was going to crush the cheap plastic between his fingers and let the water spill out through the broken remains. Instead, Huan Li placed the snow globe back on the dresser. ¡°I have my anger and my own demons to deal with every day. You would do well to remember that. You are not alone in your hatred or your pain.¡±


    He motioned for William to follow him as he walked toward his open doorway. As William joined him on the landing just outside the room, Huan Li stepped aside and gestured over and around to the massive city that surrounded them. Over the tops of the black buildings William could see the massive trees reach up toward the ceiling of the underground cavern. He saw the various shades of stone and the sharp black obsidian that made up most of the structures. He could see the tower rising above the rest of the city.


    ¡°Everyone living here, be it man, woman, child, human, or wolf born feels some kind of pain.¡± The Elder looked him in the face and a sharp pain greeted his legs as Huan Li swung his cane and connected with William¡¯s exposed limb. William grunted and looked down to see the cane planted against his leg where it had connected.


    William looked up at Huan Li in surprise. ¡°What was that for?¡±


    ¡°What? This.¡± Huan Li struck at William¡¯s leg again.


    William backed away a step from the Elder. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°What needs to be done.¡± Huan Li struck William¡¯s midsection under his arm. William was too slow and too confused to block the swift attack from the old man. Huan Li didn¡¯t move from his place but struck William again in his exposed midsection.


    William wanted to rip the cane out of the old man¡¯s hands. He felt the lump of emotions in the back of his head stir and he almost didn¡¯t care. Right then he wanted to end this. Huan Li stood there looking at William. And William understood. This is a test to see if I can control my other and his influence over me. William deflected the anger he was feeling and got a hold of himself again. He stood up and looked at the Elder.


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    ¡°William, pain can be controlled, physical as well as emotional. We shape shifters have come to accept who and what we are. We are monsters. We are what nightmares are made of. We thirst for blood and hunger for the thrill of the hunt. I know what pain is. I know what anger is. I know how strong those emotions make me feel but I also know how weak and exposed I actually become because of those emotions.¡± Huan Li leaned upon his cane.


    ¡°The thing you have to learn is how to coexist with that other part of yourself. You have to understand that you are human and monster, animal and beast. Once you have come to terms with that then you will be able to call yourself a true shape shifter.¡± Huan Li sighed. ¡°Until then you will be nothing more than a werewolf, an instinctive monster content to hunt and kill anything and everything weaker than you are.¡±


    Huan Li looked into William¡¯s eyes and brought the full weight of his being down on the pup. ¡°If you are unable to master what you are, you are useless to us. More than that, you will become a danger to all of us here in this city and those around you. I don¡¯t have to tell you what will happen should that prove to be the case with you.


    You have to accept what it is. If you fight against it, it only becomes stronger. I have seen a number of pups deal with this change in themselves differently. Some of them were¡­unsuccessful.¡±


    Huan Li turned back toward the entryway and motioned to Ares who was still in the room. A moment later Ares walked out of the room and down the ramp past William. Huan Li looked at William. ¡°I have killed many things in this world, one more werewolf won¡¯t make a difference.¡± Huan Li disappeared back into his room.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to go, pup.¡±


    William turned around to find Ares watching him. Ares eyes didn¡¯t hold any malice or hatred. If anything, what he saw reflected in those eyes was apathy. William knew that Ares couldn¡¯t help him. Still, he couldn¡¯t help but feel some resentment toward his teacher.


    William walked down the ramp and pushed past Ares to step on to the street. He took several hasty steps away from the ramp. He didn¡¯t know where he was going, he just wanted to walk. He took a few steps down the street heading away from the tower and the underground forest when he felt a rough claw grip his shoulder. William didn¡¯t have time to react before he was spun around on his heel. He would have fallen over if Ares¡¯ strong claw hadn¡¯t supported him. William snarled at the sudden jerk and was caught looking right into Ares¡¯ face which was several inches higher than his.


    ¡°Where are you going, pup?¡±


    William let his lips pull back away from his jaws and let his sharp canines gleam in the city¡¯s light. William let his anger and frustration build. The knot of emotions slowly uncoiled themselves from his mind like a snake recently awakened from its sleep. William wanted to tear Ares apart. He was tired of being talked down to. He was tired of being treated like a child. He was tired of living by someone else¡¯s rules.

 Book 2 Chapter 6f

    He flexed his muscles and felt the added rush of adrenaline flood his system. His other was awake and ready. William had full control of his body and the added support of his other was like nothing he had ever felt before. He could win this fight. He saw Ares lying beaten and broken in front of him in a pool of his own blood. A low, blood thirsty growl escaped his lips and his eyes narrowed.


    Ares looked into William¡¯s eyes. ¡°Is this what you want?¡±


    William hesitated. Yes, I do want this. He felt a wave of euphoria wash over his mind as he admitted this to himself.


    William reached up and grasped Ares¡¯ arm with his claw. He kept his eyes locked onto Ares, watching for any change, for anything that would tell him what the larger shape shifter was going to do. His mind was a tempest of controlled fury, but he would not let himself give into those feelings. The taste of blood was thick in his mouth. He could barely smell Ares at all. It was like his teacher had no feelings or emotions about what might happen next. William knew that, even at his most powerful, he could never beat Ares. A ripple flowed across his mind as if in argument to his thoughts.


    An image of blood and victory was thrown up in his head. He could see the fight play itself out in his mind as clearly as if it was happening in front of him. He would rip Ares hand from his shoulder. Then throwing himself backwards, he would catch Ares with a double kick to the abdomen. Ares would counter with a double arm hammer blow to his shoulders, but he would roll out of the way and kick Ares¡¯ legs out from under him.


    William kept his claw on Ares¡¯ arm, not moving or tensing his arm in any way. He kept his eyes locked on Ares the whole time. He controlled his breathing and watched the rest of the fight play out in his head.


    Once Ares was on the ground he would soften him with a few kicks to the sides, driving blood out through his mouth. Once Ares was tired and stunned. He would grab the head and jaws of his teacher. With a snarl he would pry Ares¡¯ mouth open and force the jaw to keep opening. The jaw would snap off and Ares would lie limp and lifeless defeated on the ground in front of him.


    Then what?


    It was such a small voice in the vast recesses of his own consciousness. His other had no response for the small spark of reason that invaded his delirium of victory and the thrill of battle. There was a shiver in the back of his mind as the waves of euphoria and joy were stopped suddenly. The adrenaline that had been released into his body drained away. He shook his head and blinked away the sudden lightheadedness that he felt. The shudder of his other withdrew and as it did it created a vacuum that left him weak, and his legs suddenly had no strength.


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    He was holding on to Ares¡¯ arm for support now.


    He looked up at Ares. The werewolf had a look of pure indifference toward him. There was no hate, there was no compassion. His eyes could have been made of pure biotite for all the emotions they showed. He looked at his teacher and pondered his future in the werewolf city.


    The thought of him losing all control was not far from his mind. He could fight and maybe kill Ares. No, not Ares but maybe some other pup, or a human born that he caught by surprise. He could kill one or two. Maybe the next time he would kill Amanda. Yes, she would be easy to kill. He knew that once an act like that was done, he would be hunted down and killed, if not by Ares than by the Elders or by some other shape shifter. There would be no safe haven for him. He would be hunted for the rest of his life.


    He thought about what it was like to have to run away from something, having to run away from those agents in his valley, having to run away from that helicopter, being carried away from those shadows. The thought of having to look over his shoulder till the day he died was not a future that he relished for himself. Neither was the thought of being captured and getting thrown into some government lab by those agents who had chased him out of his valley to be dissected and studied like the aliens at Roswell. Either of those futures was more terrible than the thought of being treated like a child.


    He removed his claw from Ares¡¯ restraining arm and let it fall to his side. His tail wilted as he let go and relaxed. Ares took his hand away from William¡¯s shoulder and turned to walk away.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to say anything?¡±


    Ares turned back toward his student. ¡°Do I need to?¡±


    William tried to say something, anything, but the words didn¡¯t come, and his mind was a blank slate. He couldn¡¯t think of anything that Ares could say to make any of this easier.


    ¡°What happens now? Do you just wait for me to not be able to control myself and kill me?¡±


    ¡°I have trained over a dozen pups. I¡¯ve lost one.¡± Ares raised himself to his full eight-foot height and breathed a deep sigh. ¡°What happens now is up to you, William. I can¡¯t help you in this. It¡¯s something that every werewolf must face on his or her own. But should the day come where you are truly lost to us, I will give you a quick, peaceful release from this life.¡± Ares paused and sniffed the air around them. ¡°Now it¡¯s time to eat.¡±


    He hadn¡¯t expected much more from Ares. The bluntness with which Ares laid out the truth of what was to come was a little disturbing but also a little bit heartening as well. He doesn¡¯t sugar coat it. He admired his teacher for that.

 Book 2 Chapter 7a

    The scent that Ares had inhaled earlier was now invading William¡¯s nostrils. He could smell the aromas of cooking meat. His stomach grumbled loudly. He wanted nothing more than to go toward the smell. He could almost taste cooked venison and the smell of blood overwhelmed his senses. He had no other thought in his head except that he wanted to eat. But Ares, for some unknown reason, walked past the source of the smell.


    William turned his head back and forth between the still walking Ares and the source of the food smell that was driving him crazy. He almost panicked and wanted to run off toward the food that would taste so good after not eating for as long as he had. But he also knew that Ares was leading him some place for a reason.


    Ares bent over and started walking on all fours. William was amazed at how easy Ares made that look. He had to think about it, but he followed suit and the two of them continued through the city as quadrupeds. William looked up above the black obsidian buildings and towering over them he saw the fresh green of the trees, and he could hear the soft bubbling of the stream that they had passed over to reenter the city from the underground passage. Ares melted from his werewolf form into a glob of black shadow. The shadow was more mist than anything material. The next moment Ares had shrunk down into his natural brown wolf state.


    Ares loped through a narrow alley way between two buildings, William followed. The alleyway pressed in around him. He wasn¡¯t claustrophobic but the space left him very immobile. Bent over on all fours was something that made the space seem even narrower. Ares was only a short distance from him and soon they were both out of the alley way.


    Ares didn¡¯t pause but quickened his pace to a loping run and William followed. It was strange hearing his own claws, like this, click on the black stone of the street under him. He followed Ares onto the soft grass and pine needles of the forest.


    Ares increased his speed and soon William had to devote all his effort into just keeping up with the older, stronger wolf. Ares tore through the underbrush, barely skirting around the various trees and rocks that were in his path. William got a mouthful of pine needles as Ares clawed into the ground and made a hard left turn around a rather large tree trunk. William threw his head to the side and spit out the pine needles as he matched the maneuver and stayed as close to Ares as possible.


    As they ran, William kept wondering when the woods were going to end. He had never got the idea that this indoor forest was so big, but running through the green rich smells and thick life around him the real question that came to his mind was how is this even possible? The forest didn¡¯t get any natural sunlight. The only light source that he could even think of that he had seen in the wolf city was the little flecks that shone in his ceiling.


    Ares came to a small thicket in the middle of a dense copse of trees. The wolf came to a stop and faced William. Ares made one small bark. William couldn¡¯t quite understand what it was that Ares was trying to tell him, but he knew that he should stay there on the edge of the clearing.


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    William sat down on his haunches with his arms in front of him, for balance. Ares nodded to the ground and turned around to walk into the middle of the clearing. William watched as Ares circled around the clearing twice. Ares sat back on his hind legs and, stretching his head and nose toward the treetops, he let out an ear-piercing howl.


    William was rocked back by the shear sound of the howl. He had never heard anything so loud. The howl was shrill but underneath it all he could hear a slight sorrowful whine. William listened closer to the incredible sound, and he could pick out other emotions as well. There was a sense of passion, expectation and he could have sworn that he heard the sound of something that could only be described as longing. William couldn¡¯t believe that Ares would ever need anything, much less broadcast that vulnerable emotion in a howl so loud that the entire shape shifter city could have heard him.


    The howl lasted for long moments and in the exact opposite of how the howl had suddenly started it died from Ares open mouth. It was almost as if Ares didn¡¯t want to let go of the howl and didn¡¯t want it to end. When the sound died away to echo faintly off the trees and the ceiling of the cavern, Ares lay down in the clearing. William watched as the wolf folded his forelegs in front of him and rested his head on them, looking out toward the edge of the clearing opposite of William.


    William felt his own sadness reflected in his teacher¡¯s posture. Why had Ares brought him here? That was a question that he might never understand. Seeing and hearing Ares, the biggest, strongest shape shifter he was likely to ever meet, so vulnerable and so sad placed in his mind a very strong compassion for his teacher. He respected Ares enough as it was, but Ares had let him see a side of himself that he probably kept very guarded.


    William watched as Ares thumped his tail on the ground. He didn¡¯t bring his head up at all. William was reminded of a tired old dog that had a bad leg. The kind of animal that still wanted to get up and play but couldn¡¯t, so it had resigned itself to lying on the floor all day.


    William heard it first and Ares¡¯ head shot up and he was alert, his head darted from left to right looking into the underbrush and trees that formed the clearing. The sound grew louder. Ares stood up and William rocked forward to stand on all fours. His tail was straight behind him ready for anything. The shrubbery opened and the beautiful all white face of Physis passed through the underbrush and into the clearing.


    William watched as Ares jumped up and ran to his mate. Physis met him in the air as they nipped at each other¡¯s necks. The two of them looked so happy. Ares tackled Physis and Physis twisted under him and darted into the opening of the clearing. Ares picked himself up and ran toward her and jumped up near her once again. Physis met him in the air and collided with her mate. The two fell to the earth in awkward poses but they regained their feet. Physis nipped at Ares tail and he whipped around and propped himself up on her neck.


    Ares saw William standing just outside the clearing. Ares quickly backed away from Physis. Physis turned toward her mate. Her eyes and face scrunched up in confusion. Ares, with a shake of his head, pointed toward where William was waiting just outside the clearing.


    Physis looked back at Ares and walked around him toward the far side of the clearing. William hoped he hadn¡¯t done anything wrong. Physis let out a quick, sharp, bark toward the opposite side of the clearing. William cocked his head to the side and looked at Ares. Ares nodded his head once and pawed at the ground.

 Book 2 Chapter 7b

    William took a very tentative step out into the clearing and saw that Physis was now sitting down looking out into the trees. William made his made to Ares as Ares lay back down with his head up. If he didn¡¯t know any better, he would have said that Ares was smiling and the wolf did nothing to control his tail which was wagging back and forth.


    A werewolf that was about his size came tramping through the trees toward them carrying a large deer on his shoulders. The newcomer was covered in a mottled tan and brown coat of fur. Physis yapped once and came back to sit next to Ares. She laid herself down next to him and placed her head on his neck. William felt a little uncomfortable being so close to them. Somehow, he didn¡¯t want to move because that might offend them. However, he couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that he was intruding on some very intimate moments between the two of them.


    The werewolf unceremoniously dropped the carcass on the forest floor. What William hadn¡¯t noticed were the two wolves that had walked into the clearing behind the werewolf. One of the wolves was covered with a cape like coat of black fur along her back and her legs and stomach was covered with light tan fur. The other wolf had a calico pattern of grey and brown covering the whole of his body. The female werewolf melted and changed back into a wolf. All five of the wolves picked out different areas of the deer carcass and started to eat.


    William was unsure about what to do. This wasn¡¯t his pack and he hadn¡¯t participated in the kill. If he started eating it the wolves would take offense to that. His mouth watered at the sight of the fresh blood as it was smeared all over the wolves¡¯ faces as they dug deeper and deeper into the carcass. William wanted to take a bite. He was so hungry. But he knew that that would start a fight that he couldn¡¯t win. He was almost rocking back and forth with hunger.


    William backed up a step and decided that he would have to wait till the wolf pack had had their fill and he would get the leftovers. Ares pulled his face out of the dead animal. His brown snout was now red with blood and his neck had taken on a bib appearance as the deer gore had soaked into his fur. Ares looked at him and cocked his head to the side. He stood up and placing his forearms into the carcass ripped off a large chunk of leg and whatever else stuck to the dismembered limb. Ares stood up and, with the deer leg in his mouth, walked over to William, who watched as Ares lay the piece of meat in front of him. Ares looked up from the meat and nodded his head once. William leaned over the piece of meat and tore into it with more fervor than he wanted to. He was hungrier than he had realized. Ares barked once then walked back to take his place with his pack.


    William devoured the leg of the deer. By the time he was finished there was nothing much left of the deer. Ares and his pack were finishing cleaning the rest of the dripping guts and flesh from the skeleton. William in his werewolf form watched as the wolves finished eating. The tan and brown wolf walked off through the trees. The other two wolves followed her out of the clearing. William wasn¡¯t sure why till he caught the look that the calico grey and brown wolf gave him. He looked at him with a dead calm stare and nodded briefly toward Ares and Physis.


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    He understood.


    The two mates had moved away from the carcass and were lying with each other in the shadows of the surrounding trees. Physis was licking her mate and Ares was playing with her tail. He was batting at it with his paw in the middle of rolling around playing with her. Physis kept moving around her mate half jumping and nipping at his neck and paws.


    William looked back at the calico wolf as he shook his head. He threw his head and pointed over William¡¯s shoulder. The message couldn¡¯t have been clearer if the wolf had yelled it out over a loudspeaker, ¡®get out of here and give them their space, pup.¡¯ William did as he was advised, not because he was afraid of what the calico would do, but because he respected Ares enough to allow him his space with his mate. Even if they were wolves some human rules of decorum, it seemed, were followed by these shape shifters.


    William turned away from the clearing and allowed Ares and Physis their privacy. He wandered through the forest by himself. He was still in werewolf form, and he had no idea how to change back to his human shape. Even if he had known he wouldn¡¯t have changed. For the first extended period of time, he was content with himself. His other was asleep and hadn¡¯t rustled or attempted to influence his emotions at all, pretty much since the confrontation with Ares. William was content to walk the forest. The smells of this place brought his home, his true home, back to a sharp clarity in his mind. He could see that the light source for this massive underground cavern had dimmed. If he didn¡¯t know any better, he would have said that he was outside the mountain. He looked up and saw that the imperfections in the cavern ceiling were shining like stars. Looking up and seeing all those lights he could have been looking at stars and the illusion was seamless. He found himself thinking about things that he hadn¡¯t given any thought to since he had moved to his valley. Is there life out there? Are we alone in the galaxy? What did poets see that was so brilliant and beautiful about stars to write about them so much that the simple, but elegant, light show of night is perpetually connected to love and romance?


    William smiled, the first in a while, and shook his werewolf head at the thought. How much of this world do I not know and how much is out there in the heavens that nobody knows? Of course, those lines of thought brought back some of his old grievances with society and people in general. People as a rule wanted to catalogue everything in the world to fit their own precepts of what they think it should be. Scientists are the worst offenders, especially now a days. He had never heard a scientist give an interview where the scientist of anything, astronomy, psychology, biology, had ever even hinted at not knowing for sure what they were talking about or that there could be another explanation to whatever theory they were explaining.

 Book 2 Chapter 7c

    William shook his head. Every time he thought about stuff like this, he just wanted to kill something. He felt the push of his other and the thought of death invaded his consciousness. He grabbed his head with both of hands and tried to force his other back away from him. It wasn¡¯t working and his anger was growing. He was pissed off that this had been done to him. He was pissed that the world worked the way it did. He was pissed that if he ever had to leave the mountain than those agents, whoever they were, would hunt him down and do who knows what to him. What gave people the right to exert their will and their view of the world on everyone else? The rage was growing inside of him, and he wasn¡¯t even sure he wanted to stop it. The fires of anger burned through his body. He was invincible and his strength had doubled. He could feel adrenaline flood his system. The natural drug of his body coursed through him and he craved that feeling the way, he supposed, a heroin addict craves his fix, and the euphoria of the high. William was high now. He was high on hate and anger and power.


    He hated, but he didn¡¯t want to murder anyone. He was content to sit in the eye of the storm. The rage that twisted itself around in his mind made him growl and brought the sweet taste of blood back to his mouth. His body flexed and contorted against itself as he stood there in the middle of the forest. Guttural inhuman growls escaped his mouth as he twisted his body back and forth and let his arm flex and his legs muscles pump. He was an engine of destruction with the sole purpose to harvest and concentrate his own rage. He loved this feeling and he reveled in it. His hate gave him these gifts of apathy and strength. Why would I ever want to give this feeling up? I am God here!


    William let the hate build inside him letting it feed off of itself. Rage existed for rage¡¯s sake, there was no logic to it and he didn¡¯t want to control it. He lowered himself to the ground on all fours. He tensed his muscles, flexing and adding other tensions to the steel springs that used to be his legs. He wanted to fight, anything, everything that had ever existed. He wanted to fight Ares. He wanted to fight the world and he wanted to make the wind itself bow down to him.


    He stopped, the hate still churning around him. He couldn¡¯t bring himself to even think about killing people that might be innocent. There is no innocence in this world. As much as he wanted to submit to that thought he couldn¡¯t bring himself to agree with it.


    There were children in this world that were as corrupted as their parents and spoiled rich friends. Then there were people far older than he or the Elders that had somehow managed to live above the world and live decent good lives. There was still good in the world and if he became the destroyer of it then he would destroy the last spark of good in the world as well.


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    As his mind folded around this epiphany, he crouched down even lower to the ground and with a jerk that raised his head and chest upwards and let out a howl of pain and anger that, at least to him, made Ares¡¯ howl sound like a whimper. He let his howl grow and echo off the trees and the ceiling of the massive cavern overhead. He hadn¡¯t let the howl die from his lips before he loosed the stored energy in his legs.


    He shot forward like a projectile fired from a trebuchet. He launched himself into a dead sprint and attacked the terrain around him. He gripped and threw claw¡¯s full of dirt and pine needles behind him with every step. There would be no trouble tracking him, but he didn¡¯t care. He was going to burn up in the heat of his anger. He didn¡¯t care about that either. He wanted to fight, he wanted to destroy, and with this body, he now had the instrument to do just that. And even though he could now do everything that he had only admitted wanting to do to himself in his deepest, blackest dreams he knew that the innocence of the few good people in this world would forever keep him from becoming that mindless machine of death that Ares and Huan Li had warned him against.


    He threw himself at a tree and kicked off it launching himself into the air in a sling shot maneuver. He spread his body and flattened out catching as much of the still night air of the cavern and the forest as he could. He crashed down to the ground and kicked up a cascade of pine needles as he continued to run, not missing a step in his rhythm.


    The rage would kill him one day. But right now, he wanted to use it, he wanted to commit some great act of strength or self-mutilation to prove to the world how mad he was, how pissed off, and how uncooperative he was going to be with the world as everyone else thought it should be. He ran harder, jumping from one tree to the next sometimes jumping directly from tree trunk to tree trunk like some kind of giant monkey. His muscles were tireless and even this exertion didn¡¯t help him burn away the hatred and anger that coursed through his body.


    He ran through a copse of trees and saw a rather large boulder protruding from the ground. He ran up to the boulder and skidded to a stop. He gripped the boulder with both arms and lifted. The boulder didn¡¯t move. William gathered himself and plunged his claws deep into the soft soil that surrounded the boulder and was able to rip a hand hold into the bottom of the giant stone. He leaned back and heaved. He felt his back strain and his leg and arm muscles protest. His claws had a good hand hold and he fought with the stone.


    He was an engine of destruction, and he would not be denied by a stone.


    He lifted harder and pressed his body farther than he would have in any other normal circumstance. But this was no ordinary night, and this was no ordinary circumstance. He jerked his body up to give himself more torque and the boulder shifted. William smiled and howled again in triumph. His body had broken out into a sweat, but he didn¡¯t care, he pushed his body even harder, and the boulder slowly succumbed to his will. He strained against it and with everything that his body was capable of he managed to lift the boulder. In one fluid full body motion, like a weightlifter heaving a world record bar bell over his head, William heaved the boulder into the air.

 Book 2 Chapter 7d

    The boulder sailed almost a full seven feet into the air before it crashed back down to the earth. William heaved as he forced his body to take in more oxygen. The exertion of his efforts had drained him, at least momentarily and he took several minutes to recover from what he had just done. All that anger, rage, and pain and all you were able to do was move it a few feet from where it had been. Some Destructor you turned out to be. He smiled at himself and shook his head. He couldn¡¯t stop the laughter that came out of him against his will. He fell back on the ground and laughed. He gripped his side and looked at the boulder. I was beaten by a rock. It was a big rock. That just made him laugh harder.


    The anger melted away in his own innocent laughter. He didn¡¯t want to kill or destroy anything. He wanted some understanding. He wanted the world around him to make sense. People don¡¯t make sense, what makes you think the world they build is going to be any different? He supposed that was a question that he would have to figure out for himself. He would either make peace with the world or his own hate, confusion, and frustration would eventually kill him.


    I don¡¯t want this anymore.


    He knew that that was the truth even though he craved the way he felt when he was enveloped in his hate. His anger shrouded him in apathy, and he didn¡¯t feel pain. But, oddly enough, the more hate he felt the more he knew that hate wasn¡¯t the answer. Hate had never done anything for him, he had left civilization behind him once and even that wasn¡¯t enough to protect him from the world.


    He stood up and looked around his surroundings. He saw the chewed-up trail in the ground that he had left behind him. He sniffed at the air around him. He couldn¡¯t detect anything. Apparently, his howl hadn¡¯t alerted anybody to any danger, at least nothing worth caring about. He knew that that couldn¡¯t be the whole truth behind why he wasn¡¯t surrounded by werewolves ready to take the rabid animal down. He looked up at the cavern ceiling high overhead. Then he shook his head and started to make his way out of the forest.


    The smells of this forest, even though it was underground, was clean and fresh. The green of the grass and the pine needles overhead. This place was just as alive as his valley had been, maybe more so. He could hear the soft sounds of the night echo around him. The faint sound of crickets and the gentle far-off sound of running water that he would not have been able to hear if he was in his human form.


    The temperature of the place was comfortable, and he decided to walk around for a bit. Leaving his trail behind him, he turned back into the forest. The sound of water was lost to him entirely as he made his way deeper into the forest. He walked through the trees allowing himself to be lost in the fiction of this being his valley and he was once again waiting for his pack to find him.


    He tripped over a root that was protruding from the soft forest floor. His foot ached then the pain dissipated, and he was once again lost to his mind and the thoughts of home. His pack would meet him on a night like this. He would rejoin them and take his place as there alpha, and they would run through the valley. They had been complete masters of their fate and their dominion over the place was unquestioned. He would take the lead and the old grey would hang back, allowing him the place of honor. The wolves would run forming a cloud of fur and teeth and claws that flowed over the valley floor, flew over the river, and surged up mountains.


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    William walked for a long while and came upon a pyramid of stacked rocks and boulders. The sight looked like a child had taken a bunch of random building blocks and pushed them into a pile. There was no apparent reason for the irregular pyramid to be here. He looked over the pile and saw the wall of the massive cavern that he was in behind the stack.


    Remembering the only reason for climbing a mountain, he started up the pile of rocks. The footing was too stable for the stack to have been caused by a random cave in. Not a single pebble moved from its place as he crawled up the relatively high rock formation. As he climbed, he noticed that the rocks themselves were not particularly rough, and there were no real sharp edges to the stones. If this had been natural there would be some more irregularities, if nothing else the stack of stones would have shifted or something from my added weight. The formation had to have been hand made just from how sturdy it was. He lifted himself onto the tabletop clear plateau that was the top of the formation.


    He turned around and looked over the forest. His head came to about midway up the trunks of the nearby trees. This could have been his valley. The same trees grew here, and things looked very similar to him. He could see a copse of close-knit trees in the distance that could have been the border of the clearing that had served as his kitchen area.


    The more he looked at the forest the more home sick he got. His valley had been ultimate freedom, freedom that he had had to work for and earn every day, but freedom. Here, he was a prisoner. He was a prisoner of the shape shifters and of himself. Ares had said that this ¡®wasn¡¯t exactly a volunteer thing¡¯ or something like that. Giving over control of his body to some horrible instinctive monster wasn¡¯t exactly a volunteer thing either. If he had known what would have happened, he would have fought these people with everything that was in him.


    He stopped.


    He would not let his anger get to him, not this time.


    He had had to earn his freedom in his valley. He was comfortable with that reality. Maybe this was just an extension of that concept. Maybe he would have to earn his freedom from himself. He knew who he was and what was at stake if he failed. It was just like the time when he killed that coyote. Then, he had accepted where he was and what he needed to do to make a living for himself there. He knew what he was, and he understood what he had to do. He had to earn his freedom. Until then he would be a prisoner, but the shape shifters here had nothing to do with it.


    As soon as he thought it, he knew that it was true.


    Knowledge always comes with a price, but knowledge is never the death of innocence. What I do with it determines my place in the world. The shape shifters had opened his eyes and now that they were open it was up to him to assimilate that knowledge and use it to regain his freedom. Just the fact of him being here, like this covered in fur and wielding razor claws, was enough proof to him that he was in fact part of something much greater than himself. He always had been. In his valley he had been a child. Since then, he had been forced to grow up rather quickly. Now he was more like a teenager. Seeing his actions through that lens made him very disappointed in himself.


    He sat down on the pile of rocks. He had been acting like a fool. He looked up at the stars, lights in the ceiling, and nodded to himself.


    ¡°I am William Setford, beta to Aceso. I am a shape shifter, not a monster, and I will master myself and serve my alpha and the rest of my pack as is expected of me.¡±


    He took his right claw, extended the blade, and sliced deep into his left arm. He let the blood run down and drip onto the rocks. He didn¡¯t even winch at the pain. A few drops of blood escaped. The rest were soaked up into his fur and then the wound was healed. He was always amazed at just how fast he healed when he was in his werewolf form. He lay back on the rocks looking up at the lights in the ceiling and, feeling lighter than he had in a very long time, he let his eyelids close and he slept.

 Book 2 Chapter 8a

    When he woke up the light in the cavern was bright once more. He couldn¡¯t pick out individual lights in the ceiling of the cavern. The entire ceiling had taken on a soft glow that even his werewolf eyes couldn¡¯t penetrate. He raised himself up on his elbows and looked around. He was comfortable and his body was well rested. He had never woken up as a werewolf before and he felt great. He wasn¡¯t hungry at all, he wasn¡¯t cold, and his muscles weren¡¯t stiff. He felt like he could throw a boulder, figuratively speaking. He reached over and ran his claws along the scar that now slashed across his left arm. The flesh was marked with a clean white line that ran perpendicular to his muscles and was plainly seen even through his thick fur. He remembered his oath.


    ¡°Aceso, I won¡¯t fail you.¡±


    He stood up on his tiny mountain and stretched. His werewolf body never ceased to amaze him. He flexed and he could feel the strength and power that his body possessed. He could do anything.


    Turning his thoughts on himself he probed his mind and gently nudged the concentration of emotions and instinct that was his other. The corded knot in the back of his mind was asleep. He wondered if the key to living with himself was somehow connected with the pure concentration of those emotions and instincts.


    With a reckless abandon that only a child could have, he threw himself down the pile of rocks. The rocks proved to be just as immovable as they had when he climbed them the night before and, in a few bounds, he was down on the soft earth once more. He flexed his toes and claws and felt the pine needles and dirt flow up through his toes. The feeling of earth was amazing, it was almost like sand but richer.


    He kicked off the earth, leaving a divot in the ground and ran back the way he had come last night. The trail he had left behind was not hard to find and he raced along the grooved track that he had cut in the earth. He followed the trail and forced himself to move faster. The still air rushed past him as he flew through the woods. The feeling of wind pass around him as he ran was amazing and he pushed himself to go even faster. He loved running like this, he had an endless supply of energy and speed. This morning it felt like he could continue to increase his speed no matter how fast he was going.


    He followed his trail till it ended. He turned back to the clearing where he had eaten with Ares and the rest of his pack. The smell of blood was still in the air and he could follow the scent with little trouble. He raced up to the clearing and slowed down to a walk.


    He approached the clearing and pulled some foliage to the side and looked over the empty space. He saw the remains of the carcass in the middle of the clearing. The bones looked like they hadn¡¯t been touched since last night. He looked over to the right and saw Ares and Physis. The two mates were still in wolf form. Physis was lying next to Ares with her arms around his body. Her head and face were partially buried in Ares¡¯ neck. Ares was half lying on his back and his head was gently resting on Physis¡¯ head covering her ears.


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    The two looked so peaceful and he could have sworn that they had smiles on their faces. Looking at a wolf smile was the most intimidating thing in the world, especially if that wolf was challenging you. But these smiles were of contentment and William couldn¡¯t bring himself to intrude on them. He let the foliage fold back in front of him obscuring his view of the clearing and he backed away from the clearing. He would have to wait for his teacher to awaken. Well, he wasn¡¯t just going to hang around an empty clearing. He decided that he would explore this forest a little, maybe go check out that stream and take a bath.


    He took a few steps back the way he had come.


    ¡°Going somewhere, pup?¡± a voice asked behind him.


    William whipped himself around to face the speaker and found himself face to face with Ares.


    The werewolf stood at his full height. Ares was looking at him. William must have had a shocked or startled expression on his face because Ares had a bemused look on his face.


    ¡°Surprised to see me?¡±


    ¡°I thought you were indisposed.¡±


    Ares looked over his right shoulder at the empty forest. Through the foliage of the underbrush a white form materialized out of the green and the brown of the forest. Physis seemed to be made out of nothing more substantial than air. She walked over and stood with Ares. ¡°I was with my mate but you didn¡¯t think that I would leave a possibly rabid young pup like yourself to run around unwatched and untended, did you?¡±


    As Ares was speaking three more werewolves moved from the dense forest and into view. The male grey and brown calico werewolf were in front of a diamond pattern as the new comers stepped forward. He was flanked by two female shape shifters, the brown and tan was on his right and the black and tan was on his left. They were all in their werewolf form and seeing them make a semicircle around him was a little intimidating even for William. Now he knew what a cornered fox felt like at one of those staged eighteenth century hunts that royalty took so much pleasure in.


    ¡°William, we have been shadowing you and watching you since I sent you away from the clearing,¡± the calico wolf said. ¡°That boulder throw of yours was really very impressive.¡±


    William felt heat rush up to his face and he was thankful for his fur. If he was in human form, he knew he would be beet red right now.


    The calico stepped forward away from the rest. ¡°I am Hermes, protector of the mountain, beta to Mr. Davis. I was reborn on the gibbous moon, and I have been watching you since you entered this forest.¡±


    The thought of being watched and not being able to smell or detect whoever was doing the watching made him a little embarrassed and uncomfortable. How could he not have smelled them or heard them?

 Book 2 Chapter 8b

    ¡°You didn¡¯t really think that those howls of yours would go unnoticed?¡± Hermes asked. ¡°Every human in the city heard that. And if humans could hear it you have to know that we wolves could hear it.¡±


    ¡°You seem ok this morning. Are you hurt at all?¡± Ares asked. William shook his head. Truth be told, up until a few minutes ago he had felt better than he had his whole life.  ¡°I remember asking you where you were going, you never answered that question.¡± Ares folded his arms in front of him.


    William looked at Ares. ¡°I was going to explore the forest and maybe take a bath in the stream that is around here somewhere.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think that I might have something to say about what my student does and does not do?¡± Ares looked at William. ¡°You¡¯re as ready as you ever will be to start learning what I have to teach you. We have a lot to do.¡±


    William looked around at the circle of werewolves that surrounded him. Hermes, Physis and the others looked at him. Their eyes studied him with a cold calculation that made him feel very uncomfortable. They¡¯re trying to figure out if I¡¯m going to pass Ares¡¯ training or if I will become the second werewolf of his to have to be put down.


    Ares looked at the other werewolves in turn. Hermes and the two females that came in with him turned quietly and left. Ares looked at Physis and she reached up and nuzzled his neck with her nose. Then she too left, following the other shape shifters to disappear back into the forest. Ares was left standing there facing William.


    ¡°I will help you when I can, William. I¡¯m your teacher, that¡¯s what I¡¯m here for.¡± Ares looked up at the trees and the ceiling of the underground cavern. He ran a claw up over his head and scratched at his ears. The human idiosyncrasy seemed out of place coming from an eight-foot-tall werewolf. ¡°I was chosen to be your teacher for a reason. You are not the first human born I¡¯ve been around.¡± Ares turned his back on William and inhaled the scent of the forest around him. ¡°What are you willing to do?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? Willing to do about what?¡±


    Ares turned around and closed the distance between the two of them in a single step. William had to crane his neck to look up at Ares as he towered over him. The shape shifter was looking down at William and their noses were almost touching. William could smell the musky earthy scent that was his teacher, and he was sure that Ares could smell him just as keenly. William could smell his teacher tense and he was suddenly nervous.


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    ¡°What are you willing to do? What are you willing to do to learn how to control what you are? How far are you willing to go to prove that you belong with Aceso and the rest of your pack?¡±


    ¡°I will go as far as I need to, to learn what you have to teach me.¡±


    Ares took in the young pup in front of him. William thought that he saw Ares lips raise into the slightest of smiles. Ares placed a massive paw on his shoulder and gripped it. The strength in that grip was beyond anything William could describe. It was warm and almost fatherly in nature. In the darkest corners of his ego, he thought that Ares might even be proud of him. Ares let go of William¡¯s shoulder. He turned back in the direction that he had been facing and let out a howl. The howl wasn¡¯t angry. William thought the sound of the howl seemed happy, almost excited. Without the howl dying away completely Ares broke out into a full out sprint.


    The sudden movement of his teacher caught William off guard, and he had to kick off the ground so that he didn¡¯t lose him. Ares speed was not aided by torn up turf. Ares seemed to glide over the land and the pine needles. It seemed that the only thing that moved in the forest around him was the wind of his passing. William had to grip and throw himself off the earth to keep up with Ares. Running seemed so effortless to Ares. The two werewolves were on all fours and they were nothing more than brown and tan streaks flying through the forest.


    William tried to study his surroundings to get a better idea of this forest and where exactly they were going but Ares¡¯ pace was too fast. William had to put all of his concentration into running and keeping up with his teacher. Just when William was starting to enjoy the pure rush of the run, Ares stopped.


    William had to jump to the side to avoid crashing into Ares. William was able to keep his feet but only just. He skidded to a stop a few inches from a sizable tree trunk. William whipped his head around and looked at Ares who was once again standing on his two hind legs. William stood up on his hind legs as well and walked to stand a few feet from Ares.


    Ares seemed to not notice what had just happened and looked at William. As William approached, he said, ¡°The first thing I have to teach you is how to hunt.¡±


    William almost rolled his eyes but kept a strict discipline on his body. ¡°I already know how to hunt. I¡¯ve done it a hundred times and over a dozen times in this form.¡±


    Ares folded his arms across his chest. He looked down at William. ¡°Then hunt me.¡±


    Ares kicked off the earth and ran. William was caught off guard by the challenge and by the shear speed by which Ares ran. His teacher ran much faster than he had even a few moments ago. He was nothing more than a disappearing streak through the woods. William stumbled into a clumsy gait before he found his legs again. Those two steps, it seemed, was all the head start Ares needed. William ran in the direction that his teacher took but he could see no trace of Ares at all. The massive werewolf was gone.


    William ran on for a few more steps before he let himself slow down and stop. He looked all around him. The trees were unfamiliar to him and they all looked the same. He had no idea where he was or where Ares might have gone.

 Book 2 Chapter 8c

    He felt the knot of instinct in the back of his head rumble. The power and speed of his body was known to him, but his mind was still human. How do wolves hunt? In packs mostly. He shook his head at his own sarcasm. That would not help him here. He inhaled and breathed out a sigh. The air of the forest was still, and the heavy scent of the woods and earth was all around him. He stopped as he realized that there was another, deeper, muskier scent underneath the clean smell of the woods. His brain caught on to the undertone of the musk scent. That¡¯s Ares¡¯ scent. He started to run after the scent of his teacher. He may not be able to run as fast as Ares could, but he knew how to follow a trail. The smell of Ares from the surrounding forest, now that he knew what to follow, was as clear as a freeway through a rural town.


    He ran for a good while, almost closing his eyes to the surrounding landscape that he ran through. So much concentration was spent on following the scent. He started to get a little discouraged when the scent was not getting any stronger. In fact, it was getting weaker. William forced himself to run faster, he couldn¡¯t lose the scent.


    His face was grinding on the ground. His legs were a tangled knot behind him, and his body was ripping a grove in the pine needles and earth of the forest floor. It took him a moment to understand that he had tripped over something. He had been so concerned with running and following the scent that he was following, he hadn¡¯t kept an eye on his physical surroundings. He untangled himself and stood up. He dusted himself off with his paws and looked back over his shoulder to see what it was he had tripped over and there, leaning against a tree, was Ares.


    William was shocked to see his teacher standing behind him. Ares had a straight look on his face. William felt very embarrassed and a little mad that his teacher had beaten him so easily. He felt his other stir those negative emotions in him, but he would not let himself succumb to them. Instead, he stood up straight and looked at Ares.


    ¡°Do you still think you know how to hunt, pup?¡±


    The tone of Ares voice and the humiliation of failure was enough to quell his ego. He shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. ¡°I guess not.¡±


    Ares took a step in his student¡¯s direction. ¡°Then I suggest in the future you hold your tongue till you know what it is you¡¯re talking about.¡± William could do nothing more than nod. Ares walked past William and reached out his arms to the forest around them. ¡°William, we are animals of nature. This forest, this city, this life we cling so preciously to is all wrapped up into one thing.¡± Ares turned back to find William facing him. ¡°What you have to learn is how all of it fits together. And I mean all of it. The smells of the air around you, the way the wind moves through the trees. How our scent is left behind as we simply walk from one place to another. Some of these things can be controlled, others can be manipulated. How was I able to get behind you?¡±


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    William thought about it. ¡°Either you were simply able to outrun me by so much you left a scent trail that was so long that I just didn¡¯t reach the point that you started to double back around me.¡± William paused. ¡°Or, you were able to cover your scent somehow. I noticed right before you tripped me that the scent was getting weaker.¡±


    ¡°And the knowledge of the world shall be inherited by those willing to seek it.¡± He nodded his head at his student. ¡°That is more along the lines of what actually happened.¡± Ares squatted down and with a claw drew lines in the dirt. ¡°You and I were here.¡± He stabbed at a place in the ground. ¡°I ran off here.¡± He drew out a line symbolizing his path through the forest. ¡°I could hear you try to follow me, but you slowed down or stopped here.¡± He drew a very short line and rotated his claw in the ground making a slight hole. ¡°Then you discovered my scent and ran off after me.¡± From the hole he drew out a line parallel to the first. ¡°But here,¡± another slight hole in the first line, ¡°the scent got weaker. Now what was going through your mind when that happened?¡±


    William heaved a sigh. ¡°I was thinking that you were running faster than I originally thought and that I would have to run faster. I had to put all my concentration in running and following the fading scent from the surrounding forest.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what you thought happened then. Now looking back at it, what do you think I was able to do?¡±


    William studied the diagram on the ground and what he had felt happen only moments ago. The two lines were parallel but the hole that Ares made in the first line had to mean something. He remembered what Tasha had said that she was able to do, mask her scent and produce other smells. ¡°You produced another scent that blended in with the forest. That¡¯s how you were able to get behind me.¡±


    Ares cocked his head to the side in a question. ¡°What makes you think that I am able to produce different scents?¡±


    ¡°Tasha told me that one of her abilities is to produce different scents from her body. She said something about pheromones and the biochemistry of her own body was something she could control.¡±


    Ares looked at William and nodded. ¡°That may well be. Tasha was reborn on the crescent moon and like all Trackers she has that ability. But you and I were reborn on the full moon. Enforcers like us do not have any ability like that.¡± Ares turned his head toward the forest and trail that William had left as he skidded to a stop, moments ago. ¡°We have our own unique abilities which I will explain to you in time.¡± Ares turned back toward William who was looking around the forest, still trying to figure out what had happened to him. ¡°Do you want to know how I was able to get behind you?¡± Ares stepped over and knelt on the ground. He motioned William to do the same. William followed suit and Ares took a hand full of dirt into his claw. ¡°William this is earth, you know that, but what you have to learn is that this stuff is a sponge.¡± He took the dirt and gave it William. ¡°Smell it.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 8d

    William did as he was told and for the first time, he really smelled dirt. The earth was rich and cool. He could smell a slight hint of tree sap, which he assumed was from pine needles that had fallen on it. He could smell the trace aroma of worms. There must have been one that had passed through this earth recently. But overshadowing all those scents was the musky scent of Ares. He could smell the werewolf as plainly on this handful of dirt as he could when they were standing right next to each other. William could not really believe that he could smell all of that in just one handful of dirt. What else was his nose capable of?


    Ares interrupted his explorations. ¡°My scent that you were following was what the earth had absorbed from me as I passed over it. That being said, why did my scent get weaker all of sudden?¡±


    William, still entranced by the discoveries in the handful of dirt, was only half worried about how Ares had doubled back on him. William heard the question and tried to figure out what had happened. I was following Ares¡¯ residual scent from the earth, what would have caused it to weaken? William dropped the handful of dirt and stood up. He was missing something. The earth is a sponge of scents, but Ares¡¯ had gotten weaker very suddenly. Could Ares have not touched the ground? Ares had said something about him learning to feel nature around him and that included how the air moved. Ares¡¯ scent got weaker because he wasn¡¯t on the ground.


    ¡°You jumped up into the trees, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    Ares smiled at his students thought process. ¡°You are correct, William. I jumped off the earth and was in the trees. So that being said, how did I get behind you?¡±


    William had all the pieces to this particular puzzle and he knew how his teacher had done it. ¡°You jumped off the ground. From there you jumped from tree trunk to tree trunk. Then you came back directly along the path you just went and somehow jumped over to another tree off to the side and dropped back to the earth, far enough away from your scent trail to not give yourself away. Once back on the ground all you had to do was wait for me to show up so you could trip me.¡±


    Ares listened, a smile spreading across his face. When William was finished, he laughed. ¡°Yes, yes, that¡¯s it exactly.¡± He gripped William¡¯s shoulders in his claws and squeezed. ¡°Now that you understand what I did can you take what you learned and not make a similar mistake? Understanding the concept of scents and hunting is one thing, but putting it into practice is another thing entirely. Are you ready to try again?¡±


    William looked at his teacher and nodded his head.


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    Ares turned around and with one hand still on William¡¯s shoulder he pointed out to the surrounding forest. ¡°William, as you probably have guessed from our meal last night, we do have a lot of wildlife in this forest. Mostly our meals consist of rabbits and other small animals that we farm and breed. There is a large family of rabbits near here. I want you to find them.¡± Ares jumped up into the trees and was gone.


    William was left alone in the forest to hunt his rabbits. At first, he thought that the idea of hunting rabbits was a little bit beneath him, but then again, he was finding out all sorts of things that he just didn¡¯t know. He scooped up another handful of dirt and inhaled. He never thought that dirt could be so rich in smells. Dirt had always been just dirt, but now dirt was a road map to anything he could possibly want to find. He let the earth fall back down to the ground.


    He stood up and looked around the immediate vicinity of his surroundings. He looked around himself and stopped. Hadn¡¯t he learned anything? He might be a werewolf, but Ares had read him like a book. He lowered himself on all fours and took in long slow breaths with his nose only inches from the ground. The rich musky scent of Ares was still there as well as his own lighter scent. But underneath the smell of werewolf was the world of the forest. He could smell the pine needles and the scent that the earth was soaking up from them. He could smell the sugar from the long-dried sap that dripped from the overhead branches. The surrounding forest seemed to all at once become alive with smells that even though he had the ability to smell them until this moment he had ignored.


    He lifted his nose up into the air and inhaled. Another layer to the forest that was cleaner and lighter than the forest floor awakened to him. He could smell the air around him. The slight movement of air that had marked Ares¡¯ and his passing was as clear to him now as the earth was. He could smell, not just the forest, but the air as well, and he could tell where things were. If the earth was a record of what had passed before, then the air was a telegraph of where things are. He closed his eyes and inhaled once more. In the darkness of his mind the forest, through scent, took shape around him. He could visualize where trees were. He started walking and moved through the trees with his eyes closed letting the scents of the earth and air around him guide his steps.


    So lost in his personal rediscovery of scent was he, that he almost missed the slight change in the air and what that change was telling him. The scent was warm, almost humid, and rank. He scrunched up his nose at the new scent and marveled at how he could have missed it before. The smell was strong, and it permeated the whole of his nose, masking all the other smells of the forest. Now that he had smelled it, he couldn¡¯t ignore it and he had trouble concentrating on the rest of the forest. He had never thought about it before but if lust and sex had a smell, then this was it. He only hoped that this particular smell of sex was unique to whatever animal was producing it. Otherwise, he would never want to mate, ever. He was shocked to understand that a physical act could even have a smell, much less one so apparent. Without thinking too much about it he was certain that this new scent was the rabbits that Ares was talking about.

 Book 2 Chapter 8e

    He inhaled once again and he let his nose point him in the direction of the rabbits. He opened his eyes and flattened out his body lower to the ground. He started to move with a purpose and speed toward the scent that Ares had sent him after.


    As he moved, he thought about how skittish rabbits and other rodents were. If they detected his scent before he found them, they would scatter. He was sure that doing that was not the point of this exercise. So, he let the scent guide his steps while his mind worked on the problem of approaching a family of rabbits without being noticed. He knew that he could approach downwind from his prey, and they would not be able to smell him while the air currents would push their scent toward him allowing him to approach without difficulty. But there was no wind in this forest so that option was not available.


    He thought back to what Ares had done. The werewolf had lessoned his trace scent by moving into the air. The only thing about that was that in doing so he was not going to be able to move as quietly as he would if he was on solid ground. Rabbits had huge ears for a reason and disturbing them with sound was going to startle them just as inevitably as his smell would. He decided to take his chances on the ground. The rabbits weren¡¯t hunting him so the earth record of his passing would not disturb the rabbits as much as sound would. He let his nose and eyes guide him through the trees while he pressed himself lower to the ground, moving faster with every step and staying as quiet as the still air around him.


    It took him a lot longer than he had originally thought to catch up to the rabbits. The scent grew stronger but he was amazed at how far away he could smell the critters in the first place. He followed the scent through the forest and even though he was still some distance away he saw, in a little thicket, a family of around fifty rabbits. As he watched the white and brown animals, he saw why he thought he smelled sex. There were no less than five rabbits enthusiastically humping other female rabbits. The sight of rabbits having sex in such a large group repulsed him in a way that he didn¡¯t think was possible. He saw a few very young rabbits that looked like nothing more than white balls of fur. He had trouble even picking out their ears. They were rolling around and being scooted along on the ground by the adults. He watched the scene unfold in front of him. He was careful to stay behind a thick bush of fragrant berries. He was sure that the pretty strong smell of the berries and the green of the bush would be enough to mask his own scent.


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    He watched them for a while. He wasn¡¯t hungry and he wasn¡¯t told that he had to kill any of them, even though he knew that he could pounce on the group at any time, take them completely off guard and kill several of them before the others scattered to the winds. He could do it, but he chose not to. Besides, killing without need was something that only humans did. He took one last look at the large family of rabbits and, just as silently as he had approached, he slipped away from the thicket.


    He was not as careful to remain quite leaving as he was when was making his approach. Still, he had no intention of disturbing the rabbits unnecessarily. He walked through the woods, following his own light scent trail back to where Ares had left him. He walked for a while but long before he got back to his starting point, he smelled a slight shift in the air around him. He didn¡¯t have to think, all he could do was dive out of the way. He felt more than saw or heard a large object fall from the sky and pound into the ground where he had been walking only moments ago.


    He jumped out of his roll to stand on his hind legs. A male werewolf that he didn¡¯t recognize was just raising himself from the ground and the impression that his impact had made. He stood up on his hind legs as well. William was taller than this werewolf but only by an inch or so. The male was black with large swaths of white and brown all over his body. The coloring on this werewolf reminded him of a pedigree German Sheppard.


    He stood there studying this newcomer. The other werewolf didn¡¯t move but was content to study him as well. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    The young werewolf moved to his side out of the impression. William mirrored the motion and the two werewolves circled each other. Without warning the werewolf lunged.


    William was caught off guard and the werewolf plowed into him knocking him to the ground. William was on his back and his attacker was now straddling him. William had a hard time blocking the barrage of punches that the werewolf was delivering. He felt a pressure build around his mid-section as the werewolf squeezed his legs around him. This werewolf was making William feel like an idiot. As he would protect his face, the werewolf would punch at his neck and chest. If he dropped his arms to protect his chest, then his face would receive a blow. That humiliation, combined with the added pressure of the werewolf¡¯s legs robbing him of oxygen was only serving to add to his anger and frustration.


    William let the anger he felt at the skilled attacks he received grow and he felt the knot of emotions and instincts in the back of his mind unfold. He let his instincts take over and his mind was clouded from reason. He closed his eyes, and he received another punch to the face. He had had enough of this. In a blind rage and an explosion of muscle, he thrust his whole body up off the forest floor and gripping his attacker¡¯s arms he rotated and pulled the werewolf down.

 Book 2 Chapter 8f

    William completed the reversal and was now on top. If he still maintained any logical processes of being human, he didn¡¯t show it. Instead of applying his weight and pressure to his attacker and trying to get some answers, he flew into an even greater rage. He clamped his legs around the werewolf in a similar fashion, as he was held only a few moments ago, and drove his fists through the werewolf¡¯s face.


    Werewolves are naturally tough, and their bodies can withstand a great deal of punishment, but the fury with which William was now attacking the other werewolf was so intense that soon blood was flying with every strike. William should have stopped. In the back of his mind, his logical human self was satisfied that the attacker had been repaid. But his instinctive other self would not stop. William tried to retake control of his body but the cloud of raw emotions that had settled over his mind fogged his reason, and he wasn¡¯t entirely sure he really wanted to stop. How dare this guy attack me for no reason, I¡¯m going to kill him. The thought of killing another werewolf wasn¡¯t in the least bit disturbing and he allowed his other to guide his wrath and his punches.


    William jumped up and started kicking the werewolf in the stomach and midsection. His legs produced so much power and force that he was chasing after the almost limp body of his attacker as he almost dribbled him over the forest floor. William realized that the irrational need to tear this guy apart was a dangerous by product of his other and he was desperate to retake control of his body.


    The fear of himself that radiated out slowly into his brain seemed to clear the fog that had been produced by his other. The rage in his mind lessened and he was able to stop attacking the werewolf. He watched the limp form of the werewolf on the ground breathe in shallow gasps as the adrenaline slowly ebbed from his body. As the fog of hate and anger lifted from his mind, William flexed and moved his claws and feet and the various muscles of his body. He was aware of how sore his face and chest were and the blood that slowly oozed out from some of those wounds, his blood, as well as the blood that had sprayed him as he had ripped into the other werewolf. I could have killed you just now. I could have done it, but I didn¡¯t.


    The werewolf on the ground rolled over and William could see the wrecked tissue of his face. His snout was broken and hung at a disgusting angle. There was a flow of blood that emptied from his nose into his open mouth. The werewolf¡¯s chest was concave, and he knew that if a rib hadn¡¯t punctured a lung, it was a miracle. He knew that the creature in front of him didn¡¯t have a lot of time. He felt the need to cry. How could I have done something like this? Why the hell did you attack me, you idiot? He wanted to scream at the werewolf and shake him. He knew that that wouldn¡¯t do anything except aggravate the injuries that he had already sustained. He knew that if he didn¡¯t do something the werewolf was going to choke on the stream of blood that was flowing into his mouth.


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    William rolled the werewolf onto his side. He helped the kid position his legs to prop himself up so that the blood would flow onto the ground and not into his mouth. Once the werewolf was stable, William stood up and ran back into the forest.


    The first thought he had was that he had to find Ares. Ares would know where Physis was, and she could heal the guy before he died. He was in a blind panic. He didn¡¯t want to think about the guy dying at all. If the werewolf did die it would be on his hands and for what? The guy had attacked him. He was defending himself. He knew that what he had done was something that no shape shifter in the city could ever forgive him for. The shrinking knotted cord of emotions that receded into the back of his mind sent out a series of ripples that flowed out across his mind. I¡¯m glad you find this to be so funny. We¡¯re going to be executed because of you. Do you even understand the concept of death? The question rang out hollowly across his mind. The only answer William got from it was one final ripple then stillness. His other was safely tucked away in the back of his mind, leaving him to clean up the mess of its actions.


    William realized that he was running blindly through the forest. Using what he had learned, he raised his nose to the trees and inhaled. He must have gotten a little messed up too because the only thing he could smell was the thick coppery scent of blood. The forest was painted, in his mind, red. There was no green, no pine needles, no sugary sap, only blood, his blood. He couldn¡¯t control his panic. He forced himself to run faster. Where was Hermes? Where was his teacher? They knew how dangerous he was. Why when he really needed them did they suddenly decide to abandon him?


    The smell of blood permeated everything.


    He couldn¡¯t see three feet in front of him because of his fear and he ran headlong into a tree that for some reason he thought was just a thick bush. The tree didn¡¯t give an inch and his head exploded in new pain and was filled with darkness and bright flashing lights. He stumbled backwards but he wasn¡¯t able to regain his balance and he sat down on the ground.


    He wanted to cry out for somebody to help him. He wanted to see that the guy was ok. He wanted to see Aceso, more than anything though, he wanted to be away from where he was. He wanted to go back to his valley. He had never killed anything without meaning to before. And then he only killed for food. Even the old grey who had attacked him that first night he let live and they had run together many times when the moon was full. He wanted to curl up and die. He couldn¡¯t smell anything except blood and he had no idea where Ares was.

 Book 2 Chapter 9a

    ¡°Are you planning on sitting there all day?¡±


    William jumped up and turned around in the air. The sudden motion only served to throw him off balance again and he crashed to the ground in a very ungraceful heap. He looked up and saw his teacher standing over him.


    ¡°Ares! A¡­A guy attacked me! I didn¡¯t mean to. I wanted to teach him a lesson. I couldn¡¯t control it. I couldn¡¯t stop. He might be dying. Where is Physis? She has to help him. I don¡¯t want him to die.¡±


    Ares folded his arms across his chest. The larger werewolf looked down at his student. Ares face didn¡¯t change at all, nor did it look like he had understood what William was saying. William lifted himself up and wiping a glob of blood off his chest, he held it up so Ares could see. ¡°There is a werewolf in the forest that attacked me and I almost killed him!¡± He grabbed Ares long chest hair and shook the larger werewolf. Ares¡¯ body didn¡¯t move but Ares powerful arms crashed down on William¡¯s fists ripping his claws from Ares¡¯ chest. ¡°If you don¡¯t care I will find Physis myself!¡±


    As William turned around, he found that his legs were no longer under him. It was a surreal feeling to not have any legs when they were there just a second ago. William floated in the air, suspended from gravity. It was the feeling of total freedom. William crashed back down to earth and felt the air forced out of his lungs. He couldn¡¯t breathe and the thought came to his mind that for some reason he was really tired of finding himself on the ground.


    He rolled over just in time to see Ares bend down and rip him back to his feet. The sudden lurch that his body went through and the weight that his rematerialized legs felt was almost enough to put him back on the ground. Ares kept a firm grip on William though, and soon his wobbly legs were able to support his body again. He placed his hands on top of Ares¡¯ and held himself there till his stance strengthened. The feeling of breathing normally returned to him and he pushed away from Ares and took a step backwards from his teacher.


    ¡°Is he going to die?¡±


    Ares face didn¡¯t shift a hair. The werewolf looked down at William. He didn¡¯t frown, nor did he smile. Ares didn¡¯t look mad or pleased, he looked stoic and his features were carved from rock. ¡°No, pup, he will not die.¡±


    William breathed a heavy sigh of relief. ¡°Who was he?¡±


    Ares looked up and out through the forest. He shook his head. ¡°His name is Nicolas Mancini.¡± Ares didn¡¯t say any more and began walking in the opposite direction of where the attack happened.


    William ran a few steps to catch up to his teacher. ¡°Who is he, Ares? Why did he attack me?¡± Ares didn¡¯t acknowledge the questions but continued walking. William got in front of his teacher and put two claws up between them. ¡°Ares, I almost killed another werewolf today. If I¡¯m going to be put down for what I did, at least tell me who the hell he was and why he attacked me.¡±


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    Ares stopped walking. He looked at his student and gave him the slightest of nods. Ares moved over to a tree. He motioned for William to do the same. When they were both settled Ares said, ¡°I understand your concern, William you will not be killed for defending yourself.¡± William breathed another heavy sigh of relief. ¡°I knew that that guy was going to have trouble adjusting. I was not chosen to be his teacher. Nicolas was born on the gibbous moon and he has all the gifts of a promising young Scout. However, he also seems to think that this is a game and he revels a little too much in the power of being what we are. Personally, I think what you did to him today was exactly what he needed.¡±


    William took all this in but was still very confused. ¡°If he is a pup like me, where was his teacher and who is it?¡±


    Ares looked at William. ¡°You don¡¯t need to know who his teacher is, pup. Don¡¯t you ever question what a teacher does, do you understand me? You don¡¯t have near the kind of experience that the Elders have and they choose who will teach who. They do not come to their decisions lightly.¡± Ares looked up and down William¡¯s body. His expression softened. ¡°I¡¯m fairly proud of you, William.¡±


    William was taken aback by this comment. All the guilt that he had felt moments ago surged back up in his mind. ¡°You¡¯re proud of me? For what, tearing some young werewolf apart, nearly killing him? Would you have been prouder if I had killed him?¡±


    Ares look hardened. ¡°I¡¯m proud that you didn¡¯t kill him.¡± Ares took a step toward William. William had to crane his neck back to look at his teacher. Ares was no longer happy. If his eyes could attack than William would be feeling a lot of pain right now. ¡°Not only did you stop yourself from attacking him you moved him in such a way that prevented him from dying.¡± Ares stepped to the side of William and the anger was gone from his teacher¡¯s voice. Ares eyes were still locked on William¡¯s though. ¡°You showed compassion but above that you showed remorse for your actions. Those are very good indications that you will not turn into some rabid animal that has to be put down. I have already lost one student; I don¡¯t intend to lose a second.¡± Ares stared hard at William.


    William stared back at his teacher and let his gaze shift purposefully toward the ground. ¡°Ares? Was this just another test?¡± He raised his eyes and looked at his teacher.


    ¡°No, pup it was not a test.¡±


    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t a test than it wasn¡¯t a test. I found that family of rabbits. They really stink.¡± William hadn¡¯t been paying very close attention to it but as he brought up the memory of the fluffy animals, he could swear that he still smelled a trace of the rank smell of bunny sex.


    ¡°Yes, I know. You even hid your scent from them with your environment. You did very well. What you need to remember from that lesson is that sometimes your environment is the only weapon or protection that you have. You have taken a small but important step in the direction of learning how to use your surroundings to aid you.¡± Ares began walking again. William kept in step beside him. ¡°There is something else you have to learn, though William. Something that is just as important as changing into your werewolf form at will. Have any idea what that might be?¡±


    William nodded. ¡°I have to learn how to change back.¡±


    Ares looked over at his student with a slight smile on his face. ¡°You sound so enthused about that.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 9b

    William had to almost die from hypothermia to change into this form. He couldn¡¯t help but feel apprehension at what Ares would do to him to facilitate his ability to change back into human form. William looked back once more through the forest. He couldn¡¯t shake the guilt that he felt at what he had done to Nicolas. He was glad that he had mastered some control of himself at the end but by that point the damage had already been done. He felt a familiar ripple spread out over his mind. Let¡¯s see who¡¯s laughing when somebody does something like that to us. His other made no response at all and his mind was calm. William knew there was nothing he could do about Nicolas right then and even if he could do something he was sure that Ares would have issues with that. He turned back around and followed Ares through the forest.


    The two walked for a time in silence. William was thinking about his fight and trying to figure out what he could do in the future to prevent his other from taking control. The scary thing about this last time is that he was almost unaware of his other taking control. He wanted to keep pounding that guy into the ground. His other was getting stronger and more sophisticated with each new attack. Even now, he was unable to sense the definitive boundaries of the knot of emotions that was his other. For obvious reasons this scared him.


    Ares walked deeper into the forest and William followed. William was aware of the dimming light that shone around him. Night would be here soon but Ares continued walking. The two walked for a long time. William became aware, not for the first time, that this forest was a lot bigger than he had originally thought. Ares made his way through the forest and in no place in particular he sat down with his back up against a tree.


    William looked down at his teacher. Ares had his eyes closed and appeared to be sleeping. William was completely lost. Ares was supposed to show him how to change back into his human form. Instead, Ares had led him to the middle of nowhere and then just fallen asleep. William looked around. The cavern ceiling was darkening very quickly now, and he was able to pick out individual flecks of luminescence in the ceiling. This place really was beautiful at night. He could be outside the shape shifter city and back in his valley. But he knew that he wasn¡¯t in his valley, and he had work to do.


    He looked down at Ares once more. The wolf was sleeping, his chest rising rhythmically and deeply with each breath. William was amazed that Ares could sleep like that. He had tried to sleep comfortably sitting up, but he was never able to do it. He had always had to lie down. He shook his head and cleared his mind of those thoughts. Looking around at the surrounding trees he had no idea how he was going to accomplish that job at all.


    He looked back down at Ares. ¡°Thanks for nothing, teacher,¡± he said it under his breath but he knew that if Ares was awake, he would have heard it. Ares might be awake now but William didn¡¯t care.


    William knew what he had to do, change back into his human form. As he thought about that he realized that this was the only way for Ares to do it. Looking at his sleeping teacher he understood what Ares was trying to do.


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    William stood there and thought about himself being human. After several minutes of envisioning himself as a human again he said to himself. ¡°It was worth a try.¡± He stood there for another minute or so and then, ¡°Ok well that didn¡¯t work, not that I expected it too. Let¡¯s see¡­ change back, back into a human.¡± Nothing happened.


    William was standing in a ridiculous pose of a mime trying to push something impossible heavy. He laughed at himself and shook his body for a few seconds. ¡°I guess I can¡¯t shed my werewolf form either.¡±


    Over the next few hours, he tried everything from standing on his head, to talking to his other for extended periods of time. Nothing got him any closer to changing back into a human. He even tried to wake up his teacher for some advice. He had tried to shove Ares over but Ares was securely positioned against that tree and even his werewolf strength wasn¡¯t enough to move the living rock that Ares had become.


    The surrounding light had dimmed, and he was able to pick out all the individual flecks in the ceiling of the underground cavern. He looked at them and pretended that they really were stars and he was outside in the cool breeze of the night. He looked down at his sleeping teacher and stopped. Maybe there was a connection between how he had changed into a werewolf and how he could change back into a human. He slapped himself upside the head for not thinking about this earlier. It would have to be something from the inside. He had never been conscious for the transformation back into a human being he had always been asleep. But he had slept through the night, and he was still in werewolf form.


    The thought had taken hold of him though and he was not going to let himself talk him out of trying it. Besides it had to be better than standing around here making an idiot out of himself. He felt a slight ripple wash out over his mind. You like that, do you? He was getting irritated at the comments that his other would make at his expense just by laughing at him. Well, he couldn¡¯t worry about that right now. He had to figure this thing out. With a determination in his step, that he wished he could say he felt, he walked over to a nearby tree and sat down in the dirt. He was facing Ares and he let his eyes close.


    William allowed his body to relax. He started by letting his hands unclench and relax. He concentrated on his shoulders and his breathing. His arms relaxed and he felt his legs shift from under him as he let them relax. He tried to make himself as solid and relaxed as Ares was. Behind the blackness of his closed eyelids, he began to feel himself sinking down into his body. The dark void that was his closed eyes seemed to be getting higher and bigger. As he continued to breathe deeply, he let himself relax more and he felt like he was falling deeper into himself. His arms and legs felt like they stretched out for a mile or two each and he was a very small thing, inhabiting the impossibly huge space that had become his body.


    He found himself in an empty forest. He looked up and saw stars, actual stars not flecks in an underground cavern ceiling. He looked around and instantly knew where he was. I¡¯m back in my valley. The idea that he was back home was impossible, but he was happy to be here. He looked down at himself and saw that he was human once more. His white arms and legs reflected the moon and starlight. He ran his fingers through his brown hair and looked over his forest with his human eyes.

 Book 2 Chapter 9c

    The valley was the same as it was when he left it. The trees were in their proper place, and he knew where he was. He was about a mile down the mountain side from his burrow. He was curious to see his home. He started up the mountain. The work of the climb felt good and the wind on his naked back was wonderful. He pushed himself to run. His human legs felt a little weak, especially since he had gotten used to being a werewolf over the past two days. He was happy to be human again, but he wouldn¡¯t have minded if some of that werewolf strength remained in his body. Shaking the thought aside he pushed himself to run up the mountain.


    He remembered every tree. He passed the familiar clump of pine trees to his left. He ran past the solitary Douglas fir on his right. He had always liked that tree. For some reason he always felt a little like decorating it and having his very own Christmas Tree in his forest. He never did, of course, but just the thought of having something pure from civilization with him out here in the wilderness was always a comfort.


    He approached the familiar place in the forest where his burrow rested. The mound of mud and clay looked the same as it had when he had been forced to leave his forest. The thought of being driven out of his home still stung.


    He studied the outside of his burrow and it looked exactly like it had when he had finished building the thing. It looked sturdy and well built. He walked around to the portal and opened the door. The inside was dark, but he could tell that everything was in its proper place. He walked over to his bed and flopped down on the soft skins. Being in complete darkness surrounded by soft, warm fur was euphoric. He lay there and let his eyes close. He wasn¡¯t concerned about anything right then. At this moment he was just happy to be home and he was going to enjoy it for as long as he could.


    His eyes shot open as a howl ripped through the still night. He knew that howl. It¡¯s the old grey. He started to get up then he realized that he was in his human form. I can¡¯t go out there like this, they¡¯ll rip me apart. The old grey¡¯s howl echoed out through the forest again. He was calling out to him. The thought of the old grey calling to him was something that had never happened before. Maybe it had and he just hadn¡¯t understood what was going on. There had been several nights when he would be lying in his burrow, and he would hear the wolves call out to each other. He hadn¡¯t been sure of what they had been saying but for some reason he understood the language of his pack now. The old grey was calling for him to join them on the mountain.


    The urge to get up and answer the call was instinctive. He was lost in the song of the call, and he found himself getting up and exiting his burrow. He realized that what he was doing was crazy, but he didn¡¯t care. Besides, he could always change back into his werewolf form if he needed to. He made his way up the mountain. The wind brought the subtle and almost invisible scent of his pack to his nose. He knew that if he was in his werewolf form, he would be able to tell a lot more about his pack from the scent, but he couldn¡¯t, so he didn¡¯t dwell on it.


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    The old grey¡¯s howl broke out into the night again but this time it was answered by the other wolves of the pack. He dug into the mountain side and pushed his body up the moderate slope toward the meeting place.


    He broke through the tree line without thinking and saw the whole of his pack mingling on the moon bathed rock of the mountain. He was so happy to see them he walked toward them. The old grey was the first to see him and a growl issued from deep within his throat. The rest of the pack was quick to turn and issue challenges of their own to this newcomer.


    William was a little shocked to see his whole pack issue a challenge to him. He looked at them and his eyes hardened. He responded to the growl with one of his own. Hearing himself his eyes opened in shock as he suddenly became aware of the fact that he was still in his human form. He tried to transform himself.


    His pack started to approach him. He knew that the look in their eyes meant death and he was having a very hard time concentrating. He tried to close his eyes and calm his body. The sound of wolves growling at him drowned out all other thoughts and instead of surrendering he was filled with a dread that he had known only a few times in his life. He wanted to run but knew that would mean his death, just as surely as standing here doing nothing would end in his death.


    He started to back away from his pack. He tried to remember the feelings of what it was like in the underground lake. He would have loved to have the last few minutes back to have the time to figure all this out without his former pack closing in ready to kill him. He moved backwards but the pack was moving toward him. The old grey was in the lead and the rest of the pack followed him.


    Whether it was the growing panic he felt at the thought of being ripped to shreds by his former pack, or not having a clear grasp of changing from human to werewolf form, he was not changing. He was still very much human, and his pack still very much looked like they were going to kill him. He didn¡¯t know what to do, but he was not going to harm his pack. Just when he had decided to make a break for it and run down the mountain, he heard another challenging howl ring out into the night.


    His former pack turned toward the sound and William saw what it was that had made the sound. The form of a werewolf was silhouetted against the pale white of the semi-full moon behind it. He couldn¡¯t make out any coloring on the werewolf at all. For the moment it was nothing more than a huge shadow, colorless with no definitive markings that he could make out.

 Book 2 Chapter 9d

    The old grey took the lead once more and approached the shadow cautiously. The rest of the pack followed. The thing that William noticed was that none of his former pack mates were growling at all. This struck him as odd. The only reason that they would not be issuing a challenge of some kind would be if they knew or were familiar with whom this newcomer was. William tried to penetrate the shadow that was the werewolf standing in the moonlight, but he could not. He moved in closer behind his pack.


    As his eyes adjusted to the light and dark of the silhouette, he could make out the colors of its fur. The coloring was very like his when he was in werewolf form, tan fur with sharp defined narrow lines of black fur running over his arms and legs. He couldn¡¯t tell what color the eyes were, but he had a growing feeling that the eyes would be gold, just like his.


    He watched as the werewolf jumped down among the other wolves. The werewolf and his eyes met, and a cruel ugly smile formed on the mouth of the werewolf. William¡¯s eyes grew wide as he realized what was going to happen. He started forward but his body was sluggish, and it felt like he was trying to wade through several feet of mud. He tried to call out to warn his former pack about what was going to happen but when he opened his mouth no sound came out.


    He watched as the old grey bowed his head and William tried to stop what was about to happen. Even if William could have moved with the speed that he possessed as a werewolf it wouldn¡¯t have been fast enough. The grey bolted forward in a zigzag attack pattern. He launched himself into the air. His snout was pointing directly at the monstrous werewolf¡¯s neck. Then in movement that William¡¯s human eyes couldn¡¯t follow, the werewolf slashed upwards with his claws. For a moment it looked like nothing had happened. Then a hideous spray of blood sprang forth from the old grey¡¯s neck. His body relaxed and William knew that he was dead. The old grey hung in the air for long moments. His head swung underneath his body at a disgusting angle. The head wasn¡¯t completely severed, but close enough. William saw that the head was held suspended by just some shreds of skin and sinew. The old grey¡¯s body seemed to just hang in the air as his head lulled under him. Then the lifeless body crashed down to the earth splashing into the expanding pool of its own blood that had collected beneath him.


    William¡¯s voice rang out in a scream of pain and rage. The other wolves were just as fast to react to the attack. They threw themselves at the werewolf. William wanted nothing more than to warn them, tell them to run. This is a fight that not even the pack can win. Even if he could have communicated this thought to them, it wouldn¡¯t have mattered. The pack was in a blood fury. They threw themselves at the attacker in waves. The werewolf was ripping wolves apart while they were in mid air. Blood was everywhere and the gore that covered the werewolf was evidence of the carnage.


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    William was frozen to his spot on the mountain as he watched the last wolf dodge under the werewolf and attack its soft hind legs. William recognized this tactic because the old grey had used it on him in that first fight they had. And similarly to that first fight, the wolf¡¯s teeth could not puncture the almost impenetrable skin of the werewolf. The werewolf reached down behind him and held the struggling wolf up by its neck. The wolf squirmed and kicked trying to break the hold of the werewolf. The werewolf looked over at William and smiled at him. The smile was one of pure joy and William felt like he wanted to throw up. As the werewolf was smiling at William its arm muscles tensed and the wolf stopped struggling. The werewolf dropped the lifeless body on the ground.


    The werewolf never took his eyes off William and now that the pack was destroyed the werewolf started walking toward him. William would have loved to have been able to move at that point, but his legs were frozen in place and even though he wanted to get away his legs would not respond to his pleading.


    The werewolf came within an inch of Williams face. Even in his human form the smell of blood was thick on the animal in front of him and he couldn¡¯t smell anything else. The werewolf bent down till he was at eye level with William. William wanted to do something to this werewolf but he knew that he was miserably inadequate to fight this monster. William held his ground and looked the werewolf dead in the eye. At this proximity, he knew that he was in fact facing a clone of himself as a werewolf. This monster that had just killed his former pack looked exactly like him when he was in werewolf form. His eyes were gold and William met that stare with as much courage as he could muster.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    The werewolf barked a laugh in William¡¯s face. The sudden movement sprayed William with blood and William flinched. William took a deep breath and held his ground. The werewolf didn¡¯t move either, but William took the opportunity to move and flex his muscles. His legs were unfrozen and his body responded to every command that he gave it. He wasn¡¯t sure what he was going to do but knowing that he could, in fact, do something was a great comfort.


    The werewolf stepped back from William and raised himself back up to his full height. ¡°Don¡¯t you know me, pup?¡±


    William had a feeling he had known who this werewolf was but hearing its voice made every suspicion he had a concrete fact. William took a good look at the werewolf standing in front of him. He studied the coloring of its fur, the color of its eyes, and the gore that dripped from its claws. The nightmare that William had always been afraid of was standing in front of him. The evidence of the evil that it was capable of was written all over its fur and claws in the blood from his pack. William looked at the wicked curve of its mouth as it twisted in a grotesque smile. William felt very alone, and his heart stopped in fear. He did know who the werewolf was and that thought robbed him of all logic and reason. The only thing he felt at that moment was a need to get away from this thing, now.


    William turned and before his mind had a chance to catch up with him, he was running back down the mountainside. The only thing he knew was that he had to get away. The only thing he heard was the vicious laughter of the werewolf.

 Book 2 Chapter 9e

    William scrambled down the mountain through the woods. He had to get away. He made his legs move faster. In his blind rush he missed judged where a tree root was, and it caught his foot. He fell to the ground. In an instant he was back up again and ran face first into a wall of tan fur. William bounced back from the werewolf and found himself face-to-face with death. He could still smell the hot coppery smell of fresh blood and the golden eyes of the werewolf were looking at him only inches away from his face.


    ¡°You can¡¯t run away from me, you know that.¡±


    William turned and ran in the opposite direction. Before he made two steps he was pulled back and slammed on the ground. The werewolf was standing over him his claws clenched into fists. ¡°I will always be here, William. No matter how far you run, no matter how hard you try to ignore me, I will always be here.¡± William raised his right leg in a kick to the groin area of the werewolf and he felt a pain explode between his own legs. William grunted and felt the need to throw up. The werewolf lifted his head up to the sky and let out a roar of laughter. ¡°You can¡¯t hurt me, William, not without hurting yourself.¡±


    William scooted himself away from the werewolf on the dirt. The werewolf made another grab at him, but he rolled out of the way. Once onto his stomach he pushed himself up and ran blindly once more into the forest.


    He was in a dead panic.


    He knew that what he was experiencing was real. It had to be a nightmare, but it was real. He heard the werewolf move through the trees behind him. The only reason why it hadn¡¯t caught up with him was because it was playing with him. The thought of being played with before being killed only made him more terrified. He recalled that this sort of thing would have made him angry in another time, but he hadn¡¯t felt anger since he came here. He knew that had something to do with the werewolf that he was running away from. He heard a howl ring out into the silence of the night and he collapsed to the ground holding his ears from the sudden noise.


    William looked over and saw that the werewolf was only feet away from him laughing into the moonlight.


    ¡°You are so frail in that form. Don¡¯t you want to change back into a werewolf?¡± The werewolf looked up into the night sky and saw the near full moon still rising in the early night sky. He nodded to it. ¡°Too bad it¡¯s not quite a full moon yet. You could change then, couldn¡¯t you?¡± The werewolf stopped and seemed to be thinking to himself. ¡°Or could you? Since you and I are both here, maybe you couldn¡¯t change at all.¡± The werewolf squatted down on the ground and moved within an inch of William¡¯s face. ¡°Maybe you do need me. You will always need me. And I will always be here.¡± The werewolf ripped himself up from the ground and in that same fluid motion he grabbed William from under the arms and pulled him to his feet. ¡°You are nothing without me, William. I am you.¡±


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    ¡°No, you¡¯re not me.¡±


    The werewolf ripped William from his place on the ground and threw him behind him. ¡°Yes, I am, I have been with you since the beginning. You and I are the same. You can¡¯t kill me unless you kill yourself, even then who¡¯s to say? Maybe I will be resurrected in our body. I will be free to do as I please and you will be dead in your hell where you belong.¡±


    The werewolf took several steps toward William and landed a powerful kick to his abdomen. William coughed up blood. A small trickle of blood issued from the werewolf¡¯s mouth as well.


    That didn¡¯t stop the monster. He lifted William into the air and threw him into a clump of nearby bushes. William took the opportunity to roll through the bushes and using his inertia he got back to his feet and was running again. William was scared that he would die. There was no stopping his other from ripping him apart. It appeared that he was receiving the lion share of the damage that the two of them felt. He couldn¡¯t understand how that was possible but even now when his other clearly had the upper hand he was still hiding behind him. That thought should have brought some comfort, but it didn¡¯t. It only served to fuel the fire of panic that was raging through him, stealing his wits. He felt a concussive force slam into his neck and his legs flew out from under him.


    The pain and the inability to breathe was overshadowed by the pain that exploded on his back as he landed on either a rock or a protruding root. He grabbed at his back to try and massage the pain but before he had a chance he was being kicked in the side. He heard an impossibly loud crack and his whole side went numb. William was dazed and he couldn¡¯t get a clear bearing on where he was or where his attacker was coming from. The numbness of his side was dissolving into spider webs of tingling, stinging sensations that ripped up and down his body. William tried to roll over and as he did, he was amazed that he hadn¡¯t suffered any broken bones, yet.


    ¡°What did I tell you, pup.¡± The werewolf reached down and ripped him up from his place on the earth. ¡°You can¡¯t outrun me.¡±


    The werewolf left him standing and strode a few steps away from him. He looked around the forest and turned back toward William, who became aware that he was going to be unable to run away from the werewolf and as long as he was standing here, he wasn¡¯t taking any more of a beating. It gave him time to recover from his injuries or at the very least time to think.


    The werewolf stepped toward William and raised his still blood covered claws so William could clearly see them in the moonlight. ¡°This is what you are now, pup. You are a force of nature to kill and maim and avenge all the wrongs done against nature. Why do you think we exist?¡±


    William hadn¡¯t thought about that question at all. He had always accepted what he had become and he didn¡¯t waste time thinking about why or what his ¡®greater¡¯ purpose was. But seeing his other in front of him in his werewolf body, feeling his life force being slowly beaten out of him, the thought of God and heaven and the forces that create the universe seemed relevant now. He had no idea what his purpose was. Maybe that was why he was still under Ares care being led and trained to be part of Aceso¡¯s pack and wanting to be part of the City under the Mountain.


    ¡°Whatever you are probably thinking of is wrong.¡± The werewolf raised his claws. ¡°This is what we are for. We are the avengers of nature. We are made to kill humans and bring balance back to the world. We are their betters, and we can kill them where they can¡¯t kill us.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 9f

    This made sense to William and that scared him more than the thought of dying. ¡°If that was true than why did you kill our pack?¡±


    The werewolf reared back his head and laughed. The laugh was mirthless, and the echo reverberated off the trees and it seemed to echo in William¡¯s head as well. His other looked at him. ¡°You don¡¯t know anything, do you?¡± His other gripped him once more. ¡°We are the same. You are a cold-blooded killer and the sooner you realize that the better off you¡¯ll be.¡± The werewolf let go of him and stepped back. ¡°The more you fight me, the weaker you get. You can¡¯t beat me. If you try, I will simply rob you of everything you are and value. I will keep you around just long enough so you can see me destroy all that you love. I might even let you watch me kill Aceso. I am you, William. You can¡¯t run from me. You can¡¯t hide from me. Eventually I will kill you, one way or another.¡± The werewolf gripped William by the throat and lifted the tired, beaten human off the ground. ¡°I am pure, you are frail and weak. I could crush you at any moment.¡±


    William struggled against the weight that was being used against his throat closing his windpipe. He kicked at the monster, but it didn¡¯t seem to even notice.


    ¡°You disgust me. And one day very soon I will kill you.¡± He dropped William to the ground. ¡°Goodbye, pup, till we meet again.¡± With that the werewolf raised his claw in a mock salute, turned and disappeared back into the forest.


    William rolled over into a semi sitting position and coughed and hacked. He tried to reopen his esophagus, but his throat was slow in responding to him. Air trickled down into his lungs. The trickle was welcome, but he would have preferred a steady flow of air. As it was, he had to gasp and remain calm as he forced his body to take in air as casually as he could. He wanted to scream. He rolled over and pounded his fists on the ground till he was light headed with the exertion. He lifted his head up into the night sky and yelled out in pain. The scream echoed off the trees and the mountain sides. In his mind, he envisioned the sound echoing off the valley walls and disturbing every living thing in the forest.


    What does it matter anyway? I¡¯m a monster that one day will kill everything I care about. A few tears trickled down his dirty face. He could feel the dirt slide down with the salty water. He didn¡¯t care about that either. I can¡¯t beat him. He¡¯s a part of me. No matter how much pain I can take, he can take more, and he might even survive my death, then what? He wanted to kill himself. He had to keep the ones he cared about safe. There was only one real option and he fully accepted it. I made a promise to Aceso and I mean to keep it.


    With tears still running down his face, he closed his eyes and sat up. He leaned back into a comfortable sitting position and took a slow deep breath. He hacked as the air was rejected by his lungs. He recovered and took another breath. His lungs stung but they held in the air this time and he began to try to relax.


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    It took a long time. Every time he tried to lose himself in the blackness behind his eye lids, he was met with the visage of his other, laughing at him or ripping him to the ground. He could see the cruel smile that it wore and the blood that caked its claws. The thought of him becoming that monster was far too much for him to take. He was eventually able to relax just enough to sink down into himself. He sank deeper into himself and felt his limbs stretch for miles out away from him.


    He opened his eyes.


    Sitting in front of him with eyes open was Ares. The werewolf was looking at him with an intense stare. William looked down at himself and saw that he was still in his werewolf form. He got to his feet and Ares mirrored him.


    ¡°What happened to you?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Ares folded his arms in front of him. ¡°You achieved a meditative state. I know because I could sense you do it. Once you went down, there was a feeling of incredible turmoil and now that you¡¯re awake, you looked like hell, and half scared to death. So, I ask you again, what happened?¡±


    William looked up at Ares. He closed his eyes and turned his head away from his teacher. ¡°Ares, I saw my other.¡± Ares kept his face still, carved from stone. ¡°I saw him rip my former pack to shreds in front of me and he and I fought. I think he can kill me.¡± He looked at his teacher, he knew what he wanted to ask but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to do it.


    Ares unfolded his arms and grasped William¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Pup, you are not the first to have to deal with this and you won¡¯t be the last. I have seen dozens of pups, weaker than you in all respects, overcome this thing that haunts some of you human born.¡±


    William replied softly, ¡°I¡¯m not those other pups. I can¡¯t even change back into a human.¡±


    Ares shook his head. ¡°William.¡± William raised his head to meet the look of his teacher. ¡°I was not expecting you to change back into your human form on your first attempt. You reached a level of meditation which is good enough.¡± Ares clapped him once on the shoulder. ¡°We have a lot of work to do.¡±


    William was not moved by the encouragement, if anything he felt worse than he ever had. Why doesn¡¯t he understand? He wanted to scream. Instead of a scream, William let a single tear escape from his eyes. I can¡¯t do this. He looked at Ares. Just kill me now. William let his eyes plead with his teacher and beg the one thing he couldn¡¯t bring himself to say. This is a test that I can¡¯t pass. Kill me before I hurt anyone else. END IT! William silently screamed at Ares to kill him. Ares looked at the tears that were building in William¡¯s eyes and the shape shifter let go of William¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°You give up too easily.¡± William didn¡¯t hear the comment so much as he heard the disappointment in his teacher¡¯s voice. ¡°If you want to give up and give in to whatever you¡¯ve been fighting for the last few hours, then do it. I won¡¯t feel any guilt for killing a rabid werewolf in my city.¡± Ares stepped to within an inch of William¡¯s nose. ¡°But I will not have the blood of a coward on my hands.¡± With that Ares turned and stalked off through the forest, disappearing back into the foliage and the trees.

 Book 2 Chapter 10a

    William was left alone in a part of the forest he didn¡¯t know. That last bit had cut him worse than any blade ever could have. A coward? He had never considered himself to be a coward but then again, he never considered himself to be a true danger to those around him either. The words that Ares spoke sunk deep and imprinted themselves on his mind. Is that really what I¡¯m doing, giving up? He had never given up on anything before. He didn¡¯t want to hurt anybody, but he wasn¡¯t a quitter, or a coward. His over developed sense of honor and duty may have driven him to see no other alternative than death.


    He reached up and wiped away the moisture from his face. He had no idea what he was doing here or how he was going to do what was expected of him. But he knew that he wasn¡¯t going to quit, not without a fight. He felt around with his thoughts and felt the knot of instincts that was his other. He poked at it and it grumbled softly. Sleep while you can, you¡¯re not going to beat me. The thought was met immediately with a ripple that was sent out over his brain. William smiled to himself and nodded. So it begins. With a renewed heart and conviction in his mind he ran off after where Ares had disappeared into the forest.


    Ares wasn¡¯t walking very fast and at a run William caught up to him pretty fast. Ares didn¡¯t turn or acknowledge William¡¯s appearance at all.


    William said, ¡°I¡¯m ready to learn.¡±


    Ares looked sideways at William, ¡°I don¡¯t teach cowards.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a coward.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Ares stopped and faced William. ¡°Then what do you call those tears you were shedding a moment ago? You have been wasting my time from the beginning and I don¡¯t like it when anybody wastes my time.¡± Ares turned and continued to stalk into the forest.


    William ran after Ares and when he was close enough he jumped up and landed a two leg kick to Ares back.


    The massive werewolf stumbled forward with a grunt. He whipped back around and faced the idiot who had dared to attack him. William was standing, ready for the fight of his life. Ares jumped into a flying tackle and threw William to the ground. William had felt this kind of thing before and with the added strength of his werewolf form he was able to twist on the ground and force Ares off him.


    Ares went with the momentum and rolled over the ground, springing back to his feet. William didn¡¯t give him the chance to recover. He bowled Ares over from behind and started pummeling the back of Ares¡¯ head with a barrage of punches and elbow blows.


    Even though William was a lot heavier as a werewolf Ares had no trouble lifting both of them off the ground and shaking William from on top of him. William also rolled with the throw and instead of springing back to his feet; he extended the roll into a cartwheel that landed him on his feet facing Ares.


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    Ares had disappeared. William looked all around him. He panicked at the thought of not knowing where Ares was going to strike. He looked around himself then as if a bell had sounded in his brain. Have you learned nothing from today? That thing that sits over your mouth isn¡¯t for decoration. He closed his eyes and put his nose in the air and inhaled deeply. The smell of the forest was thick, but he had no trouble picking out the musky scent of his teacher. It was close but¡­ he opened his eyes just in time to see Ares come falling through the air right where he was standing.


    William threw himself to the side and Ares landed hard on the forest floor. William was on his back but he rolled over onto his stomach and in one motion he thrust his body in the air and kicked out at Ares. The blind kick caught Ares right in the abdomen and William felt the satisfying shock wave resonate up his legs. He got to his feet and swung at Ares as he was bent over from the pain of the blow.


    Ares caught the fist in one claw. In desperation William threw another punch with his other fist. Ares caught that one as well. ¡°Are you finished, pup?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll only be finished if you¡¯re still my teacher.¡±


    Ares looked at the young pup standing in front of him. He gripped William¡¯s fists in his own claws. ¡°You have to convince me that you won¡¯t give up again. No matter what happens I want your word that you will fight with everything you¡¯ve got, and then fight some more to control yourself and to protect your pack when you are placed in one.¡±


    William nodded.


    ¡°SAY IT!¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t quit on you again, Ares¡­ or myself¡±


    Ares let go of William¡¯s hands and they dropped of their own will back to his sides. ¡°If you quit again, I will kill you myself.¡± Ares started to turn away but turned back and leaned in closer to William. ¡°If you ever attack me again, I will beat you to within an inch of your life.¡± Ares smiled at William and walked off into the forest again.


    William wasn¡¯t sure what was creepier, that Ares had said that with a smile, or the fact that he knew Ares wasn¡¯t joking, at all. William stood there for a moment looking at the retreating back of his teacher. A ripple flowed out across his brain. I will beat you; I just need to figure out how.


    ¡°Are you coming, pup?¡± Ares called out over his shoulder.


    William took a look down at his scar that he had given himself. I can¡¯t believe that I forgot about my promise. Never again. He nodded to himself and ran after Ares.


    He caught up with him and strode next to his teacher for a good while. Ares didn¡¯t say anything, nor did he look at William at all. Ares strode through the forest not seeming to have a true destination in mind. William should have known better.


    Ares led William to another clearing in the forest. William was shocked to see that the ground had been chewed up by something, or many some things. The ground was tinged red with who knows what. There was nothing growing inside the clearing. This place was as desolate as the Roman coliseum in its prime. William looked around and wondered what exactly this place was used for. He had an idea but that possibility was too barbaric to entertain.


    ¡°This is the proving grounds.¡± The name alone was menacing. ¡°You have challenged me, William. I know you don¡¯t know what that means but challenges do not go unanswered here. As you are right now, I could kill you without effort so I will call another to fight in my place.¡± William couldn¡¯t believe what he was hearing. His eyes must have been as big as saucers because Ares laughed out into the stillness of the forest. Somehow the laughter didn¡¯t do anything to calm his nerves. ¡°William, we do not fight to the death.¡± Ares let out a howl that echoed through the forest.

 Book 2 Chapter 10b

    ¡°As it turns out you need to learn how to fight anyway and so, what better way to do that than to throw you into a challenge that you yourself gave.¡± Ares smiled down at William as he shoved the pup into the clearing. ¡°Your challenger will be here soon.¡± Ares lifted his nose to the air and inhaled. ¡°I will be studying how you move and what you are capable of, how much of your abilities you have mastered. Once the fight is over, I will call for a stop. From this lesson I will better understand your technique and where it needs to be strengthened. As Enforcers, we have to be the best fighters in our pack. We are the guardians of our alphas and the rest of our people.¡± Ares stopped and inhaled once more. ¡°Prepare yourself, your opponent comes.¡±


    William stood, alone and vulnerable, in the clearing. He couldn¡¯t see very far into the trees. He saw Ares stand at the edge of the clearing and nothing else beyond that. He moved around in a circle getting a feel for the uneven terrain of the chewed-up dirt. Since he couldn¡¯t see anything, he turned up his nose and inhaled trying to get the scent of whatever it was that was coming. At the same time that he caught the scent he saw three forms materialize out of the shadows and enter into the clearing.


    Three grey werewolves entered the clearing, a fourth stayed on the outskirts of the trees. William looked toward Ares to see if this was some kind of a joke. I¡¯m supposed to fight three werewolves at once, how is this fair?


    Ares must have thought the same thing because no sooner had William thought that than his teacher spoke out. ¡°What is this?¡±


    The grey werewolf that stayed on the outskirts of the clearing spoke into the thick silence. ¡°We are here to deal with your student, Ares.¡±


    William saw fear etched on his teachers face, his voice was still rock steady though he couldn¡¯t imagine how. ¡°He hasn¡¯t done anything, and I haven¡¯t been given the chance to ascertain his true abilities yet. I need more time.¡±


    The grey werewolf was completely unmoved by Ares¡¯ words. ¡°The Elders have decided, Ares. Your student has been found to be a danger to himself and to our city, he is to be put down.¡±


    William couldn¡¯t believe what he was hearing. ¡°Ares, I haven¡¯t done¡­¡±


    ¡°SHUT UP!¡± The werewolf at the edge of the clearing yelled out and all sound seemed to be driven from the forest with his words. William felt a massive rock drop down into the pit of his stomach. With that feeling of hopelessness, he looked at the three werewolves that occupied the proving grounds with him. They were spacing themselves out around him, encircling him. William looked up at his teacher. William held his claws out to his sides and pleaded with his teacher to do something.


    ¡°Why have the Elders ruled this?¡± Ares asked the speaker for the newcomers.


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    The leader of William¡¯s death squad spoke again. ¡°Your student has exhibited signs of uncontrollable rage and he has not progressed as fast as we had anticipated.¡± William listened with greater and greater disbelief. ¡°Your student also has not demonstrated any control over his form. He can¡¯t release himself from his werewolf body. The Elders believe that that is a sign of his unwillingness to let go of the strength and the evil that is inherent in our werewolf forms. This evidence suggests that he is rabid and must be put down.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re going to kill me because I can¡¯t change back into my human form? This is crazy! Ares? Do something.¡±


    William looked at the edge of the clearing and Ares did nothing. He simply stood there, his shoulder blades drooped, and his head sagged. He lifted his eyes to meet William¡¯s. William saw surrender in those eyes. Ares started to turn away from the clearing but as he did so, William caught the slightest hand motion that was hidden from the grey werewolf by his body and the trees. Ares held his claw away from his body and closed it into a fist. Then he turned away from William and disappeared back into the shadows of the forest.


    ¡°Take him.¡±


    William became very much aware of his surrounding and the three grey werewolves that were encircling him. They started to rotate around him. William couldn¡¯t be sure what was going to happen, the only werewolf he had fought had been Ares. But Ares hadn¡¯t been trying to kill him. These werewolves held no compassion in their eyes and he knew that they wouldn¡¯t stop till he was dead. William studied them as much as he could. He tried to lock onto muscle movements and anticipate which was going to attack first. But he couldn¡¯t split his concentration three ways and there was always one directly behind him.


    He felt a bone crushing force slam down onto his back. He stumbled forward and was caught by a swift kick to his abdomen. He tried to get out from in between the two werewolves as he dropped into a roll to the side. He was immediately propped back up and tossed back into the middle of the circle of attacking werewolves.


    William shook his head and tried to work out the numbing pain that was throbbing along his spinal cord. The three werewolves were taking their time. They were circling William once again. If he could just pick out a prominent feature on any of the three, maybe he could concentrate on one and take them out one by one. But the werewolves were moving a little faster now and as far as he could tell they all looked exactly the same. They all stood at the same height, they all had the same shape ears, and they all had a very plain solid coat of grey fur.


    He felt another attack from behind. This time it was a shove or a kick, he couldn¡¯t be sure. But the force of the attack sent him towards one of the other werewolves. This one cocked his arm back and ripped his claws up William abdomen and into his chin and face. William felt the heat of the wound as the other werewolf¡¯s claws ripped deep into his skin. William didn¡¯t have time to think about the pain because he felt another pain explode as he felt something impact his exposed side. Punch or kick, it didn¡¯t matter. The blow hurt and drove the air out of his body. William whipped around toward the latest attack, but the werewolves backed off and were circling him again.


    William watched the werewolves circle him and he tried to see past the clearing. Just at the edge of the shadows of the forest was a ghostly visage of Ares. William felt a wave of relief at seeing his teacher. Ares golden eyes held a look of defiance. His upper lip curled back in a silent snarl, and he could almost feel what Ares was trying to tell him, ¡®Fight back. Don¡¯t let your life end like this¡¯.

 Book 2 Chapter 10c

    William felt another attack from behind. He was shoved forward again but instead of trying to maintain his feet, he fell forward into a roll. He dove from the ground into the outer reaches of the clearing, breaking free of the circle of werewolves.


    He stood up and whipped around to face his attackers. He had almost a full second before they were on him once again. William lunged toward the werewolf on the right. He brought the werewolf down, but he couldn¡¯t press his advantage. He jumped up from him and backed away from the other two.


    William needed time to think, but he knew that he wasn¡¯t going to get that kind of time. As soon as he knocked one down, he knew that the other two would be there to take him down. He had to find a way of evening the odds.


    His few moments of hesitation were all it took for the werewolf on the ground to get back up again. William was facing three werewolves once more and they were trying to encircle him. William didn¡¯t want to get too close to the edge of the clearing because he knew that the fourth would be there to attack him as well. At the same time if he got too close to the center, he would find himself encircled again and eventually they would win. They had a practiced and coordinated motion between them. William knew that they had fought together many times before, it was the only explanation for their coordination. Despite Williams constant moving he found himself in the middle of the circle.


    He turned around and everywhere he looked it seemed there was another werewolf ready to attack him. He couldn¡¯t see what they were about to do, he couldn¡¯t smell any difference between them. He was blanketed in a haze of grey and the smell of muted apathy and disgust.


    They hate me. He was on the verge of a blind panic. I¡¯m going to die.


    He watched the werewolves move around him and for some reason their movements slowed. Is this another trick? The circle of werewolves was moving in slow motion. William wasn¡¯t sure what was happening. Then he felt the familiar ripple flow out over his mind. You¡¯re doing this, but how? His other gave no response as usual, but the circle of werewolves continued to move at their eerie slow pace. It was like watching a slow-motion movie.


    The knotted cord of emotions that was his other unraveled and with that fogging of his mind a new wave of strength and power flooded through him. His other had just released a wave of adrenaline and with that came a calm that he hadn¡¯t known for a very long time. The calm lulled him into a comfortable stance, and he could once more think clearly.


    He inhaled the scents of the werewolves around him, and he could just make out the different smells of the three. He smelled a change in the air and somehow, he knew that another attack was coming.


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    He didn¡¯t have to think about it too hard. The rest of the world might be moving at a slower speed, but he could move at speeds that he was used to. He whipped himself around and the sudden expression of shock on the werewolf¡¯s face made William smile. William grabbed the werewolf¡¯s leg, mid kick, and holding it with one arm he brought down his other elbow with a crushing force on the werewolf¡¯s knee.


    The werewolf howled in pain as a sharp crack ripped out into the silence of the proving grounds. William tipped him up till he fell backwards on the dirt. He didn¡¯t have time to celebrate though as time seemed to speed up again. He was attacked by the other two. They were far more vicious now than they had been. They were not interested in playing anymore. William was assaulted by a barrage of punches and kicks as claws ripped into his flesh.


    William was still filled with the rage and power of his other and he fought back, exchanging blows with the two werewolves. He knew that it was only a matter of time before the fourth werewolf was going to join the fight. William sprinted off toward the edge of the clearing and he launched himself into the air as he kicked off a tree. He did an awkward aerial summersault and landed behind the two remaining attackers. He thrust his claws out into the backs of both of them. His claws ripped into them, and he pulled out sprays of blood.


    The two werewolves howled in pain and gripped at their backs as they turned around. He felt an iron grip wrap around his head and arms. The fourth werewolf had William in a choke hold that pinned his arms up and away from his body. The other two didn¡¯t hesitate. They began to punch and claw at William¡¯s exposed midsection.


    The fourth werewolf had William in a tight grip which was exactly what William needed. He pulled at the hold of the fourth werewolf and using the leverage that hold gave him he lifted his legs up and thrust out into a double kick that caught both werewolves in their faces.


    The two stumbled backwards, and the grip loosened. William took the opportunity to press his arms straight over his head and throw his head back in a reverse head butt. The werewolf wasn¡¯t expecting the attack and William heard a very satisfying crunch and his arms were free.


    William turned around and dove into the fourth werewolf and took him down to the ground. He let all the anger and all the adrenaline of his other wash over him as he ripped into the newcomer. The werewolf on the ground was not prepared for the attack and soon it was all he could do just to cover up and try to protect himself from William.


    William didn¡¯t care how far he went anymore. If he was sentenced to die, then he was going to take as many with him as he could. His claws were soon covered in blood as he ripped slashes through the werewolf¡¯s fur and into the flesh underneath. It felt really good to let go of everything, every worry, every care, every responsibility that he felt to himself, and others drained out of him, and he continued to attack the werewolf that he had pinned on the ground.


    In the back of his mind, he wondered what had happened to the other two werewolves. He felt a concussive force blast him from the side as he was thrown off the werewolf on the ground. One of the two original werewolves was driving him into the ground as he punched at William¡¯s sides. He reached up and, grabbing the werewolf¡¯s head, he brought his head to meet the other in a head butt.

 Book 2 Chapter 10d

    William was able to regain his feet and face the two grey werewolves. Why won¡¯t they stay down? Another ripple across his brain answered him. While he was in werewolf form, he had never gotten tired, he had never felt fatigued, except at the end of the night when he was about to change back into his human form. He was tired now. The fourth werewolf was recovering and once again he was facing three grey werewolves.


    They approached him but for some reason they didn¡¯t try to encircle him. William thought that was odd. Now he had a straight line on all three of them and he could study them and anticipate what they were going to do.


    William backed up a step and was barely able to catch himself from falling as his foot found a deep groove in the chewed-up earth. He knew that his assassins had to have seen him stumble and he knew that they would see that like sharks smelled blood in the water, for some reason though the others did not press their attack.


    William backed up another step and his head started to swim. He saw black spots float up into his vision. He tried to blink the spots away, but they returned. He was fascinated by them, though. They didn¡¯t move unless he concentrated on them then they pulled his eyesight up and away from whatever he was looking at. He shook away the thought and concentrated on the approaching werewolves.


    He knew he didn¡¯t have a lot of time left and he had a feeling that the three were just waiting for him to pass out from exhaustion. He decided to go on the offensive. He dove into the middle of the formation and with the abandon of a wild animal he ripped and slashed at all three of them at once. He didn¡¯t care about life or death. He felt a few punches and kicks land up and down his body, but he refused to acknowledge the pain or even the sensation. All that mattered was the fight; the only thing he cared about was dealing out as much damage as possible. He let go of all his inhibitions. William felt his blood surge as he fought. He released his rage and it flowed through him, just as tangible as the blood that flowed through his veins. He didn¡¯t even care if he survived anymore. He was lost to the fight. He let go of everything.


    A hind leg caught him in the midsection, and he fell with a grunt as oxygen was driven out of his body. He let his body weight collapse down on his knees as he hit the ground. Kneeling there he looked up at the three remaining werewolves. They didn¡¯t look too good. He smiled as he studied the wrecked abdomen of one. A jagged white line that ripped across a milky white spot that used to be an eye on another. He didn¡¯t even care about the pain he had caused them he felt no empathy for them at all. His vision was swarming with those black dots, and he didn¡¯t even care that he was about die.


    He heard movement off to his right and made his head turn toward the noise. Through the boundary of the clearing Ares broke through and ran to stand in between himself and the four grey werewolves.


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    ¡°What are you doing? This pup has been defeated.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t see around the massive shape of Ares, but he knew the answering voice was from the original speaker of the four. ¡°Ares, we have been charged with the death of this pup. I¡¯m sorry but this has to be done.¡±


    Ares was pissed, William could hear it in his teacher''s voice as a barely controlled volcano that was about to erupt any moment. ¡°Because he can¡¯t change into his original form?¡± Ares turned around, ¡°William, you need to change back into your human form now or you will die.¡± William tried to care about dying but he couldn¡¯t. He could barely hold his head up anymore he was so tired of everything.


    Ares gripped William¡¯s head in both his hands. ¡°William, you have to change now. You swore to me that you would not give up.¡±


    That struck a chord in William¡¯s weary body. I promised that to Ares if he would teach me. He forced his head to think, though he really didn¡¯t want to. It seemed that even his other was asleep and all of his energy was gone. He looked down at his arm. The white scar stared back at him. ¡°It¡¯s funny how many chains we make for ourselves without wanting too.¡±


    Ares cocked his head to the side at the muttered comment from his student. William looked into Ares¡¯ gold eyes and nodded. Ares was then gripped from behind by two sets of grey furred claws. He barked out in surprise and wrenched himself free from the would-be assassins. Ares turned on the four grey werewolves and William heard him growl. The four took a collective step backwards.


    William would have loved to stand up and see how this standoff was going to end. But he couldn¡¯t pull his eyes away from his scar and all that he had promised when he had marked himself. The scar was accusing him, laughing at him, impugning him. Black spots were floating up in front of him and he closed his eyes.


    It was so still in this place; nothing could touch him. He heard a voice that he knew very well speak out into the void. ¡°Are you going to just kneel there and die, or are you going to fight.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t fight anymore.¡± His voice was calm. He felt no anger and he was calm about the subject of dying. He had let go of that fear along with everything else.


    ¡°You can¡¯t or you won¡¯t.¡± As the words were spoken a werewolf walked into his vision from the void that he was kneeling in, he knew that this was his other. William noticed that his other was still in werewolf form but was smaller somehow.


    ¡°What happened to you?¡±


    ¡°I guess I gave you too much of myself too quickly. I have to rest and so do you. But if you don¡¯t do what Ares told you to do, you and I will both die.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about that anymore.¡±


    His other stopped and looked up and down the human that was standing in front of him. ¡°Then you have given up your fear and you¡¯re truly free.¡± William felt a wave of energy wash over his body as his skin erupted in goose bumps. ¡°William, you have to change back to what you are. I will always be here. You and I have a lot to do before we die.¡± The werewolf turned around and started to walk back into the void. He stopped and turned his head to look at William with one eye. ¡°You fight pretty well, for a human. See you around.¡± He waved his hand in a familiar mock salute and disappeared back into the darkness.

 Book 2 Chapter 10e

    William closed his eyes to the void and let his body fold in on itself. He felt the void enter his body. He was a part of everything, and he was nothing all at the same time. He felt a sharp pain and he opened his eyes.


    He was still on his knees looking up at five werewolves that were staring down at him. Ares had a relieved smile on his face while the other four stood with a shocked disbelief. The one with the broken knee that was skewed at an awkward angle stood with his mouth hanging open.


    ¡°I think this deserves a stay of execution, don¡¯t you?¡± Ares asked.


    The four greys just looked at each other. ¡°We will have to consult the Elders and see what they have to say about this.¡± Ares head moved like he wanted to say something else but he didn¡¯t say another word. Two of the assassins, propped themselves under the one with the broken knee and supported him out of the clearing. The fourth and the speaker for the group followed them. At the edge of the proving ground, he turned around and stared in disbelief at the naked human that was still kneeling in the uneven dirt. He looked like he wanted to say something but instead just shook his head and followed his comrades out of the clearing.


    William let his eyes fall to study his own body. His white skin was pale, a lot paler than he remembered it being. He saw his own familiar muscles run down his body and arms. He was skinnier than he remembered, but he didn¡¯t care about that either. He flexed his muscles through his laughter and even though the great strength that he had possessed as a werewolf was gone, he was happy to be human again.


    He looked up at Ares and he realized that it felt good to be alive. Somehow, he was able to gather his strength and stand up. He started dancing a jig in the middle of the clearing. He didn¡¯t care that he must look like a crazy person to anyone who saw him. For the first time in a long time, he was happy to be alive.


    After a few steps his body collapsed under him and that just caused him to laugh harder. He ripped up a handful of dirt and rubbed it all over his lightly haired chest. The feeling of dirt on his skin was wonderful. He wanted to bathe in the stuff and just enjoy this moment for as long as he could.


    Ares watched the naked pup bathe himself in dirt in the middle of the clearing. The werewolf crossed his arms in front of him and a small smile spread across his lips. William didn¡¯t care what his teacher thought. He doesn¡¯t know what it feels like to have skin instead of fur. That was a sobering thought for William. That thought brought up all the things that the wolf born probably don¡¯t experience the way that the human born do. Sex is an obvious one but what else do wolf born never get a chance to experience that human born take for granted? William would have to ask his teacher about that some time.


    William rolled onto his stomach. He tried to lift himself up but he was completely drained of strength. The fact he couldn¡¯t lift himself off of the dirt only caused another fit of laughter. He tried again, and failed again. His whole exhausted body shook with the mirth of him being so weak. He tried a third time, and he felt a claw grasp his arm and pull him to his feet. William stood there as the werewolf supported almost all of William¡¯s body weight.


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    William wanted to say something. He wanted to thank his teacher for saving his life. He wanted to thank him for giving him the time he needed to change back into human form. He wanted to thank him for everything that this werewolf had done for him since he had entered the City under the Mountain. But when he tried to say those things the only thing that came out of his mouth was, ¡°Thank you, Ares.¡± The massive werewolf gave William a wry sideways glance. His lips curled into another smile, and he supported William as they made their way out of the proving grounds.


    Strength was slow to come back into his limbs. William felt like a newborn being hauled around by its parents. He tried to move his legs in a rhythm with Ares but weak limbs ended up being dragged by the powerful werewolf and his long strides.


    William looked up at the forest and the beauty of this place. It looked less vibrant, less alive. He inhaled and the familiar scents were muted as well. He was amazed at just how dead the world looked now that he was a human once again.


    He hadn¡¯t, up until that point, really acknowledged the fact that he was naked. He felt the need to reach down and cover himself. Ares glanced down at the awkward attempt at modesty. William twisted himself and looked up to face Ares. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t happen to have an extra pair of shorts anywhere nearby, would you?¡± Ares let out a deep vibrant laugh. The laugh bounced off the surrounding trees and echoed out through the forest. It was the most jovial and horrifying laugh William had ever heard.


    Even though Ares stopped laughing, the echoes of his laughter remained for some time. The pure sound of it faded from around them. ¡°After your short exhibition I was sure that you had gotten over your overdeveloped sense of modesty.¡± William felt his cheek flush. With the jubilation he had felt that had driven him to dance like some drunken idiot he hadn¡¯t cared about anything, not even the fact that he was naked. ¡°No, pup I don¡¯t have an extra pair of shorts.¡±


    William held his hand in front of him as he let Ares support more and more of his body weight. He felt guilty letting Ares work at moving him through the forest. ¡°Where are we going?¡±


    Ares didn¡¯t bother to look at him but nodded ahead of them. ¡°We are going back to the city so you can get some sleep.¡±


    The two made their way slowly through the darkening woods. William let Ares drag him over the uneven terrain of the forest. He thought about Aceso. He was aware of the fact that she was never too far away from his thoughts. He had to smile just a little bit. Even at the moment of near death he had thought about her and everything that he owed her. The scar on his arm was a constant tangible reminder to him of just how important that promise was to him. He found himself wondering, could I have changed back to a human if it wasn¡¯t for the obligation I felt toward her? He had called it a chain before, at that point though, it may have been a life line.


    The last of his strength drained out of William¡¯s legs and he had to let them drag behind him. Ares didn¡¯t even grunt under the added weight. The massive werewolf ducked under William¡¯s shoulder and carried him. He felt himself drift and soon his eyes didn¡¯t open again. He let the rhythm of Ares¡¯ walk and the warmth of the werewolf¡¯s fur comfort him and he finally fell into a deep peaceful sleep.

 Book 2 Chapter 11a

    He was being lowered onto a soft warm surface. His eyes opened and the blurry picture he saw was of plain black shiny walls. He felt warmth surround him and he rolled over under the warm furs of his bed. He didn¡¯t close his eyes but watched as Ares turned around and started walking toward the door.


    ¡°Ares.¡±


    The eight-foot-tall werewolf turned around and looked down at his barely conscious student. William¡¯s throat hurt and he tried to swallow but nothing happened. He hadn¡¯t had anything to drink for a while. He tried to keep his eyes open but they closed on their own. ¡°Why did you protect me back there?¡±


    William didn¡¯t open his eyes, and the silence stretched out into the darkness and he felt himself slip away. He struggled with his own fatigue, and he forced his eyes to open as he jerked himself back to wakefulness.


    The werewolf was still standing as he had when he turned back around to face William. Ares looked at William with the compassion of a parent. ¡°I stopped the greys from killing you because whoever ordered your death was wrong about you. You kept your word, and didn''t give up. In that moment I knew that I had to uphold my end of the bargain and not give up on you.¡± Ares turned toward the open entryway to leave.


    William tried to watch the werewolf leave but his eyes closed by themselves, and he was asleep.


    William woke up in his room. The flecks in the ceiling brightened as he opened his eyes. He wasn¡¯t sure if they brightened as he woke or if they were that bright already. He was shocked to see someone else in his room and he felt embarrassed that his still naked body was half uncovered by his skin blankets. He threw the furs back over his body and tried to compose himself as the dark woman in the room smiled at him.


    ¡°Your modesty is flattering, pup, but unnecessary.¡±


    William looked up and saw that the woman had dark brown skin. He recognized her immediate as the Elder Ansuya. She was wearing a gorgeous dress whose skirt was a pale blue green. The upper body portion of the dress was a light green that reminded him of Easter for some reason. Over her right arm she held a long blue shawl with the same hue of green on the fringes. Her head was dressed with a simple but elegant string of diamond that came down over the middle of her head and ended in a diamond cluster that rested on her forehead. She wore diamond earrings.


    Ansuya smiled at him and walked over to where he was lying down on the bed. William sat up and propped his not quite recovered body against the cold stone of his bedroom wall. Ansuya rearranged her dress and sat down on the foot of his bed.


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    William was very nervous. He was very aware that this woman was an Elder and he had not forgotten that it was the Elders that had sentenced him to death. Was it possible that she had come to finish what the grey werewolves had started? He tried to remain calm and plan for an escape. However, Ansuya had placed herself in the room perfectly. If he bolted for the door, she could cut him off and he realized that any muscle tension or movement that he made would be felt instantly by her through his bed. She¡¯s good and probably why she¡¯s an Elder.


    ¡°How are you feeling this morning?¡±


    The question was unexpected and caught him completely off guard. He couldn¡¯t hide the shock from his face and he looked around for a moment as he tried to comprehend what she was asking. He looked down at the black furs on his bed. ¡°I¡¯m feeling ok.¡±


    Ansuya¡¯s eyebrow arched. She let her hand fall to the bed. The motion and angle of her arm and the way her dress flowed over it was hypnotic. William found that the more he looked at this woman the more he wanted to look at her. She oozed grace and poise with every motion. She twisted her body, giving William a full view of her profile. Her dress accentuated her curves, and he felt a stirring under the sheets. He shifted where he sat hiding his body¡¯s betrayal; at least he hoped that¡¯s what he was doing.


    Ansuya leaned toward William. ¡°William, why do you think I¡¯m here?¡±


    William shook his head. He had to keep his mind clear. ¡°I don¡¯t have the slightest clue,¡± he said with a shrug of his shoulders.


    Ansuya arched her eyebrow again. ¡°Aren¡¯t you the slightest bit interested in the reason for your near assassination yesterday?¡±


    William felt like he had just been gut punched, that and the sudden need to pee for some reason. He squirmed trying to ease the pressure his bladder felt. He remembered that those grey werewolves had said that the Elders had sentenced him. He took a deep slow breath in and met her deep brown eyes. ¡°I was¡­ a little concerned about that, yes.¡±


    Ansuya¡¯s face became stone. Her eyes told him that she was feeling a cavalcade of emotions, but her face betrayed none of them. ¡°William, the Greys told you they were there at the behest of the Elders.¡± William nodded once. Ansuya took a deep breath and smoothed out her dress with her hands. As she was concentrating on the folds of her dress she said to the fabric, ¡°That was only partly true.¡±


    William¡¯s eyes narrowed as he comprehended what he had just heard. He leaned forward; Ansuya had his full attention. ¡°What do you mean ¡®only partly true?¡¯¡±


    Ansuya finished smoothing out her dress and keeping both hands in her lap she turned back to face William. Whatever she had done before to make his flesh react the way it had she wasn¡¯t doing it anymore. William felt very small and very weak all of a sudden. The light in the room seemed to diminish, and Ansuya¡¯s presence filled the four corners of the room. He wouldn¡¯t have been able to take his eyes off her even if he had wanted too.


    ¡°William, you are going to make your own judgments, I understand that. What I want to make clear to you is that we, the Elders, and the people and wolves of this city are not your enemy. The Elder Derceto was responsible for ordering your death.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 11b

    Derceto? He wondered if she expected him to know who that was. His face had confusion written all over it. Ansuya was looking down at her dress again. He didn¡¯t know if she was embarrassed or if this was some kind of game that she was playing with him. He thought back to that first meeting in the Tower. He remembered Huan Li and Ansuya. There had been Jacob and the old lady. He was pretty sure that she wasn¡¯t Derceto. Then he remembered the two wolves. The reddish brown one and the larger golden brown one. He couldn¡¯t imagine a harmless old lady ordering his execution so he figured it had to be one of the wolves, but he couldn¡¯t remember what their names were.


    Ansuya seemed to pick the thoughts right out of his head. ¡°The red wolf that you met briefly in the Tower is Derceto.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Ansuya stood up with all the grace and majesty of a goddess. She walked a few steps away from the bed and stopped to study his plain wooden dresser. ¡°The other Elders and I have questioned her.¡± She turned back toward him and while she kept her face smooth and unreadable her eyes told a different story. ¡°She acted on her own. There was something about you that she saw as a genuine threat to our city.¡± She walked toward him, recapturing his full attention, and sat down next to him on his bed. ¡°She thought she was doing the right thing. There was no malice in her actions.¡± Ansuya looked into Williams eyes. William couldn¡¯t hide anything from her while she was looking at him like that. He was losing himself in those deep brown eyes and he didn¡¯t care. ¡°William, I didn¡¯t know, please forgive me.¡±


    William felt like he had just been slammed up against a wall, forgive you? Ansuya was an Elder, why would she be asking for forgiveness. William¡¯s brain wouldn¡¯t work properly for a few moments. He found his eyes wondering around his room and stopped to study his black fur blankets. The soft, deep fur was familiar and the only thing that made sense at that moment.


    ¡°If Derceto acted on her own than it wasn¡¯t your fault.¡± He lifted his eyes to meet hers. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be forgiven for something you didn¡¯t have any part of.¡±


    Ansuya¡¯s eyes did something very strange. He couldn¡¯t describe it, but it was almost like her emotions were being spoken through them. It was a very disconcerting thing to watch, and he had to lower his eyes to study her face and neck. Her slender, beautiful neck showed every muscle flex as she moved her head. He found that every part of this woman was fascinating. He could stay with this woman forever. The moment passed and he was able to look at Ansuya again without the overwhelming feeling of adoration.


    ¡°William, we brought you here to teach you. Part and parcel with that is that you would take your place as the Enforcer of a pack and help us fight our war. You can¡¯t do that dead.¡± Ansuya shook her head and her black hair cascaded over her shoulders, hiding her face from him. ¡°This ¡®other¡¯ that Ares tells us you have is a frightening thing, William.¡± She let out a small nervous laugh. ¡°I have to admit that even I am a little intimidated by it.¡± Ansuya shook her hair away from her face and turned back toward him. ¡°But that is no reason to kill you. Derceto set Nicolas up to fight you. Using what happened in that fight and your seemingly inability to control your rage she decided that you were rabid and had to be put down.¡± Ansuya paused for a moment. She heaved a deep sigh and it seemed to William that she was relieved to get all of that out of her system. ¡°You attacking Ares didn¡¯t help your case either.¡±


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    William winced at the memory of him attacking Ares. He thought back to what had happened to him over the past few days. His inability to control himself at the underground lake, the uncontrollable rage that felt that caused him to try and throw that boulder. He had to smile at the memory.


    ¡°What is it that you find so amusing?¡± Ansuya had no mirth in her eyes.


    William¡¯s stupid smile was frozen on his face. He couldn¡¯t let go of how ridiculous he must have looked to Hermes as he did that hammer throw that went all of six feet. He shook his head and studied his blankets once again. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, Elder. I was just remembered something that happened in the forest a night or two ago.¡±


    Ansuya smoothed out her dress and laid a hand on top of his. ¡°William I, as well as the rest of the Elders, are deeply sorry for what happened. We ask for your forgiveness.¡±


    William moved his hand under hers but let her keep her hand on top of his. He looked into her eyes. ¡°I already told you it wasn¡¯t your fault. But if you need to be forgiven then I forgive you.¡± William pulled his hand out from under hers. ¡°Besides if it wasn¡¯t for those grey assassins, I might not have been able to change back into my human self again. I should probably be thanking Derceto for forcing me to change back into my human form. Otherwise, it might have been days, or never, and I would be stuck as a werewolf.¡± William paused and heaved a deep sigh. ¡°If that happened than I¡¯m afraid that Derceto¡¯s fears might have proven to be more than justified.¡± He smiled at the beautiful Elder that was sitting on his bed.


    Ansuya didn¡¯t say anything, but her eyes drifted down to look at their hands on the bed. She pulled her hand out from in between his. She wore a look of deep feelings. William wasn¡¯t sure if it was empathy or compassion or something else. It was a very striking look, the kind that masterpieces of art are made of. William was again enthralled by this woman¡¯s beauty. He lost himself in studying every muscle curvature of her neck and arms. How the pulse in her neck was only just covered by the tissue there but the implied heartbeat was obvious.


    ¡°Am I interrupting anything?¡±


    William jumped like a child that had just been frightened from a campfire ghost story. Ansuya, however, could have been made from stone. She turned her head toward the speaker, neither hurried or slow, her hair fell across her shoulders momentarily hiding her face from William¡¯s view. William looked toward the door at the intruder. He moved his head to the side and standing there in the open entryway was his teacher, Ares.

 Book 2 Chapter 11c

    William couldn¡¯t read his teacher at that distance, but he would have sworn that he had a bemused look on his face. William busied himself by striating the furs over his body.


    Ansuya, rose from the bed. She turned back toward William. ¡°You are a very interesting pup, William.¡± She let the tiniest of smiles creep along her lips. ¡°I will leave you to your training. You still have a lot to learn, but I can promise you that no other death squads will be coming for you.¡± She raised one eyebrow then the other and she let a full smile blossom on her face. ¡°Good luck.¡± She turned and walked toward the door.


    Ares stepped aside for the Elder and turned back toward William. Once the Elder had disappeared out the entryway Ares took a few steps toward his student. ¡°Since you are up already how about we start the day?¡±


    William was not exactly looking forward to whatever Ares had planned for him. As he moved around on his bed, he became aware of the muscle tension and soreness that he felt from the day before. Ares stood by the entryway waiting for William to move. He flexed his sore legs and became aware that he was still naked. He was sure that Ares would not have any sympathy for him. He looked at Ares, who folded his arms in front of his chest. William knew that his protests would fall on deaf ears so without thinking about it too much he threw off the fur blankets and got out of his nice warm bed.


    Resisting the urge to cover himself and run for his dresser, he made himself walk the short distance from his bed to place where the safety of his clothes rested. Trying to ignore his self-consciousness he withdrew his underwear from the top drawer and put them on, trying to be much less hurried than he felt like being. He then bent over and withdrew a pair of shorts and one of his shirts. He noticed immediately that there were a lot more clothes in the dresser than he remembered and the thought of him not owning any wearable shorts struck him. He silently wondered who had endowed him with the new articles of clothes. He glanced toward Ares who was still standing with his arms crossed.


    ¡°William, is there a problem?¡±


    William glanced back toward his dresser. ¡°Yes, how did all these clothes get here?¡±


    Ares breathed a heavy sigh that was audible throughout the spacious bedroom. ¡°We are not animals here, William. We saw that you were in need of new clothes, and we provided them for you.¡± Ares held William in a hardening stare. ¡°Now if you are done wasting time, get dressed and go to the bathroom. I did mention that we had work to do today?¡±


    William nodded and pulled on his new clothes, they fit so perfectly he thought that they must have been tailored for him. The simple khaki pants and clean cotton t-shirt hugged his sore body nicely without being too tight. William grabbed his toiletries and hurried off to the large open bay bathroom that he had been shown only days ago, it seemed almost like another life. He stepped inside the room. The showers behind the half wall partition were quiet and the toilets stood empty. William finished his business and brushed his teeth. The feeling of a real toothbrush against his teeth was still a welcome sensation. He cleaned himself and exited the room.


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    He rushed back toward his room on the third floor of his obsidian building. He ran up the ramp and saw that Ares was waiting for him on the landing leading to his bedroom. Ares stepped aside and let his student enter. William walked past his teacher and returned his things to the dresser. He looked down and caressed the wood of the lonely piece of furniture. He took a deep breath and turned to face his teacher and all that he had in store for him.


    Ares stood in the entryway, his eight-foot-tall frame blocking it almost entirely from view. He unfolded his arms, his golden eyes staring into Williams own blue green ones. Ares stared at William for long moments. William felt a slight nagging sensation in the back of his mind, and he had to physically resist the urge to look away. It was a test of Williams will or at least that is what he took it as and as he understood what was happening his confidence rose and his eyes held the eyes of his teacher with less and less difficulty.


    Ares nodded and a small smile cracked his lips. William had to admit after what happened yesterday it was good to feel like he had done something right.


    ¡°How do you feel?¡±


    William was a little taken aback by the question. Since he had entered the City under the Mountain no one had asked him how he felt or seemed to care at all what William thought about what was going on. He thought back to yesterday and couldn¡¯t really pull up any strong emotions about it one way or another. ¡°I feel ok.¡± It was the simplest way to answer and, oddly enough, it was the truth.


    ¡°Just ok?¡± Ares voice raised itself in pitch to form a question. William watched as his teacher looked him up and down. Ares stood stock still with that small smile still on his lips. ¡°After what happened to you yesterday, I would think you would be sore, or tired, or angry, or any number of things. But you are just ok?¡±


    William nodded. ¡°Yep, I¡¯m ok.¡±


    Ares nodded. ¡°Because of everything you¡¯ve been through I was thinking that it was time for you to get better acquainted with the place that is to be your home.¡± Ares stepped outside of the bedroom, and he motioned for William to follow.


    William walked out on the landing and Ares swept his arms out encompassing the whole of the black City under the Mountain. The obsidian structures rising like building blocks from an impossibly smooth floor. The various rooftops that he could see that reflected the light from the multitudes of ceiling crystals glistened on the black polished stone. The obelisk like Tower, where he had first been introduced to the hard unforgiving lessons that this place had to teach, like a jagged spear thrust into the ground rose high above every other building.


    William looked out at the green of the indoor forest where he had undergone his trial by fire yesterday. The vibrant greens and browns and the smells of cedar and pine as it permeated the air around him. The green of the forest seemed less out of place and more augmented the surrounding blackness of the hard-edged buildings of the city. The forest was as much a part of this place as the buildings and looking out over this place it resonated with a harmony that he had never seen matched by anything he had witnessed made by man. He was struck by how perfect this place was, if perfection was even an appropriate term for this place.

 Book 2 Chapter 11d

    There was a harmony here that was at once refreshing and, for the first time in his life William knew without a doubt in his mind that he was home. Ares placed a massive paw on his shoulder. The gesture cemented what he had just been thinking. He knew that he had a lot to learn and he had to earn his way in this place but if this was the place where he had to prove himself than he would, without question or regret.


    ¡°This will be your home, you should get to know the people and wolves that live in it.¡±


    William glanced away from the beautiful city and looked up at his teacher. Ares was looking out over the city and William¡¯s eyes followed his teacher¡¯s line of sight. There were several werewolves and humans out walking about from place to place. Some had stopped and were talking in the street. Once he would have thought it strange for a human to be talking to a seven-foot-tall werewolf. But here it seemed the most natural thing in the world. He saw a brown wolf streak down the street, moving at impossible speeds. William didn¡¯t hear a sound as the wolf easily avoided the small amount of traffic in the street and disappeared around the corner of a building.


    Ares patted William¡¯s shoulder and he looked up toward the massive werewolf. ¡°The day is yours, William. Do whatever you like. Visit whoever you wish.¡± William thought of Ansuya. And even as he did so he knew that he couldn¡¯t possibly see her. ¡°All our doors are open, anyone will answer any questions you might have.¡± Ares took a step back and looked William in the eye. ¡°We are not perfect William, but there is a lot to learn here. I¡¯m sure one day you may even find the voice to teach others as I am teaching you.¡± Ares stood up to his full height. ¡°Have fun today, you¡¯ve earned it.¡±


    Ares walked down the ramp of the building away from his student. If William didn¡¯t know any better, he would have said that his teacher strolled away, but werewolves don¡¯t stroll, do they?


    William stood there looking out over the city for a few minutes. He didn¡¯t have the first clue about what he was going to do. For the first time in a long time, he had nothing to do. The thought struck him as odd somehow. After almost two years making his living in an unforgiving forest that didn¡¯t care how tired he was, or how sore he was, or if he had just narrowly escaped death by getting swept under by some rapids, he always had to fish or hunt for his food and prepare for the next day or the day after that. He had been gainfully employed for his survival for something close to two years.


    Even the city had been unforgiving to him. He had been tested, nearly drowned, beaten close to death, had to fight for his survival, quite literally more than once. In a lot of ways this place could be more dangerous than his forest ever thought of being. Still, this place was his home now and the people in it were his neighbors. He walked down the ramp of the building. If he didn¡¯t have anything to do than maybe his feet would carry him to someplace interesting.


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    He followed the path of the street. Moving along casually he glanced back and forth from side to side. He looked in the various rooms and buildings to either side of the street. It struck him as odd that all the building and rooms that weren¡¯t bedrooms seemed to be missing that wall that faced the street. There were no barred windows, and everything was open to everyone.


    He stopped in front of what looked like a dojo from a kung fu movie. Two women with long hair one was dark red the others was as black as Ansuya¡¯s were fighting or sparring, it was tough to tell. They were throwing each other to the ground in a series of holds and escapes that was as violent as anything he had seen on TV or in person. William thought that he recognized one of the women. The one with red hair seemed very familiar to him but that illusion was shattered as she was thrown to the ground and her hair was removed from her face. She had sharp features and a prominent nose. William shook his head, no he had never seen her before, but for a moment he was reminded of someone he had known. Shaking his head, he turned away from the sparring match and continued to walk down the street.


    Not far from the dojo, he saw an open weapons shop on the opposite side of the street. What caught his eyes was the gleaming guns and rifles that seemed to be hidden away behind where, what he guessed was, the proprietor of the store was working. William walked into the open store and saw that the man had a rather small stature. He was much shorter than William, standing only about five feet five inches tall. His shoulders were narrow, and he had the aura about him that a strong breeze could knock him off his feet. A pair of wire rimmed glasses rested precariously upon the man¡¯s nose as he was bent over a work bench setting some piece of metal into a perfectly bored slot on another piece of metal. William didn¡¯t really know anything about guns but even he could tell that the man knew exactly what he was doing.


    ¡°If you want to look, be my guest,¡± the man said without taking his eyes off of his work. ¡°The rifles are off limits to pups like you, but feel free to peruse the handguns. Don¡¯t touch the ammo, if you like your arms being attached to your torso.¡± William took a step back at the sure, strong voice coming from such a frail looking man.


    ¡°I¡¯m William.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re the new pup that almost got himself killed yesterday.¡± The man still did not take his eyes off his work bench.


    William was struck by the matter-of-fact way this man was talking about the attack that he had to endure the day prior. Who the hell does this guy think he is?


    The man stood up from his work and took a step toward William. ¡°I¡¯m the guy that makes the guns that will keep you alive out there when push comes to shove.¡± William¡¯s eyes flicked briefly to the safety of the street. He thought that maybe this was a bad time and that maybe he should have stayed outside. William tried to pull himself together and leveled a look at the smaller man. What he saw in his dark brown eyes was the same thing that he had seen in Ares¡¯ eyes, the same thing he had seen in Huan Li¡¯s eyes. The weight of life experience and power radiated from this man just as it did from every other being he had met in the city. This man might not look it but he was just as much an Enforcer as Ares was.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to offend you, sir. I was just looking around.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 11e

    The shorter man took another step toward William. His nose only inches away from William¡¯s face. ¡°Maybe you didn¡¯t mean to offend me but you sure as shit did offend me, pup. You fucking offend me plenty,¡± Anger was plainly written on the shorter man¡¯s face and his hands had clenched themselves into tough, experienced fists.


    William put his hands up in a defensive posture as he took a step back. He couldn¡¯t help but shoot a look over his shoulder back toward the relative safety of the street. ¡°Look, I think that I¡¯m just going to leave.¡±


    The short man took another step toward William. His lips pulled back over his teeth as he growled out, ¡°What, you just going to leave without asking me my name?¡± William stopped moving and he couldn¡¯t help but cock his head to the side in a questioning gesture.


    The short man erupted in laughter. William had no idea what was going on and the confusion was written on his face. This only seemed to add to the short man¡¯s mirth as he laughed even harder. The short man was bent over holding his stomach. ¡°You shoulda seen¡­,¡± his laughter interrupted himself as the man tried to breathe and speak and laugh all at the same time, ¡°the look¡­ haha¡­the look on your face¡­Hahaha¡­ priceless.¡± William watched as the man tried to control himself. He wasn¡¯t upset, he just didn¡¯t think it was that funny. William tried to wait patiently as the man gasped for breath and continued laughing. ¡°Shit, son¡­ that was one of the funniest damn things I¡¯ve ever seen,¡± The man¡¯s eyes were watering, and he was doubled over clutching at his sides. After a few minutes of this William was concerned that the guy was going to have an aneurism, or a heart attack.


    The laughing fit was brought under control and at last the guy could stand up straight. His body was still shaking. He stood up and instead of laughing he held his hand to his mouth and coughed as he tried to bring himself under control. William was afraid the coughing was going to turn into another fit of laughing but the man controlled it and wiped the tears from his eyes. Without a word the man turned his back on William and went deeper into his shop shaking his head and coughing out a laugh or two. Even now he thought that what had happened minutes ago was hilarious. Just when William was about to leave, the man yelled out over his shoulder,


    ¡°Well, do you want to see what I do here or not, pup?¡± There was still joy in his voice and the earlier menacing bravado was gone. Still, laughing that hard at something so trivial made William seriously question the man¡¯s sanity.


    William took one last look at the safety of the street, questioned his own sanity at staying here with such a man, and followed the guy further back into the weapons shop.


    William took a good look around the store. It was more of a garage than an actual store. There were pits and pieces to all sorts of things just lying around. There were hammers and other power tools hanging up on the wall. There were racks right in the middle of the place that William had to walk around. The racks themselves were sturdy and were covered with all manner of tools, screwdrivers, hammers, drills, sanders, extension cords, drill bits, wire, wrenches, and every other thing a well-stocked garage should have.


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    The man had moved further back into his store, past the workbench that he had been working over just a few minutes ago. The workbench was solid, but it was a patch work of worn and grooved wood, with some metal throughout. It had metal drawers but an all wood top. One of its legs was, he guessed, aluminum while another leg was oak. One side of the bench had two cabinet doors. The cabinet door on one side was richly stained pine, while on the other side the door was metal. William moved past the strange, but well made, patchwork all-purpose bench and met the man almost in the very back of the place.


    The man was leaning against a wall that was covered in neatly hanging handguns of all types. William had no idea what was what but the shear amount of firearms on display was enough to impress him. The entire wall was covered with handguns from floor to ceiling with no more than an inch separating one gun from another. William turned his head and realized that the collection also went from the very back of the store to more than half back the way William had come. There were all kinds of guns from all black guns to shining silver ones that seemed to be as big as Ares¡¯ hand. There were little ones that William¡¯s own hand would have covered with ease. There were strange shaped ones that had huge gaps between the trigger well and trigger. William had never been much of a gun enthusiast but even he had to admit that the collection was impressive.


    ¡°Yep, these are my babies.¡±


    William looked down at the little man as he glanced at the firearms. ¡°Did you make all of these?¡±


    The man looked as if he was going to go into a laughing fit again. A huge smile spread across his face instead. ¡°Shit, son of course I¡­well I did all the custom jobs, all the ones that have the enlarged trigger guards are definitely mine.¡± He motioned to a rather large silver handgun. William assumed that it was one of those guns that used a clip because there wasn¡¯t that cylinder thing that would have rotated when it was fired. ¡°This one was one of my first models.¡± The man took it off the wall and hefted it. He grabbed the barrel and handed it to William, grip first.


    William took the gun in his hands and was amazed by the weight of the thing. ¡°Wow, that¡¯s pretty heavy.¡±


    The man waved away the criticism. ¡°Yeah, like I said it was my first model. You see when I first came here, I didn¡¯t have a clue about what was happening to me. The people here helped me through it, and we soon found out that my skill as a gunsmith could help them too. So, they gave me this place and told me to ¡®go to work¡¯.¡±


    William hefted the gun one more time and handed it back to the man just as it was handed to him, grip first. The man took the gun and placed it back on the wall. He gently brushed past William and picked up an all-black handgun with the same kind of enlarged trigger guard. ¡°Now, this one is probably still my best work.¡± He handed it to William.


    For a second, he wasn¡¯t sure if it was some kind of trick or not. The metal was cold on William¡¯s hands, but he could feel almost no weight from the gun at all. The man was beaming. ¡°I know right? Hardly any weight at all. Now, I must admit that I cheated a little bit with this one.¡± William raised a questioning eyebrow. The man started to scratch the back of his head. ¡°Yeah, I kinda stole the idea from a movie and used ceramics and plastics in the construction. So, I can¡¯t take full credit for this one.¡± The man took the gun from William¡¯s hands and put it back on the wall.

 Book 2 Chapter 11f

    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    The man jerked away from the wall as if someone had just slapped him across the face. ¡°You mean I haven¡¯t introduced myself yet, well shit son, why didn¡¯t you ask me before. You wandering around my store listening to me prattle on like some old hen on the coop stoop; you don¡¯t even know my name yet, shit.¡± The man jabbed his hand out toward William midsection, ¡°The name¡¯s Robert Beauford Jones. You can call me Billy.¡± William wasn¡¯t quite sure what to make of Billy just yet but he reached his hand out and Billy grabbed it in a solid handshake. ¡°Now that we made with the introductions, you want to see some of the other stuff I got?¡±


    ¡°Why do some of these have an enlarged, uh, what did you call them, trigger something?¡±


    Billy ran his hands through his brown hair. ¡°I¡¯m guessing that you mean the ¡®trigger guard¡¯, right?¡± William nodded his head. Billy heaved a sigh and shook his head from side-to-side. ¡°You really don¡¯t know anything do you, pup?¡± William didn¡¯t want to respond to that at all, the only thing he could do was stand there. Billy looked over William¡¯s shoulder toward the street. ¡°Ah, shit you going to learn one way or the other right? Ok¡± Billy grabbed one of the handguns in question off the wall. ¡°Look, kid we¡¯re at war.¡± William stared at Billy, who slapped him upside the head with his empty hand. ¡°Are you paying attention, pup? I said we¡¯re at war and I make the weapons we use to fight it.¡±


    William shook himself and tried to not rub the stinging sensation on his temple. ¡°What war? Who are we at war with?¡±


    ¡°Jesus H Christ! Come on pup, I know you¡¯re not this slow. We¡¯re at war, son.¡±


    William tried to compose himself as best as he could. ¡°Billy? For a moment let¡¯s pretend that I don¡¯t know anything about werewolves, shape shifters, or the phases of the moon and just tell me what the hell is going on.¡±


    Billy gave the younger man a quizzical look and shaking his head he walked over to a bench and sat down. William watched as Billy looked at him and gently patted the worn wood next to him. William glanced toward the ceiling one more time and sat down next to the middle-aged man with the questionable sanity.


    Billy took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. ¡°You know, William,¡± he said as he replaced the glasses on his angular nose, ¡°I¡¯ve been alive for a good many years.¡± Billy twisted his body so he was looking the younger man in the eye. ¡°But I have never seen one of our kind as old as you that knew so little.¡± Billy closed his eyes and twisted back around so he was facing forward as he coughed out another laugh. William had to concentrate to not breathe a sigh. He chose instead to lean back on the bench and rest his back on the cool polished black stone of the wall.


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    Billy leaned forward, propping himself up on his knees by his elbows. ¡°Ok, look we, that is the shape shifters, you and I, right?¡± William nodded in acknowledgement. ¡°We are fighting a multiple front war, you might say. I make the weapons that we use to fight with.¡± Billy scratched his head. ¡°Well, some of the weapons that we use to fight with.¡±


    William opened his eyes and studied the various tools that were around him. From the guns hanging on the wall, to the tools that he assumed were used to make them, William was pretty sure that the contents of this store could supply a small army.


    ¡°Of course, my weapons only work in this reality.¡± Billy gestured around the room encompassing the contents that were inside. ¡°I still haven¡¯t found any other weapon other than these¡± with that Billy¡¯s hand changed and instead of the hard calloused human hands he wore only a moment ago, now his hands were the claws of a werewolf, ¡°to fight the Shadows.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve had a run in with those,¡± William said.


    Billy gave him a sideways glance, his hands once again the hands of a human, ¡°Yeah? Shit you did, pup. Very few of us have had run ins with the shadows solo and survived.¡±


    William knew better than to try to explain himself. He was just a pup, and he didn¡¯t really want to remember how he almost got himself killed so he let the subject drop. He motioned with his arm. ¡°You were saying?¡±


    Billy seemed to shake himself and he hunched down on his elbows. ¡°Right, where was I?¡±


    ¡°Something about how our werewolf claws are the only weapon you¡¯ve found to use against the Shadows,¡± William said.


    ¡°Shit, look pup I¡¯m sorry if I said anything that upset you. You need to know this stuff if you¡¯re going to survive. Your teacher should have been telling you this stuff since day one.¡±


    William closed his eyes. ¡°Maybe he was just waiting for a good time?¡±


    Billy barked out a laugh. ¡°Yeah? And when do you suppose a good time would be? When you¡¯re dead? Shit.¡± Billy spit on the polished stone floor. ¡°Look pup, I got to get back to work.¡± Billy stood up. ¡°If you want to come by a little later, I could probably tell you a little more so that some of this makes sense.¡± Billy offered his hand to William one last time. William opened his eyes and saw the offered hand. He took it and Billy yanked him up off the bench. William stumbled for a step or two trying to regain his balance. Billy slapped him on the shoulder hard. ¡°Come and visit anytime,¡± Billy said as he turned to go back to the workbench that William had seen him use when he first entered the shop.


    William took a few steps toward the open street. William raised both hands above his shoulders and turned around to face Billy once more. ¡°Just a question Billy. If we¡¯re at war, and guns don¡¯t work against Shadows, then what good is having all these things in the first place?¡±


    Billy looked up from his work with a sly grin on his face. ¡°It¡¯s not just the guns, pup. It¡¯s the ammo.¡±


    ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll bite, so what kind of ammo do you have? I¡¯m pretty sure what you are talking about can¡¯t be bought from a store.¡± William¡¯s hands dropped to his side.


    ¡°Well, pup.¡± Billy stood up from his work bench. He walked over to a counter and reached over the top to open a drawer on the other side. William watched as the older man rummaged around half leaning on half lying on top of the counter as one of his legs was lifted off the floor. Billy kicked his leg down and heaved the rest of his body back to a standing position. He held in his hands what looked to be a box of bullets. Billy brought the box to where William was standing and he opened it. William was looking at what he supposed was regular bullets.

 Book 2 Chapter 11g

    ¡°Don¡¯t look like nothin¡¯ special, right pup?¡± William shrugged. ¡°Well, these bullets are very special.¡±


    Billy extracted one bullet from the tightly packed box of rounds and held it up for William¡¯s inspection. What he saw was strange. The round was not a uniform copper color like what he had expected to see from all those action movies. What he saw was more of a base copper color with striations of some other color in it, it looked like silver but kind of muted. William looked at Billy with an eyebrow raised in a questioning glance. Billy smiled and William was sure that the older man was going to go into another laughing fit.


    Billy rotated the bullet in the light, making sure to catch it on all of the strange silver striations in the bullet. ¡°This bullet is the best of both worlds, pup. Shit, this here is the magic bullet.¡±


    ¡°Magic bullet?¡±


    Billy did start laughing then, ¡°Shit yes, pup! This bullet and all the ammunition we have here is made with both lead and silver nitrate. Jesus, haven¡¯t you seen any horror movies in the last decade or two?¡± Billy tossed the bullet in the air and caught it between his fingers.


    ¡°Yeah, I remember seeing bullets that had UV irradiated liquid that burned vampires on contact. I saw a guy kidnap people, put them in elaborate traps and if the person made it out alive they had a new found respect for life and the mental problem they had before that was gone. I¡¯ve seen a creepy little girl that killed people because they watched a stupid Avant Gard movie. I¡¯ve even seen a few people get trapped in some crazy mouse trap like house that just so happened to be a prison for thirteen dead people that for some reason wanted to kill the people that were trapped in the house. Now, Billy? Did I miss anything?¡±


    Billy spit on the floor. He was chewing the inside of his lip. ¡°Yeah, I suppose you¡¯re right. I¡¯ve seen some of those things too. I even tried to do the whole irradiated liquid thing. The only problem with that was the casing for the liquid. It had to be somewhat fragile so it would break on impact, the problem with that was it usually shattered inside the barrel of the gun, or the casing didn¡¯t break on impact, and it was like shooting with a regular bullet. Not only that, the liquid only held the radiation for about, oh five minutes or so, which made them pretty much useless. I wasted almost a whole year trying to get that shit to work, never did.¡± Billy grinned up at the taller man. ¡°Besides the things flew like one winged, wooden leg ducks anyhow, whether the casing broke or not.¡±


    William turned his attention back to the bullet in Billy¡¯s hand. ¡°So, what makes this round so special?¡±


    Billy held up the bullet once more. ¡°Well, we shape shifters, as werewolves, are susceptible to silver; the good thing is so is most of the things that want to kill us. So, I started by trying to make all silver bullets. The only problem with those was the ballistics of silver. Silver is a much harder metal than lead, so already you¡¯re looking at a serious accuracy problem at any kind of range.¡± Billy held up his hands. ¡°Here, let me show you.¡± Billy ran back around the counter that he had leaned over just a moment ago to fish out the strange bullet that he had shown William.


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    William watched as Billy placed a gun and two bullets on the counter. William walked over and watched the gunsmith¡¯s demonstration.


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s say that this here is a normal 9mm pistol. It ain¡¯t, but let¡¯s just pretend.¡± Billy motioned to the handgun and moved a bullet a certain distance away from the muzzle illustrating, he supposed, the flight path of said round when it was shot from the gun. ¡°Now this is about the accuracy range for a normal lead 9mm round, about twenty-five to fifty meters, right?¡± William nodded his head. ¡°Now, do you know why this bullet is accurate at all?¡± William blinked once and shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s accurate¡± Billy said, ¡°because of the rifling inside the barrel of the gun.¡±


    Billy reached under the counter again and pulled out a hollow tube of metal. William took it and looked through the metal like a kid looking through a paper towel roll pretending it was a telescope. He had no idea what he was looking for.


    Billy helped him out. ¡°Now, if you look on the sides, pup you¡¯ll see some grooves along the inside of the tube.¡± William looked and just barely visible he could see some lines spiraling down the length of the tube. He nodded in understanding. ¡°Now that is called rifling. All modern guns and rifles have it. Have had it in fact, since some genius figured out that those grooves could make a musket ball fly farther and straighter by making the bullet spin.¡± Billy took the tube from William and replaced it under the counter.


    Billy stood up and moved the other bullet about two thirds as far away from the gun as the first bullet. ¡°Now, this bullet would be a solid silver bullet.¡± He pointed out the length being shorter than the bullet before. ¡°Now why do you suppose that the silver bullet doesn¡¯t fly as far as the lead bullet?¡± Billy asked with both eyebrows raised.


    William shook himself as he brought himself back to the present. He had been thinking about muskets and old battlefields. Acres of dead grass, the air filled with the smell of gun powder and the screams from men who had had limbs torn off by softball musket shells. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, you were saying?¡± William tried to shake off the image of a man hopping around on one leg holding his severed arm in his only good hand.


    Billy spat on the floor once more. ¡°Shit, pup you aint interested in this crap.¡± Billy began to clear away the various items from the counter.


    William reached out and grabbed Billy¡¯s arm. ¡°Yes, I am. I¡¯m sorry, you were saying about silver not flying as far as a regular bullet?¡±


    Billy looked sideways at William with a dubious look, as if he was trying to see if this little show and tell wasn¡¯t just a waist of both of their time. After a moment Billy heaved a sigh. ¡°Like I was saying before, silver is a harder metal than lead. The rifling on the inside of the barrels don¡¯t affect silver like it do lead rounds, so the silver bullet aint spinning when it comes out of the barrel of the gun. Without that spin the bullet don¡¯t fly as accurately, so the effective range is decreased.¡± Billy waved his hand in the air. ¡°This is all a moot point though.¡± Billy looked around and leaned closer to William. William leaned forward a few inches as well. ¡°What really makes silver so much less desirable than lead¡± Billy said, ¡°is that the metal is so hard it doesn¡¯t do any damage except where the thing is pointed.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 11h

    William had no idea what the gunsmith was talking about.


    Billy saw the confusion on William¡¯s face. ¡°Look pup, when a lead bullet is shot, on impact the metal is soft, so it scrunches up in the body of the person who was shot. The bullet gets slowed down and the result of that is the lead does cause some collateral damage along the flight path. It can tear organs and other things. Being shot aint no fun, pup. I should know, shit I¡¯ve been shot a couple times, and not once has it been a pleasant experience.¡±


    ¡°And a silver bullet doesn¡¯t do all that?¡± William asked.


    ¡°Nope, the silver is so hard it don¡¯t get compressed on impact and it flies straight through. The exit wound of a lead bullet is a lot bigger than its entrance wound. But a silver round will make the same tiny hole for an entrance and exit wound.¡±


    William shook himself. ¡°And the rounds you make are a combination of both, lead and silver, so that we get the best of both worlds?¡±


    Billy nodded and smiled. ¡°Yep, now you¡¯re gettin¡¯ er. My rounds still don¡¯t fly as far as a regular round but they do have the advantage of being made with silver nitrate and so they can hurt us, but they can also hurt the other guys too.¡±


    William was just reminded that Billy had never actually said who they were at war with. William wanted that question answered. ¡°Billy, who are we at war with?¡±


    Billy let the smile slide off his face. He coughed into his sleeve and started to clean off his counter. He seemed to be looking around for something to distract him from the question.


    William reached out and grabbed Billy¡¯s arm. ¡°Billy come on, who are we fighting against? Shouldn¡¯t I at least know what I¡¯m getting myself into?¡±


    Billy removed William¡¯s hand from his arm. ¡°It don¡¯t make no difference whether you know or not. You¡¯re in this just like the rest of us.¡± Billy looked up toward the ceiling. ¡°If you are that anxious to know what this is all about than you need to go ask someone other than me. I just make the weapons, remember.¡± Billy looked at William with a mischievous grin spreading on his face. ¡°Besides if I told you, it wouldn¡¯t be a surprise.¡± Billy walked around the counter and picked up where he left off at his workbench.


    William stood there for a minute not knowing what to do next. He felt like trying to beat Billy till he told him something that made sense. But he knew that Billy probably would change into his werewolf form and rip his arms off. Not that he feared there would be any permanent damage done, not with the healers around, he just didn¡¯t really want to experience that kind of pain. William stood there a few more minutes, disbelief clearly written all over his face, his arms out to his sides in a questioning stance. He watched Billy handling the metal and the tools of his trade. Having been summarily dismissed and ignored by the older man William had no other choice but to leave the shop the way he had come.


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    William emerged onto the street shaking his head in disbelief. He wasn¡¯t paying attention to where he was going, and he almost plowed right into a guy who was walking in the opposite direction. The guy was older than William and bigger, much bigger. The man was wearing black slacks and a dark blue button up shirt with a plain white t-shirt underneath. William muttered an apology and the man nodded, neither smiling nor frowning and walked off down the road.


    William couldn¡¯t help but watch as the man walked away. His pants were well made, and the shirt looked really expensive. Where do these people get their clothes? The thought made him look down at his own new clothes that had mysteriously appeared in his dresser. The shorts and shirt fit well and he noticed that they were not exactly cotton, either. Someone had put up a little bit of money for these clothes and he didn¡¯t have the slightest clue as to who had done it or why.


    William walked along the street lost in thought. He wasn¡¯t paying any special attention to where he was going, and he couldn¡¯t possibly imagine where he might want to go in the first place. He was in a strange environment, and he had no idea where anything was or who he might be interested in seeing. William stopped and raised his head in shock. How could he have not thought about this before? Aceso. His alpha had been serving a punishment for what she had done to him on their journey here since they arrived at the underground city. He wanted to see her.


    He jerked his head from one side of the street to the other.  The few people and wolves that were around were milling about strolling from one place or another. No one except the wolf that he had seen earlier that morning seemed to be in any kind of rush.


    He watched the people and the wolves mingle with each other. No one was in a hurry, or impolite to each other. He looked as a wolf was allowed to enter a building ahead of a human couple, a dark-skinned woman and a white man, as they smiled to each other and to the wolf. They entered the building, without hurry or any sort of outward negative emotion or gesture.


    He looked down the street and saw a small group of people standing with a wolf off to the side of the street. William decided that they were just as good a group of people to ask as any. There were two males and three females and a solitary reddish brown wolf sitting down looking up at them.


    The closest man turned, and William could see that his skin was a deep rich brown. His straight, black hair was cut short but not too short. His dark eyes had the look of a man who was a lot older than he looked. His black mustache was also well trimmed but thick. For some reason this man reminded him of Billy Dee Williams. The man smiled as William approached the group.


    ¡°We have a guest in our midst.¡± His voice was deep and rich but not the deep bass rumble that he was expecting. It seemed more musical and lighter than a simple bass. ¡°The new cub was allowed to explore our fair city it seems. How may we help you?¡±


    William was a little shocked at the warm generous mood of the total stranger. William did not detect the slightest hint of sarcasm in the man¡¯s voice, or body language, or his facial features. William found himself to be smiling as well and he lowered his eyes to the ground in embarrassment. The smile didn¡¯t go away and William raised his eyes once more.


    ¡°I¡¯m very sorry to bother to you¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not bothering us at all, pup. We were just standing here enjoying each other¡¯s company,¡± he raised his arm to encompass the group. ¡°My name is Egaiarasu Acharya. Most people just call me Acharya, it¡¯s easier to pronounce. This beautiful young woman is Mary Johansson.¡± The woman he gestured to was beautiful. Her dark skin was deep and rich. She wasn¡¯t as dark as Mr. Davis though. Her light brown eyes seemed to shine out from her face. Her black hair was short, and it seemed to curl around itself on top of her head.

 Book 2 Chapter 11i

    ¡°This gentleman here is Aiman Bashara.¡± The man bowed his head to William and William found himself bowing in return. His skin tone was similar to Acharya¡¯s. He stood shorter than William by an inch or two. He had dark brown eyes and dark brown hair. He was very well dressed in slacks and a shirt. It seemed to fit him. He wore a serious look on his face, but it was neither a scowl nor intense. It was a look that commanded respect but not fear.


    ¡°This lovely woman is Tara Kitcheyan.¡± The woman was striking. She looked all of twenty years old, if that. Her face was very elegant and angular. Her high sharp cheek bones and slightly tilted eyes gave her the look of extreme beauty or hard-edged anger. Her skin had a rich mocha color to it. Her long brown chestnut hair seemed to capture the light around her. Her brown eyes were solemn and there was the familiar weight there that William had felt when he looked at Ares or Huan Li. He could tell that regardless of how old she looked she had seen a lot of this world.


    Acharya gestured to the wolf that was sitting among them. ¡°This young wolf is Asclepius.¡± The wolf lowered his head but kept his gold eyes on the newcomer. William couldn¡¯t help but notice that the wolf was a little awkward looking. His ears seemed to be just a little too long and his body seemed more dog like than wolf. His fur coat was reddish brown with a black swath running along the nape of his neck down to his mid back. It looked more like a lion¡¯s mane than anything else. Asclepius had three black boots, while his left rear leg was the same reddish brown as the rest of his body. His tail however was just as white as Physis was.


    The last woman that Acharya gestured to was the tallest female there. ¡°This is Malikah Samadi.¡± The woman nodded her head. William could see that she might have been good looking once. She was still young, in her mid-twenties he would guess, but her body had defiantly seen the knife more than once. Her lips were as big as anything he had seen, including Goldie Hawn and just as fake looking as her chest. Underneath the frizz of over using products and the tell-tale split ends of over dying, her brown hair was barely recognizable under the deep broad blonde highlights that permeated the long strands. He could see her dark roots coming in under the highlights. Her skin was splotchy and ashen with the overuse of products. Her skin was not quite white though it could have been mistaken for white by most people. She didn¡¯t seem to be wearing any make up at the moment, but her skin had the tired look of someone who had used makeup extensively at one time.


    ¡°Well,¡± Acharya said, ¡°You have met our little band. How about the stranger introduce himself as well?¡±


    William cleared his throat. He found himself looking at Asclepius. The wolf tilted his head to the side in a very dog like expression of inquiry. William had to smile at that and looked up at the group once again. ¡°My name is William Setford.¡± He reached up to scratch the back of his neck. ¡°I, uh¡­ I¡¯m looking for someone.¡±


    ¡°Looking?¡± interrupted Acharya. ¡°Found someone you have I would say, yes?¡± The group broke out into laughter. William couldn¡¯t help but laugh too. William stood there shaking his head laughing and enjoying the joke with the small group. Asclepius looked like he had no idea what was so funny and the serious but light look on Aiman¡¯s face never faltered. He wasn¡¯t scowling but he wasn¡¯t laughing either.


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    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, William. But you have to admit, you walked right into that one.¡± Acharya said.


    ¡°Yes, I did,¡± William admitted. The laughter seemed to break up the subtle tension that William had been feeling and he found that he had no problem expressing himself now. ¡°But in all seriousness, I was looking for a wolf. Her name is Aceso. Do any of you guys know where she might be?¡±


    A seriousness fell over the group. They all seemed to look from one person to the other avoiding William¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°William, uh¡­¡± Acharya said. ¡°Aceso is off limits to everybody in the city.¡± Acharya looked very uncomfortable as he lowered his eyes and had become very interested in studying the street. After a moment or two he raised his eyes to look at William¡¯s face. ¡°No one is allowed to see her. I¡¯m sorry but there is just no way for you, or anyone else to see her.¡±


    The revelation struck William as a physical blow to the stomach. He felt empty all of a sudden as the words sunk in. He didn¡¯t want to believe it at first. There is no way that his Alpha had done anything so egregious that she would be refused visitors. And who were these people to tell him that he couldn¡¯t see her.


    Acharya raised his hands in a gesture of neutrality. ¡°Hey, listen this is how the city does things. You may not like it but it¡¯s how things are done. It¡¯s been the same way since the beginning. The laws were set down by the first Elders and we have lived by those laws ever since.¡± He placed his hand on William¡¯s shoulder. ¡°When she has completed her penance then she will be allowed to reenter the city and you can see her then.¡±


    William stood up straight so that every bit of his six-foot two-inch frame towered over the smaller man¡¯s stature. ¡°I appreciate that piece of wisdom. I may even be able to abide by it in the near future but right now Aceso is being punished for something I did too. I said the words. She didn¡¯t make me say them.¡± He shrugged off the hand from his shoulders. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you guys know this or not but she saved my life more than once just trying to get me here and if she is being held under some sort of penalty, than I should be sharing in the punishment.¡± The group of people stood there looking at William. To him it seemed like they all shared a secret guilt that he didn¡¯t know about it. Even Aiman seemed very uncomfortable at the moment.


    Malikah was the first to speak. ¡°We know, William.¡± Her green eyes were somber as if she couldn¡¯t believe that she had spoken in the first place. She brushed dyed strands of hair away from her face. ¡°We know all about what happened on your way here. It¡¯s all incredible and Aceso is pretty much a hero.¡± Malikah took a deep breath that heaved her chest up two or three inches before she exhaled. ¡°But that is exactly why she is where she is.¡± She adjusted her stance to one that William had often thought of as the female power pose. ¡°William, you have to understand where we are coming from and one day, probably a lot sooner than you realize, you will learn why the laws that we live by are so serious.¡± She shot a glance to either side before she lowered her head once more, probably studying the same place on the street that had interested Acharya a few moments ago.


    William didn¡¯t know what to do. He felt like his anger should be rising. He wanted to punch someone in the face. He wanted his other to explode out of him so he could show just what he was capable of and the damage that he could cause. But as he stood there looking at the honest and apologetic faces of the young people around him, he found that no anger would come. Acharya stood there surrounded by the people of his pack and William saw the sincerity in all of their faces.

 Book 2 Chapter 11j

    There was no malice there. Not the slightest hint of schadenfreude was apparent in any of their eyes, only sincere regret and empathy. Even the stoic Aiman wore a look of solemnity. William heaved his shoulders and let out a ragged breath that turned into a stuttering laugh. He shook his head at the impossible situation that he found himself. He just wanted to go crawl away and find that rock again to live under.


    He turned from the group and took a few steps down the street. He looked up from the street and with a greater effort than he imagined it would take he turned around. The young pack was still standing there watching him. There was no judgment there. He found himself looking down at Asclepius. His awkward looking body seemed frail somehow to the other wolves that he had seen in the city so far. His golden eyes were that of a faithful dog that knew something was wrong but didn¡¯t know what it was or how to help. William gave the wolf the slightest of nods in recognition and thanks.


    He raised his eyes to meet Acharya. ¡°Thank you, Acharya. I don¡¯t mean to be a dick, but I have to go¡­somewhere.¡± He turned almost all the way around. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll see you guys around?¡±


    A female voice answered him. ¡°We usually eat dinner at the cafeteria around six, if you want to join us.¡±


    William managed a very small smile. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡± He turned his back on them and raised his hand over his head in a limp wave. His legs carried him away from the group as he tried to come to terms with himself and the reality of his current situation.


    William was walking along a side street as he headed away from the noise of the populated area of the city. The smooth black walls of the building around him matched his mood perfectly and the dimming of the noise and the lights around him were a welcome comfort. He looked up and could see the crystals in the ceiling above him shine brightly. It must be close to around noon, or for what passes for noon around this place. This brought to mind what he had heard from the group he left moments ago. ¡®We usually eat dinner around six?¡¯ He realized that this was first time that anybody had referred to an actual time. He found himself strangely comforted by that fact.


    He thought about eating something. He realized that it had been quite a while since he had eaten and his stomach was scrunching in on itself in small hunger pains. He shook his head and continued to walk. If Aceso has to fulfill some penance because of me then so will I. He pushed the thought of his hunger aside and continued to walk.


    His stride had taken on a stronger, longer, purposeful gait. He had no idea where he was going, he just knew that he had to keep moving. Walking kept his thoughts at a distance, and he didn¡¯t want to give in to his own despair and anger.


    He stopped. He placed his hand against the cool side of the black building next to him. He could almost see his reflection in the glossy surface, and he stared hard at the wall for several minutes. I don¡¯t want to be angry. The thought shook him down to his core. He could not remember the last time he had cause to be angry and didn¡¯t actually want to be angry. The emotion was still there, underneath his need for understanding. It was like he could see it just below the surface like an ice fisherman can see a fish swimming below the thick ice of a frozen lake. His anger raged sullenly, but he didn¡¯t want it to surface. He would have smiled at that revelation if he wasn¡¯t feeling so acutely the emptiness of apathy. Are you sure that¡¯s apathy and not hunger? That thought pulled him out of his gloom as he smiled. He had no idea to be honest, maybe both? He turned around and pressed his back against the cool stone of the building.


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    This place would never lose its wonder for him.


    He found himself staring in awe of the lights in the ceiling as if he had never seen their like before. The stone of the building across from him was as smooth as a mirror. He imagined that whoever could make a building wall that smooth must also be one hell of a sword smith. This place defied all logic that he could bring to bear against it and yet it existed, just like the people and wolves that made up this place, existed. Complete illogical harmony between nature and the insatiable hunger of the human ego and ambition. And yet even with all that, this place was real, as real as his forest was real.


    He lifted his hands to his face and scrubbed back his hair. He shoved off from the cool wall behind him and started walking again. He let his legs carry him. He walked upright with no sign of weariness. His eyes were focused and alert to what was ahead of him. He moved his head from side-to-side studying everything that was around him. He strained his senses for the slightest thing that would alert him to anything out of the ordinary. He had not been this cautious since he had left his forest, but he didn¡¯t want his senses to be dulled with nonuse.


    He began to notice that the section of the city that he found himself in was a lot older than anything he had yet seen. The stone of the buildings were less smooth and even pitted in some places with age. There was a healthy covering of dust on some of the building ramps and ledges. The street he walked on was broad, but there was a solemnity here that reminded him of a graveyard. The hard straight edged sides of the buildings around him were smoothed down and almost rounded in some places. The buildings were all dark. The only light in this part of the city came from the overhead crystals in the great cavern ceiling.


    He looked into one of the buildings and could only make out great heaps of stuff. From what little he could see there were chairs and other pieces of furniture. Some tools hanging just inside the cluttered spaces. At least he thought they might be tools. He saw blocks of wood with strange pieces of what looked like it could have been metal jutting out at odd angles around the strange implements.


    He thought he could make out what appeared to be a sword. He took a few steps closer and could see that it was in fact a very heavy but ornate sword with the cracked and aged leather of the scabbard wrapped around the blade. The sword was hanging in a cleared space on the wall just inside the broad opening. He could see the ornate hilt, dulled by dust and age. The hilt was elegantly shaped and very rich. The jewels in the hilt were visible even under the layers of dirt and time. He reached out to touch the metal and stopped with his arm outreached toward the ancient weapon. The thought of disturbing anything in this part of the city struck him as something that would be disrespectful, and the atmosphere of this place was heavy. He decided to leave the weapon on the wall and walked on down the dust laden street.

 Book 2 Chapter 12a

    He walked along the street for a good while. Looking from either side of the road, not wanting to disturb anything, he walked down the very center of the old street in between the ancient buildings. The narrow walkway was pressed in on both sides by the empty aged buildings. The black stone crowded in on him giving him a harsh feeling of claustrophobia.


    He looked to his left as he was passing by the buildings and a huge space opened between them. The solid rock wall of the underground cavern made a massive empty recess in the crowded buildings that lined the streets. The cavern wall was split open in a huge crevasse that he followed up with his eyes. It continued to open the cavern wall well above the four and five story buildings that pressed around it.


    Leading up to the open wound in the earth was a majestic archway that allowed access to the opening in the rock. Even though it could fit several people across easily, compared to the openness of every other building entrance in the city this archway seemed restrictive and rather uninviting by comparison.


    He walked up to the archway and stopped just on the outside. The arch was ornate and delicately carved. He was instantly reminded of the great works of Donatello and Bernini. No less skilled hands carved this. The arch was comprised of a werewolf on one side and a beautiful woman on the other. The werewolf¡¯s fur and snout were finely carved. The fur looked real enough to move if a strong wind passed down the street. The werewolf was carved from a pale colored stone that shone against the contrast of the black building next to it. The woman was naked with hair that flowed and curled down behind her as low as her waist. Each strand seemed to stand out and apart as if it was being moved by some unseen wind. Her smooth skin curved around her idealized frame. She stood as a specimen of the athletic female and yet exuded pure feminine grace and elegance. She had been carved by the same type of stone as the werewolf.


    The two figures had their arms raised over their heads to cup a great orb that made up the apex of the arch. The orb seemed to emit a light and gravity of its own. It didn¡¯t shine like the ceiling crystals, but it didn¡¯t just reflect the light around it either. The stone of the arch seemed to be more alive than he was. There was a life in the figures that he envied at the moment. There was no light emanating from the crevasse on the other side of the arch that he could see. The light from the underground cavern didn¡¯t penetrate any further than the strange subtle light from the upheld orb. There was something peaceful here though. He couldn¡¯t put his finger on it, but the mood around this place and the sculptures was calm. He hadn¡¯t felt like this since being around a church. The figures looming over him looked up at their upheld orb paying him no attention. But there was something here.


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    He had learned a long time ago to trust his instincts and he felt that he would find something here, whether it be knowledge or peace of mind. He had stumbled onto this place and now that he had found it, he wanted to know what was inside and why this feeling of peace and tranquility seemed to surround this particular area of the city like a blanket. Taking a deep breath and glancing over his shoulder at the familiarity of the street and the light of the cavern he stepped up to the landing and passed through the arch into darkness.


    The interior of the crevasse was just as black as he had thought it would be from what he had seen from the street. He was able to make out small details of the space he now found himself in. He was walking down a corridor. But it was nothing like a hallway. The stone of the walls flowed around him in strange waves of rock. It had a polished feel, but it was something that had never been touched by any craftsman¡¯s hands. He reached out and felt one side of the rock wall, then the other. He could almost reach both sides at once, but his arms were a few inches too short for that. He stepped a few feet more into the darkness that enveloped him. The walls were like waves frozen mid tide. The walls were uneven and rippled up and down as well as sideways. The walls were at once smooth as obsidian than inches later as rough as a windswept cliff face that could cut flesh.


    As he walked, he kept one hand on the wall for guidance and direction. This was easier said than done. The walls around him dipped and flowed at odd angles. He found himself having to maneuver around a smooth stone outcropping only to have to lean to the side as the rock dipped away from him in the darkness. His mind kept reaching back to how he had knocked his head in the darkness of the tower. He began to make out a lighter area just up ahead of where he was walking. The corridor stretched onward into the light and beyond. He took a few more steps and the dim light that seemed to come from everywhere at once shone on him.


    The walls of the corridor rose up and met at an apex in the rock. The apex had the same unfinished, untouched appearance as the rest of the corridor, but the ceiling was jagged and sharp, a total contrast to the wild smooth curves that flexed and flowed around him through the corridor. The light he was standing in was coming from cavern ceiling crystals. But as his eyes adjusted, he could see that there was a lot more light here than just that coming from the crystals.


    His eyes drifted down over the flowing rock and focused on what was in front of him. The narrow space seemed to open here under the light.

 Book 2 Chapter 12b

    The light in the corridor was getting brighter. His eyes were beginning to pick out more and more details from his strange surroundings. The feeling of peace was even stronger here and the atmosphere of a church or sacred temple was stronger than ever. He didn¡¯t need to keep his hand on the wall any longer and he walked as softly as he could. Even with this added caution, his footsteps thundered and echoed intrusively all around him. He winced with every step he took.


    He noticed that this crevasse, this corridor through the rock didn¡¯t have any dust in it. With it being inside the rock of the earth he had supposed that there would be a healthy layer of dirt or sand. But this place was just as clean as his bedroom was. He didn¡¯t see or hear any kind of rodent or animal either. The place was as still as any graveyard, but as immaculately clean and sterile as any hospital.


    No, that wasn¡¯t right. A hospital smelled of death and decay, covered over with a healthy layer of antiseptic. This place smelled like a church or the clean air of the forest. There was a warmth here and a soft smell of something, incense perhaps, anything but death. This place reminded him of his forest valley, of green vibrant life, this place was nothing like a hospital. He followed the violent turbulent curves of the crevasse. He began to notice that the walls were textured artificially with alcoves set deep within the natural groves of the walls themselves. He stopped in front of one and looked into the dark recess of the alcove.


    He could see two figures. The white stone that they were carved from was almost luminescent compared to the dark stone that housed them. William could see that the white stone of the statues were painted in vibrant colors including reds and yellows. The colors seemed very out of place compared to everything he had seen in the city being just the black polished stone of the buildings. The figures were seated, and both were holding up their right hand in an oath giving posture. The figure on the left was male and in his other hand he was holding some sort of staff or rod. He couldn¡¯t be sure in the gloom of the dim light, but he thought that these people had more than two arms. He shook his head. He had never seen anything like them before.


    He studied the alcove to see if there was any clue as to what he was looking at. The alcove opening was plain with no carving or anything of interest except what was inside the recess. He looked down and saw that the landing of the raised space had two sets of letters or symbols carved on in it raised characters that reflected just enough of the surrounding light to allow him to read it. The carvings, if they were names of some sort, told him nothing at all. He took another look at the carved white stone of the two figures. He could see that they were smiling at him. The expressions on their faces were warm and welcoming. He felt peace and a sort of calm serenity as he stood in front of the strange figures. Not knowing for sure why he did it, he bowed to the pair of statues and walked away continuing to follow the waves of folded rock that formed this corridor.


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    After a few steps he found himself in front of yet another alcove and inside the deep recess of the dark space was another white statue. But if the couple in the first alcove were a little unfamiliar to him this being was completely alien. He saw what appeared to be a fat man standing on one foot. His head was that of a great elephant and the massive trunk of the head swung down to dangle at an upturned J between his legs. As he looked at the strange fat man, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder where in the Lunar Mother¡¯s name had he wandered into?


    He studied the inside of the recess. On the ground of the alcove, a little removed from the man¡¯s legs, he saw what looked to be a statue of a mouse. He had to smile a little to himself at the irony of that paradox. Aren¡¯t elephants supposed to be afraid of mice? Looking around the recess for any clue as to who this might be, his eyes traveled downward and found a landing with a slight step, very similar to the first recess and there, just like with the first alcove he saw raised carvings. These carvings told him nothing more than the first set of carvings did except that the carvings were very similar. They must be of the same language, and he surmised they were probably part of the same¡­religion, perhaps?


    The thought itself struck him, why would he even think that?


    He turned around to take in the twisting corridor around him. The whole of the space that enfolded in front and behind him was lit. The source of the light was diffuse and to him it seemed that the light was coming from everywhere at once. There was no dust in the air and the smell of the place was clean, but he thought that he could detect the slightest odor coming from somewhere. The odor was pleasant enough but aged, like old incense or perfume. Along the curvature of the stone, he could see that there were alcoves spaced up and down the corridor. The wall curved back along itself, but he couldn¡¯t see five feet in front of where he was standing, so random was the curvature of the corridor he had no idea how far he had come or how far he had left till the end, if there was an end to this strange place.


    He had never heard of anything like this existing much less being inside one. He was reminded of the Greek pantheon, and the Roman Parthenon, where those two ancient civilizations worshiped their gods. The ancient statues were gone from those buildings now. But historians had surmised that they had housed only one or a few massive statues in homage of one or maybe a few gods. From what he could tell from his brief foray into this strange crevasse there must be dozens if not hundreds of these alcoves. Can all of these statues in these recesses and alcoves represent different gods? Offhand he could only name a dozen or so gods from a handful of religions both ancient and modern. The collection here must span dozens of religions and more than a hundred gods, each with their own space and statue to represent them.

 Book 2 Chapter 12c

    He felt a calm here that he had never felt in any other place, spiritual or not, when he lived among his fellow humans and he was not going to waste any more time contemplating the short comings of the society of man. They would rather hang each other over words and interpretations rather than try to understand each other. No, this place could never exist anywhere other than here and for the first time in his life, William knew that he had found something in this world worth living for, worth caring about, and worth trying to protect. He knew it as sure as he knew his own heartbeat. This place was acceptance, acceptance of each other¡¯s beliefs and each other¡¯s values. Something worth fighting for.


    He turned around and leaned on the cool stone as he rested his head on his arm.


    ¡°What we do in life, echoes in eternity,¡± William intoned to himself.


    This place was real and the values it represented were real. Here in the bowels of an underground city, under a dormant volcano, he finally understood what it was like to be home. This was his home, and he would die, if necessary, to protect it. There was a serenity here that was hard to dismiss. He felt calm in his solitude and he breathed in deeply. He filled his lungs with the clean air of this place, the slight, lingering scent pleasing to his senses. He held in the air for a moment then, closing his eyes, he released it and with it all the tension he didn¡¯t know he had was released. The silent weight was eased from his shoulders, and he was able to stand up a little straighter. He smiled to himself as the pressure of his burden was set down.


    Lighter in both mind and spirit he walked past the strange elephant man and continued along the curvatures of the corridor, stopping at each alcove he came across and studying the statue inside. Usually there was only one figure but sometimes there were two or three. The Figures ranged from friendly smiling faces to sad and forlorn, from the classically masculine and beautiful, to somewhat grotesque and strange. He stopped at every alcove and studied each statue with the same care that he had placed when looking at the first two. He noted the detail of the carvings, the color of the statue, whether the color of the stone they were carved from was grey, white, gold, colored or plain. He made his way down the corridor. Not rushing and not caring about time.


    He came upon a statue that he recognized. The boyish masculinity of the young twenty-year-old was hard to mistake. The lyre in the man¡¯s hand was proof enough and just to make sure he checked the carvings below the landing of the alcove. There, much as he anticipated, carved in a classical style of straight bold letters was the name, ¡®Apollo¡¯. His previous assumption had been correct it seemed. With this one statue he was proven right that this place was some kind of temple, a place to worship the Gods. He turned around to take in the corridor and contemplated all the unseen alcoves he had passed by.


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    He followed an abrupt blind twist in the folded walls and came upon a cul-de-sac ending of the corridor. This space was lot wider than the rest of the corridor. The opening widened out into a comfortable building sized space. The walls of the space had been expanded. The only reason he thought this was the vibrant wild waves and curves of the corridor walls were less pronounced here. The space was more oval shaped than round and in the middle was a single dais. If he didn¡¯t know any better, he would have said it was an alter but it didn¡¯t jut up from the floor like any alter he had ever seen. It was more of a stone slab without legs. The edges were smooth and rounded and the top of the grey stone was just as polished as the walls of his bedroom. Behind the dais he saw a figure on its knees. He jerked back in a motion of pure reflex that surprised even him.


    ¡°No need to give yourself a heart attack, kiddo. I have been here for quite some time.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°No need to save face with me, William. It happens to the best of us from time-to-time. Even I, who have had a lot more practice than you, have been startled by someone coming in through my door.¡± The voice was aged but feminine.


    William slowly pushed himself away from the corridor exit and took a few hesitant steps toward the kind, aged voice. He recognized the voice from somewhere, but he really couldn¡¯t put his finger on where or how he knew this person. For some reason pictures of his grandma came to mind. He shook those ideas away. His grandmother had been a smoker and if her voice had ever had this light quality to it, it had been years gone before he had ever been born.


    ¡°Well, are you going to just stand there or are you going to help me?¡±


    William was very confused, and his mind was still trying to place where he knew this voice from. He made his way toward the kneeling figure at the dais. The older woman had a large basket and had pulled out more than just a few jars and containers.


    The kneeling figure stopped what she was doing and folded her hands in her lap. She looked up at him and in a grace that belied her age she rose from the ground as fluidly as a ballerina, or an ice skater. She stood up without any of the fuss that old people so often complain about. Her white hair capped head reached about the middle of his face. If he had to guess he would say she was around five foot four, or five foot five inches.

 Book 2 Chapter 12d

    She was wearing a light-yellow sun dress. It was the kind of dress that he had seen in documentaries about the mid-forties. Not that he was any kind of fashion expert it just looked old, to him. Maybe it was the way the woman carried herself in that dress that gave it the aura of classicism.


    The woman¡¯s clear green eyes showed no age at all. But the weight of her gaze was something that he had come to expect from everyone who lived in this city. Meeting the weight of her gaze was like trying to push a boulder up a mountain. The combined weight of power, knowledge, and the wisdom to temper those others was too much to take in and he had to avert his gaze.


    ¡°Well, are you just going to stand there or are you going to help?¡± she asked with a smile.


    William straightened himself. ¡°Who are you, again? I¡¯m sorry you look and sound so familiar¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Eustace, remember?¡± the older woman said, her smile getting broader with each word.


    William shook his head.


    The older woman reached up and patted him on the side of the face. Her weathered and wrinkled hand was cool and soft, the tender touch of a grandmother. ¡°I¡¯m an Elder of the City, doofus.¡± She said with a light, rich laugh that somehow filled the entire dome.


    William almost slapped himself in the face. His cheeks immediately warmed at the embarrassment of not remembering an Elder. His eyes grew wide in uncertainty and immediately dropped to study the floor.


    Eustace laughed out loud again. ¡°Oh, kiddo, please don¡¯t feel embarrassed on my account. I don¡¯t blame you for not remembering me.¡± She lifted her hand to William¡¯s face once more directing his eyes back to her face. ¡°It was not so terribly long ago that I have forgotten about the test that we all had to traverse on our first day.¡±


    William¡¯s mind recalled what his first day was like. The only thing he could clearly remember about that day was pain and exhaustion. He studied the wrinkled face that smiled at him now. There was no hint of malice or condescension in those eyes or her voice. He nodded.


    Eustace patted his face. ¡°Besides, I think that maybe you were a little too interested in another Elder at the time of our meeting to pay me much mind,¡± she said with a sly smile.


    William thought of the other Elders and his mind went to Huan Li and Ansuya. The meaning of Eustace¡¯s words struck him dumb, and he shook his head.


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    Eustace¡¯s laugh rang out through the dome again. It was full of kind hearted mirth. Eustace wiped a tear from her eye with a broad smile and turned back to the rather large amount of things that were splayed out on the floor around her. ¡°Now, didn¡¯t you say you were going to help an old lady with her duties to the deities?¡± she said that last with a knowing wink.


    William scrunched up his face at the inappropriateness of the joke in this place. All it did was bring another laugh from the older woman¡¯s lips. ¡°The gods are not serious all the time, William, they appreciate the odd joke here and there.¡± She began to open a mason jar that was near the dais. She stopped and looked up at William, who was still standing there looking down at the assortment of containers. ¡°Are you going to help or stand around gawking like a parrot?¡± William dropped to a squatting position and began to open a jar of his own.


    The two of them spent a good amount of time laying the contents from the containers out onto the dais. The jars held mostly preserved food, but also rice and water. The water was poured into large saucer shaped gravy boat looking things and set at the corners of the dais. They removed the food from the jars and containers and placed them in various bowls and plates. The filled plates were then placed on the dais. William had always been skeptical about the whole ¡®laying out offerings¡¯ for the gods thing, but here in this place with this woman it seemed like the most reverent and natural thing to do.


    Once they had all the jars empty and their contents laid out, Eustace removed a large, covered platter from the basket. William hadn¡¯t even noticed it was in there. The space they had left clear in the center of the dais had been a mystery to him until this moment. Eustace unwrapped the giant mound from the silver platter.


    William was unsure what he was looking at. The cloth Eustace had removed was sodden. The lump of ¡®whatever it was¡¯ was glistening in the diffuse light of this place. There was a strange and tangy scent coming from it. William watched Eustace lift the platter and place it on the dais. He could identify everything else on the dais, but this new addition was a complete question mark. William had thought that all the rest of the food looked tempting, and he was a little sad to see it go to waste. The large lump on the platter was the exact opposite and he wondered what god would find such an offering pleasing.


    Eustace looked at William. She had her eyebrows raised.


    ¡°What is that?¡± he blurted out without thinking.


    ¡°What is what?¡± Eustace asked with wide eyed innocence.


    William¡¯s brow furrowed with consternation. ¡°That,¡± he said pointing to the mound of crap on the platter.


    ¡°Oh, you mean the calf fat?¡± Eustace said still all wide-eyed innocence.


    William almost gagged on a lump that had mysteriously formed in the back of his throat. It took him a moment to find his tongue again before he could speak. ¡°Why is there a lump of calf fat on the offering dais?¡±


    Eustace looked at him. To William she looked like she was trying to figure out if he was being facetious or not. William met her gaze with a wide-eyed stare of naivet¨¦ of his own.


    ¡°The calf fat is for the Greek gods of Olympus.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 12e

    William was still very confused. ¡°Why would any god, Greek or otherwise, want calf fat as an offering?¡±


    Eustace cocked her head to the side and breathed a heavy sigh. William heard just under that heavy sigh the word ¡°kids¡±. William wasn¡¯t sure if he should be offended or not. Before he had too much time to invest in the subject Eustace spoke.


    ¡°The story goes that once, way back in ancient times when the gods ruled Olympus and Greece was the center of civilization there was no right way to make offerings to the gods. So, a very clever Greek man sought to make sure that the gods of Olympus didn¡¯t get the very best that the humans had toiled in the fields and in the pastures for. His reasoning was that gods deserved their share yes, but not the very best. You follow?¡± William nodded. ¡°So, this guy sacrificed one of his prized calves in honor of the gods. Now remember, there was no right or wrong in offerings at this point so he was going to let the gods themselves choose. He took the dead animal and prepared two separate offerings. In one offering he wrapped the good meat of the calf in just such a way so that it looked putrid and undesirable.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t tell me where the fat comes in?¡± William interrupted.


    ¡°I¡¯m getting to that, kiddo. Geez, you kids have no patience for anything anymore.¡± She said with a smile. ¡°You mind if I continue or should I just leave?¡±


    William held up his hands and bowed with an ¡®after you¡¯ gesture with his hands.


    Eustace nodded. ¡°At least the child is a gentleman, kind of.¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± William said a little too sharply than he had intended.


    Eustace¡¯s laugh rang out through the massive dome once more. ¡°You are so sensitive. Can¡¯t an old lady have a little fun?¡±


    William looked sideways at her. He had to admit that he was a little hurt by that remark. ¡°You were saying, two piles of¡­stuff?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± Eustace patted William on the cheek again. ¡°Don¡¯t be mad. I was only having a bit of fun.¡± William nodded and took a deep breath. Eustace seemed satisfied with the reaction and continued with her story. ¡°So, the guy prepared one pile to look putrid and spoiled, right?¡± William nodded. ¡°Well, then he took all of the fat from the calf and prepared it in just such a way so that it glistened in the sun and looked really appetizing, especially when viewed from the heavens, which is where Zeus ruled from.¡±


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    ¡°How can fat ever look appetizing?¡± William asked.


    ¡°Well as I said before, the fat was prepared with some meat and some other things so that it looked appetizing from a distance.¡± William shook his head in disbelief but gestured for the Elder to continue. ¡°So, after all that was done Zeus was called upon to choose which the gods would like for their offerings. Zeus looked at both piles. He scoffed immediately at the putrid looking pile of flesh and almost immediately choose the succulently glistening pile of fat.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t imagine Zeus was too happy when he found out what had been done to him,¡± William said.


    Eustace nodded. ¡°He wasn¡¯t. But the deal had already been arranged and the choice had been made. So, Zeus had to abide by his own foolish choice. And from then on, the proper offering given to the Gods at every meal was the choice fat of the youngest animal that had been slaughtered for that particular meal.¡±


    William nodded in understanding. ¡°So that really is just a giant lump of fat?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    William nodded, but his mouth turned downward as the lump magically reappeared in the back of his throat. He wanted to gag. Eustace had already dropped down to her knees once more and started putting the empty jars and containers back into the large basket. William took one last look at the bulbous affront on his craw and knelt to help the Elder clean up. When all the empty containers were replaced in the oversized basket William and Eustace stood up once more. Looking at the offerings on the dais, all except for the calf fat he was a little sad to see all that food go to waste.


    ¡°Are we just going to leave all this here?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Eustace said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.


    William¡¯s face was a frozen mask of questions. ¡°Won¡¯t the food go bad?¡±


    ¡°William.¡± Eustace gripped the basket with both of her hands and rested it in front of her dress, in between the two of them. She took on the tone of a teacher, as if explaining something to a child for the umpteenth time. ¡°I will come back and clear the food away in two days. However, tomorrow I will light the incense and people from the city, those that wish to, will come here and worship their gods. It¡¯s our way. After that I will clear away the offerings and wash the dais. This will symbolize our renewed faith in the gods and in the house that protects them.¡± Eustace gestured with one hand to the surrounding earthen space and corridor. ¡°Understand?¡±


    William nodded. He noticed that this place was cool. It wasn¡¯t like a refrigerator or anything and he just knew that that lump of fat was going to start stinking in a couple of hours, and that would be an open invitation for just about every insect within a five-mile radius from this place.


    Eustace nodded, satisfied that William understood. ¡°You can come back to the city with me, I¡¯m going to stop by our cafeteria and drop off these dirty dishes, or you¡¯re free to stay here as long as you like.¡±


    The mention of the cafeteria brought to mind the invitation he had accepted earlier that day to meet with Acharya and his pack for dinner. He nodded to Eustace. ¡°I¡¯ll go back with you, if you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    Eustace turned toward to exit of the massive temple. ¡°Not at all, kiddo.¡±


    William rushed up to her side and gestured to the basket. ¡°You want me to carry that for you?¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 12f

    Eustace shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m older than you, kiddo. That doesn¡¯t mean that I¡¯m decrepit, not yet.¡±


    William felt his ears warm at the admonishment. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t mean to¡­I was only trying to¡­¡± he stammered.


    ¡°That¡¯s alright William,¡± she said with a smile. Not knowing what else do to he let his arms hang at his sides and walked next to the Elder.


    Eustace had a wry smile on her face as she glanced sideways at the demoralized pup walking next to her. ¡°Do you know what this place is?¡± She said throwing her head up gesturing to the crevasse around them.


    ¡°A temple of some kind, I was guessing.¡±


    Eustace shook her head. ¡°Oh, kiddo this place is so much more than any mere temple, so much more and yet much less.¡±


    William let the open ended, loaded statement hang in the air. The silence stretched out between the two of them. William looked at Eustace.


    ¡°How?¡±


    Eustace glanced over at him. She didn¡¯t have a smile, but her eyes were alight with hidden knowledge and a look that he had most often associated with mischief. ¡°How, what?¡±


    William let his head hang down as he trudged after the difficult Elder. ¡°How is this place more and less than a temple?¡±


    Eustace seemed surprised by the question. ¡°Why, young William, whatever do you mean by that?¡± Eustace started laughing in her usual high cheerful laugh.


    As they approached the archway and exit of the crevasse William motioned for the Elder to pass through the archway first and he followed in her footsteps.


    The journey back to the populated part of the city was uneventful. William was content to just walk next to this Elder that was so much like what he imagined a grandmother should be. He was rather glad that he had found her, or that she had found him. The buildings crowded in on them from both sides and the streets zigzagged back and forth in random ways. He wasn¡¯t sure how he was going to find his way back. But since Eustace was there, he no longer had to worry about that. Her joyful laugh, her soft step, even her matter-of-fact way of walking that was marked by the casual but determined swish of her dress, all of these things spoke of what a mother of class and empathy should be.


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    William wondered if Eustace was a mother or a grandmother even. He didn¡¯t speak any of these thoughts aloud. He was able to detect the slightest smell of flowers from her. The scent was too subtle to be perfume, and it lacked that certain manufactured tang that would have named it to be from a scented soap of some kind. The only thing he could possibly think that it could be was roses. When was the last time he had heard of a woman, any woman for that matter, using actual flowers as perfume? Eustace, like all the Elders he was finding out, had a lot more going on beneath the surface than he realized. He wasn¡¯t altogether sure that he necessarily wanted to find out.


    After a time, they came to the square of the tower. Eustace didn¡¯t slow down and turned down a main promenade that led away from the tower and the square. William caught himself glancing back at the monstrous thing and his mind replayed everything that had happened there, both to him and, he reflected, to everyone who had walked there before him. He wasn¡¯t sure he could ever accept what happened there and he was sure that he would never be comfortable around the thing. He turned his back on the building and followed Eustace away from the square.


    The Elder approached a long three-story building. William could smell meat cooking and maybe some vegetables being steamed. Images of great cooking vats filled with boiling water and potatoes filled his mind. The thought of meat being seared over an open flame pit barbeque and the thought of eating as a human again was almost more than he could withstand, and he had to exert extreme control over himself not to push past Eustace and run to where the succulent smell of food was coming from.


    Eustace turned around and looked at William. ¡°Have you been here yet, kiddo?¡±


    William shook his head. His impatience was building as the smell of food filled his nostrils and his stomach scrunched in on itself in a massive growl of hunger.


    Eustace stopped right in the doorway, blocking his entrance. ¡°Ok, well you need to go to the bathroom and clean yourself up, and I mean soap.¡± She looked at the young pup¡¯s hands.


    William held his hands up and he could see that there was dirt on them. He felt like a child being told what to do in the presence of the older woman.


    ¡°The bathroom is over that way, kiddo.¡± She propped the basket up on her waist with one arm and with the other hand she pointed to a nearby building. ¡°Once you¡¯ve done that you¡¯ll enter in through the front of the building which is around that corner,¡± again she pointed to the indicated landmark, ¡°once there, you will walk through the line and accept the amount of food that the volunteers for this week give you.¡± Eustace grabbed the basket in both of her hands and took a step toward William. ¡°Don¡¯t let me hear of you making any trouble for the folks inside. Now, run along, get cleaned up before you starve yourself, your stomach is demanding your attention and by the sound of it I¡¯d listen.¡±


    William walked over to the restroom to wash his hands. He couldn¡¯t help but think that she had done that on purpose. He felt like he was being talked to like he was a child again but coming from that kind happy face, the thought of being mad never entered into his realm of possibilities. He cleaned the dirt from his hands and dried them on the neatly hung white towel that was there. For some reason the thought of a clean cloth towel hanging in a public restroom didn¡¯t even phase him, just one more aspect of life here in the underground city that he was getting used to. He exited the bathroom and walked around the cafeteria building and entered through the open side of the building that was facing the street.

 Book 2 Chapter 13a

    Upon entering the cafeteria, he saw long wooden tables that were spaced evenly throughout the whole of the building. The tables were flanked by two benches, one on each side. He was struck by the nostalgia of what school had been like for him as a child. Of course, it didn¡¯t help that he had just been spoken to like he was a child by a sixty-year-old woman. The room was filled with rich smells of cooked food that through his time in the forest he had almost forgotten. The smell of meat that was much richer than anything he had ever dreamed of having again wafted through the soft air currents of the open building. He could see steam and the humidity that it left behind in the open kitchen of the cafeteria. The walls were just as black as any in the city, but they were buffed to a higher shine. He surmised that this could be because of the amount of wet air that was concentrated here.


    He scanned the tables. There were a few occupants filling the room, some were sitting alone, but others were with small groups of three of four. He scanned the back side of the room and just as he recognized Acharya, the man lifted his head up from his companions and waved for him to come join them. William smiled back at the welcome familiarity of the man¡¯s face and raised his own arm in greeting. He strode to the back side of the building where he could see the familiar rails and slide with the equally familiar tubs of food separated by a glass partition.


    William grabbed an all-white tray that had half a dozen sections depressed into the material. There was a large square shape and a large circle with three other depressions filling out the rectangle shape of the tray itself. He smiled at the tray. He placed the tray on the stainless-steel runner and grabbed a fork, a knife and a spoon from the bins that sat next to the clean pile of trays. He slowly walked down the line. There was only one girl standing behind the partition. She wore a paper hat that covered every strand of her hair. Her pale skin had a slight sheen to it, he guessed from being over the hot food and having the steam constantly bathe her in heat and water. Her round pale green eyes, were sharp but not unkind, she did smile at William as he passed by the first tub of food.


    The woman grabbed the tray from him and heaped a generous amount of what smelled like pot roast into the large square depression on his tray. She moved down the line and plopped a good amount of boiled potatoes and steamed carrots into the circle depression. Her hands moved with a practiced strength that he admired. She didn¡¯t slop any water or gravy onto the floor even though her movements were quick and seemed to be somewhat careless. She moved down once more and scooped up two large dinner rolls and grabbed two pats of butter for them. William was impressed by the speed and care that this woman took serving him. She moved down the line once more and grabbed one pear and set that onto the tray. William was about to accept the tray from her when she turned around, taking the tray with her.


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    William almost blurted out some form of outrage, but a moment later he was glad that he hadn¡¯t. The girl turned around with his tray still in her hands. His tray now carried a large breakfast plate. The breakfast plate was supporting a large chunk of chocolate cake. The girl smiled at him through a thin sheen or sweat and handed over the heavily laden tray. William accepted the tray with an awkward smile of his own. He nodded as he said his thanks to the young woman and turned away from the food line. He noticed that at the end of the line there was an assortment of tall glasses, each filled with cool clear water. He shifted his dinner tray to one hand and grabbed one of the glasses.


    William made his way through the long room. He took a moment to glance around at the all-black interior of the cafeteria. There were no posters, no signs, no nothing. This room was exactly like his bedroom, completely blank. This struck him as being a bit sad.


    It wasn¡¯t too hard to locate Acharya. He was sitting with his back to the wall of the room. His pack mates were sitting around him. There was talking and some laughter that he heard from a distance. Has it been so long since I have heard laughter at a meal? His footsteps slowed and he was struck with how alien the simple act of laughing and conversing over a meal had become to him.


    ¡°William, what are you waiting for, come join us.¡±


    William walked over to the group. Acharya and his pack had ended their conversation and watched as William made his way over to them. He stopped for the barest of seconds before he took a seat which had opened up for him right in the middle of the group, opposite of Acharya. He nodded to each of the members of the pack in turn and bowed slightly to Acharya.


    ¡°Thank you, I appreciate the offer.¡±


    ¡°Not at all.¡± Acharya was smiling at him in a very disarming, genuine way as if the young man was actually happy to see him and share his company. Not a reaction that William had come to expect from almost total strangers.


    William looked around at the group once more as they all started eating again. He recognized, Mary and Aiman. That dark skinned woman who he suspected might be of Native American decent, and the pale skinned woman. But there was somebody missing. His mind worked for a second or two before the answer smacked him in the face, the wolf born member of their pack was nowhere to be seen.


    Acharya must have noticed William questioning, wandering glances because he asked, ¡°Did you lose something?¡±


    His eyes snapped back to the man who was facing him as he finished chewing and swallowed a piece of potato. After a moment he said behind a raised hand. ¡°No, I was just wandering where the wolf of your pack was.¡±


    Acharya had a bemused look on his face. William cocked his head to the side in a questioning gesture.


    Acharya smiled at the newcomer and said in a very offhanded way. ¡°The wolf born would never come into this building, much less eat here.¡± The rest of his pack nodded in agreement and went on with their meals as if that answered everything.


    William looked up once more at Acharya. ¡°Why is it that the wolf born would never come in here?¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 13b

    Acharya placed his fork down on his tray and folded his hands in front of his face with his elbows propped up on the stained and varnished wood table. He seemed to study William from waist to head. The man sitting across from him took a measured breath and spoke in a light friendly tone that William was completely unprepared for. ¡°William, wolves don¡¯t eat with forks and spoons.¡± He laughed at his joke and the rest of his pack added their voices to their alpha¡¯s. The laughter was short and what really amazed him was that this laugher was high and mirthful, and as with Eustace, it was completely devoid of any malice or hatred. It was a light clear, clean was the only word he could use to describe it, laugh that raised his spirits and made him add his own chuckle or two to the surrounding chorus. When the laughter died down Acharya unfolded his hands and let them hang in the air for a moment in a questioning gesture.


    William was very confused by what had just happened. ¡°OK so that explains wolves but what if they were in werewolf form?¡±


    The people that were surrounding him looked back and forth between them. Their glances were open skepticism and confusion.


    Acharya dropped his arms to the table and leaned forward. ¡°No wolf born, regardless of their form, would ever come in here. Not because of something intangible like they are forbidden by tradition from ever stepping foot through those doors,¡± he pointed at the large double doors he had used earlier to enter the room. The rest of his pack barked out a laugh or two at this. ¡°But,¡± Acharya continued, ¡°because of something a lot more basic and less dramatic.¡± Acharya looked sideways at the girl sitting by Aiman, then brought his gaze back to William. ¡°There are some very important things that you have to understand about being a shape shifter. You see, you and I and my pack and everyone else that lives here has had to walk a razor¡¯s edge more than a few times. Have you ever wondered why all of the tests that you have undergone so far have been so perilous?¡±


    The question caught him and he was mentally stunned for a moment. He had been infuriated with what had happened to him over the last few days, or weeks in the City under the Mountain. But he had never thought about why the tests were the way they were. He assumed that they were that way to weed out the weak, some kind of natural Darwinian theory that was being put into practical use. All he could do was slowly shake his head.


    Acharya nodded with a warm smile on his face, again without the slightest hint of malice or derision. ¡°The tests are the way they are to strengthen who we are as individuals. It¡¯s the only real armor we have from the ravages of what we are. Understand?¡± His voice was very light, almost sympathetic.


    Acharya rotated his head to the side in a sympathetic gesture and smiled. He took a large breath in through his nose and sighed when he exhaled. ¡°William, we are part of two worlds, you, me, Aiman, Malikah, everyone who lives here and everyone who will live here.¡± He gestured all around them with an open palm, to the walls of the cafeteria and to the city beyond them. ¡°What kind of pressure do you think that puts on our fragile minds? What kind of pressure do we have to deal with on a daily basis that has only been shallowly diagnosed by the outside world as schizophrenia?¡±


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    This term puzzled William and the thought of it was disturbing in a way. ¡°Schizophrenia? Like split personalities?¡± William wasn¡¯t quite sure what to feel. He felt very unbalanced and he couldn¡¯t help but think back to all those moments when his other had control of his body and all he could do was sit back, watch, and try not to go insane.


    Acharya shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Split personalities, bi-polar disorder, call it what you want but it all comes from the same thing. Because we are of two worlds, our minds are constantly torn between those two worlds.¡± He leveled his gaze and stared hard into William¡¯s eyes. ¡°I would think that you would understand this better than most.¡± The accusation was troubling but even though the alpha¡¯s stare was hard, it wasn¡¯t hateful or accusatory, Acharya was simply making an observation, nothing more. Acharya closed his dark eyes and held them closed for a long moment. ¡°In any case,¡± the man¡¯s eyes opened once again, ¡°back to my original point. We have to hold on to who we know ourselves to be. How we see ourselves is very important in warding off that other side that threatens both human and wolf born alike. Our self-image is the only thing that prevents any one of us from becoming like those numerous werewolves in the past that have had to be put down, understand?¡±


    Self-image? The phrase hung in William¡¯s mind like a pendulum waiting to swing back into balance. The idea of it made perfect sense to him. But why then did he have so much trouble confronting and taming his other? No sooner had this thought come into his mind then he heard the faintest of laughter echo through his skull. It was gone as quickly as it had come, and he was beginning to wonder if he wasn¡¯t going insane. Seeming to pull his thoughts out of the air between them Acharya gave him the faintest of nods. William looked at Acharya. ¡°Later, William.¡±


    And that was the end of the conversation. William sat there watching as Acharya continued to eat his meal and join in with Aiman about some training schedule that was happening tomorrow. William looked to his left to see Mary¡­ was it? eating her dinner giving neither attention or care to William or anyone else. William picked up his utensils and began eating again.


    He ate his meal and joined in on a conversation about modern American movies being much shallower on the whole now than they had been back when they were kids. Tara had mentioned that especially Disney movies were really boring now. She brought up the movie Brother Bear being just a pale imitation of things that had come before it. She mentioned that the soundtrack was pretty much a direct copy of the Tarzan soundtrack. It had really disappointed her when she had been younger, and the movies had just slid downhill from there.


    William enjoyed the meal but all too quickly it seemed his tray was clean and the other pack members were picking up their stuff, preparing to leave. William picked up his tray and followed the group to deposit the tray at the wash station.

 Book 2 Chapter 13c

    They all gathered around outside the building very quickly and said their goodbyes for the night. The pack scattered, Aiman going to the left down the street while Mary and Malikah went another direction. Tara waved goodbye to him and went off in even another direction. William looked around and found that Acharya was still there. William wasn¡¯t quite sure why he had hung back. ¡°Did you want something?¡± He tried to make it sound as polite as possible but even as the words left his lips, he knew that he had sounded rude.


    Acharya smiled and took a step toward him. ¡°I did mention that I would explain something to you later, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    William thought about what this alpha was saying. He couldn¡¯t pinpoint anything in his memory that suggested Acharya had promised him any such thing.


    ¡°Well, if you can¡¯t remember its ok. I know you were heavily engrossed with memories of the good old days with Disney,¡± he said this last with a smile and William couldn¡¯t help but feel a little embarrassed. He was a grown man after all and he had forgotten something important because he had been preoccupied with Disney.


    Acharya said, ¡°Our Tracker, Malikah has had work done, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve noticed.¡± William nodded that he had. ¡°The reason Malikah has those implants is because she had them put in before she was reborn. She can¡¯t see herself any other way.¡± William nodded dumbly not quite grasping the concept. Acharya took a deep breath and lifted his head to great cavern ceiling. He heaved a big sigh and started again. ¡°Do you remember what I was telling you about self-image?¡± William nodded. ¡°OK, well her self-image is bound so tightly to how she appears now that it would be inherently dangerous for us to take them out, it would change the way she looked and how she saw herself. Without those, psychologically she would lose the strong image of herself that she keeps with her in both her conscience and subconscious.¡±


    William was beginning to get the point. ¡°And if she were to have them removed her self-image would be splintered and she would run the risk of losing herself to our bestial nature and would have to be put down.¡±


    Acharya nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°But why is it such a big deal?¡± William was still confused. ¡°Why don¡¯t you just leave them in? I mean it¡¯s not like they are any extra burden on her, are they?¡±


    Acharya shook his head. ¡°William, if you only knew the excruciating pain that she feels every time she transforms you would want just as much as I, and every other member of our pack, to have them removed. But because of her self-image and her safety, we dare not too.¡± Acharya walked around William for three steps and looking down the street where Malikah had walked off a moment before. He said, not turning around, ¡°Do you know how long we¡¯ve been shape shifters?¡± William could only shake his head. ¡°We have been able to shift between forms freely for a year and half and in all that time we have only just now convinced her to let the dye in her hair be allowed to be grown and washed out.¡±


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    Acharya looked up out of the corner of his eye. ¡°It¡¯s a delicate balancing act and ultimately the decision has to be hers. As her alpha I will support her in any decision she makes. But I¡¯ve taken up enough of your time. I¡¯m sorry, William. You have enough to worry about.¡± He straightened himself and turned. ¡°I¡¯ll see you around.¡± He raised his hand in farewell and walked off down the street.


    Self-Image? He thought about that a lot as he walked back to his room. The light from the ceiling crystals were dimmed, almost subdued. The effect was subtle, and he found himself admiring the gentle light. It was like he was walking down a lit street under the stars. He could be walking back to his home after a long day at school or after a long practice on the track. The troubling turn of events of the night kept his mind working. The magic of the night was completely lost on him. His mind kept coming back to the singular topic of Acharya¡¯s lecture.


    As he walked, he let his mind go as far out as it would. He allowed his mind to connect the cause-and-effect dots that led him here, what had taken place in the city, and what Acharya had just told him about self-image. All of this was connected with him. What was his self-image? Did he have one? Why did he lose control when he changed?


    The idea that he didn¡¯t have a strong idea of who he was, was disturbing at best. But I know who I am, don¡¯t I? He had left his world to go live by himself in his forest because he would not live like everyone else. Didn¡¯t that say something about who he was and how he saw himself?


    The thought came unbidden to his mind. Just when he was sure that self-image had nothing to do with him losing control when he changed in the underground lake, the thought rose to his mind. Maybe the idea of self-image is not enough. Maybe Acharya is wrong. The alpha of his pack seemed very confident in his stance. But what if being able to control who and what you are was something more ¡­spiritual?


    He came to the building that housed his bare apartment. As he climbed the ramp up to the entryway the same words kept whispering through his mind, belief and faith. What did he believe in? Did he have faith in anybody or anything? He trusted some people. He trusted Aceso, he trusted Ares, but trust wasn¡¯t the same thing as faith. The thought that he had lost something so basic to human nature as faith in something, anything, was troubling. Is that why I seem to be the only being in this city that has this second consciousness buried in my brain? With his brain working on the emotional dilemma that he now found himself in he almost walked past the gaping opening that was the entryway to his room. Halting and turning into the entryway he stopped with his foot raised in mid step.


    Standing in his room in a very relaxed posture was a large brown wolf. The wolf stood with his mouth closed and piercing eyes locked on William. There was no hatred or violence in those eyes, not yet, and William had no intention of provoking the animal to action. He moved his raised leg backwards and shifted the weight to that back leg. In a very easy but slow motion he shifted his front leg back behind the other and shifted his weight with it once it was placed on the firm obsidian stone. He kept his eyes locked and focused at just below the wolf¡¯s snout. He wasn¡¯t a threat and he wasn¡¯t going to provoke the animal into thinking that he was challenging it.

 Book 2 Chapter 13d

    The wolf watched as William eased himself back down the ramp. The wolf¡¯s mouth stayed closed but William could have sworn that he saw the animal smiling at him. The thought struck him as odd. Why did so many predators have the ability to look like they were smiling at you? Probably because of a private joke that nature only shared with predators. The hunted never understood the thrill of the hunt and therefore never knew what the joke was, but predators understood, they understood all too well.


    William was clear of his door jam and was moving with the same delicate care down the ramp away from his door. When he was clear and hidden from the wolf¡¯s sight, he moved down the ramp, keeping his face and chest towards his door.


    ¡°Leaving so soon?¡±


    William stopped cold on the ramp of his building. It was Ares voice coming from inside his room. He let his shoulders slump and his head hang to the side. He shook his head and bolted up the ramp back to his door. How could he have not recognized Ares in wolf form? He had seen his teacher in wolf form before. Well, he was thinking about a lot of things and the last thing he expected was to find a wolf in his room. He had remained calm though. Besides what if it was another wolf, not a shape shifter that had found its way into his room, what then? He felt like he had responded appropriately to the situation, and he wasn¡¯t going to be embarrassed by it. But still, how could he have been so startled by that? Taking a deep breath, he took the last few steps and reentered his room.


    He found that instead of a large brown wolf in his room, the space was now occupied by his massive eight-foot-tall teacher. The werewolf was standing in the center of the room, much as the wolf had been. He watched as William walked to his bed and sat down on the thick soft furs of the bed.


    William looked up at his teacher. He lowered his head with a small chuckle as he shook his head. ¡°Did you get what you expected?¡±


    Ares seemed confused by the question. ¡°What do you mean, ¡®get what I expected¡¯?¡±


    William raised his head and looked Ares in the eye, that familiar weight came pushing down on him and he lowered his eyes feeling drained. ¡°What you expected by being in my room in your wolf form when I came through the entryway?¡±


    Ares folded his arms across his chest. ¡°Ah, you think it was some kind of practical joke?¡± Ares shook his head, ¡°No, William, I was not trying to get any sort of reaction from you. In all honesty I momentarily forgot that I was still in wolf form.¡±


    ¡°Really? And my reaction to you didn¡¯t tip you off?¡±


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    Ares let his arms fall to his sides. ¡°I am your teacher. Your reaction was not lost on me. However, I choose to let you continue with your course of action. I was pleased that you maintained yourself and the etiquette of nature. Tests can come from anywhere at any time, just like in nature and you will have to be prepared for those tests, whether they be here in the city or out there.¡± Ares shook his head toward the wall. William knew that what he was really gesturing to was outside the city and the cavern. This reminded him of why he had wanted to see Ares in the first place.


    ¡°What is out there, Ares?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? The world? That is as¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean, Ares.¡± William closed his eyes and leaned back against the cool stone wall. ¡°What I mean is,¡± he opened his eyes and bore the weight of Ares glance. ¡°What is out there? What am I being trained for? Who are we at war with? If I am going to die tomorrow, at least tell me why and where the knife is going to come from.¡±


    Ares stood there, not moving. His stance was no more tense or relaxed than it had been a moment ago, but there was a subtle change in the atmosphere. The very air around them changed. William felt a clenching from somewhere inside him, a convulsive muscle spasm that he could not identify.


    ¡°You are not ready.¡±


    ¡°I have been readily put up to be sacrificed multiple times since I got here. But the reason for it, why I have almost been killed, why I¡¯ve almost died, why I almost drowned, the reason for all that, I¡¯m not ready?¡± William leaned forward and rocked himself off his bed into a standing position several feet away from Ares.


    ¡°Are you the teacher now, pup?¡±


    William ran his fingers through his hair. ¡°If you can¡¯t tell me why I¡¯m going to die, can you at least tell me why I might be killed?¡±


    ¡°Why would you be killed?¡±


    William heaved a deep sigh. ¡°Is what Acharya was talking about right? Is the reason why I lost control of myself in that lake because I don¡¯t have a strong mental image of myself as a human?¡±


    Ares once again crossed his arms over his chest. For some reason he reminded William of a bouncer at a night club. ¡°Nobody knows why it happens, William. Sometimes werewolves emerge instead of shape shifters.¡± To William it looked like Ares wanted to sit down but he remained standing.


    ¡°Acharya is wrong then?¡±


    Ares shook his head. ¡°Acharya is not wrong any more than what I am telling you is not the truth.¡± William shook his head and smiled.


    ¡°The reason I can¡¯t give you a straight answer, William is because there is no straight answer to give. Sometimes it happens. Pure and simple. We have developed ways of testing our kind to ensure that werewolves are not allowed to endanger this city or our people.¡±


    ¡°You mean kill them.¡±


    ¡°If what they have become threatens us, yes.¡±


    William barked out a sarcastic laugh. ¡°You don¡¯t know the reason behind it, but the judgment is absolute, final, and always the same.¡±


    ¡°Nature is the same.¡±


    William started and then in a sudden rage he spit out, ¡°There is compassion in nature,¡±


    ¡°Have I not shown compassion towards you?¡±


    William pursed his lips and ran his hand through his hair once more, turning away from Ares. He sat down on the bed. All his strength was gone and all he wanted was a simple straight answer. ¡°So, my self-image has nothing to do with it?¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 13e

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that.¡± Ares stood in that same relaxed combat stance that was a signature of the werewolf. ¡°Acharya may be right and your view of yourself may be what causes some to fail in the testing.¡± Ares said all of this as a matter of mere fact, nothing more. William couldn¡¯t help but remember that Ares had lost a student to the beast that had threatened to engulf him, the reason the Elder Derceto had sent those grey wolves after him in the forest to kill him. ¡°It may be that some people or wolves just cannot accept the fact that they are what they are.¡± Ares turned toward William. ¡°For wolves, I can assure you from experience that the first transformation is not only painful but also terrifying.¡±


    William nodded. ¡°If you don¡¯t know how or why it happens how can I prepare myself? How do I not become a beast?¡±


    Ares looked down at the tired human sitting on his bed. ¡°With heart, faith, and courage.¡± Ares turned away from William and headed for the door. On the way out he stopped and turned his head back towards William. ¡°Get some sleep, William. Tomorrow is another day.¡± Ares left, leaving silence and a heavy air behind him.


    Heart, faith, and courage.


    The words rang through his head over and over. The only real advice Ares could give. He didn¡¯t blame his teacher. If the Elders or the werewolf community had learned of how and why some werewolves turn into something less than the noble example of Ares and the Elders then wouldn¡¯t they want to share that with every new pup that entered the city? If the werewolves were in fact at war with the shadows than wouldn¡¯t they want every new recruit possible?


    That was a sobering thought.


    To them I may be nothing more than a soldier for their war. That was a little unfair. Hadn¡¯t he sworn to himself inside the temple that he had found something worth fighting for? He nodded to himself. If the werewolves are at war than so am I. He had found something today that was worth protecting. If he was a soldier, then so be it.


    William stood up with a vigor that he hadn¡¯t felt in a long time. The decision had been made. This strengthened his mind and his emotional state calmed and was untroubled. He undressed himself and got ready for bed. The ceiling lights had already begun to dim and as he crawled under the furs on his bed the lights were almost completely dark. The beginning always came from the darkness and as the lights went out in his room his last thought before he drifted off to sleep was that his life was beginning all over again.


    William woke up to see Ares standing in the center of his room. William took a heartbeat to clear away the cobwebs of sleep from his mind. He blinked hard twice to clear his vision and focused on his teacher. Ares said nothing, he stood there in that relaxed deadly stance that he preferred. William felt a little confusion but nothing that warned him of any danger. He threw the soft furs off himself and stood up in front of his teacher. William was wearing nothing but shorts, but he didn¡¯t feel any more exposed or naked around his teacher than he felt when he was fully clothed.


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    Ares nodded. ¡°Change.¡±


    ¡°Change? Like into my clothes?¡± Ares shook his head and seemed to glare down at his student. ¡°Do you want me to change into my werewolf form?¡± William almost sputtered, ¡°Now?¡±


    Ares¡¯ face darkened and he let some of his teeth slip below his closed lips. ¡°Change,¡± he said, ¡°now.¡±


    William was not ready for this, not so soon after what had happened only a day ago. What did you think was going to happen today, William? What had he expected to be asked of him today? With that thought he drew inside himself and closed his eyes.


    The darkness that he was swimming in coalesced and moved around him and he felt his body change and contort inside of himself. The sensation was not pleasant, and he had to fight the urge to scream. The pain of having his guts turned inside out was excruciating and he wondered how Jacob or Ares, or any of the other werewolves for that matter, had learned to change without this amount of pain. The swirling blackness ceased, and the pain ebbed. William opened his eyes and saw that Ares was less huge than he was a moment before. He was aware of every smell that was in the room, even the faintest smell of hair oil. It was rich and beautiful; how could he have missed it before? It was obvious to him that the smell had come from Ansuya. He was amazed that he could smell it at all. Ansuya had visited him yesterday, how was her scent still in the room? He became aware of the fact that the underwear that he had been wearing had, as usual, ripped and he was now completely naked of fabric. His tan fur was now the only protection he had or needed.


    Ares stood with his arms crossed over his chest once more, his gold eyes still intent on his student. ¡°Change back.¡±


    William¡¯s eyes must have grown about three sizes because Ares stare hardened and his teacher leaned toward him ever so slightly. If he was in human form, he doubted that he would have registered the slight movement from his teacher but with his enhanced wolf sight he was aware of every muscle twitch that the massive werewolf in front of him made. William knew that he would get no sympathy from his teacher and closed his eyes once more.


    He tried to concentrate and get back to the place he had been when he had managed to change back to human form in the forest in front of the grey werewolves who had been sent to kill him. He tried to get back to the void where his other waited for him. He stood there in the quietness of his bedroom with his teacher looking over him. His eyes were closed but after several long minutes the black void where his other resided was no closer to William¡¯s grasp than it had been moments ago. In failure William open his eyes.


    Ares stood with a frown on his wolf snout and his arms were taught against his massive chest. ¡°Did you not understand me, pup?¡± Ares took a more relaxed posture, allowing his arms to swing at his sides. William was aware that those arms were still tensed he could see the striations of the muscle tissue under the thick brown fur. Ares was now in a position to do real damage to William if he chose to do so. ¡°Change.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 13f

    William tried to calm himself. He closed his eyes, and said a silent prayer to his goddess the moon for protection and help.


    William tried to draw into himself, to reach the void once again. The sound of his heartbeat was loud in his ears. He took a deep breath and let it out but his heart was still impossibly loud in his ears.


    Heart, faith, and courage.


    He held on to those words as a litany against failure. The dark that was afforded him by his shut eyelids was very thin and it seemed that the light emanating from the room itself was, at any moment, going to breach the fragile dark he was trying to surround himself in. He tried to ignore the fact that he could feel the air around him and the hair on his spine was still standing on end. He could feel Ares¡¯ closeness to him and that was adding to his sense of unease. And if that wasn¡¯t enough, the faint scent of hair oil left behind by the Elder was a distraction that filled his mind with images of almond shaped eyes, almost black, set perfectly in a deep mocha skin face, framed by thick black hair.


    ¡°What is the problem, pup?¡± Ares voice cut through his concentration and the fragile dark was shattered as he opened his eyes once more in failure. Ares was still standing in the middle of the room in his relaxed prepared posture. To William though, Ares seemed diminished somehow. His teacher took up less of the room, as if part of his teacher¡¯s body had collapsed in on itself. ¡°Why do you seek death, pup? Is it so distasteful to you, your natural form that you would rather die than change back?¡±


    William had never seen his teacher, or any other werewolf look so tired before. In his few days of being conscious in the City under the Mountain, Ares had been the ideal of werewolf strength and fortitude. William had never seen him yawn or look fatigued in any way. Ares¡¯ movements had all the practiced grace of a dancer and his eight-foot-tall body had exhumed strength, as if he could see it wafting off him like steam. Now, however all that strength was gone and Ares looked very old and very tired. William understood that it was his failure that Ares didn¡¯t know how to deal with.


    William wanted to say something, but he knew that nothing he could say would bring peace to the older werewolf. For the first time in William¡¯s life, he saw wolf¡¯s eyes that were listless and almost empty. Ares seemed to be preparing for a great pain or disappointment. The look sent fresh chills down his hot back and William had to fight the urge to shiver. A thought rocked William once more.


    I¡¯m going to die.


    He had failed the test and Ares was preparing to do what he had to do to protect the City under the Mountain.


    ¡°I will do what I have to do, William. But I have never given up on any of my students and I am not going to give up on you.¡± Ares¡¯ voice was barely audible over the loud heartbeat in his ears. ¡°I have lost one student and I don¡¯t mean to lose another. We both know you can change back to your human self. All that is missing is your will to do so.¡±


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    William thought back to the forest two days ago. What had ultimately gotten him back to his human form? His eyes widened as the realization struck him, my other. He closed his eyes and breathed in a deep breath. He tried to ignore everything that was happening around him. His breathing was heavy and relaxed and the darkness closed down around him like a blanket. Thoughts of death and failure were loud in his mind but he pushed them aside. He was safe and everything was right with the world. Mentally he called out to his other.


    William waited for moments that turned into minutes. He called out again and again into the darkness of his mind. The only thing that answered him was the faintest whisper that seemed to just brush against his awareness. He opened his eyes once again in resignation. He shook his head at the impossible notion that what had answered him was not a voice or a presence but something just this side of maniacal laughter.


    William saw the reaction of his teacher. Ares shook his head and opened his mouth as if he too were going to laugh. William didn¡¯t know what to do.


    ¡°Ares, help me.¡± William tried to hide the desperation in his voice, but he could hear it echoed back to him from his own voice and the walls of the room, the voice of a scared child.


    Ares had his own eyes closed. He stood very still. For a moment William thought that he wasn¡¯t going to answer him. Just when he thought that Ares had ignored him, his teacher spoke. ¡°William, you sound like a child.¡±


    Ares¡¯ posture was slouched somehow as if his legs and torso no longer possessed the strength to hold his massive weight upright. Ares covered the distance between the two of them impossibly fast. Ares gripped William¡¯s wolf claw in his own massive one, the brown fur of Ares engulfing the tan and black fur of William¡¯s.


    ¡°Do you want me to hold your hand, William? Do you want me to lead you along and show you how everything is done and then do it for you?¡± Ares golden eyes were deep emotionless wells, cold and unforgiving. There was not a trace of anger in them, only resignation and an emotion that he couldn¡¯t place. ¡°I can¡¯t do that, William.¡± Ares pushed William¡¯s claw down, the inertia pushing it back uncomfortably behind the natural rotation of his arm. ¡°No one can. Even if I wanted to, I couldn¡¯t.¡±


    Ares turned his back on his student. William didn¡¯t know what to say or do. Was his teacher giving up on him? The memory of what Huan Li had said about him and what his possible fate might be if he couldn¡¯t control the animal side of him rose uncomfortably to the forefront of his consciousness.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to die,¡± he said to the deep stillness. It was barely above a whisper, but he knew that Ares heard it.


    Ares raised his head and there was a pure passion there that scared William. Seeing raw unfiltered emotion in his teacher¡¯s eyes was far worse than anything he could have imagined. William realized that he had taken a step back away from his teacher.


    ¡°Then prove it.¡±


    Ares full size filled the room and his body had shaken off all signs of fatigue from moments before. Standing in front of him, William understood why Ares was the protector of the Mountain and he deserved all the respect that his namesake demanded.


    ¡°Heart, faith, courage, that is all you need. That¡¯s all you¡¯ve ever needed. It¡¯s time to ask yourself what you believe, what is worth fighting for?¡± Ares took a step toward the smaller werewolf, engulfing even more of his field of vision. ¡°Who are you?¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 13g

    The questions sat on his mind, as if his brain refused to let the questions be registered as something needing to be answered. William concentrated on those questions. Who am I? It was a question that he had often asked himself back when he still lived in the world of the civilized. His mind arched across time to when he had tried to walk among people. Their attitudes and their place in the world were so secure. Even though he could see the pain and misery that those people felt and made others feel on a daily basis. People didn¡¯t seem to care that their actions affected those around them. The girls of his high school walked around in bubbles that were almost visible to him. The bubbles kept them safe from any responsibility they may have had to the people around them.


    He remembered the funeral for Seth Donovan. He had liked Seth. Not that he had known the kid very well. They had run together on the track team but other than that he knew pretty much nothing of him. The kid had committed suicide by putting a bullet in his head with a .38 caliber handgun, a ¡®38 special¡¯ is what people had called it. Apparently, he had bought it at a pawn shop two days before he shot himself.


    William remembered hearing something about him being gay a few weeks before it had happened. He didn¡¯t put much thought into it. He remembered thinking, so what, if he is, he is. If not, who cares what people think? Apparently, Seth cared. He remembered feeling really pissed off at that funeral. Of all those people there, how many of them had actually known Seth? How many of them had helped spread that rumor which he had become more and more certain was the cause for Seth taking his own life. He could see Christine sitting among her friends without a single tear in her eyes. In fact, she was looking at some other girl¡¯s cell phone and trying not to laugh at what she found there. Hadn¡¯t it been her that he had overheard saying that Seth was gay?


    The remembered anger that he felt standing in his room in front of Ares was so strong his muscles tensed, and his fists clenched. He realized that his jaw was clenched and he had to forcibly unlock his teeth and relax his facial muscles.


    I hate people.


    The thought was so clear and so profound that he blinked in the cold honesty of that statement to himself. He could find no fault in that statement though. He did hate people. He hated the way they acted toward each other. He hated how selfish people were. He hated the flimsy excuses people made to justify their actions and how they treated members of the opposite sex. He hated people. Isn¡¯t that why he had left in the first place, to go live in his forest with nature? Testing himself against the cold and uncaring world of nature was a far better way to spend his time than to fight the uphill battle that was trying to live with people. Nature didn¡¯t care about you one way or another. People were always clawing at him to pull him down, to marginalize his achievements and drag him down to the lowest possible level.


    He looked at Ares. The werewolf made no attempt to move or say anything. Ares was waiting for something. William knew what it was. He¡¯s waiting for me to change or attack him. The black and white of the situation was calming to William. Just like in nature, live, or die, fight or starve, prepare or freeze, nature was so much more honest about its intentions. He only wished that people could learn how to be a little more like that.


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    But even as he thought this he was reminded of the underground cathedral. The massive cavern walkway, carved out from the rock of the earth. It¡¯s long winding trail that led to the heart of that sacred place. The memory of the smiling goddess and god looking down on him from their sacred alcove was so fresh that he could recall every detail, down to their painted fingers. The statue of Apollo sharing the same house with gods and goddesses he didn¡¯t even recognize, but their place in that holy cathedral was no more or less than all the gods and goddess that were housed there.


    People could never understand such a place. He could see the results of such a place on the face of the earth. Muslim terrorist tapes being broadcast over the nightly news swearing vengeance on the infidels that dared to house a representation of Mohammad in the same house where Jesus stood. He could see protests of fanatical Christians demanding that Jesus be removed from such a place that displayed statues of the Greek gods and goddesses on an equal level with God. The Jewish people would rant that Jehovah was not the same as the god that supposedly was the father of Jesus and that it was sacrilege to place the two in the same building. The intolerance and closed mindedness of people was so clear and predictable to him that it was maddening.


    William looked down at his claws. These claws are not the hands I was born with. He had used those tools for survival, and in surviving he had caused death. He had killed in the name of survival, playing by nature¡¯s rules. But they were not hands. The scents he could sense from the room around him, the musk of Ares, the sweet oil from Ansuya, the sweat from his furs were not things that he could sense with his human nose, the nose he had been born with.


    His mind worked and fell silent. A single thought repeating itself over and over, ringing through his mind and body.


    I was born human.


    He had chosen nature over humanity. He had wrapped himself in nature¡¯s cold black and white. That is where he belonged, but he couldn¡¯t change the fact that he had been born human. As much as that was despised by him, he ultimately couldn¡¯t escape who he was.


    He looked up at Ares who was still standing in the center of the room. He closed his eyes and inhaled once more. He held the breath for long moments and then parting his lips he let it out. The darkness enveloped him so completely that for a moment he was sure that he had fallen asleep.


    ¡°No, William you¡¯re not asleep. But I can¡¯t help you this time.¡±


    William was floating in that familiar void. Only this time there was no substance, to himself or anything else. He was a floating consciousness with no form. There was no light, only the sound of the voice that wasn¡¯t his, spoke to him.


    ¡°You can¡¯t escape who you are. Your human side will always be here. Maybe I¡¯m your human side?¡±


    There was a laugh and then silence. William knew, with surprising clarity, that he had been fighting what he was. He did hate people. But he couldn¡¯t escape the fact that he was a person first. The thought triggered a response from somewhere very far away that he registered as pain. But it was like a light on a switchboard needing no more attention than a tripped circuit breaker. William let the void of darkness dissipate around him, and he opened his eyes.

 Book 2 Chapter 14a

    The room seemed bigger to him. He looked straight ahead to see his teacher standing just as he had been moments before. He had to forcibly still a shockwave that threatened to wrack his body. Ares was always intimidating but now his teacher was massive.


    He became aware of the lack of smells in the room. He couldn¡¯t detect the scent of hair oil. The musk of his teacher was undetectable. He noticed that he could see less detail from the stone and the room itself. He looked down at his hands. They were human hands.


    He was a little surprised to find himself disappointed and maybe just the slightest bit depressed. The world was so much less when he was in his human form. But at the same time, he knew what road thoughts like that led down. He had been born human and he would just have to deal with it.


    He looked up at Ares. Was his teacher smiling? He couldn¡¯t be sure of anything when it came to Ares¡¯ emotions. William placed his hands on his knees and lurched upward from the bed. His human form was always just a bit awkward to him after he had spent time in werewolf form. He wondered if it would always be that way.


    ¡°Good, William. You see, you and I both know that you can do it.¡± Ares crossed his arms over his chest. ¡°You need to become proficient at this. This is the most basic and important thing about being one of us. You have to be able to change from one form to another at a moment¡¯s notice.¡± Ares looked off to one side. William could see his teacher¡¯s hard profile superimposed on the glossy black of the far wall. ¡°Change.¡±


    The command was heard and understood but William still cocked his head to the side in a questioning motion. Ares turned his head back to stare down at his student. ¡°You have to learn this before we can move on to anything else.¡± When William didn¡¯t respond Ares took a single step backwards. ¡°Are you questioning me, William?¡± Ares stance was no more menacing than it had been a moment before. However, there was something in his teacher¡¯s voice that told him of the possible consequences for disobeying the order.


    William was not a child, but he understood how this lesson was to be taught, repetition, analysis, and more repetition. It was the oldest form of learning and teaching. He understood that Ares was not patronizing him just trying to drive home the point. William mentally shrugged. If this is the way it has to be then so be it. It wasn¡¯t like he was ever going to challenge Ares. He had no illusions of safety here. Ares had been born a wolf and he had grown up in the black and white of nature. He would have no scruples about putting William down, hard.


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    He took a deep breath, and closed his eyes. The void greeted him almost immediately. He let himself smile. The by now familiar colors and wind that didn¡¯t move swirled around him. A pain assaulted him. It was less than what he had felt before, but the pain was nowhere near slight enough to ignore. He clamped his teeth down and locked his jaw against the sudden torrent that he found himself in.


    When the storm passed and the colors ceased to swirl, he opened his eyes. He knew that he had been successful, and his surroundings mirrored that. He could sense the trace smells that lined his room. His wolf eyes could see clearly even the minute details of the wall and in his teacher. His happiness was tempered however because he had a very strong feeling that he knew exactly what Ares was going to tell him to do next.


    ¡°Very good, you¡¯re getting a little faster.¡± If William didn¡¯t know any better, he would have said that Ares was smiling at him. ¡°Now, change back.¡±


    For the entire rest of the day William did nothing but change from werewolf form to human form. Sometimes he had to really struggle with himself to change back into his natural human form, other times it was almost as easy as transforming into his wolf form. He knew that he was always going to struggle with that. His hatred of everything human was affecting his desire to be human. It was just one of the many things that he was going to have to deal with.


    The day of exercise did not come without a cost, however. By the end of the day, he was hungry beyond all recent memory. He felt like he was going to die of starvation. Ares told him, ¡°You are dying of starvation.¡± William looked at him with a gaping face. ¡°William, changing forms for us has its price.¡± Ares looked down at William¡¯s stomach. ¡°The energy needed for us to change is substantial. Think of your stomach as a furnace for a reactor. The amount of fuel that is needed to change from one form to another is a lot more than any human or wolf would need even for strenuous activity.¡±


    William nodded, the pain in his gut was getting worse and he knew that he needed to eat. Of course, what Ares was saying made sense. After all what was one of the first things he did in his forest after he had changed into his werewolf form? He always hunted.


    Ares dismissed William to go get something to eat. William knew the day of training was over and as he left his room he heaved a huge sigh, one to ease the pain that was pulsating through his gut and lower abdomen, but also because he was relieved that the day was over. He had never thought that doing something so basic as changing from one form to another could be such an important lesson. In his forest, he never thought that. Since he had come here though, he had learned that even the most basic thing could carry serious connotations.

 Book 2 Chapter 14b

    William found the cafeteria. It was late and the room was empty. He was grateful for this. The man standing behind the service line seemed to know what William had been through and he served William a huge helping for his tray and he matched the oversized helping onto a completely different tray. William wondered who that was for. He wasn¡¯t sure he could finish the massive amount of food on his own plate. His stomach was trying to eat itself and the pains were increasing. Of course, the smell of the food wasn¡¯t making things any easier. He tried to move fast to sit down somewhere. He picked the closest seat he could find and eased himself down.


    When he was situated, the guy placed the second tray down next to William. Without a word or a glance, he turned and went back to the service line and immediately started to clean up. William looked down at the steaming pile of food in front of him. Now that he could eat, he found that he was hesitant. His stomach was crunching in on itself and he knew he had to eat but the pain itself made him not want to touch a bit of his food.


    He scooped a forkful of food and ate it. The food melted in his mouth and slid down his throat. The food was a little bland but very warm, and very good. The stew was similar to what he had eaten yesterday. The potatoes were perfectly cooked and they crushed and flaked under the slightest pressure from his fork. Before he knew it, his first tray was clean. He looked up to see that the guy was standing against a wall. The service line was clear and he was waiting for William to finish. He didn¡¯t scowl at William, nor did he smile. He was extremely stoic in that respect and he reminded William at once of Aiman.


    William didn¡¯t want to rush because his stomach had still not relaxed from the muscular dissidence that it had experienced before he started eating but he didn¡¯t want to keep the man waiting any more than he had to.


    William finished quickly enough and even though he had eaten a great deal he found that he was not full to the point of bursting. He smiled at the joke that he and his friends had made up so long ago. The feeling of being fat and not being able to move after a huge meal, they had dubbed that being overbese. Even though he had eaten more than he could remember ever eating in his life, he did not feel overbese, in fact he felt like he had eaten either just enough or maybe even too little.  He shook off the feeling of still being just a bit hungry and returned his trays to the man standing behind the counter. ¡°Thank you.¡± Was the only thing William could say before the man nodded, not rudely, and turned back to wash the two trays. William left the cafeteria and returned home.


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    When he entered his room, he found it empty. Ares had always been there to greet him or give him some advice or answer a question that he might have. Tonight however, the room stood silent. William felt a sense of foreboding because of this. Over the time he had spent in his forest and even the short amount of time he had spent here, he had grown accustomed to the routine of things. Having Ares meet him in his room at night was routine. The break in normalcy was distressing.


    William looked around outside his door, back down the empty ramp. He scanned the surrounding areas but could see no one. The streets were empty, and the cavern lights had dimmed to such an extent that he couldn¡¯t see too far anyway. It was night. Heaving a sigh, he shook his head and reentered his room.


    The next morning, he awoke to find his room empty. Ares was not waiting for him with any order or command. He should have been happy because of this, but he wasn¡¯t. It only served to emphasize what he had felt at coming home to an empty room. Without knowing what else to do he got up, got dressed, and grabbed his stuff to go to the bathroom.


    When he came back the room was still empty. The feeling of something not being right didn¡¯t leave him but he decided to accept it. If I don¡¯t have a teacher today, I might as well make the most of it. As if in answer to his resolve his stomach grumbled and echoed off the walls of his room. He was surprised by the volume of the grumble. He clutched at his abdomen. He was starved. Even after all he had eaten last night, it felt like he hadn¡¯t eaten in days. First order of business, food. Smiling to himself he shook his head and headed down to the cafeteria for breakfast.


    When he got to the familiar rectangle building, he was a little shocked at the noise that was emanating from the room. He could just see inside the doors and the tables that had been mostly empty the last few times he had been here were mostly full. He saw a lot of empty spaces at the tables but people had filled the room rather nicely. Shrugging his shoulders, he moved into the cacophony of noise.


    He walked along the inside of the room, staying close to the sweating walls. The humidity in here was always noticeable and the heat from the kitchen filled the space like a central heating unit. It was not unpleasant, but he could feel the slick wetness on the wall next to him.


    He walked up to counter and grabbed a tray. The same man from last night was standing there. William nodded to him and he nodded back. He took his tray and filled it to capacity once again, only this time instead of a beef stew and biscuits, he found himself looking at a mound of scrambled eggs, a tall stack of pancakes, and biscuits smothered in some kind of sausage gravy. The smell made William¡¯s mouth water. He thanked the man, who returned the pleasantry with a nod. William turned and found an empty spot at a nearby table, and began to ravenously tear into his breakfast.

 Book 2 Chapter 14c

    As he was eating, he couldn¡¯t help but glance around the room. He saw so many people there that he didn¡¯t recognize. He saw Acharya and his pack. The alpha raised his hand in greeting to him and William returned the gesture. Acharya waved at him to come over and sit with them. William declined the invitation with a raised hand and a bowed head. Acharya smiled at him and returned his bow. William continued to look around the room as he tore into his pancakes.


    He noticed a busty, pale skinned girl sitting some way down from him at the same table. She seemed very familiar to him. He knew he had seen her somewhere before but at the moment he couldn¡¯t place where. He saw an extremely tall and lanky, white skinned, red headed guy sitting amongst a small group. If this had been anywhere else, he would have said that he looked out of place. But strangely he seemed to fit right in. He found himself truly amazed at where he was. In this room he saw all manner of size and ethnicity of people. There were brown men sitting with and talking with white women. There were black women sitting and laughing with white guys. There were a few people of Asian descent, and he noticed some people had the slightly tanned skin of Native Americans. He noticed some Middle Eastern people, like Aiman, sitting with people that were also Middle Eastern but had a different skin tone. He found himself lost in wonder at the world that he now found himself in. This was something that was worth protecting, this is worth fighting for. He wished, not for the first time, that the outside world could see and learn from what was happening here. The people here didn¡¯t seem to care where each other came from, they were here and that was enough.


    When he was finished, he got up from his place and placed his tray at the end of the counter, with a small stack of other dirty dishes. He caught Acharya¡¯s eye as he was walking out the door and the man waved to him once more. Aiman nodded his head and Tara smiled warmly at him. Malikah and the woman whose name he couldn¡¯t remember at the moment both raised their hand in a friendly goodbye. William nodded and raised his hand toward them.


    William stepped outside the building and enjoyed the drop in temperature. The cavern was always cool, and he let his lungs fill with the cool air around him. He looked down both sides of the street and saw very few people out here. There was no sign of Ares either. Not knowing what else to do he headed for his room.


    He had no real concept of time in the cavern. Except for the passage of time and the dimming and brightening of the cavern ceiling crystals he had no idea what time it was. It could be seven o¡¯clock, or it could be ten o¡¯clock, he didn¡¯t have any real idea, but like in his forest, that kind of time keeping was irrelevant here. He walked home down the relatively empty street.


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    He headed up the ramp to his room. He wondered what Ares had in store for him today. He couldn¡¯t image what that might be. Maybe he¡¯ll have me change back and forth from werewolf to human again. He shook his head and laughed to himself, that was a very real possibility but he hoped not.


    He turned the corner into his apartment and found six people standing inside his room. He recognized Ares immediately and the wolf standing in the middle of the room, with the shiny black coat of thick fur with the patch of white on her chest. William¡¯s face split into a huge smile at seeing his Alpha again. Aceso seemed to smile back at him. William had to resist the urge to run over and hug the wolf. She didn¡¯t like being treated like a dog and she was not his pet after all. He was so happy at the moment that he didn¡¯t see anyone else in the room. He held the gaze of the wolf for long moments. Through the gaze he felt a sense of happiness from her that he was glad for. He tried to convey how he had tried to see her multiple times since they had arrived. The wolf cocked her head to side in a question as he tried to convey all the pain he had gone through and how much he had wanted to see if she was ok. Aceso shook her head and rubbed her leg with her snout. She threw her head up toward Ares. William turned his attention to his teacher.


    Ares stood there among the other people. Aceso had been the only one in wolf form but he now watched as she transformed into her werewolf form. He couldn¡¯t wipe the smile from his face at seeing her safe and unharmed. The worry and responsibility that he had felt at her being punished because of him was very real and the guilt of what had happened to her because of him was something he had had to wrestle with for all this time.


    He looked at the others that were in the room. There was a dark-skinned man, who was much taller than he was. He must have stood at least six feet five inches or so. The man was quiet, but he didn¡¯t carry the air of stoicism that Aiman carried. Next to him was the busty girl that he had recognized at breakfast. She was short standing next to the tall and slender, well-dressed man but he knew that she was of a reasonable height. He would probably look short standing next to him too. Next to her was Aceso and Ares stood in the middle. On the other side of Ares though, was a rather average height white guy with decently tanned skin, brown hair and brown eyes. And next to him was another werewolf who had splotches of black, white, and tan fur throughout her body. William wondered for just a moment who all these people were. The thought came to him almost instantly. Five others, and with me we make six, if you don¡¯t count Ares. Is this my pack? The thought was exhilarating and a little intimidating all at the same time. He looked at Ares for an explanation.

 Book 2 Chapter 14d

    Ares stood among the people that stood in his room. William could see that his tail was in a relaxed position swinging behind his legs. He wasn¡¯t saying anything. Nobody was saying anything and standing there in his room with guests, not knowing what to do made him feel a little unprepared.


    ¡°Ares, now that we are here, what do we do?¡± It was Aceso who had spoken.


    Ares stepped back and away from the group looking at all six of them. Four human born and two wolf born, it was not an uncommon make up for a pack. William took a few more steps into the room joining the group. Ares looked at each one, and came to rest his eyes on William. ¡°Yesterday, I was your teacher. From now on, you will be the teacher and the student, all of you.¡± As he spoke, he shifted his attention to William¡¯s other pack members. ¡°What happened in the past stays in the past,¡± he said this as he was staring at the dark-haired tanned skin guy standing next to the unknown werewolf. ¡°Our people¡¯s strength comes from our unity, our faith and belief in each other. I won¡¯t presume that any of your lives will be any easier from this day on.¡± He walked over to the door. ¡°The final task that I give you as your teacher,¡± he gestured outside, ¡°you six must learn to live and cooperate out there in the forest, for three days.¡± There was a slight shuffling and William could have sworn that he had heard a grumble or a sigh. No doubt Ares heard this as well. But if he did, he didn¡¯t react to it. ¡°Most of you know who your alpha is. If not, you¡¯ll find out over the next few days.¡± Ares walked back across the room and stood in front of William¡¯s dresser. He stood for a moment with his back to the group then turned. ¡°After these three days have passed, I will come and escort you to your final testing.¡± Ares looked at each one in turn as he spoke. ¡°Human born always have the hardest time understanding that your pack is so much more than just a group of friends. Our hope is that over the next few days you will learn the true strength and abilities of your pack.¡± Ares lowered his head and his tail drooped down to hang limp between his legs. ¡°This is all I can say, the rest is up to you.¡± He turned toward Aceso. ¡°Take charge of your pack, go.¡±


    Aceso nodded once and headed out the door. William followed the werewolf, and he felt the other werewolf follow in his footsteps. He heard a slight scuffling of feet behind him, and he had a very strong feeling that some of them didn¡¯t like the fact that Aceso was alpha. They don¡¯t know what she¡¯s capable of. He followed the familiar black furred werewolf down the ramp of his building. Her tail was high in the air sticking almost straight up in line with her spine. She knew who and what she was. He wondered what her punishment had been like. What had she endured in all the time he wasn¡¯t allowed to see her?


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    As they reached the bottom of the ramp Aceso and William turned back to watch and wait for the rest of the pack to join them. William looked up to see the girl walking down the ramp with an air of indifference. The tall slender man was walking just behind her at an almost comical step pause, step pause. He could have traversed the ramp in five steps, but he had chosen to follow the woman whose stride was much shorter than his ever could be comfortably.


    Behind them he saw the tanned kid. He wore a look of distaste and scorn as he stumbled behind all the rest of them. He looked like a petulant child, pouting that his mom didn¡¯t buy him ice cream. William disliked him. There was something in his manner and appearance that scratched at William¡¯s memory but when he tried to grasp that memory, it disappeared. He shook off the feeling and watched the guy walk down the rest of the ramp. William looked up toward the top of the ramp but Ares did not exit the room. William cocked his head to the side at the puzzling nature of this and what it could mean.


    Being so close to Aceso once again he could feel something in back of his mind.


    ¡°We head for the forest. Our first job is to find a place for a den then we hunt,¡± Aceso said. She jumped off toward the forest and started running on all fours. The other wolf born took off after her. William was caught by surprise by this, even though he knew he shouldn¡¯t have been. He knew what she was going to say, at least the gist of it anyway. He stood there dumbly as a black werewolf and a cream-colored werewolf ran past him. He didn¡¯t have time to guess who they were. He closed his eyes and changed. It took only a few seconds and a twinge of pain but those few seconds were enough to see him last in line. He ripped off the remains of the shreds of clothing that he was wearing only a moment before. He didn¡¯t know if leaving the rags in the street was the proper thing to do but it didn¡¯t seem to bother anyone else. His hesitation awarded him the task of trying to catch up to the other five members of his pack.


    The line of young werewolves flowed through the outskirts of the city. They tore through almost the same alleys and back streets that he had passed through the last time he had gone to the forest with Ares. William could feel the still air of the cavern rush over his swiftly moving body. He felt truly alive in his werewolf form but something other than just that. He felt something else, he couldn¡¯t place exactly what it was but for some reason he was reminded of something. The feeling was soon gone, and he dedicated himself to close the distance with the rest of the group.

 Book 2 Chapter 14e

    Aceso took a hard right turn down another side street and William had to jump up onto the building to prevent himself from crashing into it. His tail acted like a rudder keeping him upright as he tapered off the sudden turn. He ran a few steps along the glossy black surface of the building before leveling out on the street floor again. The forest trees were visible over the buildings, and he knew that they would reach the outer meadow in a few moments. His tail whipped behind him keeping him balanced.


    He shot out through the last of the buildings of the city and saw the massive green expanse of one of the underground forests that peppered the City under the Mountain. The size of it was always impressive. Aceso did not stop to admire the view. Her tail was still raised above her body as she ran into the heart of the trees. William dodged out of line and ran to catch up with his alpha as he passed the dark sandy blonde werewolf that he had been following, his body was covered in flecks of dark fur as well. From a distance it made the werewolf seem a lot darker in color than he actually was.


    Passing the loping werewolf he sped along the open grass of the meadow, racing for the trees. He was able to grip the grass here with his claws and he threw himself forward with every step. He knew that aside from the wolf born he probably had more experience being a werewolf in the wild than the rest of his pack mates and he was able to catch up with the cream and black werewolves. As he passed those two, he broke through the outlying tree line and he was in the forest.


    He had to slow down. The trees and underbrush were treacherous for anyone but especially for him when he was traveling at speeds of over thirty-five miles an hour. Estimated guess but for some reason that just sounded right to him. He looked around as the other members of his pack broke through the initial line of trees. Not waiting for the sandy blonde, he peeled out to the right away from where Aceso and the others were headed. He knew that their den was not going to be easy to find. The other packs of the city had probably claimed most of the good easy spots already and it was up to them to find a good place that was protected and hidden.


    He thought about his burrow back in his forest. It wasn¡¯t exactly hidden but it had kept him safe for almost two years. It had been warm and familiar. With these thoughts in mind, he tore through the forest looking for a new home, in this patch of wilderness among civilization.


    He ran over fallen logs and through clusters of dense trees. The boulders that were common in this forest were clumped together but none of them offered an opening for any kind of den. He knew what he was looking for. He had a feeling Aceso was looking for the same thing. The thought of their shared den under that fallen tree so long ago seemed like the perfect place. The only problem was that was perfect for the two of them, but for six it would have been impossible.


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    He ran over rocks, and he found a sizeable pond. The water was clean and didn¡¯t smell of stagnation. He was intrigued by this, but he couldn¡¯t stop to think about it. He ran past it and stopped as his nose caught a scent. He buried himself in the tall grass around the pond, his nose lifted to the air. He knew that smell. He closed his eyes and could see the scents in his mind. The buck was prancing through the underbrush, making only the softest of noises. His long antlers were still as he tasted the air around the pond. William couldn¡¯t detect anything in the scent that would suggest that the buck knew he was there. He couldn¡¯t wait for the buck to get any closer. William knew that he was more than exposed here in the grass. Any moment the deer would see him and bolt. He lost himself for a moment in the smell of flesh and the memory of what this felt like.


    He sprang from his place on the ground. The buck squealed and stumbled over itself as it tried to find purchase in the dirt and run back the way it had come. William had speed and surprise on his side. The buck recovered and torn back into the forest, but it wasn¡¯t quickly enough. Before the buck had taken two steps William had jumped through the air and gripped onto the buck¡¯s back and neck. From there it was academic. When it was done he howled a call to his pack. My pack. He was suddenly saddened by the remembrance of those he had left behind in his forest. The old grey and all the other wolves that had run with him had looked to him for protection. The old guilt flooded back into him with a vengeance. He felt the pit of his stomach disappear and all he could do was sit there.


    He waited, stewing in his guilt and that lead to irritation of his pack not responding to his call. My pack in my forest never kept me waiting like this. He knew that it was a childish and petulant thought, but better anger directed outside than to turn inside and concentrate on his guilt. He knew where that path led to. He was about to start eating when he heard an answering howl. It wasn¡¯t a howl he had heard before. It was darker in timbre than any wolf howl he had heard before. It was interesting to him but not important. It was probably the tall slender man he had briefly met. William answered the call with a howl of his own.


    He was soon joined next to the pond by the all-black werewolf. Upon seeing William, he smiled and stood up on his hind legs. William stood also. The black werewolf was a few inches taller than he was. There was no challenge in his eyes. ¡°We didn¡¯t really get a chance to introduce ourselves, my name¡¯s William.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 14f

    ¡°Yes, I know who you are. I must apologize for us startling you this morning. I know how unsettling it must be finding total strangers in your room.¡± The werewolf seemed to smile at this. ¡°In any case, my name is Charles Mabena.¡± The werewolf extended his hand and William took it. ¡°It is a pleasure to finally meet the infamous William.¡±


    William was about to ask what exactly he meant by that, but they were interrupted as another werewolf entered into the small clearing. It was the dark sandy blonde werewolf. William caught his scent. He had smelled this creature before. He narrowed his eyes at the blonde werewolf. The blonde seemed to recognize him as well and there was definite animosity there. William lowered himself into a ready fighting stance. The blonde realized what was going on and mirrored the action. Charles stood in between them. He looked at William and back at the blonde. He put out both of his hands in a warding gesture. The two werewolves moved to the side and began to circle each other.


    As William moved, he felt the blades of grass brush up against the fur of his legs. His focus was completely concentrated on the blonde. His mind worked to try and pin down where he knew this werewolf from and why he would feel threatened by William. He inhaled the blonde¡¯s scent once more and the memory came to him. This is the werewolf that jumped me in the forest a few days ago. He had spent some time trying to figure out why the werewolf had attacked him. It had been unprovoked and unwarranted. Now, one way or another, he was going to get some answers.


    Three other werewolves crashed through the underbrush into the clearing. William identified Aceso, the other two were strangers to him. William stood frozen at the sudden intrusion. He didn¡¯t take an ounce of concentration away from the blonde.


    Aceso stood on her hind legs. She looked at the other three werewolves already in the clearing. ¡°William, what are you doing?¡±


    The ferocity of her tone immediately bowed his head. It was something that was automatic. Aceso ordered and he obeyed. It was an unconscious reaction to her tone and voice. It wasn¡¯t an unpleasant realization. To other men it might seem emasculating, but here in the forest in the presence of the rest of the pack it felt completely natural. William backed away from the blonde werewolf, his tail swooped low between his legs, but it still had an arch to it. He was submissive to Aceso his alpha, not to the blonde.


    The blonde stood up as well and turned his attention to Aceso. ¡°Who asked you?¡±


    The retort sent fresh waves of anger and animosity up William¡¯s spine directed toward the blonde. He wanted to rip the guy¡¯s arms off. He must have taken a step or two toward the other werewolf because Aceso raised an arm in his direction and shot him a reproving look. Under that gaze William fell silent and let the growl that was in his throat die.


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    Aceso didn¡¯t seem to want violence between them, but she wasn¡¯t going to let the challenge go unanswered either. ¡°I¡¯m your alpha. Nobody needs to ask me anything.¡±


    The blonde werewolf scoffed and turned his back on her. Before William knew it, he had taken two or three steps toward the blonde. Aceso held up her hand once more. William looked at his alpha and he was surprised to see the black, white, and tan werewolf standing next to him. She must have moved as well. William looked from his alpha to the back of the blonde. He wanted to hurt him, badly. But Aceso grabbed him by the arm and forced him down to meet her gaze. Aceso was a few inches shorter than William, but she was the alpha. William knew then that this was not the way a werewolf pack should act. William heaved a quick sigh and nodded his head low. Aceso nodded back and let go of his arm.


    ¡°We eat as a pack, that includes you, Nicolas,¡± Aceso said.


    The blonde werewolf turned at the sound of the name. ¡°Yeah, yeah, the laws of nature and all that crap yeah, I know. I¡¯ve had just about all I can stand about that shit from my bitch of a teacher, all right.¡± Aceso walked past William and Achelois. She walked straight to the carcass and leaning on her haunches she tore into the meatiest part of the deer, the hind flank.


    William knew that now he could eat. He and the rest of the pack made their way over to the carcass. Nicolas stood there for a moment watching the rest of the pack tear apart the carcass for eating. With disgust heavy in his body language, his tail was arched up in defiance, he walked over to the carcass with the rest of the pack.


    William began ripping the carcass apart. The section that Aceso had torn into was her¡¯s and it remained untouched on the ground. William tore the deer into equal parts around the choice section that had been chosen by the alpha. He plopped the ripped-up meat on the ground in front of the various members of the pack. He even tossed a rather good chuck to Nicolas, even though it was against his better judgment. Aceso wanted them to get along. This man was part of his pack. He would have to learn to cooperate and live with him.


    Nicolas didn¡¯t seem to notice how good the section was that William had given him and he scoffed at the meat lying there in the grass. Aceso ignored this and William followed suit, it was getting to be really hard putting up with this guy¡¯s attitude already. William reached down and began ripping into his piece of the deer. He looked over at Aceso who was finishing her portion.


    Their first meal together as a pack. The first of many. William found himself hoping for that. He didn¡¯t know anyone there; he couldn¡¯t even really say he knew Aceso. But she had saved his life and led him here, for that she had earned his loyalty and support. He knew that the road to them becoming a pack and working together was going to be a long one. But, after all this time, maybe this was the family that he had always been seeking.

 Book 3 Mist and Shadow Chapter 1a

    The carcass was nothing but bone and blood-soaked grass as Aceso stood up. ¡°We need to find a suitable den.¡± Aceso lifted her nose to air and inhaled. The white patch of fur on her chest expanded with her lungs. ¡°I don¡¯t sense anybody near us.¡± Aceso looked down at the rest of her pack. ¡°We split up and find ourselves a home. We have a lot of daylight left.¡± She turned and focused all of her attention on Nicolas. ¡°That includes you.¡±


    Nicolas shrugged his shoulders and unsuccessfully on purpose tried to hide a smile. ¡°Anything you say, babe.¡±


    William started to rise and Aceso shook her head at him.


    ¡°Ah, isn¡¯t that cute. What¡¯s that matter tough guy, don¡¯t want to upset your woman?¡±


    William charged. His anger took over and all he wanted was blood. Nicolas was weak and inexperienced. William tackled him to the ground and pinned him to the dirt while levering his arm into the air in a painfull way. William buried his knee into the blonde werewolf¡¯s neck and applied pressure. Nicolas was caught off guard by the attack and he was quickly subdued. William could feet his feeble attempts to free his face from the dirt and ease the pressure from the knee on his neck. William grinned and pressed even harder. He felt the energy drain from his opponent, and he felt the life leaving Nicolas just as air was leaving his lungs and brains. William smiled at his defeated opponent.


    He felt large and strong hands grip him from under the armpits and yank him off his prey. The unknown hands dragged him back through the tall grass several paces away from the blonde werewolf. He felt the pressure go for an instant than vise grips locked onto his arms, and he felt a severe pressure in his spine. William was being held in a seated position looking up. Aceso was moving toward him. He wasn¡¯t sure what happened, but his face and stomach erupted in pain. The pain ebbed and left a stinging sensation all over his body. Aceso stood over him. The pressure was released on his back and arms, and he bowed his head to his Alpha. William felt a new pain surge through his neck. He felt Aceso¡¯s warmth close to him and he could feel her teeth digging into his flesh. The pain was welcome, and he accepted the punishment. After long moments Aceso let go and William was able to stand up again.


    He stood over Aceso, his head still bowed, his tail low and between his legs. She nodded to whoever was behind him. William glanced to find Charles standing behind him. William nodded to the man and the nod was returned. William knew that Charles had done the right thing and he was grateful that he had pulled him off Nicolas.


    He looked over at the blonde werewolf. A werewolf that he hadn¡¯t been introduced to was tending to his wounds. She is a healer also, whoever she is. He looked over to see the cream-colored werewolf sitting back on her haunches, watching and waiting to see what happened next.


    Aceso stalked to the center of the gathering. ¡°We have more important things to do than fight with each other.¡± She glanced at Nicolas.


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    The blonde was lounging on the grass. Even though William could have killed him he still carried that air of arrogance and condescension about him as if he was king of the world. William wanted to tear him apart. But he was bound by the will of his Alpha. She had ordered him not to fight, and so he would follow her orders. He wondered if Ares, or the Elders or whoever was responsible for putting this pack together knew what a complete and utter shit Nicolas was and how much trouble he was going to cause them.


    ¡°We need to find a den.¡± Aceso looked at the cream-colored werewolf then. ¡°Katherine, you and Achelois search north.¡± Katherine nodded. She and Achelois stood up and ran off into the forest. Aceso turned to the man standing behind William. ¡°Charles take Nicolas and head west.¡±


    Charles moved to where Nicolas was lounging on the grass. Charles stood over him. Nicolas seemed to be amused by the whole thing and stretched. To William, it appeared as if the man was going to lie down on the grass. Charles gripped Nicolas¡¯s claw and heaved him to a weak, swaying, standing position. This may have surprised Nicolas because he stood there a moment, blinking at the larger black werewolf. Charles motioned in a westward direction with his arm. Nicolas turned his head and began to walk in the direction indicated. Charles turned back toward Aceso and bowed his head. Aceso returned the gesture and with a shrug of his tall broad shoulders Charles followed the slowly moving Nicolas back into the forest.


    When they were alone Aceso turned back to William. ¡°What was that?¡±


    ¡°He insulted you and he insulted me. I don¡¯t know what happened I just acted.¡±


    ¡°You would risk our pack over words, spoken by a petulant pup?¡± Aceso took a few steps toward William. William hung his head in resignation. His tail drooped even lower and seemed to swing between his legs. ¡°We have to learn to live with each other. We don¡¯t get to choose who our pack mates are.¡± Aceso grabbed William snout with her claw and forced it up so that his eyes met hers. ¡°William, I need you to be better than that. You are our pack Enforcer. I need you to start thinking clearly and if that means taking a few insults from a grass eating pup, then I need for you to take them.¡± Aceso let go of William¡¯s snout and he stood up straight, keeping eye contact with Aceso the whole time.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like him, but I will do as you ask. I have followed you this far, Aceso, I will continue to follow, no matter what happens.¡±


    Aceso nodded and a slight smile touched her lips. ¡°Thank you. Now let¡¯s go, we have a den to find.¡± She turned but William stopped her with a question.


    ¡°What happened to you?¡±


    Aceso turned back around and looked at him as if she had no idea what he was saying.


    William continued, ¡°When we first got here, they took you. I¡­ I asked everyone I met where you were, what was happening to you, and all I ever got was, ¡®you can¡¯t see her, she¡¯s being punished¡¯.¡±


    Aceso stood silently looking at him with even, almost emotionless eyes. ¡°I was being punished.¡± Her eyes seemed to drift far away as she sank into her memories.


    ¡°What happened to you?¡±


    Aceso¡¯s eyes slowly focused on him as she spoke softly, barely above a whisper, ¡°I was taken to a very old, very dark, and very quiet place in the mountain. I was given pain, and loneliness. I was there for days, but it might have been years. Do you have any idea what it feels like to welcome the pain of a tormentor just so you don¡¯t have to be alone anymore? So that you can know that you are not the only living thing left on earth?¡±


    William stared wide eyed in disbelief, ¡°They¡­ they can do that? Without cause or trial?¡±

 Book 3 Chapter 1b

    Aceso scoffed, ¡°The Mountain¡¯s laws are older than you or I will ever understand. They can and do what they must, nothing more.¡±


    ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    She nodded, ¡°Yes, the damage wasn¡¯t permanent, only the memories remain and the lessons I was meant to learn.¡± She looked off towards the south east, ¡°Come, my Enforcer. We have a den to find, a home to build, and a pack to forge, and only three days to construct it all.¡± She looked at him with a small smile and bounded off into the forest. William leaned down on all fours and followed her.


    William wasn¡¯t entirely sure Aceso was as alright as she claimed to be. The memories and scars of what she had endured, pertly because of him, would not be so easily washed away. He knew this from experience, he still carried his scars. But he wouldn¡¯t press her any further on the subject, at least not now, and bent his mind to the task at hand.


    They must have searched for hours. He had followed Aceso as she ran in great strides. They would explore anything that might be useful, a large pile of rocks here, a felled tree glimpsed by a break in the tree line there. He wasn¡¯t physically tired, but the search for a home was wearing on him. Aceso peeled off her chosen path and William followed her. She seemed to increase her speed and William had to concentrate to keep up. Aceso jumped over some loose stones on the ground, William ran around them. She ducked under a thin fallen tree and ran up a slight hill. William followed and stopped at the apex of the rise.


    From their vantage point they could see a good deal of the forest inside the cavern. The trees were all of a slightly uniform height and they were all lush and green. William couldn¡¯t remember the last time he had seen a tree that wasn¡¯t green and still standing. There are no dying trees here. The thought struck him as a little strange. Even in his forest there were some dead trees, brown and wilted that stood among the live flourishing ones. Here there was not the slightest hint of brown, except in felled trees and the dirt.


    Aceso jumped down and started running eastward again. William kicked off the ground and bounded after her. She had obviously seen something worth investigating. William ran through the trees, following after his alpha. Aceso dodged through underbrush and around the trunks of trees. William followed but he chose his own line to run along. He would run past her and she would find a short cut through two tree trunks, jump through and be in the lead again. It was a game that they were playing and Aceso was quite good at it.


    Just when William was about to take the lead, a howl cracked through the relative silence of the forest. He skidded to a halt just as Aceso kicked herself to a stop with the help of a nearby tree. William cocked his ears to the side and looked back at Aceso. She had her head up and her ears were pointing toward where the sound came from. They jumped toward the sound of the howl and began running.


    They didn¡¯t bother to play. They were running in straight lines now. The howl hadn¡¯t been a warning but a calling. It was a howl from a voice that William hadn¡¯t heard before. The howl was issued again and it was closer than William would have guessed. He shouldn¡¯t have been surprised though, the direction that he and Aceso were running in would eventually take them right into the north side cavern wall. He looked up and the wall was close.


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    William saw Katherine and Achelois standing among a copse of trees, waiting for them. William noticed that Charles and Nicolas had not shown up yet. William jumped into the air and landed on his hind legs and jogged to a stop next to the two females, with Aceso coming up behind him.


    ¡°What did you find?¡± William asked.


    Katherine swept her arm toward the north side of forest. ¡°Our new home.¡±


    Where her arm indicated there was a large pile of rubble that had been pushed to either side of a crevasse in the solid cavern wall. The rubble looked like a walkway that led straight into the cavern wall itself. The crevasse opening looked a bit narrow.


    William looked sideways at the cream-colored werewolf and walked up to the opening in the rock. The opening was a lot bigger than he had first supposed and he could enter into it easily. He stuck his head in and the crevasse winded its way back into the rock. He took a few steps inside of the gloom. The passage was short, and he stopped after a dozen paces. The crevasse opened up into an irregular shaped cavity that was large enough for all of them to sleep and live in space. The really cool thing about this place that William noticed was that the rock made natural shallow cubby holes. There were at least six that he could count. He wanted to stay longer and check out their new home but somehow it didn¡¯t seem right, to make himself at home without the other members of his pack. Besides Katherine and Achelois had found the place and should get the first choice of where they would stay.


    William walked out of the rock back into the cavern¡¯s version of daylight. He was smiling until he realized that Nicolas and Charles still hadn¡¯t shown up yet. I am really starting to hate that guy. Aceso wanted him to make an effort to keep the pack together. Would she continue to ask him to put up with and appease one man over the good of the pack? He knew that that kind of thinking was exactly what Aceso didn¡¯t want him doing but he couldn¡¯t help it. He just didn¡¯t like the guy and he found himself hating the kid more and more with every new insult.


    William shook off the thought of Nicolas with effort and walked back to where the three women were standing. ¡°That place is great. How did you find it?¡±


    Katherine looked at Achelois as she spoke. ¡°We wouldn¡¯t have found it at all if it wasn¡¯t for that fallen tree over there.¡± Her voice had a soft high-pitched quality that was soothing.


    William looked over at the indicated fallen tree. ¡°How does a dead fallen tree way over there lead you to find a crevasse in the cavern wall over here?¡±


    The Katherine replied, ¡°That¡¯s what got our attention. We came to check out the tree. It took us two seconds to realize that it wouldn¡¯t be suitable for a one-person lean-to, much less a den for six of us.¡± Katherine pointed to the pile of moved rubble and black stones. ¡°But that pile of rocks looked promising, so Achelois and I moved some of them seeing if there was a reason there was a pile of rocks there.¡±


    While she was speaking William caught a scent. It was Nicolas. He and Charles were very close by. The still air of the cavern was really bad for detecting anything by smell at any kind of distance. Katherine noticed it too. She stopped speaking and waited as the two werewolves joined the rest of the pack among the trees.


    ¡°Were there any problems?¡± Aceso asked.


    ¡°Why? Did you miss me, baby?¡±

 Book 3 Chapter 1c

    William heard a growl come from the back of his throat. He stifled it quickly but not before a wide grin split Nicolas¡¯s face. William knew that Nicolas was just playing with him now, intentionally trying to anger him. Does this kid want to die? Aceso caught William¡¯s eye and he heaved a sigh and let it pass, as she wanted. William knew that violence was only going to make this worse. It did nothing to ease the desire in his heart to tear him apart on the spot. Instead, he choose to redirect his attention back to Katherine. ¡°You were saying about seeing the pile of rocks?¡±


    ¡°Achelois and I moved some of the rock and I saw the crevasse behind them. We cleared away the rest of the rubble and took a look inside and knew that it was perfect. That¡¯s when Achelois called you all back here.¡±


    Charles nodded toward the crevasse. ¡°It will make a good den. We can even rearrange the pile of rubble to further camouflage the entrance.¡±


    Nicolas strolled toward the crevasse opening and poked his head inside. ¡°Yeah, this would be great if you don¡¯t mind living like a Neanderthal.¡± He shook his head and laughed to himself. He looked up at Aceso and William, Charles, Katherine, and Achelois. ¡°Who the hell do you think I am?¡± He pointed his finger at Aceso. ¡°I will never follow you and I¡¯m never going to live like an animal.¡± He dropped his head and scratched at his long ears. Nicolas¡¯s tail was sticking straight out behind him and he held an arch to his back. ¡°I¡¯m sure as hell never going to live in a hole with the rest of you. I never agreed to any of this and I am done playing along with you guys. All of you¡¯s can just go to hell and leave me the fuck alone!¡±


    William felt motion off to his side. He glanced over to see Aceso gone. Before he could look anywhere else, he heard a loud grunt. He brought his attention back to the source of the noise and saw that Aceso was clamping down on Nicolas¡¯s neck, much as she had done to him. With her claw she was holding his snout closed. Nicolas was struggling against his alpha. His arms were flailing to the side just as he had done with William. He was trying to break Aceso¡¯s hold on his neck to no avail. The struggle continued for long minutes. Nicolas¡¯s protests were becoming more feeble. Aceso ignored the protests and was forcing him lower to the ground. Nicolas eventually was on the dirt wrapped around himself in a fetal position as Aceso held him there without respite.


    It was a little difficult to watch. Aceso showed no mercy in her grip on Nicolas¡¯s neck. He knew that Aceso knew what she was doing but seeing just how pitiful Nicolas was he did feel a strange sort of pity for him. He shook that thought away immediately. Nicolas is an ass, and he is getting exactly what he deserves. He wouldn¡¯t be surprised if this is not the first time that he would have to witness this show of force from his alpha toward Nicolas.


    The struggling stopped and Nicolas lay on the ground breathing heavily. He looked like a beaten dog. His paws were outstretched in front of himself in a warding gesture. His tail lay limp and useless on the ground behind him. His ears were sticking straight up, like giant thorns on his head. His eyes were wide but motionless, staring straight ahead at nothing.


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    Charles hadn¡¯t moved or made even the slightest sound since all this started. He was watching the scene with a silent repose. William knew that the man was only half seeing what was going on in front of him. His mind was somewhere very far away from here. The other two females stood next to each other. Katherine had crossed her arms and Achelois stood very still next to her. Her tail was very low and tucked up between her legs. Neither one enjoyed what was going on, but they were not going to say anything about it either. They understood that Aceso was their alpha. Out here in nature there was no other law but hers.


    Aceso let go of Nicolas and stood back up. Nicolas stayed on the ground. William could see a small trickle of blood from his nose. That must have come from Aceso¡¯s grip on the man¡¯s snout. Aceso stood there and turned away from Nicolas. The other members of the pack didn¡¯t move to help him. They all left him there on the ground where Aceso stood over him.


    She turned back toward the rest of the group. ¡°Let¡¯s move into our new home.¡± She motioned for the rest of the pack to move inside the crevasse.


    William was the first to start walking. He knew that Nicolas had gotten what he deserved and that he wasn¡¯t seriously injured. The sight of Nicolas¡¯s weakness exposed was disconcerting and he knew that Nicolas was more than just an asshole. He was a liability to the pack. He walked into the darkness of the crevasse remembering what his pack in his forest would have done with such a weak pack mate as that. It was never pretty or easy, but the survival of the pack was paramount in nature.


    He found a nice little depression in the rock and deep gloom of the den. He turned and squatted down on his haunches. He watched as Charles and Achelois and Katherine joined him in the darkness. They all spread themselves out and took various places along the rock wall in the natural depressions. Katherine and Achelois stayed next to each other, while Charles picked a spot next to William.


    William looked out toward the entrance of the den and waited for Aceso or Nicolas to enter. After several moments he knew that neither Aceso, not Nicolas was going to come in anytime soon. He tried to take his mind off what was going on outside. He didn¡¯t dare leave the den. Aceso had told them to go inside he didn¡¯t think she would appreciate being interrupted.


    He turned instead to Katherine and Achelois who were almost directly opposite of him and Charles. ¡°This is really great. You guys did a good job of finding this place for us. Thanks.¡±


    Katherine didn¡¯t seem to hear what he said at all. ¡°What is she doing out there?¡± she said in almost a whisper.


    Achelois leaned back against the cold stone of the den. Even in the deep gloom of the place his wolf eyes could see everything now that they had adjusted to the lack of outside light. ¡°She¡¯s doing what she has to, nothing more.¡±


    ¡°What is it she has to do?¡± Charles asked, not unkindly but there was steel in his voice and words.


    Achelois heaved herself off the wall and sat in a very wolf like posture. She looked at Charles. ¡°Out there,¡± she said as she gestured with her head toward the wall of the den ¡°when my kind encounters a weak¡­element in our pack, that element is removed.¡± She was directing her attention to all of them and looking at each of them as she spoke. ¡°It is never an easy thing to do. But the survival of the pack is everything out in the wild.¡± She focused on Charles. ¡°Here, we don¡¯t have that choice. And our survival here is no more guaranteed than it is out there.¡± Achelois leaned back against the rock and remained silent.

 Book 3 Chapter 1d

    Her words hung in the air. There was a danger in them that William knew all too well. His survival under the tutelage of Ares had never been certain. He had faced death a few times already, they all had. His other pack mates didn¡¯t say anything, and he left them all to their private thoughts. He wasn¡¯t much in the mood for talking anyway. He leaned back against the cold stone of the den and waited.


    He must have fallen asleep because when Nicolas finally entered the den William started, his body jerking itself into a sitting position. On his heels strode Aceso. The two were about the same height in werewolf form. William noticed that Nicolas¡¯s tail was bowed behind him but it was still sticking out in a show of defiance. He walked straight to the back of the den and choose a depression in the wall as far from the entrance as possible. Aceso took a place next to him in between Nicolas and Achelois.


    William wanted to know what had gone on outside for all this time but he wasn¡¯t going to ask her in front of Nicolas. The one thing that people did not do well with was deal with embarrassment. Nicolas had been embarrassed by the female alpha. He hadn¡¯t taken it very well either and his manner suggested more of a wounded animal than a human being. As much as he hated Nicolas and thought that he had gotten everything that he deserved, he wasn¡¯t going to twist the knife by asking for a play by play from Aceso.


    ¡°Now what?¡± It was Katherine who broke the silence.


    William pushed off from the rock wall of the crevasse. Aceso looked at each of her betas in turn. ¡°We have to be ready. I doubt that this test will simply be us surviving for three days out here.¡±


    William looked over to see Nicolas seeming to straighten himself on the wall. Even he was paying attention. What happened between those two? That particular situation drew more and more of his curiosity, but he had other things that needed his attention.


    ¡°If that is the case we should fortify our den,¡± Achelois said.


    Aceso nodded, her tail thumping the rock underneath her. ¡°Yes, we need to make this place as hidden as possible.¡±


    ¡°So, we¡¯re really going to live in this hole for the next three days?¡± Nicolas retorted.


    Aceso turned an icy stare toward the blonde werewolf. ¡°Yes, this will be our home for the next few days and our den when we are sent away from the city. It will be your job to make it more of a home and less of a hole.¡± Nicolas started to protest but seeing the look in Aceso¡¯s eyes he slumped back against the wall with shrugged shoulders and a wave of his hands.


    ¡°How do you think we¡¯ll be tested? Do you have any ideas? Is there any way to prepare ourselves?¡± Katherine asked.


    ¡°From what my teacher has been teaching and telling me¡±, it was Charles who spoke, ¡°I doubt that any one of us could know how they would test us.¡± He looked at Katherine and then to Aceso. ¡°If we are to be tested it¡¯s best that we prepare for anything and everything we can think of and then stay alert. Whatever we can think of, the Elders and our teachers know each of us and they know where we are most vulnerable. When the test comes, it will be from somewhere we least expect.¡±


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    Nicolas muttered something that even William couldn¡¯t quite make out. Aceso turned toward the male. ¡°Would you repeat that, Nicolas?¡±


    Nicolas looked her straight in the eye. ¡°I said ¡®it could come from any of you for all I know¡¯.¡±


    The words hung in the air like a poison fog. William had not interacted with any of these people before, except Aceso. If the Elders were in fact going to test them, wouldn¡¯t it be just like them to plant a mole inside their own pack to attack them from within? He looked at his pack mates and he wondered if Nicolas knew what he had just done. He saw a shadow over every werewolf in that crevasse. He knew he was being ridiculous, but the thought was there and the thought that he might be betrayed, even in a testing environment, put a strain on how much he wanted to get to know these people. He looked around the circle and Nicolas¡¯s words didn¡¯t seem to bother anyone else. He tried to shake the feeling of a traitor in their midst but the feeling of unease in his chest would not lessen.


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe that the Elders would bring us together, to have us build a trust with each other, just to have it shattered for a test.¡± Katherine said. She looked around the circle. ¡°We have been tested before, individually. We have had to come to terms with who and what we are.¡± She looked at each member of the pack as she spoke. ¡°The purpose of those tests I believe, were to break down our fixed belief in who we thought we should be, to open ourselves up to the possibility and acceptance of who we are.¡± She looked around the room. She held William¡¯s eyes. He stared back at her.


    ¡°I agree with Katherine. We were taught to have faith and to believe in ourselves. Now we have to have faith and belief in each other. Like Achelois said, ¡®the pack is everything¡¯,¡± Charles said.


    Aceso nodded her agreement. ¡°There will be no more talk about traitors. We are a pack and our first duty is to each other.¡± She stood up and walked to the center of the den, her tail was arched high into the air. ¡°Let¡¯s get to work.¡± She pointed to Nicolas. ¡°Nick, go outside and gather materials to make this place a little more comfortable.¡± The blonde stared at her with venom in his eyes but nodded. She turned toward Achelois. ¡°Achelois, you will help him.¡± The black, white, and tan werewolf made no move but continued to look up at her alpha. Aceso turned toward William. ¡°William, I need for you and Katherine and to see about our entrance. Wipe away all traces of our being here and camouflage the opening as best you can. The harder it is to find this place, the more peace we will have over the next few days.¡± William nodded and saw Katherine do the same.


    ¡°Charles, you and I will go and scout out the surrounding area. We need to find fall back positions and places that will be defensible if we are attacked. We also need to find the nearest water source and maybe go try to hunt before night falls.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± Charles replied.


    Aceso turned around looking at each werewolf in turn. ¡°We all have work to do. Let¡¯s get to it.¡±


    William pushed himself off the ground and walked outside without a second glance at any of his other pack mates. He slid through the narrow crack in the rock and was outside again. The air of the cavern was warmer than the air in the crevasse and he found himself shaking off the cold of the den. He turned around and immediately began sorting and piling the rocks that had been strewn about the crevasse opening.

 Book 3 Chapter 1e

    It didn¡¯t take long for the rest of the pack to exit the den. Charles was first, followed by Achelois. Katherine exited in front of Nicolas and last was Aceso. They didn¡¯t say anything. William continued to move rocks around on the ground trying to get a better idea of what they had to work with. Katherine began helping him. Nicolas stood for a second looking at the forest around them. Achelois walked to a tree and climbed up the good-sized trunk. Nicolas followed and soon disappeared in the branches of another tree nearby.


    Aceso and Charles looked around the immediate forest, surveying the land and trying to gauge where an attack would come from and what kind of tests the Elders would give them out here. Aceso nodded to her right and both werewolves took off running on all fours.


    William looked over at Katherine and saw how diligently she was copying William¡¯s work. He smiled to himself. This girl knows how to work. He realized that he had assumed that because she was ¡®hot¡¯ by all standards that she would be a spoiled, pampered, princess that had never had to work a day in her life. God only knew how many times he had seen that example played out in the people around him.


    The two of them had all the rubble sorted, somewhat and William looked at the crevasse. He was whipped from behind. He turned around to get slapped in the face with pine needles. ¡°What the hell?¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry, William.¡± It was Achelois. She was carrying a large armful of tree branches. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to hit you like that. Are you ok?¡±


    William scrubbed his face with his hands, ¡°No, I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just that you hit me and then I turned around only to get a face full of pine needles for my trouble that¡¯s all.¡±


    Katherine was covering her face trying to hide a smile. Achelois peeked out from around the large handful of branches. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Seeing Katherine smile at him and realizing the humor in the situation he started to smile too. ¡°No, I¡¯m fine really.¡±


    Achelois nodded and side stepped past William and Katherine. She walked past the piles of rubble and squeezed the tree branches into the den. William stepped back even further as Nicolas passed by, carrying a similarly large load of tree branches and squeezed into the den after Achelois.


    William looked at Katherine. She still had a grin on her face and all William could do was shake his head and laugh. I guess it was pretty funny. He looked at the rubble around him. ¡°Ok, let¡¯s see if we can put Humpty Dumpty together again.¡±


    The work went on for some time. They we interrupted by Nicolas and Achelois carrying back large armfuls of tree branches. Katherine worked just as hard as William did and put in some helpful advice and asked questions about how it was going to look and what it was they were trying to accomplish.


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    After some hours the entry way to their den was complete. William stood with Katherine and looked at their handy work. The rocks were strewn about the crevasse opening. It looked like a natural cave in or a minor rockslide had occurred. What they had accomplished was a folded entrance that wrapped around the actual crevasse opening. The rocks were stable and as solid as they could make them, being that they didn¡¯t have any cement of mortar to help them.


    William nodded at the entry way and smiled at Katherine. ¡°It looks good.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it does. I never thought I¡¯d be so proud of a pile of rocks,¡± Katherine said with a smile.


    Achelois peeked out from around the bend in the opening. Her black and white face was a stark contrast to the glassy black rubble that framed her. Her gold eyes were bright with excitement. ¡°Are you two finished?¡±


    William looked at Katherine. She nodded. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re done. How about you and Nicolas?¡±


    Achelois grinned. ¡°It¡¯s not like any den I¡¯ve ever been in before, but it feels like what a home should feel like.¡± She came out through the new entry way with her tail high in the air, if she was a dog, her tail would be wagging a mile a minute. ¡°Do you want to see what Nicolas and I have done with the place?¡±


    William allowed himself to be herded into the den along with Katherine. They picked their way around the piled entryway and squeezed their way through the crevasse. They stood at the entrance to their den and took a moment to allow their eyes to adjust to the darkness.


    William couldn¡¯t believe that this had just been a rock hole only a few hours ago. The ground of the cave was covered in soft pine needles and shredded wood chips. The floor felt like it was covered in a thick carpet, a stiff carpet, but nothing like he thought wood chips would feel like. The walls were strewn with a light layer of dirt. It gave the cave an earthy feel to it. He couldn¡¯t help but be reminded of his burrow back in his forest. There were whole branches and small logs that were propped up along the natural cubby holes of the inside of the den. It gave more definition to the spaces in the den and a clear definition of space. It was nowhere near separate rooms, but the added separation was a welcome addition to the den. William found himself smiling at the work that had been done.


    ¡°It¡¯s amazing,¡± Katherine said.


    William nodded his agreement. He noticed one last decoration that was curious to him. In each of the separated spaces, in each "room", he saw a design carved into the wall. It was of a same height that a work of art would have been hung in a person¡¯s bedroom. The designs were different for each partitioned space.


    ¡°What are those?¡± William asked pointing out the strange artwork.


    Nicolas, who had been resting easily in his own partitioned section of the den looked up. ¡°That was Achelois¡¯s idea.¡± He shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Apparently, we were all reborn under different phases of the moon and those phases determined our skill set. Each of these symbols represents our skill set.¡± He hooked a thumb upward toward the symbol carved above his head. ¡°That¡¯s mine, the symbol for a Scout.¡±


    William nodded and looked over at his space and the symbol inside it more closely. He walked over and admired the work that went into making the thing. The deep etchings seemed to wrap around themselves in sort of a pretzel pattern that shaped the harsh angles of a diamond. There were long grooves in the rock jutting out of the design here and there that didn¡¯t match anything he had ever seen before. It was very good work, something he would have expected a master craftsman to take at least several hours to make. William shook his head in amazement at it all.

 Book 3 Chapter 1f

    He turned around and took in the whole of the den. He saw Katherine settling down into her niche. She was feeling, and shifting around the soft coverings that coated the den floor. He watched as Nicolas yawned and leaned back against the dirt coated wall. Achelois found her niche and sat down also enjoying her handy work. William sank down and lay back among the soft, warm natural made rug of the den floor. He couldn¡¯t have done a better job and he hadn¡¯t felt this much at home in a very long time.


    He must have dozed off because he started when he heard Aceso and Charles squeeze through the crevasse opening. He listened to them navigate the shallow corridor and watched as they emerged into the wolf den. He grinned as Charles and Aceso both stood there, just inside the entryway gaping at what they saw.


    Aceso¡¯s claws scrunched at the deep soft ¡®carpet¡¯. Her tail drooped slightly in a relaxed posture. Charles stood staring at the once black walls that were now a deep forest brown his tail was almost limp hanging behind him.


    ¡°Mom and dad¡¯s back everybody,¡± Nicolas shouted. William looked over at the man and shook his head.


    ¡°This is amazing,¡± Aceso said.


    ¡°Why is there dirt all over the walls?¡± Charles asked.


    Achelois piped up. ¡°We did it to help insulate us a little bit from the cold of the stone. We could have done a better job with some mud and maybe some clay but, Aceso didn¡¯t give us a whole lot of time.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine for now,¡± Aceso interrupted. ¡°We don¡¯t have time for the finer points of comfort. You guys did just fine.¡± She looked at Nicolas and Achelois. ¡°Thank you, both of you did more than I expected and more than I ever could have hoped for.¡± Nicolas shrugged off the compliment, but Achelois grinned, her tail was thumping the wall behind her. Aceso took in the whole of the group, her tail rose once more in her command posture. ¡°We have something to show you.¡± She turned to look at Charles. ¡°Have a peek outside and make sure that we are still alone so we can exit without attracting attention to our den.¡± Charles turned and disappeared back into the crevasse.


    ¡°Are we going to go on a field trip?¡± Nicolas asked with mocked enthusiasm, his tail wagging ridiculously behind him.


    Aceso ignored the comment and stood there waiting. William stood up and saw that Achelois and Katherine were standing as well. Only Nicolas remained on the ground. William wasn¡¯t going to say anything. He was sure that Aceso could handle him.


    He didn¡¯t need to wait very long because Charles peeked his head back into the den. ¡°We are alone, Aceso. If we are going to go, there would be no better time.¡±


    Aceso nodded and turned to follow Charles out of the den. William stepped to the crevasse and followed. He squeezed through the narrow rock opening and picked his way around the folded entryway into the forest and moved away from the den entrance. He moved into the surrounding trees and found Aceso and Charles kneeling near two closely growing tree trunks.


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    William made his way over to them and kept his back to the group. He kept his attention outward looking and listening for anything out of the ordinary. He assumed the ready posture that he had seen Ares take up many times. His tail was stiff behind him. He smelled the faint scent of Achelois and Katherine move up behind him to join the other two. He couldn¡¯t pick out Nicolas yet, but he was sure that was exactly what the Scout of the pack wanted. He didn¡¯t waste any effort trying to detect him, he would show up or Aceso would have another little teaching session with him. After only a few moments he smelled Nicolas join the rest of the pack.


    While he kept his attention outward, he listened closely as Aceso addressed the pack. ¡°Whatever test the Elders have in mind for us, it will come without warning. I want at least two of us on guard outside at all times.¡± William heard the slightest groan come from someone, he guessed it was Nicolas. ¡°If we get caught inside our den we are finished.¡±


    There was a moment of silence behind him. William scanned the surrounding forest looking and listening for anything. He spotted movement along a tree trunk. He darted left only to realize that it was just a squirrel running down the tree. William relaxed but kept his vigilance outward.


    ¡°I want the two guards to have a broad patrol only coming close to the den but never in front of it. Charles and I have rigged a passable den entrance along a clump of large boulders over there.¡± William glanced behind him to see where Aceso was pointing, then turned his full attention back out toward the forest. ¡°That will be where you will patrol in front of. If you get taken, that at least that will give those of us inside the den a chance to get out and defend ourselves.¡±


    There was silence behind him. The forest around him was suitably quiet. There were still the sounds of the cavern and the forest. There was nothing that alerted him to any danger, at least not yet.


    ¡°Who shall take the first rotation?¡± It was Charles¡¯ deep voice that asked the question.


    ¡°You and Achelois will take the first rotation.¡± There was a brief pause then Aceso continued, ¡°William, you and Nicolas will take the second.¡± William nodded but kept his attention on the trees around them. ¡°Katherine, you and I will take the last rotation till morning.¡±


    William looked out around him. The cavern lights had dimmed to an almost starlight glow. He hadn¡¯t noticed it since his eyes had gotten used to the gloom of their den. How could I have missed such an obvious detail? It was night in the cavern and that fact had been completely lost on him. He found himself wondering about what other details he was missing. He knew that in those forgotten or ignored details their test would come. He turned back to his pack.


    He heard Charles speak. ¡°There is a small stream near our false den entrance. And there are many places that are defensible around that area. If you stay alert, you should be able to hold off any attack until the rest of the pack can get to you.¡±


    William took notice of the silence behind him. It seemed like every one of them was silently thinking about what Nicolas had said about a traitor being in their midst and the taint of that side comment seemed to permeate the pack.


    ¡°All right¡± it was Aceso again. ¡°Charles and Achelois you know what you have to do. See you in a couple of hours.¡±


    William didn¡¯t like the idea of being alone with Nicolas for several hours but then again, he really didn¡¯t have a choice. He kept watch on the outlying forest and heard behind him two sets of soft paws start to run off to his right. He glanced behind him to see the others start to get up and make their way back to the den.


    Keeping his full attention on the quiet night around him he backed slowly toward the entrance of his pack¡¯s den. He really wanted to know what was being prepared for them out here. He could already feel the familiar tension rest between his shoulder blades and stiffen his neck.

 Book 3 Chapter 2a

    Once inside the safety of the crevasse he let himself relax. He couldn¡¯t see, or hear, or smell anything in the vicinity. He thought it amusing to think of himself as being blind because his sense of smell was nullified here in the underground cavern. He could smell his pack mates in the close quarters of the den. He had to dig a little, the strong smell of pine trees and cedar was still very strong in the enclosed space. He entered the den proper and identified each of his pack mates by smell. He recognized Aceso and Katherine. The musky smell of Nicolas was present even though he had done a good job of burrowing into the deep chippings of the den floor. He smelled the light coating of dirt on the walls. He just wished that there was some wind out there to help him in the forest.


    He settled into his place in the den. He chose to sit with his back against the cool stone wall. The dirt rubbed off the stone easily to be caught in his fur. He didn¡¯t mind that either. If anything, it would mask his natural scent somewhat, but if he couldn¡¯t smell anything at any kind of distance, then neither could those that might be hunting them.


    He heard the others had fallen into various stages of sleep. Nicolas was out cold, if werewolves snored, he would be sawing logs. He looked over to see Katherine had also fallen into a more fitful sleep. Her left leg kicked out periodically as if she were having a nightmare. He leaned forward and peered over his wooden partition to find that Aceso was staring right back at him. William leaned back against the wall, smiling. Of course, she would be awake. Aceso was their Alpha and after everything he had witnessed her do for him on the journey here, he wasn¡¯t the slightest bit surprised that she would continue that diligence here in the City under the Mountain.


    William¡¯s mind wondered to all manner of things that might happen to them here in the forest. What could this test be? How will they stay prepared and alert for it? Where would the test come from? Ares? the Elders? Questions about who Nicolas was and why he was acting the way he was acting. He knew that he wasn¡¯t going to bother having a heart to heart with the man tonight. No, that would have to wait till later. Tonight, was a time for preparation and waiting.


    He heard Aceso get up and prod Nicolas awake. William knew that it was time to take over the night watch. He stood up as he listened to Nicolas¡¯ protests at being woken up in the middle of the night. Their watch would be less than three hours and William would have just as soon gotten it over with. He stood over by the crevasse entrance waiting for his partner.


    Nicolas slapped the ground in frustration and slowly got up. He stretched broadly and his mouth cracked open in a huge yawn. His tail was limply hanging between his legs and William knew that it was going to be hard to keep Nicolas¡¯ attention on where it should be and not how much he wanted to get back to sleep. Nicolas started walking toward the crevasse entrance to the den and William preceded him out into the night of the cavern.


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    The crystals in the cavern ceiling were dim enough to pick out the individual lights. He could almost believe that they were stars. He saw patterns in the cavern ceiling. He saw the big dipper right where it should be. He followed the familiar lines to the little dipper. He found Orion and Cassiopeia. Why hadn¡¯t he noticed this before? The entire night sky was copied here in the ceiling of the cavern. There were thousands more crystals in the ceiling than he could count but it was a perfect replica of the night sky that he slept under many times in his forest.


    Nicolas pushed past him with a grumble and started walking off to their right. William decided to take advantage of the distance and started running on all fours. It felt good to get his blood circulating again. He moved through the still air around him causing a faux wind to ruffle his fur. He didn¡¯t care that he left Nicolas behind, he would catch up sooner or later or they were going to have a little talk tomorrow.


    William passed through the trees of the forest. He soon found the mock den entrance but there was no sign of Charles or Achelois. It gave him pause for a moment. They must be patrolling the far side of their route. He leaped up on the pile of rocks and waited for either of the werewolves to return. He hid himself as best he could among the rocks and shrubbery that had been piled high to simulate the den opening.


    The den opening itself was subtly done. It wasn¡¯t too obvious that this would be a den opening. Then again if you were looking for a den in the area this place was a glaring neon sign screaming ¡®wolf den¡¯.


    William turned his attention to the forest around him. He couldn¡¯t hear anything out there. The night forest was still. He knew that if Nicolas kept his pace, it would take him another five minutes or so to get the faux den. What he didn¡¯t know was why Charles and Achelois hadn¡¯t shown up yet.


    He heard the soft rhythmic sounds of something moving through the trees. It wasn¡¯t loud enough to pick out individual steps, but the rhythm of the sound suggested that it had to be something walking on four legs. William crouched even lower on top of the pile of rocks and he prepared himself to strike if needed. He listened to the sounds. Whoever was making those sounds was good. They were quiet but the rhythm itself pointed out that whoever or whatever it was lacked experience moving in a forest.


    A moment later his suspicions were confirmed when an all-black werewolf crept into view. William smiled to himself and jumped from his place on the rocks. Charles stood frozen watching the tan werewolf glide through the air and land gracefully in front of him.


    ¡°Good evening, Charles. Anything wrong? You look like you¡¯ve seen a ghost?¡±

 Book 3 Chapter 2b

    Charles recovered from the initial shock of having a werewolf jump out of the forest at him. ¡°Not a ghost, just a young werewolf jump from the top of a pile of rocks. It took me a second to realize who you were. I could have ripped you to shreds the way you left yourself open flying through the air like that.¡±


    William nodded. ¡°Where is Achelois?¡±


    ¡°She''s behind me,¡± Charles said throwing his head back where he had just come from. ¡°We decided to patrol in a staggered circuit with me in the lead. We wouldn¡¯t cover as much ground that way but if something were to happen to either of us the other would be in a position to help.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a bad idea.¡±


    Charles looked around behind William. ¡°Where is Nicolas?¡±


    William shrugged his shoulders. ¡°He¡¯s coming. He wasn¡¯t too happy to be woken in the middle of the night and he decided to walk here. You will probably pass him on the way back to the den.¡±


    As he was speaking Achelois walked up besides the two. ¡°Did I miss anything?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± William replied. ¡°Look, I¡¯m here now so why don¡¯t you guys go back and get some sleep.¡±


    ¡°Where is Nicolas?¡± Achelois asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s right behind me.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we should leave you out here all by yourself,¡± Achelois said. ¡°We¡¯ll wait at least till Nicolas gets here.¡±


    ¡°You guys don¡¯t have to but if you want to, I appreciate it.¡±


    ¡°How can anybody appreciate anything being woken up in the middle of the night to guard a worthless prop?¡± Nicolas said as he pushed past some high bushes to join the small group.


    ¡°You guys can take off now, I¡¯m sure we can handle it from here.¡± William said with a sigh.


    Charles nodded. ¡°Good luck.¡± He left the way that he and Nicolas had just come from. Achelois smiled and followed Charles. As she made her way back, she put a comforting hand on Nicolas¡¯ shoulder. Nicolas shrugged it off but not before he turned his head and nodded.


    This gesture was completely out of character with what he knew of Nicolas and William found that he had cocked his head sideways in a questioning gesture.


    ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Nicolas snapped at William¡¯s expression.


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    ¡°I just thought I saw a glimmer of a gentleman hidden somewhere but it must have been my imagination.¡±


    ¡°Whatever, you go that way and I¡¯ll go this way. I don¡¯t want to be around a momma¡¯s boy like you that follows everything that bitch says like a good little dog.¡±


    William felt his anger and hatred surge through him. His lips peeled away from his teeth and a low growl escaped him before he could silence himself. William relaxed his tensed muscles. ¡°I would watch what I say if I were you.¡± William started to move in the direction that Charles and Achelois had just come from. ¡°I¡¯ve kicked your ass before, and I will do it again if I have to.¡±


    ¡°Cause¡¯ it makes you feel so tough picking on a smaller guy, right?¡±


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s true what they say, ¡®Dogs with the loudest bark have the smallest bite¡¯¡± William threw back over his shoulder as he crouched low and entered the thick forest around him.


    William found the subtle tracks of Charles and Achelois. Charles¡¯ tracks were easy to follow. He was inexperienced in these things. He would get better with time and a little bit of effort. Achelois¡¯ tracks on the other hand were almost invisible and he wasn¡¯t even sure if what he thought were tracks were really her tracks. His mind might be fabricating them because he knew that she had walked this way. There scent was still there though. The still air did nothing to dissipate the odors of the two that had walked here before. That was good. After a day or two of constant patrolling this area his pack¡¯s scent would be stronger here than it would be around their actual den. It was a perfect diversion to anything that might come and hunt them. He wasn¡¯t sure whose idea it was to make and protect a false den, but tactically it was genius. It turned all of the weaknesses that the underground cavern presented into strengths.


    William found the end of Charles¡¯ track and turned around. He realized that he had let his mind wander somewhat and he turned his attention back to the surrounding forest. He caught the glimpse of some kind of rodent disappearing into a tree trunk. The forest was still and there were no sounds or smells that alerted him to anything. The tension in his shoulder blades was still present. The tightness of his muscles was a welcome diversion. It was better to concentrate on something that was real than to strain and chase at shadows. He continued with his patrol, his tail held stiffly out behind him, alert and ready.


    The next three hours went by quickly. He saw Nicolas a number of times throughout the night, but they didn¡¯t come close to each other and they didn¡¯t say anything more to each other. Before he had really gotten into a set rhythm of walking, looking, turning around, confirming that Nicolas hadn¡¯t fallen asleep somewhere, and doing it all over again, he was met by Aceso and Katherine.


    By now the unique smell of Aceso was as familiar to him as her black fur with the white patch on her chest. Katherine on the other hand, her smell was familiar but on first detection he was sent into an almost unconscious readiness stance. It took a moment for his mind to register the scents of the two female werewolves and he relaxed.


    The two were walking on all fours, side by side. William stood up on his hind legs, his tail swinging low between them. ¡°Good morning, nice of you guys to drop by,¡± he quoted. Recognition didn¡¯t register on either of their faces. William shook the comment away.


    Aceso raised herself on her hind legs with her tail arched up and away from her body. ¡°Anything happen?¡±


    William looked back around his surroundings. ¡°Aside from Nicolas being a bit of a butt hole, no, nothing of any importance.¡±

 Book 3 Chapter 2c

    Aceso nodded to Katherine and the cream werewolf went back the way the way she and Aceso had come, her tail swung low, almost touching the ground. ¡°William, we have to make this work.¡± Aceso looked around them and took a step closer to the enforcer. ¡°I know the history you two have with each other. I have no idea whose idea it was to send a Scout after an Enforcer but you have to find a way to live and work with each other.¡± Aceso stared straight into William¡¯s eyes. ¡°I am relying on you to keep your head, and when necessary, give him the space necessary to move. You and I both know what kind of person he is. He has enough pride for all of us and we will teach him the dangers of that, but it is going to be a slow and often painful process. I need you with me on this, fighting him is not the answer.¡±


    ¡°So, I should give him whatever he wants because if I don¡¯t, he¡¯ll throw a temper tantrum?¡±


    Aceso didn¡¯t move an inch from her proximity from William. ¡°I¡¯m saying that when you two clash you need to be the one to take a step back, because he won¡¯t.¡±


    William shook his head from side-to-side. ¡°So, we take on an attitude of appeasement?¡± William had to concentrate on keeping his voice low.


    Aceso reached up and wrenched William¡¯s snout down toward the ground and held it there. ¡°It will be a slow and painful process. Nicolas will learn to adapt or he will die. It has always been the way with nature and our kind.¡± Aceso leaned in and forced the words from her mouth into his ear. ¡°What I don¡¯t need from you is threatening to rip his arms off every other minute or provoking him into fights that he knows he can¡¯t win but his ego won¡¯t let him back down from.¡±


    William heaved a hard, restricted sigh through his nose. He looked up at Aceso as best he could with his head still being held at such an awkward angle. William knew that Aceso was capable of things he wasn¡¯t aware of yet. It was those unknown abilities she possessed and the fact that she had saved his life more than once that he nodded and waited for her to let go of him. Of course, that wasn¡¯t really true either. And as Aceso released her Enforcer he stood up and admitted to himself that the reason he would obey her was because she was his alpha, pure and simple.


    Aceso stood watching him. ¡°Now, go back and get some sleep.¡± William bowed to her. ¡°William, get out of here¡± She nodded back the way she had come. ¡°Don¡¯t get careless on your way back, our greatest asset right now is that no one but us knows where out den is, I¡¯d like to keep it that way.¡± William nodded and ran back into the thick surrounding forest.


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    William didn¡¯t see Nicolas on the way back. He made sure to change direction and do some back tracking and loop through the forest to ensure that no one was following him. He didn¡¯t see Katherine on his way back either. This only increased his caution.


    It took him some time but when he was certain that no one was following him he found his way back to their den. The folded entry way blended in with the surrounding black rock of the cavern. It was an almost perfect camouflage and he smiled at his and Katherine¡¯s work. Without pausing he slipped into the crevasse and the warm, sweet-smelling darkness that was their den. His eyes didn¡¯t need to adjust to the light being that there was very little difference between the dark of the den and the deep gloom that filled the underground cavern outside. But he didn¡¯t want to disturb the others who were probably sleeping after their hours of vigilance.


    William crept off to the right into his partitioned space and laid down belly first onto the soft cushion of fine wood chips and pine needles. He turned from side-to-side to burrow into the warmth and the sweet scent of the carpeting around him. It felt wonderful and he soon fell soundlessly asleep.


    He felt a rough movement through the haze of sleep. It took him a moment to realize that it was himself that was being moved. He opened his eyes and saw cream colored fur. His eyes snapped awake and focused on Katherine.


    ¡°What is it? What¡¯s wrong?¡± He barked, leaping up into a low crouch.


    Katherine withdrew her hand from his side. ¡°What?¡± her eyes grew wide for a moment. Her whole body seemed to deflate as she smiled and shook her head. ¡°Nothing is wrong.¡± She turned her head toward the exit of their den. ¡°It¡¯s time to get up. Aceso has things for us to do today.¡± She turned back to William. ¡°Besides whoever heard of a lethargic wolf?¡± she said with a grin.


    William lowered his heavy body back to the warm cedar chips. It would be so nice to just go back to sleep. But he had never been one to sleep in and after living with nature for so long he was already conditioned to be up with the sun. He nodded to Katherine as the female werewolf stood up and started back toward the crevasse. William leaped up in one fluid motion to get to his feet and followed Katherine outside the warm den.


    Squinting he stepped out of the dark into the early morning brightness of the underground cavern. It was amazing to him just how the caverns ceiling crystals seemed to mimic actual sunlight. He followed Katherine deeper into the forest. Her tail was swinging easily just above her knees. He reached behind himself and grabbed his own tail. Let¡¯s see a dog do that. He rubbed his claws through the thick fur. He felt a slight pain at having his tail twisted up and around him in such an awkward way, but it wasn¡¯t that painful of a feeling. He let his tail drop and the muscles there held it at a level that was similar to Katherine¡¯s. He wondered about the muscles that were attached to his tail. How much control do I actually have over that thing?  He had never wondered about it before but now he was very interested in finding out how that furry thing attached to his backside actually worked.

 Book 3 Chapter 2d

    He and Katherine walked through a screen of bushes to find the other four members of the pack spaced out among a dense cluster of pine trees.


    ¡°Well, look who finally decided to join us,¡± Nicolas said with a harsh twist of sarcasm. He was leaning between two trees. One of his legs was propped up behind him.


    William humored Nicolas with a poisoned look but turned away. He turned his full attention on the black and white werewolf that was sitting, almost casually in the rough center of the group.


    Aceso paid no attention to the side comment. ¡°Our first job is finished. But we have to stay prepared for what might come.¡± Aceso stood up and began to turn around. Her tail was arched high in the air in the posture that William came to recognize as the command posture. ¡°Our survival depends on each other. Our pack must be strong individually but also as a whole. To that end we will begin our training and learn how to live, move, and fight with each other.¡± Aceso jerked her head away from the cavern wall. ¡°We will go that way into the abandoned parts of the city.¡±


    ¡°I thought you said that we had to stay out here for three days,¡± Achelois said.


    ¡°No one ever said anything about not going back into the city, we just have to live together and sleep and eat out here in the forest,¡± Aceso answered.


    ¡°What will we be doing in the abandoned parts of the city?¡± Charles asked.


    Aceso nodded at the question. ¡°We will begin by learning how to move together. The first step for us to become a true pack is learning how each of us moves and being able to match and move with each other.¡± She looked at William. ¡°There is nothing quite like seeing a full wolf pack run through the forest at night.¡±


    That statement brought up memories of his wolf pack in his forest. He knew that Aceso did it on purpose. He could see his pack. The old grey and all the others flow over the land, cutting through the trees and over the river. They had moved like a wave of water, fluid and unrelenting, being broken apart by the landscape but always coming back together, a multicolored tide of fur, claws, and teeth that could overcome any adversary. He looked up at Aceso and nodded.


    Aceso spoke to the whole pack. ¡°We run.¡± Aceso bent over on all fours and darted off into the forest. William sprang from his place and followed. Charles was at his shoulder, while Achelois was just ahead of him on his right.


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    He looked back around him to find where Nicolas was. The blonde werewolf was just hunching over and beginning a leisurely trot. He saw that Katherine was with him running in front of him but guiding him toward the rest of the pack. He decided to trust in Aceso and turn his attention away from the malcontent.


    The brake in his concentration made him miss a step and Charles and Achelois were almost a full body length ahead of him. He bent his head down, dug in his claws and began throwing himself forward through the dense patch of forest. Aceso was seen darting into bushes and around trees. He copied her movements as best he could. Sometimes he didn¡¯t see the path that she had taken, and he had to run around trees or leap over the dense underbrush.


    He was in front of the entire pack now except for his alpha. He felt the still air move around him in created wind. It was nothing like the cool breeze off the ocean back in his forest, but then, what wind other than that could be as cool and clean?


    Aceso kept increasing her speed. He felt like he had never run this fast before. He was now out in front of Charles with Achelois running at Charles¡¯ shoulders. The trees swept by them and the ground was a blur, even to his wolf eyes and he was concerned that one of them could snap a bone clean off on some unseen root. They broke through the tree line and the City under the Mountain was visible. Its black profile sharply contrasted to the warm greens and browns of the forest. The harsh angles of the buildings were razor sharp, and had the look of pristine newness to them. He found himself wondering, not for the first time, how could beings of nature create something that was so geometrical?


    Aceso turned to the left and the rest of them followed. William spared a moment to glance behind them and was surprised to see Nicolas and Katherine not too far behind, only a few body lengths. He knew that the two of them would have to be running with an exertion that was equal to theirs otherwise they would have been left far behind. He turned his attention back toward Aceso. They were running parallel to the outskirts of the city. The underground cavern¡¯s ceiling crystals were mid-morning bright and he could almost imagine heat coming from them. The moderate length grass they were running through was soft and had good traction. Aceso increased her speed even more. William wondered if there was any true limit to how fast they could run.


    He would have loved to ask the question but Aceso turned in toward the city. Without missing a step or slowing down the rest of her pack followed. William had to dig in and he kicked up a cloud of dirt and grass as he mimicked the maneuver. Aceso was out in front. She ran into the city and along one of the cold stone streets. William didn¡¯t have time to notice much of the city race by them. All of the details were just a blurry splotch in his peripheral. Aceso glanced behind her and motioned with her head and ears to go forward.

 Book 3 Chapter 2e

    William wondered why the signal was necessary. They were following her what did they need signals for? Aceso diverted from her course and crashed into a separation between two buildings. William would have stopped and helped if he could have made his mind and body react faster. As it was before he had time to even bark out a cry of alarm, Aceso sprang from the wall of the building to the adjacent structure. She pivoted upon impact and jumped back to the original building, all the while climbing higher and higher. In four bounds she cleared the top of the buildings and was shadowing the rest of her pack from the rooftops.


    William was impressed. He stumbled in the four heartbeats it took for Aceso to reach her new track on top of the buildings. William recovered from his surprise and was running at full speed several body lengths ahead of his closest pack mate. Charles was laboriously moving along as fast as he could but William knew that he was getting tired. William turned his attention back to the street and drove ahead, while bleeding speed to allow the rest of his pack to catch up.


    The pack, without its alpha to lead, began to move freely. William felt like that was what Aceso wanted. The buildings here were built with separation between them that wasn¡¯t present in the heart of the city near the tower. He tore off in between the buildings and felt his way back around to rejoin his pack. He pushed himself to the limit of his speeds, but when he wound his way back to the main body of the pack his speed was still increasing. He had to slow down to match the rest of them. Achelois was next to break away from the pack. She darted around a small corner and met up with them again without ever losing any of her speed. The pack began to move as a fluid entity. Charles would break away and Katherine would mirror the movement as they raced around buildings and through alleyways to rejoin William and the rest of the pack. William had to slow down a step or two when his pack mates disappeared. On more than one occasion he found himself three or four body lengths ahead of the pack and he felt like he wasn¡¯t even trying.


    The exertion alone should have been enough to wind him or at the very least make him not want to play around and concentrate on just the run. But instead of becoming more tired he felt like he was getting stronger, as if he kept catching a second wind. That runner¡¯s high that he had so often heard of, was coursing through his body and he felt neither fatigue, burning lungs, or muscles. He looked around behind him and he saw that Katherine was smiling as she bounded off a building to his left, cut back across the wake of the pack and disappeared in between two buildings. She reemerged seconds later farther down the street, losing only a few body lengths from the rest of the pack.


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    William remembered this feeling from when he had been running with Aceso in their escape from those agents or whoever they were. The lack of fatigue and growing strength inside of him was amazing. He didn¡¯t know why he felt this way. He looked around him and spared a glance to each of his pack mates. They were all showing signs of heavy fatigue. Nicolas¡¯ tongue was hanging out of his mouth as he gulped in air, in short rapid heaves. Charles was staring hard in front of him, concentrating on running only. It had been a long time since he had seen Charles break away from the rest of the pack. Achelois seemed to be holding up fairly well under the strain but she was losing a fraction of a step from the rest of the pack with every stride. Katherine was pacing Achelois at the rear of the group. He began to wonder why it was that he seemed to be the only one who still had the energy and stamina to move at the speeds that they had moved at when they first entered the city. He didn¡¯t have time to fully contemplate the thought.


    He ducked his head as a black blur dropped in on them from the sky. He skidded to halt as the pack pulled up short in front of the sudden obstacle. Aceso stood in front of them as she raised herself up on her hind legs.


    William took the interruption to glance around his surroundings. He was in an unexplored part of the city. He could almost feel the age here, it seemed newer than the heart of the city and yet it was here that was the most dilapidated. He could smell the neglect that this part of the city wore on itself and it made him scrunch up his snout in distaste. He turned his attention back toward Aceso.


    Their alpha stood. She looked at each of them in turn. William didn¡¯t know what was going on.


    ¡°Where are we?¡± Katherine asked.


    ¡°One of the youngest parts of the City under the Mountain,¡± Aceso answered, unmoving from her rigid stance in the middle of the street.


    ¡°Young?¡± Nicolas scoffed. ¡°Every one of us has got to be able to smell that. And it aint exactly that new car smell, you know what I¡¯m saying?¡±


    Aceso nodded. ¡°I said it was the youngest part of the city.¡± Aceso slowly turned around and took in the whole of the area around her. ¡°It¡¯s only about three or four hundred years old.¡± William eyes widened in shock and he heard a surprised gasp from Achelois.


    ¡°Why have you brought us here?¡± Charles¡¯ deep voice asked.


    Aceso turned back around and faced her pack. ¡°There is no special lesson to be learned here if that¡¯s what you are asking.¡± She stepped forward and took a place among her pack mates. ¡°I knew that we wouldn¡¯t be disturbed out here.¡±


    She knelt on the cold stone of the street. Katherine joined her. Charles and William sat down. Nicolas was the last one left standing. He took a moment looking down at everyone else. William was positive that he was going to say something and he readied himself for any harsh comment Nicolas might make. The preparation was unnecessary. Nicolas dropped to the floor as well, without a single word of derision or protest.

 Book 3 Chapter 2f

    Aceso sat among her pack, waiting for something. She had a posture of regality and command. She could have sat there forever if it was required of her. William found himself admiring the strength of his alpha. Wherever she led them he knew that he would follow her with unquestioning loyalty.


    They sat in silence.


    ¡°Was William really running as fast as I think he was?¡± Katherine asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Aceso answered. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if he and I have reached our limit but we are capable of those speeds for long periods of time, a full day or more if necessary.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem possible,¡± Charles said, disbelief heavy in his deep voice.


    ¡°It¡¯s not only possible it might be necessary for survival,¡± Achelois said.


    ¡°Why do only you and William seem capable of these great speeds without tiring?¡± Charles¡¯ asked.


    Aceso looked at the all-black werewolf and each of her pack mates in turn until her gaze came to rest upon Achelois. ¡°Right now, we are just two pack mates and four other shape shifters.


    ¡°Hold up a minute,¡± Nicolas said holding up both hands in front of him. ¡°My bitch of a teacher never said anything about any of this. She told me that you guys were my pack.¡± He looked around at each of them and then stared hard at Aceso. ¡°But now, we¡¯re out here in the middle of nowhere and you tell us that we¡¯re not a pack.¡± The disbelief in Nicolas¡¯ voice was very apparent. ¡°Just who in the hell am I supposed to believe?¡±


    ¡°Just what is the difference between a pack and what we are?¡± asked Charles.


    Nicolas sneered at the question. ¡°Who the hell cares? I¡¯m stuck with you fucktards any way I look at it. I¡¯m here¡­¡± Nicolas was quiet and looked at Achelois. ¡°Unless I can just walk away and go join some other pack?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the way packs are formed,¡± Achelois answered. She focused on the irate blonde. ¡°The Elders form a pack in very specific ways. They take into account all manner of things from how old the werewolves are, whether they are human, or wolf born, and of course under which phase of the moon they were reborn under.¡± She glanced at William and Aceso. ¡°When a pack is formed there is a bond that is made. No one can explain it, I¡¯ve asked.¡± The usually quiet werewolf sat up straight and looked at every member of the group.


    ¡°Do you know how we create this bond?¡± It was Katherine.


    Nicolas sneered. ¡°Who cares? We are together as a pack isn¡¯t that enough?¡±


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    Aceso turned toward Nicolas. ¡°No, it¡¯s not enough.¡± She stood up and walked a few steps out of the center of the circle that she was sitting in. She stood a few feet away and looked down at the rest of them. ¡°Have you forgotten so soon the speeds that William and I can move at?¡± She looked at each of them in turn as she spoke. ¡°We all have our individual strengths, granted by our Lunar Mother. A werewolf pack has unique strengths as well but only a pack has those strengths. Right now, we are just a group of not quite so random shape shifters. We were chosen by the Elders for our individual talents.¡± She looked over at Nicolas once more. ¡°To reach our potential and to give us every possible chance to survive we have to become a pack.¡±


    William looked up at his alpha. ¡°I¡¯ve felt those speeds before, Aceso when you and I were running through the mountains to get here. Is that this potential you¡¯re talking about?¡±


    It was Achelois who answered. ¡°You were able to run at those speeds and take strength from each other because you two had already formed a pack between you.¡± She stared hard at Aceso. ¡°That¡¯s why you were punished, isn¡¯t it?¡± Her voice took on a harsher tone. ¡°You accepted his oath?¡± She stood up and stared hard at Aceso. ¡°You had no right, Aceso! Especially when he didn¡¯t know what he was doing.¡±


    ¡°If I hadn¡¯t done it, he would be dead right now,¡± Aceso almost whispered.


    ¡°So, the means are justified by a chance happening on the Whyte Plain?¡± Achelois turned away from her. ¡°I guess I know why I¡¯m here, now.¡±


    ¡°Hold on,¡± William almost yelled but maintained a fragile control on his emotions. Nicolas was lounging on his haunches seeming to enjoy the sudden drama that had sprang up around him. Charles and Katherine were still. None of them made any move to say anything or to intervene. William spoke into the icy silence. ¡°I have heard about this oath several times and nobody has told me anything about it.¡± He looked at Aceso. ¡°What is she talking about Aceso?¡±


    Aceso glanced at the back of Achelois and looked at William. ¡°When you said that you would follow me, that first full day after we escaped your forest, I accepted your oath as an alpha would accept it of her pack mates.¡±


    William couldn¡¯t keep the confusion out of his voice. ¡°And for that you were being punished?¡±


    ¡°She deserved every bit of it,¡± Achelois snapped. ¡°What she did is inexcusable.¡±


    ¡°I know it was against our laws but if I hadn¡¯t done it, he would have died. I didn¡¯t know what we were going to face.¡±


    ¡°You should have told him before you accepted his oath at the very least,¡± Achelois was still facing away from Aceso in a show of total disrespect.


    ¡°All right, that is enough!¡± William yelled. His anger filled voice echoed off the husks of the abandoned buildings of the city around them. He glared at Achelois and spoke to the whole group. ¡°Look, I don¡¯t know what you guys think of Aceso. All I know is she saved my life by risking hers, more than once.¡± He shifted his attention and looked straight at his alpha. ¡°Whatever oath I made, I made it, I don¡¯t care about the dogma of some set of laws that I didn¡¯t even know existed. I knew what I was doing and I don¡¯t blame Aceso for that, not one bit, Achelois.¡± The werewolf glanced at him at the mention of her name. ¡°Even if I wasn¡¯t absolutely sure about what I had done, it¡¯s done.¡± He stood up and looked at all of them. ¡°But I am sure about what I did. Aceso is my alpha, and I¡¯ll have words with anyone of you who say that she took advantage of me or try to throw this city¡¯s laws in my face.¡± He relaxed his posture. ¡°Does what I think matter at all, Achelois?¡±

 Book 3 Chapter 2g

    She seemed to want to sulk. She stood there, motionless looking at nothing. William was sure she wasn¡¯t going to say anything. Achelois spoke into the heavy quiet. ¡°You don¡¯t care that she took advantage of you?¡± She looked up and stared straight into William eyes.


    ¡°When someone takes advantage of someone else it¡¯s usually for selfish reasons.¡± William looked at Aceso who still stood separate from the rest of her pack. ¡°Aceso told me that the only reason she found me on the Whyte Plain was because of that pack connection we now share.¡± He looked down at everyone else. ¡°I don¡¯t feel like I was taken advantage of in any way. She saved my life and I know that she would do no less for any of you.¡±


    The words he spoke were swallowed by the emptiness around them. Nothing moved and no sound was present. William had no idea what kind of response he expected from that little speech but he hoped that he had defended Aceso well enough to at least convince Achelois that Aceso hadn¡¯t done anything wrong. Achelois however, made no move to speak. William glanced at Aceso who seemed to have drawn into herself. Her tail was drooping down behind her. It was saddening for William to see his proud alpha plagued by this kind of doubt and opposition. William wished that he could do more, but he knew that he had said all he could. Now it was up to the rest of the group to either forgive her or condemn her.


    Achelois whirled on the ball of her foot and strode up to within inches of William¡¯s snout, her tail sticking straight out behind her. ¡°Do you really not care that what she did to you was something like what your species calls rape?¡±


    William looked down at the shorter werewolf. ¡°I don¡¯t know about any of that. All I know is that I would do it all over again if given the chance.¡±


    Achelois stared into William¡¯s eyes shifting her gaze from his left eye and then to his right eye and back again. ¡°What she did to you was wrong.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t that be my decision to make?¡± William answered.


    Achelois took a step away from him and pivoted on one foot. She strode up to Aceso and stared her in the eye. Aceso met the gaze unflinching. Her eyes held an emotion that William couldn¡¯t place. It wasn¡¯t sadness or apathy. Maybe it was pain or embarrassment? William couldn¡¯t be sure. What he did know was that he felt really helpless right then but he knew Aceso had to deal with this on her own. The two werewolves stood there looking at each other. Achelois¡¯s tail was high in the air while Aceso¡¯s was in a more relaxed, droopy state. Everyone watched the two and waited for the outcome. William hadn¡¯t realized he was holding his breath and he let it out.


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    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have done it,¡± Achelois said.


    Aceso looked at her. William noticed however that her tail had picked up and it was beginning to assume its previous proud high arch. ¡°I did what had to be done.¡± William knew that response was a mistake and he winced at the sound and force of those words.


    Achelois turned her head to the side, threatening to leave Aceso standing there. She wrenched her head back to face Aceso. ¡°William might have forgiven you, but after learning what I have learned today I don¡¯t know if I can.¡± Achelois took a step back and measured the whole of Aceso¡¯s body with her eyes. She spun in place and walked away.


    ¡°Do we all have to take this oath?¡± Charles asked.


    While the question was obvious to him, William was grateful for the break in the heavy silence. It kept his mind off of the ever-growing pit that he was beginning to feel in his stomach. It also gave him some relief from the pressure that he felt growing between his shoulder blades.


    ¡°If you want to follow her, then yes,¡± Achelois said as she hesitated while walking around the group still on the floor, with her back to Aceso. ¡°It is going to be a very long time before I even consider doing something like that¡­if ever,¡± Achelois continued walking. To William it didn¡¯t look like she was going to stop anytime soon.


    Charles stood up. ¡°This is pointless and it gets us nowhere.¡± He stood in the middle of the group. His full height was impressive, he wasn¡¯t as tall or as big as Ares but to the rest of them that hadn¡¯t spent a lot of time around the massive werewolf, Charles could be very intimidating. ¡°We have to work together for now. We have no choice at the moment and we are still being tested in some way.¡± He looked over at Aceso and at the retreating back of Achelois. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine us ignoring each other and working against one another would be seen as favorable behavior for a new werewolf pack.¡±


    Aceso spoke then for the first time in a long time. ¡°We should head back to the den.¡± William was glad to hear that her voice had lost none of its confidence or sense of command. ¡°We¡¯ll go back to the forest and figure out what we do from there.¡± She shrugged at the husks of the buildings around her. ¡°There¡¯s nothing more we can do out here anyway.¡± She walked over to the small group that had remained seated. She looked at Nicolas. ¡°We need to go back into the forest before night falls.¡± She looked up at Charles. ¡°We should hunt and set our watches for tonight as well.¡±


    William said, ¡°After you, Aceso.¡±


    Aceso let the slightest smile touch her lips. She shook her head and looked back down at Katherine and Nicolas. ¡°Come on you two, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Nicolas looked up at the three that were standing there. He let a small smile touch his lips. ¡°I really don¡¯t have a choice, do I?¡± Nicolas let out a small chuckle.


    William looked down, squinted his eyelids, and cocked his head to the side at the blonde werewolf. To William¡¯s ears it sounded so listless and apathetic. Like he had been defeated in a death match and he was waiting for the final blow to be struck.

 Book 3 Chapter 2h

    ¡°And here I thought being a werewolf was going to be fun. Where is the fun in any of this? I either do what I¡¯m told or I die. I thought being out here with you guys meant that I would finally get to do a little of my own thing. WRONG! Where is all the freedom?¡±


    Nicolas got up and stalked toward one of the empty buildings. It looked like he was going to kick it, or punch it, or something, but then he thought better of it and simply placed both of his claws on the stone and scratched downward, creating a harsh resonate tone that rang out into the quiet. William watched as Nicolas seemed to collapse against the wall. If it hadn¡¯t been for the wall he would have fallen over.


    William watched as Nicolas turned around and began laughing as he sank down to sit with his back against the building. Nicolas called out across the street, ¡°So much for the call of the wild, heh William?¡± Nicolas looked at the group of standing werewolves. He focused on Charles. ¡°More like the call of the military, right Charles?¡± He lowered his gaze to Katherine who still hadn¡¯t moved from her place on the street through all that had happened. ¡°Hey Kate, maybe you and I should leave these losers and start our own pack, you know, have a couple abomination hell spawn pups and live out our lives worshipping Satan. Having blood orgies and killing people inside our house inside the ritual pentagrams we have carved into the floor of our attic.¡± Katherine moved her attention over to the vulgarities that Nicolas was spewing. ¡°Isn¡¯t that what werewolf cults do in all the movies? Besides we¡¯d never have a problem luring idiots to our den for sacrifice with the pair of tits you got on you, well at least when your human anyway.¡± Katherine raised herself off the cold stone floor. Nicolas followed her with his eyes. ¡°Who couldn¡¯t you seduce to follow you? Who cares if it means their death? They¡¯ll be happy at least for a little while.¡±


    Katherine moved toward Nicolas. It was a strange thing to watch. Katherine wasn¡¯t in a hurry to get to Nicolas at least that¡¯s what it looked like to William. But something in her posture said that even if a brick wall appeared in her footsteps, it wouldn¡¯t stop her from reaching Nicolas. She stopped, standing about two feet away but somehow still managed to appear as if she was standing directly over the slumped form of the blonde werewolf. Nicolas had to crane his neck back to see the face of Katherine as she stood over him. William watched as she gently reached down and heaved Nicolas up by the arms. She rested the blonde against the wall of the cold stone building. She stood there not speaking just looking at Nicolas.


    William had a weird feeling run though him then like he was witnessing the moment in the movie where two lovers finally realize that they love each other and throw each other against a wall and start fucking each other right there in the street. I guess it¡¯s even sexier if it¡¯s raining in those types of scenes. William had a sudden disgusting feeling in his gut and he wanted to turn around but he couldn¡¯t look away from the bizarre thing he was now witnessing between Katherine and Nicolas. It almost seemed like Katherine was petting Nicolas.


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    Katherine lifted her hand from Nicolas¡¯ shoulders. She lowered it ever so gently toward his abdomen and slammed her suddenly balled fist into Nicolas¡¯ relaxed gut. The blonde let out a heave as he doubled over onto the supporting frame of Katherine. She bounced him off her shoulder and slammed her fist across his face. This sent him crashing back into the wall. Katherine stood, her body still as she watched Nicolas crumple to the ground in front of her. William noticed that her claws were still balled up into fists. She remained standing like a statue made of iron. Katherine unclenched her claws. She looked down at the slumping form in front of her. She dropped to her haunches and leaned in very close to Nicolas. Katherine¡¯s lips moved making sounds that only Nicolas could hear. The slumping werewolf¡¯s demeanor didn¡¯t change at all. He sat listening to whatever Katherine was telling him.


    She stood up from her place on the street. She turned straight toward Aceso. Her vision didn¡¯t waver, and her head made no movement anywhere else other than the black and white werewolf standing in the middle of the street amidst Charles and William. William noticed that Aceso hadn¡¯t moved during the spectacle that had just taken place, but she had relaxed a little bit in her stance. The posture reminded him of Ares. The way he would stand in a room with casual ease, ready to kill in a split second if needed. Aceso stood with a little bit of that posture and grace now.


    Katherine walked past them down the street that would eventually lead them to the grassy area that surrounded the cavern forest. She said in a loud enough voice so they could hear her, ¡°We¡¯d better go. Night will be here soon.¡± Her head had not moved a fraction of an inch to either side as she hunched down on all fours and sprang off down the street.


    William looked at Aceso. She didn¡¯t seem too concerned about what had just happened to Nicolas. ¡°Get up,¡± she called over to the still crumpled werewolf.


    Nicolas¡¯ eyes lifted up to Aceso. ¡°I don¡¯t have to follow you. You¡¯re not my alpha, remember.¡± Nicolas looked like a petulant child to William and he found his hatred for the blonde werewolf growing exponentially by the second.


    Aceso turned toward Charles. ¡°Charles if he doesn¡¯t get up will you break both his legs and carry him back to the den.¡±


    Charles nodded. ¡°I think that can be arranged.¡±


    William watched as Charles took a half a dozen steps toward Nicolas. When Charles got halfway between Aceso and Nicolas, the blonde werewolf nearly jumped up from his lounging position against the wall. ¡°Keep your black ass away from me, Charles.¡± Nicolas spared a few moments massaging his jaw and abdomen. ¡°I can find my own way back, you know. I¡¯m a big boy, I can read and write too.¡±

 Book 3 Chapter 2i

    Charles ran off on all fours, following in the wake of Katherine and Achelois.


    William looked over at Aceso. ¡°That could have gone...better.¡±


    Aceso shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault, William.¡± She looked down the street to follow the retreating form of Charles as he continued to shrink in the distance. ¡°If anyone is to blame, it¡¯s me.¡±


    William looked her in the eye. ¡°I don¡¯t blame you for anything you did, and you shouldn¡¯t either.¡± He almost reached up and patted her shoulder but thought better of it at the last minute. ¡°We will get through this.¡±


    Aceso looked up at him, ¡°Thanks. But we should get going too.¡± She glanced behind her at Nicolas who still hadn¡¯t left yet. ¡°Are you coming or are you going to sulk here all night?¡±


    The three of them made their way out of the abandoned section of the city. Aceso and William traveled at a speed that was comfortable for Nicolas. William kept scanning the area ahead of them looking for any of the others. He didn¡¯t find any trace of any of them until they reached the grassy plain bordering the forest, there he saw some tracks and some other signs that the three werewolves had passed this way.


    Something had to be done though. He knew that Aceso was meant to be the pack¡¯s alpha. But he couldn¡¯t say any more than he already had. He glanced over at Aceso as she sped up to jump over a fallen log as they entered the forest. She is going to have convince them. The only thing he could do was sit back, support her whenever he could, and see what happens.


    William heard Nicolas crash into the forest behind him. He glanced back at him to see that he had gotten himself tangled in some branches and pine needles stuck out of his fur like a porcupine. He smiled but turned around before the blonde could see him. He had other things to do besides laugh at how ridiculous Nicolas looked. They had to hunt and prepare for tonight.


    William couldn¡¯t pick up any trace of smells of the other three werewolves. He found that odd but then there was no wind here and he was just going to have to get used to it. It wasn¡¯t going to be easy to adjust to having one of his most reliable senses taken away from him. Aceso peeled off to the left and William followed.


    The two increased their speed, ignoring the blonde that was behind them. They moved with a purpose and there was no play in their running. They were hunting. They kept their bodies low to the ground. Taking the easiest route over bushes and around trees as they raced through the forest. They were as soundless as shadows flowing over the land.


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    William wondered if the rest of the pack was out hunting as well. Would they call if they made a kill? It wasn¡¯t fair to doubt the others, but William had seen how Achelois had reacted. She responded to the revelation with anger, disbelief, and something that was close to hatred. Disrespect at the very least. Would those emotions carry over to how she acted as a pack mate? William couldn¡¯t be sure, but at the same time he berated himself for not having any faith in the rest of his pack. We are still a pack and Achelois and the others will act as such. At least he hoped so.


    He and Aceso had covered a lot a ground and still had found no sign or trail that might lead to any game. He had seen glimpses here and there of the smaller rodents of the forest, squirrels mostly. He thought that he had even seen the black mask of a raccoon a while back but nothing that would be suitable to feed even one werewolf much less all six of them.


    He and Aceso were in the process of turning around and finding another track to hunt along when they heard a werewolf howl. It was something alien and harsh sounding. It wasn¡¯t just a call; this was more desperate. William had heard something like that only once in his life. It had come from a young wolf from his pack in his forest. He was barely older than an adolescent but somehow, he had run afoul of a bear family that lived on the north side of the valley. William had been human at the time and wasn¡¯t able to help. He saw the young male the next time he ran with his pack so he must have escaped. But William never forgot how the sound of that particular howl sent shivers through his body, the desperate cry for help when help was not expected to come. That was the sound he heard now.


    He glanced over at Aceso, who was already moving. William kicked himself into a sprint. The two fed off each other and pressed themselves faster and faster through the forest. He saw a light-colored form running ahead of him. It didn¡¯t take too long to identify the form as Nicolas. It struck him as odd that Nicolas would be running toward the howl as well. William didn¡¯t have time to wonder about it. Soon Aceso and William were passing the blonde werewolf tearing ahead through the underbrush of the forest.


    William hadn¡¯t run like this ever in his entire life. He felt his body grow stronger as he and Aceso forced themselves to run ever faster. But there was no joy in the speed that they now shared. Both of them were locked onto the single purpose of getting to where the howl had emanated from. Even their great pack speed may not be fast enough to get them there in time.


    He jumped over some shrubs in between two tree trucks and got a face full of pine needles for his trouble. When he landed, he shook the pine needles out of his face and he saw Katherine and Charles being circled by four grey werewolves.

 Book 3 Chapter 2j

    He looked around the area and he saw a reddish furred female werewolf standing off to the side watching. William thought that he recognized her, but he couldn¡¯t place from where at the moment. She was standing there watching and therefore not an immediate threat. The four greys however were threatening his pack mates. He looked off to the side and saw Aceso had paused to survey the scene as well. She made eye contact with him and nodded once and shook her head to the right.


    William nodded in understanding. William crouched down lower and waited. Aceso launched herself from her meager hiding place behind the bushes. William kicked off the ground as well. Aceso torn off and made a diving tackle to one of the greys on her right and William took out one on the left. The grey rolled with the impact however and flung William into the air several feet behind him.


    William crashed back down to earth but rolled with the motion of the throw. It wasn¡¯t as graceful as he would have liked but the maneuver saved him from any serious damage and he was able to turn around to face his opponent. He spared a fraction of a second to glance around at his pack mates. Aceso was doing fine with her target and Charles and Katherine had taken the initiative and were now fighting one on one with their targets.


    William turned his attention back to the grey. Recognition sparked in his memory. He was one of the werewolves that jumped me in the forest. He tried to keep calm and focused but the anger that he felt over that insult was too great and he went into a berserker rage.


    He charged straight at the grey. He feigned a tackle maneuver like the one he had used previously. He saw minute changes in the grey¡¯s stance to indicate that he was ready for the attack. At the last stride, William pivoted and leaped to the side of the werewolf. William was able to see the look of surprise before he was completely past his opponent. As his body flew past the left shoulder of the grey, William reached back slammed his left foot into the exposed side of the werewolf. The grey let out a satisfying grunt as William landed. William turned on a dime and was ready to attack again as he heard another howl pierce the forest. He looked up to see that Achelois had entered the area. He glanced behind him to see Nicolas standing next to a tree as well. The blonde looked a little tired as if he had stopped running moments ago and had just arrived.


    He turned his attention back to his opponent to see the grey holding his side and backing away from William. He looked around at the rest of his pack and saw that their opponents too were backing away from them making their way toward the reddish werewolf that was standing on the outskirts of the cleared area. William watched, in a ready stance until the last of them had disappeared from his sight.


    H turned around but before he could say anything, Aceso¡¯s voice was asking what he had been about to. ¡°What happened?¡±


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    Charles gestured toward Katherine. He shifted his attention to the cream-colored werewolf. She was met Aceso¡¯s gaze. ¡°I was careless.¡±


    ¡°What exactly do you mean by that?¡± Nicolas asked as he joined the loosely knitted group.


    Katherine glanced at Nicolas and turned back toward Aceso. ¡°I was hunting, which you said we should do. I went off on my own and for my troubles I was attacked by two of those grey werewolves.¡± She moved her arm from her side to show a set of very ugly red gashes that cut across her side abdomen muscles almost all the way around her body to her back. William heard someone wince at the sight of the wound.


    Aceso looked at the three red gashed and bent down. Before Katherine could react or move, or even let out a yelp, Aceso snapped her head forward and bit into Katherine. William knew what it was that she was doing and Katherine too had a look of acceptance written on her face. Of course, she would know what Aceso was doing she had been in the underground city for quite some time.


    William watched as the wounds closed themselves. Katherine couldn¡¯t help but run her claws over the newly closed wounds. There wasn¡¯t even a scar to show where Katherine¡¯s skin had been cut open. William couldn¡¯t help but be amazed. He wondered if he would ever get used to seeing that kind of rapid healing.


    ¡°Aceso?¡± Nicolas asked. ¡°Have you ever considered going into the medical field?¡± he moved around Katherine to the black and white werewolf. ¡°Do you have any idea what people would be willing to pay to have their wounds healed like that without any scarring?¡± Nicolas became very animated and excited. ¡°You could make millions. Not to mention all those pathetic cancer patients that would pay anything to be healthy again. You could charge whatever you felt like and hospitals would be completely run out of business.¡± His voice took on a very sarcastic tone then. ¡°And once you cornered the healthcare market you wouldn¡¯t have to be a pack alpha anymore.¡± He turned his head looking off in the distance. ¡°You could retire and go live in Saskatchewan or wherever the hell wolves retire to.¡±


    Aceso turned toward William and Charles. ¡°You two, go find us something to eat.¡±


    William nodded but Charles just stood there accepting the order but not acknowledging it.


    Aceso turned her attention to the rest of the pack. ¡°From now on we move in teams, no less than two, three would be better.¡± She turned back toward Nicolas. ¡°Nicolas, you and Achelois are to take the first watch tonight. Go back to the den and get some sleep if you can.¡±


    ¡°Are you sending me to bed without any dinner, mommy?¡± Nicolas had a fake wide-eyed expression on his face. ¡°Please don¡¯t do that mommy, I¡¯ll be a good boy from now on, I promise.¡±


    Nicolas¡¯ comments were getting harder to ignore. William wanted to tackle him into the ground. He found himself once more admiring his alpha and the restraint that she showed in ignoring the annoying blonde.


    Aceso looked over at Katherine. ¡°Katherine, you¡¯re with me. We need to scout around the area and see if those grey werewolves are still around or where they might be hiding.¡±


    Katherine looked over at Aceso and nodded. Katherine didn¡¯t seem too thrilled to be going with Aceso. To William, Katherine was much more withdrawn than she had been this morning and last night. He couldn¡¯t help but notice that she hadn¡¯t said much, outside of answering Aceso¡¯s direct question, since she left the city that morning and he wondered what was going on behind those quiet, piercing gold eyes.

 Book 3 Chapter 3a

    He felt a light tap on his shoulder. He looked over to see Charles¡¯ frame over shadowing him. Charles looked him in the eyes and jerked his head to the side. William understood. They turned and sprang off deeper into the forest. Charles took the lead, but William was pacing him with ease. William took a small amount of joy running through the forest. He dodged the trees and jumped over the underbrush with no difficulty. Either the pack bond with Aceso was becoming more beneficent than he realized or he was getting stronger. He sprinted ahead a good hundred meters. He looked back to see Charles running with a renewed strength from this morning, but he was still slow.


    He glanced back to find Charles missing. He stopped short and sniffed at the air. Not surprising he couldn¡¯t smell any trace of the him. He backtracked where he had last seen him. He studied the ground to see where Charles¡¯ tracks lead off to. It was a long walk for William. How long did I run before Charles just decided to disappear? Was he really not paying that much attention to his pack mate? He would have to better control his new speed until the others decided to form a true pack with him and Aceso.


    He became impatient with the search and began to trot back the way he and Charles had passed. His wolf sight could easily pick up any trace that he might have left behind. A howl pierced the quiet late afternoon of the forest. William cocked his head to the side reading the tone and pitch of the howl. It was Charles.


    William took off in a wild sprint that threw him over the terrain. The howl wasn¡¯t a cry for help like he had heard when he first entered the forest. This howl was much like the howl he had issued to the pack when he had called them after he killed the dear.


    In his enthusiasm to get to where Charles was, he almost crashed into the tall werewolf as he came out from behind a tree. William didn¡¯t have time to stop. He threw himself to the side at the last instant, avoiding Charles¡¯ midsection by centimeters. William landed and skidded to a stop while he turned around.


    Charles had a large buck thrown across his shoulders. The sight reminded him of how he had carried deer after he had made a kill in his forest. William stood up on his hind legs. ¡°I guess you didn¡¯t need me at all,¡± he said with what he hoped was a good-natured tone.


    Charles looked down at the shorter tan werewolf. ¡°That¡¯s not entirely true. If it hadn¡¯t been for you sprinting way ahead of me, I would never have caught the scent of the buck in the first place.¡±


    William was confused. ¡°But I didn¡¯t smell anything. Charles, what are you?¡±


    Charles looked at William with a steady gaze. ¡°I¡¯m a human born shape shifter, like you.¡±


    William shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean. I mean when were you reborn? What abilities do you have?¡±


    Charles hefted the large buck redistributing the weight across his shoulders. ¡°I was reborn under the crescent moon. Being reborn then, I was granted the gift of an acute sense of smell. I am a Tracker.¡± He took a step toward William and bent down slightly toward the shorter werewolf. ¡°Although sometimes that isn¡¯t so a much a gift as it is a curse.¡± Charles stood up straight with a broad smile across his face.


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    William cocked his head to the side. ¡°Was that a joke, Charles?¡±


    The Tracker shrugged his shoulders and turned around to walk back the way they had come.


    William followed the taller werewolf back along the track they had used to get there. He was much more conscious of his surroundings this time around. He felt like he was escorting a helpless NPC in some computer game. He trotted in circles around Charles. Sniffing at the air and listening to the sounds of the quiet forest around them. He strained his senses to anticipate any attack. Not that it would matter. He was sure that Charles would be able to detect any scent before William could, even though William was creating a decent perimeter around his burdened friend.


    William found himself thinking about the ideas of Trackers. His mind reached back to what Tasha had done to him in her forest. She said she had manipulated pheromones. It was a scary thing, suddenly being completely enthralled by someone simply because they could manipulate your own body¡¯s chemistry against you. He found himself looking warily at Charles. He didn¡¯t seem like the kind of man that would deliberately use that power over someone else. But if anything, he knew that power was corruptible and that was a very tempting power to use on someone. He wondered if he would be able to control that kind of power if he had blessed with it. I could have made the world a little better. I would have been able to make people see how stupid they were acting and to be more genuine towards each other. But then that would be defeating the whole purpose. The only reason that people would follow his ideas would be because they were slaves to his control of their biochemistry. People had to see what they were doing and why for themselves. No one could show them that. It was something they had to figure out on their own.


    These mental exercises kept him busy all the way back to where the pack had met after entering the forest. Charles laid the carcass on the ground. ¡°I¡¯ll go get Nicolas and Achelois.¡± He nodded his head to the outskirts of the clearing. ¡°Maybe you can go find Aceso and Katherine?¡±


    William nodded. ¡°Sure. Don¡¯t be too long. We don¡¯t want the smell of this thing to attract any unwanted visitors.¡± Charles nodded and disappeared into the deep brush of the surrounding forest.


    William turned back to where had last seen Aceso and Katherine. They could be just about anywhere by now. He wasn¡¯t sure what he was doing but he closed his eyes. If Aceso knew where he was because of their pack bond maybe he could call out to her as well. He tried to picture her form in his mind. Mentally he called out to his alpha.


    After about five minutes of nothing happening, he decided to give it up. What did I expect to happen? He let out a soft laugh and shook his head. He was just going to have to do this the old-fashioned way. He sprang from the ground and landed with all four of his legs moving, shooting him off at a sprint. He could detect the barest of traces of the pair¡¯s passage through the forest. He followed the signs as best he could. They were moving at a good pace but they were being very cautious. This wasn¡¯t a surprise. If Aceso was tracking the attackers they would be very cautious. He decided to follow their lead and slow down.


    He was being led deeper into the forest. He knew that going off on his own was in direct conflict with the orders that Aceso had given them. He figured that if he could find them quickly then they would be in a group of three and that was acceptable.

 Book 3 Chapter 3b

    After some time however, he wondered if the signs he was following was in fact the trail of Aceso and Katherine. His mind became clouded with doubts. Had he and Charles been gone that long to allow Aceso and Katherine to travel this far away? He couldn¡¯t shake the image of three grey werewolves coalescing out of the forest surrounding him and using him as bait so they could catch the rest of the pack. With these thoughts in mind and not wanting to put the pack in danger he turned around and sprinted back the way he had come. Whatever this trail was that he was following had started to stink and he wanted no part of it.


    With his new found speed it didn¡¯t take too long to get back to where he had started from. There was no sign of anyone in the small clearing. William looked up toward the ceiling of the cavern. The crystals had begun to dim even more and take on the appearance of the night stars. He took a moment to study his surroundings. There was nothing out of place. He couldn¡¯t smell anything that alerted him to danger, and the woods around him had their usual quietness about it. He saw the tail of a squirrel as the rodent disappeared around a large tree trunk. Everything was as it should have been.


    He noticed that the deer carcass was missing. The revelation to him was not so much disturbing as distressing. Where could Charles have gone with dinner? The obvious choice would have been to bring it back to their den. He thought he understood that eating outside the den would be safer because there would be less of a scent trail to lead unwanted visitors to their home. He decided to take the risk and go back to the den.


    Using his usual technique of doubling back and zigzagging in misleading directions to shake anyone who might be following him he slowly made his way back to the crevasse in the cavern wall. He took one last look around the area in front of their den entrance. He could neither hear, nor smell, any intruder of any kind. Nodding to himself he sprinted over the open ground into the folded entryway and squeezed his way into the crevasse.


    Once inside the snug corridor that led to the den, he could hear subdued talking and eating. He pushed himself through the entryway into the den proper. He saw all five members of his pack sitting in the middle of the den eating from the dear carcass that Charles had killed. He couldn¡¯t help but feel a little irritated at being left out of dinner. He tried to not let his anger show as he seated himself in front of his area.


    ¡°Well, look who finally decided to show up,¡± Nicolas said around a mouthful of venison. ¡°You know, Charles wanted to wait but we kind of outvoted him. Besides, I knew you would find your way home eventually.¡±


    ¡°Where have you been?¡± Achelois asked.


    William grabbed a large chunk of meat from the carcass¡¯s midsection. ¡°I was out looking for Katherine and Aceso.¡± He ripped into the still warm meat. He felt the food go down his throat and plop into his empty stomach. He hadn¡¯t realized until that minute just how hungry he was.


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    Katherine looked up with surprise written on her face. ¡°What do you mean you were out looking for us?¡± She glanced over at Aceso. ¡°We were never far from that clearing. In fact, Charles ran into us as he was heading back to the den.¡± There was confusion and a little bit of worry plain on her face and in her voice. She looked at Charles and Aceso in turn.


    William looked up from the portion in his hands. ¡°I was following a trail of signs that I was sure that you two had left in your scouting.¡± He looked at everyone in the circle. ¡°The trail led off away from our den. I followed it for a good while before I started to suspect that it wasn¡¯t what I had first thought it was. So, I turned around and made my way back here.¡± He saw the concerned look on Aceso¡¯s and Charles¡¯ face. ¡°Don¡¯t worry I made sure I wasn¡¯t followed.¡± He could almost hear the sigh of relief as Aceso visibly relaxed, and Charles bent down once more to his food.


    William looked over at Katherine. She was eating a piece of the deer. She had a distant look on her face as if she was thinking about something.


    ¡°So, you figured out that you could have been walking into a trap, or some kind of ambush?¡± Nicolas asked. ¡°That would have been great, the very thing that our alpha,¡± the sarcasm in his voice was plain for all to hear, ¡°warned us about, you almost stumbled right into what we most wanted to avoid.¡± Nicolas clapped his claws together slowly. ¡°Bravo, William. Bravo.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Nicolas,¡± Katherine said.


    William looked over at her. She was looking right at the blonde with a piercing gaze. William was glad that she had never looked at him like that. It was the kind of look that a teacher could wilt a classroom with. Nicolas succumbed to the quiet power of controlled violence that Katherine was promising him with that look, and bent down to his meal once more.


    ¡°How far did the trail lead?¡± Charles asked.


    William swallowed his mouthful and wiped at his chin. ¡°It¡¯s kind of hard to tell. I haven¡¯t really gotten a firm grip on my speed, so I don¡¯t really know how fast I was going or how much ground I covered.¡± William thought about the broken trail he had followed. There had been signs ahead of where he had turned around. ¡°The trail could have gone on for miles or feet, I can¡¯t really be sure. I know that when I sprinted back to the clearing where we met, it only took a few minutes.¡±


    Aceso put down her piece of pink venison. ¡°All right, tonight I want three people per watch team. The first group will be Nicolas, Achelois, and myself.¡± Nicolas groaned audibly and Achelois sent an icy glance at Aceso. Aceso looked around at the group. ¡°We will use the fake den as our central point. I don¡¯t want you to lose eye contact with any of your pack mates.¡±


    Nicolas threw his hands behind his head and fell backwards into the soft pine carpet of the den. Achelois didn¡¯t acknowledge anything that Aceso said, she continued to stare at the pack¡¯s alpha. Charles nodded once and kept eating. William looked around the group and his eyes met Katherine¡¯s. She didn¡¯t move or say anything. William stared into her unblinking golden eyes. He saw something there that was at once beautiful and a little frightening. Katherine blinked and lowered her eyes back down to her unfinished portion of food and began eating again.


    The pack finished the rest of their meal in silence. William looked over at Aceso. She had a thoughtful look to her as she ate. She was thinking of something or worried about something. William couldn¡¯t really blame her. The sudden unprovoked attack that the grey werewolves had made on Katherine and Charles was disturbing. William couldn¡¯t help but think that whatever this test was going to be, it was going to be a test of violence and fighting skill.

 Book 3 Chapter 3c

    With that in mind, he shot a covert look at Nicolas who had picked himself up and was eating once more. William knew that Nicolas was their weakest link. If I was going to attack this pack, I would take out Nicolas first. William went through all of his pack mates perceived strengths and weaknesses. He knew Aceso was a Healer, but he had seen her in the Whyte plain and knew that she could fight. Maybe their enemies would underestimate her? That would be a mistake on their part but something worth thinking about. Charles was big, but he was a Tracker. He hadn¡¯t had any problem taking down that deer though. Maybe his physical prowess wasn¡¯t something to be written off either. He knew that Nicolas was a scout and that Achelois was also a Healer. He hadn¡¯t seen any fighting skill from either of those two, but he had fought Nicolas and knew that the blonde was all talk and no substance in a fight. He is definitely our weakest link. His gaze came to rest on Katherine once more. He couldn¡¯t remember what the other member of a pack should be. He tried to remember but Ares had never mentioned anything about what makes up a pack, or who belongs in a pack, or how the Elders chose a pack. Come to think of it, Ares hadn¡¯t really told him anything.


    His mind reached back over the last week or so. Or had it been longer than that? All the lessons and all the tests that he had survived to bring him to this point had taught him so much about himself, but he knew next to nothing about any of his pack mates. He shook his head and took another bite of deer. He didn¡¯t have anywhere near the kind of experience or knowledge that he needed to be making tactical decisions of who was or wasn¡¯t going to be useful in a combat situation. Although he did find it kind of hard to justify the two pack Healers and the scout going off together as a team.


    ¡°Aceso, wouldn¡¯t it be better if I went with Nicolas and Achelois on the first watch?¡± William asked.


    Aceso looked over at her pack mate. ¡°Why?¡±


    William chose his words carefully. ¡°Well, I was just thinking that wouldn¡¯t it be a better idea to have a Healer in both groups tonight.¡± He looked over at Achelois. ¡°After what happened today, I just think that it would be better to have that support in both teams instead of putting both of you at risk in one group.¡±


    Aceso lifted her head the slightest fraction. He never would have detected the movement were it not for his wolf sight. ¡°Don¡¯t put all your eggs in one basket eh, William?¡± William nodded. ¡°Very well,¡± Aceso looked over at Achelois and Nicolas. ¡°William will be on your watch team.¡± She shot a stare toward William. ¡°I meant what I said about keeping your group in eyesight at all times.¡± She looked back at Nicolas. ¡°And save the fighting for when and if you get attacked tonight. Am I understood?¡±


    William and Achelois nodded. Nicolas threw his hands and the air and collapsed backward on the den¡¯s carpet once more.


    William grabbed more meat from the, by now mostly skeleton, of the deer carcass. He looked over at Achelois who was finishing her portion in silence. She had a thoughtful expression on her face. William could only wonder what it was she was thinking about.


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    Aceso looked around at the group. ¡°Is everyone finished?¡±


    William was a little surprised to find all of the meat that he had grabbed for himself was gone. He glanced up to see that everyone else had also finished.


    ¡°Then I think it¡¯s time that the first group should go out on watch.¡± Aceso said.


    William nodded and stood up. Nicolas rolled over on to his stomach but didn¡¯t start to raise himself. Achelois turned her head toward Aceso, but didn¡¯t make a move to stand up.


    ¡°William,¡± Aceso said. ¡°I want you to take the carcass and place it somewhere near the fake den entrance.¡± She made eye contact with him and held his gaze. ¡°Don¡¯t put it anywhere too obvious but somewhere hidden and nearby to better sell the idea that that place is actually our den.¡± William nodded and began to heft the bones and fur of the mostly eaten animal.


    ¡°Why do I get the feeling that all of this is pointless?¡± Nicolas asked as he rolled over on his back.


    William looked at the blonde. ¡°Nicolas, will you shut up and help me with this?¡±


    Nicolas propped himself up on his elbows. He looked around at the rest of the pack. Charles and Aceso looked at him. Katherine was looking at William. William saw the look from the corner of his eye, but he was focused on Nicolas. The blonde werewolf seemed to enjoy the attention and rolled his head back onto his shoulders while he arched his back. Achelois stood up. She moved to the opposite side of the skeleton and bent over the carcass. William turned away from Nicolas and hefted his side of the bones. He and Achelois began to move to the crevasse and the exit of the den.


    The carcass wasn¡¯t heavy it was just very fragile and awkward. It took most of William¡¯s concentration to keep the thing from falling apart. The two moved into the crevasse and out of the den. Once outside of the den the two moved a little faster. There was less maneuvering, and William had space. They still couldn¡¯t move as fast as he would have liked but they were walking at a good speed. He was walking backward, and he saw Nicolas walk out of the forest behind them. William saw that his tail was a little droopy and he had a sour expression on his face. William hid a smile by coughing. Aceso must have had another little talk with him. Nicolas joined them and walked alongside them. William made eye contact with him once. Nicolas shot daggers at him. William didn¡¯t want to press the hurt ego of the Scout, so he tried to ignore him, with varying degrees of success. When they got to the fake den entrance, William led them past the opening in the rocks. Around the back side of the rouse, he found a nice little depression in between some rocks with a good earth bed. William nodded to the spot and Achelois moved with him over to the spot. They dumped the bones into the slight bowl of earth. William bent down and with his claws, upturned the earth around the bones and fur. That effort alone was enough to almost bury the carcass. William stood up.


    He motioned with his head to some nice green boughs hanging low form the trees. ¡°Will you guys go grab some of those nice green, aromatic branches? We will use them to cover the scent of the carcass.¡±


    Nicolas looked at the trees and back at him. His tail was stiff and he had a look on his face as if to say, ¡®Are you really asking me to do that?¡¯


    ¡°I thought the whole point of bringing the leftovers out here was to create a better illusion that we are here instead of somewhere else,¡± Achelois said. She glanced down at the pit with the half-buried carcass. ¡°If we completely cover up our remains wouldn¡¯t that be defeating the whole purpose?¡±

 Book 3 Chapter 3d

    William looked down at his handy work and then back towards where they had come from. ¡°No, I guess you¡¯re right.¡± He turned his attention back to Achelois. ¡°Thank you for that. This does look like we tried to hide our traces, if we were inexperienced and didn¡¯t really know what we were doing.¡± He glanced over his shoulder at Nicolas. ¡°In some cases, that¡¯s true.¡±


    ¡°Just what the hell do you mean by that?¡± Nicolas almost yelled.


    William turned around and faced the shorter Scout. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean anything by it.¡± William took a step towards the blonde and in a controlled voice he said, ¡°I only meant to say that those grey werewolves are still out there and they don¡¯t know who we are or what our experience is.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit. You just insulted me because I haven¡¯t been camping as much as you have.¡± Nicolas bent closer to William. He seemed to realize how much noise he was making but he still wanted to make his point. In a much lower volume he almost hissed, ¡°Just because I¡¯m not like you and I didn¡¯t turn my back on my humanity and the people around me, doesn¡¯t make you any better than me, you got that,¡±


    William looked down at the shorter werewolf. Is that what this is all about? He thinks that I think that I am better than he is? William knew that he was better than Nicolas in many ways. He was a better fighter, better at survival in the wilderness. Looking down at the blonde he finally understood what Nicolas was so pissed off about. Unfortunately, William knew that nothing he said would sooth the hurt ego of this man either. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    Nicolas didn¡¯t move and held William¡¯s gaze as he said in exasperation. ¡°Oh please William, everyone in the City under the Mountain knows about you and how and where Aceso found you.¡± He poked William¡¯s chest with a single claw, hard. ¡°You are the closest thing to a celebrity that this place has seen for a very long time. You are the human born who survived his rebirth on his own and lived on his own in the wild for over a year.¡±


    William was a little confused. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    Nicolas turned to the side and walked a few steps before turning around and facing him once again. ¡°Did Ares teach you anything?¡± He shook his head and almost laughed. ¡°We human born don¡¯t survive rebirth on our own, as a general rule.¡± He flipped his claw into the air to emphasize his words.


    William glanced behind him to see that Achelois had moved off to the edge of the clearing. Her body and all her senses were faced outward toward the quiet night and the forest that surround them. Her tail was arched up in a proud manner and William couldn¡¯t help but think that this was her silent protest to the lesson that he had walked into from Nicolas.


    ¡°Most human born die if they aren¡¯t brought here first.¡± Nicolas was saying. ¡°But you,¡± he stuck a pointing claw at William¡¯s chest, ¡°not only did you survive your rebirth, you lived out in the middle of nowhere by yourself. What, you think that Aceso finding you out there was coincidence?¡± He shook his head as a chuckle shook his whole body. ¡°They were looking for you for months before they found you. They even had me try to dream about you so I could locate where you were.¡±


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    William scratched at his arm. ¡°How would you dreaming about me help to find me and how did anybody know about me at all?¡±


    Nicolas shook his head and sighed. ¡°You don¡¯t know anything do you?¡± He looked down at the ground at his feet. ¡°I am a Scout, William. Do you have any idea what that means? No, of course you don¡¯t. Well, let me explain it to you. I have the ability, or so they tell me, to see the future in my dreams.¡± He held up his hands in derision. ¡°As if. I have no idea what they¡¯re talking about. Sometimes in my dreams I see flashes of things that I have no idea what the hell they are, but I can¡¯t make any sense of them.¡± He sat down on a nearby rock, ¡°They tell me that that is normal and with practice I will be able to make some sense of it all but that bitch of a teacher of mine always told me that even the most powerful Scouts can¡¯t make heads nor tails of most of their visions either. She told me not to be too hard on myself for not understanding anything.¡± Nicolas shook his head once more and jumped up from his place on the rock. ¡°But we knew all about you and trying to find you took up most of my time here.¡± He took a step toward William. ¡°I don¡¯t like you, probably never will. Just keep your hands off me and I¡¯ll keep my hands off you. If we have to be in same pack together fine, but don¡¯t expect me to be happy about it.¡± Nicolas stalked off to join Achelois at the edge of the clearing.


    William watched as the two stood there facing away from him. What Nicolas had said was a little disturbing. They had known where he was, and they had sent Aceso to retrieve him? Nobody acted any different towards him as far as he could tell. Nicolas had attacked him. Ares beat him to a pulp. He had been threatened with the very real possibility of his death if he couldn¡¯t find a way to control himself. Oh, and he couldn¡¯t forget that a group of grey werewolves had been sent out into the woods to kill him. He sure as hell didn¡¯t feel special. On the other hand, he hadn¡¯t noticed it at the time but a lot of people in the City under the Mountain did seem to know him. Billy knew who he was. Acharya and his pack knew about him too. He had assumed that what Ares had told him was true and that with so few new shape shifters coming into the city it would be normal that everybody would know who the ¡®new guy¡¯ was. If Nicolas was pissed off because he didn¡¯t like his training, that was his own problem. William¡¯s training hadn¡¯t exactly been a walk in the park either.


    He walked over to where Achelois and Nicolas were standing. The two had their eyes locked on the surrounding forest.


    ¡°We should get moving,¡± William said.


    Achelois turned and looked at him. Nicolas kept staring out into the forest. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better to stay in one place?¡± Achelois asked.


    William looked around his surroundings. ¡°We¡¯ll cover more ground if we move.¡±


    Nicolas said without turning around, ¡°Yeah, but won¡¯t that leave this area empty.¡± Nicolas turned and stared at William. ¡°I thought we were supposed to sell the idea that this was our den. How do we do that if we¡¯re not here to protect it?¡±


    William couldn¡¯t find any fault with that line of logic. He nodded to the other two werewolves. ¡°Ok, we stay here but spread out. Keep each other in eyesight and don¡¯t fall asleep.¡± William moved off to stand around the area where he had half buried the dear carcass.


    ¡°Just who the hell put you in charge?¡± Nicolas almost yelled.


    William turned his head around to view Nicolas out of the corner of his eye. ¡°Nobody. But if you have a better idea, please tell us.¡±

 Book 3 Chapter 3e

    Nicolas growled low in his throat and turned away. He stalked to the far side of the clearing wading into the forest through some bushes. When he stopped, he was in the shadows of the trees around him but William could still see him. William moved off to the right of the fake den entrance. Achelois had moved out directly in front of the fake den. The three of them made a nice crescent shape on the very perimeter of the forest clearing.


    William found himself wishing that he could go to sleep. The large amount of venison that he had eaten with the rest of his pack was sitting happily in his gut and it made his whole body feel heavy. He just wanted to curl up and sleep. Several times he had to jump up from his spot in the trees and walk around a little bit. By getting his blood flowing that way it helped a little in keeping him awake. But as soon as he stopped moving that heavy feeling returned and it was a battle to keep his eyes open.


    He should have known better. Walking around was the best way to stay awake. Although he really couldn¡¯t argue with the other two, Nicolas did have a point. What good was this little ruse that Aceso and Charles had set up if someone came by and discovered that it was just a fake while they were all off patrolling somewhere? But at the same time being out here for hours on end right after eating just sitting and watching the night forest was boring and sleep inducing.


    He looked over at Achelois who seemed to have no problem staying awake. He could see her black, white, and tan fur blend in with the deep shadows of the night around her. She stood up straight and her head swiveled from side-to-side focused on the forest around her. He looked over to see Nicolas scratching at a thick tree. The blonde looked just as heavy and lethargic as he felt but as least, he hadn¡¯t just lay down and gone to sleep.


    William scratched the back of his neck hard. The sensation brought pain and a little bit of alertness back to his consciousness. He decided to start making small evolutions in his little area. At first, he had a hard time navigating the small bushes and pine needles of the forest floor. His mind was slow, and his reflexes were almost nonexistent. He knew that if he was attacked now, he wouldn¡¯t be able to put up much of a fight. Soon however, he started to see details of the forest around him again. The walking was helping him to regain some of his awareness. After a few small passes along his little track, he could move without making any sound. He smiled to himself. Now that he could safely move around, it was time to turn his attention back to the forest. His eyes were sore but they wouldn¡¯t close. He felt like he was on some kind of drug induced bender, unable to stop but unable to sleep as well. Time passed and eventually he heard the faint sounds of someone approaching.


    He was hopeful that it was Aceso and the rest of his watch team¡¯s relief, but he couldn¡¯t be sure. He dropped down in a crouch among the bushes of his designated patrol area. He watched the area where the sounds had come from. He could see Nicolas also ducking behind some trees, listening to the sounds. He spared a few seconds to glance at where Achelois had been. She was gone.


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    William shot his head up about four inches before he realized what he had done and lowered himself once more. Where did she go? He strained his ears to hear the sound of whoever was approaching while his head turned a full one hundred and eighty degrees to scan the forest for Achelois¡¯s form. He couldn¡¯t see her anywhere.


    The faint sound of their approaching visitors was getting louder. He started to move around the edge of the clearing. If this was the attack they had been waiting for, Nicolas was going to need some help. Nicolas may not like him but two werewolves fighting together was a lot better than both fighting alone.


    William tried to move faster around the perimeter of the clearing and the approaching sound was getting closer. He didn¡¯t want to give his position away and he was still searching for the missing Achelois.


    He hadn¡¯t made it even halfway between his watch position and where he had last seen Achelois before three werewolf forms materialized out of the shadows. Aceso¡¯s black fur with its white patch on her chest was leading the all-black form of Charles and the cream-colored Katherine. The three looked rested and in good spirits. Nicolas stood up and met the three of them on the outskirts of the clearing. William still did not see any sign of Achelois.


    William stood up as the four werewolves entered the clearing. He started walking toward them when he saw a dark shadow behind them. William kicked his way into the clearing through the small bushes that enshrouded his feet. He didn¡¯t have time to call out. The shadow moved into the gentle simulated starlight of the ceiling crystals. William stopped moving as the shadow became Achelois and she followed the rest of the group into the clearing.


    William took one last look around the forest. The woods were quiet at this time of night. His adrenaline enhanced senses were acutely aware of his surroundings. No fog of being tired clouded even the smallest part of him. He looked out into the forest. He strained his ears and took in deep breaths to smell the air around him. There was nothing. He could neither hear, nor smell, nor see anything out there. There was something that bothered him though. He turned his back on the forest. He knew that something was out there. You¡¯re just being paranoid. He looked at the group as they made their way to the center of the clearing. If Nicolas hadn¡¯t seen anything, and if Charles couldn¡¯t smell anything, then maybe there was nothing to worry about. He would have felt a lot better though if that weight in between his shoulder blades hadn¡¯t gotten suddenly heavier.


    He met the group in the middle of the clearing. The usual pleasantries were passed around. Aceso asked if anything had happened, all three of them told her that it had been quiet. In all honesty William just wanted to leave so he could go to sleep.


    Aceso dismissed the three of them and they hurried back to the den. They followed Williams¡¯ lead of doubling back on their trail and lopping around to make sure that no one was following them. William almost got sloppy and barely stopped himself from taking short cuts. He was so tired all he could think about was sleep. But the importance of keeping their den a secret was paramount to any amount of fatigue he might be feeling.


    William led them back to the den. He ran past the entrance. The weight in between his shoulder blades hadn¡¯t lessened at all, and he still felt like something was out there in the forest. When he was sure that it was just his imagination he looped back around and dove into the folded entryway of their den. He squeezed into the crevasse and in the deep dark of the den he collapsed into his area on the soft, warm, shredded wood and pine needle carpet and was instantly asleep.

 Book 3 Chapter 4a

    He was startled awake. He looked around, not knowing where he was. Slowly he recognized his surroundings. He was in the darkness of his den. He reached up behind him and felt the hard stone of the wall. He dug his claws into the thick coverings on the floor. The rich smell of cedar and pine was still thick in the air. He looked around and as his eyes adjusted to the darkness of the den, he saw the two forms of Achelois and Nicolas sleeping in their respective sections of the den.


    He tried to think, but thoughts came slowly. He shook his head from side-to-side to clear some of the mental cobwebs from his consciousness. What day is it? This was day three of their three-day test. The thought filled him with dread but elation as well. After today at least their wait would be over.


    He lay back down on the warm carpet with his claws folded behind his head. He stared at the black ceiling of the warm den. He tried to go back to sleep but sleep wouldn¡¯t come. He didn¡¯t feel tired, but he didn¡¯t feel wide awake either. It felt as if he had woken up from a dream that he couldn¡¯t remember but his mind was working furiously trying to. He closed his eyes but that didn¡¯t help induce sleep either. Why did I wake up? The thought was a nagging sensation in the back of his mind, like the buzzing of a stubborn insect that he couldn¡¯t kill but it wouldn¡¯t fly away either.


    He opened his eyes and propped himself up on his elbows looking around the deep darkness of the den. Nicolas and Achelois were still asleep. Their even breathing was reassuring, and he laid back down listening to the calm of the other two werewolves. He closed his eyes and tried to match his breathing with theirs. He tried to relax and focus all of his attention on the blissful emptiness of sleep. But sleep remained outside of his reach.


    He tried for long minutes to recapture the rest that had been stolen from him, but nothing he tried seemed to work. In frustration he shot his eye lids open and sat up. He hated when he was woken up and couldn¡¯t go back to sleep. He stopped and considered the thought. Why do I feel like I¡¯ve been woken up? No one else was awake in the den. He couldn¡¯t hear any sounds except the deep relaxed breathing of the other two werewolves. So why did he feel that way?


    That line of thinking seemed to trigger something else in his mind. The unremembered dream coalesced into a blob of dark feelings. He studied the knot of feelings but couldn¡¯t make any sense of them. The image of a suddenly approaching dark storm formed in his mind. He had seen storms like that many times in his forest. He knew that when the storm head reached him, he would be drenched by the heavy down pour in seconds. At those times he had always had to seek the shelter of his burrow. Now however, he wasn¡¯t sure what to do. The buzzing in the back of his mind grew more insistent though with each passing second.


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    William made a choice and if the others have a problem with it than let that be just one more grievance they have with him. He smiled ruefully to himself. Besides, if he couldn¡¯t get any sleep why should anyone else get to?


    He went over to Achelois and nudged her in her lower leg with his foot. Her eyes shot open and she nearly jumped up to a full attack posture. He noticed that her tail was arched up behind her proudly stiff. She was in full attack mode. Without knowing he had done it he found that he had backed away a few steps and now held his hands in the air in a defensive gesture.


    Achelois took a few seconds to recognize what had just happened. She looked at William from head to toe and seemed to relax visibly. She looked around the den. William saw her look over at the still sleeping form of Nicolas. She focused on William. ¡°What is it?¡±


    William scratched at his head. He didn¡¯t know what to tell her. The idea that he had woke her up just because he couldn¡¯t go back to sleep was worse than stupid. He just didn¡¯t feel right. Of course, that could be caused by the deer he had eaten yesterday too. The buzzing in his head was almost an ache now.


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel right.¡± William looked down at his feet.


    Achelois stood still her tail had lowered but it was still arched high in the air. ¡°What do you mean, you don¡¯t feel right?¡± Her voice was cold but it carried with it an undertone of concern.


    William looked up and made eye contact with her. He could make out her features in the deep dark of the den but her eyes seemed to radiate their own light. He stared into the deep gold of her eyes and said the first thing that came to mind. ¡°I have a bad feeling about something. I don¡¯t know what it is or why, but something isn¡¯t right.¡± Hearing his own hushed words in the dark cemented the idea in his head. He had been woken up. Something was wrong and it was up to him to do something about it.


    Achelois nodded. She turned toward the form of Nicholas who was still sleeping in the darkness. ¡°You had better wake him up. All three of us should go and see what it is that is bothering you.¡±


    William stepped over to Nicholas. He still wasn¡¯t sure about this whole thing, but Achelois didn¡¯t question why he had this feeling. If she didn¡¯t think he was crazy than he didn¡¯t feel too bad about waking up the blonde. Like with Achelois he gently nudged Nicolas in the lower leg with his foot. He stirred but didn¡¯t wake up. Looking down with disappointment on his face he kicked him a little harder. Nicolas responded by rolling over onto his side. William didn¡¯t want to hurt him but he needed for him to wake up, now. He put his hands on his hips and looked down at the sleeping werewolf. He saw Nicolas¡¯ tail sticking out behind him. He placed his foot on the appendage and applied ever increasing weight to the tail. Nicolas stirred awake. When his eyes opened the pain seemed to catch up with him, he yelped out into the darkness and swung his arms at William who jumped out of the way of the attack.


    ¡°What the hell do you want?¡± It was not exactly a yell but it was close.

 Book 3 Chapter 4b

    ¡°We need to go.¡± It was Achelois who had spoken. She stepped up besides William and was looking down at the dark form of Nicolas. ¡°You have slept long enough anyway.¡± She turned her head to look at William. ¡°Lead the way.¡±


    William glanced down to see that Nicolas was in fact starting to get up. He never seemed to argue with Achelois. He didn¡¯t have time to wonder about that. All he knew was that the feeling in the back of his head had reached a full headache now and he had to do something about it. Without a second glance down at Nicolas he moved through the crevasse and out the through the folded entry way of their den.


    The ceiling crystals in the underground cavern still carried the illumination of the night sky. He hadn¡¯t slept for long at all. He felt no fatigue and the feeling in his head was growing worse by the moment. He had never had a migraine, but he was pretty sure that this is what it would feel like. He tried closing his eyes against the pain but that didn¡¯t seem to help. He found himself squinting his eye lids against the pain that was now throbbing in his head. He looked back with one eye as Achelois and Nicolas emerged from the den. He had no idea where to go or why. He chose to go in the only direction that made any sense. He headed straight for the fake den entrance where he had last seen Aceso and the others.


    The pain in his head wasn¡¯t debilitating and as soon as he began to move the pain subsided into something much more manageable. His senses were unclouded and he ran at the edge of the other two¡¯s limits. He was on all fours and Achelois and Nicolas were running at his heels. He wanted to move faster but he knew that his companions wouldn¡¯t be able to keep up.


    William made only slight adjustments to his path. He didn¡¯t have time to cut back or zigzag. He knew that he had to get to the fake den. It seemed very important to him and he wondered why he hadn¡¯t felt this back in the den. He couldn¡¯t help himself and forced himself to run faster, slowly outpacing his companions.


    He stopped as he recognized the outskirts of the clearing around the fake den. He waited for the other two to catch up. He studied the surrounding area.


    Three of his pack mates were standing in a loose knot in the middle of the clearing. He could see Charles and Aceso facing away from him with Katherine facing towards him. They were being circled by the same three grey werewolves that had attacked Katherine and Charles yesterday afternoon. They didn¡¯t seem to notice that William had arrived. Without waiting for Achelois and Nicolas he charged into the clearing, determined to tackle the nearest grey werewolf.


    The grey sidestepped and twisted his body at the last-minute shrugging off William¡¯s tackle attempt. The other two greys were startled by the sudden newcomer. William launched himself off the ground and flew into a barrage of punches and kicks at the grey. He didn¡¯t have time to look but he could hear that his three pack mates were following his lead and had begun attacking the other two greys.


    William focused all his attention on the grey that was in front of him. This one was of an equal height with William, and he seemed to be absorbing the blows that William was dishing out. William tried at grabbing the other werewolf only to have his wrist bent backwards toward his elbow and his arm wrenched high in the air. William was able to twist out of the counter move but he knew that some damage had been done. His entire arm felt numb. William backed away a few steps and circled his opponent slowly, all the while trying to rework feeling into his hurt and almost useless right arm.


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    The grey didn¡¯t give William any more time to recover. He lunged at William¡¯s legs with a sweep that would have knocked William to the ground if he hadn¡¯t narrowly avoided the attack with a jump backwards. The grey didn¡¯t stop and fluidly threw his elbows out behind him blindly at William. One of the elbows connected with his blocking right arm sending another wave of pain through it. William was able to duck under the next elbow attack and ram his shoulder into the grey¡¯s back. The grey stumbled forward a few steps before turning around. The two circled each other again. William tried to ease the growing discomfort in his right arm.


    Keeping his concentration on the grey, William let his ears tell him about what was going on around him. He caught a glimpse of Nicolas fighting someone that he couldn¡¯t quite see. That would mean that Achelois had arrived too. William heard way too much fighting and it didn¡¯t make any sense to him. He knew there had only been three grey werewolves attacking Aceso, Katherine, and Charles when he first got here, so who else had joined in the fight?


    The grey attacked again. This one fought with tenacity and a viciousness that William had not expected. It was all he could do to counter and move away from the more devastating blows. William threw himself back onto the ground as the grey tried to tackle William to the ground. While he did so he shoved his hind legs up into the grey¡¯s exposed abdomen. He used the momentum from the counter to grab the grey and hurl him into the air over and behind him. William rolled onto his stomach to watch the grey land hard on his back.


    William pushed himself to a standing position and began running in a full sprint. He raised his leg and connected with the grey¡¯s side. He heard a very satisfying crunch and the grey curled around himself on the ground. William didn¡¯t have time to celebrate as an unseen claw raked at his side leaving a painful gash along his abdomen reaching almost around to his back. William stumbled backwards looking at who had attacked him.


    William saw a light black calico werewolf covered in white splotches facing him. Its claws were red with the blood that had been drawn from his flesh. The calico werewolf didn¡¯t press the attack but instead choose to stand there and let William make the next move.


    William took the opportunity to look around at what was going on. What he saw was chaos. Aceso was being double teamed near the edge of the forest, but she was holding her own. He glanced over to see Nicolas take a massive punch across his face. Somehow the blonde was able to remain standing though. Katherine was fighting and he saw her connect a kick to her opponent¡¯s midsection. Achelois was also dealing with her opponent. Charles was also being flanked by two attackers, but he wasn¡¯t faring as well as Aceso, he was being herded toward the entrance of the fake den.


    William knew that Charles was in trouble and if he didn¡¯t act fast his two attackers would have him boxed in with his back against the wall. Aceso and the others looked ok but Charles was in danger. He wasn¡¯t even sure if Charles knew how much danger he was in. He looked to be focusing all of his attention on the grey and the light brown werewolves that were attacking him. It didn¡¯t seem like he had spared even a slight glance to see where he was on the battlefield or where he was being forced to.

 Book 3 Chapter 4c

    William locked eyes with his new attacker. The calico stood there relaxed but ready. William was reminded of how Ares would stand that way in a relaxed ready battle posture. William was sure that this werewolf was ready to attack in a split second if need be. William tried moving to intercept Charles and his attackers, the calico side stepped away from the hurt grey into William¡¯s path. William didn¡¯t know what he was doing but he had to get to Charles before it was too late.


    He sprinted towards the waiting calico. The werewolf didn¡¯t seem to be surprised at all. He seemed to relax even more into a comfortable standing position. William couldn¡¯t help a small smile from forming across his face. ¡®William what are you doing?¡¯ he screamed at himself. He didn¡¯t even acknowledge the idiotic question. William watched as the calico relaxed his claws opening them at his sides as William closed the distance in seconds. Throwing caution to the wind a few feet away from the calico William dug into the soft earth beneath him and launched himself into the air. William flattened his body in midair and cleared the seven-foot werewolf. He felt free and he looked up to see Charles kick at one of his attackers. He still didn¡¯t know if Charles saw the danger he was in, but in seconds he would be there to help his friend. He threw his hands out in front of him to help cushion the blow as he prepared to roll off the landing. He crashed to the ground in a resounding thud that jarred his brain and jaw.


    It was only after the earth stopped moving that he felt the grip of pressure on his left hind leg. He looked under himself to see the calico holding his left leg. Before William could try to twist out of the hold, he felt a horrible wrenching on his knee and hip. It was all he could do to flip over to relieve the pressure of the twisting claw of the calico. The pain eased but only momentarily.


    As soon as he was on his back the pressure seemed to double as his leg exploded in pain. The twisting of his leg made his knee feel like it was going to rupture. William couldn¡¯t focus on anything else other than the pain and in a blind panic he lashed out with his other leg. His arms were barely functioning to hold his head and back off the ground and his right leg did connect a glancing blow with his assailant¡¯s arms. The calico looked up at him and wrenched down even harder on his leg.


    The pain made everything slow down. He couldn¡¯t think about anything except how much it hurt. If this had been one of those octagon fights he would have tapped out a long time ago. He was dimly aware that no matter how much pain he endured there always seemed to be some way that the calico could increase that pain. William was writhing on the ground. He wanted the pain to stop. He kicked with his other leg but there was no real force behind it. His mind was filled with only thought of his leg and knee. He just wondered why hadn¡¯t his leg been snapped in half?


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    Then the pressure was gone. He looked up to see Katherine landing a barrage of blows and kicks to the calico¡¯s sides and back. William didn¡¯t know how she had been able to drive off her attacker, but he didn¡¯t have time to think about it. He stood up and flexed the muscles of his sore leg. It wasn¡¯t good. He tried to place his weight on it. His knee groaned in pain but it held. He wouldn¡¯t be able to do any wind sprints anytime soon but for now at least he could stand.


    Katherine kept up her attack on the calico. William tried to walk but he lurched forward with the worst limp he had ever had. Still, he didn¡¯t have the luxury of sitting out the rest of the fight. If the calico could do this to him, what could he do to Katherine?


    William lurched forward another step hoping that Katherine had gotten some of her punches through and had done some damage. While William was still trying to close the distance between himself and the two fighters, he watched as Katherine threw a gut punch at the calico. The calico caught her fist and spun around, wrenching her wrist and arm in the process. Katherine let out a bark as her arm was twisted back into itself. William winced at the maneuver as he threw himself forward into a dive. He had to do something.


    In midair, he threw out his fists in front of him and managed to connect with the calico¡¯s chest. The sheer weight of William¡¯s body was enough to break the hold that he had put on Katherine. William landed hard and was slow pushing himself off the earth. His was lightheaded, and his breathing was ragged. He looked down to see his perfectly fine-looking leg that was almost completely useless. He pushed himself up and swung his good right leg underneath him. Katherine was rubbing her wrist and watching the calico. William staggered to a standing position besides her. The calico seemed to be perfectly fine. He wasn¡¯t even breathing hard. If anything to William it looked like he was enjoying himself.


    The calico sidestepped toward Katherine and before William could do anything he felt three concussive blows to his chest and stomach. His leg gave way and he fell to a knee, holding himself trying to force air back into his lungs. He looked up and saw Katherine. The calico wasn¡¯t moving. He stood there as if he were daring Katherine to move. William forced air into his lungs and put a claw down to help raise himself off the ground. Katherine spared the smallest glance towards William then knelt and thrust her claw into the ground. Katherine¡¯s eyes fluttered as William saw her form diminish just a little.


    The ground split open causing a rift that shot out from Katherine towards the calico-colored werewolf. With the earsplitting roar of the earth tearing itself apart, fire and magma shot out of the ground in a spray of fire and molten rock. William knelt there wide eyed as he watched the calico leap into the air away from the shooting lava and fire. He did a backwards summersault away from the intense heat. As soon as he landed, the rift in the earth closed, leaving slowly cooling magma and lava and small fires along the scar in the ground. William looked over at Katherine who had a smile on her face. That smile softened her features and it gave her a very weary and tired look.

 Book 3 Chapter 4d

    The calico patted out a small flame that had attached itself to his arm. He looked up at Katherine and nodded. He worked on brushing off all the dead fur from his body. The fire and heat from the sudden small lava eruption seemed to have had very little effect on the calico other than giving him a free molting job. The calico bent over to scrape the dead fur from his singed legs.


    William helped Katherine back to her feet. William was still weak, and his leg was rubber but at least he was on his feet again. William watched as the calico reached around himself to grab at his still smoking tail. The calico worked the fur of his tail removing the singed parts and damping out the small patch that was still smoking. To William it seemed almost comical, and he took the spare few seconds to look around the battlefield.


    Nicolas was still locked in combat with his opponent. It surprised William that he was still on his feet. He had crumbled so easily to him and Aceso and Katherine, but here in the forest with a real opponent he was fighting back. He wouldn¡¯t last much longer, the light brown werewolf that he was fighting would soon have him on the ground. Nicolas was taking too many hits and he wasn¡¯t landing any of his own. If he was in better shape he would have helped. But there wasn¡¯t enough time.


    He looked over to see that Charles was still in danger of being pinned against the wall, but he was fighting like a corned fox. He lashed out with wild abandon. The danger to his attackers was not lost on them and they didn¡¯t seem to be pressing him any further. William wondered how long Charles could keep up those frenzied attacks.


    Aceso only had one opponent. He looked around to see one of the greys that had been attacking her on the ground. He smiled as he felt her strength flow through him. It didn¡¯t do anything for the pain in his leg, but he felt like they actually had a chance. If Aceso could finish her opponent and get to Charles, then maybe they would come out of this ok.


    He couldn¡¯t find Achelois. Before he had time to really look around, he was shoved off to the side. He fell hard as he looked up to see what had happened. Katherine was locked with the calico. William pounded the ground in anger at himself. He took too long looking around and not paying attention to what was in front of him.


    As he raised himself to his feet, he saw that the calico was driving Katherine at will. Katherine wasn¡¯t attacking, she was in a total defensive posture. William put pressure on his sore leg and the leg held, barely. He was amazed he could stand, but now he forced his body to move. Placing a foot in front of him he balanced himself as he transferred the weight from his good leg to his bed leg. He moved his other leg forward. The limp was just as bad as it was minutes ago, maybe worse.


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    Katherine was being pushed to the outskirts of the clearing. William seemed to know that in the confined spaces of the trees the calico would have the advantage. Otherwise, why would he be pushing her there? William tried to move faster but his knee buckled, and he nearly fell to the ground. He contented himself to move at a slow plodding pace. He felt next to useless, but he knew that if he left Katherine the calico would dispatch her eventually. Not that he was going to be much help in any case.


    He made his way across the battlefield. He could hear what was going on around him but he didn¡¯t spare an ounce of his concentration to look around. His whole body and mind were bent on moving toward the calico and Katherine. Katherine was hesitant to attack. She was blocking admirably, even so a lot of hits were landing, and he saw her move slower and slower. He had to admire the calico for his skill. It seemed that his attacks were designed to wear her down. He never tried to go for a knockout punch to her face, nor did he try to sweep her legs out from under her. He was jabbing at her exposed solar plexus and using quick kicks to her thighs and quad muscles. Katherine was moving slower with every strike and it seemed like she was having a hard time concentrating, or breathing. William understood that the attacks were meant to decapacitate her, not to knock her out.


    William lurched closer to the fighting pair. If Katherine could hold her ground for a few seconds William could have a chance to close the distance between them. As William was moving, he saw the calico land a devastating forward kick to her abdomen. Katherine was shoved back and then doubled over and fell to the ground. William didn¡¯t have a choice. Gathering the remnants of his strength, he launched himself into the air. The calico hadn¡¯t turned around and William raised both of his arms. He grabbed and hung onto the calico¡¯s shoulders. His legs hung limply underneath him, but he didn¡¯t give the fighter a chance to throw him off. He spread his claws and let his body slip from the shoulders of the other. While he let gravity do the job of pulling him to the ground, he raked his claws down the calicos back leaving behind long, wide red gashes as proof of his passage.


    The calico let out a subdued grunt and with a speed that surprised William, he whipped his body around. The movement threw William clear, and he landed with a hard thud on the ground. The gashes that were still present on his side seemed to absorb about a pound and a half of dirt and rocks and the barely felt pain from the adrenaline of the fight erupted into debilitating agony. William couldn¡¯t do anything for the moment except hold his wound and writhe around on the ground. In his haze he felt, more than saw, the calico approach him. He held out a small hope that Katherine was in better shape than he feared.


    The calico stopped at William¡¯s head and looked down. William willed himself to stop moving. Through the pain he saw the calico begin to reach down. He felt a deep vibration as he was pressed downward. The calico lost his balance and fell backward in slow motion. William felt the ground vibrate and shake and heave under him. Through the vibrations that he felt, he could focus on Aceso across the battlefield. She was moving with amazing speed toward Charles, who was still too close to the fake den. He didn¡¯t see her disturbed at all by the sudden earthquake that was vibrating his body so painfully now.

 Book 3 Chapter 4e

    He looked down to see Katherine. She had propped herself on one knee and was breathing heavily. Her head was down but he could see her chest move in deep slow breaths. She didn¡¯t seem to be experiencing the massive earthquake either. William could only hold on to his side and let the earth have its way with him. He didn¡¯t even care about the calico at this point. The jarring of the earth seemed to force the debris that had lodged itself into his wounds farther into the gash in his sides. William closed his eyes and held on.


    As suddenly as it had begun, the earthquake stopped. William opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was Katherine who had collapsed on her side. William felt fire in his wound and every breath seemed to add fuel to that fire. But he had to get to Katherine. The thought rose unbidden to his mind and with the pain dulling the rest of his senses he clung to that thought like a drowning person clings to a life ring. He made his legs move and he rolled over onto his uninjured side. He pushed his good leg and propped himself up on his elbows. The movement only caused more pain but the more pain he endured it seemed the less he felt. He didn¡¯t mind that the earth and rock around him were tearing into his fur. The only thing he felt was the pain of his side wound and his wrecked leg. His only thought at the moment was to get to Katherine. Nothing else registered to him and didn¡¯t seem to matter.


    His progress was that of an ant. Every muscle movement sent new waves of pain through his body. He wasn¡¯t sure what getting to Katherine would accomplish. But that was the only thing his brain was telling him to do. His bad leg seemed to ride every bump and scrape across every rock on the ground sending fresh sensations through his body. He knew that he couldn¡¯t take much more of this. Trying to get to Katherine was going to make him black out. But he wasn¡¯t going to just lie there either.


    He closed his eyes as he pushed himself across some jagged rocks. His wound screamed at him. His body was panting and his breathing was getting shallower and shallower as he moved closer to Katherine. He was going to pass out either from the pain or hyperventilation.


    He kept expecting the calico to pick him up, or kick him, or do something to prevent him from completing his trek. He didn¡¯t want to look anywhere else though. Every inch brought him closer to Katherine¡¯s unconscious body and that was where his entire focus was at the moment. Just a little farther. The thought was comical to him. How long was just a little farther? It could take him days to reach Katherine at this speed. She was breathing, he could see that, and she was getting closer. The single thought echoed in his head driving him forward, however long it took, he would reach her.


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    In front of his field of vision a grey werewolf appeared. Actually, it was the grey fur of the legs of a grey werewolf that appeared in front of him. He didn¡¯t have any time to react and wasn¡¯t sure that he could have even if he had wanted to. He felt himself surge upward as he was grabbed by his arms and pulled up to a standing position. The sudden stretching of his abdomen forced his wound to open farther and caused him to grunt in pain.


    The grey that had lifted him up was looking at him. He supported a good deal of William¡¯s weight and William felt suspended. The grey cocked his head to the side. William heard someone scream. The sound was alien to him. It seemed like it was very far away. He wanted to look around but he couldn¡¯t make his neck force his head to move. William looked down to see the grey pull back one of his claws that was covered in deep red. William was amazed that the grey¡¯s fur could have gotten that red. His mind was drifting, and he couldn¡¯t feel his body anymore. The pressure from the grey¡¯s grip was almost nonexistent. He felt like he was on some kind of really powerful pain killers. He couldn¡¯t feel anything that was going on around him. His eyesight told him that the grey¡¯s claw was covered in his blood, but he couldn¡¯t make sense of that thought.


    Where did all that blood come from?


    The grey reached back and seemed to shoot his arm forward once again. William heard that far away scream and his eyes closed on their own. With no sense to tie him to what was going on around him, he felt himself begin to slip away. The darkness was so tempting, in its promise of rest. To just lie down and sleep would have felt so good.


    But it would also mean death and more pain to those around him.


    William forced himself back up through the blackness of unconsciousness. White light flooded his awareness and he felt pain erupt in his side once more. He looked up to see the grey werewolf still holding him and still plunging his fist into William¡¯s side, collecting more blood with each strike.


    William placed weight on his leg and found that there was a small amount of awkward strength there. He wouldn¡¯t be able to sprint but the leg wasn¡¯t a rubber band any more. Groggily William reached up with his right hand to steady himself on the arms of the grey that was holding him up after another punch landed, forcing the air out of his lungs. His mind was still foggy, and he felt woozy. He couldn¡¯t move very fast, and every movement of his muscles was a trial.


    The grey punched at him again and William let out a howl of pain. The howl seemed to clear his mind and release some of the restriction in his body. Before the grey could reach back again for another punch, William grabbed at the others claw. The grey whipped his arm out of reach and William used the sudden change in motion to push his body forward into the arm that was holding him up. The grey staggered back under the added weight. William swung his arm up and broke the hold. Placing more weight than he probably should have on his bad leg he shoved both of his fists into the exposed abdomen of the grey.

 Book 3 Chapter 4f

    William was shocked at how much push he got from his damaged leg and the grey doubled over with the concussive force of the double punch. William didn¡¯t stop to admire his handy work. He threw his left arm around the grey¡¯s neck and letting his body weight do the work he wrenched the grey onto the ground. William, maintaining the grip on the werewolf¡¯s neck, began to punch at the grey¡¯s face.


    The way that William fell to the ground with the grey, left his right arm free to attack, however it also put his side wound on the ground. Every movement from his body sent fresh waves of almost debilitating pain through his body. Werewolves have great healing abilities, but he hadn¡¯t given his body a rest and his side seemed to be a constant target.


    The grey seemed to sense his weakness and began to direct his counterattacks and protests toward the open gashes along William¡¯s side. His left arm holding the grey in the head lock was becoming more useless as the nerves along his left side sympathized with his wound. His left arm was going numb. In a panic, William grabbed the numbing appendage and wrenched back on the grey¡¯s neck. His left arm felt a small amount of pressure as William struggled to get more leverage on the grey¡¯s neck to close the werewolf¡¯s windpipe.


    The grey struggled and tried to get an arm around the sudden vise grip which was being clamped down on his neck. The grey dipped his chin as best he could, and William could feel the grey¡¯s breathing slow down and become deep, even, and deliberate breaths. William tried to get more pressure on the other¡¯s neck. The grey was grinning up at William as he continued to breathe.


    William tried to wrench down harder, to close the airway. But he couldn¡¯t get the leverage that he needed to fight against the corded muscles of the grey¡¯s neck. William pulled at his now useless left arm struggling with the grey. The grey knew that William was losing more and more strength as his blood flowed from his wound. The grey put more of a steady pressure against William¡¯s arm. It was the hardest thing he could remember doing to just keep a grip on the grey. William was yanked up and away from the grey. One moment he was on the ground with the grey in a weakening headlock and the next he was standing upright while his body threatened to over balance and fall over.


    William steadied himself and looked around the see who it was that had pulled him to his feet. It was the black and white calico. William tried to steady himself and prepare for the next assault, but it never came. The calico turned around and pulled the grey to his feet. William teetered softly on his weak legs as the two werewolves walked away.


    William was confused and he had half a mind to follow them but he knew that in his condition the fight had already been decided against him. He turned around a little too quickly and almost fell as the world shifted beneath his feet. It took a long moment for the world to stop swaying underneath him. William blinked hard to try to regain his balance. He looked to where Katherine had fallen. He took an unbalanced step and nearly fell over. Katherine was being lifted to her feet by Aceso and Charles.


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    William shook his head to clear the cobwebs and to focus. It didn¡¯t help. All it did was make the world rotate again and he found himself off balance. It was all he could do to remain standing. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Feeling the ground under him and the blood flowing from his wound he tried to focus on balance. When he was sure that the earth had stopped moving, he opened his eyes.


    Katherine was being supported by Charles. He looked around and surveyed the battlefield. The question that rang in his mind was why did the greys and those other werewolves attack us? His mind was sluggish to respond with any kind of hypothesis. It was enough to try to understand the scene around him. Aceso was helping Nicolas who was still on the ground and apparently still unconscious. Katherine, supported by Charles was making their way toward the center of the clearing. He looked around but he still couldn¡¯t see Achelois anywhere.


    William turned around. He was mindful of his injury and his claw was pressed against his side trying to stem the bleeding. His tail was upright behind him adding more balance to his off-kilter stance. The greys were standing off to the side of the clearing, not talking, and not attacking either. William noticed that same reddish-brown werewolf that he had seen last night when Charles and Katherine had been attacked. She was standing behind the greys, overlooking the battlefield.


    Had something happened that he wasn¡¯t aware of? He saw that the black and white calico was standing among a group of five werewolves. Two of which had grey fur. One of those had a white spiral design on her side. The other two were light brown. William seemed to know that they were a pack but where was the sixth? For that matter where was Achelois?


    William turned his gaze toward the forest surrounding the clearing. He couldn¡¯t hear anything. He scanned the trees and the underbrush. He saw a broken shrub lying on its side. If Achelois was out there, that is the way she must have gone. Before William could move toward the sign, he felt a sharp pain in his side. He whipped around and would have fallen over if it wasn¡¯t for Aceso who had grabbed his flailing arm to steady him. Aceso stood there gripping William¡¯s wrist until he had himself under control again. William looked down where the pain had sprung up and saw to his amazement that his wound was already beginning to close. William looked at Aceso. She let go of his wrist and motioned with her eyes toward the center of the clearing. William understood what she was trying to say.


    ¡°Where is Achelois?¡±


    Aceso looked out into the forest toward the broken shrub. ¡°She will be brought back here in a few moments.¡± She motioned with her head back to center of the clearing where Katherine and Nicolas were resting with Charles standing off to the side.

 Book 3 Chapter 4g

    William was hesitant to just leave Achelois behind. But Aceso gripped his shoulder and moved him back toward the center of the clearing. William still felt weak but at least his wound was healing. It was such an odd sensation, feeling that itching of mending muscle and tissue sped up to what it was doing now. It was hot and he would almost describe it as painful but the thought of his body healing itself seemed to sooth the idea of pain and all that was left was a very warm itchy feeling that he wished he could scratch at. But something told him that if he scratched at that itch the way he wanted to then he would just rip open the rapidly closing wound again. His steps were focused and slow. The world still rocked back and forth but instead of it being an earthquake, the earth moved more like a ship out on open water on a windy day.


    William made his way to the center of the clearing. He tried to stand with Charles. Aceso, however, forced him to sit down on the ground. William tried not to show how grateful he was for the rest. He looked around trying to get a hint of Achelois¡¯s whereabouts. He inhaled and caught the slightest trace of her scent. He knew that that trace could have been left behind from when she was here.


    Moments later, Achelois was being escorted back into the clearing by a brown werewolf who had long streaks of blonde fur running along his sides. Achelois appeared to be unhurt as did the brown striped werewolf. He found himself wondering who had won their little confrontation.


    Achelois made her way toward the rest of the pack. She stood off to the side with Charles. It had been very casual, but William knew that Achelois was demonstrating her distaste for Aceso by placing herself as far away from her as possible while still managing to remain with the pack. William shook his head and let his gaze shift to the striped werewolf who was making his way back toward what he assumed was his pack. Will Achelois and Aceso ever rectify their differences? William knew that it was going to be a long hard road for Aceso to prove herself and regain her worth in the eyes of her fellow wolf born.


    William watched as the striped werewolf rejoined his pack. The reddish-brown female stepped in front of the grey¡¯s and made her way toward them. She stopped halfway between the two groups. William felt that odd sense that he knew who this werewolf was, but he didn¡¯t recognize her scent. He studied her face and fur color, but he was unable to place where he knew her from.


    The reddish-brown female stood still for a moment. She made eye contact with every member of her pack. She seemed to hold his gaze longer than she did for all the rest of his pack mates. The stare was cold and calculating but not unkind.


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    ¡°William? Would you have continued to fight until you passed out from blood loss?¡±


    William cocked his head to the side. That was an odd question, and he wasn¡¯t sure if he should try to answer or not. He hesitated for a few moments trying to form an appropriate answer.


    The female turned her attention to the all-black werewolf standing behind him. ¡°Charles, you fought with a vicious tenacity that I would have expected from a rabid jackal or a fox. It does not become us to lose ourselves in the viciousness inherent in our kind. We must always be controlled, vicious when needed¡­ but controlled, over who we are over our emotions, must always come first.¡± She glanced at the rest of the pack. ¡°We can¡¯t lose ourselves in our emotions. While one of the most dangerous animals is a cornered fox or a jackal, they are not known for their intelligence when they are like that, they can be and often are, out maneuvered. We must not let our emotions rule us. If that happens, we become instinctive, reactive, unthinking. That is never acceptable.¡±


    William looked up behind him and saw Charles almost wilt under the words. He looked down at the ground, his shoulders slumped. William felt real pain for his friend. Charles shook himself and looked up at the reddish-brown female. He raised himself up to his full height and looked evenly at her. William whipped his head back around toward the reddish-brown werewolf and he thought he saw the slightest smile touch her lips. It was gone instantly as she shifted her attention. It had happened so fast William wondered if the smile had been there at all.


    ¡°Nicolas, I expected more from you, much, much more.¡±


    William looked over at the blonde werewolf. He didn¡¯t meet the gaze of the female. He was looking down at the ground in between his knees as he hugged his legs to his chest. William couldn¡¯t see any visible emotions. Nicolas wasn¡¯t crying but William knew that he was trying to hide something from everyone else. The thing that was a blaring sign pointing to that fact was simply Nicolas not saying anything. He hadn¡¯t made any sarcastic remark, no quip, or witty come back, he just sat there taking in what the reddish-brown werewolf had said, and that was a first for Nicolas.


    ¡°Achelois,¡± the female said. William looked up as she paused to gaze at the white, black, and tan werewolf standing behind him. ¡°I expected different from a wolf born.¡± She stared hard at Achelois. ¡°You abandoned your pack.¡± She raised a claw in silence as she heard Achelois begin to protest. ¡°You abandoned your pack. I don¡¯t care that it was an honest mistake. You allowed yourself to be lead away in the heat of a battle situation. That is unacceptable.¡± She lowered her arm slowly back down to her side. ¡°Our strength comes from the pack. We must always be aware of our environment and what is happening around us.¡±


    It was strange to William; even though the reddish-brown werewolf hadn¡¯t shifted her attention away from Achelois there was something in her tone or subtle body language that he couldn¡¯t be one hundred percent sure of, but he knew that the female was talking to all of them. He wondered if the rest of his pack mates had picked up on that. Did she know that they were not a true pack? The question hung in his mind.

 Book 3 Chapter 4h

    The female let her eyes fall from Achelois to Katherine who still looked rough from her ordeal. ¡°Now you understand the limitations that we stressed so vehemently during your training.¡± Katherine looked up but before she could nod in embarrassed agreement the female interrupted. ¡°What good are you to your pack if you are passed out on the ground?¡± Katherine met the gaze of the female. ¡°Your connection with the earth is exceptional as your teacher has reported, but you still adhere to the weakness of all sages. What you did was remarkable, yes. But then you passed out and Efraim removed himself from your little stunt moments later. What did you accomplish?¡± Katherine remained stone still, meeting her gaze but not speaking or even attempting to move. ¡°As sages we must always guard against pushing ourselves up against our limits. What we ask of the Earth comes directly from us. We give of our own lifeforce, and strength. Once our strength is gone, we are spent and become useless to the rest of our pack. The question you have to always ask yourself, is my ability going to be an asset or a liability?¡± Katherine remained still. She didn¡¯t look away from the female. She sat there taking in everything that was said. William was familiar with the profile. Her set shoulders and her stiff neck told William everything he needed to know about how she was responding to the lecture.


    The female shifted her attention to Aceso who was standing over William¡¯s left shoulder. She stared at her. William wanted to look up to see how Aceso was handling that look, but he couldn¡¯t seem to make his head move.


    ¡°The pack alpha,¡± the female said the words slowly as if she had to pull them out of her own mouth. The female didn¡¯t try to hide her emotions as she said it. William couldn¡¯t read her face. There was something there but to his eyes it wasn¡¯t disgust or anything distasteful but something about the way her face moved told William there was something that the female didn¡¯t like about having to say those words. ¡°You need to be better than that.¡± William watched as the female seemed to choose her words more carefully than she had with the rest of them. ¡°You allowed yourself to be cornered and cut off from your pack mates. This is not what you did wrong. When you were free you ran to help Charles.¡± She glanced down toward William and Katherine. Then shot daggers from her eyes as she raised her gaze once more to Aceso. ¡°What you should have done was take a few extra seconds to assess the situation. You would have seen that William was injured and Katherine was no match for her opponent.¡± The reddish-brown female without moving seemed to take two or three steps closer to the rest of the pack. The effect was intimidating and awe inspiring all at the same time. ¡°You, as alpha, have a responsibility to this pack. Without them you are nothing. If you want to wear that mantle you have to be more focused on the whole, not just the one nearest to you at the time.¡± Aceso made no motion or noise behind him. William was still unsure if he should glance up behind him. He knew how strong Aceso was. He was sure that she could handle it. He didn¡¯t hear even the slightest movement from behind him. The female took in the whole of the pack. ¡°For those of you who don¡¯t know, I am Derceto, Elder Sage to the City under the Mountain.¡±


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    William felt a sudden flash of anger and hate well up inside him so quickly he wondered if he hadn¡¯t already known who this female was the whole time. He stood up but knew better than to try anything.


    The gesture was not lost on Derceto. ¡°William, you think me evil.¡±


    William stared at her. ¡°You sent your three bodyguards to kill me. I just wondered why, if you felt so strongly about it, you didn¡¯t come yourself?¡±


    Derceto was bare inches away from him in a motion that he couldn¡¯t track with his eyes. She locked onto his eyes with a death cold stare. William was a little surprised in himself as he met the gaze unflinching. Derceto inhaled through her nose. William knew that even now she was testing him. ¡°I stand by my decision, pup.¡± Derceto backed away from him. Derceto regained her place a respectable distance between the two groups. She took in everyone in the pack. Her eyes seemed to focus on all of them at once. ¡°Overall, you fought as a group of individuals, not as a pack. This tells me that you are not a true pack yet.¡± She made it obvious when she shifted her gaze to Aceso. ¡°You need to find an answer to that.¡±


    Derceto motioned behind her while keeping her attention on the young pack in front of her. ¡°Your proctors for this test.¡±


    The pack stepped forward to Derceto¡¯s right, while the other three greys stepped up to her left. The pack on her right formed a line. Derceto glanced toward the black and white calico that William and Katherine had fought. ¡°This is Efraim Goldstein, he is the combat master for the City under the Mountain. You will all be trained under his supervision.¡± The calico bowed his head.


    William didn¡¯t feel so bad that he had gotten his butt handed to him. Efraim looked very comfortable with his pack. There was none of the bravado that he would have expected from a combat master. The term brought to mind Marine drill sergeants yelling at people about how they need to shape up or ship out. But this werewolf seemed almost quiet, accepting his duties as duties and performing them to the best of his abilities. Now that he thought about it none of the werewolves in the city had any kind of ego that he could tell. Ares was the protector of the City under the Mountain but he was quiet and reserved. That could have been because of his size. But take that with how Efraim had just responded, he wondered if maybe ego was one of those dangerous emotions Derceto had spoken about that had been stamped out of the werewolves that lived here. Was everything here done simply for the good of the pack and by extension the good of the city?


    Derceto turned on her heel and walked out of the clearing. The greys followed her and the other pack broke out into a run on all fours, leaving them in the sudden quiet of the forest clearing.

 Book 3 Chapter 5a

    William was a little shocked by the sudden vacuum that he found himself in. The forest seemed oppressive in its size and stillness. He noticed that the ceiling crystals were beginning to brighten, and he knew that it was morning. He turned around to look at the rest of his pack.


    Nicolas was still on the ground looking downward. Katherine was moving her limbs, testing her strength. Charles seemed to be slumped slightly as if he had removed a weight from his shoulders. Achelois was still. He was sure that she hadn¡¯t moved since she rejoined the pack. Aceso however was still but in a quietly determined way. She had a set to her jaw and there was a look in her eyes that said something about her inner character. William knew that she was the right person to lead this pack.


    ¡°So does that mean we passed?¡± William¡¯s voice seemed to echo in the quiet of the forest clearing. He had meant it as a joke but no one else seemed to get the humor. Nicolas didn¡¯t move and he got a nasty stare from Achelois.


    ¡°Right now, it doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Aceso spoke to the pack. ¡°We all need to get some rest after that long night.¡± Aceso looked at each of her pack mates in turn. ¡°We were told to live out here for three days. We still have one more day, today.¡± She shifted her attention to Nicolas and Katherine who were still on the ground. ¡°Are you two ok to walk?¡±


    Katherine raised herself from her place. William watched as her muscles seemed to be in perfect control as her legs raised her body to a standing position. William was amazed that she was able to exert that kind of control over her body after what she had been through. The illusion however was shattered just as she was in a full standing position, her legs buckled, and she lurched forward having to catch herself before she fell.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Nicolas still hadn¡¯t moved. William was uncertain of what he should do. If he tried to help him than Nicolas would think that he was patronizing him. If he left him alone Nicolas might spiral down into a dangerous depression. William could see listlessness in his eyes that couldn¡¯t be faked. There was something seriously off about him, but he didn¡¯t know what to do about it.


    ¡°Charles?¡± Aceso asked. ¡°Would you help Nicolas get up and get back to the den if he needs it.¡± Charles nodded and stayed where he was.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back to our den,¡± Aceso said.


    The walk back to the den was a haze for William. His mind was too preoccupied with what had just happened. William couldn¡¯t be bothered to even avoid some of the low hanging branches of the trees. He kept going over what Derceto had said. ¡®I stand by my decision, pup.¡¯ Did that mean that he was still in very real danger of being killed? Or had his performance in the forest that day and the subsequent talk he had with Ansuya resolved the situation. If she still wanted me dead, she could have done that in the clearing back there. He wasn¡¯t sure about what kind of laws governed this place. Whatever they were, would they keep Derceto from doing what she felt she had to do? Why did she feel like she had to have him killed in the first place? The argument was a circular one and he tried to let it go but the wheels in his head wouldn¡¯t stop turning. He almost kept walking past the den entrance when Aceso and Katherine disappeared into the folded entry way.


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    He caught himself, moved through the entry way, and squeezed through the crevasse. He was grateful to be in the warm dark of the den. He dropped himself into his niche and dug into the warm carpet of wood shavings and pine needles. It felt good to lie down. Now that he had stopped moving, he noticed that his leg was still stiff from the abuse that he had subjected it to. It was a slight but noticeable thing that pulsed in rhythm to his heartbeat. But not even that slight discomfort could keep his eyes open. He hadn¡¯t realized how tired he was. It wasn¡¯t surprising after the battle that he had gone through, plus the healing that Aceso had done to him to close the wound on his side. As his eyes closed and he faded into unconsciousness the last thought that flickered through his mind was that of a werewolf who had a grinning unseen face with bloody claws.


    He woke up. The warmth and dark of the den was so comforting he wasn¡¯t sure he had to wake up and that uncertainty led to a lethargic reaction throughout his body. His eyes were unnaturally heavy, and he couldn¡¯t seem to make his mind work properly. It had been a long time since he had been this groggy when he woke up. Usually, he was wide awake and ready to jump out of bed when he woke up, not today.


    He reached down and massaged his leg. There was no noticeable pain there and there didn¡¯t seem to be any trace of the injury. He moved his body on the soft carpeting and he had the image of a worm burrowing back down into warm sand. He wanted to sleep but he knew that he had slept enough for the day. Without wanting to, he raised himself into a seated position and looked around the dark den.


    William¡¯s eyes were protesting to have to wake up. They wouldn¡¯t focus right for a few moments. William shook his body and blinked hard to clear the insurrection from his senses. William blinked a few more times and refocused on the darkness around him. He could see Aceso was lounging in her niche. She may have been awake, but she was lying on her back and William couldn¡¯t make eye contact with her.


    He looked around the rest of the den. He noticed that Nicolas and Charles were absent. He almost called out to the rest of his pack, but he decided against it. Katherine was up. She was sitting quietly in her niche. William looked over to see that Achelois was in the same position as Aceso. She could have been asleep or just thinking about what had happened a few hours ago. William got up and made his way over to Katherine. She watched him move toward her. William stood over her for a moment and gestured to a spot near her. Katherine nodded. William sat down gracefully as he ensured that his tail was not going to be crushed. He settled in to the new spot on the floor.

 Book 3 Chapter 5b

    Katherine was looking at something far away and William all of a sudden wasn¡¯t sure why he had come over to sit near her. He wanted to talk about what had happened. Maybe even thank her for helping him. But now that he was sitting next to her and she was deep in her own thoughts the only thing that felt right to him now was to get up and leave her alone.


    He started to stand up. ¡°I knew I couldn¡¯t control the earthquake for any extended period of time.¡±


    William stopped moving and looked at her. Her golden eyes were looking right at him. William sat back down and returned the look. It was an odd thing to be in almost total darkness but to see those golden eyes almost glow with his enhanced werewolf sight. Those eyes were determined but there was something else too, something he couldn¡¯t quite place.


    William didn¡¯t know how to answer that, or what answer Katherine was looking for. ¡°I wish I could¡¯ve been more help.¡±


    Katherine shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. I knew that I couldn¡¯t beat him. After what he did to you, I figured there wasn¡¯t anything I could do.¡± She looked down toward the floor of the den. ¡°But she was right, you know.¡± She raised her eyes to meet William¡¯s question gaze. ¡°Derceto, I mean, she was right about what she said.¡± William tried to remember what Derceto had said to Katherine. His eyes must have betrayed his lapse in memory. ¡°She said that I should have known better than to use my abilities to the point of passing out.¡± Katherine smiled. ¡°My teacher, Tyche, always told me how attuned I was to the earth, but I am no less susceptible to the draining that our connection with the earth demands of us Sages.¡± William was confused and didn¡¯t mind letting it show on his face.


    Katherine smiled at him. It looked to William like she was fighting to keep laughter from escaping her mouth. After a few moments Katherine cleared her throat. ¡°Let me explain. Sages are reborn on the quarter moon. We are granted abilities concerning influence over the earth and the life that springs from it to include plants, and trees. Our life energy is tied to the Earth, and the earth to us. I can ¡®force¡¯ a plant to grow at an extremely accelerated rate if I wanted, or make a flower bloom instantly upon being planted as a seed. But by doing that, I give the Earth my life force and energy. Hence the draining effect for more extreme uses of our abilities.¡±


    William looked at her. ¡°But you tore open the earth that caused a mini lava eruption. I had no idea Sages could do anything like that.¡±


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    Katherine looked at him. ¡°Yes, we Sages can rip the earth apart, but as you saw it takes an extreme amount of strength and energy for us to do so. We have the ability to cause an earthquake that only encompasses a dozen foot radius. Just about any way you can think of to manipulate the earth, we can do.¡± She gestured to the walls of the den. ¡°This forest is kept alive by the subtle use of that ability that have been created and renewed by the sages of the City under the Mountain. Tyche told me very early on that I had a unique and superb control over my ability, but it drains me just as it does every sage.¡±


    William cocked his head to the side. ¡°How much energy did it take for you to cause that eruption of fire and lava that you attacked Efraim with?¡±


    Katherine stopped and relaxed back into her seated position. ¡°A lot more than I want to admit.¡±


    ¡°And knowing how weak that attack had made you, you still tried to take on Efraim by yourself?¡± Katherine nodded while she looked up at him from the corner of her eyes. ¡°And after all the hits you took you still found the balls to create that earthquake to try and save me?¡± Katherine looked at him, not saying a word. William shook his head and looked down at the ground in between his legs. ¡°I wish I had your strength.¡±


    The words seemed to catch Katherine off guard. William looked up to see a startled look frozen on her face. Her eyes had widened, and her jaw had slackened. She blinked a few times before she responded. ¡°Fat lot of good it did any of us. I just ended up passing out and becoming useless to you and everybody else.¡±


    William shook his head. He wanted to reach out to her and try to comfort her, but he knew that that would be a bad idea. ¡°How are we to expand and move past our limits, if we are afraid to approach them in the first place?¡±


    Katherine looked sideways at him. ¡°That¡¯s very poetic.¡±


    William had to smile at that. ¡°Thanks. I stole it from one of those ¡°Determination¡± posters.¡± Katherine snickered. William¡¯s face broke into a broad smile as a silent laughter shook his body. He let it roll through him flexing his abdomen muscles. Katherine still had a broad smile on her face and William smiled back. It really hadn¡¯t been that funny, but he felt better, and by the looks of things Katherine looked a lot better as well.


    ¡°Anyway, thanks Will, I needed that,¡± Katherine said with a smile.


    ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t that what pack mates are for, to help each other?¡± As he said that he thought of Nicolas. How was he supposed to help someone who didn¡¯t want any help? He thought back to how Derceto had treated him. There was no malice in her tone only deep disappointment. He wondered if he would have handled that kind of admonition any differently. The thought of Nicolas brought to his attention that he hadn¡¯t seen him in the den. He looked around himself at their dark surroundings.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Katherine asked with concern filtering through her voice.


    William finished looking around the den and found no sign of Nicolas or Charles. He turned back toward Katherine. ¡°I was just wondering where Nicolas and Charles were and why haven¡¯t they come back yet?¡±

 Book 3 Chapter 5c

    Katherine nodded and even though he had just checked the den he watched as she craned her neck over his shoulder and did her own visual sweep. Once her search was finished her golden eyes fell back on William. She shrugged. ¡°I have no idea. They should have been back by now though.¡±


    William nodded and got up from his place on the floor. He turned toward Aceso who was lying on her side, her tail flicking idly in the air. William walked to within a respectable distance of her and stopped. ¡°Aceso,¡± William hesitated, watching for any reaction from her.


    Her head rolled upward toward him, her gold eyes looking up at him from the black fur of her face.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Nicolas and Charles?¡±


    ¡°Are you concerned?¡± Aceso answered. There was something off about her tone. It wasn¡¯t sarcasm but something less than genuine.


    William felt like Aceso was evading the question. ¡°I was just thinking that maybe I should go look for them. It¡¯s been a long time.¡±


    Aceso sat up and raised her body on her powerful legs. The effect was one of grace power and control. It was less like she was standing up and more like she was being raised from the floor. ¡°William, you don¡¯t have to worry.¡± She let a small, tired smile touch her lips. ¡°While you three were sleeping I met Charles and Nicolas outside and asked if they would go on a hunt.¡± She nudged William¡¯s chest with her clawed fist. ¡°We need the nourishment after what we¡¯ve been through, and I thought it would be good for Nicolas to feel like he was of value to the pack.¡±


    William nodded, not quite understanding.


    Aceso looked from him to Katherine who had just stepped up on William¡¯s side. ¡°Nicolas took the test pretty hard, and we all need to cope with our¡­failings in our own way.¡± She looked over at Achelois who had her eyes open and was watching the three of them but she made no move to join them. Aceso turned back toward William and Katherine. ¡°Nicolas has been taking some hard blows to his ego, as I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve noticed.¡±


    William nodded.


    ¡°Nicolas does need to stop being such a¡­what is it you human born call it? An asshole?¡± Aceso asked.


    William couldn¡¯t stop a smile from spreading across his face. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯d pretty much call him that.¡±


    Aceso shot a hard stare at William. ¡°But we also need for him to be unbroken. Our pack is a unit. If one of us is unsure of him or herself than the whole pack suffers.¡±


    A loud snort brought all of their attention down to Achelois who hadn¡¯t moved. She was looking at Aceso with a stare that was so hard she might as well have been yelling at the top of her lungs. William watched as the two looked at each other.


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    Achelois rolled over onto her other side slowly, breaking eye contact with Aceso. Once she had stopped moving, Aceso brought her gaze back up to the Enforcer and Sage.


    ¡°To that end, I sent Nicolas and Charles on a hunt. I told Charles privately to make sure that Nicolas made the kill.¡±


    William looked at her sideways. ¡°You know, Charles will be able to smell the prey from a lot farther off than Nicolas will. How much subtlety will he need to push Nicolas in the right direction without pushing too hard?¡± William shook his head. ¡°Nicolas may be an asshole, but he has never struck me as someone who was completely stupid.¡±


    Aceso smiled at the off-color compliment. ¡°I know, which is probably why it¡¯s taking so long.¡± She put a reassuring claw on William¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m not asking for a fountain from a rock but slight changes to the trail can lead to drastically different locations.¡±


    William looked up at her from the corner of his eye. He smiled at his alpha and shook his head.


    ¡°What should we do in the meantime?¡± Katherine asked.


    Aceso looked between the both of them as she dropped her arm from her enforcer¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Just what you¡¯ve been doing, passing the time as best you can. You could probably go outside if you wanted. I don¡¯t think the Elders have any more surprises for us today. As far as I¡¯m concerned, this time is yours.¡± She lowered herself back down to the ground and lay back, retaking her previous position.


    William didn¡¯t have anything else to say. He turned around toward Katherine. She shrugged her shoulders and went back to her place. William didn¡¯t know what he wanted to do. He needed to think.


    He waved to Katherine as he walked back to his space. He dropped to his haunches and rolled onto his back. With his tail comfortably between his legs he placed his hands behind his head and looked up at the dark ceiling.


    Aceso¡¯s words rang through his mind. He tried to make himself think like Nicolas. How does a selfish asshole deal with not being the strongest, or the most popular, or being made painfully aware that he has no friends to ridicule when he¡¯s having a bad day? He could name a few such people from his past; Robert Jenkins was the most prominent. He worked around the blows to the ego of such people. The most immediate thing that he guessed people like that would feel would be alienation.


    The unbalancing effect that would have on such a person could go either way. The person could either dive harder into the asshole realm of things or become a sullen catatonic. He had seen both sides of this in Nicolas throughout their short time together. He doubted very seriously that one momentary lapse into self-reflection would cause any kind of a serious turnaround for the adolescent in a man¡¯s body, but he could always hope.


    There was always the possibility that they were all reading him completely wrong, and Nicolas had just refused to accept what had happened and so there was no epiphany, no moment of self-reflection, only a momentary defensive shield that his ego had constructed to protect him from the reality of the world around him. If that was the case than Nicolas would be back to his old self again with his mind having constructed some bullshit version of what had happened to make himself look better than he actually had been. William was not happy with this line of thought, but he couldn¡¯t deny that this was, more often than not, how real assholes dealt with the world and the things that they saw as negative or harmful to their pride. Just shrug it off with a smile or a sarcastic retort and go on living as if they were the coolest thing since Elvis.

 Book 3 Chapter 5d

    William relaxed his tensed arms and tried to smooth away the anger and frustration that had crept on him through his thought process. A familiar thought floated up through his mind to etch itself on the black ceiling above him.


    I hate people.


    No sooner had he thought that when a shape moved into the den from the crevasse. William¡¯s eyes identified Charles almost before his nose could. William raised himself up on his elbows looking at the tall werewolf.


    Charles was focused on Aceso. ¡°We brought the kill.¡±


    Aceso had stood up upon Charles arrival. ¡°Was it done how I asked?¡±


    Charles nodded into the almost perfect black of the den, knowing that Aceso and the others could see him just fine. ¡°Yes, he was a little stiff but overall, did quite well.¡±


    Aceso nodded with a smile on her face, ¡°Thank you, Charles.¡± She raised her voice and spoke to the whole den. ¡°You heard the man, let¡¯s go eat.¡±


    The meal was subdued. They all took their portion of the kill and ate mostly in silence. Achelois still didn¡¯t seem to want to have anything to do with Aceso and placed herself as far as she could from the Alpha.


    William shot guarded looks at Nicolas, trying to figure out just what he had gone through, and what was going through his mind. Had he gone the route of the unredeemable asshole or was there the slightest bit of humility in him. William couldn¡¯t tell. He seemed to be here physically but mentally it was anybody¡¯s guess. He hadn¡¯t spoken and had allowed Charles to divide the kill among the pack. Of course, he wasn¡¯t paying as much attention to the blonde as he would have liked. He was suddenly starving and understood it to be a combination of how much the battle last night had taken out of him and also the healing effects that Aceso had used on him. It stood to reason that if changing his form used up energy and fuel, then wouldn¡¯t healing as well?


    Katherine had the same appetite as William. If anything, she seemed to be more ravenous. Charles seemed to know who needed what from the average sized deer and portioned out each member accordingly. William thought that this might cause a problem, being that Nicolas got the smallest portion. But the blonde ate in silence, his eyes sometimes focused in front of him and sometimes very far away.


    When the carcass had been stripped of its meat, Aceso had Katherine go and bury the bones in a similar spot to where they discarded the bones from yesterday¡¯s meal. ¡°There¡¯s no point in being sloppy.¡±


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    William understood her caution and agreed with the decision. The test had been set for three days. That meant that the Elders could arrange another surprise for them tonight. The thought caused him to glance up toward the ceiling. He must have slept most of the day away. The ceiling crystals were already dimming into their nighttime starlight glow.


    Once Katherine had returned, Aceso spoke to the group. ¡°We still have a job to do.¡± She took time to look at every pack member even though Nicolas didn¡¯t return her look and Achelois made a pointed effort to turn away every time Aceso looked at her. William knew that this was getting ridiculous, but he also knew that this was a problem that Achelois and Aceso had to work out themselves. ¡°I want two three-man watch groups tonight just like last night. I will take first watch with Nicolas and Katherine.¡±


    William saw Katherine nod. Nicolas just looked up at her. William was surprised by the expression on his face. It was familiar and yet he couldn¡¯t put his finger on it. There was a familiar gleam to Nicolas¡¯ eyes. A small shrug raised his shoulders as he lowered his eyes back down to the ground. William wasn¡¯t sure what it was he had just witnessed. He could be relieved that at least Nicolas had responded in some way. What that said about how he was dealing with his performance in the test yesterday, William couldn¡¯t say.


    When nothing else was said he raised himself slowly from the ground, trying to emulate Aceso¡¯s grace without much success. He looked down at his alpha. ¡°Is there anything else?¡±


    Aceso looked up at him and raised herself to a standing position as well. ¡°No, we¡¯ll go keep watch you know when to relieve us.¡±


    William nodded and made his way back to the den entrance. He navigated the folded entryway and squeezed back into the den. He wasn¡¯t really tired, but he wasn¡¯t really in the mood to do anything either. He felt good and fat after the meal. Not painfully so, he wasn¡¯t overbese, but pleasantly full. He laid down face first in his area of the den. The rich smell of warm cedar was still thick in the den, and he was content. He scratched at the deep carpet with his claws and feet.


    The two things that were bothering him were Nicolas and Achelois. He really wasn¡¯t sure what Nicolas was thinking or how he was reacting. That troubling gleam and shrug that he gave Aceso could be taken either way. Either he had realized just what a dick he had been making of himself and he was trying to curb those behaviors, or he was going to go right back to being an asshole and the rest of the pack was going to have to pick up his slack. He rolled over painfully onto his tail. With a grunt he lifted himself up off the floor and pulled his tail to comfort between his legs. In the new position he relaxed onto his back and looked up at the black ceiling. He wanted to give Nicolas the benefit of the doubt, he really did, if for nothing else for the good of the pack but something told him that Nicolas wasn¡¯t going to be changing in any meaningful way anytime soon.


    ¡°That was pretty abrupt.¡±


    He had been so lost in his own thoughts that he hadn¡¯t heard anyone else come into the den. He looked toward the entrance to see Charles. He stood there looking down at the Enforcer. William rolled his head on the carpet to form a questioning glance up at him. ¡°I was done eating and I didn¡¯t see anything else that needed to be done so I came back here. Is there something wrong?¡±


    Charles shrugged. ¡°No, it just seemed to be a rather quick exit that¡¯s all.¡±

 Book 3 Chapter 5e

    William smiled into the darkness. ¡°Well I have been known to make quick exits when the need arises.¡± The off handed comment immediately brought back images of his flight from his forest on that night another lifetime ago.


    Charles looked down at the Enforcer. ¡°Ok, I¡¯m right next door if you need anything.¡± Charles made three quick steps and was out of William¡¯s immediate line of sight, lost behind his screen of branches separating his area from Charles¡¯.


    William looked back up at the ceiling. Nicolas might be a problem. Time would reveal more to him than he could by arguing in circles for hours on end. He just had to hope that Nicolas had taken something away from that test last night. If he didn¡¯t¡­well, they would all have to deal with that when the time came.


    He lifted himself onto his elbows and looked around the den. There was no sign of Achelois but she could come in at any time. His words obviously hadn¡¯t had any effect on her, but the other members of the pack had to have seen how she was acting. If she wouldn¡¯t listen to him maybe she would listen to somebody else. ¡°Charles?¡± He heard a slight rustling in the area next to him.


    ¡°Yes, William.¡±


    William hesitated for just a moment. ¡°Charles, you¡¯ve noticed how Achelois has been acting, right?¡±


    Other sounds came from Charles compartment. It sounded like he was moving to sit or stand up. ¡°If you mean that she has made it painfully obvious that she wants nothing at all to do with Aceso, then yes I¡¯ve noticed.¡±


    ¡°Charles I¡¯ve tried to talk to her, you were there, but she doesn¡¯t seem to want to listen to me. If we don¡¯t do something about this now then what happened last night is just going to keep happening.¡±


    ¡°What are you suggesting?¡±


    William sat up with his fists resting dejectedly between his legs on top of his tail. ¡°I don¡¯t know, Charles. I guess¡­I don¡¯t know.¡±


    As he said this last part Achelois emerged from the entrance into the den. ¡°Don¡¯t know what?¡±


    William looked up at her and a real spark of anger flew into his mind. He knew that anger was not the answer. If he started yelling then whatever he had to say would be lost and things would be worse. He forced the anger aside with a good amount of difficulty. The anger was still there but subdued.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to do about you, actually.¡±


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    This caught the female off guard and she let a brief glimpse of surprise show on her face. ¡°What do you mean you don¡¯t know what to do about me? There is nothing to do about me.¡±


    William remained sitting. He didn¡¯t want to challenge her in any physical way. Physicality was too often ignored or responded to with physicality. That was not the answer here. He looked up at her with a tight smile. ¡°Then you tell me, when are you going to put whatever is bothering you about Aceso behind you and start working with the pack?¡±


    Achelois stood there as she looked at William with a cold stare but she made no move to speak.


    ¡°It seems that if we are to be together then we have to find a way to live with each other, otherwise things like the test last night will continue to happen.¡± It was Charles who spoke into the frigid silence.


    Achelois shot a look at the area next to William¡¯s. ¡°What are you saying?¡± There was a definite edge to her voice now. ¡°That I should just forget about what she did and move on as merrily as a raccoon to a garbage can?¡±


    There it was, plain as writing on a sandstone wall. She wasn¡¯t going to forgive Aceso. It was probably just that simple. Not all the good points in the world were going to make her change her mind, but he had to keep trying.


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying that at all,¡± William spoke to her. ¡°You have to work that out between yourselves and not me or Charles or Katherine or Nicolas can help either of you with that. But what I am saying is that you constantly fighting her and avoiding her for no good reason is only going to hurt us as a pack.¡±


    Achelois looked down at William. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can ever forgive what she did to you, even if you don¡¯t know what it was, I do.¡± She spun on her heels and exited the way she had come in.


    William let himself crash back to the floor of the den. He heaved a heavy sigh and tried to work up some kind of emotion. But at that point all he felt was failure, the crushing apathetic feeling of failure.


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault, William.¡± Charles called out from his area. His voice was even and calm, accepting in ways that William could never describe or emulate. ¡°She is going to have to come to terms with her differences with Aceso in her own time on her own terms. No one can push her to those compromises it¡¯s something she is going to have to do on her own.¡±


    William spoke without moving, ¡°How do you do it?¡±


    There was a hesitation from the other werewolf. ¡°How do I do what?¡±


    ¡°Accept people the way you do.¡± William stared up into the darkness of the den.


    ¡°I accept people for who they are because I know that I¡¯m not perfect. People are different from me and if I insulated myself from those differences than I would live a life of ignorance.¡± He sighed. ¡°I have always known that variety is what makes the world interesting. If I condemned all of those people who were different from me than what kind of sterile, boring life would I be leading?¡± He paused. ¡°Even from the most distasteful of people there is something to be learned, if not about the world than about one¡¯s self, and that is always valuable.¡±


    Charles¡¯ words circled around in his head. Was Charles trying to get him to understand something? He knew that he was. Had he been closed minded about some people? It was troubling to hear those words and be slapped in the face with the doubt that they caused. Had he been wrong about Nicolas? He was willing to give the blonde the benefit of the doubt. He turned over on his side his tail flipping up into the freedom of open air behind him. He propped his head up on his arm and tried to go to sleep, it didn¡¯t come for a very long time.

 Book 3 Chapter 6a

    He was surprised to realize just how much time had passed. It was already time to go and take over from Aceso and her team. He wasn¡¯t sure how he knew it he just did. He stood up, stretching his individual muscles as he did so. It felt good to stand up and move around. He knew that after an hour or so he was going to wish that he could have gotten some sleep.


    William walked out into the open common area or the den. ¡°Charles? It¡¯s time to go.¡± He heard movement as the black shadow that was Charles rose up from the warm cedar carpeting of the den.


    After a moment of silence Charles said, ¡°Where is Achelois?¡±


    William cocked his head to side. He hadn¡¯t even thought about her. He turned his head around to look in her space and found it empty. He turned back around and shrugged. ¡°I have no idea. I guess she never came back.¡±


    Charles made a low sound in the back of his throat. ¡°We are going to have to go looking for her.¡±


    William stood there as Charles moved past him into the crevasse. William turned and followed him out of the den. They stepped into a cool clean night. The ceiling crystals were in their usual dim starlight glimmer and once again William found that he could almost imagine that he was back in his forest by the ocean. There was no sea wind bringing the smell of salt to his nostrils and that is what ultimately killed the illusion. There was never any wind here, even on a cool night like this.


    William brought his focus down toward the nearby tree line. Charles was right they did need to find Achelois but she had made it easy for them. Underneath a thick redwood tree covered by a lush fern was Achelois¡¯s sleeping form. William and Charles walked up to her. She almost looked peaceful. William hesitated for a slight moment before speaking softly in the night¡¯s silence. ¡°Achelois? It¡¯s time for us to go.¡±


    She stirred and was on her feet in a second. The speed startled William and threw him off balance for the barest of seconds. His fatigue heavy brain couldn¡¯t quite keep up with her speed and he backed away a step and half before he stopped himself.


    Achelois looked around her immediate surroundings and brought her focus to William and Charles. ¡°If it¡¯s time, it¡¯s time.¡± She strode off through the forest toward the fake den.


    William glanced over at Charles who was smiling for some reason. William wasn¡¯t quite sure if he was grinning at him because of Achelois or because of something he had done. The expression made William even more off balance and the need for sleep was pressing down on his mind more with each passing minute. William shook his head to clear away some of the cobwebs and followed after Achelois. Charles bent down on all fours and started to run through the trees. A run was the last thing that William wanted to do right then but he knew that it would help his sluggish body wake up. With a soft groan he fell forward onto the soft earth and tore off after Charles at speed.


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    William passed Achelois who seemed to be in no hurry to reach the designated patrol area. William shook his head. He was pretty sure she was either protesting running, which for a wolf born was highly unlikely, or protesting having to be around Aceso. The latter was the most probable. William tried to arouse calm and bring forth a sense of acceptance that Charles had talked about. It wasn¡¯t any use, his anger toward the female shot up into his awareness. He kept it under control, and it did wonders for his state of mind. He at least didn¡¯t feel tired anymore. He told himself that he had to be patient. He knew that he had to trust that, eventually Achelois would forgive Aceso, or not. The words of Charles came to mind again and he tried to find acceptance for Achelois¡¯ behavior. It was hard work and anger continued to threaten to overwhelm him but he was able to come to terms with the fact that Achelois was acting the way she was and there was nothing he could do about it. The truth of the matter was that his anger wasn¡¯t going to influence the situation for the better. William shook his head and ran faster toward the clearing.


    Charles was already standing in the clearing with the other three. Aceso and Katherine and Nicolas looked a little rough. They all looked tired, and he was happy to be able to send them to the dark safety of their den to rest. As the three were leaving Achelois came into the clearing. She locked eyes with Aceso and the two females watched each other as they passed. William blinked away sleep from his tired eyes and the confrontation was over. Aceso and her crew disappeared back into the thick trees of the forest. Achelois walked with all the dignity of a proud she wolf into the middle of the clearing, joining William and Charles.


    Charles spoke softly to them. ¡°Stay alert I thought I smelled¡­something on the way here.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean something?¡± Achelois replied.


    Charles looked at her. ¡°I detected a slight whiff of a scent and then it was gone. It could have been anything. It could have been just a left-over scent form last night but something about it felt wrong. Anyway, I only smelled it for a moment than it was gone.¡± Charles looked at both of them in turn. ¡°Just be cautious.¡±


    ¡°We should stick together then,¡± William said. Charles and Achelois nodded in agreement and all three of them slipped into the dense trees around the clearing.


    William fought his own tired body every step of the way. He cursed himself more than once for not going to sleep when he had the chance. He used up all of his concentration on walking through the underbrush and not stumbling too close to Charles or falling too far behind to hinder Achelois. Charles was taking point because of his acute sense of smell and Achelois had silently demanded to take up the rear. William was too wiped to argue. He couldn¡¯t remember being this tired in his recent memory and his feet were weighed down. He trudged the four or five hours away lifting his legs over low bushes and shaking his head back and forth to keep himself awake.

 Book 3 Chapter 6b

    He had never been so glad to see morning. The ceiling crystals seemed to brighten all at once. One moment they mirrored the luminescence of stars and the next he couldn¡¯t see any separation in them and the light they gave off was painful for him to look at for long.


    William turned and followed Charles back to the clearing. Achelois kept a steady distance between her and William and the small group emerged through the trees into the clearing together. The three stood for a moment looking at each other, grateful that the night was over. William was glad that Aceso¡¯s precautions weren¡¯t necessary and that nothing had happened. The three looked at each other and William couldn¡¯t help a small smile from forming on his lips. Charles returned the smile and Achelois gave a curt nod and spun on her heels back toward their den. William shifted his gaze back to Charles who looked at him. The two left the clearing and followed Achelois.


    William once again was cautious when he returned. He and Charles did a thorough search of the surrounding area. When the two were satisfied that no one was around they squeezed into the crevasse one by one. William stumbled into his area and crashed hard on the soft, warm bedding. He closed his eyes and was instantly asleep.


    ¡°ALL RIGHT, PUPS, RISE AND SHINE!¡±


    William jerked upright at the sound of the loud voice inside their den. He felt like he had just gone to sleep, he may have. William was on his feet in an instant of recognition. Someone¡¯s inside the den! William first instinct was to attack. He crouched low in the darkness and with just the seconds old sound to guide him he dove headfirst into the intruder. He made a glancing contact with the shadowy form that elicited a gratifying grunt. William hadn¡¯t knocked the intruder down and he hoped that no one else would join the fray. William realized that others may have already joined in the fight. William spun low on his heels and crouched down. He inhaled and identified his pack mate¡¯s scents. There were three other scents that didn¡¯t belong to his pack but he knew those scents very well. The three grey wolves that had been sent to kill him and had fought with the other pack last night were inside their den. His sight adjusted to the darkness of the den just as he made the assessment through scent. He saw the three grey forms standing boldly in front of him.


    William didn¡¯t hesitate. He launched himself headlong into one of the greys and made a direct hit. He felt the grey¡¯s fur and muscle under him and he let loose a barrage of blows before he was yanked off of his target.


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    ¡°THAT¡¯S ENOUGH!¡± the one holding William yelled into the darkness. The grip on William¡¯s arms tightened noticeably then he was shoved forward as the grip was released. William stumbled a half step and whipped his body around to face the intruders. By this time Charles, Aceso and the rest of the pack were on their feet facing the unwelcome guests.


    The greys didn¡¯t seem in the slightest bit worried. The leader, the one who had pulled William off the grey that he had tackled, stood in a leisurely stance in the middle of the common area of the den. He looked at Aceso for a moment then took a few more moments to look around the den. To William he might have been looking to make a comment on the interior design. After a moment he shifted his gaze down to Aceso. ¡°Get your pack outside, they want to see you.¡±


    Aceso seemed to be trying to assess the truthfulness of this statement with a level stare. To William the intentional word of ¡®they¡¯ was not lost on him, and he found himself curious as to who would want to see them. Aceso nodded. ¡°Get out of our den.¡± Her voice was lined with cold steel.


    The grey smiled at her, not a reaction that tone should have elicited. William found that he really wanted another go with these three. The three turned and left the den through the crevasse without comment. William felt a little disappointed in that. He did not like those guys at all. He allowed his mind to fill with images of him ripping through their fur and breaking their bones. The images made him want the chance to make those images a reality even more. Whatever pain that he could cause those three, they deserved. They had tried to kill him, and they hadn¡¯t exactly been easy on him during the test two nights ago.


    When they were gone Aceso looked at the rest of her pack. No words were needed. She gestured with her arms and everyone, including Achelois for once, followed her unspoken command without comment or complaint. William wasn¡¯t the only one who wanted to see who was waiting for them outside.


    This thought brought to mind the intrusion by those greys to begin with. They had been so careful; how did they find us? He glanced over at his friend. Charles had a pensive, thoughtful but troubled look that creased his brow. His tail was drooping much too low for there to not be anything wrong with him. William wanted to say something, but he didn¡¯t know what might be bothering him. He placed a comforting claw on the man¡¯s shoulder. Charles glanced over at him with listless eyes. William smiled at him and let his claw fall back to his side. Charles managed a weak smile and a nod. There was something bothering him that they didn¡¯t have time to talk about.


    The pack squeezed through the crevasse one-by-one. William was second to last in front of Charles. When he emerged into the bright day of the underground cavern, he had to blink several times and ride through the almost painful adjustment that his eyes went through. He blinked away the tears and looked around the clearing.

 Book 3 Chapter 6c

    That¡¯s a lot of werewolves. The thought was comical, and he almost smiled. The sheer numbers of the group surrounding the den entrance was awe inspiring. There must be at least forty or so werewolves lining the edge of the small clearing. William¡¯s eyes were drawn to the massive form of his teacher. He couldn¡¯t help but glance sideways towards Charles standing next to him. He wasn¡¯t as tall as Ares but he came within inches.


    There were so many werewolves that he didn¡¯t recognize. He let his gaze flow over the group from one side to the other. There was a pack that demanded some space between them and the rest of the surrounding werewolves. For some reason he knew that these people were important, but he could only guess as who they might be until he spotted Derceto among them. Those must be the Elders. He could have slapped himself for not seeing it sooner but then he had never seen most of them in werewolf form, so he cut himself some mental slack.


    As for the other werewolves he made himself try to shift through the different smells of the surrounding group. After a few moments he was able to locate and recognize Efraim Goldstein. He found the black and white calico standing among his pack. The six of them were off to left side of the Elders. Ares was standing with his pack off to the Elders¡¯ right. Physis was standing close to her mate with another black werewolf standing with some separation between them. William found himself focusing on the all black. There were fine striations of grey throughout his fur. From a distance he would have appeared to be completely uniform in color, but with his wolf sight he was able to pick up the fine coloration changes.


    William watched as the three greys took a place behind Derceto and the rest of the Elders. Once they had taken their place six other werewolves separated themselves from the massive gathering. The first and only werewolf to do so that William recognized was Ares. The Elders didn¡¯t move and the six only stepped forward about five or six steps. They stopped, forming an almost perfect semicircle facing Aceso¡¯s pack. William guessed that these other werewolves were probably the teachers of the rest of his pack.


    Three Elders, not including Derceto, separated from their pack and strode forward to place themselves in front of the newly formed semicircle. William wasn¡¯t sure who these werewolves were. The three stopped and looked over William and his pack mates.


    The werewolf in the center of the group spoke. ¡°Your test is over. The simulated combat exercise could have gone better.¡± The werewolf looked at each one of them as he spoke. When he locked eyes with William, he felt the power of this werewolf. He wasn¡¯t as susceptible to the crushing effects of time and knowledge from a werewolf¡¯s stare like he was in his human form but the gaze was difficult to meet evenly. William surmised that this silver furred werewolf was, in all probability, Huan Li.


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    ¡°But you performed admirably well in other areas,¡± Huan Li continued. ¡°Your den construction is inspired and your ability to work as a team even though you are not a true pack yet speaks volumes of your individual character and the trust you have in each other.¡± Huan Li focused a look at Charles. ¡°I am however surprised that your tracker was either incapable of or neglectful of the use of his abilities to hide the location of your den better than he did.¡±


    William couldn¡¯t stop his head from turning toward Charles. He had dropped his head in shame. His tail hung between his legs and his narrow shoulders dropped. He knew that something had been bothering Charles and now he knew what it was. He wanted to reach out and console his friend in some way, but he felt it better to do nothing until this whole thing was over and all these werewolves had gone back to wherever they had come from.


    ¡°Overall, I am impressed with your performance.¡± Huan Li said. ¡°Aceso, step forward.¡± Aceso stepped away from her pack and strode up to Huan Li and his surrounding company. ¡°Aceso, do you swear to uphold the laws of the City under the Mountain?¡±


    ¡°I swear.¡±


    ¡°Do you swear to protect and honor your brethren and this city?¡±


    ¡°With my life, Elder.¡±


    Huan Li took a step toward Aceso. ¡°Then return to your pack as Alpha. Through you, your pack will be held by the oath you have given here today.¡± Huan Li stepped away from Aceso. She turned and rejoined her pack. When she had turned back around Huan Li addressed the rest of their pack. ¡°This day is yours, enjoy it. But on the morrow, we have work that needs to be done.¡± Huan Li turned and walked through the semi-circle of teachers and rejoined the rest of his pack. The large werewolf standing to his left followed after him but the one on his right hesitated for a moment.


    The werewolf was female. She had deep rich brown fur with some interesting highlights. Her golden eyes were just as deep and penetrating as Huan Li¡¯s. She hesitated looking at William. He didn¡¯t know who she was but as an Elder than narrowed things down and he was pretty sure he knew who she was. There was something about her scent that was unmistakable. She let a small smile touch her lips but she turned before William could make any gesture or respond in any way. She followed Huan Li and the other werewolf back to rejoin the larger group.


    Huan Li walked past the larger group of werewolves and the rest of the Elders followed in step. As the Elders disappeared behind the gathering of werewolves and back into the tree¡¯s, the rest of the large mass of werewolves also turned and faded back into the forest.


    Soon the only werewolves that were left in the clearing were Aceso and her pack and the small semi-circle of six teachers facing them. The teachers waited for the last werewolves to exit and as a group they all walked forward to their respective students.

 Book 3 Chapter 6d

    Ares walked up to William. He didn¡¯t have a smile on his face but the look he gave William was light. If his face wasn¡¯t smiling, his eyes were. William met his teacher with an extended claw. Ares gripped the claw and looked down at his former student. The two didn¡¯t say anything at first. The noise of congratulations and thanks from his other pack members rose around them.


    Into the sudden noise William leaned in close to his teacher as he released his claw. ¡°Thank you, Ares.¡±


    Ares seemed surprised by the comment. ¡°Thanks for what?¡± he said as he cocked his head to the side.


    William wasn¡¯t sure just how much his pack mates knew about him, and he wasn¡¯t sure how much he wanted them to know just yet. Derceto still had strong reservations about him and there was something inside him that made him not fully trust himself. He lowered his voice so the rest of his pack wouldn¡¯t overhear. ¡°Thank you for everything you did for me. Keeping me alive and helping me work through my¡­problem.¡±


    Ares smiled and shook his head. ¡°William, I could only push you so far. Ultimately, it had to be your decision and your actions. What you did you did on your own.¡±


    ¡°You did keep me alive long enough to do it though.¡± William glanced sideways at the happy conversations going on around him. ¡°Derceto still thinks that I should be put down.¡±


    Ares heaved a sigh and his shoulders seemed to slump noticeably. ¡°Derceto can¡¯t afford compassion. Because of that, she must see the world in absolutes, black and white.¡± Ares gazed evenly down at William his voice serious. ¡°Her lack of compassion allows her to do what she has to do to protect this city. I wouldn¡¯t want to have to make the kind of decisions that she does almost on a daily basis.¡±


    William absorbed the words of his teacher. ¡°I understand that she, and all the other Elder¡¯s, have a greater responsibility for the safety of the City under the Mountain. But is there no room for compassion in those decisions? It seems so cold.¡±


    ¡°Civilization and laws sometime require that cold edge. The needs of the majority have to tip the scales against the needs of one individual. Those are the types of decisions that she and the rest of the Elders are charged to make.¡± Ares tone was soft but his eyes had an edge to them.


    William nodded. He understood what Ares was saying. ¡°I just wish that I had more time with you.¡± William looked over at the rest of his pack as they were talking to their teachers. He looked back at Ares. ¡°It seems that everyone else got weeks or months with their teachers. I only got a few days with you.¡± He shrugged his shoulders. ¡°I just wish that I had more time.¡±


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    Ares heaved another sigh as he looked up toward the carven ceiling. He looked back down at his former student. ¡°William, time is something we never have enough of.¡±


    William cocked his head to the side. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    Ares allowed a weary smile to touch his lips. ¡°You¡¯ll find out¡­a lot sooner than you think.¡± William didn¡¯t know how to respond to what Ares had said. ¡°But today is your day, enjoy it. I¡¯ll be seeing you, William¡± Ares started to turn but stopped and said over his shoulder, ¡°Stay out of trouble.¡± William saw his teacher smile as he said this. Ares turned around and walked back into the surrounding forest.


    William was left alone among a group of people. He didn¡¯t mind. William had come to expect Ares to say what he had to say and leave. Besides, if time was as precious as he made it out to be, he wondered just how much time Ares got with his mate Physis. The two of them always looked so happy around each other. He allowed himself the luxury of wondering if he could ever be that way with someone. Could he ever be that happy? The thought was a little juvenile and he had to smile at himself for it. Now, what had caused that sudden bit of sentimentality?


    ¡°William, you, ok?¡± It was Katherine¡¯s voice.


    He shook himself out of his reverie and looked over at her. William saw that most of the other teachers had left as well. His pack stood in a loosely clumped group a little separated from him. He hadn¡¯t noticed any of the other teachers leave. He gave her a smile. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. What¡¯s up?¡±


    Katherine glanced over at Aceso. His alpha was standing apart from the rest of the group in deep discussion with her teacher. Their voices were very low and even his wolf hearing was unable to pick up what they were saying.


    ¡°Me and Charles were talking and we thought that it might be a good idea if we stayed out here for another day and tonight,¡± Katherine said. She walked up to where William was standing. She was be flanked by Charles. ¡°Since the test is over, we thought it would be a good idea to just hang out for a while, relax and try to get to know each other a little better.¡±


    William thought about trying to convince the others to swear to Aceso and become a true pack. But something that Ares had just told him made him stamp that thought out. The oath has to come from them. It has to be their own actions in their own time. I can¡¯t push them into it. The thought had a huge calming effect on him. He would never stop being loyal to Aceso and he would try to support the pack as best he could, but he couldn¡¯t take responsibility for his pack mates. As soon as he comprehended that, he felt a lot better and what Ares had just told him took on new meaning. Even Derceto and the choices she had to make, they were hers to make and all he could do was live and make the best out of the time that he had. He felt a smile spread across his lips.


    ¡°So, is that a yes?¡± Katherine asked, confused.


    William refocused on her and Charles. ¡°Sorry, I was just thinking about something.¡±


    Katherine and Charles shared a look of confusion between them. ¡°Well, or you in?¡± Katherine asked.


    William nodded. ¡°Sure, sounds like a great idea. Besides I could use a full night¡¯s sleep.¡± Charles smiled at the comment.

 Book 3 Chapter 6e

    ¡°Yeah, you and me both,¡± Katherine replied,


    The three turned back toward the rest of the pack. Aceso was shaking claws with her teacher. The other werewolf was taller than Aceso but only just, maybe by an inch or two. He had very light brown fur and his golden eyes seemed to almost glow. The werewolf was familiar to him somehow. He knew he had seen this werewolf before but he couldn¡¯t place where.


    After a short goodbye the light brown left and Aceso was alone facing the rest of her pack. William glanced around at the surrounding forest. They were the only ones left in the forest clearing.


    ¡°I¡¯d just really like to thank you for speaking for all of us to Huan Li just now, Aceso that was really thoughtful of you.¡± The sarcasm dripped from Nicolas¡¯ voice. It was so thick William could imagine an ectoplasm trail left behind it on the ground.


    Aceso glanced over at Nicolas and for the first time William thought he saw something more than tolerance in her eyes. It was gone too quickly to know for sure or to identify correctly. He didn¡¯t even want to think that it was what he thought it might have been.


    Aceso turned back to the group and the sudden tension that William felt dissipated. ¡°I¡¯m very proud of all of you.¡± Nicolas scoffed and turned his head. William noticed Charles dip his head again and his shoulders slumped. ¡°Charles, you have nothing to be ashamed of.¡±


    Charles looked up at Aceso with pain visible in his eyes. ¡°I failed you and the rest of our pack.¡±


    Aceso shook her head. ¡°You made a mistake, Charles. It won¡¯t happen again.¡± Aceso lowered an even gaze at her tracker. ¡°We learn from our mistakes and move on.¡±


    Charles seemed to draw into himself. After a moment he straightened his back, his shoulders picked themselves up, and his tail arched up into the air. He returned Aceso¡¯s gaze but remained silent. He dipped his head in the slightest of nods that William would have missed if he hadn¡¯t been watching.


    Aceso looked around at the rest of her pack. ¡°We all know how Nicolas feels about all this.¡± She turned her head toward the other Healer. ¡°Achelois? Do you have anything you want to add?¡±


    Achelois stood apart from the pack. Her back was straight, and she wore a proud, but grim expression on her face. She looked at William and turned back toward Aceso. She stared hard at Aceso for a moment then very deliberately turned her head to the side, a marked show of disinterest. Aceso chest heaved slightly as she sighed.


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    ¡°So, what do we do now?¡± Nicolas spoke into the thick silence. ¡°Do we just hang around here, sit around a campfire and tell ghost stories?¡±


    Aceso arched an eyebrow at him as her tail flicked to the side. ¡°Ghost stories?¡±


    William couldn¡¯t help but let out a quick laugh. The rest of his pack looked at him with questions written on their faces, even Achelois turned toward the Enforcer with a questioning look. William let the smile remain on his face. ¡°I forget sometimes that you¡¯re a wolf born and probably don¡¯t know a lot of things that we human born take for granted.¡± William reached up and scratched at his head behind his pointed ears. His tail hung loosely between his legs. ¡°Ghost stories are horror stories, scary stories that humans tell each other around campfires out in the forest.¡±


    Aceso let acknowledgement shine in her eyes, but she made no other movement of recognition. Achelois cocked her head to the side as her tail resumed its previous raised position of pride.


    ¡°Yeah, ok I was being sarcastic if you didn¡¯t know,¡± Nicolas interjected. ¡°I sure as hell didn¡¯t expect you guys to take that idea seriously.¡± Nicolas was standing with his tail limp behind him looking from one pack member to the other trying to get them off this crazy track that he himself initiated.


    ¡°Whatever we are going to do shouldn¡¯t we at least eat?¡± Katherine asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know why but I am starving this morning for some reason.¡±


    Aceso nodded. ¡°Yes, we should hunt if we are going to stay out in the forest.¡± She looked around at her pack. ¡°Charles, you and Achelois go hunt.¡±


    Charles nodded and turned to go. Achelois stood in her silent repose for a moment. William figured that this was her way of demonstrating that she didn¡¯t owe anything to Aceso and therefore didn¡¯t have to follow her commands. William watched as she gazed around at her pack mates. There was no malice or distaste in her gaze or her stature, but she was communicating that she found something about this whole arrangement disagreeable. William knew all too well what that was. With one last look at Aceso, Achelois turned and sprinted off into the forest. Charles was caught off guard by her sudden wordless departure. With a slight spray of dirt and pine needles Charles kicked off the earth to join the retreating female.


    The rest of the day went by without incident. William along with Katherine explained what ghost stories were. Nicolas grumbled occasionally but was rather amiable for the most part. William asked Katherine more about what it was like to be a Sage and he tried to explain what it was like to be an Enforcer. ¡°There¡¯s nothing really to tell. Ares taught me what it meant to be a werewolf and a shape shifter. I don¡¯t know if I have any special abilities and if I do, I think they¡¯re restricted to fighting and stamina.¡±


    Katherine listened to what he had say and she shared some of her fears of what Sages can do. ¡°The one thing that Tyche stressed was that we sages have no natural limits to how much we can give to the earth. Our limits come from our bodies. There is only so much we can do before our bodies fail and we pass out, like I did during our test.¡±


    After some time had passed Charles and Achelois brought back a nice deer though smaller than the ones they had been able to kill in the past few days. Charles shook his head at the size of the kill. ¡°It took me a long time to catch its scent and Achelois and I weren¡¯t exactly running at a leisurely pace. We must have traveled over half of the forest before I detected this one.¡±

 Book 3 Chapter 6f

    Aceso nodded and sat down with the rest of her pack. ¡°It¡¯s not surprising. Our teachers have been training us out here in the forest for the past week or so and we ourselves have hunted these past few days. It won¡¯t be too much longer before they send out a pack to bring back more seed pairs to repopulate the forest.¡±


    ¡°Seed pairs?¡± Nicolas allowed his curiosity to bring him out of his proud silence.


    ¡°The Elders will prohibit hunting and training in this forest section of the cavern.¡± Achelois gestured to the ceiling and the black obsidian wall next to their den entrance. ¡°They will send out a pack to gather two or three pairs of deer, male and female. For the next season, this forest section will be left alone so the deer can reproduce at an accelerated rate.¡± She made a point to look between William and Katherine as she said this. ¡°Once the desired effect has been reached and the deer population is adequate again, hunting and training in this forest section will be allowed again.¡±


    ¡°Nice system,¡± Nicolas replied.


    ¡°It has sustained our city since its inception.¡± Achelois retorted her voice lined with steel.


    The conversation died and was restarted in a much lighter mood. William and Katherine told a few jokes and Nicolas couldn¡¯t help but retell a story about him and his friends back home in Brooklyn.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were from Brooklyn,¡± William commented.


    Nicolas looked at him. ¡°You never asked.¡±


    Katherine looked over at the blonde. ¡°If you¡¯re from the east coast, how did you end up here in California?¡±


    Nicolas looked at her. William thought that maybe he was trying to figure out if he should answer her or not. In the end though, Nicolas shrugged his shoulders as his tail slapped the ground behind him. ¡°I grew up in Brooklyn. When I was sixteen my dad got a promotion at work but the catch was, he had to move to the new extension offices here in Northern California to accept it.¡± Nicolas stopped to shove another handful of bloody venison into his mouth. He swallowed and continued. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to go to California so my ma and I stayed in Brooklyn.¡± Nicolas hesitated. His eyes faded as they focused on a distant memory. Moments later Nicolas¡¯ eyes refocused on Katherine. There was an angry edge to them that wasn¡¯t there before. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m here aint I? What does it matter how I got here?¡± Nicolas ripped another piece of venison from the carcass and chewed at it angrily. He didn¡¯t speak again.


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    The sudden tension around the group was tangible. Something had happened that Nicolas didn¡¯t want to talk about but it was something that he and everyone else agreed that it wasn¡¯t something they should push him to talk about if he didn¡¯t want to.


    They finished their deer and William took the bones back to their faux den and buried them with the rest of their leavings. He dug a bigger hole and completely buried the bones this time under a good four or five inches of dirt. If what Achelois had said, then this forest was going to be off limits for a while. Better to let the ground have its nutrients from the dead then to leave the bones out to bleach themselves and harden into calcium in the dry underground cavern air.


    When he returned to the pack the mood had lightened. Charles and Katherine were talking about what it was like for him to grow up in South Africa. ¡°I thought the way we lived was normal.¡± Charles smiled at the thought. ¡°Even though we were poor I was happy. But not nearly as happy as I was the day my parents told me were moving to America.¡± Charles looked around at the rest of the human born. ¡°I thought I knew what to expect. For weeks I dreamed about what it was going to be like to live in the U.S.A.¡± Charles turned his head. ¡°Then I got here and reality came crashing through all my childish dreams like a 747 through a building.¡± Charles shook his head as his tail rested on the ground beside him. ¡°That¡¯s when I found out about INS and Immigration and Homeland security.¡± He looked up at the ceiling of the underground cavern. ¡°Sometimes I wonder if it was worth it.¡±


    Katherine spoke to Charles. ¡°I, for one, am glad to have you here, Charles.¡±


    Charles managed a smile for Katherine, but he too fell silent as he drew inside himself at the presence of whatever memories he had dredged up with his story.


    William had no idea why his experience could have been so bad. The only thing he knew about any of that was the history of Ellis Island and the mass Irish immigration in the early 1800s. He had heard vaguely about Homeland security after what happened on 9/11 but other than that he had no idea what INS was or how Immigration could be so terrible. Thankfully he wasn¡¯t allowed a great deal of time to dwell on the subject.


    Aceso stood up. ¡°We have to be back in the city tomorrow before dawn.¡± Aceso looked at all of her pack mates as she spoke. ¡°My teacher, Ryan told me that we have to be in our wolf or human forms in the city square in front of the Tower before the morning light starts to shine in the crystals.¡± Aceso pointed up at the ceiling. ¡°We should all get some rest.¡±


    William hesitated on the ground for a moment. The light around them had dimmed and it would be night soon. He looked around at his pack mates and couldn¡¯t help but wonder what could possibly be in store for them tomorrow. Right then he didn¡¯t really want to know. Tomorrow will take care of tomorrow. He stood up and started to make his way to their den. The rest of his pack mates followed in their own time.


    Aceso was already in the den by the time William squeezed through the crevasse. He turned and slid down into the warm carpeting of the den floor in his partitioned area. Savoring the sweet smell of cedar as it washed over his body as he dug into the shavings. He was going to miss that smell, it reminded him of his forest and the freedom that he had had there. For now though he laid there in the dark and let sleep take him.

 Book 3 Chapter 7a

    He felt a dull pain cut through the curtain of sleep. His eyes opened and he tried to roll over. His body stopped as his tail was yanked. He jerked backwards to relieve to pain and the pressure. Aceso was standing over him.


    ¡°It¡¯s time.¡±


    She released his tail and he stood up. He absentmindedly reached behind him to massage his hurt appendage. He looked at Aceso and nodded. He noticed that none of the others were awake yet. He moved to the next compartment to wake up Charles as Aceso moved to the opposite side of the den. They moved around the den waking up the other four members of the pack. There was no grumbling or protests except from Nicolas but William had been expecting that. Even when his world was being turned upside down or another unknown phase of his new life was staring him in the face it seemed he could always count on Nicolas to be a constant, constantly complaining. William shook his head and moved outside of the den.


    He took a moment to look around at the surrounding forest. He had spent a good deal of time here. He was actually going to miss this place. He had no idea if he was going to be able to come back here any time soon. He had no idea what was going to happen. He flexed his leg and arm muscles. He might miss his size and strength but being back in his human flesh sounded pretty good too. That brought up thoughts about what Derceto had said about being trained by Efraim. He wasn¡¯t looking forward to that kind of training. He had a feeling that he was going to miss being in werewolf form before too long.


    The rest of the pack joined him outside. There was none of the tired expressions that he would have expected to find from a similar group of humans being woken up at this time of night. Every one of them looked alert and ready to go. Even Nicolas, all his protests aside, looked like he was fully awake.


    ¡°The human born will want to put on some clothes before meeting in the city square.¡± Aceso said. ¡°We will run back to the city together and split up so that you may go back to your respective rooms and get some clothes and take some time to do any sort of other thing you human born do in the morning.¡± She smiled.


    Her words brought to mind just how long it had been since he had brushed his teeth. His mouth didn¡¯t feel dirty in werewolf form. Still being reminded of just how long it had been since he brushed his teeth made him very self-conscience. He wondered if the rest of the human born felt as uncomfortable as he did right then.


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    Without another word Aceso bent over on all fours and started running at a leisurely pace into the forest. William couldn¡¯t help but run his tongue over his sharp canines as he too bent over and ran after Aceso. William heard the rest of the pack follow suit and soon their leisurely pace increased into a full out run.


    William and Aceso traded lead positions several times. Aceso was showing amazing awareness as she never out ran the rest of her pack even though the pack bond that she and William shared would have allowed them to run at speeds greatly over matched by the rest of the pack. William checked behind himself several times during the run. He lost track of Nicolas at one point but the blonde darted out and around a clump of trees a few moments later.


    Aceso did slow down and took up a rear position at one point. William had never thought to do anything like that before. Aceso was keeping an eye on her pack and also motivating them with the subtle suggestion that she was not above running in the rear of the pack. William admired his alpha for that show of humility.


    The pack broke through the tree line and raced for the outskirts of the city. William recognized the area, and he tore across the open meadow of grass nearing the stark black angles of the City under the Mountain.


    Aceso raced up to take the lead position and she dove into a nearby alley way between two buildings. In the quiet, predawn morning the sounds of their claws on obsidian pavement was loud and obtrusive. He tried to ease the noise by resting his footsteps back on the thick pads of his claws and feet. It helped but the noise was still there. They broke through into a main street and Aceso turned her head to the side looking at William. She nodded once. William nodded in understanding and broke away from the rest of the pack. He knew where he was and he increased his speed as he ran for his apartment.


    It was strange for him somehow to be coming back to this place. His room was exactly how he had left it. But there was no collection of dust that he could detect even with his wolf senses. It was like someone had come into his room, cleaned it, and then deliberately messed the place up in the exact fashion as it had been.


    He glanced up toward the ceiling crystals. They were brightening as he moved through the hard open space of the room. He walked to the wooden dresser and reached for one of the drawers. He stopped as his massive, furred claw wrapped around the wooded handle. He heaved a heavy sigh and let go. He let his arms rest by his side and he closed his eyes. He went back to that day when Ares had made him change back and forth all day long. He tried to summon his human flesh to him once more. After a moment he opened his eyes and looked down at his hands. They were still furred claws. William cocked his head to the side and immediately put down the panic that he felt rising in his gut.

 Book 3 Chapter 7b

    He knew what he had to do. He closed his eyes once more and took a deep cleansing breath. He let his shoulders droop and he felt his tail relax low behind him. He pictured himself as a human once more. The image floated in the darkness that he wrapped himself in. The soft pink flesh was his natural form. It was fragile and easily broken but that pink flesh was what he had been born into this world with. The image rotated as he tried to focus on what it was to be human, flawed and weak. Those thoughts were a death sentence to him, and he knew it. With a difficulty that he thought he was past he was able to force those self-destructive thoughts out of his mind. He was able to open his eyes. He looked down and saw his light-colored skin and hands instead of claws. He was coated in sweat, and he found himself to be exhausted. The effort to change back had been monumental. He thought he was past all that. Maybe there would always be that small part of him that never wanted to go back to being human. It was up to him to keep that part of him small and containable. The thought was distressing but right then he had other things to do.


    He reached for the dresser and pulled out some clothes and his toothbrush and baking soda. He wrapped up everything together, grabbed a pair of shorts out of one of the drawers and yanked them up to his waist. He then grabbed the rolled-up bundle and ran out the doorway down the ramp.


    The ceiling crystals of the cavern were still in their starlight mode, so he knew he still had time. He wasn¡¯t sure of how much time, so he forced himself to run at top speed. Like in his journey to this city he was able to run without getting tired. He knew that this was because of the pack bond that he and Aceso shared, the added speed and stamina were welcome. He wasn¡¯t sure how much time he had used changing back to his human form. The constant battle that changing back was going to be for him was a little disheartening at best.


    He raced to the public restroom and tore into the open space. The dark room was empty. He said a silent thank you for that. He bolted around the partition wall as the ceiling crystals adjusted to his presence. He tossed his bundle of clothes on a nearby shelf and ripped off his shorts. He stepped into the open shower bay and turned on the water. The icicles that pelted him froze his body instantly and the shock immobilized him so that he could barely move out of the way of the near freezing water. Goosebumps formed all over his body and his more sensitive areas shrunk to the size of peas trying to hide from the sudden cold. William couldn¡¯t do anything for a moment but let his body try to warm itself as he clutched at his frozen skin. He looked down through the harsh spray of water and saw that he had turned the hot water faucet on. Just when he was about to turn the water off a plume of steam began to rise from the cold black tiles of the shower bay. William reached out to touch the water and yanked his hand back as the super heater water scalded him. He allowed the residual heat from the steam plume to warm his still cold shocked body. When he was able to, he unwrapped his arms from his body and reached around the hot water and turned the faucet to close a little and opened the cold-water faucet. Despite his caution the shower head was still able to drop a few scalding hot water droplets on his unprotected arm leaving angry red spots in their wake. After several minutes of trial and error he was able to get the shower usable. The water was either too cold or too hot, but he didn¡¯t have a great deal of time in any case. He washed his body with the bar of soap that was conveniently sitting on a soap dish near the shower head and finished his shower quickly. When he was done, he grabbed a clean white towel that was hanging on a rack near the shower bay and dried himself. Replacing the towel, he put back on his shorts and walked around the partition to use the sink. Once he finished brushing his teeth, he unwrapped the rest of his clothes and put them on. He didn¡¯t lose any time running back to his room replacing his toiletries. Without a second look around his room he bolted out through the open entryway and down the ramp.


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    It was a surreal feeling walking back through the empty predawn streets of the City under the Mountain. The place was quiet as death. Coming out of a side street exposing the monolithic black tower jutting up from the street piercing the open air of the underground cavern was still intimidating. He had never fully lost the sense of foreboding that he felt whenever he saw the tower and this morning was no different. What helped him keep his composure was seeing the familiar wolf form of Aceso sitting on her haunches waiting for him. Achelois was nearby but there was an icy separation between the two. William suppressed a sigh and walked up to his alpha. He didn¡¯t say anything. He knew he didn¡¯t have to. He sat down a respectful distance away and waited for the rest of the pack to join them.


    He didn¡¯t have to wait long. Soon he saw the tall lanky form of Charles emerge from in between two of the black buildings with Katherine following close behind. Even though he knew that there had been a sense of urgency this morning Katherine somehow still managed to look put together. Her long wavy brown hair looked like it had been combed and was flowing behind her as if she had spent some time in the bathroom before meeting them here. Her clothes were well fitted to her athletic curves and the neckline of her shirt was conservatively high. William couldn¡¯t help but admire her poise and beauty.

 Book 3 Chapter 7c

    Charles too looked like he had spent some time in the bathroom, and he looked more like he was going to a job interview or to church than just showing up for the training that this day would offer. He wore jeans and a nice shirt, but he carried them well. His long strides carried him quickly to where William was waiting, and Katherine was only a few steps behind him.


    William knew the question was pointless, but he figured that someone should ask anyway. ¡°Where is Nicolas?¡±


    Katherine glanced back over her shoulder but said nothing. Charles turned around and pointed with a slight wave of his hand down another side street. ¡°Nicolas lives on the far side of the city. He should be here soon.¡±


    William shrugged. Should and would are two totally different things, with Nicolas especially so. William stood up and waited with the rest of his pack. His mind started to wander, and he felt unprepared for what was going to happen to them today. After what he had been through, he should have been confident and ready for anything but for some reason he couldn¡¯t shake the feeling of apprehension. He kept his body still but even that was an effort. He was given a momentary reprieve as Nicolas emerged into the city square. The tanned skinned, blonde-haired boy in a man¡¯s body wore a look of disgust on his face. While Katherine and Charles looked awake and ready to go, Nicolas looked like he had been up all night on some binge drinking excursion. The contrast to how he looked when they left their den was stark and disconcerting.


    ¡°What happened to you?¡± William asked.


    Nicolas looked up at him from under heavy eyelids and angry puffy bags under his eyes. ¡°Why don¡¯t you worry about yourself, douche bag.¡± He was monotone in his response. Nicolas shifted his gaze back down to the street and trudged forward to sit down heavily on the street, separated from the rest of the pack. The mirror image of Achelois was almost funny. William had to consciously stifle his laughter. He did however let a small smile crease his lips.


    William was just about to sit down again when a man and a wolf walked out from an alleyway and approached the Tower. William was jerked back to a full standing position. The man was shorter than William by no more than an inch. He had tanned skin with black hair. His brown eyes were piercing. He walked with a confidence and a grace that belied his size. His well-muscled body was very much in shape and his broad shoulders spoke of a very real and natural strength that had come from long hours of training and good genetics. The wolf walking at his side was Ares.


    William was shocked to see his teacher in wolf form here. He wanted to ask a few questions, but Efraim cut off all hope of friendly conversation. ¡°First of all, I¡¯d like to extend my congratulations on your pack passing its test.¡± He spoke with an exotic accent that William couldn¡¯t place. Efraim looked at each member of the pack. ¡°If it had been up to me, you all would have failed.¡± He didn¡¯t raise his voice but his tone took on acidic qualities that were even more dangerous sounding than yelling and screaming. ¡°From this day on, until I say, you are under my instruction.¡± He paced in front of the young pack. ¡°This little spat that you¡¯re having between yourselves ends now.¡± He said this as he looked dead at Achelois and shot a withering stare at Nicolas. ¡°Your pack is the most important thing in your lives. Whatever happened in the past means nothing from this moment on. My name is Efraim Goldstein. From now on you belong to me. You will do what I say when I say it. There will be no debate and I will not tolerate anything less than your best effort and I know what your best effort is.¡± He looked sideways at Nicolas. ¡°Some of you have a better effort threshold than others.¡± He turned back to the main group of the pack. ¡°But after I¡¯m done with you, you all will be performing at a respectable standard. The longer it takes, the more painful it will be.¡±


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    Efraim turned his back on the young pack. ¡°I don¡¯t enjoy putting young pups through what I will have to put you through, but we all have duties here in the City under the Mountain.¡± He turned his head and looked down at Ares standing beside him in wolf form. ¡°Ares, take Aceso and Achelois, you know what I expect.¡± Ares nodded his head once in acknowledgement. ¡°We will meet back here in two hours.¡±


    Ares barked once into the quiet morning. Aceso stood up and Achelois was not far behind. Ares barked again and turned and ran off into a nearby alley way. Aceso and Achelois kicked off the stone street simultaneously and quickly disappeared, following the large form of Ares.


    When they were gone Efraim turned back around to face the remainder of the pack. ¡°The rest of you, I want you to run as fast as you can, that way.¡± Efraim pointed behind him. ¡°If you come to a fork in the road, I¡¯ll tell you where I want you to go.¡± Efraim stood there for a moment. When nobody moved Efraim barked out, ¡°NOW.¡±


    The sudden noise startled William and he jumped forward a step or two. Charles took off running and Katherine was not far behind. It took Nicolas a moment to get going, he still hadn¡¯t even stood up. William was running now but he glanced behind long enough to see Efraim haul Nicolas up by the scruff of his shirt collar and handily toss his up onto the street. Efraim did not throw him down to the ground but up so that Nicolas was able to get his balance and start running.


    Two hours later they returned to the tower in the center of the city. William was certain that Efraim knew by now that he was benefitting from the pack bond that he and Aceso shared. He was the only one who didn¡¯t look ashen with exertion. He watched as Nicolas bent over and threw up on the black obsidian street. The vomit splattered in front of him and William did nothing to hide his disgust. Katherine covered her nose with the back of her hand and stepped away as Nicolas heaved once more.

 Book 3 Chapter 7d

    ¡°For the first time, I¡¯m sure that you have given a full effort, Nicolas,¡± Efraim said with a smile. Nicolas spit a few times into the street, and he wiped at his face with the back of his hand. Efraim pointed toward a building. ¡°Go clean yourself up.¡± Nicolas nodded and walked toward the indicated building. ¡°Nicolas.¡± He turned around to face Efraim. ¡°Grab a towel and clean this mess up.¡± Efraim pointed to the puddle in the middle of the street.


    Nicolas disappeared into the nearby restroom. Efraim turned back toward the three humans as Ares darted out from a dark alleyway. Aceso and Achelois were right behind him. The wolves remained in a full sprint till they were only feet away from the humans and then trotted to a halt. Achelois lowered her snout to the ground as her tongue hung out of her mouth, panting. Aceso remained standing up straight and looked at William. Her gold eyes were deep but she also showed no sign of fatigue. She shifted her gaze to Efraim who was standing in the middle of the street with his arms crossed over his chest.


    Nicolas walked out of the building he had disappeared into. He was carrying a thick white towel. His face was dripping with water and his hair was matted down to his skull. He grimaced at his own mess and started to corral the splatters into one puddle. William couldn¡¯t help but note that this was the first time he had seen Nicolas do anything with as much care as he was taking to clean up his vomit. Efraim watched as Nicolas carefully wiped up the rest of the puddle. Nicolas folded the towel in on itself so none of the mess would drip out. Efraim nodded as Nicolas walked the soiled linen back to the building that he had come from.


    When he returned Efraim turned back to the rest of the group. ¡°Go get some breakfast. I want you all back here in fifteen minutes.¡±


    William wasn¡¯t sure he had heard that correctly. The rest of the group hesitated as well. William voiced his uncertainty. ¡°Did you say fifty minutes or fifteen, one, five?¡±


    Efraim made a gesture to check the watch on his wrist that wasn¡¯t there. ¡°You have fourteen, now.¡±


    William felt a little ridiculous but without any more encouragement he took off at a run toward the cafeteria, Charles and Katherine were right behind him. Nicolas followed at a slower pace. William wasn¡¯t sure if it was because he wasn¡¯t hungry or he was unsure about eating since he had just emptied his stomach.


    The four entered the cafeteria. It was busy. William had no idea what time it was but it seemed like every human born in the city had chosen to eat at this time. William spotted Acharya on the far side of the building. He was sitting with his pack as usual. He also wore his characteristic smile. William raised his hand to the man and his pack. Malikah nodded her head toward William and his group. The wave was answered by Acharya and Tara. Aiman raised his eyes toward William but remained motionless.


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    William got his food, a heaping stack of French toast with some sausage links and hash browns. He grabbed a small carton of milk and followed Katherine and Charles to an empty set of four chairs down the middle table. William hadn¡¯t known just how hungry he was until he had a pile of food staring him in the face. The warm aroma of the fried potatoes and the thick sweetness of the maple syrup made his mouth water. He didn¡¯t wait for any words, he dug in immediately. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew that he wasn¡¯t going to have enough time to eat all of the food, but he was going to try anyway.


    Ten minutes later Charles got up to dispose of his leftovers and his tray. Katherine got up as well. William took one last bite of French toast. In those ten minutes he had devastated his tray but there was still more food left than he would have liked to have left. He gently patted Nicolas on the back who had been tentative to eat. Nicolas hadn¡¯t eaten any of his sausages. He had made a small dent in his hash browns and only finished about half of his French toast. It was a wonder that Nicolas didn¡¯t protest at all when William prodded him to get up. He grabbed his tray and followed the rest of his pack up to the counter and deposited his tray.


    The four of them didn¡¯t waste any time getting back to the city square where Efraim was waiting. Ares had returned with the other two wolves and William hoped that they were not late. Efraim looked over at Ares as the human born came to a stop in a cluster in front of the city¡¯s Combat Master. The large brown wolf turned and walked away. William looked at Aceso for some kind of explanation, but she didn¡¯t give one. Efraim starting walking down a narrow street. He called over his shoulder. ¡°If I have to wait for any of you, you¡¯ll be wishing for another break like this morning¡¯s run.¡±


    The threat was an empty one to William but Nicolas shot ahead of him and started walking quickly to stay in step with Efraim. He glanced sideways at Charles and Katherine. The brown-haired woman didn¡¯t bother to hide her smile and Charles looked like he wanted to laugh. William didn¡¯t have to look around for Achelois and Aceso. He could hear their claws clicking on the black street behind him.


    Efraim didn¡¯t look like he was in any real hurry. He almost strolled down the street. He made several turns along the way. William had lost track of where they were, which is probably what Efraim was trying to do in the first place.


    On a street, just like any other street in the City under the Mountain, Efraim came to a stop in front of a nondescript looking building. The front end was open just like every other building in the city. William looked up and down the street looking for anything that might be special about this particular building, he couldn¡¯t find anything.

 Book 3 Chapter 7e

    Efraim kicked off his shoes and strode up into the open bay of the building. As soon as he entered the ceiling crystals brightened the room to expose just where they were. The floor of the building was covered in soft spongy matting. There were several punching bags hanging from swivel bolts in the ceiling. Their red canvass coverings showed no sign of wear. If William didn¡¯t know any better, he would have said that they were brand new. There was one pillar off center in the middle of the room. There was a weapons rack on the far side of the room full of staffs and what looked like wooden replicas of curved samurai swords. Hanging on a wall rack adjacent to the weapons rack hung jump ropes and wooden nunchakus. William stepped into the training room. He couldn¡¯t shake the feeling of Christmas morning and he was six years old excited and nervous all at the same time.


    Efraim turned around. ¡°Get off that mat with your shoes on.¡± Efraim didn¡¯t raise his voice, but the sudden noise was enough to make William jump back into the street. The humans looked at each other and with uncertainty written on all their faces as they took off their shoes and placed them just outside the training room.


    Efraim didn¡¯t make a move, just stood there for a moment. The silence was oppressive. William wanted an order to follow, anything was better than just waiting guessing what the Combat Master wanted. Efraim looked at the two wolf born. ¡°Aceso you and Achelois are to be training next door with Ares.¡± He pointed with his finger to wall. ¡°He¡¯s waiting for you now.¡± The two wolves moved off to the next building, disappearing from sight. Efraim turned back toward the four remaining people. ¡°Are you just going to stand around? I haven¡¯t got all day,¡±


    The four humans almost jumped into the training room. They stood shoulder-to-shoulder facing the Combat Master. Without a word Efraim grabbed Nicolas and Charles together and with a jerk of his hands and fluid turn of his body both Nicolas and Charles were flipped over their head and landed with a dull thud as the padding of the floor cushioned their fall. It happened so fast that William wasn¡¯t sure what happened. The next thing he knew his wrist was being painfully twisted and he found himself staring up at the ceiling as well. He had landed hard on his cervix and his lower back was sore. He massaged his wrists as he raised himself up on his elbows. He looked around to see a dazed look on Katherine¡¯s face and Nicolas was lying still, flat on his back breathing shallow quick breaths. William looked behind him to see Efraim standing there with a fist in his hand.


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    He looked down at the four of them. ¡°My job is to teach you to fight, both as humans and as werewolves.¡± He started circling the small group. ¡°This will be your new home for however long it takes. No, you will not have to sleep here. But just about every waking hour will be spent here with me learning as much as you can, as fast as you can.¡± He stopped moving and looked at them with a solemnity that was a little surprising. ¡°I wish you had more time but unfortunately you don¡¯t.¡± Efraim knelt on his hunches to get close to eye level with the four of them who were still on the ground. ¡°I will push you harder than you ever thought possible and when I¡¯m done with you, you¡¯ll be ready for what the Elders will ask of you.¡± Efraim stood up, turned on his heel and walked to the front of the open room. ¡°We will begin.¡±


    For the next several hours, William and the others did nothing but learn how to fall properly and how to do summersaults without crushing their spine or neck. The technique¡¯s seemed pretty straight forward and William could see the benefits of this particular lesson, but he had to wonder how this was going to translate to fighting. If what Efraim had done to him when he first stepped into this place was any indicator William was glad to learn as well as he could anything this man had to teach them.


    After those six hours of tumbling and falling he was dizzy and very sore. He felt like he had crushed his back and neck so many times that he was sure he had lost a good inch or two from his six-foot two-inch frame. The four of them were allowed out of the training room for lunch and none of them could stop their hands from massaging sore necks and lower backs. William spent the whole trip back to the cafeteria trying to work out a kink in his neck that no matter how he rotated it, the kink wouldn¡¯t work itself out.


    They walked through the quite streets of the city. Efraim had given them a whole twenty minutes for lunch. The only thing that stopped them from running was the pain they all felt throughout their bodies.


    They entered the cafeteria and were given a generous portion of venison and potatoes. They sat down and attacked their food with a vengeance. There was no time for talk, and it was Charles, who once again stood up, with his meal unfinished. William and the others followed suit and deposited their trays at the head of the cafeteria.


    Feeling much better than he had a half an hour ago he wondered what Efraim was going to do with them for the rest of the day. Their quiet reflection was broken by Nicolas. ¡°Will somebody please tell me what all this summersault and fall crap has anything to do with fighting?¡± Nicolas was still rubbing his neck and shoulders. His weight room body with its soft vanity muscles bulged and flexed as he tried to massage the pain away from in between his shoulder blades.

 Book 3 Chapter 7f

    ¡°We have to learn how to fall before we can learn how to throw each other,¡± Katherine said. William couldn¡¯t help but look at Nicolas for the man¡¯s reaction. ¡°I took a few months of Tae-kwon-do when I was younger.¡± Katherine looked at Nicolas. ¡°In a day or two you¡¯ll be thanking Efraim for spending this much time teaching us how to do this stuff correctly, otherwise Aceso or Achelois might have to spend all their time with us healing us because we were unsafe towards each other.¡±


    Nicolas scoffed at the notion. ¡°I didn¡¯t think fighting was supposed to be safe.¡±


    No one answered this retort. They found their way back to the training room and Efraim was there waiting for them. ¡°And here I thought I was going to have to send out a search party for you pups.¡± Efraim motioned the group inside and directed them to the back of the room. ¡°All right, let¡¯s see how much you remember. Tumbling, across the room, go.¡±


    The group began their tumbling and only once did William lose his momentum. He had to correct himself as once again his body weight came down on all the wrong places, crushing his neck.


    All four of them reached the far wall at about the same time. William unfolded himself and stood up. Everything had gone a lot better than it had this morning all for that one slip up.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to know that you all are feeling more confident and proud of yourselves.¡± Efraim wasn¡¯t smiling and his tone was anything but light. ¡°What I am teaching you here is a fighting style called Krav Maga. I learned it in my home country and used it to train the werewolves in my original home, the City under the Sand.¡± Efraim looked at each of them in turn. Nobody dared to look anywhere else except straight ahead. ¡°I am not teaching you a martial art. You will not take part in any competitions and there will never be any points for blows landed.¡± Efraim turned and gestured to the room around him. ¡°I have incorporated some martial arts techniques over my long years of experience but do not make the mistake of thinking you are learning an art form.¡± He turned back around and walked within a pace or two of the young pack. ¡°I am teaching you to survive and to defend yourself against things that would like nothing better than to see us as a species wiped out. Do I make myself clear?¡±


    All four of them nodded without hesitation. Efraim looked back and forth between them. ¡°Good. Now let¡¯s see how well you¡¯ve learned how to fall. William you¡¯re with Nicolas, Katherine you take Charles. Let¡¯s start with a simple hip toss and some basic grapple moves.¡±


    For the rest of the day the four spent their time throwing each other over their backs and punching each other on the ground. Nicolas was surprisingly light considering that he was not slim. William knew that his muscles were all mass and very little substance but the weight of Nicolas was amazing. He couldn¡¯t shake the image of a balloon in his head. He wondered if Nicolas would pop if he stuck him with a needle.


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    William was a little shocked to see how fast Nicolas picked up the grappling moves. He had trouble with the throws, but on the ground, he was fairly competent. William couldn¡¯t help but feel that he had misjudged Nicolas a little bit.


    After hours of being hurled through the air and trying to perfect the landing techniques of the morning the four were allowed to break once more for dinner. They were given thirty minutes this time, and William wondered if it was part of a progression thing and that the fifteen-minute breakfast was all part of training or if Efraim did have a heart after all.


    William looked over at Nicolas who was rotating and rubbing at his shoulder that he had landed on hard a few minutes ago. ¡°You did really good back there, Nicolas. I think you handled the grappling stuff better than I did.¡±


    Nicolas stopped his arm with it straight in the air. ¡°Don¡¯t patronize me. I¡¯m not in the mood.¡±


    ¡°I was trying to give you a compliment.¡± William didn¡¯t say anything else. He didn¡¯t bother to look at Charles or Katherine either. William walked in silence with his eyes glued to the street in front of him.


    Nobody else spoke as they walked together in perfect silence. As they neared the cafeteria William heard a soft voice say with a slight edge to it, ¡°Thanks.¡± William didn¡¯t look around and he didn¡¯t acknowledge the statement one way or another.


    They entered the cafeteria and got their food. Dinner was a generous slab of beef with some form of sweet potato casserole, green beans, and corn bread muffins. The hot food and the smell made William¡¯s stomach growl and his mouth water. Ignoring the sounds of conversation and noise that washed over them they sat down and tore into their food.


    They were able to finish their meal before having to get up and go back to the training building. William felt comfortably full, and he wished that there would be nothing too strenuous left in their day. The thought of his warm bed was intoxicating, and he could use a full night¡¯s sleep.


    When they got back to the training building Efraim had no plans of letting them go. Almost immediately the black haired, brown eyed, tanned skinned combat master put them through the most rigorous sets of pushups, sit ups, crunches, pull ups, squats, leg lifts and things that William couldn¡¯t even name, he had ever been put through.


    When they were finally allowed to go home there was not a single spot on William¡¯s body that didn¡¯t hurt. His abs were on fire, his arms were rubber, and his legs had trouble carrying his weight. The four stumbled out of the building and went their separate ways. Efraim told them that a messenger would be sent to get them in the morning so they didn¡¯t have to worry about waking up on their own. William immediately saw this as a double-edged proposition. But his tired body was in no shape to prepare itself properly for an early morning wake up. He stumbled up the ramp to his room and was barely able to pull off his clothes before he collapsed onto his bed. He yanked the thick furs over his tired, sore body and was asleep before the ceiling crystals had a chance to dim themselves completely.

 Book 3 Chapter 8a

    William felt a slender hand was shaking him with surprising force. ¡°Come on get up, I have better things to do than be here babysitting you.¡± The voice was familiar, and William forced his heavy eyelids to open. He saw a drape of black hair. ¡°Amanda?¡± His voice sounded strained even to his ears.


    ¡°Jesus, you sound terrible.¡± She turned around and her deep brown eyes stared hard at him. ¡°But that¡¯s not my problem, get up, Efraim wants you in the city square in ten minutes.¡±


    William shook off thoughts of sleep and jumped up, nearly spilling himself on his floor. His leg muscles were stiff as cord wood and his body wouldn¡¯t obey his commands. In a stiff toy soldier walk he was able to get up and get himself dressed. He grabbed his toiletries and hobbled to the nearest bathroom. The more he moved the easier moving became. The soreness didn¡¯t leave his body but at least his body moved a little more dexterously than the wax it had been molded from when he woke up. William was able to manage a respectable run back to his room. When he got there Amanda was gone. He dumped his toiletries on top of his dresser and without pausing turned around and ran out the door.


    He forced his body to move, working out the soreness in his legs and shoulders. It didn¡¯t take him long to get to the city square. When he got there, he found the rest of his companions in a state similar to him. Katherine was flexing and rotating her shoulders. Nicolas was bending his back in multiple directions and Charles was massaging his neck and upper shoulders. He came to a stop and looked around.


    ¡°Where are Aceso and Achelois?¡± William asked.


    Katherine looked up at him, but it was Nicolas who answered. ¡°Ares came and took them away about thirty seconds before you showed up.¡±


    William didn¡¯t have time to say any more as the sound of heavy footsteps came up behind them. ¡°Well, all bright eyed and bushy tailed this morning I see, good,¡±


    William turned toward the exotically accented voice to see Efraim looking at the four of them. ¡°Today we will be working with Aceso and Achelois in our werewolf forms.¡± William felt a jump inside his chest. He was interested to see how what he learned yesterday in human form translated to his werewolf form. ¡°However, first off we run.¡± He said this last with a smile. William began to have the feeling that Efraim was a sadist. ¡°What are you waiting for, pups, let¡¯s go,¡± There was nothing else to be said and the four of them took off jerkily into the morning two hour run.


    The pace was faster than the previous day, either that or it was just his body unwilling or unable to keep up the speed from yesterday. Through his pack bond with Aceso he was still much better off than the other three. His body relaxed and the rusty hinges that used to be his knees eventually smoothed themselves out and he was able to run without much difficulty.


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    Efraim directed them back to the city square, just as he had the previous day. Nicolas looked as ashen has he had the day before, but he didn¡¯t throw up. William nodded at Nicolas¡¯ improvement. The four of them were given fifteen minutes to eat. They made their way to the cafeteria, and it was Charles who once again led them out of the cafeteria when it was time to leave. William noted that Nicolas had eaten a good deal more this morning than he had yesterday. None of them seemed to be as tired as they had been the day before and Nicolas looked a whole lot better.


    Efraim led them away from the city square back to the building next to their training room. Aceso, Achelois, and Ares were already there in werewolf form. ¡°Get your butts out of those clothes and change into werewolf form, you have thirty seconds.¡±


    It took William a whole eight of those thirty seconds to realize what Efraim had said. He couldn¡¯t help but turn his back on Katherine while he dropped the clothes from his body.


    ¡°What¡¯s that matter, William? Are you shy all of a sudden?¡± Efraim asked with all the empathy of a refrigerator. William glanced up at the combat master. Katherine seemed to have no problem getting her clothes off, although she did seem to twist herself away from the rest of them giving only a profile glimpse of herself as she stood fully naked for half a heartbeat and her form dissolved into that globulous shadow that he had seen from Jacob all those days ago and coalesced back into the beautiful cream-colored werewolf that he was familiar with. William ripped his shirt off and went through the transformation. He always closed his eyes for some reason and when he opened them, he was his usual seven-foot tall, tan furred shot through with thin black stripes werewolf self. He let out the smallest of sighs and smiled at his familiar claws and the inhuman strength that he always felt while being in his werewolf form.


    Efraim nodded to the four of them. ¡°Very good, you¡¯ll get over your modesty, William. Our bodies are tools, there is nothing magical about the body of the opposite sex.¡± Efraim looked at all four of them. ¡°Your bodies are not something to be embarrassed about, nor are they something to be gawked at,¡± he said this as he shot a cold stare at Nicolas. ¡°They are flesh and blood.¡± Efraim looked over at Katherine. ¡°What you have to learn is control over your conditioned responses to a naked body male and female, but mostly for the males.¡± Efraim paused and glanced at Katherine then back to the boys of the group. ¡°A woman¡¯s body is a tool just like a man¡¯s. It is special but should not, and will not, be the focus of attention. Just as a woman¡¯s body should not be only thought of sexually, the male body should not, and will not, be looked at with derision, either.¡± Efraim took a step back from the four of them so he could address them all at once. ¡°The members of your pack deserve respect. If I hear any kind of comment or see any kind of disrespect toward your fellow pack mates you will not like how I deal with that, do you understand?¡± The four of them nodded. ¡°Good, now we can get to work.¡±

 Book 3 Chapter 8b

    For the rest of the morning the six of them threw each other around and pounded each other with various grappling moves that they had learned from yesterday. Their werewolf form gave them more strength, but it also gave their opponent more to grip and tear at. William had been pared with Achelois and she was vicious in her counter attacks. William found that he had to use all of his strength to do some of the techniques on her that were relatively easy against Nicolas. Achelois was as agile as anything William could imagine from a body that had a six-foot nine-inch frame, and she clawed at him relentlessly when he had her on the ground. William spent most of the time blocking and jerking his head back and forth to avoid her razor-sharp claws. She didn¡¯t seem to be fighting with the reserve of a wolf, she seemed to be fighting with that wild rabid abandon of a trained fighting animal. The whole morning was a little intimidating and exhausting.


    When they were finally let go to go back to eat, they had to change back into their human form. William almost turned his back on Katherine, but the words of Efraim from that morning stayed his posture and he closed his eyes. He let the dark wash over him. He felt calm and relaxed and when he opened his eyes he was back in his human form. Katherine didn¡¯t pay attention to any of the boys as she already had on her bra and panties. She was in the process of pulling on her jeans. William heaved a heavy sigh and got dressed as fast as he could.


    The four of them walked back to the cafeteria. William was still a little stunned at just how vicious Achelois had been. Nicolas looked like he wanted to reach out and nudge Charles but then though better of it. ¡°Charles was pretty good except when I grabbed his tail and yanked him around on the ground. You yelped like a puppy, man,¡±


    Charles didn¡¯t seem to find the joke funny. He gave Nicolas a withering look but remained silent.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t look at me like that. You heard Efraim yesterday we are supposed to be learning how to fight. In a fight anything goes.¡±


    William couldn¡¯t help but agree with Nicolas. They were going to face things out there that did not play by any rules that they had heard of. He knew this from firsthand experience. He almost started telling them about the Shadows but decided not to. They would find out about them when Efraim or somebody else decided it was important for them to know. Nicolas had done the right thing for the wrong reason. William let it drop at that.


    When they had finished their lunch, they hurried back to their training building. Efraim was waiting for them inside their room. They kicked off their shoes and walked inside. Efraim taught them various forms of punches and how to counter them. He taught them more grabs and throws, and multiple combinations. William was pared with Charles and Nicolas got to work with Katherine. Charles had longer arms than William so William had to rely more on the grabs and counters than he would have had to with Nicolas or Katherine. After that morning¡¯s encounter with Achelois he was grateful for having to rely more on defensive maneuvers.


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    Charles, for all his height, was quick. His lanky arms shot out at William at all sorts of angles and speeds. William did manage one time to sidestep into a right hook from Charles, grab the man¡¯s elbow, and twist him to the ground. To William it was a revelation. It had happened exactly as Efraim had explained it to them. However, after that one time Charles seemed to increase his speed even more and protect his elbows with the angles of his punches. After several hours of punching, dodging, practicing, and learning how to do it all over again, William and the rest of them were exhausted.


    Efraim dismissed them for dinner but they were to come back afterward. Efraim didn¡¯t give them a time limit this time around. William was under no illusion though. He had this gut feeling that the longer they took at dinner they later it would be before they got to go back to their rooms and sleep. After their intensive two days with Efraim the most important thing to William was sleeping. They didn¡¯t dawdle at dinner. They finished quickly but it was Charles who once again led them to stand up and leave the cafeteria. They made their way back to the training room. Efraim was standing there in his bare feet watching them enter the room. ¡°Katherine you¡¯re with William, Nicolas, pair up with Charles.¡± The four moved into positions facing each other. ¡°You are free to go.¡± William looked into Katherine¡¯s bright green eyes, not fully comprehending what he just heard. He saw the same uncertainty reflected back at him. He slowly turned his head toward the combat master.


    Efraim looked at the four of them. ¡°Or we could stay and work out again, your choice.¡±


    The four of them hurried out of the training building and put their shoes back on. There was very little talking and the four of them split up and went their separate ways. William walked back to his room and in much the same manner as yesterday he ripped off his clothes and dove onto his bed, burying himself in thick furs. But sleep didn¡¯t come easily for him.


    He was tired, he still felt full from dinner, but no matter how long he closed his eyes his body would not drift to sleep. The image of Katherine standing naked turned slightly to the side and what Efraim had said about all of them kept repeating itself in his mind. Katherine was a beautiful woman.


    Their bodies are tools, nothing more. He held up his hand in front of his face. He flexed his arms and legs under the furs. He had never thought about his body as a tool before. He had never thought about how he viewed the opposite sex¡¯s body either. This seemed to be a theme for this place, respect above all else. Respect for other¡¯s religious preference, respect for one¡¯s personal space, respect for privacy when asked. Everything here spoke of something that he had never thought possible. There was that but also the fact that all the inhabitants of this city were held accountable for their actions.

 Book 3 Chapter 8c

    This forced him to think about Aceso and the punishment that she had to endure upon returning to the city for accepting his oath of fealty. He still didn¡¯t understand it and he didn¡¯t feel any different now than he had before he had met Aceso in his forest that other lifetime ago. But if Achelois was to be believed and what she had done to him was really seen as rape than he was glad that Aceso¡¯s punishment wasn¡¯t more severe.


    His mind spun with thoughts of rape, punishment, naked woman taunting men, and the question of who stood as the moral judge over all those scenarios. At one point he thought about what Tasha had done to him. That, to him, was far worse than anything Aceso had done. Maybe that was why she had left the City under the Mountain. He found himself wondering what that would do to a person to suddenly find yourself with supreme control over other people¡¯s hearts and minds because of biochemistry and subliminal manipulation. He wondered what Charles thought about that sort of thing, if he had ever been tempted to use his lunar gift against those of the opposite sex for nothing more than a mere night¡¯s pleasure.


    William heard the footsteps long before Amanda peeked around that open space that served as his entryway. ¡°Oh, good I don¡¯t have to wake you up,¡± Amanda said as she pivoted on the ball of her foot and disappeared from his room.


    Several minutes later after a trip to the bathroom, he was dressed and waiting in the city square for the rest of his pack to show up. He felt a lot better than he should have but he knew that this was a temporary feeling. In about an hour or so his body was going to be protesting the lack of sleep and he wondered how he was going to deal with Efraim¡¯s regimen today without having any sleep.


    Efraim did not have them go on a run this morning, at least not for two hours. He led the four human born away from the city square. He followed twists and turns in the cities layout to lead them to a side crevasse inside the underground cavern. They walked through the manicured and maintained opening in the rock and followed the twists of the formed rock. This alleyway had a very similar feeling to what he had walked through when he had found that temple of the multiple gods where he had met Eustace. The winding alleyway was filled with abstract curves and ledges with hollowed out spaces along the way. The black obsidian was smooth as glass, and even though they travelled in almost complete darkness the obsidian swirled with deep colors as they passed by.


    They took a sharp turn and all at once the alleyway opened up into a vast hollow cavern. William had no idea where he was. The cavern was misshaped and much smaller than the carefully crafted area of the underground cavern where the city proper sat, but this place was no less impressive. It held enough open space to be a football stadium. The whole floor of this cave was covered with what looked like a massive child¡¯s jungle gym. William could see rope bridges, slides, ladders and connecting tunnels all through the place. He noticed that the ground was covered in a squishy soft padding, just like he would have expected to find at a child¡¯s playground. He felt like a kid again and the only thought in his head was to go play.


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    ¡°This might look like a jungle gym to you, but to me this is a training tool.¡± Efraim looked at the four of them. ¡°You might notice those huge blocks a little farther back?¡± He hooked his thumb in the direction of the massive blocks. To William they looked no different than the buildings inside of the City under the Mountain. ¡°Today you will learn how to move through that urban environment with speed.¡± He focused on Nicolas. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard of Parkour?¡± Nicolas shook his head. Efraim looked at the rest of the group. ¡°It is the sport of moving through an urban environment with speed and efficiency. I¡¯m not saying any of you will master it in your human forms but it is an invaluable technique to use in certain circumstances.¡±


    Efraim took them through the basics of Parkour, lifting themselves up on walls and how to jump from heights without breaking their legs. The purpose of the jungle gym became very clear to William as the jungle gym was a training ground for the empty buildings and walls that were placed behind it. The jungle gym was more of an obstacle course anyway. For the next hour or two Efraim taught them about their werewolf forms and how to use them when confined to various man-made environments.


    The four of them were allowed to rest as Efraim produced bags of food for each of them. What they got to eat for breakfast was some bread, cheese, and some dried meat, a large piece of fruit and a container of water. It was nothing compared to warm pancakes and bacon but he had to make do with what he had. When he finished breakfast, his body started to show signs of not having any sleep and he had a hard time performing those basic moves that Efraim taught them.


    William¡¯s body felt heavy and sluggish but he was glad for the constant movement, anything less than that and he would have fallen asleep. They practiced Parkour on the walls and the ladders of the jungle gym. They had to dive through small rabbit holes down slides and into pits of sand. By lunch time, William was sweating and panting and he was pretty sure that his body couldn¡¯t take any more of this.


    Efraim had them all sit down. ¡°These are advanced techniques for people who enjoy the sport.¡± He looked at them as they sat there absorbing what he said. ¡°I don¡¯t expect any of you to continue to train in this technique past what I have taught you here today. It will always be here and if I had more time, I would make sure that you had mastered everything I know about it, at least in your werewolf forms.¡± Efraim heaved a sigh. ¡°But I don¡¯t have that kind of time and neither do you.¡± He stood up looking down at the four of them. ¡°Remember what you have learned here today, it might save your life someday.¡± The sudden shocked feeling that William felt must have been clearly written on his face because Efraim stopped and looked right at him. ¡°If I didn¡¯t know about these techniques I wouldn¡¯t be here right now.¡±

 Book 3 Chapter 8d

    Efraim let them go back to the cafeteria for lunch. He came with them, which was all at once odd and strangely comforting. William hadn¡¯t seen Efraim eat before and knowing that the man was going to eat somehow made him seem more human. They ate their lunch in silence for the most part. William¡¯s body was sore but in a good way. He was in pretty good shape already but these new techniques and work outs that Efraim had been making them do was putting a strain on his lean muscles. Efraim sat across from them at the same table. The four of them took their cues from him. He didn¡¯t seem to be in any rush and so they all took their time.


    When they had finished Efraim got up and deposited his tray. William and his other three pack members dropped their trays off as well. William watched Efraim go back behind the counter and disappear around a corner in the kitchen. Shrugging his shoulders, he followed his other pack mates outside. Efraim emerged a few minutes later with a sizable box. Efraim didn¡¯t say anything. He walked past the four of them and led them away from the cafeteria back to the large cave where they had trained that morning.


    Efraim placed the box on the ground off to the side. He turned around to find the four of them watching him. ¡°What are you waiting for?¡± He stared at them waiting for them to do something. William felt a little stupid for not knowing something that Efraim obviously expected them to know. Efraim folded his arms across his chest. ¡°Get out of those clothes and change into your werewolf form, now.¡± His quiet overly patient voice was more intimidating than any shout that William had ever heard. William ripped off his shirt and then he saw Katherine do the same. He couldn¡¯t help but turn away slightly just as she was doing. The small gesture went without criticism by Efraim. William yanked off his shoes and pulled down his pants and underwear in one fluid motion and as he stood up, he saw out of the corner of his eye Katherine undo her bra. He closed his eyes and found the void. Floating there he knew that he had changed. When he opened his eyes, he was back to his werewolf form. Katherine had made the transformation as well.


    William turned just as Aceso and Achelois were walking into the massive side cave. Ares was behind them. They were still in their wolf form. William nodded to the three newcomers and they simultaneously melted into shadows. A moment later they emerged from those shadows in their werewolf forms.


    ¡°Now let¡¯s see how much you remember from this morning.¡± Efraim said.


    For the rest of the day the six of them, with the help of Ares, Efraim ran them through the obstacle course and practiced their maneuvers on the large empty buildings behind it. At first William found his larger werewolf body to be a little awkward. He was faster and more agile but having to squish through some of the smaller holes that in his human form were easy for him was frustrating. After a while though he mastered some of the things that he had been able to do that morning and the obstacle course became fun again.


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    Efraim showed them how to scale a building using the two-man technique. He was paired up with Katherine and they faced each other in an alleyway. They gripped each other¡¯s hands above their heads. Then they slowly placed a hind claw on the wall behind them. Placing a lot of pressure in their grips they slowly backed up the wall, one step at a time. It was hard work, even in werewolf form. Their grips were shaky, and they had to constantly readjust and reposition their arms and hands. They made their way up the building, pushing against the wall and each other. William and Katherine were almost horizontal as they continued to climb. One of them slipped and they fell crashing to the ground from the three feet height that they had managed to gain. They tried several times but even in werewolf form they couldn¡¯t seem to get any higher than about four feet.


    They heard a familiar howl erupt through the large cave. They all stopped what they were doing and went back to the front of the obstacle course. William had never been sore or tired in his werewolf form, until today. Every muscle in his body hurt. His shoulders and arms felt like they would never be able to lift themselves over his head. Groaning and massaging different body parts, the six of them emerged from the obstacle course to find Efraim sitting behind the box that he had brought from the cafeteria.


    Efraim didn¡¯t waste any time but starting throwing things at the six of them. William got a large sack bean him right in his gut which produced a soft grunt.  Nicolas was tossed a rather large bag filled with large round objects. William walked a little closer to Efraim and sat down on the padded ground. He opened his bag to find an assortment of foil wrapped balls. He took one out to find that they were still warm. Without thinking he instinctively handed out the balls to his other pack mates, while tossing one to Efraim and Ares.


    It turned out that the box Efraim had brought contained all sorts of bags like the one he and Nicolas had got. The meal proved to be a premade barbeque potluck, kind of. He got potatoes, Nicolas got fruit, Katherine got carrots that had been roasted with butter, and Aceso got large chunks of meat. The eight of them ate their meal in good humor. The food was passed around and everybody ate what they could. After they had finished Efraim collected all the trash and put in back in the box. He stood up wiping his hands with a towel that had come from the box as well. Efraim tossed the towel back in the box and gestured that the rest of them stand.


    ¡°Now we see if you were really practicing today or just goofing off.¡±


    Efraim pushed them through the obstacle course, over and over again timing them each time. William had the thing memorized but it didn¡¯t seem to help. Even with the pack bond that he and Aceso shared he was unable to move any faster. His whole body was sore and even though he could still feel energy, his muscles were all used up. He wasn¡¯t used to these kinds of movements.

 Book 3 Chapter 8e

    Finally, it was over and Efraim let them all go back to their rooms to sleep. They all changed back to their human forms and got dressed again. William was so sore that he didn¡¯t even worry about changing back this time and the transformation went by almost automatically. He scooped up his clothes and put them back on. His muscles felt better the more he moved. The pack bond was compensating and taking some of his fatigue and soreness away from him but he was still in pain. Nursing sore muscles all the way home he let his legs carry him back to his room. He had no trouble going to sleep that night.


    Training went on like this for about three weeks. William and the rest of the human born of his pack would train together and then they would be brought back with Aceso and Achelois to train in their werewolf form. They went back to the massive jungle gym, obstacle course, and Parkour training ground several times. William always felt awkward performing some of the most basic stuff in human form. In his werewolf form however he had become a god. He could jump between buildings, scale walls that were four stories high. He leapt out of windows bouncing off of walls and other buildings. In his werewolf form everything seemed to make sense. Along with the physical training they were put through they also attended a class of sorts on survival in nature. The wolf born were excluded from these, of course, and much of what was said William already had a pretty good idea about. Still, he took them more as a time to rest and absorb some of the finer details of survival, how to read the weather and the land and what to watch out for as far as human interference and detection.


    The four of them grew together as a group. Nicolas seemed to calm down a little more and William found he could look at the man and put aside his contempt, for a little while. He wouldn¡¯t say that they were friends, but at least they tolerated each other and Nicolas had taken steps to be somewhat less odious around his pack mates. Of course, for a while there he wouldn¡¯t stop complaining about how much weight he had lost.


    ¡°I mean look at me, I look like a scrawny kid, where the hell did my pecks go,¡± Nicolas complained.


    William looked over at him. ¡°You may have lost weight and mass, but you are stronger now than you were when we first met.¡± Charles nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Yeah, but look at me,¡± Nicolas almost wailed. ¡°My clothes don¡¯t even fit anymore.¡±


    William reached over and punched him in the shoulder. ¡°If I were you, I would be appreciative of the solid tight muscles you have now over those inflated gym muscles you had when you first got here.¡± William glanced sideways at Katherine, knowing that Nicolas would see him do it. ¡°Besides you have a shredded six pack now, not the bloated belly of a body builder that was massing up before he cut down for a competition.¡±


    Even Achelois seemed to be allowing her open distaste for Aceso subside a little bit. William would notice the two sparring with each other in the training building and they would be helping each other out with hand positions or were to throw their body weight to get the proper lift to do a particular throw. Of course, as soon as training was over Achelois didn¡¯t say a word to Aceso.


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    Then one day as they were leaving the training building, Efraim yelled after them, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about meeting in the square until after lunch tomorrow, in werewolf form.¡±


    William looked at the other five members of his pack. They mirrored his look of confusion. As they were walking home, he glanced up at Charles. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Charles shrugged his shoulders. ¡°I have no idea. We should enjoy the break while we have it though.¡±


    The next morning, he woke up before the cavern ceiling crystals had brightened to their usual morning glow. He tried to go back to sleep but after three weeks of waking up at the same time every day he guessed that there was no point in trying to force something his body just wasn¡¯t used to anymore.


    He got up grabbed his toiletries and went to the bathroom. After he had brushed his teeth and gave himself the smoothest shave, he had allowed himself in a long time, he decided that he was going to take a nice long hot shower. He got into the open bay shower and turned on the hot water. He was ready for the blast of liquid ice, and he stood off to the side until the water became warm. He stepped into the stream of warmth and let it permeate his whole body. He closed his eyes and just relaxed enjoying not having to be anywhere for a while. When he opened his eyes he found that he was not alone. Standing directly opposite from him taking a shower as if it was the most natural thing in the world, was a naked woman. William whipped himself around and tried to make it seem casual. He had never been so self-conscious before in his life. He turned the water off and nearly ran out of the shower.


    ¡°You can come back and finish your shower, I won¡¯t bite.¡± The woman said. ¡°At least not before I get to know you.¡±


    William was able to muster the courage to turn around and at least look at the woman who had invaded his shower. She had pale white skin. She was in shape and her short red hair framed her angular face. Her pale green eyes had a wild untamed look in them. William now knew what a mouse felt like when cornered by a hungry cat. He wanted to move but was held in place for a moment by the movement of her hand gliding up her side approaching her breast as the hot water flowed over her well-toned, muscled body. William didn¡¯t wait to see what she was going to do next. Instead, he turned on his heel and nearly fell flat on his face losing his balance in the puddle of water that had pooled beneath him. He caught himself and managed to move with impressive speed out of the shower area around the partial partitioning wall. Heaving a sigh, he grabbed one of the white towels and dried himself off quickly. He yanked his pants and shirt back on, threw on his shoes, grabbed his toiletries from the counter, and jumped out of the bathroom as quickly as possible. He didn¡¯t turn back around to look if the girl was following him, he knew that she wasn¡¯t. Still, the hairs on the back of his still damp neck were standing straight up. He felt a heat radiate in between his shoulder blades as he tried to wipe the memory of what had just happened from his mind. He had never had a girl hit on him before and he was fairly inexperienced in these sorts of things but he was pretty sure that she had made a pass at him just now. Not just a pass, she tried to run me over with a Mack truck.

 Book 3 Chapter 8f

    He hoped he never saw the girl again, but in a city with a population as low as it was here it was impossible for him to avoid her for very long, especially if she didn¡¯t want to be avoided. He looked up at the cavern ceiling then and said a silent prayer to his Lunar Mother whom he couldn¡¯t see.


    After he replaced his toiletries on his dresser he sat in his room for a time. He hadn¡¯t spent much time in here, when he had been conscious. The black polished walls glistened from the ceiling crystals lights. He could see the deep reflections in the smooth surface. After three weeks of running, training, sparring, and everything else that he had gone through he wondered what exactly it was all for. He stood up then and walked around the perfect black of his room.


    The wooden dresser stood out as something solid. He didn¡¯t see a reflection in its finished surface. He was struck with the idea that the dresser was the only thing real in the room, that and his bed of course. The walls were empty, black reflections of the world. It wasn¡¯t a disturbing thought just one that brought more comfort from having the two wooden fixtures in the room made from something other than black obsidian. He was reminded once again of the quote that he never could remember exactly where it came from, ¡°If you look at the darkness long enough, the darkness starts to look back.¡± Gently rubbing the top of his dresser, he was faced once again with the thought of the very real possibility that he could have been killed any number of times over the past month or two for no better reason that he had turned away from his humanity and had become an unthinking beast that threatened the City under the Mountain and all of its inhabitants. The thought no longer disturbed him it simply was, like his skewed reflection in the polished obsidian of his room, it was there and nothing that he could say or do would change what would have needed to be done.


    He walked out of his room. He thought that maybe he could find some posters somewhere or put up some more decorations. His room really was drab and a little depressing. He made his way down the ramp and realized that he didn¡¯t have the slightest idea of what to do or where to go. He had all morning to himself and nothing to spend his time on. So, he decided to walk.


    He didn¡¯t know where he was going. He let his feet carry him wherever they wanted to go. He deliberately avoided the bathroom he had used that morning. His legs carried him out away from the center of the city. The city¡¯s streets here were a jumble of alleys and narrow walkways. He had learned to navigate the complex inner streets with a familiarity that rivaled those that had lived here much longer than he had. The honeycomb, labyrinthine streets cut back on themselves and twisted in strange ways. Efraim had explained some time ago that it was for the defense of the city. Why make nice straight streets that any idiot could navigate when the only people that were supposed to be here were shape shifters. Efraim taught them to use their sense of smell to navigate as well as their eyes. William had learned quickly and even with his diminished senses in human form he trusted his legs and his memory to carry him. As he walked the ceiling crystals brightened slowly with the passage of the morning. He was unconcerned. He knew he had plenty of time before lunch and was content to just enjoy the leisurely stroll through his new home.


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    After some time, his feet brought him to a familiar part of the city on the edges of the underground cavern. The yawning break in the cavern wall, framed by the naked woman and the proud werewolf, surprised him somewhat. He walked along the twisted tunnel of the temple. The gods and Goddesses arrayed along the niches and harsh cutbacks of the tunnel. He stopped in front of the familiar fat man with an elephant¡¯s head. He looked down to see that the little mouse hadn¡¯t moved. He still had no idea who this was supposed to be or even what religion he belonged to but for some reason he was calmed looking at the deity. The white of the stone used to carve the statue was old but it looked just like it had when he had first seen it all those weeks ago. Not that he expected stone to age in less than a month, but it gave the feeling of timelessness, and he was comforted by this.


    He continued to follow the curving cave as it twisted back and forth in on itself. He walked into the open cul-de-sac at the end of the cave. The place was quiet and solemn. He saw the large stone table that had been cleared of all that he and Eustace had left there. The light shining down from the ceiling was subdued but bright all at the same time. Not at all like it had been the last time he was here. He sat down off to one side of the rounded hollow and crossed his legs in front of him.


    He remained motionless and focused on his breathing. Questions kept surfacing in his mind only to dissolve under the pressure of new ones. He hadn¡¯t told anyone about his encounter with the Shadows. Should he? Was he being trained for nothing except to fight those things that, if it hadn¡¯t been for Aceso, he would be one of right now? He gave up trying to think about the things that he couldn¡¯t answer. Instead, he took a deep breath in and tried to clear his mind of everything. He had come here for a reason, and he was pretty sure that it wasn¡¯t to argue with himself about things that he knew very little about.

 Book 3 Chapter 9a

    When he was ready, he opened his eyes and stood up. He bowed to the stone table and walked out of the cul-de-sac. He felt a little less troubled as he walked past the statues of Apollo, Dionysus, and all the other Greek gods. He walked past the white stone representation of Jesus and some of his disciples. He glanced over at the unidentifiable statue that he had forgotten was even here. He had no idea what it was supposed to be but it disturbed him a little and he hurried on. The cave was quiet and dim but it wasn¡¯t the oppressive dimness of something that was abandoned, more like the quiet solemnity of a church or a cemetery.


    He exited the cave under the globe held over the two gate keepers¡¯ heads. The wolf and the goddess, why did that sound that a Disney movie to him? He smiled at his little joke and bowed again to the two statues, a gentle nod of his head in respect.


    It took the rest of the morning for him to get back to the city square. He had forgotten to eat breakfast and after not missing a meal for a long time his stomach was not happy with him and growling its distaste loudly. Lucky for him the cafeteria was open and some people had already sat down for lunch. He walked up to the counter and got a tray full of food and sat down in a quiet corner in the back of the room.


    When he was finished, the room had accepted a few more patrons and the noise level was steadily rising. He was glad to drop off his tray and get outside before the place really did fill up. Once outside he realized that he hadn¡¯t seen the other members of his pack today. He would see them soon enough.


    Not knowing exactly what time it was he hurried back to his room. Once there he stripped himself of his clothes and closed his eyes. Standing in the middle of the room he let the swirling darkness envelope him. He opened his eyes and looked at his hands, they were now claws and he had grown almost a foot. He took a second to look at his fur and study his werewolf body. He noticed that it too had taken on a leaner appearance than he remembered from his forest, consequences of all the training he had been subjected to over the past three weeks or so. He walked out the open entryway but stopped. He turned back around and poked his head back into his room. He raised his hand in a farewell salute to the place and walked down the ramp on the outside of the building.


    He strode through the winding streets till he got to the city square. The monolithic tower was still just as oppressive in the middle of the day as it had been on his first glimpse of the thing. He couldn¡¯t help but recall what had happened in there. His near fall that probably would have killed him, how tiring the whole ordeal had been only to be sentenced by Derceto right after he had escaped the four rooms leading up that confrontation with Ares. He rubbed at his side. His wounds had all healed long ago, but the memory of the pain was still as fresh as if he had suffered those hits yesterday.


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    He was brought out of his memories by the approaching clicking sound of claws on stone. He turned toward the sounds to see Aceso walking toward him. All calm wolf pride, control, and dignity. Even in her werewolf form she was shorter than William by an inch or two. The white patch on her chest was a stark contrast to the rest of her all-black fur coat. William smiled at his alpha. Aceso walked up and stood calmly in front of her human male beta.


    ¡°Do you have any idea about what¡¯s going on?¡±


    Aceso shook her head and the soft rustle of her thick fur brought back more memories of his forest and what life had been like before she had brought him to this place.


    William nodded in understanding. He turned upward to gaze at the black tower looming over him and his alpha. He lost himself in memories of what had happened there and before that. He let his mind shoot its way back through time. He remembered his forest, the green of the trees, the smell of cedar in the air. He remembered the liquid ice that was the river that cut through the valley. He remembered how tough that first winter was and how he had almost starved.


    He stopped and looked over at Aceso. What had caused me to think of that all of a sudden? Aceso was looking out of the city square. Her arms hung at her sides. She was waiting and watching for the other members of her pack, he assumed. He turned and looked in the direction she was facing. The labyrinth of alleyways and streets was less dense here in the heart of the City under the Mountain but if you looked out you could see the sudden and sharp turns the various streets took away from the city square into the maze that made up the city proper.


    William heard the footsteps before he saw who was coming. With his heightened werewolf hearing he identified the sounds of heavy footsteps and guessed it was either Nicolas or Charles. To his surprise it was Katherine who was stalking toward him and Aceso. She was very irritated at something. She was practically stamping her feet with every step. The cream-colored werewolf strode up and stopped hard in between William and Aceso and stared hard outward away from both of them. Nicolas walked around the corner and approached the group. Katherine stalked off a few more steps to keep distance between the two of them. This display was not lost on William or Aceso who emitted a low growl in the back of her throat.


    Nicolas walked up and with an indifferent expression on his werewolf face as he greeted the three of them. ¡°Hey, how you doin¡¯ this afternoon?¡±


    William looked back at Katherine and returned the look to Nicolas. Nicolas saw the question written on his face and he shrugged with a questioning look of his own. William glanced toward Aceso and the werewolf nodded her head a fraction of an inch. William took the cue and grabbed Nicolas¡¯s arm and forced him away from the two females. Nicolas only protested slightly but he didn¡¯t call out. When William had gotten the blonde far enough away to not be overheard, William released Nicolas and spun him around to face him. Nicolas didn¡¯t seem in the slightest bit upset by being manhandled. In fact, he seemed to wrap his dignity around him in a cloak of invulnerability.

 Book 3 Chapter 9b

    William couldn¡¯t help but be a little incensed at the indifference the man was showing. ¡°What the hell did you do?¡±


    Nicolas blinked and raised his arms in an ¡®I¡¯m innocent¡¯ gesture. ¡°I have no idea what you mean, William.¡±


    ¡°Then why, pray tell, is Katherine pissed off and wants nothing to do with you?¡±


    Nicolas¡¯s face took on a blank expression as he blinked looking back and forth between Katherine and William. ¡°How should I know?¡±


    William looked at Nicolas trying to read the man. There wasn¡¯t the slightest bit of guilt written on his face. He inhaled and took in Nicolas¡¯s scent. There was nothing in the way the other werewolf smelled to suggest that the man was lying. William looked back at Katherine for a moment. She was mad about something and the way she reacted to Nicolas, he was the culprit, but Nicolas acted as if he honestly didn¡¯t know what had happened to make Katherine so mad. Without a word and taking much more effort than he wanted to admit he turned around and walked back toward Aceso and Katherine. Nicolas had done something to upset Katherine, but he had nothing to pin against Nicolas and had to discontinue the interrogation.


    Charles walked out of a side alley and met William as he neared the two females. He glanced sideways at his friend. He looked contemplative as well. ¡°What¡¯s up, Charles?¡±


    The tall black furred werewolf turned his head toward William. ¡°You don¡¯t know about what happened?¡±


    William glanced back to see Nicolas following the two at a distance. ¡°No, but I have a pretty good idea of what happened.¡± Charles nodded. ¡°The only question I have is how far did he take it?¡±


    Charles eyebrows rose as he glanced down at the shorted werewolf walking next to him. ¡°Nothing all that bad but the man has a tough time taking no for an answer.¡±


    William jerked his head up toward Charles. ¡°He didn¡¯t,¡± He felt his tail stand up in rage behind him.


    Charles looked at William and, in a half, a second he realized the conclusion that William had drawn. He stopped and placed a hand on William¡¯s shoulder. ¡°No, he didn¡¯t.¡±


    William eased back in his mind but his body was still tensed. ¡°What happened, Charles?¡±


    The taller werewolf almost shrugged his shoulders. Instead, he waited for Nicolas to pass them. Charles led William back to the identical spot that he had driven Nicolas to a moment before. ¡°Apparently, Nicolas thought that this morning would be a good idea to introduce himself to Katherine.¡± William shot a look toward the retreating form of Nicolas. ¡°Katherine told him no but he kept at it. He didn¡¯t do anything, as far as I know he didn¡¯t touch her but the event was enough to upset Katherine.¡±


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    ¡°How do you know all this?¡±


    Charles breathed a sigh. ¡°Because I was there, for the end of it anyway.¡± Charles looked over at Katherine who still had her back turned to the rest of the group. Achelois had joined them as well. ¡°I was going to invite Katherine to that holy place on the edge of the city this morning.¡±


    ¡°I was at the temple this morning, you never made it.¡±


    ¡°No, after what had happened, I watched Nicolas leave her room I tried to console her but she wanted to be left alone, so I did and I went back to my room instead.¡±


    William looked at the blonde werewolf standing very easily on the outskirts of the pack. William couldn¡¯t help but wonder what kind of man could do that to another person and then act like nothing had happened. Of course, there was always the possibility that to him nothing had happened and that she was just overreacting. How did he ever think that he was starting to be able to tolerate such a man? Charles didn¡¯t say anything more and walked back to be with the rest of the pack, William followed.


    William could not keep his hateful stare off Nicolas for long. He wanted to burn the man to cinders where he stood, all calm confidence, like he owned the place and the rest of them were there just to enjoy his company. William hated him and everything that he represented.


    Efraim and a much larger man strode up to the pack out of a side alley. It took William a few seconds to recognize him. It was Mr. Davis. The thought struck William as odd. The wolf born in the city had only first names and he knew the first name of everybody else in the city that he met but this man was and probably always would be Mr. Davis.


    The two stopped in front of the pack. Efraim took the lead and Mr. Davis was content to let the shorter man speak. ¡°I told you at the beginning of all this that there wasn¡¯t going to be enough time for you to be trained properly.¡± He looked at the members of the young pack. There was a sadness in his eyes that spoke to William. ¡°However, we all have our jobs to do and the Elders have deemed you able enough for some field work.¡± He glanced up at Mr. Davis who had his thick arms crossed in front of his massive chest. ¡°Mr. Davis will escort you to the exit of the mountain. From there, you are to capture three pairs of wild deer from the surrounding forests and graze land. That¡¯s three males and three females for those of you not familiar with Noah.¡± He looked at the young pack. The postures of Nicolas and William, Katherine and Charles were not lost on him. ¡°What happened?¡±


    Katherine looked at the combat master and Nicolas was silent as death. The only sound was a low soft guttural sound from Achelois. Efraim looked back and forth between the members of the pack. He was not fooled and far from satisfied.


    ¡°If you think you are protecting each other by letting whatever happened between you fester and not telling me about it, you¡¯re wrong and maybe you¡¯re not as ready as I or the Elders think.¡± When he was met only with silence he scoffed at the pack. ¡°Fine, we all have our assigned duties. I will get to the bottom of this, you can count on it.¡± He turned to Mr. Davis. ¡°They¡¯re all yours.¡±

 Book 3 Chapter 9c

    Mr. Davis watched the shorter man disappear, then without a word he walked off in the opposite direction. The rest of the pack stood there not really knowing what to do. Mr. Davis stopped a few feet away and turned around to find them all hesitant. ¡°If I were you, I wouldn¡¯t fall too far behind.¡± He turned back around and kept walking.


    Achelois kicked off the stone pavement of the street and strolled after him. Katherine whirled in a blur of cream fur and stalked after her. William looked at Charles and glanced over at Aceso. He shrugged his shoulders and moved to follow the other two and Mr. Davis.


    Walking out of the city was a lot like walking into it. He found that he didn¡¯t get as disoriented as he had when he first entered the city but the impossible cross sections and narrow lane ways of street jaggedly cut through the city at irregular intervals and distances were still a little jarring. The whole city was a mess of genius misdirection. Even knowing how the city worked and being more comfortable with navigating the place he still found it to be intimidating.


    Mr. Davis wasn¡¯t walking quickly nor was he taking a leisurely stroll, he was moving at a good clip without it seeming to be forced. He guided them through the city with the assuredness of someone who had traveled this way a thousand times and would travel this way again a thousand times more. William wasn¡¯t entirely sure that Mr. Davis took the same path to exit the city every time, but the man knew the city so well he could instantly change his route and still end up where he wanted to be without losing any time.


    William and the rest of the pack was brought to a ramp that had been cut into the side of the underground cavern. William walked up the ramp and was surprised at just how steep it was. He glided his claw along the glass smooth interior wall of the cavern. When they had reached the top of the ramp Mr. Davis paused for a moment.


    William gazed out over the City under the Mountain. It was exactly the way he remembered seeing it upon entering the city that first time so long ago. Except with his werewolf sight, he could make out even the tiniest details. The ceiling crystals lit the whole underground cavern. He looked to his right and saw the massive splotch of green forest against the cavern wall. He could make out at least two other splotches of green in the underground cavern. Looking at the city and walking out of it from its center he was reminded of just how massive this place really was. It was impossibly huge, and he was stunned by the renewed visual of the whole after spending so much time inside it.


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    From here the city was nothing but a jumble of boxes stacked unevenly on each other. The black obsidian stone the buildings were made out of was uniform but there was texture to the buildings and the various stories of the buildings. At the center, rising above all the rest was the black tower at the very heart of the City under the Mountain. It jutted up and commanded the whole cityscape. The eye couldn¡¯t help but be drawn to it. It was intimidating in its cold vigil.


    He could make out a few of the main roads leading to the tower at the heart of the city. He knew from experience that those roads were not long, and they were intentionally misleading. They led to nowhere, another defense mechanism of the city.


    Mr. Davis didn¡¯t stand around long but instead moved up into the cave that opened up onto the ramp that they were now standing on. The rest of the pack followed. The cave swallowed the light from the underground cavern. Mr. Davis grabbed a torch from its medieval cast iron bracket. Mr. Davis lit the torch with some flint scraped off the wall sending sparks onto the torch and a happy flame leapt forth. Nodding at the flame, Mr. Davis led them up the gently sloping tunnel.


    The walk brought back memories. He could remember his confrontation with Mr. Davis and how he had first met Ares, the impenetrable wall of fur and muscle that had prevented him from getting to Aceso. That first walk into the city he had seemed more like a prisoner than a guest and now walking back out of the city he felt like he was going away for a weekend but would be back soon. Just like home.


    After some time, Mr. Davis placed the torch in another cast iron bracket on the wall. He took a breath and melted down into that liquid shadow that William was so used to seeing. After a moment Mr. Davis emerged from the shadow as a black furred, with some grey striations throughout, werewolf that he had to guess was around seven feet and four or five inches tall. He looked at the young pack with his golden eyes. ¡°Remember this tone.¡± He howled into the cave. The sound reverberated and echoed off the nearby walls. William had to resist putting his hands over his ears. The sound was not very distinguishable. He supposed that was the point. But after a second or two and once he had become adjusted to the sudden noise, he could hear the subtle undertones of the howl. Mr. Davis stopped howling. The wall opposite of the cast iron bracket started to slide itself from its place in the rock. It had been a long time since he had seen the rock wall move and it was no less impressive now than it had been when he first came here. A sliver of sunlight entered the cave and William had to repress the urge to run out into it.


    When William was able to tear his eyes away from the moving rock and the inviting ray of pure sunlight he looked back towards their guide. Mr. Davis who had already changed back into his human form and his clothes had been restored to him. When do we get a pair of clothes that does that? Mr. Davis saw the look on William¡¯s face and a broad smile cracked the man¡¯s face in half. He clapped his hand on William¡¯s furred shoulder and moved out past the pack into the adjoining cave.

 Book 3 Chapter 9d

    He stopped a little way inside the cave but stayed away from the sunlight. He gathered them all to sit down around him. The rock wall closed behind them leaving only a small opening that could barely be seen in the shadows. William could feel the early winter air touch and gnaw at his furred body. It was cold and he wondered how Mr. Davis was not shivering. The sunlight was inviting but held no warmth and he was very glad to be in werewolf form.


    Once they were all seated Mr. Davis began giving them instructions. ¡°Now as you all know, the entire area around the volcano is nothing but open flat grass land. You will have to travel by night and be careful.¡± He looked around at the young pack. He shook his head. ¡°Your main problem will be the approach back to the mountain. Each of you will have to carry a dear from the forest and you will have to travel fast.¡± He caught the eyes of every single member of the pack. ¡°It is then that you will be at your most vulnerable.¡± He nodded to Charles and Nicolas and Katherine. ¡°It will be up to you three to hide the path of your pack anyway you can. Katherine you would be familiar with some of the techniques to cover your tracks in the ground that sages can use.¡± Katherine nodded. ¡°But that won¡¯t block scents or the screams from your captive dear.¡± He looked at Charles. ¡°It will be your job to sooth the deer and mask the trace scents of the six of you as you leave and when you come back.¡± Charles nodded but Mr. Davis did not let it go at that. ¡°The City under the Mountain cannot afford a similar mistake to the one made during your test.¡± Charles set his jaw and nodded with a steady confident look at Mr. Davis. The older man nodded. ¡°Nicolas.¡± He looked at the blonde. ¡°You are very young and your control over your ability is almost nonexistent but the anxiety of this first time outside the city may trigger heightened awareness and clearer visions. It has happened before. The only thing I can stress to you is that you trust your ability and if something seems off to you, it probably is, don¡¯t keep it to yourself.¡± Nicolas nodded slowly as if trying to swallow a thick chunk of steak.


    Mr. Davis looked around at the whole pack again. ¡°This mountain is a huge tourist attraction during the spring and summer.¡± He winked. ¡°What better place to hide than right out in the open.¡± He looked toward the mouth of the cave. William noticed that his arms were now coated in goose bumps. ¡°Winter is setting in which gives you the advantage of no tourists and the deer will be out foraging in final preparations for winter. Hunting should be relatively easy, and you should be out here no more than a few days, if that.¡±  Mr. Davis stopped and looked at the pack with a cold stare and his voice took on a grave quietness. ¡°I cannot impress upon you enough that the safety of the City under the Mountain is very literally in your hands. If you get caught or are detected in any way, it could seriously jeopardize this city and all its inhabitants.¡±


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    Mr. Davis took one last look around the pack. He seemed as if he wanted to say more but remained silent. The large man stood and pointed toward the sun which was sinking fast behind other mountains in the distance. ¡°This cave is on the western side of the mountain. There are many like it cut into the mountain to further mask our exit point from the city. Don¡¯t get lost on your way back.¡± He lowered his head in hesitation. ¡°Move only at night. Wait here for the sun to set and night to drop, don¡¯t wait too long because the moon will be near full now and its light will not hide you out in the flat land around the mountain. Good luck.¡± Mr. Davis disappeared back into the cave and the rock wall slid closed behind him. It looked as if the cave ended in a dead end with no trace of Mr. Davis¡¯s passing.


    The six of them sat there for a time. They were protected from most of the wind in the cave but the sound of it whistled loudly as it ripped past the cave entrance. It was either going to snow or rain tonight, William could never forget the sounds of a storm wind. He had hidden from it many times in his forest. He watched the sliver of cold sunlight retreat out of the cave as the sun dipped behind the mountains. It was times like these that he wished he had a house somewhere and someone to go home to, someone to keep him warm on cold winter nights like these. It was an idea that he had given up on long ago and his fur coat kept him warm but still, the wistfulness of the thought was there.


    After a time, the sun had fully sunk behind the mountains and he could tell that the only reason he could see as clearly as he could was because of his heightened werewolf sight. Aceso stood and carefully made her way to mouth of the cave. After inhaling sharply, tasting the wind she motioned for the rest of the pack to get up. William stood up and walked toward his alpha. The rest of the pack followed. William readied himself for the fastest sprint of his life. He knew that the surrounding forests would be their sanctuary out here in the wilderness, but they had to get there first.


    Without a sound Aceso shot out of the mouth of the cave diving down the shallow grade of the mountain side landing on all fours and propelling herself over the barren rock of the mountain side down toward the meager cover of the grassland below. William followed his Alpha without question. As soon as he exited the cave the harsh wind ripped at his fur and sent small flurries of dust and rock at his face. He blinked and tried to ignore it. He forced himself to run faster with a speed and anxiety that spoke of his fear of being caught.

 Book 3 Chapter 9e

    When the two had reached the grassland, they stopped and hugged the ground. Here covered by the tall grass the wind had less bite and William was able to hear himself think again. They turned and waited for the other four members of their pack. William could make out their four forms racing down the mountain. They were moving at impossible speeds, and he breathed a sigh of relief, even if someone did manage to see them all their human eyes or camera lenses would see would be a blur on the face of the mountain.


    Charles was the first one down and he dove into the tall grass besides William. Katherine was next followed by Achelois. Nicolas was last but not because he wasn¡¯t trying. He crashed hard on the ground panting heavily, with his tongue sticking out of his snout.


    Aceso let the pack rest for a few minutes after the sprint. Then, staying very low to the ground, raised her body off the ground. She started crawling on all fours toward the forest.


    ¡°Charles if you would, please,¡± she said over her shoulder, just loud enough to be heard over the wind.


    William looked back towards Charles as he nodded. William couldn¡¯t be sure if anything was happening or not. He knew that Charles was a tracker and therefore had the same abilities as Tasha and her pack had. He remembered how she said that her pack would lay down misleading scent trails to hide his and Aceso¡¯s escape from her valley. William looked at his friend. The werewolf seemed untroubled, but his eyes were distant and unfocused. He knew that Charles was doing something that took a certain amount of concentration, and he didn¡¯t want to be the one to break that concentration.


    They had crawled only a half mile or so before the bloated form of the moon rose up out of the mountains opposite of where the sun had sunk. Mr. Davis was right. It would be full in a few days. The goddess that had blessed and cursed him with this gift that he now had to deal with and fight with and contend with for the rest of his life. She was indifferent to him as always but seeing her again sent an elation through his heart and soul that he was instantly drunk off. He wore a huge smile on his face and he heaved a great sigh as he relaxed as he moved with the pack. His Lunar Mother was in her place in the heavens, and everything was going to be alright. William couldn¡¯t help but notice the angry storm clouds that were approaching from the north. They would bring rain and if this wind was anything to judge by, it was going to be cold.


    Aceso began to increase their speed. They had to reach the forest before dawn. It was an impossible distance away. Aceso seemed to understand this and without warning sprinted ahead of the pack. William hurried after her. The rest of the pack followed her lead. He wasn¡¯t sure how this breakneck speed wouldn¡¯t give them away through the tall grass, or how hard Charles would have to work to mask their scents. But he wasn¡¯t going to take any unnecessary chances. He pressed his body lower to the ground using all the cover he could get from the tall grass.


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    The grass did little to protect him from the wind, and the added speed only gave it more of a sting. He narrowed his eyes to slits to guard against grass blades that were buffeted by Aceso in front of him and the relentless wind beside him.


    The cold stars above them and the bloated moon behind gave a silvery hue to everything. The grass blades shimmered in the light of the night. Aceso¡¯s black fur was outlined in the metallic color of moon light, giving her a regal appearance, as if she was something other than mere physical flesh and blood. She moved like a goddess.


    William and the rest of the pack shot through the tall grass. The wind cut over their heads and through their fur. The six of them were racing against time and after several hours they still hadn¡¯t reached the forests yet. The storm clouds had almost coated the sky, hiding the bright moon light a while ago. Aceso poured on more speed and William easily kept up. They were forced to slow down however, as the rest of the pack started to fall behind. William felt a nagging pressure in his chest. The fear of being caught was very real out here, so far away from the safety of their city and their mountain.


    The first ice cold rain drops fell and splashed off William¡¯s snout. He looked up and was awarded with another cold splash of rainwater for his trouble. The sheet of rain swept over them like a blanket. The grass around them was weighed down by the added weight of the cold water. It was driven into their fur by the harsh wind. William could feel every drop as it was shot through to his skin by the relentless storm wind.


    The sky was dark and now they had to rely on their enhanced werewolf sight and sense of direction alone to get them to the forest. William couldn¡¯t see very far in front of him. The night had taken on an oppressive blackness. The storm seemed to swallow all light as it was swallowing all warmth from their bodies. William could feel himself getting colder. His thick fur coat was not enough to protect him out here in the open from this storm. If he was in his human form, he knew that he would be suffering from hypothermia by now, or worse. As it was, his fur was drenched and the wind drove nails of frigid water right down to his bones. Moving only added to the risk of hypothermia. He knew they had to find shelter and soon. If they stayed out here, naked against the elements, they would all die from exposure.


    The grass disappeared around them and there was solid mud under his claws. He looked around and found himself to be on the edge of the forest. Aceso drove through the tree line and shot deeper into the forest. William followed. He glanced behind him to check on the rest of the pack. Katherine looked ridiculous. Her beautiful cream fur was matted down by the water that had been dropped on her. She looked cold and miserable, but she was determined and hadn¡¯t lost a step as she followed him through the mud. He could only tell that Charles was there by the black space that his shape left in the grass. The rest of them were following along as best they could, they all looked miserable but getting to the forest and the hope of getting out of the worst of this storm put energy back into everyone.

 Book 3 Chapter 9f

    William dodged around the trees as he followed his alpha. He had no idea where she was going but he knew what was happening to his body and he knew that they had to find a dry place for the night to rest and get warm again. William wasn¡¯t sure about the limitations of healers, but he didn¡¯t want to put all of his faith in the fact the Aceso or Achelois could heal them from the life threatening ailment of hypothermia.


    Aceso seemed to be moving faster now once she was inside the forest. The pine needles underneath gave them a little bit of a cushion from the mud that the ground had become but not much. Soon William¡¯s fur was coated with flecks of it. Between the wind, rain, and now mud, he felt dirty as well as cold and wet. He allowed himself the luxury to imagine what a nice hot shower would feel like.


    Aceso led them into a copse of trees. The trees did an amazing job of blocking the worst of the wind. William wiped off the mud that accumulated on his fur as best he could with the help of the freezing rain, then he huddled against one of the tree trunks to get out of the worst of it. With his coat more or less free of mud, and him being out of most of the wind and rain, he allowed himself to shake himself dry. He felt a little ridiculous doing it but maybe dogs had the right idea. He sprayed the tree with the moisture that had collected on his body. When he was done, he was mostly dry, still damp but at least no more standing water could be absorbed through his fur and rob him of more of his precious body heat.


    He looked over to see that the others had followed his lead and had taken meager shelter under the trees as well. The others looked miserable. Katherine looked subdued and Nicolas looked ill. Standing out here under trees was a temporary solution. If the storm got worse the trees would offer very little protection.


    Aceso barked into the night. It was odd hearing that and knowing exactly what she wanted to say. William and the rest of the pack moved away from their guardian trees and followed Aceso through the thick forest. Aceso was driven to find something, and she moved with the determination of someone who knew that something was there just not where it was. William knew that she was searching for a permanent shelter that could house all six of them. The storm blurred their vision and William had to trust that Aceso could find whatever she was looking for.


    Aceso dove out of sight. She was there one minute and the next she wasn¡¯t. William didn¡¯t even have time to slow down before he felt the ground suddenly gone beneath his feet. He fell crashing through the darkness on his face. He raised himself up only to be pushed back down again by another unknown body that fell on top of him. He felt crushed as more weight was added to his back. He could visualize the four members of his pack falling on top of him like some kind of comedic slap stick scene. William grunted and pushed against the wet earth below him lifting himself up and the pile of werewolves that had accumulated on top of him. Startled sounds greeted his efforts and soon he was free from the weight that had been pressing on him.


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    William left the pile behind as he explored these new surroundings. He could see but the cave, or wherever they were, was dim even to his eyes. He walked into the space away from the entrance and found Aceso sitting against one of the earthen walls. The ceiling was low and William couldn¡¯t walk comfortably even on all fours. This place was dry and warm, and he was grateful for both.


    The rest of the pack made their way in. Nothing was said and no words could express how happy some of them seemed to be out of that cold driving wind and rain. William didn¡¯t even try to stay awake he lied down against the warm earth and almost instantly fell asleep.


    He woke up slowly as if he had been dreaming. He couldn¡¯t remember the dream but images of moon lit wolves running ahead of a storm filled his mind. He jerked himself awake and almost hit his head against the low ceiling. There was light coming from the tunnel entrance into the den and William could see clearly inside the shelter that Aceso had found for them.


    The place was a lot smaller than he had originally supposed. Nicolas was pressed up against him and Charles was between his feet and one of the walls. The enclosed space had become very warm with their combined body heat. It wasn¡¯t a stifling heat but not something that he would want to stay inside of for very long.


    He gently raised himself up and pressing himself against the ceiling, he moved with pronounced care around Nicolas and Katherine. He nudged Charles on the way out but the black werewolf only looked at him, then closed his eyes and rolled over. William smiled to himself as he moved into the entrance of the shelter.


    William smelled at the air. He couldn¡¯t detect any scents of prey or human. He raised his head out of the small cave entrance and looked around. The storm had stopped but the sun gave little warmth. The trees still dripped with the rainfall from last night. Amazingly though he could see no deep tracks leading to their shelter. He got out of the den. The tunnel was a dug-out hole that had a rock overhang that sat upon a small rise. This had done an amazing job of keeping the rainwater out of the den, and keeping the den well hidden.


    William felt very exposed. He felt like something was very close. He wasn¡¯t afraid of what it might be. But the thought of being caught, of being discovered and jeopardizing the City under the Mountain was not something that he was ready to do. He ducked back inside the den and walked back around to his empty spot on the floor. The warmth of the den was reassuring and as he lay back down, he let the comforting darkness of sleep overtake him again.

 Book 3 Chapter 10a

    When he awoke the second time everyone else was already awake and sitting in the den. William sat up as best he could and folded his legs in front of him. The crowded space of the den was a little uncomfortable. Aceso looked over everyone but it was Charles who spoke first.


    ¡°How did you find this place?¡±


    Aceso looked over at Achelois. ¡°This is a very old den that has been here for many generations of wolf families.¡± Aceso looked back at Charles. ¡°It was my home when I was born.¡±


    William and Charles shared a look between them. ¡°That¡¯s how you knew to find this place in almost complete darkness and driving rain,¡± Charles said.


    Aceso nodded. She showed no signs of any emotion at all, these things were mere facts nothing more. William felt a small twinge inside himself at the indifference that Aceso showed toward the place she was born. He knew that the next time he saw his home, the house he grew up in rather, he was sure he would feel something. The matter-of-fact attitude Aceso showed toward this old wolf den was disconcerting.


    ¡°We have a job to do,¡± Aceso said into the stillness. ¡°Nobody leaves without Charles or Katherine, both would be better.¡± Aceso looked around at the pack. No one argued these points. William sat still knowing that Aceso would make the right decisions. ¡°Charles, take Katherine, Achelois, and William out in the surrounding forest.¡± Charles nodded. ¡°I want you to stay close to the den no more than a radius of three miles or so.¡± William nodded at the logic of the decision. This was their first jaunt out in the wilderness, if anything happened it would be better if they all stayed close by so they could cover for each other.


    ¡°I know I¡¯m not going¡­for some reason,¡± Nicolas retorted, ¡°but what exactly should we do if we are discovered by, say, some random poachers, hunters, or campers?¡± Nicolas stared hard at Aceso. ¡°I know that Charles should be able to smell any such people from a mile away but for my own reassurance, what is the plan if it happens anyway?¡±


    Aceso looked around at her pack members. William glanced over to see Nicolas beaming. He knew that he had caught Aceso off guard and he must have counted that as a victory against her.


    ¡°We transform back into our natural forms,¡± William said.


    ¡°Then what?¡± scoffed Nicolas, ¡°prance around naked with the wolves and say we are making a movie?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Katherine said, ¡°this is California.¡±


    Aceso looked over at William. ¡°Nicolas has a point, William. What exactly did you have in mind?¡±


    William looked at his alpha. ¡°When we change, the humans won¡¯t want to believe what they saw, if anything. And if you and Achelois bolt off then we could always say you were attacking us.¡±


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    ¡°And why, pray tell, would we be naked in the middle of the forest?¡± Nicolas asked sneering.


    The reference to what had happened between them yesterday was not lost on William. He turned a cold eye toward the blonde. ¡°We could always say that the wolves ran off with our clothes as we were taking a shower, or you know.¡± The implied subject matter would be enough to satisfy anyone else. However, the idea of actually having to pull off a story like that with Katherine and Charles was a little uncomfortable. ¡°Then before too many questions were asked Charles could make them want to go back to their campsite or better yet go home.¡± Aceso cocked her head to the side and Charles raised a questioning eyebrow.  William looked around to see dubious looks from the rest of them at best.


    Aceso spoke before more questions could be raised. ¡°Hopefully you won¡¯t have to deal with that.¡± She fixed her gaze on Charles and Katherine. ¡°Keep sharp and stay close.¡± She looked at everyone in the den. ¡°Like I said, we have a job to do. Let¡¯s get it done so we can go home.¡±


    There was an unmistaken note of finality in her words. William stood up on all fours as best he could, which was by hunching over, and made his way to the entrance and poked his head out. The sun was bright but cold on his face. The wind from last night was mostly gone leaving only the remnant of the storms scent. He ducked back down and watched as Charles moved up beside him and out, William followed.


    They waited for Katherine and Achelois to emerge from the den. Charles took a few steps in one direction then another. The Tracker was trying to get a scent. William backed against the cold stone that served as the overhang for the den¡¯s entrance. Charles turned around again and walked a few steps in a new direction. Charles turned to the rest of them. ¡°That way.¡± He raised his finger at the forest.


    The others hunched down on all fours and began the chase. The four werewolves covered each other watching Charles for directions and distance cues. The trees in this part of the forest were impossibly thick. How had any of them navigated these woods last night without running face first into at least one of the thick tree trunks? It had been about a minute or so before Charles raised his hand to stop them. He pointed up toward the sky around them. ¡°The wind is still coming from the north,¡± Charles said in an almost inaudible whisper. ¡°We¡¯ll have to approach from the south.¡±


    William nodded and began to circle to the south. He of course knew this from his time in his forest but why be redundant. The other three followed his lead and they were moving much slower now, trying not to disturb a single stone or rustle a single fern bough. That proved to be a lot tougher that he had expected.


    Charles tapped William on the shoulder and gestured with his hands that the wind had changed direction and the deer were actually moving toward them. William nodded and turned back toward the north. Charles took the lead and constantly tasted the wind with his nose. He dropped to the ground. William and the rest didn¡¯t need any further directions and dropped down a half a second after Charles.


    Charles stood up and walked ahead of the group. William raised a startled confused look at Katherine. She returned his look with a questioning glare of her own. William raised himself up so he could see what was happening through the foliage.


    Charles was walking through the trees and in front of him were two female deer. They were both lying on the ground. They both had their noses tucked under their hind legs. One was facing toward him, and he could have sworn that the deer had its eyes open. They were both a beautiful light brown with black spots on their hind quarters. Their tail was off to one side showing a snow white under coloring.

 Book 3 Chapter 10b

    William got up and walked toward Charles, not wanting to wake up the deer. Charles smiled at his friend. ¡°No, it¡¯s all right. I just manipulated some of their body chemistry to put them to sleep.¡± He glanced at Katherine and said to William, ¡°Pheromones do have other purposes.¡±


    William nodded not quite getting it. He jerked his head toward Charles as the implication of the sentence slammed into him. ¡°Charles, that is not cool.¡±


    Charles shrugged with a grin. ¡°Maybe I should stay away from any future attempts at humor.¡±


    William stood there like an idiot for a few moments. He couldn¡¯t help a small smile creep across his face. He shook his head as soft laughter tried to escape his lips. He glanced over at him and shook his head. Of course, Charles would never actually think about doing what his mind immediately jumped to. Maybe his run in with Tasha had colored his view of Trackers and the amount of power their ability gave them over others. He knew Charles wasn¡¯t like that and would never do such a thing. Still, if power corrupts¡­? He shook the thought from his head. Charles wouldn¡¯t do that, end of discussion.


    ¡°So now what?¡± Achelois asked as she joined the two males.


    ¡°We take the deer back somewhere near the den,¡± William answered. ¡°Charles, how long can you keep them like this?¡±


    Charles scratched at his chin. ¡°For a few days, I guess. I¡¯ve never tried this particular trick and I have no idea what side effects would accompany these two if held them asleep long term.¡±


    William looked over at Achelois, she stood over the two-sleeping does. ¡°Any thoughts on this?¡± William asked her.


    Achelois remained stationary. ¡°We should get these two back to the den.¡± She hefted the dead weight of the sleeping animal. The deer¡¯s head hung limply to the side in a sickening way. It looked dead. Achelois unceremoniously threw the deer over her shoulder and walked back the way they had come.


    William looked between Charles and Katherine. They all shrugged at each other¡¯s unspoken questions. William took it as being just a part of who Achelois was. There wasn¡¯t any explaining to be done. William knelt next to the other deer and more gently than Achelois had, lifted the deer and set her over his shoulder.


    The four of them walked back toward the den in a loose cluster with Achelois in the lead. William glanced back at Charles. He nodded to his silent question. William nodded his understanding. Charles would not make the same mistake he made during their test.


    The walk back was pleasant. The sun shine held some warmed and the birds were making their usually musical noise, except for a crow or a raven that cawed at them incessantly. William could almost understand the message. ¡°Wake up, You idiot deer. Your being carried away to be eaten,¡± William smiled at the ire of the black bird. We¡¯re not going to eat your friends, at least not yet. They have a job to do before that happens.


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    The green of the trees was bright and alive. He couldn¡¯t help but make comparisons to the underground forest. Here the pure sunlight seemed to make the trees glow with vibrant color. And even though the underground forest was green and healthy, it could never compare to the green seen in this bright early winter sunlight, there was nothing that could match the beauty of it.


    William found himself smiling. He hadn¡¯t been outside in a long time. The sun, even though it was early winter, was warm on his tan fur. He lifted his face toward the yellow light and bathed in it. The sun filtered down through the trees. Every so often William could hear rain drops falling from their places on the pine needles. A brisk wind cut through the forest robbing the sunlight of all its warmth. It whistled softly through the trees. William¡¯s fur coat shielded him from the cold of the wind, but the icy breeze brought portents of the winter to come. He glanced up and scanned the skyline until his eyes rested on their home, Mount Shasta. The looming peak was already covered in pure white snow. It wouldn¡¯t be long before snow fell on this forest as well. William nodded to himself. The Elders were right to send them out now. Winter would be here soon and then hunting would be very scarce.


    William hadn¡¯t noticed that they had already made it back to the den. Achelois was looking around trying to find a suitable place to put her sleeping burden. William didn¡¯t wait for an invitation but gently slid the deer off his shoulder and laid her down on the cold earth of the forest floor. William turned around, scanning the surrounding forest for a place to make some kind of a pen or corral for their captured guests.


    Katherine began ripping up various tree branches from the ground. The snapping of twigs was thunderous compared to the relative quiet of the walk back to the den. William almost asked her what she was doing. Achelois watched at Katherine dragged a sizable log behind the entrance to the wolf den. William followed her and watched as she placed the log just so between two young cedar pines. She looked up at the Enforcer.


    ¡°Are you going to stand their watching me, or are you going to help?¡± Katherine said with a smile.


    A few hours later the four of them had a nice-looking corral built. The logs and branches that met and crisscrossed the five trees were firmly in place. William and Charles had chinked the branches with various kinds of moss and some mud using a stream they had found surprisingly close to the wolf den. The corral looked like a five-sided room with no ceiling. They had tried to build it high enough so that the deer wouldn¡¯t be able to jump over it. But it wasn¡¯t high enough. It came up to William¡¯s chest. Deer would be able to jump that without a second thought. But to build the walls any higher would have required tools that they didn¡¯t have. William had made rope from various strips of bark that he had carefully removed from about four or five dozen branches. The rope was short, but it was enough to wrap around the deer¡¯s hind legs and secure it to one of the tree trunks.


    William admired the work that the four of them had done. Achelois had worked with Katherine brining in the largest of the logs to secure the enclosure. She hadn¡¯t complained and seemed to enjoy the work.


    William let his gaze move upward as Achelois tested for the twentieth time, the integrity of the southern wall of the enclosure. The sun was already on its way down. William was shocked at just how fast the day had gone by. He looked over at Charles. ¡°Should we try to grab any more before night fall?¡±

 Book 3 Chapter 10c

    Achelois nodded as she walked up to the two males. ¡°We should hunt for as long as we can, even into nightfall if necessary.¡± She glanced over at Katherine. ¡°I don¡¯t know about you, but I know that Katherine and I are hungry.¡±


    Charles nodded as his claw twitched a fraction of an inch toward his stomach as it growled at them. William knew that if his stomach wasn¡¯t making noise yet it soon would be. ¡°We should go find something to eat.¡±


    ¡°Are you planning on leaving without us?¡±


    William whipped his head around at the new voice. He was a little surprised and relieved to see Nicolas and Aceso walking toward them. The blonde and black werewolves came up and stood with the group. Aceso admired the corral that they had built. ¡°Too bad we will have to destroy it when we leave,¡± Aceso said.


    William knew that that was what had to happen. They couldn¡¯t afford to leave a glaring example of their being here left standing to point the way for over curious eyes to follow. Still hearing it with such a tone of finality, William felt just a little sad to know that all their work was just going to be erased.


    ¡°Did someone mention something about food? cuz I¡¯m starving,¡± Nicolas said.


    Of course Nicolas wouldn¡¯t care about anything they had done here today he was too busy being detained by Aceso for some reason. William wondered if it had anything to do with what had happened yesterday between him and Katherine. William knew that Aceso wasn¡¯t stupid. He wondered what they had talked about and if Nicolas had taken what was said seriously. Either way there was nothing he could do about it now. They had a meal to find.


    He looked over at Charles. ¡°Is there anything out there, Charles?¡±


    The werewolf had his nose to the wind, testing their territory. His eyes were closed. Without opening them Charles said to the air, ¡°I can¡¯t smell anything larger than a squirrel.¡± He opened his eyes and looked around at the group. ¡°All that noise we made building this thing,¡± he nodded toward the enclosure, ¡°must have scared away anything that would have made a decent meal.¡±


    Nicolas leaned over the corral walls. ¡°Why don¡¯t we just eat one of these, they¡¯re asleep anyway, they won¡¯t feel a thing.¡± Without waiting for an answer he placed both his hands on the log wall preparing to vault himself over.


    Achelois grabbed him by his tail before he had a chance to scale the wall. Nicolas yelped and jumping back down he spun around, swiping his tail back from the female. Achelois leveled a cold stare at him. ¡°Those two are for the City under the Mountain. If I catch you anywhere near these or any others we place inside those walls,¡± she jabbed a claw at the enclosure, ¡°you will have to deal with me.¡± She took a step closer to be with inches of Nicolas. Achelois stood there for a long time. Nicolas didn¡¯t shrink away from the female. The three weeks of training with Efraim, it seemed, had built up his confidence, if nothing else.


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    ¡°We don¡¯t have time for this, Achelois, back off,¡± Aceso interjected. There was steel supporting her words. Achelois didn¡¯t move. Aceso moved in a blur of black fur. In an instant Aceso was in between the two of them and forcing Achelois to retreat with a strong arm across the other female¡¯s chest. Nicolas didn¡¯t move to follow. For once he had the sense to stay where he was.


    Achelois reached up and wrenched Aceso¡¯s arm from her body. The two females stood glaring at each other. Aceso was pack alpha. Achelois knew this, but there was something in her mannerism that screamed out in challenge to the other¡¯s authority.


    Katherine spoke into the deadly silence, ¡°Didn¡¯t somebody mention something about getting something to eat?¡±


    The childish innocence of the comment made William lower his head and laugh silently. Charles was looking around at the rest of them. His expression was serious, but he nodded at Katherine¡¯s question.


    For a moment, it looked as if neither female was going to back down. They stood fighting each other with shear will. In the end however Aceso won out and Achelois, without lowering her head or taking her eyes off Aceso, stepped back a half step. Even this small acquiescence seemed to scream out in challenge, but Aceso let it go. ¡°We hunt,¡± she said to the rest of the group, her eyes still locked on Achelois. ¡°If we come across a dear Charles will capture it as he did those two,¡± she said as she hooked her head toward the corral. ¡°Tonight, we eat smaller game.¡±


    William wasn¡¯t sure he was in the mood for going after a lot of smaller animals, but they had a mission to complete and that mission was the most important thing. It was certainly more important than his stomach.


    They moved out away from the den as a pack. Charles was in the lead and the rest fanned out behind him in a V formation. William was last in line. Charles kept his nose to the wind tasting it for their prey. William kept his head moving back and forth scanning the surrounding forest. Katherine bolted off to his left. William whipped his head in that direction to see a cream blur shoot off into the forest. He was about to follow her when he heard a swipe of claws cut through the air and a soft whine. The rest of the pack had stopped moving. They were all looking into the brush that Katherine had disappeared into. She came out of the dense underbrush holding a sizable raccoon by its tail. There were several small droplets of blood that beaded under the dead animal¡¯s chin and plopped on the soft forest floor. The pack sat down as Katherine gutted the animal and portioned out the small amount of meat to the group. The handful of flesh that was given to William was gone in seconds. He hadn¡¯t realized how hungry he was. In a minute or two the snack was finished, and the pack was up and moving through the forest again.


    They found no dear that evening and eventually they retired back to the old wolf den. They had managed to catch several smaller animals: two more raccoons, a few squirrels and a fox. William wasn¡¯t satisfied with the meager amount of meat that he had eaten but he supposed that none of them were. He followed the pack back to the den and slept.


    The next morning was overcast with the promise of a coming storm. The six headed out as they had done the night before. They didn¡¯t break formation for smaller animals though. They were hunting for deer, and nothing could distract them from that purpose.


    Charles was diligent, his nose to the wind, constantly sifting through the rich smells of the forest and that of their intended prey. Charles led them deep into the forest. They moved silently, crouched low to the ground.

 Book 3 Chapter 10d

    In the late morning with the clouds overhead darkening in preparation of the coming storm, Charles caught the faint scent of several deer. It might had just been the remnants of a bedding from the night before, but Charles could follow that, if they found it. He led them through the forest. The smell was getting stronger and clearer to his nose with every step. They quickened their pace but it wasn¡¯t enough. The sky opened up and they found themselves in the middle of a hard cold rain. Something on this side of a torrential down pour.


    Charles made his made way through the wet foliage, determined to follow the scent till it was washed away completely by the frigid rain. They moved at a run; the sound of their footsteps was masked by the splashing rain all around them. Charles led them to the recently used dear bedding. The scent was still strong here. Charles didn¡¯t linger but took off in another direction. They were flat running now. William knew that it wouldn¡¯t be long before even Charles lost the scent but Charles wasn¡¯t ready to give up yet. It occurred to William that if the rain dampened and washed away the scent from the ground and the air, how would Charles be able to do his trick from yesterday? William also couldn¡¯t help but wonder about the two does that they had left back in the corral. Would they wake up and bolt? Would they sleep through this frigid storm? William pushed these doubts and thoughts aside. If Charles wasn¡¯t worried about it then what right did he have to question the abilities of his friend?


    They moved through the storm like shadows. The rain being whisked from their bodies by the surrounding bushes and by the speed at which they traveled. William and Aceso could travel much faster than this on open ground, as it was, they were traveling as fast as they could in the dense forest. The rain blurred his vision from time to time and he had to shake water from his head almost constantly, but Charles still had the scent and they were getting closer.


    Charles stopped. The rest of the pack flowed to a stop behind him. The rain was not as easy to ignore when he was standing still. The ice water dripped down his thick fur to burrow down and freeze his skin. The tiny pin pricks of cold pain were enough to drive anyone mad. But William fought that madness and remained motionless.


    They moved forward one step at a time. William was able to see through the curtain of water to just pick out the blurred form of several deer standing in a well sheltered copse of trees. Without speaking they all turned toward Aceso. Through silent hand motions she explained what they had to do.


    The pack spread out and, on a signal, they charged the enclosure. William was able to jump up and grab the large ten-point buck by the neck. He got a face full of hoof for his trouble. The massive male screamed out into forest but by shear strength and will alone was William able to hold on to the wild animal. The buck thrashed around and scraped at the ground with his horns, trying to get the large predator off him. William had the image of a bull rider in his mind as he clamped his claws around the animal¡¯s neck. This only sent the buck into more of a frenzied attack to try to escape. William didn¡¯t know what was happening with the rest of the pack, at that moment he didn¡¯t care. All of his attention was focused on the buck and getting him to lie down.


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    The buck was strong and he gave William all of his money¡¯s worth. The buck started dancing and bucking back and forth, thrashing at the ground and at the air. He charged a nearby tree and had it not been for William absorbing the entire impact with the unforgiving wood, the buck would have knocked himself out.


    William rode around the deer¡¯s neck, not wanting to break its back. His fur was coated in mud, branches and pine needles and whatever else the deer had scraped up with him. An eternity later the deer finally slowed down. In a final act of defiance, the deer stood up perfectly still. William braced himself for another collision with a tree. The buck stood like an enforcer sentinel and then dropped to the ground with the unsupportable weight of the werewolf around his neck. William maintained his grip for another thirty seconds and then let go and stood up. He watched the deer and saw it resume breathing. William let out a sigh of relief and turned to see how the rest of the pack was doing.


    Not good by the looks of things. Katherine and Achelois were still wrestling with a doe. William¡¯s first instinct was to go and help but there was no part of the deer left to grab onto. The deep brown fur of the female was almost completely covered with cream and black and white and tan werewolf fur.


    Charles had a young buck by the neck. The buck was slowing down. William knew that it was only a matter of time before Charles had his quarry subdued. Aceso and Nicolas stood in the middle of the clearing watching the rest of the pack. William had counted five deer in this clearing and they were able to capture three of them, if Katherine and Achelois were successful.


    Charles stood up from the young buck that was now sleeping peacefully on the forest floor and raced over to where the two females were having serious trouble with their doe. William watched as Charles placed his claw over the doe¡¯s nose and mouth while Katherine held the terrified animal still. William watched with rapt fascination as the doe¡¯s eyes glazed over. It was only through some basic instinct that kept the doe awake. She kept shaking her head and forcing her eyes wide and kicked out with her legs. Eventually, Charles was too much for the already exhausted doe and she fell limply to the ground.


    Charles came over to William¡¯s downed buck and placed his claw over the deer¡¯s nose and mouth as well. While he was doing this William walked out of the copse of trees and found a small clearing where sheets of rain fell to the forest floor. He stood in the rain for several minutes wiping his tan fur free of mud and pine needles. It was the coldest shower had ever taken but it was a welcome one.

 Book 3 Chapter 10e

    When he returned to the rest of the pack, Aceso had William¡¯s ten point buck up on her shoulders and Nicolas was carrying the younger male. Katherine had the doe on her shoulders and as soon as William joined them, they moved out of the copse of trees back the way they had come. The trek back to the wolf den was uneventful. He felt like he should be sore or in some kind of pain from the beating he took from the buck but he felt nothing, only a sleepy kind of exhaustion. He knew that it was from not having eaten properly and the amount of effort it had taken to bring down that buck without killing it.


    The rain did not let up through their trip back to the den. If anything, it got worse. William was miserable and the rest of the pack did not look like they were having any fun either. Charles ears drooped. Katherine¡¯s whole body seemed to droop with the weight of the doe on her shoulders. Her tail was hanging low, swishing from leg to leg as she walked.


    The sky continued to darken and the world around them took on a surreal shadowy existence. William found it hard to focus his eyes. The rain blurred his vision and the deepening shadows of the forest made him uneasy for some reason. He felt it as a small weight between his shoulder blades. With the cold rain and the long hike back to the den that weight increased to the usual pain that he felt whenever he was tense or nervous about something. He couldn¡¯t identify what it was that was bothering him. It was something that he couldn¡¯t grasp, something that played just outside his conscious understanding. He tried to shrug the old feeling away but it, like the rain, stubbornly remained.


    They got back to the corral. Thankfully the two does were still asleep. The rain wasn¡¯t as heavy in the corral, and they placed the three new additions in the enclosed space as well. Katherine had to have Charles help get the doe off her shoulders without dumping her on the ground. Aceso eased the ten-point buck onto the ground, where the male slid down and rested easily on the ground, like a sack of potatoes. When their burden had been set down Charles went to every deer and placed his claw over their nose and mouth. He remained with each deer for a good ten seconds or so before moving on to the next one. William had no idea what was really happening, he was just glad that Charles was here. It made their job a whole lot easier, even if Charles¡¯s abilities did make him wary at times. When Charles was done, he vaulted himself over the enclosed fence and rejoined the group in the frigid downpour.


    To be heard over the storm Aceso had to yell. ¡°We won¡¯t find anything tonight in this storm.¡± William didn¡¯t need to but out of habit he was holding his arms across his chest to conserve body heat. ¡°Let¡¯s get down into the den.¡±


    William practically dove headfirst into the warm den. He found his spot along the earthen wall and waited for the rest of the pack to join him. Aceso was next followed by Nicolas. Now that William was out of the cold rain, he felt his eyes grow very heavy and he felt like he could go to sleep right then. When the rest of the pack had entered the cramped space of the den Aceso spoke to them again. ¡°We had better get some rest. We can hunt in the morning.¡± Aceso laid down.


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    William didn¡¯t need any more of an invitation than that. He laid down in the same position as yesterday. The warmth of the five other werewolves in the enclosed space warmed the place well. This made him even more comfortable, and he was asleep almost instantly.


    William had a dreamless but fitful sleep. He felt his body turn over constantly. He was hungry but that was no explanation for the restlessness that he now felt. He opened his eyes more than once only to have a heavy drowsiness overtake him almost immediately. The times where he was consciously awake he didn¡¯t see any of his pack mates having any trouble sleeping at all. The rest of the pack was like the dead with their chests rising evenly and slowly through the night.


    It felt like he had just gone back to sleep when a chocked scream rang out into the early, predawn morning. William jerked up at the sound and the rest of the pack stirred. William felt like he had not gotten any sleep at all, and his mind was sluggish to respond.


    Nicolas was sitting up next to Aceso. He had a disturbed look on his face. He looked calm but his eyes kept darting all over the den and to the various members of the pack as if his eyes didn¡¯t believe what it was seeing.


    Charles, all calm collectedness asked into the dim light. ¡°Nicolas, what it is?¡±


    The Scout sat there a moment. He shook his head from side-to-side. He didn¡¯t want to talk about it whatever it had been.


    ¡°It was just a dream Nicolas, go back to sleep.¡± William said as he let himself slide onto his side and closed his eyes.


    Whatever had happened to Nicolas seemed to do the trick for William. He slept like a log after that. He awoke several hours later feeling great. The tension in between his shoulder blades was gone and he felt amazing. He sat up and he could see the sunlight filter down into the den. The rain had stopped, and he inhaled. The musky smell of warm, still damp, werewolf fur was heavy in the den.


    William picked his way to the tunnel entrance of the den. For some reason this was a lot easier than it had been the previous morning. He poked his head out and bathed his face in the cold winter sunlight. He inhaled the natural smells of the forest around him. The cedar pines and the redwood trees had a subdued fragrance that was light and clean. There was still heavy rain drops glistening on millions of pine needles but the clouds that remained in the sky this morning were puffy, white, and separating from each other rapidly. It was going to be a beautiful day today. And with any luck they would be able to catch that last male and get back home by nightfall.


    William ducked back down into the den ready to start the day. The rest of the pack was also stirring. Aceso sat up and looked at William who took a crouching position by the entrance. Nicolas was rubbing his eyes with the back of his claws. It seemed that he had had a rougher night that William had. The blonde looked around in a childish bleary-eyed uncertainty, as if he didn¡¯t believe where he was or what he was seeing.


    This expression was not lost on Katherine. ¡°What¡¯s the matter Nicolas?¡±


    The blonde only shook his head. It was if he couldn¡¯t speak. His wild staring eyes passed over every member of the pack. If Nicolas was trying to tell them something he was being very cryptic about it.

 Book 3 Chapter 10f

    Aceso seemed to understand what Nicolas had been trying to say and asked the question that instantly made William feel really stupid for not seeing it before. ¡°Where is Achelois?¡±


    William involuntarily whipped his head around the den. They were missing their sixth member. William jerked his head up and out of the den entrance. There were no tracks leading away from the den. There was no depression to suggest that she had jumped over the stone overhang and gone in another direction. In the clean morning air William could detect no trace of her scent. William tried to remember what had happened last night. There must have been a reason why he had been so restless. Had Achelois still been there when Nicolas had cried out earlier that morning? He couldn¡¯t be sure. Right now, he wasn¡¯t sure of anything. He ducked back down into the den.


    Aceso was looking directly at him and he sat back down again. The only thing William could do was shake his head from side-to-side. He knew that Achelois had not been happy with the way things were going in the pack but to go against everything that she believed in and just walk away? That is not something that Achelois would do, was it?


    ¡°We need to split up and find her,¡± Katherine said as she raised herself to move out of the den.


    ¡°You won¡¯t find her,¡± Nicolas said in a very quiet voice. ¡°Not out there you won¡¯t.¡±


    Katherine stopped and looked back toward Nicolas who was staring down at the floor. Charles was regarding Nicolas and Aceso had a stern look on her face. ¡°What do you mean, Nicolas?¡±


    The blonde turned toward the pack alpha. His eyes were still much too wide but at least there was a light of intelligence where before there was nothing. He stared at Aceso as if trying to figure out if what he saw was real or not. When he spoke, it was as if his tongue had swollen and now filled his entire mouth. ¡°Achelois isn¡¯t out there.¡± He said as his head turned painfully slowly toward the entrance of the den. It was as if Nicolas¡¯s mind had become unhinged and he was trying hard to hold on to his reality. If he moved too fast. or talked too swiftly. his tentative grip would slip and he would spiral down into madness.


    Aceso grabbed Nicolas by the neck. The grip was not hard it was a gentle pressure that seemed to soothe Nicolas somewhat. ¡°Nicolas? Do you know where Achelois is?¡± The blonde looked up at her and nodded his head.


    ¡°Where is she?¡± Charles asked, his deep bass voice filling the room with its quiet power.


    Nicolas seemed to be coming around. He blinked quickly at the sound of the new voice. His eyes focused on the all-black werewolf. He blinked and shook his head slowly at first, as if trying to shake off a blow. He blinked again staring at Charles. His eyes roamed around the den and met the other¡¯s eyes in turn. William saw something in his eyes that terrified him. He had never thought about it. He had done everything he could to forget about it.


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    ¡°I saw her in my dream.¡± The rest of the pack waited for Nicolas to explain. He wasn¡¯t comfortable. Being at the center of such rapt attention was not something he was familiar with. ¡°My teacher, Asteria, always told me that we Scouts had lost the ability to see the future clearly.¡± He shook his head as if saying it would make whatever had disturbed him go away. ¡°She said this wouldn¡¯t happen¡­¡± He trailed off into silence.


    Aceso pinched at his neck. William could see the muscles tense and there was the faintest flicker of recognition from Nicolas but other than that he remained silent.


    ¡°What did you see?¡± Aceso asked


    Nicolas sat there staring at the ground between his legs. Aceso griped his neck and twisted his head around so that the blonde had no choice but to look at her. Aceso stared hard into his eyes. ¡°Where is Achelois?¡±


    Nicolas shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°What did you see?¡± Aceso pressed.


    Nicolas withdrew into himself once more. It was as if the memory that Aceso was demanding of him was painful. Just when it seemed that Nicolas was not going to answer he said just barely loud enough to hear, ¡°She was someplace that was entirely white.¡± He gulped in a breath of air. ¡°But it didn¡¯t seem real. The whole place looked like a dream. It was huge and open and I felt very small, but the world seemed to swirl around itself as if it was made of nothing but clouds and mist and shadows.¡± This stopped him cold. ¡°Shadows, with no substance, nothing about them was real¡­except their mouths.¡± He looked up at Aceso. ¡°They are so hungry, always hungry. When they eat you, they eat everything, everything.¡± He looked down at Aceso¡¯s chest.


    ¡°How long has she been there, Nicolas? Do you know?¡± William asked aloud.


    Nicolas seemed to have regained some of his mental faculties and turned toward William. He didn¡¯t say anything for a moment. He just stared at William as if trying to figure out what good the answer to that question could possibly be. ¡°A few hours.¡±


    ¡°Where has she gone?¡± Charles looked between William and Aceso. ¡°What are you two not telling us?¡±


    William froze with his eyes locked on Aceso. The pack alpha let go of Nicolas¡¯s neck. The blonde seemed to wilt without the support Aceso was giving him and he collapsed in on himself staring at the ground. William felt for him. Nicolas had seen what he had willingly gone into, all that time ago.


    Aceso turned toward the tracker. Charles and Katherine both looked lost. William wasn¡¯t sure they were ready for what Aceso had to tell them but they didn¡¯t have a choice. ¡°The place Nicolas is talking about is called The Whyte Plain.¡± There was no sign of recognition on Katherine¡¯s or Charles face. ¡°It is a domain that our ancient ancestor shape shifters created for our use.¡± William found that he was just as interested in this bit of history as Katherine and Charles was. Even Nicolas appeared to be listening though he continued to look at the ground in front of him. ¡°Once, it allowed our kind to travel great distances in minutes.¡± Aceso¡¯s voice became soft and quiet. ¡°That was before the attempts of one caused that place to change. It became inhabited with those shadows and now it is one of the most dangerous places you can imagine.¡±


    ¡°The mistake of one?¡± Charles asked.


    Aceso nodded. ¡°Yes, but that¡¯s not important right now. What we need to do is get Achelois back.¡± She turned back toward her Scout. ¡°Nicolas, can you follow her through the mist and lead us to where she is?¡±


    Without moving his eyes from the ground in front of him he nodded. ¡°The way she went is like a trail in my mind. I don¡¯t know why but I know where she went and I could follow her.¡± He jerked his head toward Aceso. ¡°You¡¯re going in there? You¡¯re not seriously asking me to go in there?¡± Nicolas took on a wild panicked look. ¡°If you go in there you¡¯re never coming back out, we¡¯re all gonna die if we go there!¡±

 Book 3 Chapter 11a

    William shook his head and looked right at Aceso. ¡°We have to risk it. Is her life any less precious than mine?¡±


    Katherine looked between William and Aceso. She could tell that something was being shared by the two of them and the rest of the pack was being left out in the cold. ¡°What are you two talking about?¡± She looked right at William whose tan fur was being bathed by the early morning sunlight. ¡°It sounds like you two know exactly what is going on and where Achelois is. Care to fill the rest of us in?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, Katherine,¡± Aceso said, ¡°William and I know about the Whyte Plain because we¡¯ve been there before.¡± There was a sudden tension in the air that made William feel very uncomfortable. ¡°What we have been training for since we entered the City under the Mountain, is so we would be able to join the war and start running raids into the Whyte Plain.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t anybody tell us this?¡± Charles asked.


    Aceso looked all around the room. ¡°It wasn¡¯t supposed to happen this way. The Elders sent us on this mission because of the coming winter.¡± Aceso stopped and seemed to gather herself and settled down with her back arrow straight. She was pack alpha and she was addressing her pups. ¡°The Whyte plain is one of two war fronts that we shape shifters fight on.¡±


    ¡°War fronts?¡± Katherine seemed confused.


    ¡°We shape shifters have fought a war since we came into being. The Whyte Plain is the newest front in that war. We have been trained to fight so that as a pack so we could enter the Whyte Plain and have a good chance of surviving.¡±


    ¡°Why were we never told any of this?¡± Charles asked.


    Aceso glanced at William, ¡°Because if you had been told just how dangerous leaving the City under the Mountain was going to be, wouldn¡¯t you be just the slightest bit wary about being able to be found.¡± Aceso looked at all of them. ¡°That¡¯s why I accepted William¡¯s oath and became his alpha. If I hadn¡¯t, he would now be lost on the Whyte Plain as one of those soul eating shadows Nicolas spoke of, always hungry, always hunting, always killing, but never satisfied.¡±


    A deathly stillness settled over them. Katherine and Charles stared at Aceso and William found himself studying the ground in front of him.


    ¡°You knew and you never told us?¡± Katherine said.


    ¡°If I had, you can¡¯t tell me that you wouldn¡¯t have been tempted to swear your fealty to me. I¡¯m not sure if I would have accepted your oath under such circumstances.¡± She looked between Katherine, Charles and Nicolas. ¡°I want nothing more than to be a true pack with you. But you swearing to me out of fear is not the way things are done, they can¡¯t be the way things are done.¡±


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    Charles regarded Aceso. ¡°What do we do now?¡±


    Aceso turned toward Nicolas. ¡°You said you knew where Achelois went?¡± Nicolas nodded. ¡°Then I will go after her.¡±


    William jumped up and knocked his head against the rock overhang of the den entrance for his trouble. The dull thud brought everyone¡¯s attention to the enforcer. William rubbed at his head, between his ears. ¡°You can¡¯t.¡± he said squinting through the dull pain that coated his head like a baseball cap. ¡°If she has been there for a few hours, she has already been taken or soon will be. How long was I in there before I was almost¡­¡± he trailed off still rubbing at his head.


    ¡°She¡¯s alive.¡±


    They all turned toward the blonde. He sensed the attention and looked up from under his eyebrows. ¡°I saw her, she was surrounded by the shadows, but they stayed away from her. It was strange, like something out of a cartoon I watched as a kid. They were writhing and moving around her, but they got no closer than a few feet away. She was lying there, on the white, mist covered ground. I know she¡¯s alive.¡±


    William looked at Aceso. ¡°This seems wrong.¡±


    Aceso nodded. ¡°I won¡¯t leave her there. I will take Nicolas and go, the rest of you gather the deer and take them back to the City under the Mountain. Tell them what happened to us and maybe they can send help.¡±


    Nicolas jumped as if he had been bitten by a poisonous snake. ¡°I can¡¯t go there! You can¡¯t make me go there! I didn¡¯t volunteer for this; I didn¡¯t volunteer for any of this!¡±


    William looked over at Nicolas, ¡°None of us did.¡± He leveled a hard stare at Aceso, ¡°And if you think that I¡¯m going to let you go back there all by yourself, you¡¯re crazy.¡±


    Charles wiped his snout with his claw. ¡°I have no idea what¡¯s going on. Why can¡¯t we go back to the City under the Mountain for help? We obviously are not expected to go to this place on our own yet.¡±


    The calm of Charles voice seemed to dull some of the urgency driven adrenaline that had flooded Williams body. He slowed down his breathing and tried to focus and think. What Charles said made sense. The Elders would know what to do and then they could go to the Whyte Plain in force.


    ¡°There isn¡¯t enough time for all of us to go back and get help,¡± Aceso said.


    ¡°Why not?¡± Katherine said a bit too sharply.


    Aceso met her with a level stare. ¡°The City under the Mountain is several hours away at best. You and Charles would have to go because you are the only ones who could cover our tracks.¡±


    ¡°But Nicolas just said that those shadow things wouldn¡¯t approach Achelois. Maybe she is fighting them off somehow.¡± Katherine¡¯s voice was full of reasonable, naive hope.


    William knew better. There was the possibility that his experience and the draining, controlling nature of the Whyte Plain itself only gripped him because he had no idea where he was or what had been happening to him. The memories sent chills down his back. If Achelois was not going to be eaten or devoured or whatever those things did to her, then he had a feeling in his gut that the Whyte Plain itself would do the work for them.


    ¡°Doubtful,¡± William said.


    Charles and Katherine looked over at him. ¡°Why do you say that, William?¡± It was Charles.


    ¡°Because I was there.¡± He looked up and met both of their accusatory stares in turn. ¡°If those shadow things haven¡¯t eaten her, the Whyte Plain will rob her of her identity and her mind.¡± He looked at Aceso. ¡°She doesn¡¯t have much time, does she?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Aceso answered.

 Book 3 Chapter 11b

    ¡°All the more reason to go back to the city and get help.¡± Nicolas¡¯s voice almost broke with his tension. William could see moisture beading up all over his face and body. He was truly terrified of what it was he had seen.


    Aceso lifted Nicolas¡¯s head to meet her eyes and turned toward the rest of the pack. ¡°The Whyte Plain will kill Achelois and all that will remain is the shadowy form that these things exist as if we don¡¯t do something now. We don¡¯t have time.¡±


    William sat up straight. ¡°I¡¯m not letting you go by yourself.¡±


    Charles spoke to Aceso. ¡°William is your pack mate, correct¡±. Aceso nodded. ¡°You would only be able to find William and not Nicolas if you got separated in this Whyte Plain?¡±


    Aceso nodded. ¡°Our pack bond was the only thing that allowed me to track William into the Whyte plain.¡±


    ¡°So, if you lost track of Nicolas than there would be no way of you finding him?¡± Katherine asked.


    Aceso nodded. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s why the less of us go the better.¡± She looked over at William. ¡°If you go get the Elders, you would be able to find me.¡±


    ¡°And by that time, you would be dead as well, and we would have lost three werewolves for the price of one.¡± William looked down at Nicolas. ¡°You said we were in a war. In a war you have to make sacrifices. I say we leave Achelois there to rot.¡± He didn¡¯t dare look at Katherine or Charles. ¡°Better we lose one shape shifter, than three.¡± His stare hardened to shoot daggers at his alpha. ¡°A tree needs to be pruned of its sick limbs so that it can survive. Achelois has become a sick limb. Besides, better that we ditch the malcontent and get a new healer who will accept you as alpha. Then we can move on and become a true pack.¡±


    The silence that hit him was like a cresting wave from the ocean. He felt his body constrict and he was having trouble breathing. He wanted nothing more than to get out of there. He suddenly had to go relieve himself. But he kept up a fa?ade of total coldness as he continued to stare at Aceso. The alpha did not show any of the shock or anger that he would have expected to see from Katherine or Charles. She seemed to take in every word he had said and know she was logically disseminating the information and processing her options. She remained deathly still and her strong, quiet voice cut through his inner anxiety. ¡°If there is even a sliver of a chance to save her, I¡¯m going to take that chance.¡±


    William shifted his feet and bowed his head while maintaining eye contact with her. ¡°And I will not let you go to the Whyte Plain without me.¡±


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    ¡°If William doesn¡¯t go back to the city, we would never be able to find any of you, would we?¡± Charles asked.


    Aceso shook her head, but it was Nicolas who answered. ¡°Asteria told me that Scouts can¡¯t see the future anymore. She told me that seeing anything clearly through my dreams was virtually impossible. I¡¯m not very strong in those abilities anyway, or so she said.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s true,¡± Katherine said, ¡°how do you know where to find Achelois now?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Nicolas spat back at her, ¡°I never asked for any of this.¡±


    ¡°Is it possible,¡± Charles asked, ¡°that you are being manipulated somehow.¡± Nicolas looked at him blankly. ¡°Is it possible that you are being given these visions?¡±


    Nicolas looked as if he was going to yell at Charles but thought better of it. He sat back with a sullen look on his face, collapsing against the earthen wall of the den.


    Aceso cocked her head to the side a fraction of an inch as she regarded Charles. ¡°Are you suggesting that this all could be some sort of trap?¡±


    ¡°What I¡¯m saying is that in a war, traps are necessary and should be expected in most cases. The person who thinks he is immune to traps usually falls for the simplest ones and dies for his arrogance, taking his friends to the grave with him.¡±


    ¡°Unless,¡± William said, feeling a surge of hope and adrenaline in his throat, ¡°we find a way to beat the trap and spring one of our own.¡±


    Katherine looked between him and Charles and Aceso. ¡°What are you suggesting?¡± she asked. ¡°A few minutes ago, Aceso sounded like if we got in and made it back out in one piece it would be a small miracle, now you¡¯re talking about going on offense, in a place none of us knows anything about.¡± She shook her head rapidly as if she had just eaten something extremely sour. ¡°I¡¯m not much of a one for sports, but I know having home field advantage is huge.¡±


    Aceso cut through William¡¯s would be response. ¡°This is pointless and unnecessary. I¡¯m going to the Whyte Plain¡­¡±


    ¡°And I am coming with you.¡± Aceso looked at William as if he had just stabbed her with a knife. ¡°If Charles is right, and you go by yourself you will fight very bravely and die along with Nicolas and Achelois.¡± William took a deep breath. ¡°With me, you will at least have an Enforcer with you and a fighting chance. I¡¯m not going to let you throw your life away, not when I can help.¡±


    Aceso looked at him coldly. He felt like she was looking at someone that she knew nothing about. Being treated like a complete stranger after all they had been through together hurt in ways he never thought imaginable but if it got them through this alive than it would have been worth it.


    ¡°What, exactly, did you have in mind?¡±


    ¡°You take Nicolas and go find Achelois. While you are doing that, I could circle around your position off to the side. I would be able to feel you through the bond so I would know where you were and how far away, reasonably. When I felt you stop moving, I move in from the flanking side and take the shadows by surprise.¡±


    ¡°And what would keep you from being taken while you were out there by yourself blind, in the Whyte Plain?¡± Aceso had a challenging tone to her voice.


    ¡°That¡¯s where the Tracker that¡¯s with him watches his back and keeps him in one piece.¡± Charles shifted his eyes from Aceso to William for the smallest fraction of a second.


    Aceso was quiet and spent a long moment studying Charles before looking back to William.


    ¡°The same could be said for you, Aceso. What makes you think that you would be safe?¡± Katherine asked.

 Book 3 Chapter 11c

    ¡°The whole point of a trap is to lull the enemy into it before you spring it,¡± Charles said. ¡°These things may be expecting all of us in one big clump, why charge in randomly and risk losing all of us. No, I think that if this is a trap, Achelois is the bait. That is where the trap will be sprung. Aceso will arrive untouched.¡±


    Aceso looked at William and Charles. ¡°If you insist.¡±


    William did not feel proud of his victory over his alpha, if anything he felt like he had done some irreparable damage to her and she might never look at him the same way again. Or he could be completely imagining things and Aceso just wanted to keep him safe. She turned to her Sage. ¡°Katherine, without Charles to mask your scent you won¡¯t be able to go to the mountain by yourself, you¡¯ll have to stay here until we get back.¡±


    Katherine jerked her head back as if she had been slapped. ¡°So, you¡¯re what, grounding me?¡± She stared at Aceso as a sliver of a cold smile pierced her lips. ¡°I would rather go with William than sit here and do nothing.¡± Katherine shrugged her shoulders. ¡°Besides if it is a trap, they would be expecting all of us and ready to overwhelm us.¡± She looked over at William. ¡°One more set of hands couldn¡¯t hurt.¡± She smiled genuinely, ¡°Especially if those hands can cause earthquakes.¡±


    Nicolas looked at everyone in turn. He shook his head from side-to-side. ¡°Youse guys are crazy and if you want to die fine, knock yourselves out. I¡¯m not going.¡±


    Aceso grabbed him by the scruff of the neck. There was steel, and for the first time ever, William heard anger in her voice. ¡°You will take me to Achelois. After that if you want to run, fine. But until then you are not leaving my side.¡± She hauled Nicolas up off his butt and onto his knees.


    ¡°How do we get to this Whyte Plain?¡± Katherine asked.


    ¡°Getting into the Whyte Plain is never the hard part,¡± Aceso replied with a touch of sarcasm. It sounded harsh and alien to William¡¯s ears. Aceso added in a much calmer, quiet tone, ¡°It¡¯s getting back.¡±


    William scooted his way back into the heart of the wolf den. The rest of the pack huddled around Aceso. ¡°Lie down.¡± She told them. She kept a firm grip on the nape of Nicolas¡¯s neck.


    William laid down flat on his back with his tail resting between his legs. There were so many things that he never thought he would have to do or things that didn¡¯t seem possible to him. Since coming to the City under the Mountain he had seen things that only existed previously in his imagination. Now after everything he had fought for, control over himself and his other, had found something in this world worth fighting for, now he might lose it all. The thought of finding home only to have it be ripped away from him by death was one thing. But he knew that if they failed, they wouldn¡¯t be given a peaceful death. If what Aceso had said was true they would become one of those Shadows, constantly roving the Whyte Plain, constantly hungry, constantly feeding. William closed his eyes and tried to calm himself as he fell into his void.


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    Almost immediately he felt that ungodly pressure clamp down around his body. He was being squeezed through an impossibly small tunnel, no bigger than a thimble. He screamed out in pain but no sound escaped his lips. There was no room for air in this constricted space. He felt like he was suffocating. There was no air, no light. He gasped with the pain. His whole body would be crushed to powder. He tried to move, to speed his progress, but it was no use. There was no strength in his body and even if there was, he couldn¡¯t move one way or another. His body was racked continuously with the most agonizing pain imaginable. One more squeeze, forced his body tighter and smaller than before and then he was free.


    His lungs filled as he gasped for air. The air here was heavy. His eyes shot open and for a moment he thought he had gone blind. Only white swirling mist met his eyes. His body was completely fine, with no long-term damage or soreness from his ordeal. William looked around at his pack mates. They were lifting themselves up on their elbows and shaking their heads to clear the haze he too was feeling.


    Aceso was the first one up, and with her she dragged Nicolas to his feet by the scruff of his neck which she had not yet relinquished. ¡°Which way did Achelois go?¡± she asked as she let go of Nicolas¡¯ neck. William stood up as Nicolas, having no choice in the matter, pointed off in what might have been a random direction. Aceso nodded and waited for the rest of them to stand up.


    ¡°I¡¯m taking Nicolas directly to Achelois,¡± Aceso said to the group.


    William nodded. ¡°If there is some intelligence behind this, we don¡¯t want to give ourselves away.¡± William threw his head at Charles and Katherine. ¡°Us three will circle around and wait till you stop moving. Then we¡¯ll charge.¡± William paused a second and looked at Nicolas. ¡°If you force Aceso to stop prematurely and we rush in spoiling the only chip we have to play in this place. The shadows won¡¯t have a chance to kill you.¡±


    Nicolas met the look and the hidden threat well. The only thing he did was nod and started to shuffle off in the direction that he had pointed to moments ago. Aceso grabbed him before he could move any further.


    ¡°These things have never shown any sign of intelligence before,¡± Aceso snorted. ¡°But as Charles said only the ones who think there can¡¯t be a trap gets caught in one.¡± She placed her claw in the small of Nicolas¡¯s back and pushed him forward to get him moving. She shot a look over her shoulder at her Enforcer. ¡°Don¡¯t be late, William.¡± She turned her head around and was almost instantly swallowed by the swirling white mist.


    William turned toward the other two. ¡°You guys ready?¡± Katherine and Charles both nodded without hesitation. ¡°Then let¡¯s get moving, and stay close.¡±


    William moved into the mist at an extreme angle to the direction that Aceso and Nicolas had taken. He wanted to reach out and grab for Charles¡¯s and Katherine¡¯s claws but if they walked holding each other¡¯s hands they would never get far enough away or maintain a good distance traveling around Aceso the way they were. He didn¡¯t feel the need to drop to all fours but the added speed of running would make things a lot easier. After a hundred paces or so William felt comfortable increasing their speed. He sped up to a good trot. He glanced over both his shoulders keeping an eye on Charles and Katherine.

 Book 3 Chapter 11d

    William began to feel very heavy. His legs were unusually tired, and his body began to feel like a massive weight. Moving, even at this trotting speed, was draining him of most of his energy. He kept looking back at his two friends. Katherine¡¯s neck was bowed, and her head was down. She seemed to be using every scrap of her energy just to keep moving. Charles was a little better off but not by much. William knew what was happening but just because he knew what was happening didn¡¯t mean that he knew anything about how to fight this sensation. The urge to slow down back to a walk was almost undeniable. He knew that the longer he fought this place the less he would have when it really mattered. His friends on the other hand were another story. They couldn¡¯t keep up with William and had already dropped back down to a walk. William couldn¡¯t afford to lose them so he slowed down too.


    ¡°It¡¯s not you, it¡¯s this place. This place drains you of¡­everything.¡± The words rang hollow, with no conviction, even to his ears. Maybe this place worked mentally as well as physically. He had to try to keep them positive. ¡°We just have to keep moving. The feeling will pass.¡± Yeah, the feeling will pass¡­ once we¡¯re out of this hell hole.


    The more he moved, the more sluggish he felt. He could not imagine what Charles and Katherine were going through. He had increased reserves of strength and stamina granted to him by the Lunar Mother, but the Tracker and the Sage? They had no such abilities and if he was struggling to move it must be a monumental effort for his friends to keep pace with him.


    ¡°What¡¯s the point?¡± Katherine grunted from behind him.


    William whirled in place to look at the Sage who had sat down in the mist. Charles wasn¡¯t too far behind her as he sat down heavily as well. He looked at Katherine who couldn¡¯t even seem to lift her head to look at him anymore.


    ¡°If Achelois is here, she¡¯s dead already and we will be too if we don¡¯t get out of here,¡± Katherine whined.


    William was dumb struck. His shoulders sagged as the hopelessness of Katherine seemed to be contagious. He wanted nothing more than to sit down with his friends. To rest for just a moment. The ground looked so inviting. He shook his head violently. That wasn¡¯t him talking it was this place, and sitting down would lead them to their deaths.


    ¡°We won¡¯t be able to save anybody here,¡± Charles said. ¡°The Elders had every right not to tell us about this place. We should leave before we die too. I just need to rest for a minute.¡±


    William forced his shoulders back and his back straight. He lifted his head and walked in between the two sitting shape shifters. ¡°If we rest, we die.¡± He reached down to grab both of them and pull them to their feet. Charles let himself be lifted but Katherine pulled away from him.


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    ¡°I¡¯m not going to throw my life away for someone like Achelois. She was such a high and mighty bitch anyway. She doesn¡¯t need any of us.¡±


    William stared at her wide eyed. He had never expected Katherine to say anything like that about anyone. Charles sagged against him. ¡°Charles, I need your help here, pal.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing that can help us here, William. We might not even make it back ourselves. Even if we turned around right now, they would eventually find us and kill us.¡± He looked at William as his weight was being supported by the other. ¡°This is useless. Better to die now and get it over with.¡±


    William almost dropped his friend. He had never thought he would hear any such thing from his friend before. He looked up at the dense smoky whiteness of this place. It was this place. He remembered being here and what he had convinced himself to do. Maybe this place affected everyone differently. His first time here it had taken on a sweet, lulling, heavy persuasiveness. His friends seemed to be being beaten down by shear hopelessness and despair.


    The weight of Charles was becoming almost too much to hold. He knew he was supporting the entirety of Charles¡¯s weight now. He looked down but Katherine was already lying on her back with her eyes closed. He practically dropped Charles and knelt down by her side. He shook her gently, then more violently. She refused to open her eyes. He looked over and Charles too was lying on his back with his eyes closed. William stood up not knowing what to do. The two on the ground had very peaceful expressions on their faces. The mist swirled around and over them, caressing them with its cold light, obscuring their features.


    For minutes, an eternity of time, William had no idea what to do. Looking at his two friends lying there peacefully he wanted nothing more than to join them. Sleep sounded so good right now, but he knew that way led to the shadows, quite literally. He could feel Aceso making progress moving away from him. He had no idea how fast she was moving but she was moving, getting farther and farther away from him. He couldn¡¯t let her walk into that trap without him there to support her, and he couldn¡¯t leave his friends here to die either.


    Aceso.


    The thought struck him like a hammer blow to his skull. How had she gotten him out of this place? His hand wondered idly to his side. The memory brought back the phantom pain that he felt as she had sunk her razor-sharp teeth into his side. Without hesitation he knelt next to his friend and clamped down on Charles thigh with his jaw and teeth as hard as he could. He could taste the warm copper of his friend¡¯s blood as it oozed into his mouth.


    Charles sat bolt upright as he yelled out into the stillness of the Whyte Plain. The mist swallowed the sound but who knows who could have heard it. Charles looked around wildly and swiped at William¡¯s snout and face with his claws, raking him good behind the ears. The stinging wound helped to clear his mind as well. He remained attached to his friend as Charles dealt him one or two more good blows then let him go.


    William leaned back to sit on his haunches watching his friend rub at his wound. Charles didn¡¯t seem too interested in William at the moment, just massaging the blood slicked fur of his leg. Charles looked up at William. ¡°I¡¯m sure there was a reason for that?¡±

 Book 3 Chapter 11e

    William smiled. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t, you would have been content to just lie there until this place killed you.¡±


    Charles looked down at his wound. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    William was a little shocked but not surprised. ¡°This place does things to you. You don¡¯t remember saying that trying to rescue Achelois was hopeless and that you just needed to rest?¡±


    ¡°I remember being very tired.¡± He stopped rubbing his leg and shot a startled stare at William. ¡°Where¡¯s Aceso?¡±


    William took a deep breath. ¡°She¡¯s still moving. But I couldn¡¯t leave you and Katherine here like this could I?¡±


    Charles stood up. ¡°We had better go.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely, as soon as we get Katherine awake.¡±


    Charles looked at her sleeping form. ¡°What happened to her?¡±


    ¡°The same thing that happened to you.¡± William commented as he knelt to deal the same wound to Katherine as he had to Charles. He glanced at Charles over his shoulder. ¡°Would you mind holding her snout shut so she doesn¡¯t bring every shadow in here down on top of us as I do this,¡± he smiled, ¡°like you almost did.¡±


    Charles looked sideways at his friend, but knelt down at Katherine¡¯s head. He grasped her snout and held it tightly shut. William shot his face forward and clamped down on the exposed flesh of Katherine¡¯s thigh. Katherine¡¯s eyes shot open, and she started to struggle. Charles held on to her snout with both hands but that didn¡¯t stop her muffled cries of pain. Katherine swiped at both of them with her claws. She seemed to be concentrating on Charles and she raked his snout and face once or twice. William held on for another moment or two amidst the wild flailing and then let go. Charles released pressure from around her snout as the cries eased and she stopped fighting them. Charles was able to let go.


    Katherine sat up and reached her claws out to massage her leg in very much the same way that Charles had done moments before. She looked at William wide eyed, not knowing what to say.


    William shook his head. ¡°No apologies, Katherine. It wasn¡¯t you; it was this place.¡±


    ¡°How did you know what to do?¡± she asked.


    He winked at her as a smile spread across his face. ¡°How do you think Aceso got me out of this place this first time I was here?¡± Katherine nodded as she stood up.


    William could feel Aceso as she moved across the Whyte Plain. ¡°We have to go.¡± William took a few steps into the mist as Charles and Katherine followed him. The wound that Charles had given him and the few scratches that Katherine had landed on his back were stinging but that only served to keep him sharp. The feeling of heaviness in his limbs was almost completely gone.


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    Charles and Katherine followed as he led them deeper into the mist at an ever-increasing pace. He kept a sharp eye on both of them. Neither of them showed the sluggish apathy that had forced them to stop. The wound he had given them gave them a slight limp. William knew that after they had moved for a while that limp would go away. He couldn¡¯t help but feel a little guilty about the blood though. If the wound was too deep and they didn¡¯t heal properly, their blood would leave a trail in the mist for the shadows to follow. Hopefully their thick fur was enough to soak up the blood as their werewolf bodies healed themselves.


    William was almost running now. He could feel Aceso get no closer, but then that was the point, for him to swing wide so he could come in on her attacker¡¯s flank. The maddening thing about this was that he wasn¡¯t sure exactly how far away she was. She was still moving and that was the only thing he had to go on. William was wrenched to a stop as Charles grabbed at his shoulder. William whipped around to demand what he had stopped him for. Then saw the look on Charles face as he motioned for silence. William cocked his head to side and listened to the Whyte Plain. The mist almost made a sound. It was as if it was whispering to them just out of hearing. Charles had his nose to the air, and he was inhaling. William knew that Charles would not stop them unless it was important.


    ¡°There is something very close to us,¡± Charles whispered. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply again. ¡°It¡¯s over there.¡± He pointed off in the path that William had been taking seconds before.


    William knew that they could not afford to get into a fight. ¡°Can we move around it?¡± he asked Charles.


    Charles nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t think it can sense us. We might be able to get around it.¡±


    Katherine stepped up to the both of them. ¡°Whatever we are going to do, we had better do it. There¡¯s no telling when Aceso will need us.¡±


    William nodded. ¡°We move out that way.¡± He nodded his head in another direction. This one pointing almost directly toward where he could feel Aceso through the mist. ¡°Katherine? Can you do that camouflage trick you used when we left the mountain?¡± Katherine nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± William moved off in the new direction.


    They moved slowly, much more slowly than he would have liked but if they were being hunted here then caution was much more important than speed. He kept looking back to Charles. Charles would shake his head and point to where the thing¡¯s scent was coming from.


    After a few minutes William leaned back and whispered to Charles, ¡°What about now?¡±


    Charles shook his head. ¡°I can still smell it, whatever it is.¡± Charles looked off in the mist. ¡°It isn¡¯t any closer, but it hasn¡¯t gotten any farther away.¡±


    William felt a lump form in his stomach. He couldn¡¯t stop his eyes from going outward into the mist in all directions. He felt like a mouse, a very small mouse being stalked by a very large cat. He felt exposed even though he couldn¡¯t see three feet in front of him. ¡°They¡¯re playing with us,¡± he said in a whisper. Charles nodded.


    ¡°Whatever¡¯s out there we can¡¯t afford to get caught or attack,¡± Katherine whispered. ¡°The only thing we can do is get to Aceso and get out of here.¡±


    William nodded. ¡°We have to keep moving.¡± Aceso certainly had. The closer he got the more acutely he could feel her. She was still strong and moving in a steady pace. William stepped in between his friends. ¡°Better not keep our hosts waiting.¡±

 Book 3 Chapter 11f

    They moved off at a trot. William stayed in between Charles and Katherine. Charles could not seem to keep his head from swiveling off to the side to look in the direction of whatever it was that he smelled. Katherine wore a look of fierce determination on her face. As long as whatever it was kept its distance from them, they might be ok. William mentally shook his head. He understood that he knew nothing about this place or the things that inhabited it. Katherine had been right. Home field advantage was huge, and those shadows had all of the advantage here.


    He remembered playing hide and go-seek when he was a kid. The thrill of watching the kid who was it walk right past where he was hiding. The surge of fear induced adrenaline when he ran out of hiding in a full sprint for the base. Sometimes he wasn¡¯t fast enough to out run the kid who was it and sometimes he was. He smiled at the memory than reality crashed down on him again. This was no game and he was pretty sure that there had to be at least a few shadows that were faster than he was. The feeling of being watched was unnerving. This was only compounded by the fact the Charles kept looking off to the side, as if at any moment whatever it was, was going to come out through the mist and attack. He really wanted to slap Charles and tell him to stop doing that but that wouldn¡¯t do anybody any good. He took a deep breath to try and control his fear induced anxiety. Along with the slight buzzing in his ears he could also hear something else, something very familiar but just out of hearing.


    The three of them moved through the mist. The swirling whiteness of this place was hypnotic in a lot of ways. The slight buzzing in his ears, of a voice just beyond hearing was also adding to his discomfort. It was subtle and ominous, leaving him very much on edge.


    The fog they walked through shifted and danced in front of them. There was no contrast between the white of the mist and the white of the Whyte Plain itself. It was only textures and forms that gave any hint of movement. The very fabric of the Whyte Plain breathed with their passing. It was as if this place was alive. The thought was more than disquieting, if this place was alive than they had no chance of surprising anything here, and if they had lost the element of surprise than their plan was doomed to failure.


    William shook his head and focused on the feeling of Aceso. Those thoughts would only get them killed. The fear of being hunted by that unknown thing out there was taxing. He wanted nothing more than to have a stand-up fight, which is exactly what this place wanted. The faint buzzing in his ears could almost be ignored but that too was probably a mistake. Everything here was a weapon that was being used against them. He glanced sideways at Charles who kept looking over to where he sensed the unseen predator. Katherine was hunching her shoulders, concentrating on moving forward, glancing over at William¡¯s feet from time to time to keep her bearings.


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    William grabbed both of them. They stopped and looked at him. ¡°Do you guys hear that?¡±


    Both of them looked at him for a moment. Katherine glanced off to the side and nodded her head. ¡°It¡¯s like an insect in my head only much gentler,¡± Katherine replied.


    William nodded. ¡°Have you been trying to ignore it?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°After a while it went away. I had forgotten about it until you asked if I heard something.¡±


    William looked into her golden eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t ignore it,¡± He whispered fiercely at her. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you why but I have a feeling that trying to ignore it is doing something to us.¡± William looked around them as he faced the cream-colored werewolf. ¡°Everything here is a weapon. Can¡¯t you feel it?¡± he looked over at Charles who had become almost neurotic with looking over at the unseen monster whose scent he couldn¡¯t get out of his nostrils. ¡°Charles, why is it that you are the only one of us who can smell this thing out there?¡±


    Charles brought his attention back to the enforcer. ¡°I¡¯m a Tracker, my sense of smell is better than yours.¡±


    ¡°True, but not that much better.¡± William stepped back and looked at them. ¡°The more we try to ignore this place the more it is messing with our heads.¡± His two companions were a little lost and looked very confused. ¡°Look, Katherine and I are trying to ignore this buzzing in our ears, we are becoming more fearful with every step. I can¡¯t keep images of being overrun by an army of shadows at any minute out of my mind. Katherine, I know you are having the same kind of thoughts. You look scared half to death.¡±


    Katherine licked at her snout and nodded her head. She had tried to hide it but being hit with the truth of her thoughts flat in the face she was unable to run from it anymore. She took a deep breath and nodded. She looked up and met William¡¯s eyes with a renewed vigor that was good to see.


    The buzzing in his ears grew to a fever pitch. He tried to focus on it, to hear what it was. The buzzing continued. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn¡¯t hear what the buzzing was, even as it grew louder it remained only an irritating sound in his ears. He felt that if this kept going, he might be driven insane. He couldn¡¯t ignore it now even if he wanted to.


    Katherine was also feeling its dangerous effects. William could see pain and fear in Katherine¡¯s golden eyes. She tried to remain upright and strong, but she couldn¡¯t stop her claws from reaching up and covering her ears. She closed her eyes and shook her head. William knew that it was no use, but he allowed her to try anyway.


    He couldn¡¯t keep his eyes open any longer either. The pain of the buzzing, driving out all thought and sensation from his mind and body. There was only the buzzing. He felt himself laughing. There was nothing to laugh about but the laughter came anyway. The buzzing was his whole world. He couldn¡¯t open his eyes. There was only darkness and the buzzing.

 Book 3 Chapter 12a

    ¡®So, this is how we die, not fighting, but allowing ourselves to be driven insane by a little noise?¡¯ Even though all he could hear was the maddening buzzing sound the voice cut through it to ring clear and harsh to William¡¯s ears. He felt a shuddering of his body, a deepening of the darkness around him and then silence.


    At first William didn¡¯t know where he was. The darkness was absolute, and the sound of the terrible buzzing had stopped. William felt solid ground under him, that and total darkness around him were the only things solid in the void.


    ¡®You were right about the Plain. You did, however, underestimate how badly it wanted to win.¡¯


    The voice seemed to come from all directions at once. The black around him was total and nonmoving. Right in front of him seeming to come out of nothing a form slowly materialized out of the black. It was a sharp contrast to the void. His other moved with powerful steps with an upright and proud stature.


    ¡®How many times must I save you from your own stupidity?¡¯ he said as he stopped in front of William. ¡®Your friends need your help and you have allowed your mind to be so easily attacked and overwhelmed by the Whyte Plain.¡¯ He stopped and walked around him. William found that he couldn¡¯t move. His other moved around him and came to stop directly in front of him. ¡®Thank the Lunar Mother you have me, right?¡¯


    The creature thrust his two claws forward into William and pain erupted from his sides. He had never felt agony like this. William tried to get away from this thing that was doing this to him but he could barely breathe, much less move. William wanted it to stop. He tried to get away, to fall. But the creature held on to him somehow making the pain even worse. William tried to make it stop but flailing his body around only made it worse. There was nothing in his world except for the agony that this creature was making him feel.


    After eons of time his other finally let William fall to the ground. William didn¡¯t feel any more pain and for that he was grateful. He placed his claws to his sides and found that there was no blood. William looked up at his other. The other werewolf stood there looking down at him sprawled on the floor.


    William jumped to his feet as he remembered where Aceso was and that she was counting on him to be there to get her out of the trap those shadows had set. William stood up facing his other. ¡°I have to get back.¡±


    His other stood there regarding him. ¡®Yes, you do. We¡¯ve been here before but as you already know, this place has become even more dangerous than you remember.¡¯ His other began to disappear into the total darkness of the void. Before he disappeared completely William heard his voice drift back to him. ¡®I told you, you would need my help. See you around, William.¡¯


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    William wrenched himself out of the void so violently that opening his eyes into the pure white of the Whyte Plain was more than a little disorienting. He had to blink several times hard and slow to accustom his eyes to the brightness of this place.


    The buzzing sound did not meet him as he looked around himself. He looked at Charles who was standing over Katherine. Katherine had a mad look in her eyes. She was laughing with her whole body bent over. Her eyes were wide open, staring but unseeing. She was holding her head and digging her claws into the flesh around her ears. Charles was trying to stop her but it was no use. Katherine was digging her claws into her skull. William could only guess that she was trying to drive the sound out of her head with her own claws.


    William shoved Charles out of the way. William stood in front of Katherine. She looked like a caricature of her true self. Blood was running down her face collecting on the tip of her nose. Her eyes were beyond wide, they were bulging out of their sockets. William plunged his claws deep into her sides, the same way his other had done to him in the void. The warmth of her body and the blood that flowed out of the wounds was grotesque. Katherine¡¯s eyes stopped bulging and they receded only to bulge forward once again with the pain of William¡¯s attack. William silently apologized for having to do this to her but held on. Katherine couldn¡¯t even scream. William knew the intense pain she must be feeling, and he laughed and cried in sympathy for her. After a few moments William let her go and she in very much the same fashion as he had done, fell backwards unceremoniously onto the floor of the Whyte Plain.


    Charles rushed forward and did what he could for her. They had all been trained in first aid under Efraim¡¯s instruction. The wounds in Katherine¡¯s sides were deep but thankfully he hadn¡¯t pierced any of her major organs. The blood was red, not black. Charles helped Katherine to maintain pressure on the wounds. Thankfully her werewolf body would heal quickly, how quickly was always a question.


    William looked up and around at the Whyte Plain. There wasn¡¯t any buzzing anymore. He couldn¡¯t smell the predator that Charles had sensed earlier. There was nothing but the swirling white of the mist covered plain and the feeling of Aceso who was somehow still moving away from them. The silence was broken. The sound was so harsh and cruel that it took him a moment to identify it. The sound collected into a form. It was laughter, the coldest and most malevolent sound that William had ever heard or probably would ever hear in his lifetime.


    William looked down to see that Katherine and Charles both were hearing the same thing that he was hearing. They looked between each other and back to William. Charles claws were soaked in Katherine¡¯s blood and the wounds that William had given her didn¡¯t seem to be healing, just one more surprise that this place offered.

 Book 3 Chapter 12b

    The laughter continued for some time. It seemed to echo around them and through the mist itself. William wished that somebody would let him in on the joke. Then just as suddenly as it had started it stopped. Somehow the following silence was much more intimidating than the laughter had been.


    Charles helped Katherine to her feet. She was pressing her own claws into the deep wounds on her sides. William was regretful that he had to do it to her but it was either that or let her kill herself or be driven completely insane by this place.


    Katherine looked at him and even through the pain of the wounds she smiled and nodded to him. ¡°Thank you, William.¡±


    William didn¡¯t feel right accepting thanks for having to hurt her but he nodded back to her anyway.


    ¡°Where is Aceso?¡± Charles asked.


    William pointed toward where he could still feel her. She was still moving. William looked over at Charles. The tracker seemed very composed. ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    Charles looked at William and Katherine, he stood upright and proud. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    William shot a glance at Katherine, because there was nothing else to look at in the Whyte Plain. ¡°What happened to whatever was stalking us?¡±


    Charles looked at the blood that was seeping down Katherine¡¯s side. ¡°Up until a few minutes ago it was still there.¡± Charles raised his nose to the sir and inhaled deeply. ¡°Now however it seems to have multiplied and encircled us.¡±


    ¡°Can we escape?¡± William asked looking around himself trying to identify their attackers before they struck.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have to,¡± Charles said.


    William jerked his head around and stared at his friend. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Charles raised himself to his full height. ¡°I couldn¡¯t shake the feeling of this place to tell you the truth.¡± He folded his arms across his chest. ¡°I was afraid and my sense of smell was betraying me.¡± He looked all around their surroundings. ¡°I could smell predators at every turn, hidden just inside the veil of mist that we were walking through.¡± He lowered his head as he heaved a heavy sigh. ¡°I was terrified. But then I noticed something.¡± He looked at William and back at Katherine. ¡°I can smell predators four feet away, but I couldn¡¯t smell you only two feet away.¡± Charles stepped over in between William and Katherine. ¡°That added with the pain of the injury that you gave me.¡± Charles leaned down and showed a much uglier wound than anything William had inflicted. ¡°The more I dug into the wound the less the smells terrified me. After I discovered I couldn¡¯t smell you the fear of the smell in my nose disappeared, although the smell itself has not.¡±


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    ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re¡­¡± William stopped and jerked his head back around over his shoulder. He cocked his head to the side for the briefest of moments then whipped his head back around. ¡°It¡¯s Aceso. We have to go.¡±


    ¡°Has Aceso stopped?¡± Katherine asked pain was laced heavily through her voice.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. But something is off.¡±


    Charles and William helped Katherine as they started running through the Whyte Plain. Charles¡¯s steps were not as fluid as William¡¯s. Katherine was lumbering along trying to hold herself as tightly as possible. Blood was still seeping through the wounds and every jounce of their running pace only added to the steady collection of red ichor on the cream werewolf¡¯s fur.


    William felt no side effects from the wounds that his other had given him in the void. The pain from those wounds had been in his mind. Of course his body wouldn¡¯t feel any adverse effects. Katherine was getting heavier. After a while she couldn¡¯t even try to support herself. She was doing everything she could just to hold herself together. He knew that the only way she was going to heal from those wounds here would be by being aided by either Aceso or Achelois. He could sense where Aceso was but trying to gauge distance in this place was next to impossible.


    William could feel through Katherine that Charles was having some real trouble getting into a rhythm. Katherine¡¯s body was shaking and jerking as William tried to adapt to the way that Charles was running. It was hopeless. William would have decided to slow down to a walk if they had been anywhere else in the world. He couldn¡¯t stop himself from glancing sideways at his friends. Charles seemed to be putting every ounce of concentration into running. His face was pointed toward the mist covered ground that they were running on and his eyes had a glazed over countenance. Charles looked like his was in deep thought or about ready to pass out from exhaustion. William felt for his friend. But they couldn¡¯t stop here either.


    William could feel Aceso. She was either moving very slowly or had stopped. The idea of not knowing exactly what was going on was taxing for him. Aceso had trusted him to be there, just like his pack in his forest had trusted him. Aceso had saved his life more than once and he was not going to let her down.


    The run was agonizing. Katherine was audibly grunting now with the pain of her injuries. William wished there was another way to do this, but he couldn¡¯t think of anything. He was being forced to support more and more of her dead body weight. Charles was breathing hard on the other side of Katherine. William could only hope that it wasn¡¯t going to be too much farther. He would have thought that finding a seven-foot-tall black werewolf in all this whiteness would have been easy. It proved to be more difficult than he expected.


    William crashed into a wall of black fur that sent him and Katherine sprawling across the mist covered floor. Katherine cried out in pain as her whole body twisted around William adding even greater amounts of pain to the wounds in her sides. William looked around. He shot his head up off the cold surface of the ground and stared at Aceso. She stood there as she folded her arms across her chest.


    ¡°What happened?¡± she asked calmly.


    William looked around. He could see nothing except white mist and fog. It was a great camouflage for Nicolas who was standing two feet directly in front of Aceso. William tried to make sense of his mistake. He had felt something. He knew that Aceso had needed him. Where was Achelois?


    ¡°We¡¯ve had some problems,¡± Charles answered. ¡°William felt you needed us.¡± There was something in the way Charles answered. William couldn¡¯t place the emotion. It wasn¡¯t cold, but far from warm. It sounded very unlike Charles. ¡°Where is Achelois?¡±

 Book 3 Chapter 12c

    ¡°She¡¯s not here, is she?¡± Nicolas retorted.


    William stood up, helping Katherine to her feet as well. ¡°Can you do anything about this?¡± he asked his alpha as he helped Katherine show her the wounds.


    Aceso moved to Katherine¡¯s side. She studied the wounds and the blood seeping from them. ¡°What did you do?¡±


    ¡°It was the only way to free her from that buzzing sound,¡± he said, now very embarrassed at the pain he caused Katherine.


    Aceso shook her head and inhaled. Without warning she shot her snout forward and clamped down on Katherine¡¯s side with her jaws. Katherine winced at the added pain. Aceso held on for a moment or two and then released her.


    Katherine was shaky but she remained standing. William didn¡¯t see any immediate results from Aceso¡¯s bite but he was confident in her abilities.


    ¡°You were saying about a strange buzzing sound?¡± Aceso asked.


    Katherine nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t know what it was. It was subtle and quiet at first but then it got louder and louder. It didn¡¯t make any sense but it was painful in a way that I never thought possible. All I wanted was for it to stop.¡± She leaned over and showed her own claw marks on her head behind her ears. ¡°I would have killed myself trying to make it stop if it wasn¡¯t for¡­¡± She stopped as her eyes locked in front of her. William would have asked what was wrong but then he knew what was wrong even without turning around.


    He revolved in place as the Whyte Plain was suddenly stained by black formless shadows that were all too familiar to him. The shadows moved toward them in double lines. He couldn¡¯t be sure of how many there were. They stopped a few feet away and glided around them completely and efficiently surrounding them. They formed a strange kind of bubble that moved toward the group of shape shifters. The bubble of shadows rippled and flowed in a spherical pattern. Once the black sphere had reached the perimeter of the circle of shadows it seemed to pop open and disgorged a white, black, and tan form that stood on her own two legs and stared at them.


    Even in this place he felt a surge of relief wash over him. He would have hugged her, or greeted her in some way. But then he saw what it was he was really looking at. Achelois¡¯s eyes were blood shot red. She was snarling at the pack. Her eyes rested on Charles for long moments. William wasn¡¯t sure but there was something that happened between them. He found himself very afraid for both of them. The shadows didn¡¯t move. He focused on Achelois. He looked at her stance, studied her muscles. Where have you gone, Achelois? What he didn¡¯t expect was the clear voice that answered him. ¡®You know where she has gone.¡¯ His other said a bit too sarcastically. ¡®The real question is, is there anything left of the shape shifter we used to know?¡¯


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    She lunged toward Charles. The attack was both vicious and unexpected. Charles was caught off balance and was thrown back into the shadows. The shadows enveloped him just as they had done to Achelois. William jumped to help Charles just as Aceso had moved to intercept Achelois.


    The circle of shadows was rippling in waves. It was like he was inside the belly of a snake and the black of the shadows were the muscles moving the snake along the ground. He couldn¡¯t see any of the shadows faces, not that he expected to. Their mouths were all smiling at them though. This was the trap that they had set for them. He heard the sounds of Aceso and Achelois fighting behind him. He was focused on the heaving mass of shadows that had covered Charles. He gripped one shadow and it instantly evaporated into nothing. He reached for another, and it disappeared just as his claws were about to wrap around its midsection. Charles wasn¡¯t making any sound, but William knew that he was underneath this pile somewhere. The faster he grabbed at the shadows the faster they disappeared. But the pile wasn¡¯t getting any smaller. He was frantic and began shredding black air with his claws in an attempt to free his friend.


    He heard off in the distance that same malevolent laugh. It was harsh and cold and mocked his efforts. The sounds of the fight behind him had increased. He heard Nicolas grunt and a heavy thud as someone fell to the ground. Katherine cried out in pain. William had to help them but Charles was in a greater need.


    He ripped at the mass of shadows. Passing his claws through the formless blackness was like swiping at air. He reached deeper in through the pile. The pile didn¡¯t get any smaller and he had no more trouble than he had when he first started. In desperation he plunged his arm up to his shoulder into the writhing mass of color. William couldn¡¯t feel anything but cold. He couldn¡¯t feel any sense of form from the shadows, and he couldn¡¯t feel even the slightest hint of Charles. His arm felt no sensation at all except cold. He was afraid to do any more. He had no idea what these things were or what they were doing to Charles he couldn¡¯t risk being taken in the same way.


    He ripped and clawed at the air, forcing his muscles to move even faster. The fight behind him was getting more intense. The sounds of thuds and rips were getting louder and the sound of werewolves crashing to the floor was becoming more numerous. He had to help his pack, but he would not abandon Charles, even though he knew that he wasn¡¯t going to be able to rescue him. The thought only drove his claws faster. Whatever these things had done to Achelois they would not succeed in doing to Charles, he would die first before letting that happen.


    Not knowing what else to do he plunged both of his arms into the thick of the pile and forced himself in past his shoulders. Charles was down there and he was not going to let go until his friend was out from under these things. Just as he was about to dive into the pile himself, the shadows exploded outward in a soundless dispersion of blackness. The color faded and was swallowed by the Whyte Plain. It took William a moment to realize what had just happened. The sudden explosion had unbalanced him. The shadows had no form but suddenly losing all sight of them was disorienting.

 Book 3 Chapter 12d

    Where the pile used to be Charles now stood. The all-black werewolf looked exactly the way he should have. His black fur was pristine in the white light of this place. He stood tall and proud the way he should be. William was glad that nothing had happened to him and was about to say so when William met his friend¡¯s eyes. They were the same blood shot red that Achelois¡¯s was. Charles snarled silently and lunging forward grabbing William by the throat.


    The Tracker had a rabid look to him and applied a solid pressure around William¡¯s neck. There was none of the man that was William¡¯s friend left in those eyes. These were the eyes of a blood thirsty predator and William was its prey. He wasn¡¯t going to go out like that. William reached up with his legs and wrapped them around Charles neck. With that he wrenched his whole body around and down around Charles arm. Charles¡¯ arm was not up to the challenge of this maneuver, and he fell over on top of William, who was in a perfect grappling position. Using the leverage he had already gained with his legs, he gripped Charles¡¯ arm and pushed up with his lower body. Charles was flipped over William¡¯s head and crashed to the ground of the Whyte Plain.


    William got up and started to straddle Charles to punch some sense into him. He felt himself being heaved up from his position over Charles and was thrown backwards. William landed on his shoulder blades at the base of his neck. He took the moment of respite and was able to take a look around. His friends had not done very well against Achelois. Nicolas was on his side struggling to get up with cuts and gashes all along his arms and legs. Katherine was on her back trying to get herself up, her wounds had not had the time to heal properly, and they were now openly seeping blood once again. She had one leg propped up and was rolling onto her side. Aceso was in bad shape too. Her whole body was crisscrossed with cuts and blood. William wasn¡¯t sure if it was all her blood or not. She was crouching over Katherine helping her to get up while keeping a wary eye on both Achelois and Charles. William raised his head up and rolled over into a sitting position as well.


    The shadows that formed their arena were not moving any closer. They maintained their distance. If anything, the shadows had moved back and increased the area they were fighting in. The grinning mouths of the formless observers were disconcerting. He looked at Achelois and Charles. The two stood side-by-side. They were both snarling. There were no thoughts that he could read in their expressions except hatred and hunger. There was a mindless quality to their stares. This place had done something to them. They were nothing more than mindless apparitions of who they used to be.


    William didn¡¯t get a chance to stand up. Charles and Katherine rushed forward, silent as death, and grabbed his arms. Lifting him up in the air they slammed him back down on the ground. The shuddering impact jarred his teeth and his brain. Black dots exploded into his vision, and he couldn¡¯t catch his breath. He was raised again and slammed down. He almost bit his tongue off as he could taste the warm copper of blood now filling his mouth. He didn¡¯t have time to prepare or fight back as he was slammed to the ground again and again. His brain felt like it was breaking loose from the inside of his head. His body couldn¡¯t take much more of this and he was sure that his ribs were now fractured if not broken. The pain was becoming less intense though. Suddenly his arm was free and in a pure reflex action he swiped it at the face of whoever had his other arm. He was able to focus his blurred eyesight to see that he had hit Charles across the snout, leaving thin lines of red where his claws had connected.


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    Charles didn¡¯t seem fazed by the attack. He heaved his body weight in the opposite direction hurling William toward the blackness that encircled all of them. William skidded to a halt on his side. He looked up and the shadows grinned down at him. Leaning back, he thrust his legs up and out in a sweeping spin kick. His legs passed through air, and the shadows only seemed to grin more broadly. William turned away from the things and focused on the fight at hand.


    Nicolas had engaged Charles and was getting beat down easily. Charles was moving faster than William had ever seen him in their training sessions. The wounds that Nicolas was able to inflict on him seemed to do nothing to Charles. Aceso was busy trying to protect Katherine from Achelois. The rabid, black, white, and tan werewolf knew to get rid of the injured female before trying to take on the others. He knew that Katherine was in that state of helplessness because of him but at the time it was the only way to save her. Far off in the distance just within earshot he heard that laughter again.


    This is what the Whyte Plain had intended all along. They had never had a chance to save Achelois. Nicolas¡¯s vision was part of the trap. Now instead of one, the Whyte Plain would be able to claim six. A fresh werewolf pack to bolster their numbers. He knew that even if they were able to subdue Charles and Achelois he could never bring himself to kill his friends. But he wasn¡¯t going to let that stop him from trying. If he was going to die here today than he wasn¡¯t going to go down without a fight.


    William threw himself at Charles and caught the other completely by surprise. Charles was lifted up of the deck with the force of the impact. Nicolas was still standing there as William tried to wrap his legs around Charles. Achelois can¡¯t help you, Charles. Now you deal with me on your own. In their practiced grappling technique William was able to land a series of hard blows to Charles¡¯ snout and sides. Just when he was getting comfortable, Charles heaved upward and forcibly threw William off of him again.


    Charles whipped his body around and springing off all fours, slammed into William¡¯s side and snapped his jaws forward ripping off a chunk of his flesh. William would have screamed but the pain was so intense he couldn¡¯t do anything for a few moments. Charles wasn¡¯t finished with him. He pummeled William with kicks and claw swipes. William covered his body and protected his wound as best he could. He was not prepared for the ferocity of Charles¡¯ attacks. William was in a pure defense posture.

 Book 3 Chapter 12e

    Charles had gotten to his feet, without pausing in his attacks of William, and was now bringing his leg into William¡¯s midsection with surprising force. William wasn¡¯t sure if he was going to die from Charles or simply from not being able to breathe.


    Then he was able to fill his lungs with air. William jerked his head up and saw that Nicolas was now fighting Charles. The blonde wouldn¡¯t last very long. Charles seemed twice as strong as he used to be. Twice as strong with none of the control and discipline that had been characteristic of his friend. William lifted his beaten body up off the ground. The wound in his side was probably just as bad as Katherine¡¯s, maybe worse, but he didn¡¯t feel the pain from that as he stood up.


    Charles was blocking everything Nicolas threw at him and answering with a barrage of punches and kicks. Achelois was handling Aceso well and still adding to the damage that Katherine had already sustained, and all the while the shadows grinned at him from their enclosed circle keeping them trapped.


    William was at a loss as what to do except to get up and try again. His body was a little sluggish to respond. He stood up and lunged forward to grab Charles. Charles not only dodged the lunging attack, but he pivoted on his heel and threw William into Nicolas knocking both of them down. Charles, not stopping for a second, went to dive into Aceso¡¯s unprotected back. The wild abandon with which Charles was fighting went beyond all measure of sanity and endurance. And if that wasn¡¯t enough, Achelois was fighting with the same blood thirsty madness as Charles.


    William watched as Aceso was tackled to the ground leaving Katherine helpless against Achelois. William had to untangle himself from Nicolas before Katherine was killed. ¡®You can¡¯t win against them.¡¯ His other¡¯s voice caught him off guard and he faltered in his efforts to stand up.


    I have to, he thought as he shoved Nicolas¡¯s leg aside, freeing his chest.


    ¡®You can¡¯t, and you know it.¡¯ There was an uncomfortable silence for a moment as William jerked his leg underneath him and pushed himself off the floor. ¡®But we, on the other hand, stand a much better chance of success.¡¯


    Ignoring his other, he threw himself into Achelois, getting her away from Katherine. The black, white, and tan werewolf had not tired at all. Her grip was that of a vise and William felt his entire arm go numb as his nerves were pinched closed from Achelois¡¯s grip. The mad unthinking look in her eyes betrayed nothing of the person that William had come to know over their short time together. She maintained the grip on his arms and brought her foot up in between his legs, several times. The black dots that exploded into his field of vision temporarily blinded him. Achelois took advantage of William¡¯s state to pivot around his body and bring both of her claws down his back in ten searing lines of pain and blood. William was thrust forward and fell face first next to where Aceso was getting beaten badly from Charles who still had her on the ground.


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    ¡®Aceso and Katherine are dying, William. You know what has to be done.¡¯


    He pushed back against his other in pure frustration, ¡®and let you loose on the City and the world? I won¡¯t let that be my legacy to the Shape shifters!¡¯


    His other laughed, ¡®So our dream really will come true then.¡¯ William stopped and even the fighting around him seemed less desperate.


    The dream.


    The nightmare of his undead pack, returned from the grave to meet out their vengeance, ripping him to shreds in the river, with a bloody undead Aceso watching from her place on a high rock.


    William wasn¡¯t convinced, ¡®And to prevent one nightmare, I give in to another, with you ripping my pack to shreds in maniacal glee, as you barely pause on your killing spree?¡¯


    There was a low rumble of anger in the back of his mind, ¡®you would give in to fear and die like a mongrel dog?¡¯


    ¡®I thought you knew me better than that. I would gladly give my own life to stop you, us, from killing innocent people.¡¯


    The fight raged around him in slow motion. William feeling the incessant pull from his other.


    ¡®If you don¡¯t release me, now, we, and the rest of your pack, WILL die. Are you willing to trade a fear for a certainty? Are you really willing to throw Aceso¡¯s sacrifice away for nothing more than pride and your over pumped up sense of honor?¡¯


    William knew that his other was right. If he didn¡¯t do something, anything, they would all be taken by the shadows and the numbers of those they took as those shadowy forms would be something that he couldn¡¯t bear to think about.


    ¡®Tell me you¡¯ll go back to where you are now and not try anything once I give you control,¡¯ William thought with more trepidation than he would have liked.


    ¡®You don¡¯t have a choice, you have two options. Give me the control I need and save your pack, or die. Its an easy decision to make.¡¯


    William looked back over the battlefield. He saw that even though Nicolas had moved to defend Katherine, Achelois was making quick work of him, not that he had done much better. Nicolas was getting nowhere, and Katherine was stumbling around so badly she looked like she had just walked out of a bar after closing the place down.


    If he was going to die, either here or in the City, at least he could give his friends a chance to live. He stood up and with the shadows grinning at him he thought, ¡®Kill them, kill them all, and save my friends.¡¯


    He heard a savage laughter ring throughout his head. He took two steps without wanting to and he immediately regretted his decision. The roller coaster from hell had left the station and there was nothing he could do but hold on and try to survive the ride.


    He felt and saw everything.


    His body was moving in viciously blinding fast maneuvers. He saw himself doing things that he hadn¡¯t even thought of trying, much less actually performing. He corralled both Achelois and Charles next to the shadows. The ¡®two against one¡¯ odds seemed to be in their favor, but they were facing an Enforcer with none of the limiters that a thinking moral mind puts on their own body without even realizing it.

 Book 3 Chapter 12f

    The fight raged for some time. He was injured and fighting two on one did give them an advantage. William moved faster than he thought possible. His claws raked and jabbed without thought about his friend¡¯s welfare at all. He saw himself eye gouge Achelois. His claw missed her eye, but the soft tissue around the eye immediately swelled and closed the eye shut anyway. He winced at that attack. It was not something that he would have chosen to do. Maybe his other was stronger than he was. Maybe the pack would be better off with the animal that he was now than the shape shifter that he had proven to be.


    Even though he couldn¡¯t control his body, he was able to catch glimpses of the shadows around him. They didn¡¯t seem to be grinning as broadly as they had been before. William felt his arms wrap around Achelois and pick her up in the air. He knew what was happening and tried to retake control of his body. He was lifting Achelois up. William fought against the unforgiving tempered steel that was his body. He couldn¡¯t control anything. His body lifted itself up and threw itself backwards, bringing Achelois¡¯s head down to meet the ground of the Whyte Plain. The Supplex was devastating with none of the precautionary positioning that is customary in professional wrestling. William was disoriented but that didn¡¯t stop him from hearing the sickening thud as Achelois connected with the ground. A few seconds later he felt the dead weight of Achelois roll off his body as a limp hunk of flesh. William only hoped that she was still alive.


    He wished for it to be over, but it wasn¡¯t. Charles was being put through his paces as his arms flashed outward jabbing and cutting. Every swipe brought blood. There were however no cries of pain from the thing that used to be Charles. He seemed to take all the damage that William¡¯s body was giving him and finding a way to deal with it. William would have admired him for it except that it was going to get him killed.


    Watching his own body dodge and counter in a fight was very surreal. If it had been a movie, he would have said it was the greatest movie ever made. Except it wasn¡¯t a movie and this was his friend that was being decimated by his own claws. He couldn¡¯t stop himself, but he continued to try to retake control of his body, for Charles¡¯ sake. His body dove under a flailing arm swipe and he felt himself pick his friend up. Charles was flipped upside down as his arms held him tightly. He knew what was coming and he knew that it would have a similar result as to what happened to Achelois. He tried to scream, to roll his eyes, something. But nothing happened except his feet leaving the ground. Being in the air, it was like being in slow motion. He felt himself land with his feet out away from his body, driving Charles¡¯s head into the ground. There was silence at first as he felt the concussion of the landing flow up his body. The sound of his butt hitting the deck without his tail getting in the way was instant. But the accompanying sound of Charles¡¯s thud didn¡¯t reach his ears till the slow shock wave of the impact had crawled up his body to reach his head, several seconds later. As he saw his arms throw the limp form of Charles off to the side, he thought that it might finally be over. He hadn¡¯t learned anything.


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    William could hear everything that was going on around him. He caught brief glimpses of his pack mates grabbing Charles and Achelois. The shadows were pressing in on them now. William could hear that strange voice as a murmur through the Whyte Plain. It was the same asexual voice that had laughed at them earlier. He wanted to say it was feminine then but now that voice was deeper and more sinister, male in timbre. If the shadows hadn¡¯t closed in on them, he didn¡¯t want to think about who his other might have attacked. As it was, the bestial instincts that now coursed through him controlling his body felt more of a threat from the enclosing shadows than from his pack mates and attacked outward at the black massless forms.


    He jumped forward and remained airborne for an impossibly long time. This was also something that he never knew he could do. His other was ripping and shredding and jumping off solid shadows as easily as if he were walking on cement. The shadows shimmered and coalesced in different places. But either they had spread back out or some had disappeared, either way there were definite holes in the once solid circle that had trapped his pack. William felt a surge of relief that maybe his pack could get back to safety. But then total blackness clamped down on his vision.


    He knew he was still conscious.


    His body was working at a frenzied pace. It didn¡¯t seem possible that his body could move any faster than it had moments before as it had been fighting Charles and Achelois but it was. He felt his muscles scream in protest as the speed at which he now moved threatened to tear the muscles away from the bones they supported. The black swirled around him but didn¡¯t waver in their dominance over his vision. There was not even a speck of white to be found. William searched every inch of his surrounding vision, the amount that he could access, anyway. The swirling, billowing, moving blackness was hypnotic to watch. If he had been in control of his body, he might just be slowing down right now under this new spell that was being weaved just for him. While his mind was becoming heavy as he searched the depths of the darkness around him, his body however hadn¡¯t slowed down at all.


    The feeling of his muscles tearing and ripping at air was fascinating to him. Knowing that his body was capable of all this he wondered if he had the mental fortitude to accomplish half of what he had felt his body do. The black swirling around him held his rapt attention. The moving patterns in the darkness were amazing. There was no light that he could see but the darkness still had moving texture. He wanted to stay where he was, to see what patterns this strange shadow was capable of. It felt like he was on the verge of discovering some great truth.


    Then the darkness was ripped away from his vision. He would have screamed out in despair if he had been able to. He felt his body being carried. He bounced up and down with the swift broken strides of someone who had been injured. His mind felt heavy, and he wanted to close his eyes to sleep. But there was still energy left in his body and his other was fighting to get away from the grip that held him.

 Book 3 Chapter 12g

    William was looking backwards over the shoulder of someone. There was nothing but whiteness. It resembled the shadow that had attacked him in a way, billowing moving texture without form or contrast. This place really was beautiful. He felt himself rip and claw with his legs. His body was still amazingly strong after the exertion that it had been put through. He found himself admiring his own strength.


    The journey was short, a lot shorter than he would have imagined. His vision was locked behind him. He couldn¡¯t smell anything, he could see only the white of the Whyte Plain behind them, but he could hear.


    The sounds were interesting to him. He felt like he was an observer in every sense of the word. His other had control of his body and he had no say in anything that was going on. The small fraction of his mind that was still open to him was that of a prison cell¡¯s window. He could do nothing but sit back and see what happened next.


    ¡°Where are we, Aceso?¡± It was Katherine¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Close to where we came in. We have to go a little farther. We have to get as close to the Mountain as we can. We can¡¯t risk traveling out in the open with three rabid werewolves.¡±


    Three rabid werewolves? Of course he was one of those three. It would have been nice to hear more but in his field of vision the Whyte Plain split open like a cloud of smoke and darkness rushed at them.


    It made sense that the shadows wouldn¡¯t have been too far behind. His body began pumping and kicking trying to get at the approaching shadows. They surged forward in a collected mass. They seemed to coalesce into one single organism then flow apart into separate forms then back into one again. It was like the shadows were made of water, easily flowing apart and reattaching themselves at will. The effect was intimidating, fluid, seamless, and beautiful in its own way.


    ¡°Nicolas, get out of here!¡± It was Aceso. ¡°Let him go, Katherine!¡±


    He was free. He saw the shadows surge forward to meet him and his body was once again moving with blinding speed. He got a little dizzy trying to make sense of his movements and keep track of anything that was going on. His arms and legs flashed while the world spun around him as his body did aerial stunts, flips and turns. His legs would flash outward in vicious kicks at the most awkward angles. He was glad that he had no control of his body, if he had, he would have ended up on his face more than once. Feeling his body do these things while his mind could barely grasp how it was done was something that should have scared the crap out of him, but it didn¡¯t. The maneuvers that he was accomplishing were flawless in their execution and devastating in their result. At least they would have been if any of his attacks had met any kind of solid surface.


    The shadows were moving and flowing around him. He was reminded of a Japanese anime he had seen a little while ago, something about ninjas and their jujitsu. One of the characters had the ability to fight like these shadows were fighting, flowing effortlessly around his attacks, blocking and absorbing everything, regardless of his incredible speed or acrobatics.


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    He caught glimpses of Aceso and Katherine fighting too. They weren¡¯t exactly fighting alongside him but he couldn¡¯t blame them for not wanting to get too close. They were fighting as best as they could. Katherine did seem to be healed. She wasn¡¯t noticeably bleeding anymore, although she wasn¡¯t moving nearly as fast as she should¡¯ve been. As she was, injured or healed, right now she was moving too slowly making herself almost a liability and he wished that she had gone with Nicolas.


    Aceso was moving at a good pace. She was moving faster than he had ever seen her move. The thought occurred to him that maybe the bond was giving her this added speed and stamina. The thought was comforting. Having his other take control wasn¡¯t entirely a bad thing, if it gave his alpha a chance to survive.


    His body fought with every shred of strength it had. His other was pushing their reserves of stamina to the limit even of their werewolf tolerance. His other was going to keep pushing their shared body till it collapsed out of exhaustion. His face snapped forward and grabbed something solid. He refocused his sight on what his face was looking at. He had a shadow by the leg and his body was pulling it underneath itself. For some reason the shadow tasted stale to his mouth, not putrid or rotten, just stale like air from a stuffy enclosed room. The shadow was flipped under him, and his jaw and claws ripped at it until there was nothing left but a stain on the floor of the Whyte Plain. His other had managed to kill one. He thought with a bit of irony that it hadn¡¯t taken Aceso nearly so long to kill one of these things the last time he was here.


    He could have been fighting this battle for minutes or hours. He found it difficult to concentrate on anything for too long. He wasn¡¯t sure he wanted control of his body at this point. His other was fighting better and harder than anything he could have expected from himself. His body was twisting and flinging out attacks he didn¡¯t even know were possible. He seemed to be cut loose from gravity. His legs and claws would slice outward as his body twirled and darted around the endlessly flowing mass of shadows. The shadows hadn¡¯t been able to encircle the three of them but even with all the effort his body was going through he could only spot the remains of one shadow. Eventually, his body would exhaust itself. Not even his other could fight forever.


    Concentrating on a small corner of his vision his thought he saw more than two werewolves fighting. He tried to get a better look but his body turned around and his vision was obscured by shadows again. When the shadow moved away, he counted four werewolves then six, then eight. His body continued to fight at its fever pitch. He heard a thin wail of dismay. The voice that had tormented them since they had entered this god forsaken place was not happy. The shadows came together one more time then suddenly, the black mass was swallowed by the mist of the Whyte Plain.


    There was whiteness all around him. He couldn¡¯t smell or hear anything. He felt his arms being locked behind him. His legs kicked out and thrashed as his body twisted and pulled against this new force that held him. He knew he was being dragged forcibly somewhere. His head swung back and forth in a sickening way, and he wondered how he hadn¡¯t thrown up yet. He tried to ignore the way the world rocked crazily on its axis.

 Book 3 Chapter 13a

    There was only cold darkness. His feet dragged on rubble and loose rocks. Brisk, frigid wind snapped at his fur, and he could smell again. He could identify eleven different scents.


    There had been eleven werewolves fighting in there?


    The grip was familiar, and the scent was unmistakable. Ares moved with a casual grace and William¡¯s out of control body was held in place and forced to move against its will.


    William concentrated on the dark night sky at the very limit of his vision. The stars were out tonight. Their cold light shown down on him. The wind kicked a light coating of dust and debris around his body. It stung him a little, but his body refused to even blink. The sensation was¡­ uncomfortable. Of course, if this really was Ares and there was no question about it now, there was only one place that he could be going. Soon, having some dust in his eyes would be the very least of his problems.


    Ares continued to drag him up the mountain. The night was cold and there was no moon in the sky. They passed without incident up the mountain slope and into the cave where they had exited those few days ago. A howl rang out into the silence.


    He was enveloped by darkness.


    The world came back to him. There was light above him and familiar cold, black walls around him. His body tried to jump up and run, but his limbs were held in place by great iron clasps. His head swung down to see that his limbs were shackled to the floor with great black chains. His body forced itself to move against the restraints. His arms were soon bleeding with the effort. The pain of the black steel cutting into his open flesh would have been enough to make him stop, but his other had full control of his body and it wasn¡¯t letting up because of something as trivial as pain.


    The heavy chains clinked together as his body let the chains slack and then jumped against them ripping them taught. He couldn¡¯t stop himself from trying again and again to force open the clasps or trying to break the chains. He tried to focus on something else, something less painful.


    How long had he been here?


    Had he slept?


    Had he been knocked unconscious?


    Had Charles and Achelois been subjected to the same kind of treatment as he was enduring right now?


    Had Katherine been healed fully?


    Was Aceso all right?


    The endless stream of questions with no answers was just as maddening as the slick feeling of blood twisting and lubricating the inside of the shackles, only to dry again moments later. That wouldn¡¯t be so bad except for the fact that his fur was being ripped out as soon as his blood dried. It was a little like pulling out nose hairs. A single one didn¡¯t hurt, but pull out enough and eventually it started to sting pretty badly. His other had no concept of pain and he was forced to sit back and try not to go crazy.


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    Time passed strangely.


    The ceiling crystals stayed at a constant light. The boredom he felt was compounded by his frustration. He tried to take control of his body more than once. At one point he tried to get in a rhythm with his other¡¯s attempts to break the chain. Yank, yank, try to command his body to stop, yank, yank try to make his body stop. He suspected that his other had become aware of what he was doing and let long stretches of time pass in between pulling futilely at the chains again. William tried to keep up with the game but not being in control of any part of his own body seemed to have an adverse effect on his mind, it kept slipping.


    He could feel that his wrists were raw, and his legs were sore and aching from the continued strain of struggling against the chains. His whole body was sore but that didn¡¯t seem to bother his body at all. His body operated as if it had just been on a three-day vacation in the Bahamas, while he was being driven mad with the pain that riddled him.


    As the endless parade of time marched by him he began to wonder how long he could hold on to his own identity.


    How had he regained control of himself that first time?


    The vague memory of Ares and pain came to him but nothing that he could solidly remember. In fact, he was having trouble remembering anything. That thought scared him but was dulled by the pain of his arm feeling like it was being ripped out of its socket.


    He heard a whimper from somewhere. It sounded pitiful and tired. His mind took several moments to identify where the whimper had come from. There was no one else around, it must have come from him, but he didn¡¯t remember making that sound.


    He thought back to when he was in his forest. For some reason the clearest memory of that time was his fight with the old grey. The fear he had felt and the guilt at having hurt the wolf that was only protecting its territory.


    The old grey¡­


    His thoughts were interrupted again by the annoying sounds of clanking steel. His other really did not like being tied up and was now kicking at his leg restraints. The sound drowned out his fragile hold on his memories and they were washed away by the vicious yank and clank of black steel, followed by the pain of sore muscles and ripped flesh as the unforgiving steel bit into his leg, just above the ankle. The pain at least gave him something to focus on.


    Sometime later, it could have been a day or a week, he remained cognizant enough to witness his eyes close. For the first time since being here he saw and understood that it was his eyes closing. There was something that he had desperately wanted to try at some point when his body had closed its eyes.


    The fatigue of the continued efforts to escape seemed to have drained his other and his body sufficiently to cause him to close his eyes. He knew that his other was not asleep but at least there was darkness. It enveloped around him like a warm blanket. He hadn¡¯t slept in so long. He let himself sink down but not to sleep. The deeper he sank into his own mind the clearer thoughts became. His memory was stronger here and he felt a little like his old self again.


    He looked down and could see that he had his own body and it obeyed his commands once more. There wasn¡¯t any pain here and he took a few moments of pleasure to just blink his eyes and swing his arms a bit. He kicked out and stretched his ankles. The ability to move was something that he never thought he could enjoy so much. But then he had never considered not having control over his body for any extended period of time either.

 Book 3 Chapter 13b

    ¡°I want to talk,¡± he said after enjoying a few moments of freedom.


    There was nothing but the pure clean black of the void.


    ¡°How long do you think the city will let you keep this up?¡± William began walking in no particular direction. ¡°What am I worried for, anyway?¡± he asked to the void around him. ¡°They¡¯ll just kill you in another day or two and there¡¯s nothing I can do about it except wait around for it to happen.¡±


    ¡®What do you mean ¡®kill us?¡¯ What are you talking about?¡¯


    William heard the voice before the form materialized out of the darkness. His other strode up to him looking particularly pissed off. His other looked bigger to him for some reason. He did not control his emotions well and a three-year-old could read the frustration written on his features.


    ¡°You mean to tell me you weren¡¯t paying attention?¡± His other regarded him coldly. William walked around his other, reveling in the power exchange. ¡°The City under the Mountain¡¯s Elders almost had us killed the last time you took control. What makes you think that it would be any different this time around?¡±


    ¡®Why do you think I¡¯ve been trying to escape? We need to get out of here.¡¯


    William looked at the wild-eyed version of himself. His other was jumpy, he was fidgeting. He had never seen his other fidget before. He licked at his snout and his head was twitching as if he was trying to control his head from looking everywhere at once. ¡°You know that¡¯s not an option.¡±


    ¡®No, you¡¯re wrong! There is a way out I just need to keep trying.¡¯


    ¡°The only way for us to live, is for you to let go of our body.¡±


    This stopped his other cold. He gave William a sideways glance and studied his counterpart. Unexpectedly his other threw his head back and roared laughter. He laughed so hard his tail shook as if it were being blown around in a windstorm. William watched the over-the-top display of mirth silently.


    ¡®Give up control? To you?! Why in the Lunar Mother¡¯s name would I want to do something as stupid as that?¡¯ He looked down at William who was now an inch or two shorter than he was. ¡®You had control. And then you took us to that place.¡¯


    The memories of the Whyte Plain seemed to be projected into William¡¯s mind and he was forced to relive every second of that hellish trip. What had taken place in who knows how many hours there, flashed by in seconds now. Seconds of time but the fear and pain lost no impact in the projection. Reliving those hours sent uncontrolled shivers down his body.


    ¡®If it wasn¡¯t for me, we would have died there.¡¯ His other walked away from him then speaking more to the void than to him. ¡®And now he wants me to give up control so he can find some other way to get us killed.¡¯


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    William surged forward and grabbed his other by the shoulders. He yanked his other around to face him. ¡°If you don¡¯t, neither of us will have any choice in the matter and we will be killed by the Elders.¡±


    ¡®Better to die the master of one¡¯s own fate than to watch someone else dictate the course of your actions.¡¯


    ¡°Then we die. I¡¯ll meet you in hell.¡± He turned his back on his other.


    ¡®I know what you¡¯ll do, William. You¡¯re just waiting for the chance to bury me as deep as you can.¡¯ William almost protested but was stopped short. ¡®Please! I can read it in your eyes. This was all a mistake you¡¯re thinking. All you need is time, and you¡¯ll make sure that I never bother you again. You think you can just get rid of me? That maybe if you close your eyes one day I won¡¯t be here? If that was the case, you and I¡¯d be dead already. I want to live, not watch helplessly as we die because of you!¡¯


    William turned around and faced his other who still looked twitchy and nervous. He seemed diminished somehow though, still very much the predator and dangerous, but diminished. ¡°Neither one of us will live if you keep control of our body.¡±


    His other raised himself up to his full height matching William inch for inch. ¡®I will not stand by and die because of you or anyone!¡¯


    William looked into the desperate, blood shot, sleep deprived eyes of his other. ¡°If you don¡¯t let go now, then both of us will die.¡± William glanced around at the total blackness surrounding them. ¡°Better to live and fight another day, than waste the empire in a losing battle. It¡¯s up to you, life or death. Make your choice.¡±


    His other stood contemplating himself. There was no time, there was only those eyes staring back at him, deep pools that reflected all that William was, and everything that he ever could be. His other held the stare, almost hypnotic in its intensity. The realization came slowly, too slowly when William realized that he was alone. The eyes that he had been staring into were not in front of him and he couldn¡¯t be sure when that had happened, or how. He remained motionless in the void. After long moments of pure silence, he was sure that his other was not coming back anytime soon. He couldn¡¯t stay down here forever his body needed the mind to live. He could only cross his fingers and hope that his other had made the right decision.


    He rose up through the blackness. His eyes were still closed but soon opened revealing the same white light from the ceiling crystals. His eyes never seemed particularly sensitive to light after resurfacing from the void, but he wished that he could blink his eyes anyway. His eyes blinked.


    He was so startled that he almost fell over. He closed his eyes and opened them. An involuntary smile spread across his tired face. He raised his arms. The chains and clasps were heavy. How had his other pulled on this for as long as he had? He closed his eyes once more. The feeling was so comforting he could go to sleep right then. If it wasn¡¯t for the soft whisper that he could just barely hear inside his head he would have.


    ¡®See you around.¡¯


    His ears buzzed with the cruel laughter that he had become so familiar with. The thought scared him just a little bit. What if his other had been able to get away from Ares? The devastation he would have caused to both innocents and to the City under the Mountain would have been catastrophic. Maybe it would be better if Derceto had her way, and they did decide to kill him. He began to think of himself as a dangerous animal again. He deserved to be in these chains. At least here he wouldn¡¯t be able to hurt anybody or betray the shape shifters.

 Book 3 Chapter 13c

    William lifted his tired head to the ceiling. He had spent too much time in the dark. He would have liked nothing better than to gaze up into the sunshine one last time before he died. But he was in here and the sun was out there, so he had to deal with what he had.


    In an absent-minded gesture, he raised the heavy shackles and clanked the heavy black steel of the chains. His wrists were deeply wounded. Without a healer it would take the better part of a day for them to heal. The raw flesh rubbed uncomfortably against the cool clasps. He tried to reposition his arms to let the clasps hang loosely but every position he tried the steel still bit into his arms and wrists. He plopped his hands in his lap and tried to ignore the stinging pain.


    His legs were a little better off. Looking at himself he was reminded of a panda bear sitting dumbly on its butt eating bamboo. The thought of food sent his stomach into a symphony of growls and almost painful contractions, reminding him that he hadn¡¯t eaten in a very long time.


    He didn¡¯t know how long he had been there, and he was certain that he was going to have to wait another extended period of time before anyone came to check on him. It seemed odd that nobody had come to talk to him before. His memory of his time in this prison was so hazy people could have visited him and he just hadn¡¯t realized it at the time or remembered anything about it. The cold black walls were similar to his room but here the indifference of the walls and the light from the ceiling crystals was chilling in ways that he never thought he would experience.


    He must have fallen asleep.


    The first thing he noticed was that a very familiar werewolf was standing in front of him, with an open cell door behind him. The second thing he noticed was that his wrists had healed and the sensation of stinging steel was absent from his arms. He looked at Ares as the massive werewolf studied him from a few feet away. William looked back and repositioned himself into a more comfortable sitting position. The movement broke dried blood on the inside of his clasps and tore several hairs out from the still tender flesh, sending needles of pain up his arm, he ignored them. Once he was settled, he looked up at his teacher and waited for him to speak.


    ¡°Are you there, William?¡± Ares asked with no hint of sorrow or humor. His voice was as cold as the walls.


    ¡°You asked me that question once before.¡± William let a small smile play around his lips as he consciously flicked his tail on the ground. ¡°Only that time I couldn¡¯t answer yes. Do you remember?¡±


    Ares seemed to relax a fraction and crossed his arms over his chest. The eight-foot-tall werewolf inhaled the scent of the room. William knew that the smell of blood would not be missed by his teacher. ¡°Since when did you master such acute control over your metabolism?¡±


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    William was confused. He cocked his head to the side. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Ares gestured around the room with his claws and nose. ¡°You haven¡¯t left any droppings or marked your territory.¡±


    For several moments he was even more confused than he had been a second ago. Left any droppings? Then it hit him and he felt really stupid. He whipped his head around and scanned his prison cell. He hadn¡¯t gone to the bathroom. He inhaled and he couldn¡¯t smell any urine either. At first, he wondered how this was possible. It was just one more thing that his other could do that he might never be able to. William shrugged.


    ¡°How do you feel?¡± Ares asked. A small amount of warmth was present in his teacher¡¯s voice.


    William looked around and heaved the clasps and chains around his wrists. ¡°I¡¯m ok, considering I¡¯ve been here for god-knows how long.¡±


    It was meant to be a joke, but Ares face hardened and his eyes darkened. ¡°The only reason that you are not dead right now is because of what you did for your pack in the Whyte Plain. William, what happened back there?¡±


    His mind reached back to that place. It seemed very fuzzy. He remembered the events leading up to going into the Whyte Plain but everything after that had happened so fast that he wasn¡¯t sure of anything. ¡°I did what I had to.¡±


    ¡°What you had to?¡± Ares looked down at him. William felt like a child being addressed by his father. ¡°If it were up to Derceto, the Elders would have killed you after I dragged you back to the city.¡±


    William was calm but couldn¡¯t keep the defensive tone out of his voice. ¡°Ares, if I hadn¡¯t done it than my whole pack would be dead right now, wandering that godforsaken place as one of those shadows.¡±


    Ares almost turned his back on his student. ¡°That is the only reason you¡¯re still alive. Do you know how long you¡¯ve been in here?¡± William shrugged. ¡°You¡¯ve been in here over two weeks. Myself and others have been keeping a very close eye on you to see which way you would go. Yesterday you were the calmest that you have been since waking up. I still wasn¡¯t sure it was you until you answered me.¡±


    William wiped his snout with his claw. He had been in here for two weeks? How had he survived with no food or water? How had his other been able to exert himself over that amount of time and not kill him? The thought of time brought to mind the other members of his pack.


    ¡°What about Charles and Achelois? Where are they?¡± he couldn¡¯t keep his voice even.


    Ares head tilted down towards his chest. William could see his teacher¡¯s tail droop a little. William wasn¡¯t sure he wanted the answer to that question anymore. Ares composed himself and looked William in the eye holding his student¡¯s gaze. ¡°Achelois is gone.¡±


    Ares said it in such a matter of fact tone that William thought that he must have heard wrong or that there was more to be said. ¡°What do you mean, gone?¡± William didn¡¯t try to hide the confusion on his face. ¡°Has she left the City under the Mountain? Was she sent somewhere else? What¡­¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s gone, William.¡± Ares interrupted. ¡°There was nothing we could do. As soon as she woke up inside the city she began to melt. I was there watching from her cell door.¡± Ares did not stammer over his words but it seemed that Ares was having trouble with his language. ¡°She was changing into one of those shadows and I, along with two others, were forced to kill her immediately.¡± Ares raised himself to his full height and looked down at William. ¡°Achelois never came back from the Whyte Plain. That thing that Nicolas brought back only looked like her.¡±

 Book 3 Chapter 13d

    William felt a hollow space open in his gut. He had risked everything to save her and Charles. Aceso had risked so much just by bringing them to the Whyte Plain to begin with. He couldn¡¯t move his eyes from the floor. He couldn¡¯t fill his lungs properly and right then he didn¡¯t care. He would suffocate, but he wouldn¡¯t feel the pain of it. Achelois was gone. He knew that Ares was telling the truth but something deep in his mind wouldn¡¯t let him believe it. It had to be a mistake. William forced his eyes upward to stare pleadingly at his teacher. Ares had no answer for him but there was real emotion in his eyes. This only served to drive the point home. Achelois was dead.


    ¡°What about Charles?¡±


    Ares hunched down on the floor to look at William on an equal level. The eight-foot-tall werewolf remained on his feet. William wondered if there was a reason for this or if this was just Ares being comfortable, his voice sounded very tired all of a sudden. ¡°It¡¯s still fifty, fifty with Charles. Like you, as of an hour ago, he was still throwing himself against his chains and growling unintelligibly at his teacher.¡± Ares shook his head. ¡°Time will tell. He has to come back himself, just as you did.¡±


    William felt shell shocked. Everything he had done, all that Aceso had tried to do, had been for nothing. He let this happen to Charles. He hadn¡¯t been strong enough to save his friends. They had trusted him, and he had failed them, and his alpha.


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault, William. If you had been a true pack this never would have happened. Achelois made her choice. Being a wolf born, she out of all of you, should have been better prepared.¡±


    ¡°So, this is all her fault then?¡± William asked. Ares eyes hardened and shot daggers at William. He immediately wished he could take that outburst back.


    ¡°If you had been a true pack, all of you would have felt Achelois leave and could have followed her. Because you were not all tied to your alpha in the same way you are, that safety mechanism for your pack was not in place.¡± Ares calmed down and his eyes softened. ¡°Achelois made her choice and not you, or Aceso, or even I could have changed her mind. She had valid reasons for not swearing to Aceso.¡±


    ¡°So, what happens now?¡±


    Ares¡¯ tail flicked out to one side. ¡°You will stay here for a few more days.¡± Ares was sympathetic toward his former student. It was written on his face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Just be glad that you are still alive. Charles will be kept under watch until he proves himself either way.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, either way?¡±


    ¡°If he cannot prove himself to be a shape shifter than he will be condemned as an unthinking beast and put down.¡±


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    ¡°I bet Derceto would love that.¡±


    The strike came so fast that William didn¡¯t have time to react to it. Ares claws left a raking wound across his chest and William fell backwards holding himself. ¡°The Elder has her reasons and has been proven right time and again. Your behavior is a glaring example of that.¡± Ares stood up and gazed down at William. ¡°She is charged with protecting this city, just as we all are. The Elders will be shown respect.¡±


    Ares turned around and left the cell.


    William heard the heavy, archaic finality of the heavy door swing shut. The subdued thud of the door closing echoed around his cell before leaving him once again in silence. He guessed that the only thing he could do at this point was wait. His stomach growled at him and he rubbed at his stomach as much as the stinging lines that arched across his chest. In hindsight, he knew how his former teacher felt about the Elders and the City. It had been a really stupid move to voice that kind of comment, especially when he knew that it hadn¡¯t been true.


    William didn¡¯t have to wait very long. The door opened and a grey werewolf stepped into the cell long enough to throw a large leg of meat at him. As William watched the leg land next to him, the grey turned around and exited without a word. The whole thing had seemed really barbaric. He was unfit to be spoken to and therefore was feed like a rabid dog. The smell of the flesh from the leg made his stomach growl even louder. He hated being thought of as just an animal, but he hadn¡¯t eaten in a long time. He grabbed the leg of meat and tore into the flesh.


    William took another bite of the tender meat and looked down to find that the leg was nothing but bone. Had he eaten the entire thing already? He still felt much too hungry but the food was settling down into his gut. He was far from satisfied but at least his stomach wasn¡¯t grumbling so loudly now. The leg of meat couldn¡¯t even have qualified as a snack but it would keep him alive and that was the best that he could hope for under the circumstances.


    He was fed in the same manner three more times for the remainder of his stay in the cell. The grey werewolf would throw him his meat like a human would throw meat to a dog. But it was sustenance and William swallowed his pride as best he could.


    After what he figured was about two days after he had been visited by Ares he was let out of his cell. The grey walked in and released his clasps and the heavy chains clanked to the ground. The grey stood up and walked out of the cell. William was left sitting there massaging his wrists and ankles. His wrists had healed some time ago and the act of massaging the now free flesh was more of a reflex than for any beneficial purpose.


    William stood up and walked out of the cell. The heavy door was held open by a block and chain retainer. The door was thicker than he had imagined, a good seven or eight inches thick. Standing just beyond the door to his cell was Ansuya. She was wearing a green silk dress with a scarf looking garment wrapped around her black hair. Her almond shaped, dark brown eyes studied him for a long moment. She had been the last person in the world that he had expected to see. Even outside of her werewolf form, the quiet strength that irradiated outward from this woman was intimidating.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad to see you are well, William.¡± He didn¡¯t know how to respond. She held his gaze and he was only able to nod. ¡°The Elders have judged you to be a shape shifter and you are to be allowed to rejoin your pack.¡± With that simple statement that carried so much weight, Ansuya turned in a rippling of green silk and disappeared down a narrow walkway.

 Book 3 Chapter 13e

    In the answering silence of the walkway outside of his prison he felt Aceso off to his right. He had no idea where he was in the city but he knew that Aceso was close by. He felt something else. He felt it in the same way that he had felt Aceso. It was also feminine but very different from Aceso. Somehow, he knew what it was he was just very confused by the new sensation.


    He followed where Ansuya had walked off. The narrow walkway followed a very linear path, with harsh right angles. The walls of the walkway met overhead in a perfect square tunnel. He had no idea where he was or where he was going. He supposed that this tunnel would eventually lead to the city. He just had to keep walking.


    His stomach was quiet and he didn¡¯t feel hungry although he knew that as soon as he started to eat something he would want to eat pounds of food. Somehow the thought of eating wasn¡¯t very appetizing. The thought of meeting with Aceso wasn¡¯t very appealing either.


    He kept reaching back to those last days in the forest with Achelois. He couldn¡¯t keep her out of his mind. The idea that she was dead was something that still didn¡¯t seem real. He knew it was, but the thought of her actually being gone was something that defied reason.


    The tunnel took a sharp right turn and he was let out onto a landing overlooking the City under the Mountain. The familiar black squares of the buildings and the sheen of the ceiling crystal lights playing off of their polished surfaces was something that he found to be rather beautiful. This was his home and the fact that he had almost lost it and everything else, including his life, was sobering. William followed a ramp down into the city. He knew that Aceso could feel him, but he didn¡¯t care. He couldn¡¯t muster the energy to run so he trudged through the vast black underground labyrinth. He had an idea of where he wanted to go but he didn¡¯t think that he would go there.


    His body moved through the outskirts of the city, through the labyrinthine walkways and streets. He kept his distance and direction away from the monolithic tower at the heart of the city. His sense of smell kept him on track more than his eyes. He was lost in the memories of what he could have done different and the lost possibilities of those last days in the forest. What mistakes had been made that could have been avoided? Ideas kept circling around in his head as his feet kept him moving. Eventually as more of a peripheral view than actual understanding, he found himself following an old path, one that was familiar but unrecognizable. The fact that he knew that he was approaching the ramp that would take him out of the underground cavern, was lost on him. His mind was too in depth analyzing his mistakes and the missteps that led to Charles current predicament to really comprehend that he was in fact walking up the ramp that Mr. Davis had led them onto only days before.


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    The ramp followed the curvature of the underground cavern and William turned his head to see the vast underground city with its green splotches of forests. The forests were massive even when compared to the complexity of the city itself. He never really thought about, nor did he think he would ever truly comprehend the size of this place. He turned away from the city and walked up into the long black tunnel that was the entrance to the massive underground cavern.


    Soon the darkness was complete, and he couldn¡¯t see anything. This fact did not concern him, not really. The blackness of the tunnel was almost a comfort to him. The hellish remembered ordeal of him having no control over his body replayed itself with an inhuman clarity against the perfect black of his surroundings. He could hardly call what his other had been able to do hellish. He admired the remembered motions of his body, the speed at which his other had been able to move, the endlessness of the fight with Charles and Achelois.


    That of course brought him back to think about what would happen to Charles now. Ares had told him that the Elders would give him a few more days. Did that mean that a decision had already been made or that Charles still had a day or two to regain himself? Had he already been killed? William followed the tunnel as his mind asked these unanswerable questions. He might as well ask if the old grey had been able to save his pack in the forest. The idea of those people intruding on his life like that was wrong, but he couldn¡¯t muster even anger at this point. Who were they to hunt him like a dog? The wolves of his forest may have been killed. They had trusted him, just as his pack had trusted him, and he had failed all of them.


    He almost didn¡¯t notice the sudden downturn in the tunnel. He stopped and felt the walls in the darkness. After some grouping around he found the cold metal of the torch rack that Mr. Davis had used when he escorted them out of the city. He wasn¡¯t trying to hide anything, but the sudden sound of his own howl was loud and invasive to his ears, causing a slight pain that he endured without pity. He deserved all the pain that could be visited on him.


    Nothing happened.


    William knew that the secret opening to the mountain was here. He howled again trying to mimic as closely as possible Mr. Davis¡¯s howl. Still nothing. The rock and the darkness around him were just as solid as it had been since arriving. He howled again, making a subtle change in pitch and tone, nothing. William knew that it had been a stupid idea to try to exit the underground cavern by himself but now that he was here, he wasn¡¯t going to just give up.


    He howled again and again and again. Each time changing pitch and tone, volume and timbre, nothing seemed to work. If he was in his human form, he would have gone horse long ago but his werewolf lungs and throat were up to the task and he howled again and again and again.


    He noticed a dull light coming into the tunnel. He turned around and saw a sharp black line moving across a brilliant star field. William walked out into the cave that would let him exit the mountain. He hoped that he would be able to duplicate the howl that had just opened the tunnel entrance. He moved farther out into the cave and sat down.

 Book 3 Chapter 13f

    He looked out at the night sky. The moon was rising just off to his right and the stars were particularly bright tonight. The wind that whistled across the mouth of the cave tugged at his fur. He ignored the annoying sound and the wind altogether. His eyes locked onto the stars and to the moon as she made her way up to her proper place of command in the night sky. Thoughts of Charles and Achelois dominated his mind even as he tried to lose himself in the quiet solitude of the cold night sky. Looking out of the rocks and the flat lands leading to the woods beyond, he considered what would happen if he just left.


    ¡°What brings you out here, William?¡±


    William didn¡¯t turn around at the sudden voice coming from behind him. He recognized it instantly and choose to stay frozen where he was staring at the stars.


    Ares sat down next to him. The two shape shifters gazed at the night sky in silence for a time. ¡°What has happened to Charles?¡±


    Ares didn¡¯t seem surprised by the question at all. He answered in an appropriately grave voice, the voice that William most associated with Ares the teacher. ¡°Nothing has happened, yet. As I told you before the Elders have given him a few days. Just as with you they are willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, based mostly on Aceso. She spoke very highly of Charles and yourself.¡±


    This caused William to turn and look at his former teacher for the first time. ¡°Aceso spoke for me?¡±


    Ares seemed amused. ¡°Of course she did. If she hadn¡¯t, you would¡¯ve been killed the second you reentered the city. Very few werewolves get a second chance, William.¡± William did not try to hide his emotions. He was thinking that it might have better for Derceto to kill him for all the good that he had done for his pack. Ares face remained passive. ¡°William, you will find that the word of an alpha is valued at a high level in the City under the Mountain. The Elders trust the alphas here as they would one of their own. The word of an alpha carries weight that I don¡¯t think you could ever fully grasp.¡±


    William nodded. ¡°So, what happens now?¡±


    ¡°Life goes on and you fulfill your duties to your pack as its Enforcer.¡±


    William shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s not exactly what I meant, what happens with my pack?¡±


    ¡°Eventually, the Elders will assign another healer to your pack and you will move on doing that which the city needs you to do.¡±


    ¡°Why does it have to be a healer?¡±


    Ares took a deep breath and eased himself back onto the rock that he had claimed as a seat. ¡°William, the packs are made up of one of every type of werewolf, the alpha¡¯s type determines the sixth member. Since your alpha is a healer the sixth member of your pack must also be a healer.¡± Ares paused. ¡°I only hope for Aceso¡¯s sake that whoever that healer is they turn out to be something like Achelois, she will be sorely missed.¡±


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    William cocked his head at the comment. Of course Achelois would be missed. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    Ares looked up at William as he placed his claw onto his leg. ¡°The one thing that every good alpha needs besides a loyal supporter, such as yourself, is a pack member who challenges them, keeps them honest. Do you understand?¡± William shook his head. ¡°Achelois kept Aceso on her toes. Aceso knew that every decision she made was being judged and scrutinized by Achelois. Having that tension between those two was good for Aceso. For every decision she made she knew that Achelois would question it, so Aceso was forced to have a good reason for everything she did.¡±


    William nodded. ¡°Aceso needed Achelois more than she ever needed me to be a good leader.¡±


    Ares picked up on his mood. ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous and you know it. Aceso needs your help and support. Without it, things could easily go the other way and Aceso would start second guessing herself and that¡¯s even worse than being over confident.¡± Ares lowered his head and shook it once to the side as his tail thumped on the rocks behind him. ¡°I¡¯ve told you before, what happened out there was not yours or Aceso¡¯s fault, it happens.¡± Ares looked up and locked eyes with his former student. ¡°We are at war, William.¡± Ares voice took on an edge. ¡°You have had two encounters with one side of that war, and you have survived. This, in and of itself, is miraculous. Pups rarely survive one encounter with the Whyte Plain much less two and yet you and Aceso and the majority of your pack is safe and in one piece.¡± Ares turned his head and gazed out the tunnel mouth.


    William followed his teachers gaze and looked at the bloated moon. She drowned out the light of the stars next to her. William raised his claw and played with the soft shadow that was cast by the light of his Lunar Mother. He looked up and noticed that a thick storm front of clouds had intruded on the mouth of the cave. The clouds were moving quickly. He watched as they threatened to overtake the moon and drown out her light. The clouds were dark, and he could see the flash of light from a lightning strike that happened outside of his line of sight.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to go back there, won¡¯t we? To the Whyte Plain.¡± William asked quietly.


    ¡°Yes, you will.¡± Ares turned his head back to look at William once again.


    ¡°Why do we have to go back there?¡± William had felt fear before but the thought of having to go back to that place terrified him. He had encountered and overcome things that he had never imagined, and the Elders were going to tell him that that is where he had to go, the one place he never wanted to see again. ¡°What is so important about that place?¡±


    Ares stood and moved toward the mouth of cave. From the reflected pale light of the moon on the angry storm clouds, William could see Ares¡¯ profile perfectly. His former teacher turned around and made his way to the back of the cave. Without answering William at all he howled and the cave silently opened. Ares was halfway inside the tunnel entrance when he stopped. He tuned to look at William, ¡°It¡¯s not the Whyte Plain itself that we are fighting for, it¡¯s the shadows inside it.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± William asked desperately before Ares could duck into the tunnel.


    Ares stopped moving. ¡°Have you ever thought about what those shadows in the Whyte Plain are? Or how they got there?¡± William shook his head. ¡°William, we fight against those shadows because they used to be part of our kind, and therefore are our responsibility. That¡¯s why we can never stop till every last one of them is irradicated and gone, and the Whyte Plain is cleansed.¡± Ares paused. Then as he turned back to exit the cave he said, ¡°Those shadows used to be werewolves.¡±


    Before William could ask anything else, Ares moved back into the darkness. William was left sitting in the cave as the clouds continued to overtake the moon. Behind him the stars were being swallowed one by one and a flash of lightning ripped across the sky, briefly revealing the solid back wall of the cave where Ares had disappeared.

 Book 4 Hunters Moon Chapter 1a

    ¡°Move it, William! This is no time to sit back on your lazy ass!¡±


    Efraim was working him and the remainder of Aceso¡¯s pack, hard. William launched himself up to some overhanging bars and heaved his seven foot tall werewolf frame over a thick wall. He plunged downward to land on all fours and ripped at the squishy foam underneath his claws. It was ripped, but provided good traction and with one motion he was at full speed racing toward the leaning tubes that awaited him seventy yards away.


    He glanced back over his shoulder to see his Alpha. Aceso leaped from the wall and instead of falling straight down she pushed herself out and away from the wall like an Olympic swimmer pushing off from the starting block. William slowed as he watched her sail gracefully through the air and land just behind her Enforcer. William didn¡¯t let his being impressed slow him for very long. He pushed himself lower and faster as he neared the tubes.


    Aceso would race with him for the duration of the course. Even though William had more or less mastered his two forms, he knew that Aceso was always going to be his better in this form. She had been wolf born, and even though William considered himself to have earned a bachelor¡¯s degree in shape shifting, Aceso had a doctorate.


    Aceso had almost completely caught up with him by the time he reached the tubes. He threw himself down to the ground and then bouncing off the soft surface of the course heaved himself up and jumped up as far as he could, his claws spreading readying themselves to find purchase inside the tubes. When he felt himself start to slow he jammed his claws into the tube and furiously tore at the enclosure to maintain speed on the way up. He could hear his self generated noise being amplified all around him. The sound of his grunting, and his claws scraping at the tube as he forced himself higher and higher through the tube, was heard as a roar all around him. He didn¡¯t let the noise bother him. His entire being was focused on getting to the top.


    He saw the glimmer of light at the end of the tube as he fought to keep his momentum going. No matter how many times he was forced to run this obstacle course, he always lost it in the tubes. Using more will than he would have liked to admit, he grabbed at the edge of the tube and pulled himself out. He glanced to his side and didn¡¯t see Aceso. He fell forward to land on all fours and started running towards the ¡°Towers¡± only to see that Aceso already had a good ten yards of a lead on him. No wonder I didn¡¯t see her.


    Aceso was all form and grace as she seemed to glide over the harsh rock of the over look. Her limbs gave no effort as they propelled her farther and farther away from him. Even after all this time, the pack bond that Aceso and he shared seemed to be of far more help to her than to him. He lowered his head and found the strength that he needed to push his legs faster.


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    Aceso would reach the ¡°Towers¡± before he did, but he wasn¡¯t completely out of it yet. He felt sharp rocks underneath dig into his claw pads, but he couldn¡¯t be bothered by that now. He pushed off the ground harder with every stride trying to reach his Alpha. The pack bond gave him reserves of strength that he never knew existed and he tapped into as much of it as he could. The only problem was, was that Aceso was tapping into the same source. The stronger he got Aceso also benefited. Not really fair for him, being that he was behind in the race at the moment.


    He lifted his head as the ¡°Towers¡± loomed ahead of him. They were really just replica apartment buildings but being that they were ten stories tall and only scaled down slightly, a foot or less per floor they had simply been referred to as the ¡°Towers¡± and he couldn¡¯t think of anything better to call them either.


    Aceso dropped out of sight in front of him, only to bound upward as she scaled between the first two buildings jumping from one then the other. The building had minimal grating of fire escapes and the windows were more like deep divots in the stone that the buildings had been carved away from. He watched as Aceso pushed herself off from one building, flipping her body perfectly in mid air to land with her paws against the side of the other building and pushing off immediately to do the whole maneuver all over again. She was poetry in motion all smooth swift motions. William¡¯s style was rougher around the edges but his superior strength gave him the edge in this obstacle.


    William shot out away from the rocky overlook toward the left building. This gap was much farther away than the buildings themselves were, but the running start usually equalized the beginning distance. He gripped at the corner of the building and let his legs swing around. He let go of the building and his body¡¯s momentum swiveled him in midair so that he could use his legs to shove off from the building. The timing of the maneuver was crucial and he had, once or twice, fallen five stories straight down. In werewolf form he had only suffered from some broken bones, easily fixable by Aceso or Physis or another healer. Had he been in his human form he probably would have died.


    He twisted his body into a roll and then flipped himself over like a swimmer coming up to do a flip turn, which is exactly how it worked. He absorbed the impact with his legs and shoved off once more to glide through the air between the Towers.


    The obstacle was in two parts. The first part was up the buildings, the second was going back down again. The first part was the hardest part, physically. But getting down was just as dangerous if he didn¡¯t pay attention.


    As he readied himself for another flip turn, he glanced back at the over look. Nicholas was huffing and puffing hard, as he hauled himself out of one of the tubes, barely able to drag himself out. Katherine, on the other hand, was already making her first jump out into space ready to begin her hop scotch climb up the builds, following in his and Aceso¡¯s footsteps.


    Katherine was not as graceful as Aceso but her cream colored fur was a stark contrast to the black obsidian around her and William admired seeing his pack mate fly. He ducked and turned and pushed himself off again toward the opposite building.

 Book 4 Chapter 1b

    Aceso was only a few strides above him. He was moving faster than she was but if he wanted to catch her was going to have to up his game. He attacked his turn into the building and forced his body into a higher arc between the buildings. The higher the arc the more strength and speed he needed. If he aimed too high he would miss the opposite building and fall, maybe all the way to the ground, he had learned that lesson the hard way too.


    He was chasing Aceso¡¯s trail but with each leap he was closing the vertical distance between the two of them. Katherine and Nicholas were lost to him all that mattered was his alpha and the top of the first two Towers.


    Aceso leaped out into open space. William was sure that she had to jump one more time to clear the roof of the building. But instead of rolling and pushing off, she grabbed at the lip of the roof of the building and pulled herself up and out of his sight. William was a little shocked, so shocked that he almost missed his turn and scraped his head and ears on the building for his lapse in focus. He stumbled and had to redouble his focus just to recover from his botched turn. He lost a good half leap because of that. It took him two more leaps into space before he was able to clear the opposite building from where Aceso had disappeared. He didn¡¯t have time to stop. Stumbling a little on the smooth roof of the building he pushed himself into a run. He steadied himself as best he could. He sped up as he neared to edge of the building and jumped toward the third and final Tower.


    The third and last building was situated in space between the other two, so that the three Towers formed a triangle. This last part was going down, making a ¡°V¡± pattern between the three buildings touching the last Tower every other leap. One might think that getting down would be the easiest part of this. Again, William had learned the hard way that physics did have some unbendable rules that even in werewolf form he could not break, no matter how hard he tried.


    Aceso had a good lead on him and was already several floors lower than he was. He wasn¡¯t going to just let her get away with winning, though. He allowed himself to dive bomb downward. He cleared a full two storied with one leap. The jump back off was rough and he barely made it to the third building on the rebound jump but, if he could do it just a few more times¡­He leaped down and let gravity take him. He pushed past two more storied before he flip turned off the wall. The recovery leap was slowing him down and Aceso only had to clear a few more stories. He cast caution to the wind and jumped straight down to the bottom floor of the building.


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    He immediately regretted it.


    He felt gravity rip at him as he gained speed. He passed Aceso but he knew that his claws would never find any purchase on the opposite building. He weighed his options, risk breaking an arm or a leg trying to flip and push off of the building or roll into a ball, accept his stupidity, and crash. There were worse things that could happen to him. Besides, Efraim was usually forgiving of injuries as long as he was giving it all that he had. It was when he was holding back that the Krav Maga instructor came down on him. At least his Alpha wouldn¡¯t beat him and that was all that mattered right now.


    Saying a silent prayer to the gods he closed his eyes and rolled his body over. The crushing impact with the wall came seconds later and he bounced to the ground in a heap of tan fur and a broken limb or two.


    Efraim was running over to see him even before Aceso landed with just as much grace as she had when she flew through the air. She stood up slowly on her hind legs and turned around. William watched as she glanced up to see Katherine a few leaps behind them and Nicholas still out of sight.


    She walked over to him, in no hurry at all. William was in pain but he knew that it had been his own fault. Still, that was no reason for Aceso to play the disappointed mother bit again. She sidestepped as Katherine came down to land roughly next to her Alpha. Aceso helped steady her as she glared over at William¡¯s heaped and partially broken form.


    William twisted his head painfully to the side to look up and watch as Nicolas made his awkward descent from the top of the Towers. It was almost embarrassing watching him flop from building to building, like a fish. He hadn¡¯t gotten any better at this obstacle but he hadn¡¯t given up either. One thing that Nicolas was really good at was not giving up, even when he probably should have.


    Aceso stood with Katherine as the two females watched the sandy blond form descend slowly between the buildings. William knew that he must be exhausted. He was falling more and more with every leap. He would still make it to the ground though, and he would be in a lot better shape than William was. Nicolas made his last rebounding leap but, in his exhaustion, he let his body counter balance too much and instead of hitting the ground with his legs, the ground met his arms that were outstretched over his head.


    Seeing Nicolas crash down reminded William of the way an albatross landed. Nicolas¡¯ arms crumpled under his weight and fatigue. His head crunched down onto the ground and his whole body flipped over several times into a comedic roll that ended with his whole body splayed out on the ground ¡®spread eagle¡¯.


    Aceso rushed over with Katherine close behind to help the blond werewolf to his feet. Nicolas was dazed and it took several moments for him to regain his balance. He leaned heavily on Katherine as he took a step forward, shaking his head and rubbing his neck with his free claw. He took his arm away from Katherine¡¯s shoulder and shakily walked forward a few steps on his own.

 Book 4 Chapter 1c

    ¡°That is the second worse landing I have ever seen!¡± Efraim barked out as he glared at William¡¯s heaped form. ¡°Nicolas, you have got to be faster than that. Look at yourself!¡± Nicolas stood up on weary legs that buckled slightly under his weight. He was completely exhausted. The blond werewolf lowered his head and looked at his own body. The act was in itself mildly amusing and William got the humor of it but Efraim was far from pleased. ¡°You are the slowest in your pack, you¡¯re the weakest in your pack, and you have the stamina of a toy poodle!¡±


    Nicolas¡¯s head jerked back as if he had been physically hit by their instructor. ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m not trying. I don¡¯t need to take this kind of shit from you!¡±


    William closed his eyes and turned his head away. He didn¡¯t have to see what he knew was coming. Moments later there was a harsh thud sound and gasp of pain. William opened his eyes to see Efraim standing over Nicolas¡¯s body as he lay on the ground, belly up breathing heavily in obvious pain.


    Efraim stepped back and away from Aceso and the other two so he could turn around and face all four them. He clenched his claws at his sides and stared at each of them. It was disconcerting to William that he could make it appear that he was looking at each of them at the same time. ¡°You still haven¡¯t learned anything yet.¡± He spoke in a quiet deadly voice that only a fool would mistake for being tired. ¡°Do I have to remind you, any of you, of what almost claimed each and every one of you? Do any of you believe that you were not partially responsible for what happened to your pack?¡± He looked down to stare at Nicolas directly, ¡°You fail yourself with your poor performance, Mr. New York.¡± He raised his head to glare at Aceso, ¡°You fail your pack for not demanding more from him.¡± Efraim shook his black furred head, his ears twitched at the other werewolves in the group, ¡°The weakest link always breaks and right now you know who your weakest link is. I can¡¯t help you when you go out there.¡± He spat as he jammed his arm at the cavern walls. ¡°But then you already know that, don¡¯t you? Have you forgotten your failure?¡±


    William tried to stand up but his broken leg shot hot bolts of electric pain through his body and it was all he could do to stifle a cry before it left his throat. With difficulty he watched as Aceso stood there, proud and defiant holding a steady gaze with their instructor. His Alpha was proud and strong and he knew that what had happened in the Whyte Plain weighed heavily on her. Aceso said simply, ¡°No, I have not forgotten.¡±


    Efraim¡¯s stance seemed to soften somewhat, ¡°Good, I have done all I can for you and your pack. Each of you has to draw your strength from each other and you, Aceso has to learn to channel that strength for the good of your pack mates. That¡¯s what being a pack Alpha is.¡± He looked down and Nicolas but talked to group, ¡°That is what being a pack is all about. If you see yourself as being too good for the pack you will fail and you will all die as individuals. The lone wolf doesn¡¯t survive long in the wild. And if you needed any more of a reminder to the fact, what we do and who we face is ten times more dangerous than anything that exists in the wild.¡± Efraim walked over to where William was crumpled in a heap by the Tower. ¡°Fix him up,¡± he said as he pointed down to William¡¯s tan form, ¡°Then you are to see Elder Li, he wants to have a word with you.¡± With that Efraim bent down on all fours and took off at incredible speeds to disappear into the darkness surrounding the obstacle course.


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    William rolled his head on the ground from side to side. Leave it to Efraim to make such a cheery and uplifting speech to leave them all feeling totally worthless. He watched as Aceso made her way over to her Enforcer. She bent down and inhaled sharply at his legs and back and arms. She lunged forward with her jaw and with three quick stabs of pain he watched as she stood up again. The effect of Aceso¡¯s healing was almost immediate. There was a harsh tingling in his bones and then a soothing sensation and he was able to straighten his body out on the floor. Placing his hands down on the ground he pushed his body up and kicked his legs under him to stand upright.


    Aceso stood there with her back to William looking at the other two members of her pack. ¡°You two can go back and get something to eat¡± She nodded over her shoulder, ¡°Don¡¯t forget to change back into your human form before you go to the cafeteria, Nicolas.¡± The blond simply shrugged his shoulders.


    Katherine glanced at William behind her, ¡°What about you two?¡±


    Aceso turned her head and nodded at William, ¡°We have some things to discuss. You two go, he¡¯ll catch up.¡±


    Katherine nodded and Nicolas nudged the cream colored werewolf in the ribs with his elbow as a sly smile crept over his face. Katherine shoved Nicolas¡¯s arm away and dropped onto the ground and took off. Nicolas stood there with that stupid smile on face and nodded at William with a wink. William wanted to seriously hurt him but before he could think of the perfect place to hit him or just the right thing to break, Nicolas dropped down and followed after the rapidly disappearing form of Katherine as she followed the trail out of the obstacle course zone back into the underground cavern that housed the City under the Mountain.


    When they were both gone Aceso wheeled on William, ¡°What was that?¡±


    He stood there a moment not speaking. He held her gaze and replied as calmly as possible, ¡°If we are talking about the obstacle course¡­ I wanted to win.¡±


    Aceso¡¯s gaze hardened, ¡°You wanted to win? So, you break yourself trying and then you expect me to what? Just drop everything I¡¯m doing to heal you? What if this had been real, then what? Would you expect me to drop everything, forget about the rest of our pack just to heal you because you wanted to win?¡±

 Book 4 Chapter 1d

    William heaved a heavy sigh and took a few steps toward his Alpha, ¡°If this was real I wouldn¡¯t care about who reached the ground first.¡± William glanced up to the top of the Towers. ¡°If this was real I would be the last one down because I would be protecting our rear.¡± He lowered his gaze to meet Aceso¡¯s hard stare. ¡°But this isn¡¯t real, Aceso. This is training. I have always believed that during training you push yourself as hard as you can and as far as you can so that you know what you¡¯re capable of come game time.¡±


    ¡°William, I need to know that I can count on you ¡®come game time¡¯. The last time I needed you to be there you became something that I have never seen before. I need to know that winning isn¡¯t the only thing you care about. And frankly my Enforcer has not given me the greatest vote of confidence that he can be trusted to do the right thing when it counts.¡±


    William felt his anger rise at his Alpha¡¯s accusation, ¡°Are you saying you can¡¯t trust me?¡±


    Aceso took a step toward him, ¡°I¡¯m saying that right now we are not ready to go back there.¡± Aceso paused and looked away for a moment at the blackness of the cavern walls surrounding them. ¡°But we need to be.¡± She returned her gaze to William, ¡°To do that I need to know that you are going to do what¡¯s best for the pack.¡±


    William glanced around out of the corner of his eye, ¡°Are you saying that I made a mistake and that I should have let everyone die? If I hadn¡¯t done what I did every single one of us would be dead. Is that what you want? Just so long as you can say that this pack is safe, that neither I nor Charles have any problems and we have mastered whatever demons we have in us?¡±


    ¡°William, I don¡¯t want to lose any more of you. Every time I think about Achelois I feel sick thinking about all the things I could have done differently to save her, all the decisions that could have been made differently to save her, can¡¯t you understand that?¡±


    William softened his tone, ¡°You are my Alpha, and you always will be. Everything I have done and everything I will do, will be for you and our pack, I swear it.¡±


    Aceso looked into William¡¯s eyes. Her golden eyes cut deep into his. ¡°William, are you all right?¡± Her eyes ran down and then up his body looking for something. It made him feel a little uncomfortable, like he was in a doctor¡¯s office being examined. ¡°When the time comes will my Enforcer do what is needed to kill when the pack requires him to?¡±


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    William took a deep breath and looked his Alpha in the eyes. ¡°In all my life I have never gotten into a fight just to hurt someone. For me the battle was enough and afterwards I would think well of my opponent whether I won or lost and hoped he would do the same for me. In my forest I fought the old grey for the right to keep my life not to end his. But now, knowing that those things are out there, I want nothing more than to end the existence of every last one of them.¡±


    Aceso nodded, she knew that he meant what he said. ¡°When the time comes, we will do what we have to. For now, I need your help to get Nicolas where he needs to be.¡±


    William shook his head, ¡°The best way for us to do that is for him to swear fealty to you as his Alpha.¡±


    Aceso shook her head, her ears twitching to the sides in frustration, ¡°I will not force something on him that he doesn¡¯t want to do for himself.¡±


    ¡°But it was OK to do it in my case?¡±


    Aceso glared up at him with something less than hate and more than embarrassment ¡°Are you going to turn on me now?¡± William let the silence hang between them. The minutes stretched out into the silence of the obstacle course. William was afraid that he had pushed Aceso too far this time and that she was going to leave him there. He would have deserved it. There was no call for him to bring that up after so long and after defending her in front of Achelois. He wanted to say he was sorry but there was a small ring of truth to his question and he wanted to see how she would deal with it.


    Aceso finally spoke, ¡°My sin was in accepting the misunderstood oath of an untrained pup.¡± She held William in a steady unremorseful gaze, ¡°Are you my Enforcer?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Nicolas has to be trained harder. He has to gain speed and endurance, quickly.¡± Aceso stated very matter of factly without giving any second thought or pause to what had just happened between them.


    William let the past few minutes drop as well and attacked the problem of getting Nicolas faster and stronger, in a very short amount of time. ¡°The biggest problem with us humans is that our bodies need rest to gain muscle. While the body sleeps the muscles repair themselves from the damage done to them by working out in the first place.¡± William absentmindedly flexed his arm that he broke in his crash from the Towers. The body needed to recuperate; it needed to repair itself, to regenerate muscle tissue. ¡°Is it possible for you to heal Nicolas after every workout session?¡±


    Aceso looked at him out of the corner of her eye, ¡°What do you mean, like if he broke an arm?¡±


    ¡°No, like heal him after he works out.¡± William was instantly excited about the idea. It was so simple how had he not thought about this before? ¡°Aceso, look, after we human born work out we are usually sore the next day.¡± Aceso nodded still not understanding, he plowed ahead anyway. ¡°If you could heal a human born after they worked out they wouldn¡¯t be sore the next day. You could instantly heal the wounds our bodies incur because of working out. Our muscle mass wouldn¡¯t decrease we would lose nothing because we wouldn¡¯t need to rest. We could work out every major muscle group every day and we would gain from it every day.¡±

 Book 4 Chapter 1e

    Aceso began to understand, ¡°And if we didn¡¯t lose any time with Nicolas¡¯s workout schedule, he would get stronger and faster, quicker.¡±


    William added, ¡°Exactly, and if it works for Nicolas, than it could work for the rest of us too, making our pack that much stronger, and in a shorter period of time.¡±


    Aceso shrugged her shoulders, ¡°It might work. It¡¯s worth a shot in any case.¡± Aceso looked up at William, ¡°I¡¯m really glad you made it through, whatever it was you had to fight through.¡±


    William smiled but a sudden somber attitude gripped him and the smile slid from his face, ¡°I¡¯m sorry I dove carelessly and broke my arm and leg.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only the third time it¡¯s happened, no big deal.¡± Once again Aceso lifter her eyes to bore into his own, ¡°I am your Alpha and I will always be there to take care of you and the rest of my pack. You heard Efraim, it¡¯s my job.¡±


    William looked at the calm features of his Alpha. Her black ears straight and tall on top of her head, her bright white splotch of fur on her chest, her steady golden eyes, she was far more than just the sum of her parts. She had proved it to him and to the rest of her pack many times over. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I wasn¡¯t there for you today¡­I won¡¯t let it happen again.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Aceso looked at the darkness where Katherine and Nicolas had disappeared. ¡°You¡¯d better get going too. Get something to eat and relax for the rest of today.¡± She brought her full attention back to William, ¡°If I need you for anything, I¡¯ll know where to find you.¡±


    William nodded, he knew that he had been dismissed and without another word he turned, dropped down on all fours and ran back to the City under the Mountain. He didn¡¯t know if Aceso was following him or not. Sometimes she wanted to be alone and this may be one of those times. Being summoned by one of the City Elders rarely meant good news.


    He felt his self generated wind on his snout and it whistled in his ears. The underground air was never stagnant and it was always cool. After being driven like a dog all day on the obstacle course, it was good to simply let his body run. His tail was waving in the wind giving him balance where it was needed. His fur rippled as the air currents tugged at him from different directions. He followed the cavern tunnel as it wove its way through solid rock. He put his nose into the air and inhaled sharply at the air around him. The city was close.


    He dug his claws in and pushed himself to greater speeds. The pack bond that he shared with Aceso, and now Katherine, allowed him to be untouched by fatigue. This is what he lived for. The air flowed easily into his expanded werewolf lungs as his legs swept effortlessly under him, eating distance at speeds that he still marveled at.


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    He jumped up and rebounded off a curve in the stone and he was released back into the great cavern that housed the City under the Mountain. It felt good to be back in this expanded space, he could almost forget that he was underground altogether here. He sped along one corridor and then he switched back to follow a small off shoot then cut sharply to the left. He raised his nose to air around him and inhaled. The smells in this city were the best indicators of where he was and where he needed to go.


    Being back here running through the streets always reminded him of his first trip here. Escorted by his teacher Ares, he had had no idea where he was going or how the massive eight foot tall werewolf had known one left turn from another or how he had kept his direction at all with all the switchbacks and cuts and dead ends that this place housed. Ares had eventually explained the why behind the mind bending construction of the city.


    ¡®The City under the Mountain was created for werewolves. Therefore, we saw no reason to make it easy to navigate for any beings other than werewolves. With our heightened senses we can know where we are at all times and where we need to go. If an enemy was to breach the cavern and enter the city whoever it was would find it most difficult to move in any direction. That confusion and lack of direction alone would thwart most intruders and for those that had come here for a specific purpose, the city would help us to do away those intruders with little difficulty.¡¯


    ¡®Do away with.¡¯ William had learned much about whom the werewolves were fighting and why this city needed weapon smiths like Billy. Those shadows in the Whyte Plain weren¡¯t the only enemies the werewolves had and all he had to do was remember how he had gotten here in the first place, and who Aceso and he had been running away from to understand that there was still a lot he didn¡¯t know and a lot that they, as a pack, had to prepare for.


    William made one last sharp switchback and jumping into the air landed on his hind legs and walked upright. The black polished obsidian of the surrounding buildings reflected his form coldly back at him. He had gotten used to the hard exterior of his new home. He reached out and glided his claws along one of the walls. The cool stone was so different to anything he had known before he came here and yet, now that he was here, the stone was as much a part of his life as this form that he carried himself in now, seven feet of vicious, tan furred vengeance.


    He walked the all too familiar path that led to his home. His room on the third floor of the building down the street from the bathroom. He had to smile at that. There was a reason why people had addresses but then again here addresses were useless. You would need an index the size of a dictionary just to name and map all the side streets switchbacks and weird angles this labyrinthine city had and then what? An address would be just as useless unless you could somehow put into words the subtle smells that mapped the city for its inhabitants. He had lived here for a couple of months and he was still getting lost¡­ sometimes.

 Book 4 Chapter 1f

    He walked up the ramp and entered his room. The ceiling crystals brightened and in the span of a footstep he was back to his human form. It had become automatic for him, and the routine of it did strike him as odd sometimes. He changed from a seven foot tall monster out of fairly tales and horror movies into an average human in seconds and put on clothes like he was going out after a day¡¯s work. Come to think of it that was exactly what he was doing. He had worked out and now he was going to eat. The idea of it was hilarious. He laughed out loud and let the emotion carry itself and him to the bed where all he could do was plop down onto the thick furs, laugh, and hold his aching sides. The mirth of the joke stayed with him for a while as he finished putting his clothes on. Having managed to finish dressing he got up off the bed and walked out into the city.


    The city was quiet as usual for this time of day. It was sometime in the afternoon though the exact time he hadn¡¯t known for years so it didn¡¯t really bother him. Following a winding course around the city¡¯s core he made his way to a community bathroom and washed his hands and face. He looked up in the mirror that hung in front of him and he noticed that he wasn¡¯t alone.


    His head jerked back from the image in the mirror and he wheeled around and his heel, gripping the sink counter behind him for balance. Sitting on one of toilet seats was a brown werewolf. His body had streaks of blond fur throughout. William had never seen a werewolf in the bathroom before.


    The werewolf looked up at him with a questioning look on his face. He cocked his head to the side and said, ¡°What?¡±


    Before William could answer the werewolf melted down into the globulous shadow form they all became before reemerging as Billy Jones, the weapon smith. Billy was laughing out loud and clutching at his sides. He managed to point in William¡¯s direction with one hand, ¡°You should have seen the look on your face!¡± Billy doubled over as he clutched at his sides rocking on the white porcelain of the toilet seat.


    William watched Billy, straight faced, as the weapon smith laughed even harder. William raised his eyes to the ceiling of the bathroom and walked out, followed by Billy¡¯s laughter.


    William made his way to the cafeteria. The familiar smells of the place wafted out to meet him as he entered through the doorway. The warm steamy atmosphere was welcoming. It didn¡¯t take too long to spot Katherine and Nicolas sitting in their usual spot almost dead center of the room. It was still pretty early and the dinner rush hadn¡¯t hit yet, so much the better.


    William walked up to the counter and halted as he saw the familiar cute face framed by flaming red hair looking back at him. This is not what I need right now. The girl beamed at him as he gathered himself and approached the serving counter. William grabbed a tray and utensils and stood in front of the woman.


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    She looked at him with hungry green eyes, something bordering on predatory. William never felt more helpless than he did when facing this woman. ¡°So? How was training, Setford?¡±


    She seemed to enjoy calling him by his last name as if that proved something. William remained as straight faced as possible and answered as amiably as he could, ¡°Training went good today.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I heard.¡± The girl said as she slowly spooned him a heaping portion of cubed baked potatoes. ¡°I heard that you fell.¡±


    William shot a look over at Nicolas who was trying hard to look like he was ignoring him, trying very hard. He told himself that he would have a little talk with their pack scout about personal privacy and who should be informed about what went on with their pack. William brought his attention back to the green eyed girl. ¡°Yes, I fell¡­ broke an arm and a leg, nothing serious.¡±


    The girl widened her eyes in faux shock, ¡°Nothing serious!? You might have some left over pain or soreness even from werewolf healing, I¡¯ve heard of it happening before.¡± She stuck a thick piece of venison with a serving fork and laid it on the tray she was serving for him. ¡°I could come by your room later on if you want.¡± She handed the tray to William and leaned in closer to speak in a hushed tone, ¡°I used to practice physical therapy.¡±


    William took the tray and backed away from the girl who was smiling slyly at him. He shook his head, ¡°No, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be fine, thank you for your offer though.¡± Before the girl could say anything more, William turned around and stalked towards his pack mates.


    William had to slow himself down so he didn¡¯t slam his tray down on the table next to Katherine. He sat down heavily on the bench opposite Nicolas and glared at the light brown-haired boy.


    Nicolas was all wide-eyed innocence once he noticed William¡¯s glare. ¡°What did I do?¡±


    William spoke in a hushed tone so as not to be overheard by the few people who were in the cafeteria and especially not the girl behind the counter. ¡°What the hell is wrong with you?¡± Nicolas didn¡¯t say anything but continued to stare back at William in wide eyed silence. William continued, ¡°Why do you see it necessary to go around telling everyone about everything that happens to us? You know how I feel about that, especially with her.¡± He said that last with a slight shake of his head toward the food counter.


    Nicolas smiled ruefully and shook his head. He heaved a heavy sigh and shook his head silently laughing. It reminded William of an adult laughing at the simple naivet¨¦ of a child. Nicolas gathered himself and leaned over the table toward William. ¡°William, I don¡¯t know what your problem is. Keva is obviously into you and I was just trying to help.¡±


    William had to stop his arm from shooting across the table and crushing the other man¡¯s esophagus. Instead, he smiled at the scout and said through stiff lips, ¡°Nicolas, I don¡¯t need your help, not with Keva, not with anything.¡± He leaned in a little closer and with a mild pleasant tone he said, ¡°The next time you tell her anything about me, no matter how mundane it may seem to you, you and I are going to have ourselves a nice long chat, ok?¡± William smiled at Nicolas and calmly leaned back down onto the bench.

 Book 4 Chapter 1g

    Nicolas leaned back onto his seat and hunched his shoulders forward as he crossed his arms over his chest. The sad thing is William knew what Nicolas was pouting about. In the outside world Nicolas would have been able to look at William¡¯s slim frame and been reassured that William¡¯s size couldn¡¯t possibly compete with his enlarged weight room body. However, in here, William was an enforcer and Nicolas was a scout. They both knew that in a fight William would kill him, with very little effort. The crushing blow that that must be to his Brooklyn ego was something that William could only contemplate on.


    William began tearing into to his freshly cooked venison. He looked up and took in the rest of the cafeteria. It was quiet. The same quiet that had come over the city outside had invaded into this building as well. There was a hushed atmosphere that rubbed at some part of William¡¯s mind, he just couldn¡¯t finger it.


    He glanced over at Katherine, who was sitting quietly next to him eating. ¡°Kat, what time is it?¡±


    Kat looked up from her plate and glanced at the ceiling crystals. She craned her neck to look outside the doors into the heart of the city. She went back to her tray with a shrug, ¡°I don¡¯t know, around six, seven o¡¯clock, something like that.¡±


    William nodded slowly, looking around the room. He stopped eating and folded his hands in front of his face as he tried to work at what was bothering him. After a few minutes he asked both his pack mates, ¡°How long have we been here?¡±


    Nicolas looked at him out of the corner of his eye, ¡°I¡¯ve been here in this hell forever.¡±


    Katherine rolled her eyes and said, ¡°You¡¯ve been here less time than I have and I¡¯ve been here for about seven or eight months.¡±


    William shook his head, ¡°Ok, how long has it been since¡­Achelois?¡±


    If there was a hushed mood over the room before, a solid blanket dropped down on them as soon as he mentioned her name. Nicolas looked away, suddenly uncomfortable and Katherine started working her hands like she was cleaning her finger nails.


    ¡°Come on guys, seriously. How long has it been?¡±


    Katherine glanced at William and said almost as if she didn¡¯t want to, ¡°seven or eight weeks.¡±


    Nicolas nodded in agreement, ¡°sounds about right to me.¡±


    William nodded as he thought back to his time in the City under the Mountain. ¡°So that means I¡¯ve been here for about three months give or take a week.¡± William looked around the room once more and then outside towards the heart of the city. He knew what he wanted to ask but he found himself hesitant about the answer. He looked back and forth between the scout and the sage. There was no getting around it so he just asked, ¡°Hasn¡¯t there been any other new werewolves in this city since I got here?¡±


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    Nicolas shared a glance with Katherine, who shot a look around the room. William looked over the room again, the hushed atmosphere was oppressive as the question hung in the air between the three of them.


    Katherine¡¯s eyes met Nicolas¡¯s and she shook her head slowly. ¡°No, there hasn¡¯t been.¡± The small realization seemed to shock her a little, as if she simply hadn¡¯t given it much thought before right then. She said, ¡°Not unless the excitement of the city over new werewolves and shape shifters has died down so much over the past three months that we just didn¡¯t notice it.¡±


    William didn¡¯t know what she was talking about. ¡°What do you mean the ¡®city¡¯s excitement¡¯?¡±


    Nicolas swiveled on his bench to face the enforcer, ¡°You didn¡¯t know? Oh, that¡¯s right you were in the Tower or knocked unconscious for the first few weeks you were here, weren¡¯t you?¡± Nicolas let a harsh smile cover his face as he laughed silently to the room. ¡°That¡¯s right, you Mr. West Coast, was the talk of the town for like two weeks straight. Aceso had found a wild werewolf and brought him back here. This place was on the verge of parades and parties thanks to you.¡± Nicolas scoffed and turned back around to show William his profile.


    ¡°Why haven¡¯t there been more shape shifters and werewolves brought here? There has to be more of our kind born that can be brought here and trained¡± William asked.


    Katherine shrugged her shoulders, ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re probably right, Will. The problem is finding them and getting to them, then bringing them here before they kill themselves or somebody shoots them.¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute, what do you mean ¡®before they kill themselves¡¯?¡±


    Nicolas sneered at the enforcer, ¡°Not everybody is as blessed as you are.¡±


    William wanted to say something really nasty back to him but the only thing he could ask was, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Nicolas opened his mouth to answer but before he could say anything Katherine stepped in, ¡°Both of you can knock it off any time.¡± Katherine turned toward William. ¡°Look, very few of our kind survive the first time they change.¡± She added, ¡°Most of us here in the city, myself included, where brought here weeks before we changed and when that happened for the first time I was surrounded by other shape shifters, healers mostly, to help me through it. It was like being born all over again, in a way.¡±


    William nodded his head, ¡°Ares told me a similar story about when he was reborn.¡± He paused to gather his thoughts and take in what Katherine had just told him. ¡°But that still doesn¡¯t explain why there hasn¡¯t been more shape shifters brought to the city.¡±


    Katherine shrugged her shoulders, ¡°I don¡¯t know what to tell you, Will. It¡¯s not like our kind are not being born anymore, it¡¯s just that they haven¡¯t been able to be brought here, for whatever reason.¡±


    William couldn¡¯t argue with her logic and questioning his pack mates about it wasn¡¯t going to get him anywhere. He let the subject drop and finished eating his meal. When they were done they got up and walked out of the cafeteria. William made sure to not look anywhere near Keva who was standing behind the counter serving the people that had just come in. He nodded his head to Acharya who had just entered the room with his pack. Acharya nodded back and smiled warmly.

 Book 4 Chapter 2a

    William followed his pack mates out into the streets of the city. It was still early and he wasn¡¯t ready to go back to his room just yet. He looked out over the city toward the Tower. The black obelisk of the building still brought back unpleasant memories but with all he had been through, his trials there had taken a low number on his bad experience list.


    He turned to his right and let his feet walk. The city was quiet and that alone was enough to dampen his mood. He knew how massive the city was. The number of beings it would take to fill it was incomprehensible in solid terms. He could say around one and a half million could probably live here comfortably. The number was real but trying to visualize that many shape shifters in one place was at once a majestic dream that just put the somber present into a glum perspective. The glory that the City under the Mountain once had would not be returned to it for a very a long time, if ever.


    He scratched at his head as he tried to fully comprehend what it was that Katherine and Nicolas had said. He had been the last new shape shifter to come into the city. He had been reborn on his own, something that not many shape shifters can survive through. It must have been some time since a new shape shifter had entered the city when he came here, because of the excitement that surrounded his arrival.


    With his mind thus occupied, he was slow to recognize the part of the city that he had traveled to. It was a part of the city that he had visited often and knew very well because of its inhabitant. William glanced around and found the building that his subconscious had wanted him to find since leaving the cafeteria. He started up a ramp and stopped at a familiar second floor doorway. Without knocking or otherwise announcing his presence he walked in.


    The room was about as bare as his own, with a few exceptions. The far wall of the room had a single wooden mask hanging on it. The face was angular, like an upside down triangle. The eyes were topped with curvy thick black eyebrows. The nose shot down from between the eyes to end several inches lower. The mouth was open with a mustache and a small beard surrounding an open lipped expression which, to this day, William could not decipher. Above the eye brows there was a thick band of black that could have been meant to signify a crown or some other such head dressing. And even above the thick swath of color the mask extended itself a good six inches above it. The mask was gold with everything else highlighted in black, no other colors were used. The mask had always been of interest to William. But as to the true meaning of the thing, its owner would not expand upon. William knew that it was of great value to the owner and had learned quickly not to press him about it.


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    The two other things in the room, were a plain wooden dresser, not unlike his own, and a bed. Over the bed hung a great mosquito net. The net was more decoration than anything and the long folds of the wispy material flowed around the occupant sitting up on the thick furs that covered the mattress.


    William smiled widely at his friend, ¡°Hey! How¡¯s the sick life treating you?¡±


    A long black skinned arm reached out from below the mosquito net and pulled the light fabric up. The net moved up like a stage curtain revealing a midnight black face and two pearl white eyes. The face split open like a rift in the earth as a broad smile spread across the bed ridden man¡¯s face. ¡°Will! What brings a guy like you to a place like this?¡±


    William took an exaggerated look around the room and nodded to himself, ¡°Yeah, your right. What is a fine upstanding guy like me doing in such a dump like this? I¡¯m sorry Charles,¡± William took a step backwards toward the open doorway, ¡°but if you want me to visit you anymore you¡¯re going to have to move to better part of the city. I can¡¯t be seen here.¡± William couldn¡¯t help the smile from breaking free on his face as he finished laughing, ¡°What would my upscale friends think?¡±


    Charles joined in and laughed with him, ¡°Your upscale friends!? Your right, your reputation would be totally destroyed.¡± He laughed heartily, ¡°You keep coming here and what¡¯s next, a fine upstanding white boy like you might get shacked up with a good black woman and then where would the world be?¡±


    William stifled his laughter to a snicker as he thought about that for just a moment, ¡°Hey, God is in his heaven¡­¡±


    ¡°and we¡¯re stuck here.¡± Charles finished.


    William walked over to the bed and grasped his friends arm. ¡°How¡¯ve you been?¡±


    Charles smiled back at him from the bed, ¡°Will, you¡¯re acting like you haven¡¯t seen me in years. I¡¯m fine.¡±


    William backed up and sat down on the floor away from the bed. ¡°I know. I¡¯m sorry, man. I¡¯m just really glad to see you.¡±


    Charles could read into William behavior better than William gave him credit for. ¡°You are still worried that one day you might find this room empty and an Elder come to tell you that I¡¯m ¡®no longer here¡¯, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    William looked down at the black mirrored surface of the room¡¯s floor. He saw himself reflected there in the deep surface. His face was one of worry, relief, and guilt. He looked up and met Charles¡¯s eyes. ¡°Yeah, Yeah I do worry¡­ a lot.¡± Covering for the gay moment, he quickly added, ¡°Aceso was mentioning Achelois today.¡±


    Charles sat back and leaned heavily against the wall, his tall frame carrying his head upwards to be obscured by the hanging mosquito net. William could just make out the man nodding his head. ¡°That would be consistent.¡±


    William cocked his head to the side, ¡°What do you mean, ¡®consistent¡¯?¡±

 Book 4 Chapter 2b

    Charles swung his long legs over the side of the bed. With one long powerful arm he grabbed the netting and swung it in one graceful motion so that the net no longer obscured their vision. He placed his hands on his knees and leaned heavily over them. ¡°Will, every time someone mentions the Whyte Plain or Achelois you have come here to check on me. To be quite honest I¡¯m kind of sick of you visiting me¡­everyday!¡± he said this last with a smile.


    William couldn¡¯t help but smile with him. ¡°Look, Charles, what you and I went through is not something that shape shifters just get over.¡±


    ¡°And yet, you give no time to yourself and your own remarkable recovery¡± Charles shot back not unkindly.


    William nodded to himself. This was true but then he couldn¡¯t really tell anybody what had happened with him. If he told anybody about his other and the battles the two of them had fought inside his head he would most definitely be put down as a werewolf. But since Charles had gone through the same thing he had, maybe¡­


    ¡±Charles, I had help, kind of.¡± Charles simply looked at his friend. William couldn¡¯t see a trace of judgement, or condemnation from his friend. He slowly proceeded. ¡°Look, ever since I was reborn in the wild, back there in my valley next to the ocean, there has been something inside of me.¡±


    Charles nodded, ¡°Yes. That being is the monster that we carry with us.¡± He said as he tapped at his chest.


    William shook his head, ¡°No, look, were you aware, at all, of where you were when the beast had control of you? When you were in the dungeon, did you have any thoughts or memories that were from you as you are now?¡±


    Charles straightened his posture; at least William¡¯s questions had got his attention. ¡°No, Will, the only memories I have of my time chained in my cell were of my last weeks. I remember sitting calmly eating with as much dignity as I could when I was fed.¡± Charles rubbed at his chin, ¡°Though that¡¯s not the answer you were looking for. Will, what is it? What are you trying to find out?¡±


    William sat there on the floor at a loss for what to say, ¡°So, you didn¡¯t talk to another consciousness inside your head?¡±


    Charles shook his head, ¡°No, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    William heaved himself off the floor, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± William walked idly to one of the walls and propped himself up against the cool smooth stone. ¡°So, when do you think you¡¯ll be back with us?¡±


    Charles was gracious enough to know when a subject had been closed and he allowed his friend the privacy of the ended conversation. ¡°Physis, Huan Li, Eustace, and Jacob all say that they can feel nothing wrong with me. There is nothing in my body that isn¡¯t healed. I expect to be able to rejoin you tomorrow.¡±


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    William nodded with a close lipped smile, ¡°It¡¯ll be good to have you back. Nicolas has been driving me crazy lately.¡±


    Charles smirked at him, ¡°You know he only does that so you will get frustrated.¡±


    William paused for a moment, ¡°No¡± William said thoughtfully, ¡°No, I don¡¯t think he does. I think he acts the ways he does simply because it¡¯s the way he is.¡±


    Charles laughed out loud, ¡°You might be right, Will. So, what do we do, kill him?¡±


    ¡°Oh, nothing that extreme,¡± an evil smirk crept up William¡¯s face, ¡°I think castration would do the trick.¡±


    Charles winched and covered his groin reflexively with one of his hands, ¡°Ouch, that¡¯s cold, Will. You would do that to another man?¡±


    ¡°To another man? No¡± William said in a mocking tone, ¡°But to a worthless whining pooch that had it coming to him, yes.¡±


    Charels rubbed at the back of his neck, ¡°Man, remind me never to get you pissed off.¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on!¡± William said smiling, ¡°I¡¯m only kidding¡­ and you know it! Besides if I did do something like that, Aceso would have my ass and my head to play with as soccer balls.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a pretty image.¡± Charles leaned back and his eyes looked far off visualizing something far away. ¡°What would an Enforcer¡¯s head look like careening into the net after being kicked at a great angle to beat the goalie? I wonder if you¡¯d be able to react at all when the announcer yelled¡­GOOOOAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!¡± Charles bellowed this last as he cupped his hands around his mouth.


    The sudden yell reverberated through the room. William covered his ears and wondered who else was in a ten block radius would hear that huge noise and wonder, ¡®what the hell was that!?¡¯ the thought was rather funny and he let himself smile.


    Charles let the noise die from his throat and sat in silent mirth. ¡°So now what?¡±


    William pushed himself away from the wall where he had been standing. ¡°Well, Aceso was called to meet with Huan Li, for a second I was afraid it had something to do with you, but obviously not.¡±


    ¡°So far as we know.¡± Charles added dryly.


    William shot him a hard look, ¡°Don¡¯t even play around like that, Charles.¡± Charles raised his eyebrows and cocked his head to the side as if to say, ¡®really Will? really?¡¯ William shook the look away and started walking around the room again. ¡°So, Aceso is meeting with Huan Li and we¡¯ll see what happens from there. With any luck your recovery will be official and you can start getting your butt kicked during our training sessions again.¡±


    Charles nodded thoughtfully, ¡°Yes, about that¡­well never mind.¡±


    ¡°Have you eaten yet?¡± William threw over his shoulder ignoring the unspoken comment of his friend.


    Charles answered, ¡°Yes, Amanda was good enough to bring the bed ridden invalid his meal.¡±


    ¡°How is she doing?¡± William asked with a smirk.


    ¡°Same old Amanda, just as sweet as lemonade.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you mean lemon juice?¡± William asked.


    Charles lifted his head slightly, ¡°Is that the one? I always get confused between the two.¡± The two friends laughed out loud once more.


    William looked out the doorway back out into the city. The ceiling crystals had dimmed down to starlight. Is it that late already? Suddenly a huge yawn cracked William¡¯s face wide open as he rushed to cover it with one of his hands.

 Book 4 Chapter 2c

    It was not lost on Charles. ¡°Will, why don¡¯t you go home and get some sleep.¡± William looked over at his friend sitting on his bed and nodded. Charles smiled broadly back at him. ¡°I told you already, I¡¯m going to be with you tomorrow. There¡¯s nothing to worry about.¡± He shook his head toward the open doorway. ¡°Now go, get some sleep.¡±


    William walked over to his friend on the bed and shook his hand. ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow, Charles.¡± William started to turn away but said over his shoulder, ¡°Although you might wish that you had stayed in bed.¡±


    Charles smiled, ¡°After all this time being bedridden and quarantined, I¡¯m looking forward to the exercise.¡±


    William said as he stopped by the doorway, ¡°Famous last words¡­see you tomorrow.¡± Charles raised two fingers to his forehead as William walked back out into the city.


    The city was always cool, but the oppressive silence that draped over it was as thick and as uncomfortable as the highest humidity readings. He felt like he was in a ghost town, almost. This place had been the source of countless wonders for him when he first arrived here. Now it was almost barren. There needed to be new life here. He had no idea what kind or even how to make that thought a reality. How do you bring something as intangible as ¡®life¡¯ into a city? People and animals are life. The only beings that could be allowed to see this place were shape shifters. So, bring in more shape shifters. Only problem with that was the Elders had lost their main source of identifying and tracking new shape shifters.


    The Whyte Plain. That place must have been amazing once. His experiences there were less than pleasant. He had nightmares from time to time. He would wake up in the middle of the night and it would take him a few minutes to realize that he was in his room and not trapped back there. Even thinking about it made a cold shiver run down his back and goose bumps spring up on his arms. But he felt nothing else.


    Where are you? He asked inside his head. His other, the one thing that could ensure his death by the Elders, had been disturbingly absent since he was set free from his prison cell. He wasn¡¯t stupid enough to believe that his other was gone. It was in there somewhere, hiding in some far corner of his mind that he couldn¡¯t consciously access. It was possible that his other was the source of his nightmares. The invisible enemy within would always be with him. It was a part of him and that reality was just as inescapable as the fact that one day he would have to go back to the Whyte Plain.


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    He looked up and realized that he was already at his own apartment building. He walked up the ramp, covering another massive yawn. How had he gotten so tired? Well, going through the obstacle course five times in a day and a ten-mile run before that, probably did take it out of you, even with his pack bond that he shared with Aceso and Katherine. Stamina was a great thing, but the body still needed time to recuperate and rest. And that was exactly what he was going to do.


    He mounted the third-floor landing and turned to enter his room. The room was as comfortable and as familiar as the city was. This place was the closest thing he had had to a real home since before he could remember.  He walked to his dresser and ripped his shirt over his head. The musky scent of his own body wafted over him as the fabric was lifted off him. He dropped the shirt on the floor and shook out his lengthening hair. He ran his fingers through it to find that it was only an inch or two short of his shoulders. I¡¯m going to have to get that cut. He wondered how he had let it get that long. Back in the real world he wouldn¡¯t be caught dead with the martial artist shoulder length hair, and yet here, in the bowels of the earth, that¡¯s exactly what had happened. He wondered what else he had learned to ignore since coming here.


    He wandered over and sat on the bed. Looking down at his shoes he thought that it would be really cool if it was possible to simply will the shoes off somehow. Could Katherine do anything like that? Heaving a sigh, he hunched over and took off his shoes, flipping them to the dresser in a pile. He collapsed back on the soft furs of the bed.


    ¡®Life goes on¡¯ Ares had told him once. He knew there were things that had to be done and he knew what was at stake if they weren¡¯t accomplished. But the most painful thing was he knew that neither he, nor Aceso, nor anyone in his pack was ready for what they knew the Elders would ask of them someday. He flexed his right arm, then his left. All of his strength, which had grown since coming here, went for nothing in that place. Fear gripped him and his body broke out in goose bumps. He took a deep breath and calmed himself. Fear kills faster than a bullet, faster than the sharpest claws. Again, as it was since the time he was released for his cell, there wasn¡¯t the slightest hint of his other.


    Was he truly alone? If it hadn¡¯t been for his other, he and the rest of his pack would dead. He wouldn¡¯t have to think about going back to the Whyte Plain because he would now be calling it his home, as one of those shadows. One of those things that only knew hunger and destruction. One of those monsters that came straight from every child¡¯s nightmares. He sat up in his bed and rested his head on his folded hands.


    Nicolas had to get faster and stronger. Katherine had to get and keep an edge to her, a need to win that she had been lacking in every training session. Aceso had her weaknesses too, no one was perfect, but he couldn¡¯t tell what they were. And himself, he needed to get smarter, faster, move with more fluidity.

 Book 4 Chapter 2d

    He jerked himself off the bed and stood in a Krav Maga stance. Looking down at himself with feet spaced apart on the floor he felt stupid. He flopped down on the bed and ripped off his socks. He stood back up and took his stance. He could just make out his profile in the glossed wall of his room. He slid his lead foot forward, pointing with his toes straight ahead of him. He shifted his back foot perpendicular to his lead foot and rebalanced himself between the two. He raised his arms in front of him, one extended past the other. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.


    He had seen enough Martial Arts films to know that he had no idea what he was doing but that didn¡¯t stop him. The combination of mind and body and Chi, whatever that was, was the key to being a successful martial artist. What he had learned here in Krav Maga didn¡¯t stress any of that though and he could see how it was effective. But he needed something more than just effectiveness. He needed something that he could believe in.


    Keeping his eyes shut he let his arms start to move. Trying to recreate moves that he had seen in a dozen Kung Fu movies he let his body do what it wanted to. He focused on fluidity of motion. Letting his arms move and resituate themselves in strange designs and patterns. Sometimes his arms got crossed and he had to reset and start over again. He found a simple pattern that he could repeat. His arms would explode outward then come back together as his hands moved around each other in a figure eight pattern. His fingers came together in a fist and shot forward, then both shot forward in open handed thrusts. His arms moved violently outward in two forearm blocks for his shoulders then his hands came back together and dove under one another back into the ready stance he had taken at the beginning.


    He moved his arms faster and faster keeping his movements as close to the original form as he could. He kept his eyes closed and let his body move around him. He started to visualize the pattern of his body, how it could be used in combat. He smiled to himself as a familiar piece of music kept repeating itself in his head.


    He moved his body faster. Sweat was trickling down his back and neck. He could feel the slick wetness as he moved his arms, brushing up with his torso. His chest was coated and the sweat ran freely down into his pants. His well-muscled chest and his ripped abs flexed and moved with his arms. Soon he started moving his legs as he repeated the form over and over again. His body moved as he visualized the movement in his head. Keeping his eyes closed and forcing himself to move more of his body with every repeat of the exercise.


    He saw the pattern play out in his mind. The music kept him in time and rhythm. His arms moved as his feet moved. For the first time in his life, he felt like his mind and body were actually working together. It was a deep feeling, not just his mind telling his body what to do, but both feeding off of each other. It was a rush and he moved faster. Punch, double thrust, block, all the movements repeated in his mind seconds before his body followed seamlessly. Mind and body as one.


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    ¡°Am I interrupting anything?¡±


    William almost fell over and lost where he had been in the form. Feeling his cheeks warm slightly with the embarrassment of being caught, he stuttered in his movements and awkwardly finished his form. Panting heavily, he rotated his body toward the sound of the noise and slowly opened his eyes.


    Standing in the doorway leaning against one side with her arms crossed in front of her chest was his Alpha, Aceso. Her tall black furred ears were bent forward in curiosity and if he wasn¡¯t mistaken, she had a smile on her face, a small one, but a smile nonetheless.


    ¡°How long¡­ have you¡­ been standing there?¡± William heaved as he silently wished that he looked half as good in reality as he had in his mind, but he wasn¡¯t stupid. She had probably just seen her enforcer flailing his arms around like a crazy person, shadow boxing the air. He ran his hands through his sweat coated hair as his stomach flexed as he breathed deep shallow breaths, trying to calm down after the exertion.


    Aceso stood there calmly, that small smile still on her lips, ¡°Long enough to see that my enforcer is at least taking his training seriously or at least I think it was serious. Sometimes human born behavior does confuse me.¡± She heaved her six-foot ten-inch frame off the doorway and walked into his room. She looked around the place in an absentminded kind of way. ¡°What were you doing?¡±


    William put his hands on his hips and moved his head from side to side as if he was looking for something as well. ¡°Well¡­ I uh¡­ was working on a form¡­ something similar to a martial arts form¡­ At least that¡¯s what I was hoping to do.¡±


    Aceso nodded, ¡°And just what is that supposed to accomplish?¡± There was genuine interest in her eyes.


    William scratched at the back of his neck suddenly self-conscious. ¡°I think it is supposed to increase speed. And I hope it gives me a better understanding of how my ¡­¡± he trailed off into mumbles. He looked up at her, ¡°Look it¡¯s stupid. I was just fooling around. I have no idea what I was doing.¡± He turned around and sat down heavily on his bed. ¡°What brings you here to my humble dwelling?¡±


    Aceso looked like she wanted to say something more but closed her eyes and nodded her head in understanding. She heaved a very human sounding sigh and lifter her eyes toward William once more. ¡°I came by to tell you that tomorrow we will not be training with Efraim.¡±


    That took William by surprise. ¡°What do you mean, ¡®not train¡¯ tomorrow?¡± He looked at Aceso with confusion in his eyes. ¡°Isn¡¯t Charles going to rejoin us tomorrow? What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Aceso leveled her eyes at William, ¡°Huan Li told me that no pack will be training tomorrow.¡±

 Book 4 Chapter 2e

    His heart dropped past his stomach and he found it a little hard to breathe. ¡°What is going on?¡± His mind immediately went white and all he could see were visions of death. ¡°We¡¯re not ready Aceso.¡± His eyes hardened as he stared at her, ¡°There¡¯s got to be something you can do about this. I mean, look, we aren¡¯t even a full pack anymore. There¡¯s got to be something that can be done.¡±


    Aceso returned William¡¯s hard stare. ¡°Be done about what, Will? What are you talking about?¡±


    William took a deep breath, ¡°We aren¡¯t ready to go back there, Aceso. You and I both know it. We don¡¯t even know if Charles is a hundred percent or not.¡±


    Aceso had alarm in her eyes, ¡°William! What are you talking about? Who said anything about the Whyte Plain?¡±


    William shook himself as if coming out of a dream, ¡°Isn¡¯t that what you meant by, ¡®we¡¯re not going to train tomorrow¡¯?¡±


    Aceso held her palms outward as she looked upward toward the ceiling, shaking her head. ¡°Calm yourself and listen to what I have to say before you give yourself a¡­what do you human born call it? Something to do with your bowels?¡±


    William looked confused, ¡°You mean diarrhea?¡±


    Aceso shook her head, ¡°No something else, something about your abdomen I think.¡± She gripped her own stomach with her claws. ¡°An anniversary? Something like that.¡±


    William knew that he had the most ridiculous look on his face but he couldn¡¯t help it. He had no idea¡­than it hit him. ¡°You mean an Aneurysm?¡±


    Aceso dropped her claws from her midsection, ¡°yes that¡¯s it, an aneurysm, calm down and don¡¯t give yourself an aneurysm. Thank You, Will.¡±


    William nodded slowly, not quite sure of what had just happened, ¡°No worries.¡±


    Aceso looked sideways at him, ¡°Are you all right? Does doing martial arts, or whatever it was you were doing, usually make you human born so irrational?¡±


    William felt really stupid, ¡°look, I¡¯m sorry I just¡­I don¡¯t know what I was thinking, I just¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± He looked up at her, ¡°What is it you wanted to talk to me about?¡± Aceso had a weird look on her face that made William feel very uncomfortable. Just like that time when he was six years old and that stupid brick went left instead of ri¡­this was not the time for that. He brought his focus back to his alpha.


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    Aceso took a sharp breath and shook her head, ¡°As I was saying, we are not going to train tomorrow. Huan Li has informed me of a new strategy that they and all the scouts in the city will be engaging in tomorrow. As such the rest of the packs will be involved in performing city maintenance.¡±


    William cocked his head to the side, ¡°City maintenance? What kind of maintenance?¡±


    Aceso smiled slyly at him. Without a word she turned back toward his door and started to leave the way she had come.


    William raised his arm at her. ¡°Aceso, wait! What kind of maintenance? What are you talking about?¡±


    Aceso stopped and turned her head to look at him out of the corner of her eye, ¡°If I told you, it wouldn¡¯t be a surprise. Night, Will.¡± With that Aceso disappeared out the doorway.


    William stared at the empty doorway for a time, as if staring at it would bring Aceso back into view and she would tell him everything that she had been so uncharacteristically vague about. Shaking his head he lifted himself off the bed once more and dropped his pants to the floor. Not bothering to shower or even go to the bathroom one last time he let himself fall backwards onto his bed. The soft furs caressed his warm naked skin and he fell to sleep almost instantly.


    It was dark. He lifted himself from his bed and pulled his pants on from where he had left them on the floor. Remaining barefoot he walked out of his room and looked out over the city. For some reason it was darker than he had ever remembered it being. Maybe he was just tired from the long day yesterday. It was possible that today would be a break for them. Honestly anything was better than having Efraim run them through the obstacle course countless times. He gripped at his sore shoulder and massaged the flesh there and at the back of his neck. His muscles were tight, but nothing painful.


    He had no idea where he was going and for some reason it didn¡¯t really matter. He made his way down the ramp of his building and just started walking along one of the serpentine alleyways that he was pretty familiar with. The city had taken on a strange hue. It was beautiful.


    He followed the known path around and through the various clusters of buildings that blocked most of his view of the city. It was really dark in here, but why? The question bit at the back of his mind like an aggressive insect that would not be ignored. But the harder he tried to focus on that question, the quicker the question would slip from his grasp and fade back into the mist of his mind.


    He walked along the road seeing the familiar buildings and smelling familiar smells. Only the lighting was a little off and that strange hue coming from the underground cavern. Was that maybe, something to do with what Aceso had told him about the scouts and the Elders? Whatever it was it was pretty cool looking. The warm subdued light gave a hint of a sunrise in the morning. That color would paint the sky just before the sun came up in his valley. He knew those colors very well from watching the sunrise many times. The warm colors brought some life to the cool blackness of the stone buildings around him, and he heaved a sigh of contentment.


    Cutting back along a sharp and narrow switchback he came across one of the broader streets in the City under the Mountain. This was the road that ran to the cafeteria and just off the Tower, in the heart of the city. He turned his head back toward where he had come, suddenly confused. I didn¡¯t take a wrong turn, did I? This meant that he would have to backtrack a little ways and find the bathroom he had been looking for.

 Book 4 Chapter 2f

    Well, screw it. There was a bathroom just down from the cafeteria too. He could use that one to at least take a shower in, since he was here. He turned back around and took a step forward continuing down the street. As he did his foot caught on something and he stumbled forward.


    Looking down at the black, smooth, stone pavement he saw what he had tripped on. A solid brown furry leg, laying on its own, separated from the rest of its body in a dark pool of viscous liquid which could only be blood. Jerking his head up and looking down the street he saw where that beautiful hue of light had been coming from.


    The various stores and shops lining this street were all ablaze. The black obsidian hadn¡¯t caught fire but the contents inside the building were disgorging brilliant yellow and orange flames. Thick black smoke poured out into the underground cavern. He looked up, following the trail of the smoke to look at the cavern ceiling. He saw that the ceiling was completely dark. Only bare, deep brown, and obsidian rock met his eyes. The ceiling crystals were gone, or for some reason not functioning and the whole cavern would be void of any light if it wasn¡¯t for the fires that lit it now.


    He ran toward the blaze. The thick smoke rolled out into the street, smothering him as he raised his arm to try to filter the smoke as he breathed. The smoke enveloped him and he was running blind. He tripped and fell hard to the ground. He pushed himself up trying not to breathe. The darkness surrounded him. He wanted to get up to keep running, he didn¡¯t want to reach back, to feel what it was that had tripped him. But something made him shift his weight around and reach out behind him with his hands to feel for what it was that had made him fall. He knew what it was. He didn¡¯t have to feel it to know. The smoke stung his eyes and he coughed violently which forced him to breathe in more smoke. He had to get out of here. He wanted to get up, to run down the street out of the deadly gasses around him. His body didn¡¯t move though, and his arms wouldn¡¯t stop moving. His fingers spread out and pressed into the vision obscuring smoke. Years later it seemed, his hands found what he had not wanted to find, what he desperately needed to ignore. His hands closed into fists and grasped thick wolf hair.


    Suddenly he was able to move and he stood up like he had been sitting on a frying pan. He lifted his hands to his face and looked at the blood that now covered them. The blood was black against his hand, thick blackness that globbed together with the smoke as his eyes watered from the thick gas he was inhaling.


    He stood up and ran. He ran towards the only place he could think of, the only place that he thought might still be safe. He ran towards the Tower. He ran through the smoke and the sounds of lives burning. The smell of things that were burning is what really horrified him. The sickening smell of hair and flesh mixed with wood. The noxious fumes and the sickening stench of burning flesh and wolf hair were all around him now. He would go insane with that smell, if the smoke inhalation didn¡¯t kill him first. He had to get out of here, he had to run faster. And just as suddenly as the smoke had enveloped him, he was free of it.


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    He stumbled to the ground on his knees, gasping at clean air and retching horribly as phlegm and mucus was loosened from his throat and lungs. He coughed hard and globs of black mucus were spit up onto the street. He rocked crazily back and forth as he filled his lungs with clean air, only to cause another huge coughing fit and more black slime to be spit out from his lungs and throat.


    When the dizziness finally ceased and his eyes stopped watering, he looked around himself to see where he had ended up. He could see the Tower and the beautiful hue of orange and yellow color splashed out against the cavern horizon. What filled him with peace a few moments ago, now filled him with a chilling terror. What had happened here? He wasn¡¯t sure. He was fairly sure that the Elders would be at the Tower. He had no idea if that was true but he had to try to get there.


    Leaving the burning buildings behind he got up and induced another coughing fit. Spitting out more black snot onto the ground, he ran to another corned alleyway that would lead him to the Tower. He ran. Gauging by where the Tower stood and his ability to see it whoever had started those fires and killed that shape shifter back there hadn¡¯t made it this far. Whether that was because they were being engaged by other shape shifters or because the intruders had gotten themselves lost, he didn¡¯t know and didn¡¯t care. The city defended itself, and its heart was safe, at least for now. He had to get there and see what it was he could do to help.


    Running along the curved lane that would open itself to the Tower he had the time to wonder who in the hell had been able to do this? Who had been able to get inside the city in the first place and why? The street curved and brought the Tower into full view. And William stopped running.


    Silhouetted against a small fire inside one of the buildings he saw a werewolf standing in the middle of the street. He had his back to William. His arms were raised above it¡¯s head. In his hands he held another werewolf. The werewolf being held was light brown with streaks of blond fur throughout his body. He recognized him immediately.


    ¡°BILLY!!!¡±


    The werewolf holding Billy above his head turned around to show William his profile. A cruel smile broke out across his lips. Before William could move, before he could change, before he could think, William watched the werewolf drop Billy hard. William couldn¡¯t move as Billy fell no faster than a feather. A drop that should have lasted a half second took minutes.

 Book 4 Chapter 2g

    William could see that Billy was unconscious, his eyes were closed. The rush of air from his fall ruffled his fur. William¡¯s eyes widened as he watched the other werewolf smile and bring up his knee. The inevitable collision that was going to take place between the two werewolves drove William to move but he couldn¡¯t do anything except stand there and watch it happen. The two objects, Billy¡¯s unconscious body and the other werewolf¡¯s knee, came together in a beautifully tragic display. Every second brought the two objects closer and closer together.


    Just before impact time seemed to catch up with itself and Billy¡¯s exposed back slammed into the raised knee of the werewolf. The sound was sickening and William knew that Billy Jones, the city¡¯s weapon smith, was dead. The lifeless form slid from the other werewolf¡¯s knee to crumple to the ground.


    An inhuman guttural yell of challenge emerged from William¡¯s unfrozen throat. The werewolf slowly turned around. The seven foot tall monster was covered with tan fur shot through with black streaks. It silently faced its new challenger.


    William took a step and froze. Why couldn¡¯t he change into werewolf form? He tried again, nothing. He closed his eyes and tried to center himself. There was no center, only darkness, a slight wheeze from smoke inhalation, and the sound of the cruelest laughter he had ever heard and yet it was very familiar.


    William opened his eyes to see that the werewolf that had killed Billy was still standing in the middle of the street laughing with his head raised toward the ceiling. William made eye contact with the thing and it stopped laughing and looked at him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, William? Can¡¯t change forms?¡± The werewolf leaned over Billy and with speed that William¡¯s eyes couldn¡¯t track his jaws shot forward and took a huge chunk of flesh from Billy¡¯s lifeless body.


    William¡¯s voice caught in his throat as he tried to challenge the werewolf again. He took a step and failed to change forms again. It was as if he couldn¡¯t change because that ability was lost to him, as if he had never been a werewolf or a shape shifter.


    The werewolf faced William in the street. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, William? Don¡¯t you recognize me?¡±


    It¡¯s not possible. And yet the truth of it was staring him in the face. The murderer of his friend, the cause of the wanton destruction around him was himself, his other, in his werewolf form. This wasn¡¯t possible and yet his eyes and ears and heart told him the truth of it.


    The werewolf spread both of his arms out to his sides to take in the city around him. He raised his snout to the cavern ceiling and let out a howl of victory that shook William to the core of his being. William couldn¡¯t move. He could have fallen to his knees in sorrow, he could have turned and run back the way he had come, he could have tried to get past his other and make it the Tower, which was his only chance at survival. In his present form he would be a swift kill for his other, he held no delusions about that.


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    The howl rang out through the city, across the smoke filled streets and echoed off the far cavern walls. His other lowered his arms and faced him once more. ¡°Don¡¯t you like what I¡¯ve done with the place?¡± he took a step in William¡¯s direction. ¡°None of this would have been possible, you know, if it wasn¡¯t for you.¡± His other kicked roughly at a human corpse that lay partially in the street. ¡°I owe you everything, William. And as a token of my appreciation, I brought along a friend of yours. I just love reunions.¡±


    His other turned around toward a building that was disgorging fire, a steady stream of thick smoke was exiting out into the street. ¡°He¡¯s here.¡± He stepped across the street and leaned up against a building.


    William now had a clear view of the fire. The smoke swirled and billowed in and out as an unfelt wind moved it. The dark greys and blacks of the smoke moved in a rhythmic flow that captivated him. He might as well have been the last being alive in the city that was crumbling around him and for some reason that didn¡¯t matter. There was nothing else in the world except him, his breathing and the smoke, the beautiful smoke that moved and comforted him.


    The building suddenly exploded outward and his eyes grew wide as he was forced back a step by the concussive force of it. The heat of the fire singed his face and he raised his hands to protect himself. His other was still casually leaning against the building on the far side of the street, seeming to have expected the blast.


    William looked up into the fire and the smoke coalesced into a form. It was a very rough profile, something that looked like it might have been human. For a moment William thought that it was a survivor that was stumbling out of the building. He took a step toward the silhouette. The form grew in size and William now recognized it for exactly what it was. He tried to run but his feet were anchored to the floor.


    The form raised itself off the street and grew again. The smoke was lifted from the thing and he could see colors. Black, white, and tan swirled together apart from the smoke and shadows. William saw eyes shine out from the distorting mist that surrounded it, cold golden eyes, now almost black. My God!


    ¡°You still remember me.¡± A cold voice sounded in his head, raspy and deeper than he remembered but unmistakable at the same time, Achelois. ¡°I¡¯m touched, William, really.¡± The gaseous form that used to his pack mate raised itself up off the street and flew at him with a speed that was frightening. Free of any earthly bonds it moved without sound. William was stone still in terror as the apparition flew at him. Through the swirling mists of the creature¡¯s form William could make out the shape of a jaw, a bottomless hole that could never be satisfied. The shadow closed around William and fell on him in a feeding frenzy. The shadow ripped and tore at his exposed body. He had never felt anything so cold before. He heard no teeth gnashing, no flesh being ripped from his body, no sound of the attack at all. The only sound he heard was the cruel laughter of his other as it rang out through the city. Then there was nothing.

 Book 4 Chapter 3a

    He shot up in bed¡­and fell hard on the cold floor of his room. A loud grunt escaped his lips as his head made an in-person introduction with the stone. He got up on one elbow as he massaged his skull. The ceiling crystals brightened quickly. He always wondered how it was that they seemed to sense when to dim because he was asleep and when they knew to brighten when he was awake.


    Wiping his eyes with his free hand he groped around for the top of the bed and pulled himself up to a sitting position. His body was covered in a cold sweat. He shifted his weight and ripped his jeans out from under him. He threw the wadded pile of denim to land on top of his discarded shoes. His heart was still racing. Gripping his chest, he pulled up one of his legs and leaned on it.


    What the hell was that? The images, the smells, the emotions were all so real. His other couldn¡¯t be alive and outside of his body. That couldn¡¯t be possible. On the other hand, who was he to call himself an expert of what was and wasn¡¯t possible in the world. Up until two years ago he was confident in his belief that monsters didn¡¯t exist. There was nothing hiding in his closet and there was no ghoul under his bed ready to eat his hands or legs if they slipped out over the side of the bed during the night. A year and a half ago many of his preconceptions of the world were changed. Three months ago, he learned that the world he thought he knew was just about as far from reality as Harry Potter.


    He wiped at his hot face with his hand. His other, or himself, did it really matter? He had had dreams where he had done horrible things, his pack, dead because he hadn¡¯t been there, friends dying all around him because he had refused or had been unable to act. But this was something darker and much more disturbing. He was no scout. He couldn¡¯t see into the future. He shouldn¡¯t let this nightmare get to him. But there was something very ominous in this dream that he just wasn¡¯t ready to confront.


    The most terrifying thing, and the most guilt inducing, was that somehow Achelois had found a way to get back into the city. She was dead. She had been killed outside the Whyte Plain. Was it possible that she was still alive in that place? Had she been fully absorbed into a shadow that they were now training to fight? If she was there and they came across her in battle, would he be able to kill her? Would any in his pack be ready to kill one of their own?


    He ran his fingers through his hair and massaged his scalp. He was too hot. He heaved himself away from his bed and lay down flat on the cool stone floor of his room. He threw his arm over his eyes to shield himself from the light. His breathing had slowed and he was noticeably calmer but he knew that sleep would be a long time in returning if he was even able to fall back asleep.


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    An eighties song caught itself in his head. It was a woman singing but he didn¡¯t know who or even what the song was called. He tried to shake it away but it remained, playing the same half remembered refrain and lyrics in his mind. He gave up trying to fight it. The dream was still fresh in his mind and he fought the urge to remove his arm and open his eyes. Instead, he kept his face covered and started to sing with the music, ¡°listen to your heart, when he¡¯s something something. Listen to your heart¡­¡±


    His arm shifted and he started up from the cool floor. He had fallen asleep again. His back was sore from the hard surface and he looked around bleary eyed trying to get a bearing on what had happened. He slowly sat up, grabbing at the furs on the bed. Shaking his head to clear the cobwebs he stood up. He flexed his body and stretched upwards toward the ceiling. He still had no idea what time it was. He slowly walked to his door and looked out at the cavern ceiling.


    Damn. The crystals were brightening for the morning hours. He wasn¡¯t going to get a chance to sleep anymore tonight. With a sigh and a massive yawn, he turned around and walked right back to his wadded-up pants. He pulled them on and grabbed his toiletries and walked out into the city to go to the bathroom.


    He came back to his room slightly damp from his hot shower, not feeling in the least bit better since he woke up. The nightmare clung to him and wouldn¡¯t let go. He kept reliving the fires, the smoke, the dead wolves and humans in the street. He saw the city as it was and the fires of his nightmare superimposed itself across his vision and he saw the city destroyed all over again. Thankfully he didn¡¯t run across anyone this morning. He wasn¡¯t sure he could have taken that just yet.


    He threw his stuff on top of his dresser and lay back down on his bed. Seeing Achelois and hearing her mutilated voice so different yet still recognizable was the worst part. His other¡¯s laughter was another. Was he capable of doing something like that to this place, to kill indiscriminately? It was a question that he hadn¡¯t had to concern himself with for a while, but now it pounded on his psyche incessantly.


    He wasn¡¯t hungry. The thought of food made him a little nauseous and eating was the last thing he wanted to do. He stood up from his bed and dropped his pants to the floor. He pulled down his underwear and stood in the middle of his room, naked. He broke out in goose bumps again. He hadn¡¯t been this nervous about anything in a long time. He closed his eyes and tried to find his center. He forcefully slowed his breathing and tried to relax. He kept his eyes shut tight against the light of the room and his own fears.


    He opened his eyes and looked down.


    His hands were claws once again. His was back in his werewolf form, tan fur and black streaks included. He heaved a huge sigh of relief. He hadn¡¯t been entirely sure that he was going to be able to change forms. The dream left lingering doubts in his mind and he knew that it would be some time before he shook those doubts completely.

 Book 4 Chapter 3b

    He stepped to his doorway and looked out over the city. The ceiling crystals were pretty bright at this time. The city was active, what passed for being active. From his vantage point he watched a few humans walk toward the cafeteria. His ears twitched to the side as he listened to a young wolf howl from inside the nearby forest. He turned his head toward the sound and gazed out over the lush green of the forest. That forest would be shut down soon, to allow for the wildlife to regenerate enough to make it a viable and living hunting and training ground. He would have to go visit his packs den at some point.


    The den. It had been another lifetime ago when the six of them had been together. Even he, who should have known better, had no idea what was going to happen back then. They were so na?ve and so vulnerable. He pounded his fist against the solid stone to his right. Her self righteousness had killed her. Achelois could never forgive Aceso for accepting his oath. If he had never made that oath, kept his big mouth shut¡­ That way led to madness, no use in digging up ghosts twice in one day. He was here now and he had a job to do.


    Not knowing what else to do he went to their meeting place. The place where Efraim grabbed them for training every morning was only a little ways down a street from where he lived. He wasn¡¯t the only one who had thought that the right thing to do.


    ¡°Charles! How are you feeling?¡±


    The seven and a half foot black furred werewolf was leaning casually against a building, it reminded him of his dream. A frown must have formed on William¡¯s face. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Will?¡±


    William shook his head to clear the vision from his mind. ¡°Nothing, I¡¯m just glad to see you.¡± He looked his friend in the eye and added, ¡°and remembering who will not be joining us.¡±


    Charles nodded his head but said nothing. There was nothing to say. They shared each other¡¯s company in silence for a long while.


    All too soon though the last person in the city he wanted to see sauntered up to the pair. Either he didn¡¯t pick up on the somber mood of the two of them or he just didn¡¯t care, William placed his bet on the latter. ¡°Well, shit! If it isn¡¯t Chuck Mayberry! How¡¯s it going tall, black, and ugly? They let you out?¡±


    Charles rolled his eyes in William¡¯s direction and William¡¯s tail twitched irritable at the intrusion of the silence. ¡°Nicolas, good to see you haven¡¯t lost any of your wit.¡± Charles pushed off from the wall to stand straight and let his height dwarf the sandy blond werewolf. ¡°You used both of your favorite colorful insults for me, and in the first two sentences out of your mouth. Have you been practicing?¡±


    Nicolas smirked at the rebuff, ¡°Naw, man you know me, I just like to roll with what¡¯s going on. I never really have a plan. I¡¯m more of an improv kinda guy.¡±


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    William wanted nothing more than to hit him, to make his mouth close. But right then he just couldn¡¯t find the energy to do anything. That nightmare and all those memories weighed heavily on his shoulders this morning. Everything that they could have been, everything that she could have done was gone. He could very well be next and then what? What about all the things that he had to accomplish? It was a sobering thought.


    William looked over at Nicolas and asked wearily, ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be with the Elders this morning?¡±


    Nicolas froze in shock, his tail went rigid behind him and his eyeballs grew into caricatures of themselves. Nicolas raised a claw to his mouth and slowly turned around to face the Tower. He then whipped his head around to stare William straight in the face. It was the most ridiculous thing that William had ever seen. He heaved a heavy sigh and rolled his eyes at the sandy blond scout.


    Nicolas dropped his claw from his face and stood with his waist cocked out to the side and his tail slowly swinging behind him. ¡°Oh¡­ my¡­ God, Will! You¡¯re right! I mean why in the hell would I know where I¡¯m supposed to be from one minute to the next without you telling me.¡± Nicolas moved into a straight back posture, and his tail was still. His gold eyes glared up at William. ¡°Look, enforcer, how bout you keep your snout out of my business. I know where I¡¯m supposed to be.¡± Nicolas remained standing in that straight posture. It was Nicolas¡¯s way of challenging, without really challenging. William wasn¡¯t going to mess with him anymore though. He rolled his back against the building he was leaning on and looked up at the cavern ceiling. Nicolas folded his arms across his chest and glared at William and Charles from under his eye brows. Thankfully for the three of them Aceso and Katherine joined the group a few minutes later.


    Aceso nodded to Nicolas who unfurled his arms from his chest. He stood in the middle of the group and holding his arms wide at his sides he pronounced, ¡°Thank you all for the lovely morning conversation. But I must bid you a fond, fuck off.¡± With that he bowed low and spun on his heels to walk away.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how you guys can stand being alone with him sometimes. Was he like that all morning?¡± Katherine asked when Nicolas was out of earshot.


    Charles answered, ¡°No, only when he joined William and I.¡±


    William didn¡¯t waste a second look at Nicolas¡¯s retreating form. He instead turned his attention toward Aceso. ¡°So, now are you going to tell us about the city maintenance thing we¡¯re supposed to be doing today?¡±


    Aceso looked at William with that same sly smile she had given him last night. The only thing was, he was not in the playful mood that he had been in the night before. Aceso, much to her credit, recognized this. ¡°Since you human born insist on using those toilet things instead of the forests to make water and droppings, it is our job today to service the pipes that feed into the human sewage lines to make sure they don¡¯t clog.¡±


    Charles¡¯s face encased itself in stone. ¡°This is a joke.¡± It wasn¡¯t a question.


    Aceso looked up at her tracker, ¡°I¡¯m sorry Charles but this is the job that Huan Li gave us.¡±


    William closed his eyes and inhaled deeply through his snout. ¡°You thought this was funny, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    Aceso glanced over at her enforcer, ¡°No, seeing you human born be uncomfortable about your own droppings is funny.¡± She shook her head.

 Book 4 Chapter 3c

    She looked at her pack and made sure to make eye contact with every single one of her pack mates. ¡°You may not like it, but this job is probably one of the more important to keeping our city unnoticed by the human world.¡± She took a step toward William, ¡°Do you know how much time and effort goes into keeping the water and sewage lines safe and hidden from prying human eyes?¡±


    William looked at her, ¡°No, do you?¡±


    Aceso¡¯s lips parted the barest fraction of an inch. ¡°It¡¯s a lot.¡± She turned back to the other two. ¡°This will be done, any questions?¡±


    William ran his claws through his fur on his head and scratched himself behind his ear. Of all days for a shitty assignment like this. He had to smile at that thought, though it was a shitty assignment, in more ways than one. Aceso nodded and started walking, the rest of her pack followed silently behind her.


    The pack made their way through the streets, not talking much. William hung back to walk by himself and Katherine, Charles and Aceso obliged him. He was slowly tracing over every detail of the city around him, trying to memorize everything he could. The building structures, how they were stacked on top of each other, the way the buildings and rooms had been carved as part of each other and yet separate. He wasn¡¯t sure as to why this seemed so important to him. It wasn¡¯t as if anything was going to happen to the city anytime soon, but it was a nagging sensation of something that had to be done regardless of the rationale behind it, like making mountains out of mashed potatoes.


    Aceso led them around the city. To the untrained it might seem like Aceso was going around in circles but the way the city was built it always seemed like you were going around in circles.


    Suddenly the group stopped and William had to pull up short. Even so, he still bumped into Katherine. She looked over her shoulder at him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I don¡¯t have tail lights to warn you when I¡¯m going to do something crazy like stop walking.¡±


    She looked up at William as he hastily took a few steps backward, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Katherine I didn¡¯t mean to. Are you ok?¡±


    Katherine smiled at him as her tail flicked out from behind her, ¡°Will, I¡¯m just messing with you, lighten up a little bit.¡± Her eyes squinted as she looked at him and it was as if she saw him for the first time that day. ¡°William? Are you alright? You look terrible.¡±


    William waved the remark away, ¡°Yeah, sure, I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Katherine wasn¡¯t convinced at all. ¡°Will, you look like you¡¯ve just come off a three day speed binge.¡± She squared herself in front of him. ¡°Now tell me what¡¯s happened.¡±


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    William lowered his head to the ground, ¡°Look, it¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, William always looks like that on Tuesdays.¡± Charles gripped Katherine¡¯s shoulders gently and steered her back around to the building where Aceso had stopped them at. ¡°Besides, you have to tell me what you¡¯ve been up to. You hardly visited me at all when I was locked away.¡± Charles expertly moved her into the building and Katherine was gracious enough to let the subject of William drop and be taken into the building where Aceso had disappeared into.


    He knew it was stupid to let his dream depress him this much. At the same time, it was also stupid to keep it from his pack mates. Charles thought that it was the memory of Achelois that had him in this mood. He wanted to tell them about what had happened in his dream, the buildings ablaze, most of the shape shifters dead. But that would just open the way for more questions and more inquiries that he just wasn¡¯t ready to deal with. He thought that maybe Charles would understand, he might. But, he had no recollection of anything at all like another presence inside of him either during or after his possession. Maybe William really was crazy. If that was the case then his dream might be something a little more than just the whimsical fancy of his subconscious, and that thought terrified him.


    Moments later William¡¯s pack exited the building preceded by another older shape shifter, in his human form. The man was lightly tanned with black hair and brown eyes. He stood about five feet, eight inches tall and he had a very scholarly look to him. He didn¡¯t wear glasses but it looked like he should. William recognized him, he was Ryan Yamamoto, Aceso¡¯s teacher. He didn¡¯t say anything but walked silently down the street with a large leather satchel in one hand. William and the rest of the pack followed him.


    They walked farther and farther away from the Tower. They still had to travel in a roundabout path but they were getting into the newer parts of the city. The buildings were less worn here. The air was still fresh by the same miracle that kept all of the city¡¯s air clean and fresh but there was a stale atmosphere out here. William had never been able to put his finger on it, one way or another, but this far out the city was a husk, a warning of some unspeakable grievance or neglect. It would have made William wary on the best of days but today, that feeling beat down on him like hale.


    After a long time of walking through the city, they finally stopped outside of a nondescript building. Ryan set down his bag and sat down on the street. Ryan dug into the bag and pulled out a rather thick and worn paperback book. William looked at him with his head cocked to the side. Aceso looked at him as well.


    Ryan sighed, folding the book carefully in his lap, ¡°Come on, Aceso. I do my job after you and your pack do yours.¡± He pointed at another building behind him. ¡°There¡¯s stuff in there to help.¡± Ryan leaned back on his large satchel and reopened his book, ¡°Have fun.¡±


    Katherine looked around at Aceso and then at William. William had no idea what had happened, much less what to do about it. Katherine walked up to the building and peered inside. A very long and disgusted sound echoed out from the building where Katherine had stuck her head into. Ryan glanced up from his book momentarily but said nothing. Katherine bolted out and away from the building holding her claws in front of her face.


    William exchanged glances with Charles. The tall black shape shifter shrugged his shoulders a little wide eyed with surprise at Katherine¡¯s inexplicable behavior. William shrugged his shoulders in response and stepped up to the building.

 Book 4 Chapter 3d

    It was dark inside, almost too dark to see, until his werewolf sight adjusted to the dim lighting and then William wished that he couldn¡¯t. He also let out a disgusted noise from his throat as he understood why Katherine had reacted the way she had.


    The room was a bathroom, much like the ones in the heart of the city close to his home. The bathroom felt newer, though the toilets were much, much older than anything he had ever seen before. The white porcelain was hard to see because of the hardened globs of brown that were gooped all over the place. The brown stuff had frozen mid tide as it oozed its way down the toilets onto the floor. The walls were even worse. The walls were spackled brown, so heavily in some places that William couldn¡¯t see the black obsidian stone underneath. The bathroom had been the victim of an atomic bomb of shit. William jerked his head out of the building and took a few steps back out into the street, coughing.


    Ryan looked up from his book as Aceso came over to check on William. ¡°Now you see why this needs to be done?¡± Ryan looked at Aceso. ¡°And the sooner you pups get this place clean the sooner I can dig in that pipe and see what caused that backlash of sewage.¡± He craned his neck around to look at Katherine who was standing behind him still covering her snout with her claws. ¡°It doesn¡¯t even smell anymore. Now stop being a bunch of babies and get in there and get that place clean.¡± Ryan never raised his voice, that must be where Aceso got her calm demeanor, but he wasn¡¯t soft and his voice carried with it the weight of command and experience. William doubted if even Nicolas would have had the balls to try to refuse him.


    Katherine came back with scrub pads and buckets and soap and lots and lots of cleaning rags. William helped her get the buckets and the other two ransacked the building for whatever other cleaning supplies could be had.


    The group of shape shifters started in random places and started cleaning the crap off the walls. Even Nicolas seemed to understand that you need to clean from top to bottom.


    It didn¡¯t take them too long before they realized that just going in and doing their own thing was not the best idea. Aceso took charge of the operation and a thick push broom. She had William and Charles scrub and crape the crap off the walls, while she and Katherine sweep the floor, behind them. Then Nicolas came in behind the boys, detailing and spot wiping the walls with bleach water.


    William and Charles finished scrubbing the walls of the majority of the crap, as the girls swept up and disposed of the piles of crap from the floor. Charles and William grabbed clean buckets, rags, and mops and began diligently scrubbing and mopping the smooth black floors.


    It was an intricate, well-orchestrated team effort. Nobody complained, everybody worked and all too soon it seemed that William was polishing the floor up against the far wall of the bathroom, with Charles right behind him.


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    William dumped out his bucket of poop and filthy water for the twentieth time that day and refilled it with good hot water from the deep sink. Charles joined him and refilled his bucket as well. Before he could start patting himself on the back he realized that they had all forgttena  major part of the bathroom, maybe the most important part.


    William looked down at the deep brown covered line of toilets that still needed to be cleaned. He shared a look with Charles as they propped there unused mops against the wall. Grabbing their rags and clean water buckets they went to work on the toilets.


    They cleaned up fairly well and pretty easily. Hop skipping down the line the two boys cleaned the toilets. They were joined by the females and soon even the toilets were clean. Then it was Katherine and Aceso who grabbed the mops and finished touching up the floor. Thankfully the shower section of this bathroom had remained untouched and only took some spot cleaning to sanitize. After the hours of cleaning that it took to remove the scars of the travesty that had happened in that place, they all walked out of the bathroom. They didn¡¯t exactly feel good about themselves, but they had done a good job getting the place clean.


    Ryan heaved himself off of the street, ¡°It¡¯s about time.¡±


    ¡°Hey, there were only four us in there.¡± Katherine rebuked.


    Ryan arched an eyebrow at her as he leaned over to drop his book back in the large satchel. Without a word he stood back up heaving the large leather bag in one hand. He walked into the bathroom and unceremoniously dropped the bag on the still wet floor. He dug around inside it for a little bit and withdrew a long pole looking thing with what looked like a drill bit attached to the end. Ryan moved deeper inside the bathroom. The four of them had had enough of that place already and moved back out into street.


    The four of them sat down heavily, resting up against the adjacent building. William held up his claws to see that he had wrinkles from them being wet for so long. He felt damp and really gross. He had protected himself from the shit as best he could, but he still felt it and he could still smell it. He was sweaty, tired, dirty and all he wanted was a shower, a meal, and his bed, in that order.


    ¡°That was really fun, Aceso.¡± Katherine said in a very tired, flat voice, ¡°The next time the Elders tell you to clean a bathroom count me out. I¡¯ll be sick that day.¡± Charles and William nodded tiredly in agreement.


    Aceso shook her head, ¡°You all know that I couldn¡¯t allow that.¡±


    Katherine rocked her head forward off the wall, ¡°Even for me, after this? You owe all of us for this one.¡±


    Aceso made a small smile. There was nothing else to say. William had a vague idea about what must be going through her head. The Elders said what needed to happen and the pack Alphas implemented the Elders will. There was no disagreement with what the Elders choose to do or what they had each pack do. They were the law givers. And every single one of them knew why it had to be that way.


    A sound started coming from the bathroom. It sounded like a tool of some kind, maybe a drill? William had no idea and he had no intention of getting up from his spot on the street to find out. None of his pack mates seemed to be in too much of a rush to get up either. The sound died a few minutes later.

 Book 4 Chapter 3e

    Not long after that Ryan came walking out of the bathroom, with his satchel in hand. He didn¡¯t stop, but walked past the four shape shifters. Aceso looked at the three of them as she got up to follow her teacher. William, Charles, and Katherine all heaved themselves up to follow their alpha.


    ¡°So, what was the problem?¡± William asked in a light tone as they caught up with Aceso¡¯s teacher.


    Ryan glanced back at him and the rest of his pack. He shrugged, ¡°There was a blockage in the sewage pipe. Fortunately, it happened here otherwise there might have been more bathrooms for you pups to clean.¡± Ryan smiled and turned back around.


    ¡°I¡¯m curious to know what tool you were using and why?¡± Charles asked.


    Ryan didn¡¯t even look back this time. ¡°I used a drill.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s it, you used a drill?¡± Katherine asked, not unkindly. ¡°You had to have seen what happened in there. My question is why did it happen?¡±


    Ryan heaved an audible sigh and shook his head. ¡°Ok, story time. My fixing of the sewage line didn¡¯t require you to clean the bathroom.¡± William¡¯s jaw drop dropped and an agitated gruff escaped his lips. Aceso shot him a look to silence him. Ryan continued, ¡°It had to be done anyway, if you didn¡¯t do it today it would have had to have been done tomorrow. So, look at it this way, you got the crappy job done sooner rather than later, right?¡± William conceded that he did have a point. ¡°So, I took this camera thing here,¡± Ryan said as he patted his large satchel with his free hand, ¡°dug into the pipe, used the drill to clean away most of the blockage and then shot some industrial gel stuff, think of it as hyper-drano into the pipe directly onto the residue, lining the pipe that my drill couldn¡¯t get, and flushed clean water through the piping.¡± He turned around to look at the four of them. ¡°Does that satisfy your curiosity Mr. Mabena?¡± Charles nodded his head. ¡°Did that answer your question, Miss Ryan?¡± Katherine nodded her head as well.


    Ryan glanced up toward the cavern ceiling, ¡°Well, I have nothing else for you guys.¡± He glanced back at the pack following him, ¡°You can either follow me back or go off and do your own thing. It doesn¡¯t matter as far as I¡¯m concerned.¡±


    The four of them shared looks back and forth. Aceso answered, ¡°We¡¯ll stick with you, till we get back to the Tower. We don¡¯t have any other place to be and we are all going back the same way.¡± Ryan shrugged his shoulders and continued walking.


    They made their way back to the Tower. Stopping outside the monolithic structure they looked around. There was no sign of Nicolas or the Elders, not that that meant much. The Elders didn¡¯t seem to be around ever until they came up behind you and said something. That¡¯s not even true. Of course it wasn¡¯t, he had seen Ansuya in the cafeteria just the other day. Her deep brown eyes focused on him for a long time. Those eyes always made him feel so young and exposed, as if she could see every thought that was going through his head.


    Charles nudged him gently, ¡°Where¡¯d you go, Will?¡±


    William scratched at his neck, ¡°Nowhere, I was here the whole time.¡± He smiled at his friend, ¡°Just wondering what it was that Nicolas had to do today.¡±


    ¡°Whatever it was,¡± Katherine interrupted, ¡°it had to be better than cleaning up that mess that we got stuck with.¡±


    Aceso shot a harsh look at her sage, ¡°Kat, we do what has to be done. We did our duty for today and Nicolas is doing his.¡± Katherine nodded her head tiredly, fighting off a yawn.


    William nudged Charles in the elbow as he spotted Nicolas approaching out of a side alleyway. The sandy blond, black flecked werewolf looked dead on his feet. He stumbled heavily to one side before he regained his balance. He placed a steadying hand on the side of one of the buildings to keep himself upright. William had never seen Nicolas so beat up, except for that one time. The scout made his way slowly amidst the group; his tail was drooping tiredly behind him. He stopped and heaved a very deep sigh as the rest of the group looked at him waiting for some news. Nicolas looked so weak, a strong wind could push him over.


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    Aceso asked with some concern for him, ¡°What happened, Nicolas? Are you all right?¡±


    Nicolas stood there and blinked twice very slowly. To William he looked as if he was just coming out of a heavy sleep. He looked around at Aceso and Katherine and smiled weakly at the sage, ¡°Hey, Kat. What happened to you? You look like you¡¯ve been cleaning shit all day.¡± William was pretty sure he meant it as a joke but the thousand yard stare that she gave him seemed to penetrate even his fatigue induced haze. He blinked his eyes once more and cleared his throat turning back to Aceso. ¡°What were you asking, again?¡±


    Their alpha looked back at him, ¡°What happened to you?¡±


    Nicolas smiled at her, ¡°I¡¯m fine. I spent all day looking into the great Black, beyond time, or was it White? I can¡¯t remem¡­¡± a huge yawn cracked his face, interrupted his speech, and Nicolas crashed to the floor face first.


    It happened so fast William couldn¡¯t help but snicker as a knee jerk reaction. Aceso shot daggers from her eyes and he was silenced immediately. It had been pretty funny though. He rushed forward to help Aceso pick up the exhausted Scout from where he had landed on the street. ¡°Nicolas, are you alright? Can you hear me?¡± Aceso asked loudly in his face.


    The only response she got from him was a lazy smile and a very sleep slurred, ¡°I don¡¯t want to go to school, mommy.¡± Nicolas rested his head on her shoulder and didn¡¯t make any other sound or motion that signaled consciousness. He had passed out cold.


    ¡°We have to get him back to his room.¡± Aceso said calmly under the dead weight of the blond.


    William, being on his other side agreed. ¡°Yeah, a good night¡¯s sleep should do him a world of good.¡±


    The four carried Nicolas up to his room. Aceso and William sat him down on his bed and gently laid him down on his back. Nicolas didn¡¯t even twitch, he was so far gone.


    The four met outside Nicolas¡¯s room on the second floor landing. Aceso looked at her tired pack. ¡°Get some food and some rest. You will have to handle food duty tomorrow starting at four o¡¯clock.¡±


    The pack nodded. ¡°What about him?¡± Charles asked nodding toward Nicolas¡¯s room.


    Aceso looked up at Charles, ¡°Nicolas is assigned to be training with the Elders. Until I hear otherwise, he will not be joining us for our assigned duties around the city.¡±


    William glanced over at Aceso and asked casually, ¡°Where are you going to be?¡±


    Aceso turned toward her enforcer, ¡°Are you keeping tabs on me, William?¡±


    William shrugged against the building, ¡°No, I was just curious.¡± He added solemnly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Aceso. I meant no disrespect.¡±


    Aceso looked at William and nodded, ¡°Accepted.¡± She took in the other two members of her pack. ¡°I have been assigned to take a census of the wildlife in the forest. While you are seeing to the human born¡¯s meals, I will have a head start cataloguing the available wildlife there.¡± She looked out over the city toward the massive indoor forest that was her responsibility for the coming day. She turned back and refocused on her pack, ¡°If I am unable to finish the job by the time you are finished with the evening meal, the day after tomorrow you will help me finish the census.¡± The three nodded in understanding. Aceso made a dusting motion with her claws, ¡°Go on, get some food and don¡¯t be late tomorrow morning.¡± The three nodded and headed down the ramp back toward the street.


    Katherine glanced back at Nicolas¡¯s doorway. There was something there that William didn¡¯t quite recognize, or at least it didn¡¯t seem possible to see it from her face in regard to Nicolas. Katherine looked a little sad and introspective, glancing back toward the sleeping scout¡¯s room. ¡°Kat, what¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Katherine shook her head and gave herself a little shake, ¡°Nothing, Will, just a little tired that¡¯s all.¡±


    William glanced back at Nicolas¡¯s room. Aceso had peeled off from the three of them and disappeared down a side street. He looked back at Katherine who was lost to her own thoughts. ¡°You¡¯re worried about him, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Katherine smiled as a small bark of laughter escaped from her, ¡°Worried, no¡­no of course not, but¡­¡±


    ¡°But what?¡± Charles asked from the other side of her.


    Katherine suddenly looked really embarrassed and a little uncomfortable. ¡°Look, guys I¡¯m not worried about him, he deserves whatever he gets.¡± She lowered her eyes and watched the street as she walked, ¡°But I can¡¯t help feel a little bit of sympathy for him. The Elders worked him hard. I don¡¯t think Nicolas has ever been that tired in his whole life.¡±


    Charles nodded, ¡°It is good to push your body to its limits from time to time. It shows you how far you can go.¡±


    Katherine looked up at Charles, ¡°But too much weight breaks the pony¡¯s back.¡± She shook her head slightly, ¡°I just hope the Elders don¡¯t push him too hard, that¡¯s all.¡±

 Book 4 Chapter 4a

    William nodded as he glanced up and caught his friend¡¯s eyes which reflected the same sentiment. William had never seen anyone so tired before in his lifetime. Would a single night¡¯s sleep be enough for Nicolas to recover from whatever the Elders put him through? The only thing he could be sure of is that the Elders wouldn¡¯t push him any harder than the other scouts in the city. Of course, the other scouts all benefited from their pack bond, which Nicolas didn¡¯t have the luxury to draw upon. That, mixed in with the fact that Nicolas had been able to see Achelois clearly in the Whyte Plain and where she had been, probably made him the center for whatever experiments the Elders were conducting. He found himself glancing back at Nicolas¡¯s room. And surprisingly, he genuinely hoped that Nicolas would be alright.


    The three split up and moved their separate ways to their rooms. William trudged back to his room up the three-story ramp to his doorway. As soon as he was in the doorway, he took one step and transformed back to his natural human form and walked to the dresser and grabbed a towel. He yanked open another drawer and pulled out some shorts, which he put on. He slipped into his flip flops, grabbed his hygiene bag and turned around to find his doorway no longer empty.


    ¡°Keva? What is it?¡± he asked tiredly. Keva was standing respectfully in his doorway not moving. She looked at him with those bright green eyes. He didn¡¯t have the energy to deal with this right now. All he wanted to do was get a shower and some food and some sleep.


    Keva dropped her gaze to the floor and suddenly looked very uncomfortable, which was very uncharacteristic for her. She idly scratched at her arm. ¡°I was¡­um¡­I was wondering if maybe¡­ you¡­ um¡­ wouldn¡¯t mind getting something to eat with me later.¡± She brought her eyes back up to meet his.


    William was a little startled at what he saw reflected there, fear maybe or apprehension? You¡¯d think she had never asked or been asked out to dinner before. He tried to keep his impatience from showing. He knew what she was trying to do but right then he didn¡¯t care, it was only dinner. ¡°Sure, I¡¯m heading to the cafeteria after my shower. We can meet there in about thirty minutes?¡± If he had been less tired and skuzzy feeling he might have been able to say something to diffuse what she was really after but he was too tired to deal with that hazard right now.


    Keva nodded quickly, ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll meet you there in thirty minutes.¡± She turned around and started to step out of the doorway but halted mid step and looked back at him over her shoulder through her flaming red hair, ¡°See you, Setford.¡± She swung her hair around as she disappeared around the doorway.


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    William breathed a sigh of relief and sat down heavily on the bed. That had been a little too easy for his comfort level. At least she didn¡¯t see me naked. I don¡¯t think she did anyways. He knew what she was trying to do. This had been the most civil she had been to him ever. If she had been this way to him from the start he might actually consider something with her. But she had very different ideas about how relationship should be conducted from him and he had a feeling that she was trying a different bait to get to the same end. Couldn¡¯t she understand that he didn¡¯t feel the things for her that she obviously felt for him? It was enough to give him a migraine.


    William heaved himself up off the bed, certain that Keva had had enough time to vacate the premise, and he headed out the door. He walked down the ramp and there was no sign of Keva, anywhere. Thank the Gods for that. He walked quickly to the bathroom down the street. He heard the showers running. He dropped his shorts and towel on the counter and grabbed his shampoo and soap out of his bag. He walked around the partition separating the shower from the toilets.


    Charles and Katherine were already there, just soaking themselves. William walked in and placed his stuff on a sink and turned on the water for himself. The water was ice. With a yelp he jumped out of the stream.


    Katherine opened her eyes with a smile and Charles openly laughed at him.


    William stood there with his body covered in goose bumps shivering slightly, ¡°That¡¯s not funny, man.¡± William turned his back on both of them, readjusted the shower temperature, and reached out his hand to test the water. He looked over his shoulder at Katherine who was running her hands through her hair as the water flowed through it, still smiling. ¡°Kat, I would expect more sympathy from you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not the idiot who stood in an ice cold shower.¡± She shot back nonchalantly with her eyes still closed.


    William knew he was beat and he couldn¡¯t really say anything to boost his ego, it had been his fault. And it had been kind of funny. He let his embarrassment drop and smiled at his own retardation. He ducked his head into the now warm running water and started washing his hair.


    Rinsing the shampoo out of his near shoulder length, wavy brown hair he turned back around to face his pack mates. With water running down his face getting into his mouth he said, ¡°You¡¯ll never guess who paid me a visit at my room just now.¡±


    Charles, who was washing myself looked back over his shoulder, ¡°Who? Ares?¡±


    William shook his head, ¡°Nope, good guess though.¡± He turned around and grabbed his soap, ¡°No, it was Keva.¡±


    Katherine¡¯s sigh could be heard over the sound of running water, ¡°What did she want?¡±


    Running the bar of soap over his arms he shook his head, ¡°Oh, nothing much. She asked me out to dinner.¡±


    ¡°She what?¡± Charles asked as he dropped his leg back down to the wet tiled floor.


    William nodded, ¡°Oh yeah, she looked about as scared as a rabbit.¡±


    Katherine was rinsing herself off with her back to William, ¡°So what did you say?¡± she asked back over her head.


    ¡°I told her yes and that I¡¯d be at the cafeteria in about thirty minutes.¡± William replied.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we going to be with you, at that time?¡± Charles asked.

 Book 4 Chapter 4b

    William looked over at Katherine. She had a hard look on her face as if he had just committed some horrible crime. ¡°Hey! Look,¡± William replied defending himself, ¡°This is the first time that this girl had acted in even a remotely civil way. The only communication between me and her over the past three months has been¡­well¡­the word disturbing comes to mind.¡± William ran his fingers through his wet hair. ¡°Look, I have no intention of leading this girl on. I don¡¯t want from her what she wants from me, and I have tried to make that clear to her but until she tries anything stupid, I will return an act of civility with a like act of civility.¡±


    Katherine arched an eyebrow at him. Charles shrugged and turned around to turn off his shower. Neither of them were sold on his actions and that worried him. He didn¡¯t want to hurt Keva and he didn¡¯t want to lead her on either. This was turning into a huge mess. He had heard once, ¡®There are no perfect men in this world, only perfect intentions.¡¯ Perfect intentions rarely worked out in the real world. Why did he suddenly have this huge feeling of dread about going to dinner?


    William finished rinsing himself off and turned off the shower. Grabbing his soap and shampoo, he walked around and dropped the items back into their leather bag. Grabbing his towel from the counter, he wiped off the moisture from his body. Katherine spent a little extra time drying her hair, letting it hang over one shoulder and rubbing her towel around it. William¡¯s own long hair was still pretty wet but he wasn¡¯t terribly concerned about it. He pulled back on his shorts. The three walked out of the bathroom and split up once again, going to their respective rooms.


    William went back to his place, tossed his towel on the dresser and dropped his hygiene bag on the dresser. He pulled open two drawers and dragged out some clothes. He dropped his shorts to the ground and pulled on some underwear and pants and threw on a shirt. He sat back on his bed and pulled on his socks and shoes. He was dead tired, but the shower had invigorated him somewhat. He stood up and walked out of his room toward the cafeteria.


    He approached the cafeteria to find that he was the first person from his pack to get there but not the only person that was there. Keva was standing by herself waiting. She caught sight of him as he strolled up to the building and William could see her brilliant smile from four hundred yards away. The protests from his pack mates crashed in on him and he asked himself if he really knew what he was doing.


    ¡°Hey, Keva.¡± He said politely when he was close by.


    Keva made eye contact and held his gaze. Her stunning green eyes were alive with green fire and William couldn¡¯t help but feel really uncomfortable. ¡°Hey, Setford. How are you?¡±


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    William stepped up to the building and rested with his back against the building wall. ¡°I¡¯m tired, Keva.¡± He closed his eyes as he rested his head against the cool stone of the building.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry.¡± There was concern in her voice but something else that made William instantly open his eyes and look at her. She cocked her head to the side and looked at him sweetly. ¡°What did you have to do today?¡±


    William leaned back again. ¡°We had to clean up a shitty bathroom.¡± She barked out a laugh. William opened one eye lid and cocked his eye brow at her. She stopped laughing.


    ¡°I¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± Keva seemed to be off balance, like she was really nervous about something. William could see in her stance and her speech that she was tense. ¡°Why did the Elders make you do that?¡±


    William raised his eyes to the ceiling briefly, wishing that his pack mates would show up soon, ¡°There was a blockage in one of the sewage pipes that caused a back flow explosion of poop in one of the bathrooms and we got the unlucky task of cleaning it, so Ryan could get in there and fix the blocked pipe.¡±


    Keva nodded, ¡°Oh, that makes sense, but it still sucks.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah it did.¡± William muttered as he rested his head back on the side of the building.


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty good, Will.¡±


    William opened his eyes to see Charles stepping up beside him. William looked at his friend, ¡°What¡¯s pretty good?¡±


    Charles glanced over at him, ¡°Sleeping while standing up.¡±


    William smiled and let his eyes close again. He nodded, ¡°Yeah something I¡¯ve been working on. It comes in pretty handy for times like this.¡± William opened his eyes and motioned to Keva, ¡°Charles this is Keva. Keva, Charles.¡± The two reached out and shook each other¡¯s hands. Keva smiled at the tall black man and Charles nodded his head.


    Katherine walked up to join them, nodding toward the red-haired girl. ¡°Hello, Keva.¡± She looked over at William and Charles, ¡°Are we going to eat inside or just stand out here, sleeping.¡± William glanced at his friend and heaved himself off the building. Charles followed suit and the four of them entered the building.


    The place was very familiar with its smells of food and steam. William let Keva step in front of them to get served first. He glanced behind him at Katherine who had a stone expression on her face. William silently asked what the problem was and Katherine shook her head and looked away. William really didn¡¯t know what he was doing wrong here. It was just dinner.


    He grabbed his food and sat down across from Keva in the middle of the cafeteria. Charles and Katherine soon joined them. He looked across at Keva who was smiling mildly. Her red hair was loosely pulled back so it spread across her shoulders and down her back. Her green eyes were a lot more awake than he was and he envied that. He hid a huge yawn behind one hand. The faster he ate the faster he could go to bed.


    Keva looked over at Charles, who was sitting next to her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that you guys had to clean that bathroom today. I wish I could have been there to help.¡±


    Charles looked across the table at William briefly before looking over at Keva. ¡°It was just something that had to be done. We were unlucky enough to be tasked with the job.¡±


    ¡°What were you up to today, Keva?¡± Katherine asked.


    Keva looked across the table at the woman. ¡°I was here cleaning the Kitchen area and disposing of waste parts.¡±

 Book 4 Chapter 4c

    ¡°Waste parts?¡± William asked looking across the table at her.


    Keva nodded, ¡°Yeah, the parts of the animals that we don¡¯t cook and can¡¯t eat. You know, the bones, intestines, things like that.¡±


    Around a mouthful of food William asked, ¡°Where does all that waste go?¡±


    Keva turned her head slightly, lifting her head and stretching her neck. It was so subtle that William may have imagined it. She looked directly at him with an intensity that the answer didn¡¯t warrant. ¡°Most of it gets buried in the forest, fertilizing the soil. What isn¡¯t buried is stored until it¡¯s removed from the city.¡±


    Katherine glanced at William out of the corner of her eye, and asked Keva ¡°So I assume you weren¡¯t part of the disposal team that went out today?¡±


    Keva looked a little hurt and her back straightened noticeably. She held Katherine¡¯s eyes and said in a suddenly very cold and formal voice, ¡°No, I was not part of the team that left the city. I haven¡¯t left the city since I got here six months ago.¡± William saw anger in the woman¡¯s green eyes.


    Katherine held the other woman¡¯s gaze but said softly and empathetically, ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that. Why haven¡¯t you been able to leave the city?¡±


    Keva shrugged her shoulders and answered the question while looking at William. ¡°I don¡¯t know. My teacher, Helios, told me that no pup is allowed outside the city unless they are part of a pack.¡± She looked at William, ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for your little stunt with Aceso, Setford, I would be part of this pack and you¡¯d be the one doing extra kitchen duty.¡± She didn¡¯t say it with any anger but she wasn¡¯t smiling either.


    William looked at her. When he had sworn fealty to Aceso it must have upset a lot of things in the city. Keva must have been bumped to the end of the line as far as pack formation goes. ¡°Keva, I had no idea.¡±


    She waved him away with her fork in the air, ¡°Hey, don¡¯t sweat it. I mean there¡¯s never any guarantee about who gets put in a pack anyway.¡± She placed a fork full of potatoes in her mouth and chewed silently looking up at the ceiling. Swallowing, she continued, ¡°Who knows, you and I could have been in the same pack. Wouldn¡¯t that have been interesting?¡± She tapped her chin for a moment, ¡°I wonder which one of us would have been Alpha then.¡±


    William suddenly felt very uncomfortable about everything, and the one thing he wanted, more than anything, was to get as far away from this table, and the woman who was intently looking at him, as he possible could.


    Dinner passed quietly enough after that. There was a little bit of table talk between the four of them but nothing more than a few sentences. The three of them were just tired and Keva didn¡¯t seem to have much to say either, of which he was eternally grateful.


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    After dinner the three pack mates met outside of the cafeteria said good night to each other. William turned around to see Keva standing there waiting for him. ¡°Keva, I have an early morning tomorrow. I¡¯ll talk to you later?¡± He desperately hoped she would get the hint.


    ¡°I know.¡± She said glancing down the street before arching her back and looking up at him again, ¡°I wanted to walk you back to your place.¡±


    That was getting a little too close for comfort. ¡°Not tonight. I¡¯m exhausted and I just want to go to bed.¡±


    Keva nodded. He wasn¡¯t quite sure she understood exactly what he was saying. ¡°Oh ok, I guess¡­ I¡¯ll see you around then.¡± She lifted her hand in farewell and turned her back on him.


    William was left standing alone next to the cafeteria and suddenly he felt like a huge asshole. He turned up the street to go back home. What was he doing wrong? He walked slowly trying to figure out at exactly what point he had lost control of the situation. Katherine and Charles both disagreed with how he was handling this situation. He had told Keva ¡®no¡¯ to walking him home and now she was mad at him. The truth was he hadn¡¯t known, that if it wasn¡¯t for him, Keva would be in this pack now, whether or not he would have been or if Achelois still would have been was debatable. He had screwed her and he hadn¡¯t even known it.


    Also, there was the fact that Keva was a very good looking girl in her own right. Why she had picked him to dote upon, was something he couldn¡¯t even fathom. He wasn¡¯t the biggest guy here and he wasn¡¯t the most attractive either. Hell, Nicolas was bigger and if he wasn¡¯t such a douche tard he might even say that Nicolas was more attractive than he was. Ok, that would be a lie; he knew he was better looking than Nicolas, but still. Keva was a nice girl but he was going to have to drop the ¡®anvil of rejection¡¯ on her head, the sooner he got this thing taken care of the better. He made his way home, stripped himself bare and crashed on top of his bed, instantly falling asleep.


    His eyes opened suddenly as something grabbed at his leg. He twisted his head around as he jerked his leg free to see what it was that grabbed him. Aceso was standing over him with a bemused look on her face. ¡°What is it?¡± William asked still bleary eyed and confused from sleep.


    Aceso leaned forward slightly. The desired effect was attained as William jerked his head back from her. She looked into his tired eyes, ¡°Time to wake up, Will.¡±


    What? No, that wasn¡¯t possible he had just gone to sleep. He shook his head trying to clear it. But he rolled over anyway and his heavy eye lids closed on their own. William felt a harsh pressure on his leg. The next instant he was flying backward through the air. He clutched at his furs but they did little to slow his speed. He crashed down on his hard stone floor.


    He rolled over, dragging a thick fur blanket on top of himself as he glared up at Aceso. ¡°What did you do that for?¡±


    Aceso crossed her arms over the white patch on her chest; as more light invaded the darkness of William¡¯s room. ¡°I only ask once. My enforcer gets no special treatment.¡± She turned around and stalked toward the open doorway. She stopped. Still facing towards the city she said, ¡°You will get up and get to the cafeteria for your morning duties and you will do it now.¡± Without looking back, she transformed into her natural wolf form and gracefully bolted from his room.

 Book 4 Chapter 4d

    William had a scowl on his face as he rubbed at his elbow. The stone floor had not gotten any easier to fall on, even though he had been around the stuff for a few months now. There was no arguing with what Aceso had said. If he didn¡¯t show up now there would be hell to pay. He would rather avoid all that nastiness if at all possible.


    Dragging himself up from his place on the floor he grabbed his hygiene bag and got a clean pair of underwear from the dresser. He didn¡¯t even bother with shorts today he walked down to the bathroom in his underwear.


    About twenty minutes later William was walking down the street toward the cafeteria fully dressed. He was a little sore this morning and his body was still bone tired. If he didn¡¯t have somewhere to be this morning, he would have gratefully gotten another two or three hours of sleep.


    He made it to the cafeteria to find it a lot noisier than he would have guessed it would be at this time of morning. The clamoring and pot banging was all going on behind the food service counter and he gingerly navigated the long tables to made his way to the back of the building to see what it was that he was supposed to be doing this morning.


    Glancing around amidst the steam and noise from the kitchen he stuck his head out in to a narrow walkway and almost got slammed in the face with a rather large mesh basket. William jerked back as Katherine stumbled to a halt. ¡°Oh, Sorry, Will.¡± She looked down at the basket, having satisfied herself that none of the eggs inside it were broken she looked over at William again. ¡°You¡¯re a little late.¡±


    William was still trying to recover from almost getting a basket slammed in his face. ¡°What is going on around here?¡± William glanced back and forth looking for something. ¡°Who¡¯s in charge around here?¡±


    Katherine looked back over her shoulder, ¡°Somebody put Charles in charge...¡± She immediately snickered.


    William felt a lopsided smile spread across his face as well. ¡°That¡¯s good, you¡¯ve been working on that all morning, haven¡¯t you?¡± Katherine shrugged with a grin on her face. William shook his head, ¡°Wait a minute, what do you mean, late?¡±


    Katherine took off walking at a brisk pace, ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re late! Go see Charles and ask if he needs any help.¡± She said as she disappeared around a corner formed by some kind of closet looking things on wheels.


    William watched her disappear and wondered where the hell Charles could be. He slowly stepped around the big appliances and pottery that was just lying all over the place. He followed the sound of pans crashing together and running water. He passed by a massive stove and what looked like a fast food deep fryer. There was no fat in the fryer though and the stove griddle was cold. Where was breakfast going to be cooked, exactly?


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    William peered around another corner of the kitchen and saw Charles standing amidst a cloud of steam in front of a deep sink. William walked up behind his friend. Speaking loudly to be heard over the water, ¡°Katherine told me to come and see you.¡±


    Charles looked over his shoulder and a smile spread across his face. ¡°What happened to you, Will? You get caught up in the sheets this morning?¡±


    William scratched at his neck as the steam had already made him start to sweat. The question confused him and he knew that it was a joke of some kind but he had never heard that reference before. He shot back in a monotone, ¡°I don¡¯t have any sheets.¡±


    Charles laughed as he turned back to his work in the sink. ¡°Look, Will? I need you to go help Tara in the back. She¡¯s getting the pork and bacon ready for this morning.¡±


    William looked around dubiously. ¡°Which way is the ¡®back¡¯?¡±


    Charles pulled back from the sink and steam and leaned into William as he pointed. ¡°Down that corridor and take a right when you hit the big metal door. It¡¯ll be the big metal door to the right of that.¡± Charles went back to washing. He said over his shoulder, ¡°If you get lost just call out for a girl named Tara, she¡¯ll help you get where you need to be.¡±


    The way he said it William knew that he was smiling at him. Ha ha, call for a girl named Tara? Wait a minute, isn¡¯t Tara the girl from Acharya¡¯s pack? He almost turned back around to ask Charles but just then he saw the corridor that he had been shown by his friend.


    He walked down the corridor, trying to anticipate and get ready to dodge anything that might come flying out at him, like a basket of eggs, for instance. When he felt he was far enough away from his friend he called softly, ¡°Tara? Tara? Are you back here?¡± There was no answer. For a moment William was sure that he had gone the wrong way until he saw a big metal door looming in front of him.


    He didn¡¯t have time to think about it too much as another unseen metal door off to his right swung violently open. The handle caught him in the side and he doubled over from the pain. A silent exhalation of breath escaped his lungs as he wheezed tiredly. The door fell back and flew open again. This time William was pushed off his feet, with a heavy grunt of pain. He fell back, crashing into a bread cart. Thankfully the cart was empty.


    The noise of him crashing, brought a head poking out from around the metal door that had slammed into him. Tara stood there with her neck craned around the door so she could see what she had hit. William looked up at her. Her brown skin was covered in goose bumps. Her chestnut hair was a little frazzled. Her brown eyes were looking down at him with a little impatience. ¡°William? What are you doing down there?¡±


    William pushed himself off the floor and brushed at his arms and butt. He stood over the sage as he replied, ¡°Charles, sent me here to help you with pork?¡±


    Tara looked up at him while still halfway in the freezer, ¡°Yeah, pork. Now could you help me with this door¡­ so I can¡­¡±

 Book 4 Chapter 4e

    William lunged forward and grabbed the freezer door. With more effort than he would have thought necessary he pulled the big metal door open. Tara was standing in the freezer entry way with a huge chunk of meat. It looked like a whole skinned pig.


    ¡°It¡¯s a boar. Now, help me drag this thing over to the big counter over there.¡± She jerked her hair forward and to the side to indicate the direction of the counter.


    William was a little slow and looked at Tara cross ways. How did she know what I was thinking? He didn¡¯t have time to ask right then as he had to grab the other side of the slab of pork as Tara swung it at him. He caught it and immediately wished he hadn¡¯t. First thing was the stubs that used to be legs were as smooth as the obsidian that made up the buildings in the city so he had almost no grip. Second, he didn¡¯t have any gloves on and the frozen pork was like trying to handle dry ice. He almost let go of the thing.


    Tara nodded her head as William slowly backed up toward the counter. His hands felt like there were needles digging into them. The sub-freezing sensation that had wrapped around his hands was now starting to flow up his arms. His hands didn¡¯t go numb though. The side of Pork was too cold for that. The cold dug deeper and more painfully into his skin as he gritted his teeth against it. The counter wasn¡¯t too far away he just had to get this thing there.


    After a couple more steps he nodded at Tara and they both in a heave tossed the dead animal onto the counter. The frozen slab of flesh slid and rattled to a stop as it hit the wall. William nearly doubled over as he jammed his hands into his arm pits trying to warm them. The only thing was the sudden warmth of his tired sweaty body turned the ice needles in his hands to spiked drill bits. He pulled his hands out from his body but the pain persisted. There was no quick ease for his suffering. He looked at his red hands as it seemed like his own body had turned against him. Pain throbbed in his fingers and palm as another pain shot through his hand up into his arms. All he could do was shake them stupidly trying to get blood flow back into them and stop those sanity crushing needles of pain.


    Wiping her brow with her arm she smiled at him, ¡°Thanks, Will. I couldn¡¯t have gotten that thing over here by myself.¡± William looked down to see that she was wearing gloves. He looked at his own angry red hands and then back at Tara¡¯s glove covered hands, and back to his own again. The display had the desired effect. Tara looked up at him, ¡°What do you expect me to do about it. You¡¯re the idiot that handled frozen meat with no gloves on.¡±


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    William stood there staring at her and blinked twice. He ran his hands through his hair. Scratching his scalp he turned toward the frozen hunk of flesh, ¡°What are we going to do about that? It¡¯ll take forever for it to thaw.¡±


    Tara replied, ¡°It¡¯s a good thing that that¡¯s for dinner then, huh? Now go and cut some bacon strips, please? The meat¡¯s already on the meat slicer over there.¡± She said as she pointed to a stainless steel industrial meat slicer at the end of the counter.


    Tara walked back to the freezer door that she had exited and closed it. Then she threw her gloves down on a shelf next to the freezer. She started to walk back down the long corridor that William had used earlier. She stopped and half turned to face him, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t handle deep frozen foods with my bare hands in the future if I were you. That¡¯s a good way to get frostbite.¡± Smiling slyly at him she turned and disappeared down the corridor.


    William turned to the meat slicer. I never had to worry about frozen dead animals back in my forest. Of course, he was a little more civilized now than he had been back there in his burrow. Life seemed to be a lot less stressful though. Sighing he started working the slicer and producing long strips of raw bacon.


    When the chunk of meat had been sliced into strips, he washed his hands and wiped his hands on a hand towel as he looked around for Tara. He backed away from the counter and looked down the corridor to see Tara walking towards him. Does she just know what I¡¯m thinking? He knew that that was crazy but it seemed like Tara knew what he wanted or what he was going to say before he said it.


    Tara walked up to him looking at his pile of strips of bacon under the slicer, ¡°Yup, that¡¯s pretty much what I expected.¡± She patted him on the shoulder, ¡°Good job on the bacon.¡± William shrugged his shoulders. Tara grabbed some plastic gloves out of a box on a nearby shelf. Slipping them on, she grabbed a tray and scooped up the raw strips of meat and plopped it on the large tray.


    ¡°Will, go give that to whoever is on the grill.¡± Tara pointed the way and William carried the tray to the massive griddle that he had passed upon entering the kitchen.


    There was nobody on the griddle and the thing was still ice cold. He looked behind him and to the left and right. There was nobody there and the harsh noise of the morning seemed to have subsided as well. Looking around once he shrugged his shoulders and turned one of the knobs on the side of the thing. He heard the familiar ignition of gas and looked under the griddle surface. He smiled as blue flames reached up and licked at the thick metal. Nodding his head he laid the strips of bacon out on the griddle. Soon the bacon began to bubble and darken as the blood and fat was cooked off of the meat. The most amazingly rich smell washed over him as steam rose and enveloped him. Hot grease popped and stung his hand but he didn¡¯t mind so much. It had been so long since he had the pleasure of cooking bacon.

 book 4 Chapter 5f

    He looked around and found a fork and flipped over the cooking meat. He had never liked black bacon; his dad wouldn¡¯t eat it any other way. He preferred it to be red, still crispy but not blackened. He liked to taste meat, not ash. He let the slabs of bacon stay on the griddle for a few moments more as the remaining fat popped and cooked off. Grabbing the plate he had used to bring the bacon over to the slicer, and washed it quickly. He scooped up the cooked bacon onto the freshly cleaned and dried plate. One of the pieces broke cleanly under the weight of several other pieces and he smiled at his handy work, a perfectly cooked batch of crispy bacon. He couldn¡¯t help but be a little proud of himself.


    ¡°Hey, Charles.¡± William called out to his friends as he saw Charles moving off in some other direction.


    His friend stopped and turned to look at him. Charles smiled at the heaping plate of cooked bacon in his hands. ¡°Well, somebody knows how to use a grill.¡± He walked over and took the plate from William. ¡°That¡¯s good to know. I¡¯ll send Kat over here and you can start cooking those eggs she brought in.¡± Charles started to walk off but hesitated and turned back around. ¡°Hey, Will, do you like cooking?¡±


    William looked at his friend and nodded his head, ¡°Yeah, I love it. I just haven¡¯t been able to do it since I got here.¡±


    Charles nodded, ¡°How about we make omelets this morning for everybody, if you wouldn¡¯t mind?¡±


    William stopped himself from answering right away. He did love to cook and if he said yes, he¡¯d be on the grill all morning and maybe every time they had kitchen duty. Doing the same thing over and over again wasn¡¯t his idea of fun. But he loved to cook and the thought of passing up this opportunity made him die a little on the inside. He smiled and nodded his head, ¡°Sounds good to me.¡±


    Charles nodded and walked back the way he had come with the plate of bacon. He called back over his shoulder, ¡°I¡¯ll get someone to bring you the ingredients, ham, vegetables, whatever you need, just let me know.¡± Charles disappeared around the front of the kitchen.


    William nodded to himself and looked around for some kind of a refrigerator. It didn¡¯t take him too long to realize that the refrigerator had to be all the way in the back next to the freezer. Heaving a sigh, he took off at a trot to get back there and grab some butter, if there was any to be had, and cheese and vegetables.


    Coming back with the needed ingredients he placed them on the counter next to him. He was just about ready to open the tub of butter when Katherine walked around the corner carrying that mesh basket filled with eggs. She looked tired and a little ragged. ¡°What have you been up to?¡± he asked empathetically.


    Katherine smiled at him and shook her head, ¡°Oh, nothing I was just called to run all over the city getting stuff.¡± She wiped her sweaty forehead and she gently placed the basket down on the counter next to the cheese and tomatoes. ¡°What are those for?¡±


    William smiled as he grabbed two eggs out of the basket, ¡°They¡¯re for omelets.¡±


    ¡°Omelets?¡± She turned her head sideways while looking dubiously at the counter. ¡°You mean those disgusting things with all the meat and vegetables wrapped in fried eggs?¡±


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    Her negative tone struck him as odd. ¡°You mean you don¡¯t like omelets?¡±


    Katherine looked up at him sweetly. ¡°Will, I love everything that goes into one of those things. I like eggs and I like ham and bacon. I like tomatoes and mushrooms. I like peppers and onions. I just don¡¯t like them together. It always seemed¡­ wrong to me.¡±


    William almost laughed but Katherine¡¯s serious tone told him that would be a mistake. ¡°Have you ever tried one?¡± He asked gently.


    Katherine looked at the counter and the griddle, ¡°No, no I haven¡¯t. I never saw the need to.¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute you have gone through life hating something that you have never even tried before?¡± William didn¡¯t bother trying to keep the disbelief out of his voice. ¡°You know how crazy and close minded that sounds, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Katherine tried to hide a shy smile, ¡°Oh yeah, like you have been open minded about everything you came across in your life?¡± She cocked her head to side. ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll try one of your omelets this morning. But if I gag, I¡¯m blaming you.¡± Smiling she walked away to wherever it was that she had come from. Looking back over her shoulder she said, ¡°You might want to plainly cook some of those eggs though. There may be people who just want their usual scrambled eggs with breakfast.¡± Then she disappeared around the corner.


    William looked at the eggs in the basket. Was this all there was? The basket was a good size and it held maybe three or four dozen eggs. This couldn¡¯t possibly be enough to feed all the human born in the city. Well, he had what he needed and there was a hot griddle in front of him. Grabbing a steel spatula, he dipped it into the tub of butter and dropped a good chunk of it onto the hot surface. It immediately started bubbling and hissing. He spread it out a little and turned the fire down a bit. Grabbing an egg, he cracked it messily and threw it onto the melted puddle of butter. Discarding the shells he grabbed another and cracked it as well. Soon he had a nice pile of egg on the griddle. Taking the spatula he roughly mixed the whites and the yolks together. The griddle was still a little too hot and he had to turn it down again. After some flipping and scraping with the paddle the eggs were a rich fluffy yellow, even without milk. He pushed the eggs off to one side and looked around for a container of some sort.


    As he was looking he realized he had no idea what time it was or how long he had been there. He called out, ¡°Hey, Charles? Somebody?¡± There was no answer. He turned around and opened a cabinet to see if there was anything that could hold cooked eggs.


    Presently Charles walked into the stove area. ¡°Will? You wanted something?¡±


    He pulled his head out away from the cabinet and looked at his friend. ¡°Yeah, I was wondering what you wanted me to put these eggs in?¡± He said as he pointed to the cooked pile of yellow goodness on the stove.


    Charles gave a little half smile. ¡°That¡¯s great, Will really.¡± He put his hands on his hip and looked up toward the ceiling, ¡°How did I get this job?¡± He asked more to himself than to William. He turned back to his friend, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll get that for you. Listen, Will, we are way behind right now.¡± Charles looked around behind him. ¡°I¡¯m going to throw a whole bunch of stuff at you in about thirty seconds, are you going to be alright?¡±


    There was genuine concern in his Charles¡¯s voice. William looked up at him and said, ¡°Yeah, hey, Charles whatever you need I¡¯m here. We¡¯ll get this done.¡± He smiled up at Charles as he finished.


    Charles wiped at his head with his hand. ¡°Ok, I¡¯ve got pancake batter coming your way¡­¡± Just as he said this, Tara walked up to the stove carrying a huge barrel of soft white batter.


    She placed the barrel on the ground and looked up at Charles and William, ¡°You boys going to be alright with this?¡±


    William nodded, ¡°I got this. I¡¯ve never cooked for this many people before but there¡¯s a first time for everything.¡±


    She nodded her head, ¡°Good luck.¡± She said. She turned around and called back over her shoulder, ¡°You¡¯re going to need it,¡± as she walked away from the two of them.


    Charles looked down at the barrel of batter, ¡°You sure you¡¯re going to be alright with this, Will?¡±


    William smiled and patted him on the shoulder, ¡°Charles, no problem. Don¡¯t worry about me. Just get done what you need to get done.¡± William looked around the room quickly. ¡°I could do with some stuff to put all this food in once I cook it though.¡±

 book 4 Chapter 4g

    Charles smiled and nodded a little tiredly, ¡°First thing on my ¡®to do¡¯ list, buddy.¡± He turned and quickly walked off in the direction that Tara had gone.


    ¡°I¡¯m not your buddy, guy!¡± William called after him.


    ¡°I¡¯m not your guy, friend!¡± Charles called over his shoulder.


    ¡°I¡¯m not your friend, buddy!¡± William yelled laughing.


    ¡°Will you two shut up?!¡± Katherine¡¯s voice yelled at them from around the corner.


    Charles and William both burst out laughing. Charles shook his head and waved as he disappeared. William turned back around and looked at the barrel of batter. He dipped his spatula in the tub of butter and getting a good dallop on the spatula, he spread it on the nicely heated griddle. He grabbed the ladle that Tara had left in the barrel and spooned up a serving of batter which he expertly divided into perfectly sized disks. The batter sat there for a little while before bubbles started spouting up through the batter. He knew from the time it had taken that the pancakes would be cooked perfectly. He shoved the spatula under the nearest pancake and flipped it over. He was rewarded by seeing a perfectly colored golden brown pancake. Smiling, he flipped over the other pancakes all with the same perfect color.


    With timing that couldn¡¯t have been planned more perfectly, Katherine walked up and dropped several square tubs onto a rolling cart that she positioned behind William. She walked up to him and looked over his shoulder. ¡°Not bad Mr. Food Network. I didn¡¯t know you knew how to cook.¡± She said jabbing him playfully in the shoulder.


    William smiled as he shrunk from the impact. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye as he reached back for one of the tubs. ¡°I¡¯m sorry you never knew about me and cooking, I guess it just never came up.¡± He scooped up three pancakes and dropped them neatly into the pan. ¡°As for the Food Network; I¡¯m tip top alright but not nearly as good as some of those people are.¡±


    Katherine smiled at him, ¡°I wonder what other talents you have hidden in that brain and body of yours that we just don¡¯t know about.¡±


    The smile slid from William¡¯s face as he scooped up the remaining pancakes and dropped them in the pan. He set them on the table behind them and coughed roughly into his sleeve, turning his head away from the food. He was suddenly a little uncomfortable.


    Katherine sensed this and blushed deeply. The sudden coloration of her cheeks contrasted so dramatically from her eyes that they seemed to glow neon green for a moment. She looked down, studying her feet, letting her brown hair cover her face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I¡­I didn¡¯t mean it like that, Will. I¡¯m sorry¡± She walked off before he could think to say anything to stop her.


    For the next hour or two he was cooking nonstop. At some point someone brought him more pancake batter. Sausage patties were brought out to be cooked and then more were brought. He had to fry hash browns and potatoes. Every once in a while, he got some spare room on the griddle to put together an omelet. He never got any orders for one he just made them, sometimes with everything on it. One or two of them just had ham and cheese. He had never been so busy cooking before but he had to admit that he loved every minute that he was in front of that griddle.


    After a while Charles came up and clapped him on the shoulder. ¡°I think you¡¯re done, Will.¡±


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    William looked up from the still cooking pancakes and sausages that were still on the stove. Wiping the sweat from his brow with his sleeve he heaved a sigh. ¡°Is that it then?¡± He turned around and flipped the patties and the pancakes.


    ¡°Yup, everyone has been fed as far as I know. We didn¡¯t have a lot of leftovers, which is good. Shut down the stove and clean up a little then get something to eat.¡±


    Charles started to walk off but William was able to grab him. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting all morning to make us some omelets, you ready?¡±


    Charles smiled and nodded his head. Will grabbed the eggs and cracked four of them in a bowl. He whisked them and spread out the yellow mixture on the stove and spread the toppings on them. ¡°Go get some plates, so we can eat.¡±


    Moments later the stove was clean and turned off. The extra food had been wrapped in plastic wrap and stored for tomorrow and William and Charles stood at the table eating.


    ¡°I had a feeling I would find the two of you here, goofing off.¡± Katherine said as she walked around the corner. She looked at the two men as they ate. ¡°So, I guess you forgot.¡±


    William hurriedly swallowed his bite of egg and tomatoes and cheese, shaking his head. ¡°Not at all Kat, in fact,¡± he reached for a plate that was half hidden by his body. The plate had a still steaming perfectly wrapped omelet on it. It looked close to a restaurant menu photo. William smiled as he handed it to her. ¡°I just made that one especially for you with everything on it just like you asked for.¡±


    Katherine took the plate looking dubiously at the wrapped yellow of the eggs on the plate as if she expected it at any moment to reach up and bite her.


    ¡°That was delicious, Will.¡± Charles commented as he scraped his fork along the clean plate.


    ¡°Thanks Charles, but the real test is what Kat thinks about them.¡± He turned back toward the sage, ¡°Well? How is it?¡±


    Katherine took up her fork and sliced into the thing. The cheese was warm and oozed out of the puncture. A perfect blend of mushrooms and bacon and tomatoes could be seen with the slight green of peppers mixed in. Katherine stabbed the piece of egg and bit into it. Her face was a mask of uncertainty, then slowly it changed to contemplative. She swallowed and took another bite¡­ and another¡­ and another. Soon the plate was clean and Kat was wiping her mouth with her hand.


    William folded his arms across his chest, leaning back against the stove, looking very proud of himself. He smiled and asked again, ¡°So, how was it?¡±


    Katherine looked up as if she had forgotten there was anybody else in the room with her. She smiled shyly and put the plate down on the cart. ¡°It was really good.¡±


    ¡°HA! So, you were wrong about omelets being gross?! Admit it, confess, confess!¡± William was openly laughing now.


    Katherine joined in, ¡°You are insane! YES! I was wrong about omelets being gross! I¡¯m sorry I offended your culinary ability.¡±


    ¡°What in the hell is going on in here?¡± Tara asked as she quickly walked in from the corridor leading to the freezer. ¡°All I here is YES! And HA, if I didn¡¯t know any better, I¡¯d say there was some kind of¡­you know, going on in here.¡±


    The three of the pack mates looked at the dark-skinned woman with wide eyed innocence and naivet¨¦. William answered, ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about Tara. Charles, do you know what she is talking about?¡±


    Charles shook his head. ¡°Kat?¡± Barely hiding a smile she shook her head too.


    William turned back to the dark skinned woman, ¡°Sorry, Tara we have no idea what you mean about yelling and noises.¡±


    Tara looked around at the three friends shaking her head. ¡°Uh huh, ok. I¡¯ll just go start getting prepped for lunch then. It¡¯s already past mid-morning, it¡¯ll be noon before you know it.¡± She took one last look at the group and walked off back the way she had come in. The three friends burst out laughing as soon as she was gone.


    William looked up at the ceiling as he wiped at his sweaty fore head. He then looked at his pack mates. ¡°She¡¯s right you know. We should probably get ready for lunch.¡±


    Charles and Katherine nodded in agreement ¡°Yes, a lot of work still to do today.¡± Charles said as he turned to leave.


    Kat smiled at William, ¡°Thanks for breakfast, Will.¡± She followed Charles out and around the corner.


    William turned back toward the stove. Cleaning was always the worst part.

 Book 4 Chapter 5a

    The rest of the day Will spent in front of the grill. For lunch he grilled up meats and grilled cheese sandwiches. The hamburger was well thawed and cooked in eight minutes flat. The grilled cheese was a little bit of a challenge. He had forgotten the order of butter, flip, cheese flip. It took him a few tries to get it right. After a half dozen or so he was once again the master of fried diary on wheat.


    The place was a lot busier than he would have imagined especially since it never looked like the cafeteria was ever really full on his previous visits. Then again, he was the only one cooking so he had to guess that that had something to do with his work load. After hours of being in front of a hot stove with very little rest he was pretty tired. The thrill of cooking again had worn off around lunch time and dinner was just a bland monotony of flipping meat and sandwiches and throwing them into deep dish pans to be served. Now that dinner was finished, he just wanted to go home and sleep.


    He finished cleaning his stove and griddle and made sure the fat fryer was off. He wondered why the thing had been empty when he walked in that morning, of course it didn¡¯t really matter now anyway. He walked back to the deep sink and washed his hands for the thirtieth time that day and dried them on a clean towel hanging next to him.


    He walked back towards the stove when he ran in to Charles. ¡°Hey, man we¡¯re done for the day, right?¡±


    Charles nodded his head and put his hands on his hips. ¡°Yes, yes we¡¯re done.¡± He started to turn then looked back at William. ¡°Remember, we have to help Aceso in the forest tomorrow if she didn¡¯t finish her task today.¡± He leaned in close to his friend, ¡°I really hope she finished.¡±


    William smiled and laughed at the little joke, ¡°So do I, my friend, so do I¡± William looked around the now clean kitchen, ¡°So I can go home then?¡±


    Charles nodded, ¡°See you tomorrow, Will.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be there¡­wherever there happens to be.¡± William raised his hand to his friend in salute as he walked back out the front of kitchen into the cafeteria.


    William walked out into the city to find that the ceiling crystals were already dimmed into a nighttime luster. He really felt like there should have been a cool breeze blowing. He couldn¡¯t help but think of some nights in his forest where the stars would be out in force and there was always a cool wind blowing in off the ocean. He would raise his nose and inhale the familiar salt tang of the sea. Then a wolf would howl in the distance and he would look up at the moon, to see when he could run with his pack again. If he had known that he could run with his pack whenever he wanted, the time in his forest would have been that much more enriching. But if that was the case, would he have taken the time to enjoy the starlight of a new moon sky? The memories were pleasant and a smile spread across his face as he once again promised himself that he would get back there one day.


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    The next morning, he awoke by himself. He got up and looked outside at the ceiling crystals. They were still reflecting an early morning light. He got himself dressed and walked down to the bathroom and took care of himself there. In the mirror he wondered where all that hair had come from. He told himself that was going to have to be cut at some point. He went back to his room. Stripping himself of his clothes he transformed into his werewolf form. There was nothing for him to do here so he headed out to where his pack usually met up in the morning for training.


    Walking up to the meeting point he found that he was the first one there, or just in the wrong place entirely. He decided to wait for a few minutes just to see if anybody would come along. He looked up as he heard a fluttering of wings. His tail twitched and his ears pointed behind him toward the direction of the sound. It was not uncommon to hear some of the forest birds from this spot; it just caught him off guard.


    ¡°Looking for something, Will?¡±


    He turned around to see the familiar cream colored form of Katherine walk up. ¡°Yeah, I heard birds and they sounded really close.¡±


    Katherine cocked her head to the side as her ears twitched forward and backward trying to locate the sounds that William was referring to. After a moment or two Katherine shook her head, ¡°I don¡¯t hear anything.¡±


    William shrugged, ¡°Being crazy isn¡¯t all bad, at least I¡¯ll always be entertained.¡±


    Katherine smiled and shook her head at him, ¡°What is wrong with you?¡±


    ¡°Besides the being able to turn into a movie monster with the ability and need to eat twice what a normal person eats, nothing. Why do you ask?¡±


    Katherine laughed and shook her head, ¡°You are something else.¡± She turned around and looked up at the early morning light from the ceiling crystals. ¡°Will?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± He replied.


    ¡°When do you think they¡¯ll let us out of here?¡± She turned toward him and there was a sadness there that he had never seen before. ¡°I am starting to hate all this black smoothness. Not even the forest gives me much comfort anymore.¡± She sighed and shook her head. ¡°I need to talk to my family. They probably think I¡¯m dead by now. Not to mention the sky.¡± She looked at him and her gold eyes met his in a look as intense and sincere as he had ever seen. ¡°There¡¯s no wind here, Will¡­I know I¡¯m just complaining but the thought of feeling wind again ruffling my hair and blowing across my skin¡­¡± She looked out over the city as she spoke to him.


    ¡°I had a dream last night. It was so real¡± She turned back toward him, ¡°I was standing on a bluff overlooking the ocean. The wind was clean with the tang of salt. Sand was blowing up and down the beach underneath the bluff.¡± She turned toward the forest in the underground cavern. ¡°I turned around and behind me, was a rich forest. I knew that I had to choose, either the beach or the forest.¡± She smirked as her head moved to the side, ¡°the call of a wolf drew me into the forest, big surprise, right?¡± William listened but made no move to acknowledge or disregard her decision.

 Book 4 Chapter 5b

    ¡°Anyway,¡± Kat continued, ¡°I walked back into the forest. There was a dark passage into the deep foliage. Pretty soon there was no sunlight that could break through the canopy only shadows. I could still see the sunlight but it was getting farther and farther away. I don¡¯t know why I kept going, but I did. The forest became thicker and thicker and I had to fight my way through to keep going. I remember a scene from a book I read when I was a little girl, these kids were in a forest and it got deeper and deeper as they pushed through it. That was me pushing blindly through this thick forest until I ran into solid obsidian stone. I followed it around and soon there was no forest only the black stone and an earthen cavern ceiling for a sky. I woke up and I had such a feeling of loss that I¡­¡± She shook her head and smiled shyly up at Will. ¡°Never mind Will, it was just a stupid dream. I have to learn to be stronger than that.¡±


    William shook his head, ¡°Kat, dreams are the things that our mind is trying to tell us when we can¡¯t actually hear it.¡± He waved his hands in front of him, ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, I¡¯m not into those dream readers who think that dreams always tell us something significant and it¡¯s a way for the universe to open itself up to us. I¡¯m not saying that at all, but you shouldn¡¯t be so quick to disregard your dreams either.¡± He ran his claws over his head through his pointed ears. ¡°As to your first question, I have no idea when we¡¯ll be able to get out of here. The only thing we can do right now is train and wait till the elders have something for us to do.¡± He smiled encouragingly at her, ¡°Maybe this stuff that Nicolas is doing will give us that chance.¡±


    Katherine shook her head. ¡°Will, even if that were true, its city law that only full packs get to leave the city. And since Achelois¡­ well, we¡¯re one healer short of a pack.¡±


    William felt his body slump a little. He understood where Katherine was coming from. He wanted to feel the wind on his body just as much as she did. The stars in the sky, birds soaring overhead, and sunlight on his face were all things he wished he could have. He had to remind himself though that Katherine had been here for quite a bit longer than he had. He looked at her and wondered if he would be as composed as she was after being stuck in this place for as long as she has. Would he be able to handle the call from his forest any better? He looked up at the crystals in the cavern ceiling. There light was constant and good and it kept time with what was going on outside, but it was no substitute for true sunlight. What he wouldn¡¯t give to feel the sun on his face, just for a few minutes.


    ¡°Good morning, Katherine, Will.¡± Charles said warmly as he walked up to join the two of them. He was also in his black furred werewolf form.


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    William had long since gotten used to his friend towering over him in human or werewolf form. ¡°Good morning, Charles. How¡¯d you sleep?¡±


    ¡°Really well actually. I think I¡¯m getting used to being able to move around again. You have no idea what it was like being in my room for all those weeks like that. I thought I was going to go crazy.¡± He drew in to himself a little bit as he finished, ¡°it almost made me wish that I was back home again¡­ in Africa.¡±


    William couldn¡¯t really understand what it was like for his two pack mates. Charles had moved here from another continent only to be snatched up and kept here for his safety and the safety of others. Katherine had been here for months. What he hadn¡¯t known until just now, was that she hadn¡¯t been able to contact her family at all. He realized that it had been years since he had spoken with his family. The thought of it only dampened his mood further.


    What would he say to his folks anyway? ¡®Hi mom and dad. Sorry I¡¯ve been away so long but you see I was living in a forest as a werewolf. Then I got taken to this underground city to be trained by other werewolves.¡¯ The sound of it was preposterous to him and he knew that even if his parents were open minded people, and they certainly were not, that would be a hard pill for anyone to swallow. He sometimes wondered how all this was possible and he was living right smack dab in the middle of it. This was the stuff of pure fantasy and he was the monster of children¡¯s nightmares.


    Thinking about it wasn¡¯t going to get them out of this cavern any sooner. And it wasn¡¯t going to make the face to face with his parents any easier, when and if that ever happened. He looked over at his friends who were deeply lost in their own worlds. He looked around the city and at the brightening ceiling crystals. It was getting late. ¡°Have either of you guys seen Aceso?¡±


    Charles looked up as if startled by something, his tail twitched and swung out behind him. He looked at William and shook his head, ¡°No, I was hoping she would show up here. If she was going to be here, she would have been here by now, right?¡±


    Katherine¡¯s ears flattened out behind her and swiveled around curiously, ¡°I don¡¯t hear anything. But Charles is right, it¡¯s getting really late. What should we do, just hang around here and wait for our Alpha to come pick us up?¡±


    William flicked his tail out behind him, ¡°Aceso may be my Alpha, but I¡¯m not just going to sit here waiting for somebody to pick me up like I¡¯m back in the third grade. I¡¯m going to go snoop around a little.¡±


    Katherine looked sideways at him, ¡°Will? I don¡¯t like that look in your eye. What are you planning?¡± Charles crossed his arms over his chest; apparently, he too wanted to know what plan had hatched itself inside of William¡¯s brain.


    William smiled slyly at both of them, ¡°I was just thinking of giving Nicolas a visit. Don¡¯t you guys miss him even a little bit?¡±

 Book 4 Chapter 5c

    ¡°Will! You cannot be seriously planning on intruding on an Elder training session.¡± There was a hint of fear in Katherine¡¯s voice, something that he had not expected. ¡°Will, you don¡¯t know what they are doing or how delicate it might be.¡± William looked at her flatly. Katherine took a deep breath and visually calmed herself. After a moment she continued, ¡°Look, I know that you haven¡¯t been through what I¡¯ve been through. You haven¡¯t been here in the city as long as I have, and I am telling you this is a terrible idea. There are Scouts doing things that may have never been tried before and there are Sages there as well. The combination of the two abilities must be very delicately balanced, otherwise why have the Elders there. People could die if something goes wrong, or worse.¡± Katherine hugged herself tightly and her gaze drifted toward the ground, ¡°so much worse.¡±


    Charles unfolded his arms and looked over at the cream colored werewolf, ¡°What do you mean worse?¡±


    Katherine shook her head violently as her tail swished behind her. William didn¡¯t know if this was the best time, but she had peeked his interest. ¡°Kat? What are you talking about?¡±


    She looked trapped. There was a fear in her eyes that took a long time to subside. William and Charles watched as she regained control of herself. Her tail still twitched from time to time but she was calm again. She looked at both of them with her golden eyes. ¡°You guys really don¡¯t know, do you?¡±


    ¡°It would help if we had some frame of reference to know if we know or not.¡± Charles replied kindly.


    Katherine smiled up at the seven foot five black werewolf. She glanced over at William, ¡°About the Whyte Plain and those things that we have to fight in it.¡±


    Charles shook his head but William¡¯s mind reached back to the night after he was released from his cell. And he repeated out loud the cryptic words that Ares had told him in that cave. ¡°They used to be werewolves.¡±


    Charles and Katherine both turned their heads to look at him, waiting for further explanation but none came. William¡¯s mind was already moving past that. There had been several questions that had plagued him in the past few weeks about the Whyte plain and what exactly it might be. Why had Aceso carried him for so long after killing one of those shadows the first time he was pulled in there? Why had the six of them popped out of the Whyte Plain in a completely different location from where they had entered? Looking at the two of them he leaned forward also recalling Jacob¡¯s seemingly random description, ¡®... it was better than the internet.¡¯ To his pack mates he said, ¡°I know the Whyte Plain had something to do with the ability to travel over distance and to communicate with each other from the other shape shifter cities in the world.¡± he shook his head, ¡°What I don¡¯t know is why it is the way it is now. What happened there, Kat?¡±


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    Katherine looked between them. William saw something there, apprehension maybe? It was there for only a moment before the look was replaced by a hard determination, something that William hadn¡¯t seen in her eyes for some time.


    Katherine¡¯s tail flicked behind her, putting a silent exclamation point on what she was about to say. She locked eyes with William, ¡°The Whyte Plain was made almost five thousand years ago.¡± Charles¡¯s head jerked back in surprise and shock. William found it a little hard to believe but let her continue. ¡°Guys, the Whyte Plain was created by the sages of hundreds of packs spanning the known world at the time, Asia, Africa, Europe, and here.¡± Her eyes glazed over as her mind reached back through time. ¡°For the first time the Elders of one city could instantly talk to the Elders of another. But not just that, there was free travel between the cities, like a subway. You could go from the City under the Rivers in India to the City under the Rock in Spain in hours.


    ¡°There were thousands of us back then and their human families lived in the cities with them. Children, schools, and hospitals that were state of the art thanks to our healers. Everything anyone could need to live could be found and freely given. People filling the cities had no bias towards us and had no fear of us.¡± She looked around the underground cavern. She heaved a sigh and looked at William and Charles with a smirk.


    ¡°It sounds like it was an amazing tool for our people and for the world.¡± Charles said.


    Katherine looked at him and nodded, ¡°The Whyte Plain was the internet and Grand Central Station combined, at least, it was,¡± she said that last part very quietly.


    William looked over at Katherine. ¡°Those shadows changed everything. Why are they hunting us?¡± William let some of his frustration show but in a quiet voice asked, ¡°Why are they getting stronger and we¡¯re getting weaker?¡±


    Katherine closed her eyes for a moment. She raised her head and looked at her pack mates there was a sadness there, maybe guilt? ¡°The Whyte Plain was a great gift. Unfortunately, the magic used to create it was also the magic that was used that created those shadows. Because of that, the shadows were sucked into it.¡±


    ¡°Those shadows were created by other shape shifters, as a weapon?¡± Charles asked.


    Katherine shook her head, ¡°No, this happened before the war. Some people say that it helped to start it though.¡±


    ¡°Ares mentioned a war between our people but he didn¡¯t explain further than that.¡± William reached up and scratched at his ears, ¡°What was that all about?¡±


    ¡°That is another story for another day.¡± Aceso interrupted. The three of them jumped at the sound of her voice. William had become so engrossed in the conversation he had completely lost track of Aceso¡¯s presence, and had crept up on them as easily as a cat to a bunch of mice. William looked over at Katherine but Aceso spoke again, ¡°Good morning. How did the food and kitchen duty go?¡±


    Charles stood up straight and answered, ¡°It went well. There were no incidents and we accomplished all that was required of us.¡±


    Aceso nodded, ¡°Were you all able to work with the members of the other pack?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t notice any problems or conflicts. William?¡± Charles asked.


    William shook his head as his tail mirrored the movement, ¡°No, Tara and I worked well together throughout the day.¡± He looked around at his other two pack mates. ¡°All in all, I¡¯d say it was a pretty good day yesterday.¡± Katherine and Charles nodded.

 Book 4 Chapter 5d

    Aceso nodded with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear that you performed well.¡± She looked at each one of them in turn, ¡°Because today might not be such an easy or fun day at all.¡± She let the ominous words hang in the air for a few moments. William almost asked a question but remained silent under the heavy still that had crashed down on them.


    Aceso looked them in the eye once more, ¡°We are to report to the Elder¡¯s Tower immediately, I hope you all ate.¡±


    All three of them shook their heads. Katherine spoke, ¡°I thought we would be in the forest with you today so I didn¡¯t eat expecting to hunt our meal.¡±


    Charles replied, ¡°My thoughts were similar to Katherine¡¯s.¡±


    Aceso turned her gaze on William who almost shrugged but controlled his body. He replied evenly, ¡°I didn¡¯t know what was going on today so I didn¡¯t get anything to eat either.¡±


    Aceso heaved a sigh and looked upward at the ceiling, shaking her head. ¡°You all will have to wait further then. I will inform the Elders so you may be given a small amount of time to eat later. But for now,¡± she turned around and starting walking toward the center of the city, ¡°the Elders are waiting for us.¡±


    The four of them made their way through the city and up the outside of the Elder¡¯s Tower. The ramp could hardly be seen from the ground but the Tower had the same ramp around it¡¯s outside as every other building in the City under the Mountain.


    When they entered the upper floor room of the Tower William had no idea what the Elders wanted or why they wanted to see all of them. They walked into the room to find it fairly empty. The four human born Elders were all seated in their chairs, while Derceto and Alexiares were standing in their werewolf forms. William had never seen him in his werewolf form and he was not disappointed. Alexiares was at least seven and a half feet tall, maybe closer to seven foot eight. He was covered with golden brown fur and his golden eyes were incredibly intense. Now that he noticed it, all the Elders looked tense. What in the hell is going on?


    Aceso stood out in front of her pack and addressed Huan Li formally, ¡°Elders, I Aceso, alpha of my pack, have brought my pack before you. What is it you ask of us?¡±


    Huan Li lifted his right hand towards the beautiful woman seated next him. Ansuya nodded graciously and rose regally from her seat. She was wearing a sheer, multilayered green dress that moved hypnotically around her toned body. William couldn¡¯t help himself as his eyes were drawn to the movements that she made. Ansuya stood in front of Aceso. She nodded and Aceso turned to move back and stand in line with her pack.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    The incredibly young looking Elder looked at each of them in turn. She was not slow with this, nor did she hurry. William felt like her dark brown eyes stayed on him for a moment or two longer than they rested on any of his pack mates. ¡°We have made a small discovery¡­¡± She stopped and lowered her eyes as a smile crossed her lips. She shook her head and raised her eyes to meet them once more. ¡°Nicolas Mancini, the scout of your pack, has been able to do what no scout in a millennia has achieved.¡± She turned her head to the side as Nicolas walked out from behind a wall.


    He looked like shit. He was in his werewolf form, but his fur was patchy looking and frazzled, like he had been in a fight with hair care products and appliances. Only Nicolas had bitten off more than he could chew with an industrial hair dryer getting in a lot of choice hits. The bags under his eyes, had bags under them and it looked as if he could barely keep his eyes open. His gait was unsteady and he was leaning to one side as if he was drunk. William could see the uncontrolled wobble in his legs. They would give out soon and Nicolas would collapse face first if he didn¡¯t at least sit down.


    Nicolas stopped a few feet from Ansuya. The Elder gestured with her right arm and Nicolas stepped over to Aceso. ¡°Hey guys, let¡¯s go out! The night is young and we have more bars to hit.¡± He smiled but it was shattered as a massive yawn cracked his face wide open. He stumbled but gripped at his head as he steadied himself.


    Ansuya replied softly and evenly, ¡°Nicolas, tell them what you saw and why it is that they are here.¡±


    Nicolas nodded at the Elder who turned around and glided back to her seat. The movement of her body in even something as trivial as sitting down was enough to hold hia attention.


    Nicolas said, ¡°I¡¯ve been here for three days with two hours of sleep, total.¡± He reached up and scratched at his head between his ears. ¡°When you guys found me and put me to bed, which was really sweet by the way, that was the grand total of my sleep for three days.¡± He yawned again and glanced back at the Elders who were sitting or standing in place watching him. Nicolas continued, ¡°I found someone who needs our help.¡± His voice was so sleep slurred, William could hardly understand him. Nicolas started to speak again but stopped himself, his eyes closed and he rocked forward. He would have fallen if Aceso hadn¡¯t caught him before that.


    She looked up at the Elders sitting there. ¡°My scout is exhausted and needs to sleep. May we escort him back to his home to rest?¡± The Elders shared looks among them. Huan Li raised his left hand and nodded. Aceso nodded back, ¡°Thank you, Elders. Please accept my apologies for this interruption.¡± She then heaved her scout over her shoulder and began to guide him toward the door. William reached out to help and soon they had him in his room, sleeping soundly under the thick furs of his bed. William shook his head and followed his alpha back outside into the city.


    Without a word Aceso walked down the ramp to the street and began walking. William yelled after her trying to catch up, ¡°Aceso, wait!¡± She turned to look at him impatiently. William shrugged his shoulders, ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    Aceso¡¯s ears went flat against her head. William took a half step backwards. ¡°The Elders did not dismiss us, William. We are going back to where we are supposed to be.¡± She turned and strode off.


    William shared looks with Katherine and Charles. The same thought was reflected in their eyes as well. The three of them ran up the street to catch up with their alpha.

 Book 4 Chapter 5e

    The Elders were in the same position as when Aceso and William had carried Nicolas out. Huan Li looked very relaxed, while Ansuya held a regalness to her that couldn¡¯t be disturbed by a hurricane.


    Aceso again formally addressed the Elders. ¡°Elders, I Aceso, alpha of my pack, have brought my pack before you. What is it you ask of us?¡±


    Huan Li looked at each of them in turn. He was wearing slacks and a shirt, with the top button undone. He looked long and hard at Charles and William. That inexplicable weight that he felt when looking into an Elder¡¯s eyes was there, it was less than when he first experienced it but it was still there.


    He glanced to his right and left taking in all the Elders that sat there, there was no one else in the room except for the four of his pack. Huan Li said slowly, ¡°Your scout, Nicolas has made a discovery which we have deemed worthy of further investigation.¡± He took a long pause as if to express his hesitance with what he was about to say. His body language disagreed with this hypothesis. William still felt like what he was going to say had not been agreed to by all the Elders. Huan Li stood up and walked in front of Aceso, ¡°You will take what remains of your pack, once Nicolas has recovered, and follow him to what he has seen.¡± Huan Li looked at all of them once more, ¡°This will be dangerous but Nicolas must be with his pack. You are being sent out to find what we thought had been lost.¡±


    Forgetting himself William blurted out, ¡°What was thought to be lost?¡±


    Derceto jerked her head toward the interruption and glared at William with her bright golden eyes that shone like molten gold. Before she could say anything Huan Li raised a hand and Derceto immediately relaxed back into her previous stance. Huan Li looked over at William. ¡°We werewolves are not the only shape shifters to have existed in this world.¡± He said in a scholarly voice. ¡°We were not the strongest, nor were we the most plentiful.¡± He gestured behind him toward Ansuya, ¡°We may have been the first, though, and from that we have some of the strongest ties to our celestial beginnings, Ansuya is proof of that.¡±


    ¡°How so, Elder?¡± Charles asked


    Ansuya answered in a smooth unfaltering voice full of confidence and command, ¡°I am sixty two years old.¡±


    William jaw nearly dropped to the floor. Sixty Two!? And he would have guessed that she wasn¡¯t a day over twenty two, still she was still hot. Looking at her sitting there he couldn¡¯t believe that she was as old as the other Elders sitting there. It made sense though, why would the Elders have a young woman as one of their pack if there was another older more powerful and more experienced shape shifter to hold that seat. Isn¡¯t that what being an Elder meant, you¡¯re supposed to be older than those you look over?


    Huan Li continued, ¡°You and your pack, Aceso, will be accompanied by Ansuya and Alexiares. They will help you in finding whatever or whoever Nicolas leads you to.¡±


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    If they don¡¯t know what we are after it makes sense that they would send Nicolas and us to go find it and not some other pack. It was obvious from Huan Li¡¯s mannerisms and speech that he would have liked to have chosen another pack. But Nicolas was part of Aceso¡¯s pack and he wasn¡¯t bonded to the pack yet. Was it dangerous to have Nicolas with another pack because of that? What would happen if Nicolas swore fealty to another pack alpha? William visibly shrugged, that alpha would know not to accept his oath. So why were the Elders sending them with two Elders for support. Was Ares busy? Did they not trust any other pack to work with them? It didn¡¯t make a whole lot of sense to him but the Elders were the Elders and Aceso wasn¡¯t going to argue with them in any case.


    William couldn¡¯t help but speak out once more, ¡°Elder?¡± Huan Li turned his attention to the enforcer. Returning his heavy gaze, William asked, ¡°What is it that was thought to be lost?¡±


    Huan Li smiled thinly, ¡°Once there were many species of shape shifters in the world. For various reasons they are all but extinct.¡± Huan Li walked back to his seat and heavily rested himself. Looking at the four of them he continued, ¡°In his exhaustion and sleep deprived delirium, Nicolas¡¯s visions began to coalesce into a single form. His speech was slurred and his description was vague. We know that whatever he saw had the potential to be at least twice as strong as Ares or even Alexiares.¡± The massive Elder enforcer turned his head a fraction of an inch. If William didn¡¯t know any better, he would have thought that the enforcer would have liked to question the First Elder¡¯s statement about his strength.


    ¡°We also know,¡± Huan Li said, ¡°That whatever it is, it is most definitely female.¡±


    ¡°How do you know that, Elder?¡± Katherine asked.


    Derceto answered dryly with some impatience, ¡°We can only guess. But unless Nicolas is attracted to males his repeated use of the words ¡®sexy¡¯ and ¡®hot¡¯ to describe whatever it was that he saw strongly points toward an entity of the female persuasion.¡±


    ¡°So, we are going after some other form of shape shifter that is not a werewolf.¡± William stated.


    Huan Li looked at him and nodded, ¡°Yes, William. That is why Ansuya will be accompanying you and Alexiares will go along as well for your safety.¡±


    William couldn¡¯t help but think that this whole thing of extra protection was just a convenient excuse for the Elders to keep an eye on them. After all they let Aceso leave the city twice, and twice she had entered the Whyte Plain and almost got herself and her pack killed. William knew that that wasn¡¯t the case, but the Elders could have come to any number of conclusions about it that they wanted. The Elders never asked him about what happened in the Whyte Plain. He had always assumed that they didn¡¯t want to hear his side of the story. From their behavior today it seemed that that theory may have been correct.


    ¡°Where will we be going, Elder?¡± Aceso asked. Regardless of her thoughts or feelings on this the Elders had given her a job to do and she was going to carry it out.


    ¡°We will leave in the morning,¡± Ansuya answered, ¡°once your scout has recovered his strength. Oh, and remember to be in your proper natural born form.¡±


    The four of them found themselves outside the Tower on the street level. William felt like he had just been called a child that couldn¡¯t be trusted to cross the street without his parents. From the looks of his pack mates their thoughts weren¡¯t too far off from his.


    ¡°So, I guess we do¡­what? Just wait around for Nicolas to wake up and Ansuya to come and get us?¡± William asked.


    Aceso glared at William for a moment before her gaze softened. ¡°You are free for the rest of the day. Tomorrow morning we will meet here and begin our journey to wherever Nicolas leads us.¡±

 Book 4 Chapter 6a

    The next morning, William got up and got dressed. He took care of what needed to be done and went to the cafeteria. He didn¡¯t feel hungry, but he had no idea what was going to happen. While he ate, his mind kept turning over what had been said yesterday. The Whyte Plain and those shadows had been created by shape shifter sages. It made sense. But since they could enter and leave the Whyte Plain whenever they wished, why couldn¡¯t the shadows do the same? What was keeping them in the Whyte Plain? Was it possible that they could enter into the outside world at anytime? If that was true, they would have already done that. But still, that didn¡¯t explain why the werewolf shape shifters were getting fewer and fewer in number. The lack of a population in the city could not be explained by raids into the Whyte Plain. Could they be hunted by something else? Huan Li had told him once that vampires were in fact real. The Elder also told him that he had bigger things to worry about than them. Back then, the constant threat of death hung over his head, but what about now? If they went outside was it possible that they could run into something that they really couldn¡¯t handle? Would he be able to protect his pack? The more he thought about it the more it just ate away at him. He couldn¡¯t do anything about it right now, anyway. He finished his eggs and sausages and headed out toward the Tower.


    Once there he met up with Charles and Katherine. Soon Aceso walked up escorting Nicolas, in his human form, and he still looked tired. He was wearing his pants and a wife beater underneath an open button down shirt. William arched an eyebrow at his pack mates fashion sense.


    This was not lost on Nicolas who said irritably, ¡°You got a problem with my clothes, dude?¡±


    William shrugged and looked away, not wanting to get into any kind of fight this morning. He had enough on his mind.


    It wasn¡¯t long before Ansuya approached the group. She was wearing a starkly simple black, form fitting business suit. It hugged at her body in sensual ways even though it was very conservative. The word ¡®power dress¡¯ came to mind. Ansuya looked like the CEO of a multinational conglomeration. The jacket was buttoned up and had a conservative neck line. The jacket could have been the only thing she was wearing, because no other fabric was visible on her torso. She wore long pants that flared out a little at the bottom revealing her simple two-inch heeled shoes. William wondered how she was planned on traveling on foot out of the mountain in those, then he remembered that every other shape shifter under the mountain, it seemed, was able to shift from werewolf form and back to human born form without tearing their clothes up. He wondered if he was ever going to be blessed with that unique wardrobe addition. Alexiares towered over her and was silent as they approached the group.


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    Ansuya passed her gaze over the pack. Her eyes rested for a moment on William before finally settling on Nicolas. ¡°Are you ready Nicolas to guide us toward what you saw?¡±


    Nicolas reached up and scratched at the back of his neck. ¡°Well I, uh¡­you see the thing is, uh¡­I have no idea where we might be going.¡±


    William let his eyes roll up toward the cavern ceiling above him but Ansuya remained unperturbed by Nicolas¡¯s seeming uncooperativeness. She leveled her gaze at Nicolas, ¡°Nicolas. Look at me.¡±


    The scout lifted his head reluctantly. When his eyes finally met hers, his head hung suspended in midair. William watched as Nicolas seemed to be frozen. He was still breathing but he wasn¡¯t taking his eyes off of Ansuya.


    The Elder Tracker spoke in melodious, even tones, that struck William hard. ¡°Nicolas, breathe for me and relax. Feel the patterns that were shown to you yesterday. Look at me and relax. Let the rest of the world fall away, just breathe and focus on the patterns in your mind. You want to lead me to what you saw, don¡¯t you?¡± Nicolas nodded his head mechanically. ¡°Then breathe and relax. Settle yourself into those patterns. Let your lunar gift guide you to where you have already been. Breathe and focus, Nicolas.¡±


    William watched as Nicolas seemed to relax standing up. His eyes were glazed over so bad he might have had cataracts. Nicolas breathed deeply and just stood there for long moments. Ansuya¡¯s gaze never left the scout. She bored into him with her eyes as a small smile played out on her lips. Was she enjoying having this kind of power over Nicolas? Ansuya had never struck him as someone who was exactly approachable, but she had never scared him either. Ansuya was every bit as dangerous as Derceto. He would have to watch himself around her from now on.


    Moments later Ansuya demanded, ¡°Where are we going, Nicolas?¡±


    Answering in a subdued voice, like it was coming from someone else, he said, ¡°We have to go to L.A. Somewhere on the east side, near Fullerton.¡±


    Ansuya nodded and shifted her gaze to Aceso. ¡°I was hoping that we wouldn¡¯t need to go that far out, but these things don¡¯t happen according to our convenience.¡±


    Nicolas seemed to be coming back from wherever he had gone and he was shaking his head and blinking his eyes hard.


    The Elder ignored Nicolas. ¡°To go that far we must enter the Whyte Plain, which means we must exit the city.¡± She glanced up at the Tower standing behind her. ¡°However, first we must make you all ready for what this trip will bring.¡±


    As if on cue Derceto walked out the door leading to the Elder¡¯s chamber at the top of the Tower and strode down the exterior ramp. Moments later she joined the seven of them on the street. Ansuya bowed her head towards the wolf born sage. Derceto glanced over at Katherine. ¡°I expect you to watch how this is done. I will not be showing you how to do it twice.¡±

 Book 4 Chapter 6b

    Without another word she glanced at Charles. Nothing happened as far as William could tell. Derceto looked at Katherine, ¡°Do you understand?¡±


    Katherine nodded, ¡°Yes, Elder. I understand.¡±


    Derceto nodded and looked at William before she left. ¡°I have not forgotten, William. Think of your pack before you expend your last ounce of energy. It might save you.¡± William looked at the Elder but before he could say anything the elder sage disappeared around the corner of the Tower.


    Ansuya glanced at Katherine, ¡°Take care of William and yourself, Katherine. Follow what you saw exactly.¡±


    Katherine nodded and concentrated on William. He didn¡¯t move, respecting Katherine and not wanting to distract her from whatever it was she was doing.


    A few moments later, breathing hard, she nodded again and smiled.


    Ansuya bowed her head toward the sage. She then turned toward the giant enforcer next to her, ¡°Alexiares, would you guide us to the city exit, the lower exit, please.¡± He nodded to her and started walking at a brisk pace in the opposite direction of what William had expected. William knew that there had to be multiple exits to the city, but he had never been to any exit other than the one he used the last and first time he entered the mountain.


    Nicolas was still shaking his head as if he was trying to clear a head ache or a ringing in his ears. William felt a little bad for him. He had the displeasure of feeling the effects of a tracker before. Except then Aceso had been with him and Tasha had just done it to prove a point. He had never seen a tracker use their ability on someone to gain something from it. He knew that it could have been used that way, but seeing a beautiful woman like Ansuya do something so cold to another person was unsettling to say the least.


    The seven of them walked through the city in some unknown direction. William picked up the smells of the place denoting different locations but he had no real idea of where he was or where he was going.


    Alexiares was striding ahead of them and Ansuya walked quietly next to him as they passed down various stone streets and alleyways. Even in something as mundane as a business suit Ansuya managed to move in seductive patterns without being overtly sexual. The gentle sway of her hips and the graceful rise and fall of her hair upon her shoulders oozed sensuality. William found his eyes, more often than not, coming back to watch her as they followed the elder enforcer through the city. He wondered if she had been trained as a dancer. If it wasn¡¯t for the gentle click of her heels upon the street he would have wondered if she was walking at all. Ansuya didn¡¯t walk, she glided.


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    The trip through the city was uneventful. The two elders did not seem to be in a rush and they kept a leisurely pace. They had been walking for hours and they didn¡¯t seem to be any closer to their destination than when they left the Tower. William was quite hungry at this point but he kept his concerns to himself. The elders in front of him made no comment about food and he was not going to be the one to break the silence between them to complain about not eating. Nicolas however had no such compunctions.


    ¡°Are we going to eat anytime soon?¡± He asked irritably.


    The soft clicking ahead of them stopped and Ansuya slowly turned around to face the scout. Her deep brown eyes were radiant and her lips carried an amused smile. ¡°I would think that such a well built man like yourself could go a few hours without eating.¡±


    Nicolas folded hard under the gaze of those brown eyes. Glancing downward and nervously scratching at his neck he replied. ¡°I can go without eating. I was just asking¡­ for the rest of my pack.¡± He quickly looked around at his pack mates. ¡°I know that at least Katherine or William must be getting pretty hungry by now.¡±


    Ansuya¡¯s smile broadened a fraction of an inch. ¡°So, your query was made out of concern for your pack mates then, but is of no consequence to you?¡± Nicolas nodded his head, still unable to make eye contact with the beautiful woman in front of him. ¡°Your concern is commendable. However, we have a long way to travel yet.¡± She squared her shoulders facing Nicolas directly. ¡°Do not be too concerned for your pack mates, Nicolas. Rest assured, we will eat and be fully refreshed by the time we enter into the Whyte Plain. You have my word.¡± With that she turned around and continued walking.


    Nicolas didn¡¯t move from the spot where he had taken root in the street. The rest of his pack passed him before he finally lifted his head and took his first step. Nicolas was afraid of Ansuya and being redressed by her so easily upset the ¡®well built¡¯ guy from Brooklyn noticeably. William shook his head. Nicolas had been in this city longer than he had, but he still hadn¡¯t grasped the fact that his weight room body gained him nothing here. William glanced behind him to see Nicolas following behind with a scowl on his face as his eyes darted from one side of the street to the other.


    The leisurely pace went on and on as the day stretched out in front of them. William¡¯s legs and body were holding up, but the shear boredom of the trip pressed down upon him. The cavern ceiling crystals began to dim and they still weren¡¯t out of the city yet. Were they going around in circles? Just when he thought that he couldn¡¯t take it anymore, Ansuya and Alexiares moved beyond a building and ran up against the harsh brownish black stone of the cavern wall.


    William was grateful for the change in scenery at least. Nicolas heaved an audible sigh of relief behind him and Katherine and Charles both had a weary smile on their face. Alexiares howled suddenly into the stillness of the empty city around them and a massive portion of the wall opened up in front of them.

 Book 4 Chapter 6c

    Ansuya stepped into the corridor and grabbed a torch that was hanging just inside the portal. She lit it by striking the flint stone nearby, and the torch blazed up in a yellow orange flame that illuminated their immediate area. Ansuya walked deeper into the passage. The rest of them followed her silently.


    The corridor that they traveled was so broad that the flame from the torch couldn¡¯t touch either side of it. They were walking in the most open passage he had ever been in, in the city. It reminded him of a massive indoor runway, like the ones he had seen in the movies. It was always one of those that was buried inside of a mountain to keep the production of a super secret air plane or bomber from being discovered. He looked down to see if there were any running lights on the ground to prove his theory, there weren¡¯t any. Slightly disappointed he looked up and continued to follow Ansuya and Alexiares as they led them down the corridor toward their unknown destination.


    After a relatively short walk, only an hour or so, they ran up against another stone wall. Alexiares led them off to the right. Ansuya placed the torch into a wall bracket and snuffed the flame from existence.


    They were shrouded in total darkness. William didn¡¯t mind the sudden darkness but he heard a small gasp of inhaled breath from Katherine. Was she one of those annoying girls who would scream every time the lights went out? He hoped not, at least she didn¡¯t scream now, and now is what was important.


    There was no howl from Alexiares only a slight guttural sound. There was a harsh sound of stone grating on stone. A beam of light cut across their vision, slicing through the darkness. The grating sound lasted only a moment then complete silence. The beam of perfect natural sunlight broadened until there was a block of it on the floor. William moved to see around the rock and looked at real sunlight for the first time in weeks.


    He was drawn to it. The weary boredom of the trip had been worth it to see this, to feel the suns warmth on his face. It wasn¡¯t that warm, but warm enough. Katherine brushed past him as she bathed her hands in the golden light. And even Nicolas moved up to feel the light upon his skin.


    ¡°Aceso.¡± Ansuya said quietly.


    William pulled his eyes away from the beautiful orb of light to reacquaint himself with his immediate surroundings. The first thing he noticed was that Alexiares was gone. Jerking his head around he noticed that a dog had joined them. Doing a comedic double take that he hoped his pack mates didn¡¯t notice, he realized that the golden brown dog that had joined them wasn¡¯t a dog but a wolf. He wanted to slap himself upside the head.


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    Ansuya was looking at Aceso who after a slight hesitation understood what she had to do as well. Aceso melted into herself and coalesced back into her natural born wolf form as well. Ansuya bowed her head to Aceso. She then produced two bands of leather from her jacket pocket. William didn¡¯t know what they were for until she dropped one end of them to the ground.  Is this really happening? Sure enough, Ansuya knelt down and wrapped the leather strap around Alexiares¡¯s neck. The elder enforcer looked none too happy to have to wear a leash but he acquiesced to Ansuya¡¯s touch and allowed the leash to be attached to himself. Ansuya turned around and approached Aceso who looked as if she would bolt before letting the elder put a leash on her. Ansuya¡¯s eyes bored into Aceso¡¯s and the alpha slowly walked toward the elder offering her neck to the leash as well.


    Ansuya stood up and gave Aceso¡¯s leash to William. He looked at the leather strap as if it were a snake that would bite him at any moment. He followed it to where it wrapped around the neck of his alpha. She stared at him hard and William apologetically winced. He wanted nothing at all to do with this plan but Ansuya had made the decision and he was not ready to challenge her in any way. Taking the lead and holding Alexiares¡¯s leash loosely in her hand, she lead the group out into the brilliant golden red light of the setting sun.


    William looked back at the majestic mountain that they had just exited. The mountain commanded the sky and was covered in a beautiful vale of pure white. They were too low for the snow blanket to reach, but he could see patches of snow here and there that had survived the early spring thaw. Those patches would be gone soon though and he knew that the vale would recede higher up the mountain the warmer it got. Still, seeing the mountain this close covered in pure snow was awe inspiring. A brisk early spring wind cut across the grassy plain at the foot of Mount Shasta. Ansuya seemed to not notice the wind as it blew her hair to one side. She walked without pause in a south westerly direction.


    It didn¡¯t take long for the seven of them to come upon a road. It wasn¡¯t the best kept road in the world, but a road none the less. Ansuya continued walking along the black top. Alexiares and Aceso hung their heads. William couldn¡¯t tell if it was in embarrassment or if they were trying to hide their embarrassment. William knew how they felt and his heart ached for the indignity of the situation. At the same time, they were far better off to have Aceso and Alexiares be seen as dogs then for them to walk around freely as wolves or in their werewolf forms.


    Not long after having found the road they came upon a tourist scenic overlook. There was one car sitting in the turnaround with a male and female sitting on the guard rail. They were wrapped up in good winter clothing. William could only assume that they had just come down off the mountain after a day of winter sports or hiking.

 Book 4 Chapter 6d

    Without hesitation Ansuya walked up to the couple. William followed her but not too close. Seeing Ansuya dressed like she belonged in a board room out here was enough to make anybody nervous. Seeing her backed up with four other people and two wolves would send most people into a panic.


    ¡°Hello?¡± Ansuya asked casually with just a hint of desperation in her voice. The couple started at the sound of her voice and turned around. The couple¡¯s shocked expression told William that he was right about his assumption. The man immediately stood up and the woman pressed in closer to him as he wrapped a protective arm around her. If we wanted to hurt you, you would have been dead minutes ago, you idiot.


    ¡°What can I do for you folks?¡± The man asked in a rudely hostile voice. You¡¯re not helping yourself at all pal.


    Ansuya glanced down at the leash in her hand and Alexiares wined audibly. The woman pulled herself away from the man to kneel indecently close to the wolf. ¡°What a gorgeous dog!¡± She said petting him.


    Aceso growled low in her throat and William without thinking jerked on the leash. Aceso whipped her head around and shot pure hatred at him from her gold eyes. William apologized silently and jerked his head forward in an unintelligible signal that no one could have hoped to understand. Aceso silently showed him her white razor-sharp teeth in a signal that he understood all too well. She was not going to forget or forgive that transgression.


    ¡°We were hoping that you could help us.¡± Ansuya was saying to the guy in front of her. William looked up and saw her drop the leash at her feet and took a step towards him. Her voice lowered as she said, ¡°You want me¡­you want to help me.¡±


    The woman was still distracted by Alexiares but her attention was now split between him and the alluring woman who was approaching her male companion.


    The male relaxed visibly as his face went slack and his arms lost all the tension in them. ¡°You want to give me something¡­to show how much you want me¡­want to help me¡± Ansuya was saying, all the while coming closer and closer to the guy.


    William¡¯s eyes were transfixed by the elder¡¯s performance. The guy was stunned and his eyes had glazed over long ago.


    Ansuya¡¯s head never moved as she as fully focused on the man in front of her. ¡°You want to give me your car. Please me by offering me your car.¡± The man numbly reached in his pocket and pulled out his car keys. He gingerly placed them in her outstretched hands.


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    The woman on ground stood up from the ground yelling, ¡°Dave! What are you doing!? What are you doing to him!?¡± She pushed past Ansuya and shook the man. ¡°Dave? Dave!? What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± She glared at Ansuya. ¡°What did you do to him!?¡± She was crying now trying to shake Dave out of the tracker induced trance.


    Ansuya reached behind her and gave Charles the car keys. Charles and Alexiares and Nicolas moved quickly toward the camp gear filled vehicle.


    The girl moved in front of Dave to stand in between him and Ansuya. There were tears streaming down her face as she tried to put on a defiant posture. Her tears brought with them the slight stains of mascara. Either she brought her make up with her on hiking trips or she hadn¡¯t cleaned her face properly the last time she was in front of a mirror. She nearly screamed at Ansuya, ¡°WHO ARE you... you, people¡­¡±


    Ansuya looked at the woman but said nothing. The emotions on the woman¡¯s face turned silently from anger to tranquil to blissful in moments. While the man stood slack jawed the woman was filled with an inner radiance, she almost looked beautiful.


    Ansuya said casually, ¡°I want to thank you both for all that you¡¯ve done.¡± The man nodded stupidly as the girl beamed up at the superior woman. ¡°If you follow the road you will eventually walk into a town. Follow the signs toward Shasties Park. There you will find your vehicle just as we have taken it.¡± The couple nodded eagerly. ¡°You will not go to the police, nor will you ask anyone else for help. You will enjoy the trek to your car and you will find nothing but positives about your experiences today.¡± Ansuya hesitated slightly, was she smiling? ¡°You did meet me today, after all.¡± The couple smiled gratefully at the powerful woman as she turned toward the car. ¡°Come along, William.¡±


    William nodded looking at the pure ecstasy on the faces of the couple as he turned toward the car. He let go of the leash and Aceso jumped into the car sitting with as much dignity as she could muster in the center of the back seat. William squeezed himself in as tight as he could before closing the door. Aceso glared at him out of the corned of her eye and William tried to silently apologize again. Aceso jerked her head forward not wanting to hear or see any of what he had to say. This is going to be a long trip.


    With Charles driving, Alexiares sitting on the center console and Ansuya riding shotgun, Katherine and Nicolas had to scrunch together on the opposite side of Aceso, who wasn¡¯t moving from the center of that back seat. William silently moaned in anguish as he turned himself toward the window and watched the scenery pass beside them as Charles drove carefully down the mountain highway. He was able to see a sign at one point that proclaimed this road to be Everitt Memorial highway. He had no idea who this Everitt guy was but this trip had been memorable so far.


    The drive went on silently. There was no speaking only the occasional grunt from Nicolas and Katherine being squished together by a bump in the road. William looked up at the extremely young looking Elder. How can she be sixty two years old? She looked just as young as he was. However, she didn¡¯t carry herself like anybody he knew. Her age and experience were obvious to see in her walk and her stature.

 Book 4 Chapter 6e

    Ansuya was in complete control of the situation, at least she acted that way. She was also dangerous. What she had done to those people back there without hesitation or remorse seemed wrong to him. She twisted their wills and minds to do her bidding without batting an eyelash. This only made sense to him. She had been around for a while. The wars and missions into the Whyte Plain and everything else that the Shape shifters did for survival probably took a heavy toll on anybody. After so many years of death and fighting, he supposed you just got numb to how people might feel and just did things because they needed to be done. Was ¡®because it needed to be done¡¯ a good enough excuse to do away with moral authority altogether? Where did ¡®doing the right thing¡¯ play into their survival and daily lives? Did he even have the luxury of thinking that way anymore? William watched as the valley below them opened up as the street began a smooth decent into civilization.


    Catching glimpses of the street signs as they passed, he caught the name of the park they were going to. Shasties Park seemed to be only about ten miles away. The town, such that it was, was small and rustic. It looked very much in place under the shadow of the majestic, snowcapped mountain behind it. The buildings were mostly log cabins; at least that¡¯s how they looked from the outside. He knew that underneath they were probably steel and cement just like any other building, but for now he was happy to just let the fa?ade of rustic mountain living envelop him.


    The trees let in slashes of red and orange sun light through them to blind his eyes temporarily. It felt really good to be out in the world again. It had been so long since he had been in a car. He was amazed at how it didn¡¯t feel even the slightest bit alien to him. He would have thought that after three years of not being in a car he would at least get a little motion sickness or something. But he felt fine, except for the fact that the wolf sitting next to him was still completely pissed off at him.


    Eventually Charles pulled the vehicle into Shasties Park. They found a relatively isolated parking spot and got out of the car. Ansuya tied her leash around Alexiares¡¯s neck while she gave the other leash to William. He took a second to silently ask the gods what he had done to deserve this. He shifted his gaze from the leather strap in his hand to the majestic black wolf standing in front of him, daring him to try to put the leash back on her.


    Ansuya looked at William straight faced and arched an eyebrow at him. He heaved a huge sigh, not trying to hide his apprehension or distaste for what he was about to do. He knelt down in front of his alpha and reached around her neck. She snapped her jaws at him. William jerked back, falling over on his butt. He reached up to feel at his neck. His hand came away red. The pain in his flesh told him that Aceso¡¯s teeth had left a few holes along his neck. He reached up and placed his palm against the slight burning of the wound.


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    Ansuya was not happy, but she didn¡¯t move. Instead, it was Alexiares who pulled away from Ansuya¡¯s grip and stalked toward the young female wolf. Aceso stood her ground but did lower her head at the approach of the elder. Alexiares was not to be so easily appeased. He walked toward her and once he was only a body length away, he pounced in a vicious attack. Aceso was rocked backward and rolled under the weight of the male. Alexiares tumbled and quickly turned back around and rammed Aceso again. He wrapped his fore legs around her and forced her to the ground. Aceso rolled and flung her head back and forth. Her tail was flicking up and down and her ears were pressed against her skull. She kicked out with all four limbs to no affect.


    Alexiares held her to the ground and raised his head. He kept Aceso down on the ground with one paw on her neck. Aceso kicked out, trying to escape, but Alexiares¡¯s hold was too strong for the young healer. William felt miserable for her. Alexiares had her in the perfect dominance position. This was how wolf pack alphas displayed and proved their dominance over their packs and other wolves. Aceso struggled for a few minutes more, she was determined. Eventually though, her movements slowed and she accepted Alexiares¡¯s posture. William felt horrible about the whole thing. It was worse than seeing your best friend getting their ass handed to them by their coach or dad. He couldn¡¯t do anything except watch.


    Once Aceso was still under the iron grip of the elder, he removed his paw from her neck. Aceso stayed on the ground for a few moments. The look in her eyes smoldered. If she were human, William would have said she was a heartbeat away from crying. Alexiares walked back over to Ansuya, who gracefully bent down and retrieved the end of his leash.


    William was unsure of what to do. Aceso lay on the ground, fighting with her wolf instincts and her shape shifter emotions. He had no idea what it must be like for her. He knew he had to do something but what that was escaped him at the moment, so he just stood there.


    Thankfully his alpha made the decision for him. Silently she got back on her paws. She lifted her head in the air and with as much dignity as she could she walked back to William and stood next to him. William looked over to see Alexiares staring at the black wolf and Ansuya was staring at him. They were both under the scrutiny of the elders. Having no choice William gingerly reached down and clasped the leather leash into place around the neck of his alpha.

 Book 2 Chapter 6f

    Ansuya made no noticeable gesture, but began walking toward the street, the rest of them followed. William looked back at Charles who had a sympathetic look on his face. He smiled slightly and shook his head mournfully. Katherine was distant as she hugged at one of her arms. She was staring at the side of the road as they walked. William glanced at Nicolas to find that he too had a distant, uncomfortable look on his face. It was as if seeing their alpha being dominated so easily was not just a blow to Aceso but it seemed to have affected all of them. William still felt terrible, but seeing the rest of his pack feeling just as he did, if not worse, didn¡¯t make him any happier.


    Ansuya walked through the town in a very matter of fact direction. She turned down one street and then onto another. She never so much as paused at intersections to look down either side of the street. Either she knew exactly where she was going, or she was extremely confident in her abilities to find what it was she was looking for, William thought that it was probably a little bit of both.


    The sunlight around them got dimmer and colder as the old man dipped himself under the horizon. The brilliant golds of the evening light turned to the deep reds of dusk. They continued to walk. As the evening light dimmed, the wind coming down from the mountain turned cold and the remaining light from the sun was replaced by that of cold white florescence of the street lights that sprouted along the road periodically. Eventually, Ansuya led them up to a rustic looking building. There was a small sign out front, ¡°Alan¡¯s Rest Inn.¡±


    Ansuya walked right up to the front steps and entered through the front door with Alexiares in tow. William hesitated; most places didn¡¯t allow dogs or pets of any kind into them unless they were service animals. He glanced down at Aceso who was holding her head straight and high with her tail raised as well. Facing the modest three story building in front of him he raised his gaze to the brightening stars overhead. Shaking his head, he followed after the two elders.


    The inside of the Inn looked just like the outside said it would. The walls were made to look as if they were made from thick logs of the surrounding trees. The tables were carved wood and branches. The wooden floor was well worn and covered in a thick coat of clear protectant. The hanging ceiling lights looked to be made from wood as well or some kind of animal horn or antlers. The lights themselves were electric, but dressed up to look like kerosene lamps. The front desk was wood as well which was where Ansuya was standing.


    William approached the desk as he felt the eyes of the few guests in the lobby watch him and the wolf at his feet. Alexiares could probably fool some idiot tourist here for the weekend, but these people had probably been born here, raised here, and would probably die here, and he knew that they knew what a wolf looked like. And from the hairs standing up on the back of his neck the good people of this small mountain town didn¡¯t take too kindly to wolves, or to strangers for that matter.


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    There was a thick armed man just coming up behind the desk. As soon as his eyes touched Ansuya a huge smile cracked his massive bearded face. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be dipped in¡­excuse my language ma¡¯am.¡± He scratched at his neck still beaming, ¡°Ansuya Das.¡± Shaking his head he lowered his gaze to the desk in front of him. Lifting his head up once more he said, ¡°I never thought I¡¯d have the pleasure of seeing you again.¡±


    Ansuya bowed her head to the man, ¡°Thank You, Alan. How have things been?¡±


    The man stretched out his arms to encompass the whole of his Inn. ¡°This place is doing all right, I still can¡¯t believe how much work this place is, but we manage.¡±


    Ansuya smiled up at Alan, ¡°I believe we have made arrangements?¡±


    Alan nodded his head with a smile of his own, ¡°Yep, every thing¡¯s takin¡¯ care of, Miss Das.¡± He turned around and ran his fingers along a long portion of the wall behind him. He nimbly grabbed three keys from their racks. Turning around he laid them out on the desk in between himself and Ansuya. ¡°I have three reserved rooms for you tonight, the Mountain Suite, a King sized, and a Double.¡± He looked at the Elder for a moment. ¡°You look even younger than I remember.¡±


    Ansuya gracefully slid the keys into her open palm. ¡°You flatter me, Alan.¡±


    ¡°If only it was simple flattery, ma¡¯am.¡± He lifted himself back away from the desk and looked at the whole group of them. ¡°Ok folks, the kitchen is open for a little while yet, we usually shut it down around one in the morning for room service.¡± He pointed to the collection of tables off to their right. ¡°The diner is open till eight, you¡¯re free to eat there if you¡¯d like.¡± He glanced down at the two wolves. He tried to hide a smirk but even the beard couldn¡¯t do that. He winked at William as he said out loud, ¡°Your service dogs are allowed in your rooms but unfortunately we can¡¯t allow them into the dining area.¡± He looked apologetically at Ansuya, ¡°I¡¯m sorry Miss Das, but the health regulations have tightened a lot since the last time you were here.¡±


    Ansuya tilted her head ever so softly and smiled, ¡°I understand, Alan. We all must operate within the restrictions of our society.¡±


    The man behind the counter wiped at his forehead. ¡°Thank you for understanding.¡± He leaned over the counter and in a very soft voice, almost a whisper, he said to the two wolves. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I hope you can understand.¡± Alexiares nodded while Aceso kept her head rigid. Alan looked at the group again and said in a much louder voice, ¡°Welcome to Alan¡¯s Rest Inn. I hope you folks have a great night¡¯s stay with us.¡±


    Ansuya smiled at the man, ¡°Thank you, Alan for everything. I¡¯m sure our stay will be fine.¡±


    William and the rest of his pack followed Ansuya around the corner to the elevator. The stainless steel doors opened and they all piled in. Ansuya pressed the ¡°3¡± button. The doors closed and rose smoothly up to the third floor.

 Book 4 Chapter 7a

    The five of them followed the two elders out of the elevator down the hallway. Ansuya never turned her head or slowed her pace. She turned suddenly and used a key on a door which opened and she walked in. William didn¡¯t even think but blindly followed the elder into the room. Aceso didn¡¯t complain or object and preceded William into the spacious Mountain suit.


    The furniture reflected the d¨¦cor of the lobby and dining area. Everything was made of wood or animal antler. Ansuya gracefully sat down in a reclining leather chair. She leaned forward and unclasped the leash from around Alexiares¡¯s neck. The elder immediately transformed into his werewolf form. His ears scraped the ceiling. William didn¡¯t think the ceiling was that low, then again Alexiares was a foot and half taller than he was.


    Ansuya glanced at Aceso and then at William. He couldn¡¯t drop down to undo the leash around Aceso¡¯s neck fast enough. He had felt that leash as an acid coated weight that had been crushing his soul with every minute that he held onto the thing. As soon as the leash was off Aceso¡¯s neck, William dropped the leash to the floor, hoping that it would disintegrate out of existence. The leather lay there limply on the floor. William took a half step away from it anyway.


    Aceso stood there holding her rigid proud posture for a few more minutes. Alexiares folded his arms across his chest and Aceso immediately transformed back into her werewolf form.


    Ansuya looked up at the six people standing in front of her. She crossed her legs and leaned back in her chair. Seeing her relax even a little bit made William that much more weary of what was about to happen. Standing up in her perfect posture Ansuya was intimidating, but seeing her relax was something else entirely, something darker, something he couldn¡¯t put his finger on.


    ¡°You will stay in your rooms tonight.¡± Ansuya spoke with all the power of someone in complete control. William didn¡¯t have the slightest inclination to disobey her anyway but hearing that tone in her voice hammered it home. The elder looked at them for a moment as if trying to read their thoughts as she spoke to them. ¡°You will all order from the room service menu, the bill has already been taken care of. Order what you like¡­within reason.¡± The last had a silent exclamation mark. The City under the Mountain had somehow paid for this part of their trip but it wasn¡¯t an open tab to be used like they were children. That last part emphasized the unsaid consequences that would be had for being irresponsible.


    Ansuya lifted two keys in her hand. She handed one to Katherine and the other to William. ¡°Aceso and Katherine will get the King, while William and the males will get the Double.¡± She looked them all in the eye as she asked, ¡°Are there any questions?¡±


    Katherine shook her head and William remained silent. Nicolas however, could not. He asked from behind William, ¡°Why can¡¯t we at least go down and eat in the dining room?¡±


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    Ansuya seemed a little surprised by the question. She widened her eyes at the scout. ¡°Are you not a pack?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Nicolas replied off handed.


    ¡°And as a pack, should you not share equally in all things, the hunt, and territory?¡± Ansuya asked again.


    Nicolas nodded and sighed, ¡°Yeah, I guess so.¡±


    The elder locked eyes with him and he was unable to look away from her. She said in a much colder, harsher voice, ¡°As a pack, if one receives, they all do, if one is denied, they all are. Do you understand?¡± Nicolas nodded in full understanding. Ansuya turned toward the rest of the pack, ¡°Go to your rooms. Eat and go to sleep. We leave before first light.¡± She held out the two room keys, one to Katherine and one to Charles.


    Having been summarily dismissed William turned around to leave. He didn¡¯t want to be anywhere near that leash or Aceso again for a while. A few years might be enough time, though he knew how childish that sounded. The two other guys followed him out of the room as behind them Katherine gathered up the leash and refastened it to Aceso¡¯s neck who was now back in her wolf form.


    William didn¡¯t slow down, even though he had no real idea where he was going. He heard the other two behind him their footsteps on the carpet were muted. He decided to stop and let the man with the room key take the lead before he ended up on the wrong side of Inn. Charles passed him without a word and William followed in his footsteps.


    Ansuya Das. Even though at the moment all he wanted to do was take a shower, eat, and go to sleep, the elder floated in front of his vision. She was beautiful, strong, and amazingly powerful. The way she had demonstrated her powers and her strength to them and to total strangers was something he would not soon forget. When he first saw her, she had been just as beautiful, just as elegant, but if he had to choose the biggest threat from the elders, he would have chosen Derceto without hesitation. Now after seeing what Ansuya was capable of, it made him question all his presumptions, not just about Ansuya, but about the other elders as well.


    He didn¡¯t have more time to spend on the subject as Charles stopped in front of a door and slid in his key. The key turned and a lock clicked open and Charles swung the door inward. The three men filed inside.


    The room was spacious enough for the three of them but there were only two beds. ¡°I¡¯ll sleep on the floor.¡± William offered.


    ¡°Fine with me,¡± Nicolas threw over his shoulder as he dove, head first, onto the nearest bed.


    Charles sat down heavily on the other bed and looked over at William. ¡°What was that all about?¡±


    Without realizing what Charles was asking Nicolas lifted his head, ¡°I know, right? I mean, all I asked was if we could stretch our freedom a little by eating downstairs like civilized people and she jumps down my throat.¡±


    William arched an eyebrow at Charles as a smirk crept over his face. Charles shifted his attention to Nicolas. ¡°That¡¯s not what I was referring to, Nicolas.¡±


    There was a brief moment of hesitation from the scout. ¡°Then, what are you talking about?¡±


    Charles shrugged, ¡°At first I was referring to what happened between Will and our alpha, and then between Aceso and Alexiares.¡± He glanced up at the ceiling than back to Nicolas. ¡°However, now that I¡¯ve thought about it a little bit I am beginning to wonder about this whole trip.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who Alan is but he sure knew Ansuya and he knew about us. I don¡¯t know about you guys but that makes me a little uncomfortable,¡± William said.


    ¡°With the feds after you, I¡¯m surprised you¡¯re as calm as you are,¡± retorted Nicolas.

 Book 4 Chapter 7b

    He had thought about that but he was fairly sure that a small town like this would be relatively safe for him and for his pack. If there was more of a danger would the elders have sent them out at all? Even with Ansuya and Alexiares? With everything that had taken place today he had to wonder just how much the elders were willing to sacrifice for the safety of seven shape shifters. But if they were willing to make that sacrifice¡­


    ¡°Nic?¡± William asked suddenly. ¡°Can you remember any of your vision?¡±


    The scout rolled his head over on the pillow to look at him out of one eye, ¡°What vision?¡±


    ¡°The one that sent us out here.¡± Nicolas gave him a blank stare. ¡°The one you had with the elders two or three days ago? The one where you described something as being ¡®elegant¡¯ and ¡®gorgeous¡¯?¡±


    Nicolas looked at him sideways as if the enforcer had suddenly sprouted two heads. William knew that it was an act. Nicolas finally said, ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about all that, but I do remember something about Fullerton near L.A.¡±


    William nodded. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the place you told Ansuya this morning in the city. But can remember what you saw?¡±


    Nicolas¡¯s face scrunched up as he focused his memory on whatever it was that had been gained in those three days with the elders. He tilted his head as if hunting for something and he could get a better angle on his memory if he moved his head. After a while though he shook it from side to side. ¡°Nope, I got nothing.¡±


    William shrugged as he slid down the wall behind him to sit on the floor. ¡°Well, it was worth a shot.¡±


    Charles leaned behind him toward a table with several pieces of paper on it. Shuffling them around a bit he found what he was looking for. Holding up the singular piece of paper he turned back around to face his pack mates, ¡°Should we get some food?¡±


    The three men all looked at the menu and made their selections. Charles called down to the kitchen and put in their order. In thirty five minutes the three were enjoying their meals, almost.


    ¡°I have had some bad pizza before, but this tragedy of squashed tomatoes has got to be the worst pie I have ever had, hands down,¡± Nicolas complained.


    Charles shook his head as he stuck his fork into a piece of chicken breast. William replied, ¡°Leave it to the kid from Brooklyn to order a pizza and complain about it.¡±


    Nicolas wheeled around to face him. ¡°Ok, Cali boy, you look at this and tell me it is even close to resembling a pizza.¡±


    William leaned over to look at the plate that Nicolas was holding up. The triangle wedge of dough, red sauce and pepperoni looked like a pizza to him. He would concede that the dough looked like something he could find on a decent frozen pizza but he didn¡¯t see anything wrong with it. He shrugged and sat back up again, ¡°looks fine to me.¡±


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    ¡°Then, you¡¯re blind. You¡¯re blind, and you wouldn¡¯t know a real pizza if it dropped out of the sky and slapped ya,¡± Nicolas retorted harshly.


    William shared a look between him and Charles as he shook his head with a wry smile on his face. William had decided to go with the ten ounce New York strip steak. The beef was a little over seasoned but it was rare and really good. There was very little liquid blood from the plump red flesh. After eating venison for so many months it was good to get a good chunk of cow. He smiled to himself as he swallowed another bite.


    The three finished their meals in relatively short order and put their dirty plates in the sink. Nicolas stripped off his shoes and laid down on the bed with his clothes on. William dragged out a blanket from the closet and made himself comfortable on the floor while Charles stripped off his shoes, shirt, and pants and slid in between the covers on his bed. They didn¡¯t bother to set an alarm or call the front desk for a wake up. It was silently agreed between the three of them that when Ansuya wanted to move, they would be informed. William turned out the lights and slid down to his ¡°bed¡± on the floor and went to sleep.


    The next instant he was awake, there was someone knocking on their door. William was surprisingly awake for having just gone to sleep. He threw his covers aside as he pushed himself up onto his feet. He quickly strode over to the door and opened it.


    Ansuya was standing there. She was back lit beautifully by the hallway lights. The warm orange glow of the hallway gave her a saintly halo that enshrouded her long black hair. Her deep brown eyes bored into his. He felt that same weight that he felt every time he looked into an elder¡¯s eyes but it wasn¡¯t painful. It was still there but less somehow. He couldn¡¯t explain it and right then it wasn¡¯t important anyway.


    ¡°Get yourself and your pack mates ready. We leave in ten minutes.¡± Without any further explanation she turned around and walked down the hallway, back the way she had come.


    William slowly closed the door, shutting out the warm light from the hallway. Something in his brain was working on something but he couldn¡¯t figure out what that might be. He moved slowly as he let his brain freewheel as it worked on whatever problem it had set for itself. He flicked on the room lights absent mindedly.


    ¡°What the hell! Come on, man! Jeezus, turn those fucking lights off!¡± Nicolas swore as he tried to bury his face deeper into the pillow that he was cradling.


    ¡°What is it, Will?¡± Charles asked as he blinked heavily into the sudden brightness of the room.


    William shook himself as his brain finally let go of whatever was so important a moment ago. He had no idea what it was or why he had strained over it. He hoped it wasn¡¯t something important. He looked over at his friend, ¡°We have eight minutes before Ansuya leaves.¡±


    Charles nodded and jumped up from his bed. Nicolas on the other hand stayed on his and pulled the pillow over his head. ¡°I just need a few minutes, just a¡­few¡­minutes¡­¡± William didn¡¯t need to hear the rest to know that Nicolas was already passed out.


    Charles pushed past him toward the bathroom and William was happy to let him have it. He never had gained a comfortability with sharing a bathroom with anyone. So he stood there making sure that all their stuff was ready to go. That was easy. They didn¡¯t bring any stuff with them. He stripped off his shirt and waited for Charles to get done with the bathroom.

 Book 4 Chapter 7c

    Not long after, Charles exited the bathroom. William tapped him on the shoulder and pointed at the passed out form of Nicolas buried under a pillow, ¡°Make sure he is up and ready to go. We don¡¯t have a whole lot of time.¡± Charles nodded as he bent down to grab his clothes to get dressed.


    William pushed into the bathroom and found a small pile of morning toiletries waiting for him. He grabbed the various items and used them quickly, toothbrush and toothpaste, comb, a little bit of under arm deodorant. He hadn¡¯t used the stuff in a really long time. He never stunk no matter how hard Efraim pushed them during exercises, but since it was there he might as well use it. He threw some water over his shoulder length hair and face. He grabbed a hand towel and walked out of the bathroom.


    With his vision temporary blinded by the fluffy white cloth of the towel, he was unprepared for the rough should slam that he received as he was walking back into the living space. He ripped the towel from his face just as the bathroom door was slamming behind him. Gee, that¡¯s a great way to start my day, being shoulder checked by a grumpy asshole.


    Charles was finished dressing by then and the two of them waited for Nicolas to get done with what he needed to get done. After a while the fire that had sparked itself inside his gut at the rudeness of Nicolas wore off and all that was left was a sticky, groggy, hazy feeling from not getting enough sleep.


    A few minutes later Nicolas came lurching out of the bathroom. He too had a towel around his head as he was scrubbing at his long hair trying to dry it properly.


    ¡°Are you ready, Nicolas?¡± Charles asked politely.


    ¡°Sure,¡± came the muffled reply from underneath the white towel.


    Charles and William shared a look but left Nicolas to get dressed. It was too early in the morning for any of this and William would just as soon not get into it with Nicolas. Besides, it was obvious that Nicolas was tired too.


    William walked out of the room with Charles. The two stood in the hallway not really knowing what to do or where to go. William turned to look down the hallway back towards Ansuya¡¯s room, which was open, if he was reading the light that spilled out into the hallway correctly. He nudged Charles and pointed down the hallway toward the open door.


    Charles nodded, ¡°That must be where we are supposed to be.¡±


    William nodded in agreement, ¡°Yeah, but we probably shouldn¡¯t leave Nicolas¡­¡±


    Just then the door opened and Nicolas came walking out to join them, ¡°Nicolas, what?¡± he asked harshly.


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    William shook his head, ¡°Nothing, we were just waiting for you before we up and left.¡±


    Nicolas glanced down the hallway toward the abnormal light indicating the open door, ¡°Well, I guess we better go before somebody comes looking for us.¡± With that Nicolas moved past the other two men and strode down the hallway toward the elder¡¯s room. William shrugged and Charles smiled as he shook his head. The two friends followed after their suddenly motivated pack mate.


    Nicolas didn¡¯t hesitate about entering through the open door and so the other two didn¡¯t have a problem either. They walked in to find the other four people already dressed and ready to go. Ansuya and Katherine both had leashes in their hands which were attached to Alexiares and Aceso who were in their wolf forms.


    William tried to stop a shiver from running up his back at the sight of the leashes. He couldn¡¯t help but put a hand to his neck and feel the long shallow scab that had formed over the bite that Aceso had given him. She seemed to be just as remote and listless as she had been hours before. He wished that he could do something for her, say something to her that might ease her conscience. In a wolf pack if an alpha was beaten, the way Alexiares had beaten Aceso, that alpha would be shunned from the pack. The new alpha would take over and the old one would be forced out, to be a lone wolf. Until he found a mate or another pack to join. Of course, then he would have to beat the alpha of that pack to be accepted. Wolves were very strict in their roles, once an alpha, always an alpha, at least in demeanor. Most pack alphas didn¡¯t like having an upstart around.


    Ansuya was sitting in her chair much like she had been the night before. Her hands were gently folded in her lap and her legs were crossed. Her deep brown eyes gazed at each of them in turn. She seemed neither hurried nor patient; there was an energy that pulsated from her that he could almost feel.


    She glanced over at Alexiares for the briefest of moments, ¡°Now we can leave.¡± She stood up from her chair and moved beyond them toward her door which was still open. She disappeared around the corner with Alexiares in tow. The five of them looked at each other for a moment wondering if this was some kind of joke. Aceso didn¡¯t seem to be interested in much of anything and she just stood there. If William didn¡¯t know any better, he would have said she was sulking. The three guys just kind of looked at each other and Katherine. William knew that the elder expected them to follow her. He was about to move out of the room when Katherine took a firm hold on the leash in her hand and moved back out the door into the hallway with Aceso giving no resistance to being guided. The three males shared a look between them. Aceso¡¯s behavior was a little disturbing this morning, much more than just simple sulking. Charles looked at William and all he could do was shrug his shoulders. Nicolas gave them a quizzical look as he turned around and followed Katherine out into the hallway. Charles and William followed.


    As they came out into the hallway they could see Ansuya walking away from the elevator. The five followed her as she opened the doors to the stairway and disappeared. They followed after.


    Ansuya led them out of the Inn into the quiet back lot. The night air was cool. The whole earth seemed to be asleep. There was harsh orange light spilling into the lot from on overhead parking lot light, painting the surrounding trees an eerie unnatural amber. William glanced up to see the multitudes of stars fanned out across the heavens. William nudged Katherine and glanced up. Katherine looked up and smiled. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply the night air around her.

 Book 4 Chapter 7d

    The gravel rustled harshly under their feet. Ansuya was wearing boots tonight. He vaguely wondered where they had come from. They had conservative heels, about one to two inches in length, which didn¡¯t make a sound when she stepped. It was like she was so light, no weight dropped down on the gravel to shift or disturb it where she stepped. It was just one more thing that the elder was capable of doing.


    Ansuya turned to look at them. ¡°We have to move away from this place.¡± She gestured toward the Inn. ¡°Tonight, we travel through the Whyte Plain.¡±


    A frozen cord snapped tight around William¡¯s stomach and he had to force air into his lungs. Of all the things that he knew would happen eventually, this was the one thing that made him wish for one more day. Of course, it would still be there tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that. He knew that he had to deal with this sooner or later. He just really wished that it could be a little later than tonight.


    Ansuya continued, ¡°We will move away from the population, five miles will be sufficient.¡± She looked at the two wolves, ¡°Alexiares, you will lead us through the trees.¡± She turned back toward the young pack. ¡°I expect you all to keep up and remain silent.¡± She leaned in close to them and lowered her voice. ¡°The blood of ancient warriors and gods flow in your veins, do not disappoint them.¡± She turned around to unfasten the leash around Alexiares¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Wait, just a moment.¡± Charles said suddenly. Ansuya stood up and looked at the young tracker. Unperturbed Charles asked Katherine, ¡°Take that thing off of her, please?¡± She glanced over at William. He had no idea what was going on. After a moment she bent down and took the leash off the wolf standing at her side.


    Charles took a deep breath and walked over to Aceso, gently brushing past Katherine. Aceso stood there; her head was neither raised nor lowered. There was a vacant, apathetic look in her eyes that made William silently scream at her. They were going to the Whyte Plain! How dare she simply stand there and sulk. They needed her now and she was turning her back on them. He knew that wasn¡¯t true but it certainly looked that way.


    Charles looked over at William and nodded. William cocked his head to the side in a questioning glance. If Charles expected him to know what it was he was planning on doing he was mistaken. William had no idea what his friend was doing or what he had in mind.


    Charles knelt down in front of their wolf born alpha. Aceso seemed to look through him. Charles looked at her and took a deep breath, ¡°Aceso, I appreciate everything you have done for me in the past few months, and for the rest of the pack. You have lost nothing in my eyes. The wolf I see now is the same wolf that saved my life the last time we traveled to the Whyte Plain. I see the same benevolent female that spoke for me when I was unable to speak for myself. You are still the brave warrior who gave me the chance to bring myself back from the oblivion that was promised to me. You are and will always be, my Alpha.¡±


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    William¡¯s head jerked up as he heard those words. His eyes met with Katherine and there was an equally shocked expression there as well. He heard a slight huff from behind him as Nicolas scoffed at the whole thing. William looked down at Aceso. Even she looked a little shocked by what had just happened. It was good to see life behind her golden eyes again, even if it was in the form of shock and confusion.


    Ignoring all that was going on around him, Charles bowed low in front of the black wolf, ¡°Aceso, from now on I call you my Alpha. I will bend my will to yours; lend my strength to your cause. I bend my neck for no man, but I will bend it for you.¡±


    Aceso hesitated. She clearly wasn¡¯t expecting this. Her ears were twitching in various directions and her tail was suddenly restless. She couldn¡¯t look away from the man who was bowing to her. She took a halting step closer towards Charles. Then, all at once Aceso seemed to calm. Her ears stopped twitching; her tail came to rest easily behind her. A fierce look sprang up in her eyes and she gently rested her jaw on his lowered head.


    William felt a slight tug on his brain as she did so. He looked over at Katherine who was staring at him. William nodded and shot his eyes at Charles. She cocked her head to the side not understanding. William tapped his head and gestured toward Charles. Katherine¡¯s eyes widened and she nodded in understanding. The four of them were a pack now. They would be able to feel each other¡¯s presence and be able to tell in what direction each of them were, regardless of distance separating them. They would now share in each other¡¯s stamina and energy as well. The pack had just gotten stronger and Charles had sealed Aceso as rightful alpha of their pack.


    Aceso lifted her head and allowed Charles to look up at her. He smiled at her and Aceso seemed to be gaining strength by the minute. In one pivotal act, that he suspected Charles had been planning for some time, Charles had reaffirmed Aceso¡¯s belief in herself and the pack that followed her. The added side effect of the pack being stronger because of it was just a bonus. Charles slowly stood up and backed away from his alpha.


    Aceso turned around and marched forward to stand beside Alexiares. Ansuya had a peculiar look on her face, one that William couldn¡¯t hope to read. It wasn¡¯t a blank ¡®poker face¡¯ but it also wasn¡¯t a face that one could say held any emotions at all. It was almost like a flowing mosaic, just when he thought that he could pick out something that he might be able to read as an emotion it shifted and faded into something else that was equally unreadable.


    Ansuya finally turned around. Alexiares and Aceso bolted out from the gravel lot and Ansuya kicked off into a full sprint. In seconds the three of them were gone. The four young human born that were left in the lot looked at each other blinking. William shrugged, ¡°I guess that means we¡¯re leaving.¡± Without any more hesitation he pushed off into a sprint as well.


    He blasted through the brush at incredible speeds. He had never felt this good running before. The cool night air filled his lungs easily as he ran. The brush underfoot was easy enough to navigate. The stars overhead were becoming even more brilliant the farther away they traveled from the small patch of civilization. Running like this reminded him of his forest and the pack that he had left behind. He hoped that the old grey was taking care of them and that they were alright.

 Book 4 Chapter 7e

    He felt his two pack mates merge with him as they ran through the trees. He looked over his right shoulder to see Charles. The man was grinning ear to ear. William smiled to himself. He couldn¡¯t blame Charles for his enthusiasm; he had felt a similar rush the first time he felt the effects of the pack bond with Aceso. It seemed like another life time ago.


    Over his left shoulder Katherine was moving through the brush with similar ease. She was not smiling however. She was looking dead ahead with her head up. Her body was moving and cutting through the brush with a meticulous path of economy. It was good to see her so determined and focused. Where they were going, they all needed to bring their ¡°A¡± game.


    The only problem was Nicolas. William knew that Nicolas couldn¡¯t hold this speed for very long. He didn¡¯t share in the pack bond and so he was dependent solely on his human muscles and endurance. Efraim had worked them hard over the last month but even so, Nicolas couldn¡¯t keep up. Ansuya had to know this. Maybe she didn¡¯t care? It was possible that she was trying to force Nicolas¡¯s hand. If that was the case, Aceso would not be happy with her. His alpha wanted Nicolas to make the decision on his own. Being coerced by exhaustion or the threat of being left behind would not exactly be in line with his own free will.


    What was he even worrying about? Ansuya needed Nicolas to finish this mission, whatever it was. Nicolas had to know this. Was he sand bagging it on purpose? William turned around to look for their scout. He couldn¡¯t see him at all. It was possible that this was some kind of a test? William slowed to a walk. The brush under foot parted easily for him as he turned around and back tracked the way he had come.


    Katherine and Charles soon realized what he had done and stopped as well. A minute or two later the three of them were walking back toward Alan¡¯s Rest Inn. William knew that they all could feel where Aceso had gone and Ansuya had to know this as well. He was getting a little tired of playing their games though. The pack was more important than personal needs. The pack always came first. Right now though, their pack was splintered and would probably remain that way for a long time if Nicolas¡¯s reaction to Charles¡¯s oath to Aceso was any indication.


    They hadn¡¯t run very far and so finding Nicolas was relatively easy. The brown haired New Yorker was calmly walking through the trees as if nothing important was happening. ¡°Aww, you came back for me. What, were you afraid I was going to get lost?¡±


    William shook his head and Katherine heaved a huge sigh as she folded her arms under her large breasts. Charles simply looked at the shorter man straight faced.


    Nicolas didn¡¯t seem to know what was going on, or he didn¡¯t care. He kept walking right past the three of them on the direct line that he had been following. William looked at his friend and Charles shook his head. Katherine shook out her long wavy brown hair which was down to her waist. William hadn¡¯t noticed it for a long time. But in the starlight and moonlight of the outside world, Katherine really was a very attractive woman. Her huge breasts hadn¡¯t lost any of their original size in training. They didn¡¯t seem to slow her down at all either. He looked at her and his blue green eyes met her bright green ones. She simply shrugged her shoulders and turned around to follow after where Nicolas had faded into the forest.


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    William stood there a moment wondering what had just happened. He had never even thought of looking at Katherine like that before. She was his pack mate, nothing more. Charles clapped him on the shoulder as he also started walking after Nicolas. William looked up at the stars and shook his head. Maybe he needed to get out more.


    They soon caught up with the scout. He was taking his time. William knew what he was doing and they really didn¡¯t have time for this. ¡°We have to get moving, Nic.¡±


    The scout simply smiled and waved his hand in the air, ¡°No, you might have to hurry but I have to do no such thing.¡± William almost growled at Nicolas¡¯s apathy. This seemed to only amuse him more. Smiling broadly now he closed his eyes as he said, ¡°Don¡¯t let little old me stop you, Will.¡± He opened his eyes still smiling, ¡°If you want to go be with your sixty year old girlfriend, be my guest. I¡¯m not going any faster than this.¡±


    William could have rung his thick neck. Nicolas outweighed William by a good twenty or thirty pounds, but they both knew that in a fight either in human or werewolf form William would win easily. Nicolas¡¯s muscles may have tightened over the last few months or so, but he was still not on par with William as a fighter and they both knew it. It wouldn¡¯t prove anything for him to beat Nicolas again either. And they both knew it.


    He let his anger vent away into the cool night air and looked toward the mountain in the distance. The majestic snowcapped peak seemed to glow as the stars shown all around it. The sky was clear and brilliant. He knew what Katherine had been talking about, no matter how many ceiling crystals there were in the underground cavern they could never hope to match the shining of those billions of stars overhead. He hoped this wasn¡¯t the last time he would see them for another two or three months.


    The soft presence in his head that was Aceso hadn¡¯t moved for a while. He knew that they were getting close. Nicolas seemed to be on a Sunday stroll. They eventually pushed through into a clearing where Aceso and the two elders were waiting. Ansuya was simply standing there with her arms down at her sides. She had an easy stance and she didn¡¯t look angry or impatient. Alexiares and Aceso were back in their werewolf forms. Aceso was standing with her arms folded across her chest while Alexiares was leaning up against a tree.


    As they entered the clearing, Ansuya melted down and reformed into her werewolf form. Her six-foot, eight-inch frame was covered with rich brown fur. Her golden eyes gazed at each of them as they came to a stop. She didn¡¯t say anything to them, she didn¡¯t have to.


    William knew that it would take too long to strip himself of his clothes. He knew that they had wasted enough time in just getting here. The sky was not brightening into morning, not yet but he could tell that dusk was quickly approaching. He looked down at his clothes and sighed. Oh well, what¡¯s one more set of clothes? He forced himself to calmness and shifted into his werewolf form.

 Book 4 Chapter 7f

    There weren¡¯t any clothes lying on the ground. There wasn¡¯t anything at all. No shoes, shirt, not even a ripped pair of pants. He looked up at Ansuya and suddenly he knew what had happened. Derceto must have shown Katherine how to do the trick with the clothes that everybody in the City under the Mountain seemed to be able to do. He almost wanted to shift back into human form just to see if his clothes would still be there. He didn¡¯t need to, Nicolas had already done that.


    ¡°This is so cool!¡± The scout almost yelled into the silence. William looked over to see the scout changing back and forth between werewolf and human form, his clothes disappearing and reappearing with every change.


    Ansuya arched an eye brow at him, ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re so amused, Nicolas.¡± The scout immediately turned to face the elder in werewolf form, he didn¡¯t change again. Ansuya addressed them. ¡°I will pull us all into the Whyte Plain. When that happens stay together and stay with me.¡± She turned her full attention toward Nicolas as she said that last part. ¡°You all know what waits for us once we are there.¡± She took in all of them as she uttered, ¡°with any luck, we will get where we need to be before our presence is noticed.¡± She glanced beside her toward Alexiares, ¡°If not, pull us out immediately. We don¡¯t have the numbers or the strength for a fight.¡± The massive elder nodded in agreement. Ansuya looked back at William and Aceso, ¡°Any questions?¡±


    William had just one, ¡°How long will it take us in the Whyte Plain to travel the roughly six hundred miles to Fullerton?¡±


    Ansuya replied, ¡°It should take us no longer than twenty minutes, faster if we move quickly.¡± William nodded. ¡°Anything else?¡± Ansuya asked again. She was met with silence. She nodded and suddenly the world was gone.


    William was stretched and pulled, as the stars overhead moved and was blotted out by pure white mist. The forest smells around him disappeared and the soft dirt underfoot was gone. In its place was the strange surface of the all too familiar Whyte Plain. William looked around at the remembered place. There was nothing to orient himself to. He had no idea which direction was north or south. He turned halfway around trying to see anything in the still white mist that floated around them. There was nothing there¡­at the moment. William knew, as they all did by now, that those shadows could be just out of eyesight. Those things seemed to have no problem seeing in this muck, but he couldn¡¯t even smell anything to warm him of any danger. All he could do was follow Ansuya and Aceso and trust that the elder knew where she was going.


    Silently Ansuya and Alexiares moved into the mist. Alexiares was on all fours while Ansuya followed close behind. The five of their pack stayed in a tight knit circle just behind the two elders. Aceso took up a rear guard and was constantly lifting her nose to the air and doing full three hundred sixty degree turns to make sure no one was following them.


    Ansuya started to increase her speed, slowly at first. William was walking behind her and at first it seemed that he was just walking too slowly and he had to put a little jump in his step if he was ever going to keep up with the elder. It became apparent to William what was happening and soon the seven shape shifters were in a full run.


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    Nicolas was not stupid and even he pushed himself to keep up with the members of his pack. He was breathing hard after a awhile, but he pushed forward, seemingly determined to not slow the group down. William was a little taken aback by the effort from him. He mentally scolded himself though. Nicolas had displayed traits that were not common for his stereotype. Maybe the City under the Mountain had impressed upon him some discipline and self respect. Or, it could be that even this place scared him and he didn¡¯t want to be here any longer than he absolutely had to be. William hoped it was the former, but as long as the scout was moving, he was happy.


    William didn¡¯t know how long they had been there. They could have spent minutes there, or only mere seconds, this place distorted more than just his sense of direction. Then he heard it. That familiar buzzing sound that had assaulted him and his pack the last time he was here. It was only a minor annoyance at this point. He knew what it meant though and they were quickly running out of time.


    He knew that Ansuya heard it too, because she pushed forward faster. Aceso had turned around and given up on the rear guard. William didn¡¯t know how long they still had to go but they were in pure speed mode. Alexiares skidded to a halt suddenly. William wondered what the elder enforcer was thinking. A moment later the massive werewolf scooped Nicolas off of the ground as he tried to run past the elder. Alexiares then turned and sprinted forward to rejoin with Ansuya. The four pack mates also increased their speed. Now that they were unencumbered with the lack of speed and endurance from their scout, they could open up and really sprint.


    William¡¯s legs started pumping so fast he couldn¡¯t feel the ground underneath him. In the Whyte Plain the ground was soft and unnoticeable anyway, but now he was shooting over the land and didn¡¯t have the time or the inclination to give the ground any more thought than he needed to. He glanced over his shoulder and he forced himself to gather more speed. He knew that just outside of his vision they were being hunted by those shadows. The shadows moved faster than they did and he knew that at any moment they would come tearing through the mist to fall upon them. The pack bond he shared with his pack gave him reserves of stamina and endurance and speed to draw upon but he knew that it was only a matter of time before they were overtaken.


    That buzzing in his ears had reached a fever pitch. He wanted to reach up and grab at his head to stop the buzzing. He flattened his ears as best he could against his head. He didn¡¯t need to hear anything anyway. It didn¡¯t help. The buzzing was coming from inside his ears. It was impossible to escape it and it was impossible to close it out of his consciousness. It really would drive him crazy this time. That was ok too. He didn¡¯t need to be sane to run. He just needed to get where Ansuya was leading them.


    He had to throw himself to the ground to avoid running into a tree. The insanity inducing buzzing was gone from his ears and he was able to hear the marks of people and civilization around him. William felt the dirt under his claws and he inhaled deeply the smog-tinged air around him. He looked up at the stars in the sky. They were exactly the way they had been when he left. There were a lot fewer of them now but the ones he could see were the same.

 Book 4 Chapter 8a

    Ansuya¡¯s voice cut through his reorienting musings. ¡°Change back quickly, and get off the ground.¡±


    William let his ears twist around as they tried to find any sounds of immediate danger. He took just a moment to confirm that there wasn¡¯t anybody around that he could hear or smell. Having satisfied himself, he pushed himself up from the dirt and changed back into his human form.


    His clothes reappeared in the exact same way they had been when he had changed into werewolf form. He understood Nicolas¡¯s enthusiasm, it was pretty cool. After taking a moment to marvel at the clothes thing, he looked up and took account of his pack.


    Katherine, Nicolas, and Charles were all back in their human forms, while Aceso was back in her wolf form. Alexiares was standing next to Ansuya as she fastened the leather collar around his neck. It took Katherine a moment to get herself together before she finally remembered about the collar that she was holding, belonging to Aceso. She bent down and clasped the leather strap around the she-wolf¡¯s neck. William could tell that Aceso didn¡¯t like that collar at all, but she accepted it. Katherine stood up holding the stupid thing while Aceso stood next to her. Her head was rotating around and her ears were moving around her head as she tried to detect anything that might warn them of danger.


    William had no real idea of what time it was. He looked east to see the false dusk that L.A. formed on the horizon. It could be three o¡¯clock in the morning or it could be six o¡¯clock, there was really no way for him to tell, short of a clock. He figured that he didn¡¯t really need to know what time it was anyway.


    Ansuya looked at all of them as William brought his attention back to her. She said, ¡°You all did very well. You controlled your fear and anxiety.¡± She glanced back over her shoulder, ¡°The inability to control those two things is one of the Whyte Plain¡¯s deadliest weapons.¡± She looked around briefly. ¡°I have done my part, Nicolas. Now, it is your time.¡±


    The scout looked around uneasily. He wasn¡¯t sure about where to go or what to do. William could read it in his body language. Suddenly he pointed, ¡°That way.¡±


    Ansuya glanced down at Alexiares and the wolf shook his head and body, like he was trying to dry himself off. Ansuya smiled wryly and took a few steps toward Nicolas. ¡°And what is ¡®that way,¡¯ Nicolas?¡±


    The brown-haired New Yorker was stuck. William could see his various muscles flexing in consternation under his clothes. Finally he admitted, ¡°I don¡¯t know, ok. I have no idea why you brought us all out here. I can¡¯t remember anything.¡±


    The beautiful elder folded her arms underneath her breasts. ¡°And lying would make up for that deficiency?¡±


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    Nicolas was trapped by her gaze and her posture. He couldn¡¯t move although his body was struggling to get away as his muscles pulsed and flexed involuntarily. The scout remained silent looking everywhere but at the elder.


    Ansuya took a step closer to him,¡°Nicolas¡± she said in a powerful but low voice, ¡°look at me.¡±


    Nicolas hung his head and turned it up to glance at her out of the corner of his eye. He froze in place looking at the elder much as he had back in the underground cavern. Then he moved again. He squared his shoulders and stood up straight facing her. Ansuya¡¯s eyes were locked with his. Nicolas¡¯s muscles immediately stopped flexing and his shoulders visibly relaxed. Neither of them spoke and once Nicolas was standing straight in front of the elder, he ceased to move at all. Nicolas looked proud and strong in her presence. He was standing at a relaxed attention in front of her with his hands by his sides. His back was straight and his head was held high.


    Ansuya held his gaze for long moments. She finally said in a full voice, ¡°Where are we going, Nicolas?¡±


    The scout remained standing at attention. His full attention was on the dark skinned elder in front of him. He was breathing deeply and his eyes were fully alert. When he spoke, his voice was calm and steady. ¡°To a place called The House of Eden.¡±


    The elder wasn¡¯t satisfied with that answer. ¡°Where is that, Nicolas?¡±


    ¡°East Ash Avenue, to the south east.¡± He pointed in that direction.


    Ansuya wasn¡¯t done with the scout. She took another step closer to Nicolas. Her body was almost touching his. Nicolas inhaled deeply. Ansuya moved her head in close to his and whispered something in his ear. Nicolas lips parted and he breathed an answer that William couldn¡¯t hear. Ansuya stepped back away from him, ¡°Thank you, Nicolas.¡±


    Immediately the scout was tense again. He seemed shocked that the elder was standing so close to him and it obviously made him very uncomfortable. He slid his leg back behind him as he tried to put some separation between himself and the elder. It wasn¡¯t as smooth as he probably would have liked.


    Ansuya walked back toward Alexiares and grabbed his leash. She looked at all of them. Her eyes remained on William for a long while. He looked deep into those infinite brown eyes. There was something entrancing about her eyes, he could look at them all day if he could. Ansuya moved her eyes to take in the whole group. ¡°This place is a little farther away than I would have liked, and we don¡¯t have much time. We will move quickly, don¡¯t get distracted.¡± With that the elder strode off in the direction that Nicolas had pointed out to her.


    William followed as Katherine loosely held Aceso¡¯s leash in hand, allowing Aceso to lead, with or without the collar and leash. William didn¡¯t need to wonder about what kind of place The House of Eden was but he had to wonder why they were going there. The name of the place brought to mind images of a strip club, not that he could be sure. The only reason anybody went to a strip club was to see girls get naked. If that was in fact what the place was, in his mind Nicolas had even less taste than he thought if he could describe a stripper as ¡®elegant.¡¯


    Ansuya wasn¡¯t kidding when she had told them they would move quickly. Her heels were barely audible on the cement as she strode faster and faster through the city streets. The pace was murderous at a walk. This was power walking to a whole other level. He had to jump-skip often just to keep up.

 Book 4 Chapter 8b

    The false dawn made by the nearby lights of L.A. just over the horizon was driving him crazy. He couldn¡¯t tell what time it was. After living in the City under the Mountain for the last three months and before that living in his forest he would have thought that time would have mattered less to him. He reminded himself that even though he didn¡¯t have clocks, the sun and ceiling crystals still gave him a pretty good idea of what time it was relatively. But here in the heart of Southern California where he could barely see the stars and the misguiding light of the city on the horizon was driving him insane.


    Luckily, they just so happened to pass by a Wells Fargo which had the time displayed on their digital sign, 1:25am. Was it really that early? He really hadn¡¯t gotten any sleep. And his energy levels crashed on the spot. It was as if knowing how tired his body was forced his mind to acknowledge it. His legs were suddenly heavy and his jaw cracked open in a huge yawn. He shook his head and kept moving. The sticky, groggy feeling dropped down on him like an anvil and all he wanted to do was go back to sleep. He knew that he couldn¡¯t, and he forced himself to keep up with the rest of the group. They all were showing signs of being tired. He guessed that the adrenaline of going into and through the Whyte Plain had wiped that feeling from them. But now that that chemical was leaving their system, the fatigue was there to take its place. Walking did help a little though and much sooner than he anticipated they were approaching a large building with pink neon proclaiming; The House of Eden.


    William glanced over at Katherine and Charles. Katherine could only shake her head while Charles lifted his eye brows and shrugged. William looked from the bottom to the top of the building. This is what we came all the way down here for? The pink neon was done in a tasteful way, if that was even possible, and the place looked fairly decent, relatively speaking.


    Ansuya didn¡¯t stop or hesitate at all. She walked up to the front door at the same speed she used to get here. William looked at his friends sharing his own doubts nonverbally with them before he turned and followed the elder.


    Ansuya was standing at the door. She had the bouncer in the palm of her hand as she explained sweetly that she and her second cousin Katherine were legally blind and they needed their service dogs to ¡®see¡¯ for them. The bouncer looked tough, bigger than Nicolas, and he had some mental discipline as well. ¡°Why are you girls coming to a gentleman¡¯s club so late then? Why aren¡¯t you at home?¡±


    Ansuya languidly unfolded her arm onto the podium that he was standing behind. ¡°We¡¯re here because it¡¯s out friend¡¯s birthday and we promised to take him to a strip club. The house party was a little bigger than we thought and it took us this long to get everyone out.¡± Ansuya¡¯s eyes bored into the bouncer, ¡°You want to let the seven of us in¡­you need to let us in.¡± She stood there as her words sunk in. ¡°Show me how much you want me by letting us in.¡±


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    The bouncer had that same glazed over look that the people in the tourist over look had. Without any hesitation he gave her five tickets. Ansuya gently stroked his cheek with her hand. ¡°Thank you.¡± She then glided into the building as the rest of them followed.


    The place was dimly lit. The red carpet and red felt chairs all around the place were bathed in black lights. There were strobe lights near the raised stage. It was a strip club. William was greeted with the smells of sweat and perfume. There was a hum of conversation overlayed by the thumping music and the DJ.


    Ansuya walked in front of a scantily clad waitress who almost spilled her entire tray of drinks trying not to bump into her. The startled yelp she made as Ansuya cut her off seemed to draw the attention of the whole place. And the place dropped to stillness, instantly. The music was still thumping, but even the DJ stopped talking. The girls on stage had stopped dancing, and every set of eyes in the place was now following the beautiful woman and those that followed her.


    William locked his eyes ahead of him as he tried to ignore the gaping stares of the topless dancers and their patrons. The wolves held their heads high as they followed Ansuya to a table in the back of the club. The elder slid into place at the back of the table to allow her to look out over the whole room. The rest of them filed in around the table to the sides of her and the wolves situated themselves as unobtrusively as they could under the table.


    Ansuya seemed to not notice everyone in the building staring at her. She leaned over to Nicolas as he was relaxing up against the leather of the bench. She asked, ¡°Nicolas, which one is she?¡±


    The scout seemed to be taken by surprise by the statement. He blinked at her and looked around the room. The place seemed to become unfrozen just as the song was ending. The loud DJ came over the sound system, ¡°Let¡¯s give a big hand for Vanity. Now coming up on the center stage is¡­¡± William didn¡¯t pay any more attention to the obnoxious voice that boomed throughout the room. Nicolas however had that look of being in serious trouble.


    The dull roar of the room cascaded to life once more as the DJ finished his introduction and the music came on again. William couldn¡¯t help but take a look around. Even though most of the patrons had gone back to whatever it was they were doing before they came in, most of the dancers were still shooting glances their way. There were some attractive ones, but he didn¡¯t have the slightest interest in them.


    Then, a brave dancer came up to their table. She had bright blond hair which couldn¡¯t possibly be a natural color, and boobs as fake as anything he had ever seen. The girl might have been attractive, if it wasn¡¯t for all that make up and the smell of sweat and heavy perfume that clung to her. She smiled at the men at the table, ¡°Are you boys ordering anything or have you already found something you like?¡± With this last part she bent over the table showing her deep, cleavage.

 Book 4 Chapter 8c

    Nicolas took the opportunity, ¡°I would love a dance, Miss.¡± He slipped under the table and emerged on the other side. He put his arm around the girl and looked back at Ansuya. ¡°You¡¯ll have to get payment from the lady of the group, she¡¯s our guardian and she carries all the money.¡± He looked at Ansuya, ¡°I¡¯ll have to get back to you on that thing we were talking about.¡± Nicolas didn¡¯t waste any time in guiding the girl away from the table as fast as he could.


    William looked over at the elder who seemed not in the least bit surprised by what had happened. She seemed to even relax a bit into the leather seat behind her. William shot a look at Katherine across the table. The sage shot a look at Nicolas¡¯s retreating back then heaved a sign and shook her head. William glanced at Charles who could only shrug. This was going to be a long night.


    A waitress came up to their table. She was wearing a poodle shirt and a very low cut t-shirt. She had nice boobs which were perky under the fabric. The fact that she wasn¡¯t wearing a bra was not lost on him because her nipples were visible through the tight shirt. She also bent over the table slightly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry folks, but we don¡¯t allow dogs in here.¡±


    William looked back at Ansuya who had her full attention on the girl. ¡°These are our service dogs.¡± Ansuya said politely.


    The girl cocked her head to one side as if she was trying to figure out if what she heard had been what she had heard or if the music was making her hear things. She looked at the elder and repeated, ¡°Service dogs? Is that what you said ma¡¯am? That these are service dogs?¡±


    Ansuya blinked her eyes slowly at the girl and said simply, ¡°Yes.¡±


    The girl looked around to see if anyone was going to come and help her or not. It was a classic scene and William almost laughed. That of the lowly employee trying to do the right thing and being given a line of complete bull shit and not having any authority to do anything about it. The girl decided that it wasn¡¯t worth the trouble and instead put on a big fake smile and said, ¡°What may I get you nice folks to drink this evening?¡±


    Ansuya simply sunk back into her chair. The girl turned to Charles who asked for a water. Katherine shook her head and William raised his hand in a polite negative. ¡°Well, ok, my name is Sarah and I¡¯ll be taking care of you tonight, if any of you need anything just let me know, and I¡¯ll be right back with your water, sweetie.¡± With that the girl walked away quickly.


    William turned toward the stage to watch a dancer slide down the stripper pole. She could actually dance and her hips swayed in almost perfect time with the music. The girl was in shape. William could see her muscles ripple under her skin as she moved and flexed. She was fairly attractive too, if she would take off all the crap on her face. Her lipstick was too red and too heavy and she had no sense of how to put mascara and eye shadow on, she looked like a raccoon. William couldn¡¯t help but glance back at the dark skinned elder sitting behind him. The white girl on stage must be trying to emulate Ansuya¡¯s natural smokey eye color. Ansuya was ten times more beautiful and elegant than the girl on stage. The sad thing is if she wasn¡¯t dancing naked and would accept her natural look, he might be able to call her attractive. It just reminded him of all the reasons he left his home and traveled to his forest to live with nature and his pack so long ago.


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    As the music finished Ansuya slid out from behind the table. She stood there, once more the unofficial center of attention. She moved off in the direction that Nicolas had disappeared to with the stripper.


    As Ansuya disappeared through the semi crowded room, Alexiares started to growl lowly under the table. Aceso was right behind him. He wondered what it was that was setting them off. Then he smelled it too.


    There was a faint odor of blood mixed with stale sweat in the air. It was a putrid smell but so faint that if it hadn¡¯t been for the wolves warning him that something was wrong, he would never have caught it. Here, in the over powerful smells of stripper¡¯s bodies and perfume and alcohol, he was surprised that he could smell anything at all. But he knew that he could never really miss a smell like this. He inhaled deeply to get a fuller sense of what it was he was smelling. It was rotten, the smell of decay and neglect. William looked around trying to find the source of the odor.


    He looked at the entrance and a darkly tanned, well-built man had just walked in through the door. The man was a decent height five feet eleven inches, maybe. He was well groomed and his light brown hair was neat. He wore a fashionable white shirt with matching slacks, his off-white jacket was open, revealing his solid build underneath. The man had the attention of the room, much like Ansuya had. William watched as his gaze passed slowly over the place. He had the look of a man who was searching for something. Then a small twitch of his nose scrunched up his handsome face just slightly.


    The man¡¯s head slowly tracked back over the room and stopped staring underneath the table William was sitting at. The wolves growled a little louder, creating a vibration that he could feel through the carpet. The man in the white suit smiled broadly at the two animals. He lifted his eyes to meet William and to cross over Katherine and Charles. His face showed an exaggeratedly confused look as he slowly approached the five of them.


    The man had his eyes locked on the small group but he sauntered through the strip club with confidence in a very unrushed fashion. He stopped a scantily clad waitress and leaned in to her ear to whisper something. Then he pulled a few folded bills from his jacket pocket and dropped them on her tray. The girl beamed up at him and scurried away back toward the bar. William didn¡¯t like the guy already.

 Book 4 Chapter 8d

    The man stopped very deliberately in front of their table. He stood there as if they were there to see him. The guy reminded William of characters from movies, the washed up or very little-known actor who thinks so highly of himself that he his is the center of everyone else¡¯s world. He swept his open jacket to his sides like a gunslinger as he squatted down to get a better look under the table. His smile broadened, but oddly he bowed his head deeply. William could only look to his friends and silently ask what the hell was going on. Neither Charles nor Katherine had any answers and could only shake their heads and shrug.


    ¡°Alexiares, I presume. It is a great honor to finally meet you.¡±


    William felt the vibration through the carpet increase violently but the wolves or wolf responsible for it was doing so silently. The man finally raised himself up to face William. There was something dangerous about this guy. Somehow William knew that this was a vampire, he knew it as soon as that rotten stench of death and decay hit his nostrils. He suddenly felt very weak and exposed in this sitting position. He moved to stand up, but was halted by the man¡¯s raised hands.


    ¡°No, no, William, please, stay seated.¡± The man spoke with no accent at all, or more accurately a northern California accent, one that William knew very well. The man looked around and grabbed a nearby empty chair. Charles and Katherine were both asking the same silent question. Now it was his turn to shake his head and shrug. How was he supposed to know how this guy knew his name?


    The man quickly turned around and leaned casually into the chair that he had pulled up for himself. He sat there staring at them, and they stared right back. William wasn¡¯t going to back down from this guy, and he was glad to know that his friends had the same idea. The man had a casual grace about him. He was unhurried and seemed to be quite at home even when he was facing five Shape shifters.


    The waitress that the man had talked to upon approaching them at their table walked up to the table then and placed drinks quickly in front of all of them. She handed the last drink to the man personally and this earned her a folded bill or two from his jacket pocket. The girl beamed at him, ¡°Thank you so much, Mr. Pacifico. Thank you.¡± The girl hurried off.


    William glanced down at the drink in front of him but didn¡¯t touch it, his friends didn¡¯t either. He kept staring at the self-confident, Mr. Pacifico.


    The man sat for a moment or two before finally gesturing at the drinks in front of them. ¡°Surely we can act like civilized people.¡± He took a long drink from his glass. He looked at them over the rim of his glass. ¡°The least you can do is offer me the courtesy of having one sip with me, it won¡¯t kill you.¡±


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    William glanced over at his friends as the wolves under the table were just as alert and tense as they were when this Mr. Pacifico walked into the room. William looked at him evenly, ¡°How do you know who we are?¡±


    The question froze Mr. Pacifico solid. He watched them over his glass as he slowly set it on the table. A small smile played about his lips as he licked them. ¡°Oh, William I know so much more about you than just your name.¡± He was smiling openly now as he looked at the three of them in front of him. ¡°I¡¯m not quite sure who your friends are.¡± A slight look of puzzlement crossed over his features, then he shrugged and brushed whatever thought he was entertaining away. ¡°Now, William.¡± He shifted back to look at him. ¡°I¡¯ve known about you for years it seems.¡± Mr. Pacifico leaned back in his chair holding his drink casually out to his side.


    William¡¯s eyes darkened as what happened to him on the night he left his forest and everyday coming to the City under the Mountain and why it happened suddenly came into sharp focus in his mind. ¡°Why?¡± he almost growled.


    Mr. Pacifico looked a little shocked at the bluntness of the question. ¡°Because we are mortal enemies,¡± he half laughed, half coughed out of his mouth. William placed two fists on the table and Katherine¡¯s hand immediately came up to rest on his shoulders. ¡°You probably should take her advice, William.¡± He said as he drained his glass and set it back on the table.


    Suddenly there was a pair of naked boobs hanging in William¡¯s face. ¡°Do any of you see anything you like?¡± A blond haired stripper asked in a thick Virginian accent. William was a little shocked by the sudden appearance of the naked flesh in front of him.


    ¡°No, thank you, my dear.¡± Mr. Pacifico intoned. William could just pick out a slight and subtle undulation in his voice something that wasn¡¯t there before. He looked up at the girl standing over him who was staring straight at the man in white as he spoke. She was completely enthralled by this man. William knew it had something to do with his voice but the girl¡¯s reaction was just like what happened when Ansuya affected people. Could vampires have similar abilities to Shape shifters? It was something that he would have to ask Ansuya.


    Mr. Pacifico said, ¡°You need to go to the other side of the room and leave us to our private conversation.¡± The girl nodded slowly and obediently. ¡°Go.¡± The girl quickly turned and left them, her boobs bouncing against her chest as she hurried to cross the room.


    Mr. Pacifico turned his attention back to William, ¡°William, we wanted you dead. We still aren¡¯t quite sure how you escaped the little trap we set for you,¡± he smiled then, ¡°but we are working on that to prevent similar failures in the future.¡±


    William didn¡¯t see the humor in what he was saying. ¡°How did you know about my forest or even what I am?¡±


    Charles interrupted, ¡°Will, he¡¯s guessing. He knows nothing about us. He is trying to goad you into giving him whatever information he can get. Calm down.¡± William looked at his friend who met his gaze and nodded his head slowly. William unclenched his fists on the table and visibly retook control of himself. Charles looked at Mr. Pacifico, ¡°You have us at a disadvantage, sir. You seem to know who William is, but we know very little about you.¡±

 Book 4 Chapter 8e

    ¡°Is that¡¯s what¡¯s bothering you?¡± The man sitting opposite of them leaned forward to sit up straight in his chair. He laid his arms out on the chair arms in a relaxed but confident position. It seemed to William that this would be an appropriate position for a job interview. William knew that the man was mocking his friend and he threw him a sideways glance. This earned a smile from Mr. Pacifico as he redirected his attention back to Charles. ¡°My name is Kenneth Pacifico.¡±


    ¡°Why would anyone in their right minds name their child Kenny?¡± Katherine asked under her breath.


    ¡°I know the concept of time must be difficult for you,¡± Kenneth answered sharply, ¡°Shape shifters do have such short lives compared to us.¡± He glanced under the table at the alert golden brown wolf. ¡°But you have to understand my dear, my parents were Sicilian.¡±


    He let the small revelation hang in the air for a moment. William knew who the Sicilians were but other than that, the title alone did not impress him. His friends had much the same reaction. This earned them a slightly sour look from their guest.


    Kenneth continued a little less enthusiastic than before, ¡°I was born in Follonica Italy, in 1941. My father wanted me to have a proud Italian name, but my mother,¡± He looked pointedly at Katherine, ¡°She wanted me to have a more unique and western name. She won out in that argument and so I was given the name of Kenneth.¡± He swept his eyes over the group stopping back on Katherine. ¡°You have to understand that this was years before South Park. Of course, once that show aired and soared in popularity I was already as you see me now. I never had the pleasure of being constantly chased with sounds of my friends crying out ¡®Oh my God, they killed Kenny.¡¯¡±


    ¡°You are a relatively young vampire then.¡± Charles stated.


    Kenneth smiled at the dark black man, ¡°Why yes I am, in the grand scheme of my people I am, at any rate.¡± He glanced over at William and said quietly, ¡°So he¡¯s the brains of the group. I understand, it¡¯s no shame to be the mindless muscle, William. I have met and killed one or two Enforcers such as yourself.¡±


    Katherine sorted, ¡°I doubt that.¡±


    Kenneth turned back toward Katherine. There was a harsh look in his eyes as he roughly spoke to her. ¡°I didn¡¯t say they were Shape shifters or that they were even werewolves, now did I?¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell all of us exactly what you do mean.¡±


    William turned to the melodic voice that had sounded just to his right. Standing there was Ansuya who had Nicolas in front of her and off to her side, she was holding the arm of a scantily clad woman. The woman was very pink skinned. Her blond hair was dyed, though pretty well done, dark roots were no where to be seen. William guessed at the dye job because the shade of the girl¡¯s hair didn¡¯t quite go with her skin tone. The woman was staring up at Ansuya. She wore an adoring smile on her face. She was leaning into the elder. To William, she looked like one of those white statues of a woman who was swooning over something that rich people kept in their gardens. The girl was young, only about twenty-one or maybe twenty-two. Her boobs were massive for her body frame but even without that tell-tale sign William knew they were fake. Her tight blue and purple corset left nothing to the imagination and the skin around her breasts were pulled tight at odd, harsh angles. He supposed that could be from the corset itself but somehow, he just knew the girl had had work done. She was in shape though; he had to give her that at least. He long well-muscled, toned legs shot up from her six inch platform heels right up under the short, see through, fabric that wrapped around her waist. It wasn¡¯t a skirt or a pair of shorts, it just looked like a piece of fabric, like an ultra-thin see through scarf or towel.


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    Ansuya gently guided the girl to a seat next to Nicolas who had sat down a moment before. She turned to face Kenneth, who was now standing up facing her as well. The elder didn¡¯t speak; she only looked at the young vampire.


    Kenneth met her eyes with his. He wore a faux smile that was wafer thin. William knew that if he could spot something like that than Ansuya would already be building a mental psychological profile on this guy. ¡°I am shocked by this unexpected surprise.¡± He said almost jovially. ¡°When I choose this place for tonight, I had no idea that I would be standing in the presence of the elders Alexiares and Ansuya Das, at the same time.¡± He bowed his head, much as he had done with Alexiares. ¡°I am honored to meet you both, truly.¡±


    Ansuya arched an eyebrow, ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Kenneth Pacifico. I was just in the middle of a marvelous little chat¡­¡±


    ¡°What did you mean a moment ago by having ¡®killed one or two enforcers?¡± Ansuya asked with a straight face.


    Kenneth stood still, smile still on his face, looking into Ansuya¡¯s eyes. William watched his mannerisms carefully. The man stood as still as a cat on a mantle. There was no sweat or noticeable anxiety. The man may have been looking for something, but nervous or intimidated he was not.


    Kenneth said, ¡°Yes, I have killed several whose destiny it may have been to become enforcers or sages or even trackers.¡± He glanced back at William and the others sitting on the bench behind the table. ¡°And as pleasant as this meeting has been I have business to attend to.¡±


    Before he could move Ansuya asked casually with an undertone of iron, ¡°What House are you with?¡±


    Kenneth stopped and gave her a sideways glance. He replied slowly, ¡°House? That is an interesting, if not rather restricted way of looking at things, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Ansuya took a step closer to the vampire. She gathered herself and raised herself to her full height. Ansuya wasn¡¯t playing games with this particular vampire. William hoped that Kenneth gave her a reason to act. ¡°Do not play games with me, parasite. What House do you belong to?¡±


    Kenneth raised his eyebrows as he looked toward the ceiling. He shrugged in the negative. ¡°I have no idea what you are talking about, Miss Das.¡±


    She smiled thinly at the vampire. She arched an eyebrow at him and asked, ¡°Why are you here?¡±

 Book 4 Chapter 8f

    Kenneth smiled broadly and shook his head almost laughing, ¡°Now Miss Das, if I told you that it wouldn¡¯t be a surprise.¡± Kenneth kicked his chair back and away from himself and moved around the elder. She turned around as he stopped and turned back around to face them. With one hand in his pants pocket he looked like Crocket from the nineteen eighties show Miami Vice. He leaned over and whispered to them so as just to be heard over the loud music from the club. ¡°What I do is my business.¡± He looked pointedly at Ansuya, ¡°I have killed, and I will continue to kill, it¡¯s part of who I am. But before you condemn what you only think you know, understand that there are those of us who, in our own way, work for something better. I just expect to get paid for my services.¡± Smiling at them he raised his hand in farewell as he swept his jacket aside and followed it around to walk away from the group.


    The guy¡¯s got guts, I¡¯ll give him that. William watched Kenneth¡¯s back as he almost strutted out the door of the strip club. The man didn¡¯t seem to have a care in the world. He wondered if Kenneth actually understood how close he had come to dying. William shifted his gaze to the elder who was still standing where the vampire had left her. She wasn¡¯t looking at anything but her brow was furrowed slightly.


    ¡°What is it?¡± William asked.


    Ansuya looked over at the enforcer, her deep brown eyes bringing their weight to bear on him. ¡°Our guest¡¯s parting comment troubles me.¡± She looked down at the wolves that were under the table. ¡°I¡¯ve heard rhetoric like that before.¡±


    Charles asked, ¡°Whatever he was talking about, do you think it will affect us?¡±


    The raven haired elder supported her chin with one of her hands, ¡°Depending on the meaning, it could affect us a great deal.¡± She looked at Charles, ¡°What concerns me at the moment is the possibility that his boasts are real.¡±


    Katherine looked back and forth between Charles and Ansuya, ¡°The part about him killing us before we mature into werewolves or learn how to be shape shifters?¡±


    Ansuya nodded, ¡°If the parasites have learned how to predict who among us are to be Shape shifters and can find them and kill them before we can get to them then,¡± Ansuya looked over all of them, ¡°they could, quite possibly, cause our kind¡¯s extinction.¡±


    ¡°Could this be the reason why I was the last shape shifter to enter the city safely? And why there hasn¡¯t been any other new Shape Shifters to join us?¡± William asked quietly.


    Ansuya turned her attention back to him, ¡°It¡¯s not out of the realm of possibilities, but I don¡¯t want to jump to conclusions based on what one vampire has told us on a chance meeting in a strip club.¡± She smiled wryly at the five of them. ¡°Their kind lives in the shadows and survives off lies and half-truths, but it is something that is worth looking into at any rate.¡± She turned back toward the girl that she had led to her seat. ¡°Right now, we have more pressing matters.¡± Ansuya looked around the room facing the exit, ¡°It¡¯s time to go.¡± The elder walked toward the exit casually.


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    The five of them got up and followed her. Nicolas led the stripper by the hand toward the exit. The two wolves fell in with the group, Alexiares was right beside Ansuya while Aceso was trailing behind the group.


    Ansuya got to the exit and waited for the small procession to catch up. As soon as the bouncer saw Nicolas leading the stripper he became stone. ¡°Lacey, you know our policy about you girls leaving with the guests, it aint allowed.¡± He said sternly, ¡°Now get your cute butt back in there.¡± He said pointing back to the main lobby area.


    Ansuya reached up and pulled his arm back down, ¡°She left on her own.¡± Ansuya said calmly, ¡°You saw her leave and she told you that she wouldn¡¯t be coming back.¡± The bouncer nodded slowly in response to the elder¡¯s words. ¡°Serve me now and do not let anyone exit this building for at least four minutes.¡±


    ¡°No one will leave here for at least five, unless it¡¯s over my dead body.¡± The bouncer replied proudly.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Ansuya intoned as she gently gripped his shoulder. She turned quickly and led the rest of them out of the building.


    Once outside Alexiares had his nose to the wind and Ansuya was searching their surroundings. Alexiares moved around to the back of the building. Ansuya having satisfied herself that there was no one around she followed the wolf. The rest of them followed her. Nicolas was having a hard time with the apparently love sick stripper who was moving like she had lead in her shoes. It was kind of funny watching Nicolas wrestle the girl back around the building, trying to get her to move with any kind of urgency.


    Ansuya looked over the group and the slow movement of the stripper was not lost on the elder. She looked over at the girl, ¡°Take off your shoes.¡±


    The girl looked confused and a flash of pain seemed to cross over her face. She glanced down at her six-inch platform heeled shoes and looked back at the elder apprehensively.


    Ansuya took a few steps toward the girl. ¡°Those things will slow you, and the rest of us, down.¡± She let the full weight of her glance bore into the girl¡¯s eyes. The stripper turned her head away quickly, relieving herself of the pain of the elder¡¯s stare. Ansuya spoke to the girl who was almost cowering under her presence, ¡°Where we are going, we will need to move as fast as possible, those things on your feet will greatly decrease the chance of us getting to where we need to be alive.¡± She took a small step back away from the scared girl, ¡°Are those shoes worth your life?¡± she demanded.


    The girl looked at the elder and back down at her shoes. This was the first time that William had seen anyone question Ansuya after she had given them an order. It was possible that Ansuya wasn¡¯t using her abilities on the girl, and she was starting to come back to her senses. On the other hand, it could be that this girl was just that material, and her shoes did mean more to her than anything else. If that was the case, this girl¡¯s time, however long or short, in the City Under the Mountain was going to be particularly painful, and not just for the girl either. William shook his head and glanced up at the night sky.


    Ansuya looked at the girl who was still cowering looking forlornly at her shoes and shooting glances out the corner of her eye at the elder. Ansuya didn¡¯t say anything more. She stood, watched, and waited.


    Slowly the girl bent over, sticking her thinly clothed butt in the air and undid the clasp on one of her shoes and then the other. She gingerly stepped out of them and reached down to pick them up. Before she could however, Ansuya grabbed the girl¡¯s hands. The girl looked up at her with a scared, shocked expression on her face. Ansuya looked at her not unkindly, ¡°Where we¡¯re going, you won¡¯t need those.¡±

 Book 4 Chapter 9a

    The girl asked quietly in a high-pitched voice, ¡°Where are we going?¡±


    ¡°Some place that will help you stay alive for the next year or two of your life.¡± Ansuya replied with a small smile. She turned to the rest of the group, ¡°You all know what I expect of you. We will enter the Whyte Plain running. It will be impossible for us to escape notice this time,¡± she glanced at the stripper as she said this but continued, ¡°We will move as fast as we can.¡± She looked at Alexiares, ¡°Take the rear guard.¡± The golden brown wolf nodded his head. Ansuya looked around the group, ¡°Everyone hold hands, William?¡± The elder was looking at him as she spoke, ¡°Look after our guest. I place her in your care. Don¡¯t disappoint me.¡± The request was spoken quietly but there was steel lining her words. William understood and nodded his head. Ansuya took one last look over the group and nodded.


    The darkness that had bathed them all was immediately washed out by muted white. The stripper was completely disoriented. She let go of the people holding her hands and she turned around and around and around. She was whipping her head around so fast her shoulder length hair was flying all over her face; it was a wonder that she could see anything at all. She was breathing so hard she couldn¡¯t scream although it was apparent from her expression that is exactly what she wanted to do.


    Nicolas jumped away from the distraught girl. Looking over at William he gestured back to her, ¡°She¡¯s your problem.¡± The scout immediately shifted into werewolf form and walked to where Ansuya, who had also taken werewolf form, was standing.


    The girl breathlessly pointed at the two monsters who had sprang up out of nowhere. She was keyed up to the point of bursting. William watched helplessly as her eyes rolled back up into her skull and she collapsed into the thick mist that hugged the floor of this place.


    A small burst of laughter escaped from Nicolas who immediately silenced himself. Katherine shot a look over at the scout and she herself changed into werewolf form. She looked down at the girl and shook her head. She glanced over at William with a sympathetic glance.


    William heaved a short sigh and changed into his own werewolf form. He gathered the girl up into his arms and threw her dead weight body over his shoulder in a fireman¡¯s carry. He knew he was doing something wrong but right then in this place, he didn¡¯t care.


    Once the girl was situated on his massive fur covered shoulders, he looked to see that the entire group had transformed and were ready to move. Without a word Ansuya darted off into the mist of the Whyte Plain.


    Even with the extra weight of the girl on his shoulders he was able to keep pace with the rest of his pack. Ansuya moved with a languid fluidity that made Aceso¡¯s wolf born grace look almost awkward. The eight of them cut a direct and swift path through the Whyte Plain. If their last visit had taught him anything, he knew that their presence would not go long unnoticed. He was proven right a few moments later.


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    That familiar buzzing rang deep in his ear. The intelligence of whatever it was that had taken residence in this place was persistent. But it was a little slow this time around. William mentally clocked them having already run about fifteen minutes. He wasn¡¯t quite sure how long they had to go, but he was sure that they couldn¡¯t be in here too much longer than they had been on their visit earlier. Ansuya didn¡¯t bend or struggle. Her figure remained strong and true, increasing their pace as they raced the shadows of this place. With their passenger they would be less than fully effective in a fight. Depending on how many shadows showed themselves, they could be in real trouble.


    Suddenly William heard a howl from behind him, it was Alexiares. William immediately stopped, jarring his passenger hard against his head and neck. He knew that they couldn¡¯t stay hidden from these things twice in one day. He looked over at Nicolas, ¡°Take her.¡± Nicolas nodded and grabbed the girl as William let her slip from his grip.


    He met the eyes of Charles and Katherine. The three of them moved to stand side by side with the elder enforcer. Alexiares, looked at the three of them and said, ¡°You should leave.¡±


    William looked out at the swirling white mist. He could smell them now too. Their scent wasn¡¯t over powering but strong enough, even with Alexiares and Ansuya they may not win this fight. ¡°I didn¡¯t train all this time to let you face the enemy by yourself.¡± William replied.


    Alexiares looked at the shorter, younger enforcer as Ansuya joined the line. ¡°I told you they were willful.¡± William looked over at the elder Tracker.


    Alexiares glanced at her too, ¡°You were right Ansuya, as usual.¡± He turned his attention back to the slowly darkening mist in front of him.


    William looked out at the coming enemy. He knew that Nicolas would be keeping out of danger, as much as he could, but the safety of the girl was foremost on his mind.


    Suddenly two things happened simultaneously. The mist in front of him shredded off to the sides as a half dozen shadows came tearing toward them in a roiling mass of darkness, not quite having form. They showed themselves at about thirty feet away from their line. At the same moment William heard, coming directly from his right, ¡°Do I finally get to see what kind of enforcer you have become, William?¡±


    William looked up to see a steel faced Ares standing next to him. His former teacher¡¯s eyes were locked on to the oncoming shadows as the things closed the distance between them.


    William¡¯s face split into a huge smile and even with the danger facing him he couldn¡¯t stop the stream of questions from spilling out of his mouth, ¡°Ares! How did you know we were here? What are you doing here?¡±


    The massive enforcer didn¡¯t reply, but instead took a step toward the oncoming enemy. William became aware of five other shape shifters on the other side of Ares. He almost missed one, her brilliant white coat of fur blended in perfectly with the mist surrounding them. William watched as they all stepped off the line to meet the approaching shadows and he found himself turning to face to enemy as well.

 Book 4 Chapter 9b

    As they advanced, the shadows themselves seemed to falter. They buffeted to a stop as their forms lost cohesion and came back together again brightening and darkening as their forms moved and swayed with some unfelt wind. The shadows watched as the Shape shifters approached. The shadows were now more than outnumbered. They brought themselves together and faded back and dissipated like smoke into the mist of the Whyte Plain.


    William watched them go as Ares turned back toward his former student. He nodded and looked over at the two elders. Ares bowed to them both, but it was a black furred werewolf that had slight grey striations throughout his fur who spoke, ¡°Elders, I¡¯m sorry we got here a little late, but the direction and path that you gave to us before you left was a little off and we had another little party of our friends here to deal with first.¡±


    Ansuya nodded her head, ¡°I apologize for the misinformation, Mr. Davis.¡± She gestured back behind her toward the scout who was still holding onto the unconscious stripper. ¡°Nicolas could not give us completely accurate information until he got closer to the target. Our entry point was not on line with what we had predicted. Are any of your pack mates injured?¡±


    Mr. Davis smiled broadly, ¡°No, elder we¡¯re all fine. It¡¯ll take more than a few shadows to get the better of Ares and our pack.¡± He said proudly.


    Ansuya looked back at the girl in Nicolas¡¯s hands, ¡°We have to get the girl back to the city.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re here to escort you the rest of the way.¡± Mr. Davis said.


    Ansuya nodded and turned back in the direction that they had been traveling. Mr. Davis¡¯s pack fell in around the young shape shifters. Ares took up a shared rear guard position with Alexiares, while Mr. Davis took point.


    William took the girl back from Nicolas who was a little stunned. William grabbed at the scout¡¯s hand to shake him out of it. Nicolas shook his head and nodded. He fell back in step with Katherine and Charles with his head down. The group was walking swiftly but Nicolas kept his head down with a pensive look covering his features. William wondered what it was that was bothering him.


    The walk back through the Whyte Plain was uneventful. He didn¡¯t hear the buzzing in his ears, nor did he feel anything wrong with their surroundings. He was extremely alert though. He could never bring himself to relax in this place, not after his experiences here.


    Soon they all stopped and gathered into a rough circle. And with a nod of Ansuya¡¯s head, they were back in the real world, just outside of the city entrance inside one of the many shallow caves that ringed the mountain which housed it. Mr. Davis did the honors of opening the gate with his howl and the large party moved into the city entrance closing the way behind them.


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    The procession moved down through the tunnel, deeper and deeper down into the bowels of the mountain. The girl slung over William¡¯s shoulders whimpered from time to time but she remained unconscious for the most part.


    The long dark tunnel stretched itself out into the infinite black. He only mildly acknowledged the fact that they had not taken a torch with them. He could feel his way forward. Between the sounds of their breathing and their soft padded footsteps leading them down the tunnel he would just as soon not have a light.


    The unconscious stripper¡¯s breath was harsh and quick. The thick fur of his shoulders gave her some padding but his pace and gait jostled her endlessly. He tried to soften his steps to ease her ride, but it didn¡¯t seem to make a difference. So, he walked normally and hoped that the trip wasn¡¯t as long as he remembered it getting here. The girl wasn¡¯t heavy but his raised arm, used to steady and secure the girl to his shoulder, was getting a little sore, even his pack bond had limits, it seemed.


    Without warning he heard Mr. Davis¡¯s howl ring out through the dark quiet of the tunnel. The girl jerked herself awake as the tunnel gate slid open. Suddenly fists were raining down on William¡¯s head and ears. The once dead weight of the girl¡¯s body had turned into that of a writhing snake that kicked and squirmed and jerked back and forth on his back. Without thinking about it and without really meaning to, he dropped the girl. She fell with a shriek that was punctuated by a loud thud.


    The light from the city spilled into the blackened cave. William turned around to find the girl sliding backwards on her butt. The thirteen werewolves who turned to face her must have been terrifying for her. She was so fear stricken she couldn¡¯t get to her feet. She could only gasp, much like she had done in the Whyte Plain. William tried to reach for her but that triggered something much more primal in her and she was able to turn around and bolt down the black tunnel.


    Without thinking he tore off after her. Her stumbling and heaving, hyperventilation gasps was easy enough to find. She was making so much noise sobbing and crying out for help a deaf man could find her. William saw her fall down again in front of him and he shifted back to his human form. He caught her up in his arms and held her. ¡°It¡¯s alright, you¡¯re ok.¡±


    The girl clutched at him like a toddler. She was sobbing and crying and wiping her snot oozing nose all over his clothes. She wouldn¡¯t stop crying. William tried to stand up, or pull away, but that just made her grip him harder. He looked up at the dim ceiling of the cave. If this is what having a child was like he never wanted to even think about having one. After a few minutes of listening and feeling her sobbing into his chest and shoulder, with no end in sight, he wrapped his arms around and her and lifted her up into a standing position.


    He started to move back toward the city. This brought about another series of short gasps and half uttered pleas that sounded like baby squeaks. She dug her nails into his back trying to make him stop. The only thing he could make out was, ¡°No¡± and ¡°please¡± and at one point he thought that she may have cried out that she wanted to go home. The short trip back to the city entrance took a really long time. When he reached the gate, thankfully, the rest of the group had shifted back into their natural born forms.

 Book 4 Chapter 9c

    The girl had to be peeled off his chest. She had her eyes shut as tight as she could get them. William pried her hands off him and walked away. She cried out into her self imposed darkness, ¡°NO!! Don¡¯t leave me! I don¡¯t want to die!¡± he eyes flew open and she practically dove back into William¡¯s chest.


    He looked helplessly at Katherine. Her bright green eyes looked back at him. ¡°If this girl was about ten years younger, I might have something funny to say.¡±


    The girl who wrapped herself around William¡¯s torso might have heard and may even have understood that Katherine was insulting her, but the girl showed no sign of loosening her grip. Thankfully, a strong hand ripped in between William¡¯s shirt and the girls arm and forcefully and quickly pried the girl loose from him. William saw that it was Ansuya who had saved him and she was now standing over the girl. The girl was sitting on the ground where she fell, looking up at the beautiful elder.


    ¡°The least you can do is show a little dignity, whether you have any or not.¡± The elder said harshly. Her dark brown eyes bored into the girl¡¯s own pale blue ones. The girl tried to look away but the elder gripped her chin and held her head in place. ¡°I have lived over six decades and four of those have been spent here. In all that time I have never met such a sniveling scared child as the one that faces me now.¡± She threw the girls head aside in disgust. The girl lay on the floor like she had just been beaten.


    William did feel something for the girl. It wasn¡¯t pity¡­or maybe it was. How could he feel anything less for such a wretched excuse for a sentient person? She had just been thrown into a world that she never knew existed, where monsters were real and nightmares could and often did kill you. The weakness of the girl in front of him made him appreciate the strength of Katherine, Achelois, Aceso and all the other people of the City under the Mountain far more than he thought he had. This girl was in for a rough ride.


    Ansuya was staring down at the girl, ¡°Get up.¡± She said with deathly quietness.


    The girl obeyed and slowly stood up. She was gripping her midsection with one arm as the other arm trailed down to rest in front of her crotch covering what the transparent fabric of her outfit was unable to. She let her Chestnut brown hair hang in front of her face. One of her eyes peered out from behind the strands. She looked over the thirteen of them that surrounded her. The human born were all clothed and looking at her with various degrees of disgust or sympathy. There was very little sympathy for the girl in this group. The wolves all looked at her with their golden eyes. He very much doubted that she understood what was happening or what was going to happen to her. His own disapproval was rising in his throat like bile.


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    Ansuya didn¡¯t say another word. She spun on her heels and walked off down the black obsidian stone paved street. The rest of the group followed after her. William had not been relieved of his charge yet and so he had to stay behind. The girl stood there not moving clutching at her nearly naked body.


    William reached out and grabbed her arm, not ungently, but she yanked herself free of him with the first sign of life she had shown since being ripped free of his chest. She looked at him with pleading eyes, ¡°I wanna go home.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t quite sure how to answer that. ¡°If you¡¯re lucky, you¡¯ll get past today. Then you might have a chance to see home¡­some day.¡± He fully expected the girl to run off again. But she let him take her hand and guide her down the street following after the group of shape shifters.


    The girl may as well have been completely comatose. She stumbled just behind William with a heavy thudding of her naked feet. Something about this whole thing just felt wrong. He remembered his first day here. He had never once acted anything at all like this girl was acting. Amanda certainly never showed any aptitude for this kind of behavior. He felt like he was leading a five year by the hand to see her parents because she had gotten into some kind of trouble at school. He hated himself for having to do this, but what was worse was that this girl had behaved worse than a child, and he was starting to think of this girl as something less than a person. He was even mentally referring to her as ¡®girl¡¯. What kind of person did that? He didn¡¯t want to be callous toward her.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± he asked politely.


    ¡°Lacey.¡± The girl replied quietly.


    He knew that that wasn¡¯t her real name. What kind of a person used her real name as her stripper title? He tried again. ¡°No, I mean what¡¯s your real name?¡±


    The girl stopped and looked at him. Her eyes met his. She didn¡¯t answer his question but asked one of her own. ¡°Are you going to kill me?¡±


    William didn¡¯t bother hiding the shock on his face. He gaped at the girl silently asking her what kind of a messed up question was that. He shook his head in the negative and gestured to the polished black buildings around them. ¡°Do you have any idea where you are right now?¡± The girl shook her head. William lifted his gaze toward the ceiling of the underground cavern. The ceiling crystals were shining dimly for the early morning starlight they simulated. He heard a gasp from the girl as she had her head upturned toward the hundreds of lights shining down on her.


    William swept his arms out to the buildings around him. The girl seemed to be seeing them for the first time. ¡°This place was built thousands of years ago.¡± He wasn¡¯t sure how much information he should give her, but if she was here she was going to be here for a very long time. ¡°For many hundreds of years, the Shape shifters have lived, worked, grown, and loved here in these buildings.¡± The girl was at least looking at the buildings.

 Book 4 Chapter 9d

    Something must have triggered in her barely functioning brain. She asked, ¡°Who lives here?¡±


    William faced her with his full attention. He looked her dead in the eye and said simply, ¡°Shape shifters.¡±


    The girl seemed confused and she cocked her head to side slightly. ¡°What are those?¡±


    William hated himself but there was only one way to show this girl. He tightened his grip on the girl¡¯s wrist and shifted into his werewolf form. The girl screamed and pulled against his massive claw. She was punching him and pulling against him with everything she had. William looked down at the short girl and let her go.


    She fell back hard on the stone street. William had shifted back into his human form before she could even begin to pick herself up. William reached down and grabbed at the girls flailing arms as she tried to get up and run away. The girl stared at him.


    William stared back evenly at her and said calmly, ¡°Everyone here in this city is like me. We have all trained and worked very hard to control our demons.¡± He softened his voice noticeably, ¡°My demon was¡­ worse than most.¡± He looked her up and down. The girl became very uncomfortable which he supposed was the point.


    The girl was a lot calmer than he thought she was capable of. Her pale blue eyes searched his features until she finally asked the obvious question, ¡°Then why am I here?¡±


    He pulled her in toward him, ¡°You¡¯re here because you have been given a similar gift. You¡¯re here so you don¡¯t kill yourself discovering what it is.¡± William gently pulled on the girls arm raising her up off the street. The girl nodded her thanks sullenly and William turned back around and followed after the main group. They must have stopped and come back when they heard the girl scream, it would have been impossible for them to miss it.


    He still had a firm grip on her arm but she was no longer struggling against him, nor was she clopping along loudly like a protesting child. She walked next to him quietly. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. When she wasn''t screaming hysterically or trying to club him with her fists, she was fairly attractive. Her body was fit and her muscles were toned. William had not had the opportunity to see her dance back at the club but if her body was any indication she was probably pretty good at what she did.


    William allowed himself the moment to admire the girl out of the corner of his eye. Her bust was well proportioned to her frame and perky. They were fake of course, but they fit her body well. Her hair was very disheveled, but the fine beautiful strands shone in the light from the surrounding cavern. Her outfit seemed to ride up and accentuate her sexuality. She kept reaching down, trying to pull her very short skirt lower down her toned legs. The fabric carried some elasticity and did stay were she pulled it to, but after a step or two her skirt had ridden up her legs to rest just over the bottom curvature of her butt. William made himself stop looking at her. Seeing this girl wear her sex openly was a change to what he was used to.


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    This girl, and how she dressed, was very out of place in the city. He couldn''t help but think back to all those showers with Katherine. She had been naked and her boobs were bigger than this girl''s and just as perky. Katherine had not caused the stirring in him that this girl next to him was causing him to have. It made him remember just how long it had been.


    ''Lacey'' had managed to recover some of her dignity or at least she was showing more. She was walking next to him with a strong gait to her walk neither hurried nor slow. She held her head upright and she had her hair back behind her shoulders. Whether this was something that she had always been capable of doing, or if she was picking up a queue from Ansuya or Katherine, he couldn''t guess.


    William knew the city, but these streets was decidedly unfamiliar to him. He glanced at the surrounding buildings. The uneven ledges and strange walkways connecting some buildings, the gaping open doors that yawned empty black at him. There hadn''t been many people living on this side of the city for a while. His eye caught a glimpse of something shine at him through the blackness of one of the buildings. As he was walking he couldn''t identify where the strange glint of light had come from. He knew that he couldn''t stop just to find out what it had been so he refocused his attention on the group in front of him.


    William looked ahead as the Tower slowly rose above the city in front of him. ''Lacey'' gasped softly, ¡°What''s in there?¡± She asked with her eyes locked on the monolithic structure.


    Only one thing came to William¡¯s mind, ¡°Only what you take with you,¡± he quoted.


    ''Lacey'' turned toward him then and asked him flat out with just a bit of anger in her voice, ¡°Is that all the wisdom you have for me, Yoda?¡±


    He couldn''t stop himself from smiling. It¡¯s cool she got that reference.


    ¡°I''m glad you''re enjoying yourself.¡± she said still looking at him intently.


    William wiped the smile from his face and shook his head. He scratched at the back of head as he tried to find an answer that was appropriate. He looked straight into her pale blue eyes, only deathly seriousness was present in his voice and facial features. He said simply, ¡°There are only two ways out of the Tower, and one of those... well, you won''t care, about anything, at that point.¡± ''Lacey'' just looked at him. He thought that she understood but he didn''t think being any more specific with her would be of any help. He turned back toward the Tower and kept walking.


    They were very close to the Tower and suddenly William felt compelled to ask her one more time. He turned to her and stopped walking. She almost pulled free of his hand but did eventually stop and returned his look. William glanced at the group that had stopped in front of them. He watched as Ares and Ansuya began walking back toward them. William refocused on the girl and asked, ¡°What is your name? Please.¡±

 Book 4 Chapter 9e

    The girl stood there for a moment as a small smile spread across her lips. ¡°You like me, don''t you?¡±


    William immediately let go of the girl''s hands and turned his back on her. This is what he gets for trying to be human with something that had chosen long ago to be something less than human. All he could do was laugh to himself at his own stupidity. Of course that would be the first place her mind would go. Never mind the fact that she may very well die in the Tower and if he was going to oversee her burial it would be nice to have a real name to go with the casket, not just some fake boobs and a stripper title. He was so disgusted with her he wasn''t sure he ever wanted to see her again.


    He felt more than heard Ansuya and Ares taking up an escort position to either side of the girl. William glanced over at his pack. Nicolas was wearing a lopsided grin and Katherine had her arms folded, looking passively at him. He glanced back down toward the ground and shook his head. What had he been thinking?


    From behind him he heard her say out loud as she was walking away, ¡°Chelsea, Chelsea Thompson.¡± There was a slight bit of...desperation in her voice. Whatever it was it caused William to look up and watch her as Ansuya gently guided the girl around to face the Tower. Her eyes met his before she was forced to face her trials. Desperation and fear was all he found there. William looked up at the ceiling crystals as they were well on their way to brightening for the morning. There was no composure in the girl. She had been stripped of all she knew and all she had in the world and all that was left was a scared little girl named Chelsea Thompson. William looked up at the Tower once more. He felt a pit drop in his stomach. He had never seen anyone walk off to fulfill a death sentence before. He supposed that there was a first time for everything.


    He walked over to his pack mates. Charles stood still and continued to watch as Chelsea was lead around the near corned of the Tower and disappeared from their sight. Nicolas was shaking with barely controlled mirth. Katherine stood there staring at him.


    ¡°What''s his problem?¡± William asked irritably.


    Katherine shrugged just as Nicolas let out a bark of laughter, ¡°Oh man, you just got dissed bad, by a stripper!¡± He gripped at his midsection as he continued to laugh hysterically to himself.


    William felt like punching the guy, ¡°I did not just get dissed, all I asked was her name.¡±


    Katherine looked at him, ¡°Why?¡±


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    William glanced over at Charles. He nodded to him, ever so slightly. William smiled at his friend in thanks. At least Charles knows what I was trying to do. He looked back at Katherine and as calmly as he could he said, ¡°I wanted to know her name in case we have to bury her in the next day or two.¡±


    Nicolas seemed to have recovered from his bout of mirth and scoffed at William''s remarks, ¡°Oh, who cares? One less dumb slut in the world, right?¡±


    If looks could kill, Nicolas would be nothing more than a smoldering pile of ash. ¡°That, ''dumb slut'' is a person. She has just as much right to live as any of us.¡± He had to practice some heavy self control to not let his fists fly and seriously damage Nicolas''s face. ¡°Wasn''t it your visions that took us all the way to Southern California to find her? If you''re right she has the potential to be just as valuable as you Nicolas, maybe more so.¡± He lowered his voice and glared at Nicolas in the eye, ¡°I hope that you''re right and that she is a shape shifter. I hope she becomes an Enforcer. I can''t wait to see you get your ass kicked by that ''dumb slut.¡±


    Nicolas''s face twisted in rage and his arms flew out and impacted on William''s chest. He spat out, ¡°Just because your new girlfriend may die in there, that''s her problem! Don''t take it out on me.¡± Nicolas stalked off to disappear between two buildings off to the left of the Tower.


    ¡°What is it with you two?¡± Katherine asked. She looked after where Nicolas had disappeared. ¡°Although I don''t fully agree with Nicolas he does have a point.¡± She turned to look at William, ¡°If she dies, there is nothing that either you or Nicolas or I can do about it.¡± Katherine softened her tone noticeably, ¡°We all had to face the Tower alone and so will she. All we can do is wait and hope, or pray, if you''re into that sort of thing.¡±


    William nodded and glanced back at the Tower one last time. He could admit to himself that when he first got thrown into it, he had allowed fear to grip him, probably more so than he would like to admit even to himself. But Katherine was right there was nothing he could do for her. He found very little comfort in that.


    Looking around himself, he realized that Nicolas was not the only person to have left. There was no one other than the three of them standing where they had been when Chelsea had been taken to the Tower. He figured that they must have all dispersed to go do whatever it was they were scheduled to do for the day.


    A huge yawn suddenly cracked William''s face and he reached his hand up to cover his mouth. He yawned so largely that tears formed in his eyes and he had to blink them away.


    Charles said quietly, ¡°I''m tired too. Do you guys want to go get something to eat? After that I''m going to go to sleep.¡± Katherine and William both nodded, although William had to cover his mouth again as another huge yawn split his face open.


    The three of them went to the cafeteria even though none of them had much of an appetite. William noticed that Keva was nowhere to be found. He figured that even she got a few days off every now and then. He didn¡¯t eat much of anything as his thoughts kept turning to Chelsea, scared and alone in the dark of the Tower, he didn¡¯t think he had ever felt more helpless.

 Book 4 Chapter 9f

    After not eating much, and pushing food around his tray, he got up and deposited it after throwing away what he didn¡¯t eat. He waved goodbye to his friends and dragged himself home. The walk back was slow. He caught himself several times glancing back at the Tower. He wondered where Chelsea was, what she might be thinking. He wondered if anyone in the city had any such thoughts for him when he went through those trials.


    What food he managed to eat, wasn''t really sitting well in his stomach. It could have been because of the exertion and not eating in so long. He had an idea but that was something that he didn''t want to dwell on right then either.


    He came to his apartment and heavily pulled his tired body up the familiar ramp. He was exhausted but the thought of sleep was pretty far from his mind. He came up to his door and turned in to his room to find the ceiling crystals already shining. This was a little odd but not quite as odd as finding that his room wasn¡¯t empty.


    Standing by the bed with one of her legs propped up against it was Keva. Her bright red hair was loose around her shoulders. Her greens eyes took on a fire of their own as she watched him stutter in the doorway on seeing her. Her white shirt was low cut and loose around her chest letting her breasts expand and rub seductively against the clean fabric. Her butt was covered with a moderate skirt that came down to her mid-thigh, but with her leg lifted up on top of the bed the skirt gave way to a long view of her toned muscles and a hint of what lay between those well sculpted legs.


    She said nothing as he stood in the doorway, a little numb, ¡°Keva?¡±


    The girl moved a little and leaned down heavily on her raised leg. Her chest, weighed down by gravity, rested on either side of her leg. She smiled seductively at him.


    William rested his hand against his forehead and closed his eyes hard and he gently squeezed the bridge of his nose. ¡°Keva, it has been a very long night and I am exhausted.¡± Even through his brain numbing fatigue he realized that that was not going to be good enough. The girl had to get the hint that he wasn¡¯t interested in her.


    Before he was able to correct himself she jerked her head up and threw her thick red mane of hair behind her at the same time. ¡°You know William, I''m sure that you and I could figure out someway to solve that little problem.¡± She moved her leg down from the bed and took a step toward him. ¡°I was really worried about you, Setford. I just stopped by to see if I could do anything for you.¡± She hugged her breasts together as she said this, pushing them out at him at the same time.


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    William couldn''t help himself but look at what she was doing, knowing full well why she was doing it. The feelings that Chelsea had arose in him were being expertly manipulated by Keva.  He watched her take another step toward him. Suddenly his mind was conjuring up images of pleasure and soft warmth. He looked at the red haired woman in front of him. Her qualities out weighed those of Chelsea and he had to admit that Keva was hot.


    He almost gave in to her. The idea and thought of being with her. The sensation of wrapping himself in her body and her warmth was so enticing. Then somewhere, something sparked through the marsh of lust that had clouded his brain. ¡°Keva, I am really tired right now and all I want to do is go to sleep.¡±


    Keva took another few steps toward him, ¡°I could help you with that.¡± She let her eyes fall and study his body. She brought her eyes back up to meet his and there was a quiet subdued quality to them now. The green fire in them had died down to embers and they were smoldering.


    William looked at her, all of her. The idea of giving in to her and to the pleasure that her body would bring slid across his mind. ¡°Keva, I just want to go to bed.¡±


    She stood up straight as she took another step toward him. His moment of weakness was not lost on her, ¡°Why go to bed by yourself?¡± She started to reach out for him¡­


    ¡°Am I interrupting anything?¡±


    William spun around toward the voice that had come from his doorway. Keva lowered her arm and looked at the intruder from the corner of her green eyes, which had lost the smokey quality they had a moment ago and took on their usual energetic fire. Standing in the doorway was the six foot, ten-inch frame of Aceso. The white patch of fur on her chest was a stark contrast to the surrounding black fur of her body, made only more of a contrast thanks to the black obsidian walls of his apartment.


    Aceso nodded to Keva and said in a very stiff and formal tone, ¡°My apologies Miss Murray, but I must speak to my Enforcer.¡±


    Keva graciously nodded her head, letting her red hair cover her face for a moment. She turned back toward William and said almost in a whisper, ¡°Another time, Setford.¡± She turned toward the door throwing her hair back over her head. She took a moment to situate herself. She didn¡¯t rush and Aceso showed no signs of impatience. Keva slowly walked towards the door. She walked straight and tall and there wasn¡¯t the slightest hint of seduction or sexuality in her walk but even so, there was a feeling of frustrated sexual energy that just irradiated from her. She walked to the door and Aceso sidestepped politely out of her way.


    Keva nodded to Aceso and turned her head back toward William, ¡°I¡¯ll see you around, Setford.¡± With an evil smile and a wink, that was only seen by him, she ducked out of the room.


    Aceso waited by the doorway, watching. William knew that Aceso was watching Keva walk down the ramp of the building. After a while Aceso turned her attention back to William. ¡°What were you planning on doing, Will?¡±

 Book 4 Chapter 9g

    William let his shoulders slump as he jerked his head toward the ceiling in exasperation. ¡°I wasn¡¯t planning on doing anything except go to bed.¡± He jerked his head toward the doorway, ¡°She¡¯s the one who had all the plans.¡±


    Aceso folded her arms across her chest, partially obscuring her patch of white fur, ¡°That¡¯s not what I saw.¡± Aceso¡¯s eyes bore into his. ¡°I have no problem with you taking Keva as your mate. I would hope that you have enough respect for me as your Alpha to ask first. And understand that if you do take her as your own, there is no going back and you will be held accountable for your actions under city law.¡±


    William looked at her sideways. ¡°What do you mean, Aceso?¡±


    Aceso looked at him coldly. ¡°Regardless of the casualness that you human born have made of the act of mating, we wolf born don¡¯t share in it. The Elders long ago made laws and harsh punishment for those of us who can¡¯t recognize those precepts.¡± Aceso walked up to her Enforcer. ¡°You are part of my pack, and therefore your mate is subject to my approval according to city law and wolf culture, do you understand?¡±


    William was completely unbalanced by what he had just heard. He knew that wolves mated for life but this was completely new. He sat down heavily on his bed. ¡°I don''t even know where to begin.¡±


    Aceso looked down at him, her voice taking on a softer tone, ¡°It is possible and acceptable for humans to mate randomly and without thought; but our kind, you and I, have much more responsibility than that.¡± Aceso shook her head toward his door. ¡°Would you take her as your mate for the rest of your life, or would this have just been a momentary pleasurable meeting?¡± Her eyes took on an intense look, ¡°Would you take responsibility for the fruits of your mating? Would she? Would the child that you two bore be raised by loving mates and taught what he or she needed to know to survive in this world?¡± Aceso stood in the middle of William''s room looking down at him with the question''s hanging in the air between them.


    William glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, ¡°I hadn''t thought that far.¡±


    Aceso nodded and replied simply, ¡°I know.¡± She heaved a heavy sigh. ¡°What I need for you to understand is that because of who and what you are, your child will be under constant scrutiny, and not only by us.¡± William glanced at her but she was completely serious. ¡°The act of mating is for the purpose of bearing offspring. Your child would not be allowed to live in this place.¡±


    William looked over at her, ¡°Why not?¡±


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    Aceso shook her head, ¡°A person who is not a shape shifter can''t live in the city. It''s for our own protection and for the well-being of our kind. This is not a prison, Will. A child born by you will be sent away to one of our influenced orphanages, this is fact. That child will grow up alone, far away from you and this place. This is for our¡¯s, and the city''s protection. What would happen if a young child, your son or daughter, was found by the Vampires. What if she, or he, knew where this place was? Do you think those like Kenneth would hesitate even for a moment to use that child to get to us?¡± Aceso looked down at him, ¡°Our children are very precious, but it is because of who they might be, or who would use them, that this is the way things have to be.¡±


    William covered a yawn and asked, ¡°Is this your abstinence speech?¡±


    Aceso shook her head with an angry look, her tone mirrored her glance, ¡°I told you I have no problem with you taking Keva as your mate. But know that if you do, you will be held responsible for your family and for her. You will be forbidden, under penalty of death or expulsion, to mate with anyone other than her. Do you care enough about her to devote your whole life to her? Does she care enough about you, for you to devote your whole life to her?¡± Aceso turned around and walked to the doorway. She glanced over her shoulder at him, ¡°In your world, sex is just sex. Here, sex is a solemn oath to share your life with that person and no one else.¡± She took another step but instead of leaving she placed her claw on the inside of the open doorway and looked back at him. ¡°Are you ready to lay down that kind of devotion to another?¡± With those final words Aceso disappeared through the doorway.


    William looked at the doorway for a long time. The word ''devotion'' kept ringing in his head and images of a life shared with another person, danced through his tired mind. Since coming to the city he had not thought about the idea of sharing a life with someone else. With all the training and knowing what he had to deal with and fight, the idea of domestic bliss was just not something that he had indulged himself in. Now, however, with Aceso''s words ringing through his head and the thought of soft pleasure with Keva, those ideas returned to him.


    He had often thought about spending his life with someone else when he was alone in his forest. He had noticed animals sharing in each other company and he had faced hunger and cold with no one to know, and he had thought he might die out there with no one there, even to bury his body. But now, the idea of living with one person, sharing all there is to know about him, living with all the fear and danger of this place and their enemies together with someone else who understood what it was to be who and what he was, was a little more than attractive.


    Keva''s green eyes shone in his mind as he undressed himself and laid back on his soft warm fur covered bed. The idea of her body pressing into him and comforting him was a pleasant thought. But for some reason brown eyes swam into his mental vision. Deep brown eyes that penetrated his mind and he was laid naked before them. The unsettling discomfort he felt when he looked into those brown eyes racked his body, and yet he didn''t want to look away. He drifted off to an exhaustion induced sleep with those infinitely deep brown eyes looking at him.

 Book 4 Chapter 10a

    When he came back to the world, he had no idea what time it was and he was a little disoriented. He could have been in some hotel room, or he could have been in the same room of his parent''s house that he grew up in. His eyes slowly focused on the mirror black stone of his ceiling and the crystals that were quickly brightening there. Nodding his head he rolled over and buried himself in the soft furs, trying to regain sleep.


    It was a lost cause. After fifteen minutes, he irritably threw his furs off to one said and rolled out of bed into the cool air of the stone room around him. He dressed himself and made his morning march to the bathroom a few buildings away. He took a nice long hot shower this morning. He let the warm water run over his still tired body. The warmth reminded him of Keva, and that reminded him of what Aceso had lectured him on. Of course, all of that culminated into those brown eyes that he had half dreamed of before he fell asleep.


    He got out of the shower and brushed his teeth and walked out of the bathroom. He stopped and glanced over at the Tower that commanded the city scape around him. He wondered if Chelsea was OK. If she had survived, and if so, where was she? He also had a nagging question that he had never asked anyone before and even if he had he doubted that he would have been given a reasonable answer anyway. Was the Tower the same for everyone? Saying a silent prayer for the girl''s survival he turned around and walked back to his room.


    He wasn''t all that surprised to see his alpha waiting for him. He nodded to her as she stood silently in the middle of the room. Aceso watched him as he made his way to his dresser and put away his toiletry items and reached down to another drawer to pull out a t-shirt. Aceso said quietly to him, ¡°We have been summoned to meet with the Elders.¡±


    William stood up with the shirt still in his hand. He turned around slowly to look his alpha in the eyes. He couldn''t stop the images of a dead twenty one year old girl with shoulder length chestnut brown hair from invading his mind. He shook his head, ¡°She isn''t...she hasn''t...?¡±


    Aceso shook her head, ¡°No, the girl is still in the Tower, no one knows exactly where she is but we know that she is still alive.¡±


    William heaved a sigh of relief. Saying a thankful prayer to whoever might be listening. William focused on Aceso once more, ¡°OK, so if Chelsea is still in the Tower, I assume we¡¯re not going to meet the Elders in the Tower, so where do they want to see us?¡±


    ¡°We are going to meet with them...¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute,¡± William interrupted, ¡°What could they possibly want with us anyway?¡± William shook his head, ¡°I mean we just got back from kidnapping a helpless girl who was completely unprepared for our world and we probably sent her to her death.¡± William''s tone increased as he started pacing around the room with more energy and anger, ¡°What do they want us to do now, go kill someone? They probably want us to,¡± He raised his hands up above his head making exaggerated quoting signs, ¡°take care of,¡± he dropped his hands down to his sides again, ¡°Kenneth. But hey, why stop there? They might as well send us off to assassinate the president or go to Russia and assassinate the premier and frame the American government for it. Hell, why not just start a nuclear war and after everything''s all over we can rise up and take over the planet.¡±


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    Aceso listened to his tirade quietly, ¡°Are you finished?¡±


    William shot her a nasty look. He knew that the Elders were nothing at all like that and he had to wonder where all that anger had come from. It was probably a combination of him being tired and the memory of what being summoned by the Elders had meant the last time, three days ago. William took a deep breath and pulled his shirt over his head. He tried to relax himself but the feeling of still being tired, even after a shower, and being angry still covered him like a fine film making him feel scuzzy and dirty. ¡°Do you have any idea what they want?¡±


    Aceso shook her head, ¡°The only thing I know is that we have been called, and we will go.¡± Aceso moved to the open doorway, ¡°Meet us at the base of the Tower, quickly.¡± With that Aceso moved out the door and she was gone.


    William felt a little empty now that she had gone. He felt a little better knowing that Chelsea hadn''t died but that hardly meant that she would survive either. He had almost died in there once or twice and he had been living in his forest for a year and half before he went in there. Chelsea was coming in right off of living a life of dancing at night and doing god knows what after that, drugs, sex, sleeping in till noon or later, or... he had no idea. And just making those assumptions about her wasn¡¯t fair either. Chelsea was at least a toned dancer and that was something, not much, but something that he could rest some hope on for her continued survival in that hell.


    What he really wanted to know was what the Elders could possibly want with him and his pack, so soon after coming back from their last assignment. What could they possibly ask them to do? Ansuya had said that it was unusual to send out an incomplete pack and they definitely were still not whole. The loss of Achelois was always present, at least in his mind. He knew that Aceso carried the weight of that loss with her too. But that still left the question of what did the Elders want? He shrugged his shoulders and shook his head sending his still damp shoulder length hair everywhere. The only way to find out was to go and find out.


    William made his way down to the street and walked toward the monolithic Tower. He couldn''t help he eyes from tracing up and down the smooth black obsidian of the structure. Chelsea was somewhere in there and she was still alive, for now at least. He ripped his eyes away from the black stone and searched ahead of him for his pack.


    He saw Charles, Kathrine and Aceso standing together. He didn''t see Nicolas anywhere though, and of course there was no sign of the Elders. William walked up to the group and stood with his arms crossed looking at the other members of his pack, not saying anything. They didn''t say anything either. Aceso was the only one who looked anywhere near interested in what might be going on around them. The rest of his pack mates were lost in their own thoughts and he was welcome to let them contemplate what they would on their own. He didn''t feel like talking much this morning anyway.

 Book 4 Chapter 10b

    He caught the scent of the fifth pack mate as he strode up to them and once again the somber mood of the group  had no effect on him, ¡°Well? Do we have any idea what this is all about?¡± He walked over to Aceso, ¡°What do ya say, great leader? What the hell is up with this super secretive Elder meeting that you had to drag me out of my warm bed for?¡±


    Katherine looked out at him from under her long brown hair, ¡°Why don''t you just shut up and wait like the rest of us?¡±


    Nicolas was about to say something or do something, but a very commanding straightening of Charles¡¯ posture and a hard look from him kept Nicolas from speaking. The scout shot a hurt look at Charles and Katherine and ignored William all together as he simply let his body rock back and rest against the stone of the Tower.


    William looked over at Aceso as her tail moved behind her. By that subtle gesture he knew that Aceso was just as unsettled by this meeting as they were. She had amazing self control and it seemed like she was more confident now then he had ever remembered her being, but this was definitely not what she had expected. Her tail had given her anxiety, no matter how slight it actually was.


    ¡°Greetings, once again pups.¡±


    The sound of the clam, subtle, but powerful voice suddenly from his left caught him completely off guard. He quickly regained control of himself and glanced around the rest of the group to see if anyone else was as startled as he was. He saw Katherine give him a small smile. At least he hadn¡¯t been the only one.


    Aceso was straight backed as she turned toward the dark skinned Elder, Ansuya. ¡°Elder, I Aceso, alpha of my pack¡­¡±


    ¡°No need for formalities here, Aceso.¡± Ansuya interrupted, ¡°But, I thank you for the courtesy.¡± Aceso nodded her head deeply and retreated a step back into the small cluster of her pack. The Elder wore a pale green skirt with a off color purple blouse. The colors were soft and seemed to blend together.


    ¡°So, what the hell is the big secret that you had to wake me up for?¡± Nickolas demanded. ¡°Was it not enough that I got you a new playmate to have in your bull shit Tower?!¡± Nicolas made no attempt to hide the disgust that he was feeling. William¡¯s eyes involuntarily narrowed, why is he so upset? He couldn¡¯t be this whiny over a few hours of lost sleep, could he?


    Ansuya turned her full attention toward the muscular brown haired boy. She locked her gaze with his and stood the most still William had ever seen anyone stand. The silence around them grew; like a bubble, something tangible that seemed to increase with each passing second. Ansuya¡¯s beautiful brown eyes bored into Nicolas¡¯ own.


    ¡°You will be given your chance, one day pup, to prove yourself worthy of addressing me in such a manner.¡± Her soft voice boomed loudly in William¡¯s ears out of the sudden and complete silence. ¡°That day has not yet come.¡± With finality she angled her entire body away from Nicolas to address the whole pack. ¡°There is news that you must be given and a task that needs to be performed.¡±


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    William looked between Aceso and Katherine and Charles. None of them looked back at him, they kept their full attention on the Elder. Nicolas, however was studying his shoes, apparently.


    Ansuya continued, ¡°Chelsea is dead.¡±


    The calm delivery of that one statement fell into William¡¯s gut like a ten pound brick. Had Ansuya really just said that? Did she mean what he thought she might have meant? The obvious first reaction was that what he had just heard wasn¡¯t possible.


    ¡°What do you mean¡­you mean like¡­like really dead?¡± Nicolas didn¡¯t sound like he was having any better time putting any more reason to what he had just heard than William had.


    ¡°That can¡¯t really happen here.¡± Charles said slowly rationalizing the news. ¡°With all your great powers, you Elders wouldn¡¯t let a girl just die. I refuse to believe that you would allow this to happen.¡±


    Ansuya calmly looked over the pack measuring their faces and the emotions written there. ¡°We did not allow her to die, nor did we have a hand in any of you surviving the ordeal of the Tower. The girl proved unfit for the challenge set for her and she perished. The city will mourn her loss and move on.¡±


    ¡°How can you be so cold, Ansuya?¡± Katherine asked suddenly, emotions warred with each other on her face. William could read anger and disbelief and shock all fighting for supremacy of her features. William wasn¡¯t really sure what he should be feeling right now either, maybe Katherine was right to allow herself to feel all those emotions. ¡°You came to us, you brought us out of the city. We kidnapped her from her workplace. And without any explanation at all we throw her into a box of nightmares and wait to see if she comes out on the other side? What the hell are we?!¡± Katherine¡¯s war with her emotions was being won by pure anger. She stabbed a finger at the Elder ¡°You used us!¡± She took a step toward Ansuya, who was just as relaxed as she had been when she first appeared. ¡°I will never do anything for you again. You have lost all of my trust Ansuya Das, I am not a murderer.¡± Katherine whipped her head around and started to leave.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t finished Katherine.¡±


    The calm quiet strength of the Elder¡¯s voice stopped Katherine dead as she stepped. Without turning around Katherine grated out through clenched teeth, ¡°Why should I listen to you?¡±


    Ansuya moved with speed too fast for William to follow. One moment she was standing off separated from his pack, the next she was standing directly in front of Katherine, holding the twenty year old girl by the chin. The incredibly young looking Elder gently forced Katherine¡¯s head up so that she had no choice but to look the Elder in her eyes. ¡°You should listen to me because I am an Elder. The pain you feel at the girl¡¯s loss is not unfelt by me.¡± She let go of Katherine¡¯s head and once again addressed the whole pack. ¡°This was a great loss for the city and also, possibly, a future pack. We Elders, hold this loss to be just as grievous a loss as the loss of Achelois and felt just as deeply.¡±


    Ansuya turned toward Aceso, ¡°But we have work to do and questions that need to be answered. Your pack will be split into two groups.¡± She looked around the pack, scanning over the individuals she had to work with. She nodded toward William and Nicolas. ¡°These two will travel with me to the outside where we will meet a long time friend of the City and get what information we can about¡­¡±

 Book 4 Chapter 10c

    ¡°So that¡¯s it then?¡± asked Nicolas suddenly, ¡°You just drop by in the morning to tell us someone died in your funhouse that we helped put her into. Then it¡¯s¡± His face grew animated and he voice raised several octaves, ¡°Oh yes, she¡¯s dead, terrible loss and all that rot. But stiff upper lip and all that, we have work to do and another field trip to go on.¡± He started waddling from leg to leg in mock excitement. ¡°Yes, much to do, much to do, cheerio, what what!¡±


    Despite how horrible he felt, William couldn¡¯t help but let a small smile touch his lips. Katherine¡¯s back was still turned so he couldn¡¯t read her face but Charles did not find anything about the situation amusing at all. The smile immediately fell from William¡¯s face in shame.


    ¡°Are you quite finished?¡± Ansuya asked, deadly quiet.


    Nicolas looked as if he might have said more but then thought better of it and stood still.


    ¡°We have survived for thousands of years by being strong and only accepting the strong. You are young, but the wisdom of strength, especially now, still holds true. Our people have been hunted to near extinction and those who would hunt us have always found the weak in our packs, used them, and killed all they could.¡± Ansuya¡¯s eyes glazed as her mind reached back to some distant past. ¡°The City Under the Clouds was our greatest mistake. We had won a great many battles and secured a peace for mankind that lasted generations. It was that time that we allowed ourselves the luxury of the weak.¡± Ansuya¡¯s eyes refocused and bored directly into Katherine¡¯s, who was still standing in front of the Elder. ¡°We made our mistake once, we will not make it again, no matter how desperate our situation may seem.¡± William couldn¡¯t read how Katherine took that, the girl remained rigid and upright in front of the Elder.


    William had never heard about such a city, but he was starting to understand just where some of the amazing things in the city had come from. Efraim, had mentioned a City Under the Sand. How many more Shape shifter cities were there? It might be worth looking into.


    Ansuya caught Aceso¡¯s eyes and spoke directly to her. ¡°Aceso, you, Katherine, and Charles will stay here. You three will train with Acharya and his pack. They are learning with the rest of the Elders today about advanced techniques for your abilities.¡± Aceso nodded, Katherine and Charles did not move the slightest inch to even indicate that they had heard the Elder or not. Maybe it didn¡¯t matter. They would do as they had been ordered to do. Even with the short time he had been here William had understood very early on that obedience to the City was paramount to everything else, and the Elders spoke for the City.


    ¡°So where are we going then¡± Nicolas asked, a little too harshly.


    Ansuya glanced between himself and the Tracker, ¡°We are traveling to Los Angeles. We are going to meet a long time friend who may be able to help us figure out who this Kenneth Pacifico is and where he came from.¡±


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    William nodded to himself. Kenneth: the vampire who had known about the invasion of his forest. He had somehow found out where he lived. He knew about his escape and at least that he had made it to the City, obviously. He didn¡¯t know where the City was, at least William hoped that that was the case. That would be a blessing, but Kenneth seemed to know more than enough to make himself a very real threat to the City and those who lived in it. If William could do anything to help bring Kenneth down and ensure the safety of his home, he would.


    ¡°When do we leave?¡± he asked as he glanced over at Nicolas.


    Ansuya looked at William directly for the first time that morning, ¡°We will leave immediately. You will not need anything other than the clothes you have on right now everything else has been arranged.¡± She looked at Katherine once again. ¡°Sage, will you make them travel ready?¡± It was asked as a question but the weight behind it made it anything but.


    Katherine lowered her eyes to the ground and turned toward Nicolas and William. She focused intently on them for a moment or two then nodded. Katherine looked different. She didn¡¯t look beaten, or tired, or reserved, or angry. Her body posture was not rigid but it wasn¡¯t soft either. Her eyes were not hard but there was something behind them, some great storm of emotions or thoughts that made William very concerned for her. Before he could do or say anything, she turned away from him and side stepped around Ansuya to join Charles.


    He looked up and caught Charles¡¯s eye. The tall man had seen what William had seen and nodded softly to his friend. William knew that Charles would look after her and be there for her if she needed it. She needed it, even if she didn¡¯t want to admit it right now.


    Ansuya looked over the pack as a whole once again. ¡°You all have your assigned duties. William, Nicolas, come with me.¡±


    And that was it. William found himself falling in step behind the shorter Elder as Nicolas trailed after him. He glanced over his shoulder has Aceso turned away from him and started in the opposite direction. Katherine stood still as death, watching Ansuya leave. William watched as Charles put a hand gently on her shoulder. She didn¡¯t shrug it off, nor did it look like she was pleased at her friend¡¯s reassurance. She allowed it to be there, nothing more. William turned around and followed the Elder through the massive labyrinth that was this city and his home.


    After a short distance, Ansuya stopped and turned around to look at both young men. She focused on Nicolas. ¡°William, will you excuse us for a moment?¡± William let his puzzlement show openly on his face. Ansuya looked over at him and raised a single, slender, questioning eyebrow at his not moving. William shook himself and moved off to the side of the street they had been traveling and leaned up against the cool smooth black stone of one of the buildings.


    William watched as Nicolas fluidly turned away from the Elder and walked to a nearby building. He rounded the corner and disappeared. William pushed himself away from the building as Ansuya, strangely and unexpectedly glided over to him, instead of following after Nicolas. She walked past him without a word and sat down in a nearby building that had a few chairs and benches sitting inside of it. Ansuya motioned for him to join her. Glancing back at where Nicolas had disappeared, he followed the Elder into the mostly empty building. Ansuya had picked a rather plain looking chair that was partially facing a nearby bench, this is where William took his place.

 Book 4 Chapter 10d

    For the first time that day William became aware of the simple elegance that Ansuya wore like a fine pair of clothes. Her skirt and blouse were of a very fine material, he didn¡¯t know which but he felt like she could be wearing jeans and t-shirt and she would command the same amount of respect as any queen in her throne room.


    The Elder looked at him quietly, serenely. ¡°I have heard that you may have already chosen a mate.¡± It was not a question.


    William¡¯s face exploded with embarrassment and shock and disbelief. That¡¯s one way to start a conversation. How had the Elders heard about what had happened between himself and Keva? Had Aceso reported it? That would make sense. But that didn¡¯t help ease any of the discomfort he felt at this moment. He felt a little betrayed by his alpha if that was the case. Was there nothing in this place that he could hold as private?


    ¡°I see from your face that this is that case.¡± Ansuya replied. Her voice was melodic and soft but backed with real power, not steel or iron, just raw unmitigated power. That combination produced a quality to her voice that he had never heard before. Even if he lived a hundred years he knew he would never hear that quality in anyone else voice.


    Ansuya continued, ¡°I must admit that I am a little surprised. It usually takes people much longer just to be comfortable with our way of life, and even longer after that to choose a mate.¡± She straightened her skirt in front of her, all the while maintaining eye contact with William. ¡°The laws of our City are strict, mirroring the very laws of nature. I¡¯m sure that your alpha has told you of these things.¡± William nodded slowly.


    ¡°I am unique, William, sixty two years old, unique.¡± Ansuya stated.


    There was a truth and gravity to what she had said that made him want to believe her. How could she be sixty two? She looked younger than he was. He wasn¡¯t just flattering her either. He looked closely at her face. She wore no makeup. There wasn¡¯t the slightest hint of smile lines around her mouth and full lips. Her eyes were vibrant and alive with no sign of dulling or even the smallest beginning to crow¡¯s feet around them. Her skin was well toned around the muscles they encased, no hint of flab or sagging anywhere. She could not be sixty two, she just couldn¡¯t be.


    ¡°I assure you that I am, William,¡± she replied reading his face as easily as one could read a book.  ¡°How do you think that I am an Elder? Or do you simply believe that ability level alone dictates our hierarchy?¡± Ansuya smiled at him ruefully. ¡°It is because of who I am and what I represent to our kind that I have been under immense pressure from the Elders, and not just the Elders from this City, to find a mate.¡±


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    William suddenly felt very warm. Could she be any more forward? He looked at her again. She was very beautiful. Her brown skin was sheer perfection and her form filled out her blouse and clothes elegantly. He knew that she was in shape, but that knowledge couldn¡¯t stop his eyes from wandering down to trace over the supple lines of her calf and thigh muscles.


    William forced his eyes back up to meet the Elder¡¯s. ¡°Why is it so important that you find a mate?¡± Even to his own ears it was redundant but he needed to ask something.


    Ansuya smiled at him again. ¡°My longevity isn¡¯t reason enough?¡± She asked playfully. She took a deep breath and sighed heavily, ¡°They want me to mate because as of right now I am the only shape shifter they have found that can trace her blood line back to our origins, back to the time of Alexander and our people¡¯s birth.¡±


    William let that sink in. Our origins? The time of Alexander? He looked at Ansuya and for the first time he wondered just who she was, that of course led him the next logical question, who was he? He went through so much to find out who and what he is, just to find out that he hadn¡¯t known a tenth of the true story and therefore he might as well be back living with his parents for all he thought he knew about this city and the inhabitants in it.


    Ansuya reached out a hand and placed it on his arm. ¡°William, our people first appeared thousands of years ago, that history does not adversely affect you. You are not some demon from stories and nightmares. You are William Setford, just as you always have been. As for myself, I just have a direct line back to something that the Elders feel will give us a fighting edge over the enemies we now face. I am still who I am. But I fear that my duty to them and my home will soon force me to heed their wishes.¡±


    William had read stories about betrothals and arranged marriages, who hadn¡¯t? Now he felt he might actually understood what this meeting was really about, and why she had sent Nicolas away. She was going to ask him to marry her. He would refuse, of course. He didn¡¯t want to get married or mate or do anything like that right now. Even if the woman he was going to marry was as beautiful as the woman sitting in front of him¡­ No, it was completely out of the question. He was not going to get married to Keva or Ansuya or anybody else for that matter and that was that.


    Ansuya smiled again, that beautiful face shining with real joy, ¡°William, I¡¯m not here asking you to marry me.¡± She let out a small laugh that reverberated off the stone walls. It was a good sound that lifted much of William¡¯s worry and seemed to visibly lighten the room. She looked at him, the smile still in her eyes, ¡°I only tell you these things to allow you to fully understand our sense of duty to our home. The discipline of our home must be absolute and who we choose to spend the rest of our lives with is also governed by that same sense of duty and discipline, as illustrated by our cousins and family members, the wolves.¡±


    She stood up and gracefully left the building just as abruptly as she had appeared to his pack that morning. The abruptness was not expected nor was it totally surprising either. Ansuya walked around a corner and disappeared. William got up and walked out to the street. As he did so he met Ansuya and Nicolas as they reemerged from the alley and started back down the street toward the exit of the City and most probably the White Plain on their way to wherever Ansuya was taking them.

 Book 4 Chapter 11a

    Kenneth Pacifico sat in his sitting room, looking over his house. He was relaxing and just letting his thoughts drift. It wasn¡¯t too terribly hard for his mind to wander here. This was his. He had spent the last three years building this place. Oh, not just the renovations, all that was required for that was time. But they had come out so well. As he wandered through his foyer into the sitting room, he had to just marvel at what reconstruction really could do to a place. His home was on the outskirts of Downtown L.A. It was perfect for what he needed, not too far away from all the action of the city, but far enough away to be out of direct eyesight to those he worked for.


    He had had the whole house gutted from the inside out and remade into a Victorian cottage, complete with parlor and sitting room. The whole ground floor was remade with good oak furniture and deep red carpets. The place was sufficiently dark, but warm as well. He truly loved how the place had all come together. The hard wood floors around the carpets gave enough of a separation between the colors that they gave the whole place the feel of an eternal summer afternoon.


    He let himself slide down into his favorite chair. A free standing, high backed, red velvet upholstered chair. The four legs of the chair gently curved out from under the base to support the chair nicely. The legs themselves glided down to the floor and ended in four elegant cat¡¯s paws, a panther he thought, as they spread out their claws to rest gently on the hard wood floor. He heaved a sigh of deep relief and contentment. After all the time he had spent looking and building and planning and gathering and teaching, he was finally able to say, I¡¯m home.


    And what a home he had made. The soft velvety cushions of his chair supported his whole body so deliciously he could fall asleep in minutes. He glanced over at the full bar in the corner. The mirror behind the booze shelves was polished to where not even his keen eyesight could pick out a single finger print or even a hairline scratch.


    The booze lining the top shelves were of his own choosing, Fonseca Bin 27, a few bottles of Armagnac, Vermouth Gancia Bianco, eight bottles of Crystal head Vodka (Just because the bottles were so damn cool), and of course some Kauffman Vintage Luxury Vodka. The rest of the upper shelves were filled with various Italian grown wines, Bourbons, and others. The middle shelf was reserved for his pick of foreign wines and sitting proudly center shelf was his St. Croix Shiraz. For some reason the wine made in Franschhoek was among his favorite. He had to admit there were other more distinguished wines, especially from his home in Follonica, but the St. Croix label was delectable, in its own right. The bottom two shelves made him cringe just a little. The only reason he hadn¡¯t cast that swill out of his house was because he did entertain those who preferred it over his choice stock. How could someone prefer Jagermeister over top quality Vodka? And that wasn¡¯t even the worst offender. There was Crown Royal which wasn¡¯t too bad, he supposed, but Captain Morgan Spiced Rum? It sent shivers down his back just looking at the stuff. Alcohol shouldn¡¯t have to be chased with anything for one to enjoy it.


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    Oh well, the small sacrifices one had to make, and they were so very small. The work he had put into this place and his life in general were finally paying off, quite well in fact.


    He glanced over the room through his beautiful French double doors which faced west. The red and deep oranges of the sunset poured through the glass and burned the red carpet there. The light and the colors of his house sang together in beautiful harmony. The poet in his heart sang and cried out to the heavens at the majesty and beauty of this perfect moment. He had never missed this opportunity, even at the great risk to himself. The one part of his old life that he still clung to, foolishly perhaps, but one had to sit back and take time to enjoy the little things.


    The fire faded slowly from the glass doors and the light muted itself, as the murderous ball of gas and fire outside sunk lower on the horizon. His house had a moderate amount of trees and landscaping, which gave him a little more time outside of direct sunlight. It also shaded his home from prying eyes. Trees were no substitute for the high stone walls of the palaces and great cathedrals of his home country to be sure, but trees gave a different kind of protection one that made people not think too hard about what they may be concealing.


    As the light faded and receded even more from his home he got up and poured himself a drink. He reached up to the second from the top shelf and pulled down a bottle of Barbaresco. A perfect wine for the mood he was in. The powerful but graceful flavors of the Nebbiolo grapes from which it was made gave this hard to find wine a perfect and delightful sting on the pallet. Rare and beautiful, just like his home.


    He heard the footsteps outside before the key rattled in the lock. He smiled to himself, his ¡°student¡± was a long way from attaining true grace but, she was learning. He turned as his front door gently opened and the woman he was expecting entered into his foyer.


    This one was not as elegant as some of his other students, and she would never attain true beauty. Her nose was a little too small and her neck was long. Her deep auburn hair was a treasure onto itself though. The long strands were not wispy, nor were they thick and brutish, but a perfect volume and body that any woman would be jealous of. Her eyes were muted blue steel which, by themselves were unremarkable. But framed by her hair, those eyes burned and shone with a devastating light that could ensnare any man. Maybe it was that combination alone that led him to take her as a pupil.

 Book 4 Chapter 11b

    The girl turned around and locked the door behind her as she came into the house carrying her gym bag. He couldn¡¯t smooth his face from the almost pure disgust he felt at the sight of her body. He had done what he could for her face and neck. But she had proven almost incapable of shaping her body as it should have been.


    She wasn¡¯t fat, that wasn¡¯t the problem. No, the problem with her was that she had no muscle. Her legs were two spindly sticks supporting a twelve year old boy¡¯s body. She looked like a stork. Her boobs barely pushed out against her shirt. She had told him that she had always been an ¡°A¡± cup but he had his reservations that her bust size was even that. He sighed deeply in derision; this was not the first time he had wondered why he had chosen this girl over the other three that he had deliberated on that night four weeks ago. Oh well, the decision had been made and he had not failed even one of his ¡°students¡± and he was not going to fail this one either.


    ¡°Good evening, Jessica¡± he greeted her warmly, ¡°How was your day of training?¡±


    The girl immediately curtsied deeply to her teacher. Her radiant blue steel eyes met his for just a moment as they mirrored the smile on her thin lips, she then remembered her place and lowered her eyes to the floor at his feet. She was learning, slowly, but learning.


    ¡°My trainer at the gym has tracked a marked progress on my squats and my lateral pull downs, teacher.¡± Jessica said with a touch of pride in her voice.


    Kenneth raised his eyebrows in slight surprise, the muscle tone in her legs and back called her a liar, but weights didn¡¯t lie either. And Jessica, like all his students, was unable to lie to him. He was familiar with the process of putting on muscle and working out. Just because the weight increased it would take time for her body to show any signs of improvement.


    ¡°What about your diet, has the nutritionist given you any more advice or change that was necessary?¡± he asked calmly.


    Jessica hesitated for a moment before responding, ¡°Teacher, I spoke with the nutritionist yesterday and he wants me to maintain my diet except for the addition of at least fifty grams of protein a day.¡± He voice quibbled slightly as she said, ¡°I told you that yesterday, Teacher.¡±


    He nodded his head in agreement. Of course she had, of course. Could he truly blame himself for his impatience? The girl hadn¡¯t added a pound of flesh to her bones in four weeks, four weeks! How was that even possible? But then again it wasn¡¯t the girl¡¯s fault. Why had he chosen this girl again? That decision had been made and he could not, and most importantly, would not, take back that decision, even though it would be a simple thing to do. There was potential here. He had never second guessed himself before and he wasn¡¯t about to start now.


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    He struck out on a less depressing topic and the one place that she had truly excelled. ¡°How were your classes today?¡±


    She looked up at him for just a moment. That might need to be corrected if she kept forgetting her place in front of him. She glanced at her gym bag quickly. He knew that she kept her school books in that bag as well as her gym clothes and towel. She answered, ¡°Instructor my classes are tiring. I made all the transfers that you suggested to me. The professors at the college teach very quickly. I have gotten a reasonable routine down for studying and working but my science classes are brutal.¡±


    This was not unexpected. Just as her body had never worked hard, her mind had atrophied as well. Most of his students were in much the same condition as Jessica was. It was always hard for the first month or two and some never quite acclimated and school was the hardest part of their new life with him. But hard or not, school, just like his entire regimen for his students, was non-negotiable.


    Kenneth said gently, ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it.¡±


    Jessica nodded but kept her gaze at his feet. There was something about this girl. It made him smile in anticipation. To see her become what her true potential deemed that she could become. She would be radiant.


    ¡°Are you working tonight?¡± he asked.


    Jessica shook her head, throwing those beautiful strands of auburn hair all about her shoulders and face, ¡°No, Instructor.¡±


    ¡°No?¡± Kenneth asked back. ¡°Well, if you¡¯re not working then what are you going to do tonight?¡±


    Jessica smiled broadly, ¡°I¡¯m going to my dance lessons.¡±


    ¡°Ah, and how are those going, easier than your school, I trust?¡±


    Jessica¡¯s smile faded, ¡°Yes and no, Instructor. I like dancing and the steps and movements are easy for me, but my instructor always says that dancing is more than just ¡®picking up one leg and stomping down on the floor!¡¯¡± Kenneth snorted a laugh under his breath at the comment. Jessica either didn¡¯t hear him or chose not to respond to his laugh, that was good, she was learning.


    ¡°She says that dancing is like water flowing down a stream, or river, or something.¡± She heaved an exasperated sigh, ¡°That I have to stop being a stick and become water or some crap like that. Instructor, she¡¯s a fucking bitch!¡± She halted and seemed to retreat back into her skin, ¡°I¡¯m sorry Instructor. I won¡¯t say that again.¡±


    Kenneth was on his feet and took two solid steps toward her before she could finish her sentence. That was a mistake, one that will not be repeated. He did not touch her; he never needed to do that. He looked down at the skinny girl with the downcast eyes. ¡°Jessica, look at me.¡± His tone fell between being harsh and soft but it irradiated command and his student looked up obediently.


    He let his gaze rest on her for a moment. Her muted blue steel eyes were completely open to him, as he expected them to be. Soon, all too soon, the light went out of her eyes and they glazed over. Her body went limp and visibly relaxed before him, held standing by the force of his will alone. Her chest rose and fell with deep, even breaths.

 Book 4 Chapter 11c

    ¡°Your mind is now completely empty and blank.¡± His voice deepened into a soothing but very commanding tone. His student swayed under his gaze. ¡°My words are your thoughts, Jessica. You know this to be absolute truth; it has always been this way.¡± He watched the girl in front of him nod her head in obedience. Her eyelids fluttered as she swayed gently, barely keeping her feet. ¡°My words fill your mind and become your world; there is no resistance to my words and no hesitation to obey my commands. Your thoughts come from my voice and you obey without thought or question, don¡¯t you?¡± He watched as her eye lids drooped then slowly reopened. Her eyelids slid up till they were wide open staring at him blankly. Her swaying stopped and she stood as still as a death completely focused on him.


    Kenneth spoke with more authority and a more natural, commanding tone, ¡°You no longer have any self-opinion.¡± He knew the one thing that often stood in people¡¯s way from actually learning was their own puffed up opinion of themselves. Hers had proven to be stunting her growth and had to be removed.


    Continuing, he let some of his displeasure ring through his words. ¡°You are what I say you are. You will perform how I have ordered you to, and you will correct the deficiencies that your tutors find in your performance. You are nothing outside of their good graces, and mine. Your tutors are extensions of me and you will break yourself to please them, if need be.¡± That should have been sufficient, but there was something else that should have done a long time ago,  ¡°Your mind is empty of curses and swear words. Your mind is letting go of all vulgar language. You will not swear again, because you have no memory of what a swear word is. You will never again be able to form the sounds or imitate anyone else as they curse. Your mind and lips will be forever sealed against uttering even the slightest syllable of a swear word or curse in any language. Even the sound of swear words and curses will be vile and distasteful to you.¡± He let that sink in to the helpless girl¡¯s empty head for a moment. ¡°Do you understand?¡±


    The girl¡¯s answer was little more than a whisper, but loud enough for his ears, ¡°Yes, Instructor.¡±


    Kenneth nodded and said ¡°sleep¡±, as he waved his fingers in front of her face. Jessica collapsed on the deep crimson carpet she had been standing on. Kenneth returned to his chair and sat down. He watched the girl sleep, her deep auburn hair blending in with the carpet at times, her rhythmic breathing, deep and even. To her, there was nothing wrong with the world. And why should there be. She was his student and he told her what to do and when. She would be molded into a perfect lady, just like all of his students, serving him as they should.


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    Who cared if he trained these stupid girls and moronic boys? He had trained more than a dozen girls and a handful of men. Yes, he lived off them and took their tithes to him willingly and gratefully. They worked to please him and build his home. His students had paid for his wine and alcohol, the rugs, even this chair he sat in.


    He did not regard that lightly. His students gave up freedom of will and thought to serve him, as all good slaves should. He hated using that term though. He was a hunter, proud, fierce and he protected what was his. Besides, his students were hardly slaves. For all the wealth and service that they provided him they would not have achieved a tenth of their lives without him.


    His first students were now firmly planted in their professions. They were respected and reasonably well off. He took his tributes as the generous lords of old had done from the farmers tending their land. And what would they have become without him? Drug addicts? Aged strippers and porn actors? Trailer Park scum that were nothing more than brood mothers for their pimps and dealers and whoever else decided to show them a bit of attention for what they had between their legs? The thought of all that wasted potential without him to guide them and mentor them was a very ugly thought.


    ¡°Jessica¡± he called out suddenly.


    The girl roused herself with a small squeak and sigh as she heaved herself to her feet. The domination trance that she had been under was extreme. He usually showed a little more care and subtlety with his students. He knew that her mind had been rewritten as he had instructed her but he still had to be sure.


    ¡°Jessica, my wine case is a little empty, what do you think?¡±


    The girl dutifully looked at the wine case, ¡°It¡¯s a little empty, Instructor.¡±


    Kenneth raised his eyebrows at his student, ¡°What do you think I should do about it?¡±


    Jessica looked down at the floor in front of her teacher, ¡°I could refill some of the shelves, Instructor.¡±


    Kenneth nodded slightly, ¡°What about your dancing lessons, Jessica? How are those coming along?¡± he asked lightly.


    ¡°My dance teacher says that I am stiff as a twig. She says that I know the steps well enough but I have made no improvement with my grace or flowing from one step to the next. Where any real dancer is like a stream of water over smooth sand, I am a tangle of twigs and crow¡¯s feet.¡± Jessica answered flatly.


    Kenneth looked down at his student, ¡°And how does that make you feel, Jessica?¡±


    The girl replied, ¡°I must work harder to please her.¡±


    That made him smile with pride. She was learning, if slowly. He got up to pour himself a glass of St. Croix Shiraz from his middle shelf. Jessica stood as she was. He knew that she would not move unless he gave her permission to move.

 Book 4 Chapter 11d

    This girl would be a wonderful bio chemist one day. Her grades were already better than some of his longer tenured students. Her dancing progressed well, even though the teacher that he chose for his students was a bit harsh. She had gotten every one of his students to dance with a passion and sultriness that any ballet would be proud of. Of course, professional ballet might have paid better than the strip clubs that some of his students continued to work at, but then they wouldn¡¯t be able to go to school and become the professionals that he wanted them to be.


    As he bent down to grab a bottle opener from the shelf under the bar he said nonchalantly, ¡°Jessica? Can you tell me again what a fucking bitch your dance teacher is?¡±


    The girl audibly grunted. He stopped for a moment at the comedic sound of the girl¡¯s consternation. He looked at her steadily as he poured his wine out of the corner of his eye, ¡°Jessica? Did you hear me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Instructor I heard you.¡± She answered.


    ¡°Then why haven¡¯t you answered me? Tell me what a fucking bitch your dance teacher is.¡±


    The girl visibly fumbled with her tongue as she tried to answer him. It looked like she was trying to form the words that her instructor had just said but was unable to. Kenneth allowed himself to laugh at her discomfort.


    Jessica didn¡¯t look at her instructor as he was laughing. She was still trying to untangle her mouth and force herself to answer her instructor¡¯s question.


    ¡°Never mind, Jessica¡± Kenneth said shaking his head and picking his glass up from the bar. ¡°You have pleased me and in doing so I commend your progress.¡± This got a huge smile from the girl. ¡°Now go to your room and get ready for your dance lesson tonight.¡± Jessica curtsied deeply to her teacher. Kenneth nodded his approval at her. Jessica then picked up her bag and turned up the stairs to her room.


    Kenneth had one last deep chuckle at his student. This one did have a very keen mind. She was progressing well in her areas of study; her body however left something deeply to be desired. She might always be too skinny; of course there were ways around that. The second student that he trained, Allison, was even now deep in her third year of private practice plastic surgery. He could always send Jessica to her and get a full body overhaul. But then that might be too much too soon. His students needed to live what he taught them. They needed to work for what they got, he just gave them a little nudge out of the door, and sometimes a full-on shove in their backside. However, when all his efforts had failed his ideal vision, then there was always the scientific alternative. He had made use of it once, but detested that it spoke of something beyond his control.


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    He crossed over to the French double doors on the other side of the sitting room. The sun had lowered beneath the rim of the world and the predator had let loose his death colors out into the encroaching night sky. He always took some time to savor this time of night. His colleagues and those that would call themselves his masters would be just rising to meet the new night.


    He fished his cell phone out of his pocket. He thumbed through his list and chose one of his better students. He pressed the call button. The voice on the other line was unmistakably masculine but with a hint of refinement and restraint, ¡°Yes, Instructor?¡±


    Kenneth smiled at the proper response, ¡°Michael, we have an appointment that I don¡¯t mean to be late for.¡±


    There was a moment of silence from the other end, ¡°Yes, Instructor. I¡¯m on my way now. I¡¯ll be there in fifteen minutes.¡±


    Without any further acknowledgment he ended the call. Michael was one of his students who had embraced his teachings, heart, body, and soul from very early on. His studies at school went from a 72 average to an 88 average almost overnight. He put on twenty pounds of muscle in the gym in his first six months and that was after he lost an initial fifteen pounds of fat and flab from his mid section.


    Kenneth didn¡¯t send his male students to dance school but they did go to gymnastics and martial arts classes. They were immersed in the true high arts of using liccasapuni, Sicilian dueling knives and learning the lesser eastern fighting arts of Kung Fu, Chinese boxing, Muay Tai, and Kenpo. No, his male students were not trained to be looked at; they were fighters to be feared, trained to protect him, and kill for him.


    Draining his glass he returned it to the bar. He walked across the foyer to his study. The deep brown oak of his heavy writing desk sat atop the same crimson rugs that covered the rest of the house. The trim was in gold with dizzying Geometrico classico designs weaving their way around the edge of the thick rug.


    His desk was neat and orderly. The single, double head lamp was both functional but also gave the desk that certain amount of panache that one would expect from such a dominating piece of furniture. Indeed, the desk took up over a third of the room. The dark wood gleamed in the lamp light; its highly polished surface was like a mirror. The two chairs that sat facing it were of a type like the one in his sitting room, not nearly as rich as his personal chair but they shared a similar look. The comfort level of the two chairs were on par with his and their silent vigil over the desk itself gave the room a feeling of comfort but also business. And it was for that purpose that he was about.


    He rounded the massive desk and pulled out his set of keys. The precaution was a mild one. Sometimes he would prefer to just leave the drawers unlocked. Still, it was better to put at least a small wall in front of would-be prying eyes. His students and servants were completely loyal to him, but old habits die hard.


    He unlocked his top drawer and pulled it open. The soft clean scraping of wood on wood was heard by him, but no else could have detected the infinitesimally small noise. He reached into the drawer and pulled out two thick packets of documents, and laid them out before him on the table.

 Book 4 Chapter 11e

    His masters would want to see these tonight; they were his records of activity from the last six months. He had no intention of telling them what he had really been doing the last six months. Both packets had falsified information in them but then, his people would expect some subterfuge and small betrayals. It had been his people¡¯s way for centuries and would continue on for centuries more. So, he just let them see what they wanted to see, unawares of the feint within a feint.


    He opened the first set of documents. There were receipts and transaction accounts. His false bank accounts with statements that had been carefully manipulated by himself and a very loyal servant in the banks higher branch. The man was a fool and worked for so little. Of course, the promise that he kept waving in front of the man would have just about any human with any sense drooling and begging to do as he wished.


    The statements showed a one point seven percent growth over the last six months. He could easily attribute the slow growth rate to no new sources of income, building cost, and labor litigations on projects were all carefully crafted lies and forgeries with just enough truth to avoid being noticed. If onyone did notice then he always had his ¡°true¡± account ledgers.


    Those read very similarly to his ¡°false¡± ledgers. They showed a 2.6 percent growth rate and explained the exaggerated building costs and wasteful spending of his ¡°false¡± ledger. What neither of them said anything about was his students and the income he received from them. The free services and wealth that he was stockpiling in completely different bank accounts under several of his student¡¯s names were enough to match the sum of either ledgee. For some reason the high blood tended to ignore the goings on of the humans around them. It was a critical oversight in Kenneth¡¯s opinion and experience, but one he was willing to take advantage of.


    He carefully replaced his ¡°true¡± ledger in the drawer. Closing and relocking the drawer he swept the ¡°false¡± ledger from the desk into his open palm as he rose to exit the room. He glanced at himself in the mirror. He wore a light-colored business suit. More of a bluish grey than any real color that stood out. He could be subtle when he wished. The shirt underneath was a muted off white with no tie. His top two buttons were undone and his jacket hung loosely open. He nodded to his image. He looked perfectly demure, and for where he was going that¡¯s exactly the attitude he wanted to express. He allowed himself a small smile as he strolled back out to his sitting room and awaited the arrival of his student. His wait was not a long one and moments later the ringing of his cheerful door chimes sounded throughout the house. It was a simple thing, but he enjoyed the multi tonal sound of it. He rose and exited.


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    Michael was holding open the stratus grey metallic passenger side rear door of his XJL Supercharger Jaguar sedan. Michael was very attentive to his duties, the very model of what one of his students should be. The man had grown his business and himself for no other reason than to please him. What was a tool except to be used, if the blade dulled you sharpened it, if the fulcrum hinge broke, you replaced it. Michael had proved to need little sharpening.


    Kenneth sat down in the suede seats of his beautiful machine. He didn¡¯t have to ask to know that Michael had parked his somewhat less impressive Honda somewhere where Kenneth didn¡¯t have to see it. He was fairly proud of this vehicle. It spoke of wealth but not obscenely so. The grey exterior didn¡¯t attract too much attention, and neither did the symbol these days. The flicker of his individuality and personality was in the make and model for anyone who cared to look. It was true, he could have been able to afford one of his native Italian Ferraris or a Maserati but the ability to blend in with the more common place traffic of the city was a necessity.


    Michael got in the vehicle and turned on the engine, the soft purr vibrated the seats. They moved out of the carport and into the streets, even at this time of night there was heavy traffic. The drive to his master¡¯s building, the head of his House, would be a long one.


    He picked out his cell from his jacket pocket and punched in a number from memory. As the phone rang, he looked up at his driver through the rear-view mirror. He pressed his will down onto his student, forcing the driver¡¯s mind to his will, ¡°Michael, you will not hear or remember anything about this car trip. As soon as you open your door to let me out, this trip will fade from your mind. You will remember only that you drove me to my destination. Do you understand?¡±


    His driver focused on the road and replied simply, ¡°I understand, Instructor.¡±


    Kenneth leaned back deeper into his seat and put his phone up to his ear. The ringing stopped and a feminine voice answered the phone. ¡°Yes, Instructor.¡±


    He would never get tired of how obedient his students were. ¡°Cassandra, do you have what I needed?¡±


    There was a brief pause from the other end of the phone. Then the answer came, ¡°Yes, Instructor I have acquired it. When do you want me to get it to you?¡±


    Kenneth thought for a moment, he had to have that item, his plans hinged on it. But was it too soon? Could something like this wait? He reflexively looked out the rearview window at the busy road behind him. Any one of those sets of headlights could be eyes for his master. The idea that he still had not attained freedom from being watched vexed him. It was part of the game, he understood that better than most before he began this path. But that one thing, being watched, was like an itch on the back of his neck that never went away.


    His plans had not yet reached anywhere near fruition. He turned back to the phone, ¡°Cassandra, listen to me very carefully¡­¡±

 Book 4 Chapter 12a

    About an hour later the Jaguar pulled up to the base of a massive industrial building. He didn¡¯t need to know the name of the place and he wouldn¡¯t have cared even if he didn¡¯t know what¡¯s name was. He got out of the car as Michael opened his door.


    The underground parking complex was neatly lit with overhead florescent light rods that ran the length of the space. The cement and asphalt was kept insanely clean for a parking lot. The idea that anybody would be impressed or awed by a clean parking lot was ridiculous, but he had to admit that seeing the like new surface aroused some feeling in him, resentment maybe?


    Ignoring the waste of time and effort that was a clean parking lot he strode over to the elevator. For him, this elevator only went to one place. He stepped inside leaving Michael in the garage. As the elevator doors closed a familiar voice spoke to him, ¡°Ah, Kenneth, how are you?¡±


    His master spoke perfect Italian, in his dialect. No, that wasn¡¯t right it wasn¡¯t a dialect, not exactly. Kenneth, of course, spoke Italian fluently as well but when he spoke with his master in his native tongue the years separating the two shone through in his master¡¯s speech patterns. He used words oddly and there were sounds that seemed to be out of place somehow. Kenneth had no real trouble understanding his master but those nuances in his speech were something that flicked constantly on his conscious, like a wasp trapped inside a glass.


    Kenneth knew he was being watched as well as recorded. He turned his face up to where the camera should be and smiled warmly, ¡°I am doing well, Alessandro. How¡¯s your tan this time of year?¡± He replied in Italian.


    There was a hearty laugh from the intercom. ¡°Oh, Kenneth it¡¯s been too long.¡± There was a pause, ¡°I¡¯ll see you momentarily.¡± There was an audible click as the intercom system was turned off.


    Kenneth smiled warmly as he lowered his head and allowed the smile to fall off his face like dumping a tray full of sand onto the floor. He hated Alessandro, though not the man himself. On the contrary Kenneth actually admired what the old Sicilian had been able to accomplish in just under forty years of being on this side of the pond.


    How many innovations and how much of the fabled American growth, economic and political, was due not to American ingenuity, but rather because his people had chosen to rebuild their empires in the new world. This grated on Kenneth; the true power brokers his kind had become were formidable and yet he was still hiding in back rooms.


    The elevator doors opened suddenly and Kenneth was forced to give his grudging admiration to his master¡¯s office. It was the antithesis to Kenneth¡¯s home; this place was sterile and gleaming. The windows, looking out over the innumerable lights of the city, were double sided mirrors. They were the only walls to the room. The black and white marble underfoot was polished to a mirror sheen. The furniture was simplistic, made of chrome metal. The chairs looked comfortable enough, with leather padding and armrests. The desk at the head of the room was a combination of glass and metal. The top allowed full view down into the contents of the drawers beneath. There was one carpet in the room. It sat directly under the desk and was large enough to accommodate the four chairs facing the desk. The black thick rug had razor thin lines of red that drew an intricate design that seemed to flow around the furniture on top of it.


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    Behind the desk, upright with his hands folded gently in front of his face was Alessandro Costa. He wasn¡¯t very tall, 5 feet 8 inches maybe, but he carried himself with enough gravitas to make up for it. The man wore a dark blue black suit. His blue tie, tight and neat about his neck, was an aesthetic contrast to the black of his suit. His tanned skin had seen over three hundred years of life but someone looking at him would have guessed he was a well kept fifty year old. The fact that he was turned at such an old age is probably what had allowed him access to the higher circles of this society, or so Kenneth suspected. For some reason Americans worshiped youth but those in power only respected age.


    Alessandro smiled as Kenneth walked the length of the room. ¡°Kenneth.¡± He said rather warmly, ¡°What do you have for me there? Surely not some type of weapon to kill me, eh?¡± The old man looked pointedly at the ledger in Kenneth¡¯s hand.


    Kenneth looked down at the ledger and offered it to the man sitting behind the desk without a word.


    Alessandro looked hurt, ¡°It was a joke, why the sour attitude?¡± Alessandro didn¡¯t touch the ledger on the desk.


    This was a game that he was just not in the mood for. ¡°Alessandro, we both have better things to do than sit here and banter with one another over japes and nuance.¡± Kenneth sat down in one of the chairs without invitation. ¡°The night is still young and I for one would like to get on with the things that I have to do.¡±


    Alessandro arched his eyebrow. ¡°And what might that be, Kenneth?¡±


    Kenneth allowed a little fire to show in his face at being questioned and at himself for losing his temper. ¡°Checking up on my contacts within the police organization for one.¡± Kenneth said coldly. ¡°I¡¯m not like you Alessandro. I actually have to work to maintain my power over these people. If I let them go too much or too long on their own, they start to think that they are better than me and can run things better without me. Cleaning up those situations are always messy¡­ and time consuming.¡±


    Alessandro held Kenneth¡¯s gaze for a long minute. The older man¡¯s brown eyes were heavy with years and knowledge. There was even a crafty sort of wisdom there. At moments like these he was reminded why Alessandro was the head of his house and what he had had to do to gain his position.


    Suddenly the old man dropped his eyes to the ledger on his desk. He opened the casing and pulled out the documents and forms and receipts that Kenneth had brought to him. He shuffled through the papers in rapid order. In just under a minute Alessandro had reordered all of Kenneth¡¯s papers and had them back in the thick ledger. Alessandro regarded his subordinate.

 Book 4 Chapter 12b

    ¡°Tell me Kenneth, why has your growth rate been so low over the past six months?¡±


    A question he more than anticipated and had prepared for. ¡°Alessandro, the market for growth in all areas is down. The private sector has not had any real growth in months. My labor division hasn¡¯t received any bids of any kind for any new construction. And I am hesitant to take more from the public sector. My police funds are pulling as much as I dare take without drawing attention to us.¡± That earned him a laugh from his master.


    Alessandro chuckled at his subordinate, ¡°Kenneth this is the safest place for us on the continent. You could take another 10 % from the police budget alone and nobody would notice.¡± He chuckled again, deeper. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t noticed, Kenneth the one thing this state does really well is throw money at who knows what, and then claim total ignorance and no responsibility when it disappears.¡±


    Kenneth regarded his master in an even gaze, holding the older man¡¯s eyes. ¡°Alessandro, times are changing. We walk a thin line and people are starting to question what their governments are doing. It¡¯s not like in the old country when the peasants truly could be ignored. These people think they have choices and that mere thought of freedom makes them far more dangerous than you, or any other House Heads have ever given these Americans credit for.¡±


    Alessandro leveled a deep stare at Kenneth. Kenneth knew he had overstepped his bounds. ¡°Kenneth, I value you as a member of my House, and more importantly as my childe. I am your sire, and you are native to our beloved Italia.¡± Alessandro slowly rose out of his chair to loom tall over his subordinate, his voice growing like a storm rolling in from the sea. ¡°But I will not allow such a one who is so low in the blood to dare speak to me of what I know and what the other House Heads know about these people or how we conduct our business.¡±


    Kenneth sat perfectly still with his eyes lowered to the floor looking at the black rug that was there, tracing the red lines with his peripheral, shamed to even move his eyeballs.


    Alessandro seemed to relax visibly and settle back into his chair. ¡°Why are you so bold with your words. You know I respect you. I appreciate your opinions, and I am here to help you succeed at whatever you wish.¡± Alessandro heaved a sigh and placed his fingers to his nose massaging the bridge gently. ¡°What else do you have?¡±


    Kenneth spoke in a subdued voice. He respected his master. He would hold a cross to his skin and brand himself with it to say that it wasn¡¯t true. But deep in his mind and whatever heart he had left, he did respect the man. The act of being chastised by him stung, much as a slap across the face from a father¡¯s hand. It smarted bitterly.


    Kenneth slowly looked up at his master and shook his head. Alessandro¡¯s lips turned down in a frown. ¡°I had expected much more from you, Kenneth.¡± He swiveled his chair to look out onto the city from his transparent walls. ¡°You are a reflection of me, Kenneth. If you cannot produce more than what you have, how do you think that will look on me, on our House?¡± Alessandro turned back toward his subordinate. ¡°You will have time to improve. But soon, even that time will run out and then I will be forced to act.¡± There was almost a pleading look to his eyes. ¡°I would truly hate to act against you, Kenneth.¡±


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    He sat in his chair deathly still unable to move. His gut felt empty and if he moved he knew that it would break apart from the rest of his body. His lips did eventually form words again, ¡°I understand, Master Alessandro.¡±


    The older man visibly lightened. ¡°You have never disappointed me, much. And I know that you¡¯ll find your way. You always have.¡± Alessandro got up from his desk and strolled to a bar that was nestled neatly into a corner of the office behind the desk. Done in the same fashion as the rest of the room the bar was very modern with clean hard lines and stark difference between glass, mirror, and chrome.


    Alessandro produced an ancient bottle and two burgundy wine glasses. The viscous liquid that came from the bottle steamed just enough for him to see tendrils of vapor rising. The deep red of the substance caused a primal, almost animal lust for it to rise in Kenneth¡¯s mind. He wanted that drink, wanted it more than anything else at that moment. He felt his lips pull back from his canine teeth which had involuntarily grown an inch, but he didn¡¯t care. It was a marvel of self control that he was able to remain seated, when all he wanted to do was tackle his master for the bottle.


    Alessandro set the bottle aside and took up the two glasses. They were made from the finest crystal that Kenneth had seen in a very long time. But the finery of the glass was completely lost on him as his blood lust was threatening to take complete control of him and he would have been so glad to give in to it. If he didn¡¯t know that Alessandro would have killed him before he left his chair.


    His master placed the glass in his hand and retook his place behind his desk. Kenneth tore his eyes away from the thick, red, life that he held and managed to level an even look at his master. One of his first lessons had been the gentleman¡¯s impeccable self control. Right now he could kill his master for making him practice such techniques.


    Alessandro held his glass at nose level. He swirled the viscous liquid against the sides of the glass, staining it red. Alessandro closed his eyes and inhaled deeply the warm aroma of the blood, as Kenneth had done many times, testing the character of one of his vintage wines. He opened his eyes with a smile and raised the glass no more than an inch higher into the air. Kenneth knew that permission had been given and had to fight himself to not throw the blood all over himself.


    Instead, he lifted the glass to his lips and gently tilted the fine crystal to an acute angle, allowing the blood to flow through his lips. He needed only a taste and then his eyes closed and he lost himself in the instant torrent of pleasure. The blood didn¡¯t burn like wine or alcohol. No, this was an experience that was never the same twice. The blood coursed through his throat leaving nothing but ecstasy in its wake. Where there should have been a burning need for more there was only contentment. A small, restrained, sigh escaped his stained lips and he relaxed back into his chair.

 Book 4 Chapter 12c

    His eyes opened to find Alessandro looking at him; he hadn¡¯t imbibed any of the blood in his own glass. Kenneth betrayed himself by allowing his eyes to dart back and forth between the two glasses. Is it poisoned? He flicked his gaze back to his master who then silently tipped his glass towards him. Kenneth¡¯s throat was suddenly very dry and he held the glass stem gingerly. At least it had been of exquisite taste as he had expected from his master.


    He waited for the end to come as his master set down his glass. The poison must be a very slow one. Alessandro always had a flair for the theatrics, and what could possibly be more theatrical than watching an enemy die slowly knowing that there was nothing they could do about it.


    ¡°Do I at least get a reason, Alessandro?¡±


    The man behind the desk said nothing but folded his propped up hands in front of his face, obscuring his mouth. The gesture was not one that Alessandro used often but when he did it was when he was content to allow his rival to talk himself into giving Alessandro every piece of information that he wanted.


    Kenneth wouldn¡¯t give the old man the pleasure. He could play the same game and death would take him eventually. The poison will kill me far too soon for you to get anything out of me. The thought of frustrating his master in this final act of defiance was enough to keep his lips sealed. This was the first time this game had a time clock and Alessandro was on the losing end of it. Kenneth allowed a small satisfied smile to creep across his face.


    The smell of the blood was still very strong from the two crystal glasses. He could smell the type too: AB negative, a good type. What kind of poison could have been so subtle to avoid his sense of smell? He had become familiar with the scent of most poisons over the years, and when he didn¡¯t know the type, he had been taught to identify it by other means.


    He met his master¡¯s eyes who still studied him with an even gaze from across the desk. What is he thinking? What is he trying to figure out? And then the most obvious question rammed into his mind like a freight train, why me, Alessandro? That was a question that he wanted to ask right now. When one¡¯s creator strikes you down, one would like to know the reason why. Silence stretched out between them.


    Kenneth turned his attention to his own body. His vampiric senses allowed him to acutely know his body, inside and out. He mentally traced his blood vessels through his neck down through his chest. His heart lay still as death, the last time it had beaten was over fifty years ago. Sometimes though, he could swear he could still feel it, as it had meant to be, beating strongly with the life he had left behind.


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    He could feel no fire, no pain anywhere. He gently flexed his leg muscles and felt nothing there that should not be. His vision was just as clear now as it had been a few hours ago. His hearing and sense of touch were still razor sharp. He could even detect the slight difference in smell between his wine glass and that of his master. What was going on?


    He returned his full attention back to Alessandro. His master was sitting there as still as stone. Then one eyebrow arched a fraction of an inch. It was a gesture that could only have been spotted with a vampire¡¯s keen eyesight. Kenneth finally broke the silence between them, ¡°What is this, Alessandro?¡±


    Without moving Alessandro did answer behind his folded hands, ¡°A lesson, perhaps? Or something more.¡±


    ¡°A warning?¡± Kenneth asked.


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Alessandro dropped his hands to take up his own wine glass and drank deeply from it. Alessandro¡¯s dignity and poise had been cultivated by years spent in the upper circles of high Italian society; he had the culmination of all the training on full display here tonight. He gently placed his wine glass back down on his desk.


    He locked eyes with his student. ¡°What would you take away from this night, Kenneth?¡±


    The ease at which he could die when his guard was down came to mind, but he figured that Alessandro wouldn¡¯t care too much for that response. ¡°Control and dignity,¡± he answered instead.


    Alessandro regarded his pupil. ¡°Control and dignity... Is that all that there is for you in this world, control and dignity, even in the face of death?¡± He waved away Kenneth¡¯s comments before they were aired. ¡°I know full well that you were convinced of your own death, so don¡¯t try to deny it.¡± He leaned back in his chair. ¡°I don¡¯t want you getting too full of yourself, Kenneth,¡± his gaze hardened, ¡°Remember your place or you will find everything taken away from you, faster than you can realize.¡±


    The younger vampire returned the gaze without flinching, ¡°Have I done something to offend you, Master?¡±


    Alessandro nodded once slowly, ¡°Yes, as a matter of fact.¡± He stood up and walked over to his windows to look out at the city night. ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me what you are hiding and your existence in my favor might be prolonged.¡±


    Kenneth looked confused, ¡°I don¡¯t understa¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± Alessandro yelled as he whipped around in half an eye blink. Kenneth found himself pressed against his chair, pinned by his master.  The elder vampire leaned close. ¡°I have been patient with you because you are mine, but even my patience has limits, and you are dangerously close to pushing mine past its breaking point.¡± Alessandro leaned in even closer as his grip on the arms of the chair tightened audibly. ¡°What¡­are you¡­hiding¡­Kenneth.¡±


    The junior vampire knew now was not the time to try to scheme and maneuver. He had seen his master like this on occasion and almost every time someone had ended up dead. Kenneth had very important things to do and dying was not something he wanted to revisit so soon. ¡°I have held back my profit and gain margins, Master. The true numbers for my portion of the House business is in another ledger that I keep in my locked desk at my house.¡±

 Book 4 Chapter 12d

    Alessandro eyes softened and his grip loosened, but still the elder vampire did not move. ¡°What is the meaning of your deception? What did you possibly hope to acquire?¡± His voice was dangerously quiet.


    Again, Kenneth stretched out as much truth as he dared. If his master knew what his true intentions and goals were, he would be dead before he finished speaking. ¡°I wanted to be free to invest the House capitol in very high-risk research and development with a few of the pharmaceutical companies in the city. If successful, the money returned to us would be at least four hundred percent, probably more. If it failed, I would lose everything.¡±


    He allowed his gaze to drop, out of mock shame, ¡°I wanted to bring these new investments to you as a trophy with new deals that would enrich our accounts and strengthen our hold on the city¡¯s infrastructure. If it failed, I would rather you not know just how much money I had lost.¡±


    There was silence from his master. He didn¡¯t dare breathe much less move. For long heartbeats of time Kenneth wondered if Alessandro had some other deep mental ability that he had kept hidden from his surrogates for occasions such as this.


    Then, without a word, Alessandro stood and walked back around to his side of the desk and sat down.


    Kenneth let himself relax a little but he kept his body as disciplined as he could. There was no sigh of relief as he looked over at his master. He didn¡¯t know just how close he had come to dying, and he wasn¡¯t sure he wanted to know. Not trusting himself, even to break the silence that had stretched out between the two, he chose instead to remain as he was and allow his master to be the first to speak.


    Alessandro did not wait long. ¡°There is something you are not telling me.¡± He waved away any defense Kenneth could have spoken before it could be made. ¡°Please, you and I both know the truth of that. What concerns me is not that you are hiding something but what it is. Is it something worth killing such a promising prot¨¦g¨¦ over?¡± He swiveled in his chair to look out over the city once again.


    Kenneth noted the strong profile of the older man. Aged in life as well as death, he still had strong features for a human. The underlying Vampiric strength also gave him a dignity that would far surpass any human of the same age. He found himself once more feeling a certain admiration for his master. If he lived to be as old as him and if he was ever able to secure a High House for himself, he would want to be able to measure up to this man.


    Alessandro turned back toward him. ¡°You have done well with what you have been given but you obviously have too much time on your hands. I wish there was more work for you to do but we have a surplus of House members. There is simply no work for you to do other than what you have already been given.¡± He paused and looked down at his desk, reading something through the glass top. ¡°I want a full report on your day-to-day activities and true financial standings report from your district. I want to know exactly who you were planning on dealing with and what pharmaceutical companies you were planning on investing in.¡±


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    The master regarded his surrogate, ¡°I won¡¯t tolerate this happening, Kenneth. If I get even a hint of deception from you again, I will end you. Do you understand?¡±


    Kenneth maintained a straight face. He gave away nothing on the outside of the actual fear he felt. He hadn¡¯t felt fear in a long time. It closed his throat and he had to force himself just to breathe. This was the most alive he had felt in a very long time, a decade at least, and he decided then and there that living as he had as a human was definitely inferior to what he had become. He forced his body to move casually, ¡°I understand, master.¡± His voice too was surprisingly calm and even. The sooner he got out of this death trap the better.


    Alessandro looked at him out of the corner of his eye and his eye lids narrowed to slits momentarily. ¡°I want those reports by tomorrow night.¡± Kenneth nodded in assent. Alessandro waved him away, ¡°You are excused.¡±


    Fighting the urge to run at a full tilt back toward the elevator at the far side of the room he gracefully got out of his chair and moved with slow dignity back the way he had come. He knew that he wasn¡¯t really safe until he was in his car and far away from this building.


    As he entered the elevator, he turned to look at his master as the steel doors closed in front of him. Most people would have assumed that they were safe, and most people died that way. He was being watched, just as he had been when he entered the building, if he betrayed himself now in any way, he would be dead as soon as the elevator stopped.


    The doors opened onto the clean parking garage and he once more fought the desire to run to his car. He had forgotten just how primal fear was. He hadn¡¯t felt it in so long. It was not something that he wished to feel often, but for a time the sensation was actually worth exploring. His master could still make him feel fear. He knew that part of Alessandro¡¯s power and prestige came from his ability to wield fear and instill it in others. He would have to learn how to manipulate that emotion as well if he was to be successful in his future endeavors.


    He reached his car and entered through the door that Michael was holding open for him. His driver shut the door and Kenneth finally allowed himself to let go of that deep sigh of relief that he had been holding. He inhaled deeply the scent of clean leather, and polished wood paneling. Michael got into the driver¡¯s seat and started the car.


    ¡°Back to my home,¡± Kenneth said a little rougher than he would have liked. Michael gave no hint of discomfort with his tone of voice but Kenneth had always prided himself on self-control and this was not a good showing of it.


    The drive couldn¡¯t have been over soon enough. He had spent it settling himself and focusing on what needed to be done. The beginning was always so delicate. The human mind was a marvel of labyrinthine constructs. He had been doing this for a while but still the beginning was always the most challenging, and the most dangerous.


    Michael parked the car and dutifully opened his door. He stepped out of the car and regarded his home. For the first time since stepping foot in his master¡¯s building he felt secure again. He walked up to the front door and entered. His home was exactly as he had left it. But he had a few guests waiting for him.

 Book 4 Chapter 12e

    Cassandra was truly a marvel. She was a special student of his, not because of any great aptitude for studies or anything that he would need really. Cassandra was more of a mistake than anything. She was short for one thing. She only stood at 5¡¯2¡±, if that. Her massive fake 34F tits jutted out from her small frame almost comically. The only thing that wasn¡¯t fake on her body was her hair and her eyes. And she had ruined her hair. The beautiful black strands were streaked with bleach blond splotches that ran the length of it which flowed down to her waist. Her clear blue eyes though were real and could captivate anyone, if they could look past all the other wrong things she had done to herself.


    ¡°Instructor, the guest you asked me to bring.¡± She said in her naturally deep sultry voice, gesturing to the man who was sitting uncomfortably on a couch that faced his chair.


    He nodded his thanks to Cassandra and sat down in a chair facing the man on the couch. Kenneth wasn¡¯t sure if Cassandra¡¯s presence unnerved him more or less. It was hard to read him for some reason.


    The man was slim, but there was power in those arms. His muscles moved just below the surface of his skin and the way his clothes rested on him he knew that there was little fat on the man¡¯s frame. His hair was close cropped chestnut brown. His grey eyes nervously looked at him as he sat down casually. He might have been called attractive if it wasn¡¯t for his snub, flat nose. It looked as if it had been flattened by a steam roller and had never recovered.


    Cassandra was sitting very close to the man, allowing her tits to rub up on him a little as her hair was teasing his shoulder. Kenneth smiled warmly at the man. ¡°I know how this must look to you and please I hope you don¡¯t get the wrong impression.¡±


    ¡°The wrong impression?¡± The man asked sullenly. ¡°How could I have the wrong impression? I was at my place of business and suddenly this girl,¡± He turned his head to look at the girl sitting next to him. Cassandra must have been closer to him than he thought because he awkwardly turned away from her and lowered his gaze to the ground suddenly having very little to say.


    Humans were so easy to manipulate. He hadn¡¯t figured this man to be so cowed by the proximity of a ¡°beautiful¡± woman. Cassandra might have been beautiful once, but she had ruined whatever chance she had at true beauty. Still, a set of huge tits on an oversexed woman was considered attractive by human standards, so who was he to judge how anyone should react to it. In any case, it got him the results he needed.


    ¡°Like I said I am terribly sorry. I wanted to bring you to my home for an informal business proposal.¡±


    The man looked up with irritation and¡­was that anger? How delightful. ¡°You can take up business proposals with our marketing team. I can give you their number if you¡¯d like.¡± He said as he reached for his back pocket.


    ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary, Dr. Swaan.¡± Kenneth said genially, leaning forward. Dr. Swaan¡¯s head jerked back a little as if he had been slapped. He hadn¡¯t expected them to know his name. This was going to be more fun than Kenneth thought. ¡°What I have to offer is more of a person-by-person concept. I don¡¯t like dealing with big corporate machines, too much red tape and bureaucracy.¡±


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    ¡°The bureaucrats are who we get our money from,¡± Dr. Swaan replied. As he did so Cassandra pressed up against his shoulder with her ample breasts. Dr. Swaan¡¯s face changed from slightly challenging to extremely uncomfortable in seconds.


    ¡°Look, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re offering and I don¡¯t care. I just want to go home,¡± he said as he stood up.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you want to walk out on me just yet, Trevor.¡± Kenneth said evenly. This time the Dr. was not so easily impressed by the knowledge of his name. He did however stand there stock still looking over at his host. Cassandra gracefully stood up as well and from behind him she gently pulled him back down onto the couch. He slid back down to his seat with little resistance.


    Kenneth looked at the man silently. There was dignity there and will. There was something behind the man¡¯s eyes that told Kenneth this man would not be bought or cowed into serving, or helping anyone against his will. That was perfectly fine; of course, Kenneth had no intention of allowing him any will to resist him anyway. But a human with a strong sense of self and purpose tended to make his work trickier than usual. This man would need delicacy.


    He shifted his attention to Cassandra, ¡°Cassandra, would you pour us some drinks. I will have the usual and the good Dr.? Let me see¡± Kenneth rubbed his chin in thoughtful repose, ¡°I think a port would do. What say you, Trevor?¡±


    The Dr. looked at him for a moment, ¡°I¡¯m not thirsty.¡±


    Smiling wryly at him from his chair he nodded at Cassandra who rose from her seat to obey. Kenneth turned his full attention back to Trevor. ¡°You keep eye contact with me. I like that in a male student, shows he has guts and something worth fighting for.¡±


    Trevor narrowed his eyes to slits, ¡°What are you talking about, male student? I haven¡¯t been anyone¡¯s student since my doctorate, four years ago.¡±


    ¡°What you mean to say is that you have surpassed those who would call themselves your teacher. Until tonight, there was no one who could have taught you that which you couldn¡¯t learn for yourself.¡±


    ¡°I am having a hard time following what it is you are talking about.¡± Trevor stood up once again. ¡°Look this has been great, you have a lovely home, but I need to get back to mine¡­¡±


    ¡°Sit down.¡±


    The words were not shouted, nor emphasized in any way. Yet they had to be obeyed. Trevor found himself sitting down. He tried to remember what it was he had been thinking a moment ago. But when he tried to recreate the thoughts that led him to stand up in the first place they evaporated into nothing. There had never been any reason for him to stand up. So, he sat there quietly looking at this man who had made it possible for him to be here in this place.


    Kenneth looked at the man silently. There was something there. He wouldn¡¯t disobey his command but that was exactly what he had been trying to avoid. Too much and the man would be useless to him. He already had all the knowledge that Kenneth needed. If he pushed too hard or too fast that information might be damaged or completely lost.


    Cassandra brought him out of his thoughts by offering him a crystal glass filled with a deep St. Croix Shiraz. The smell was amazing, as always. The wine made from that little country on the southern tip of such an inconsequential continent as Africa was among the best he had ever tried, even better than that grown from his native Italy. Alessandro would be most displeased if he learned of this transgression of his.

 Book 4 Chapter 12f

    Trevor took his glass filled with a tawny port, the elevated alcohol content was intentional and hopefully it would soften the man. Kenneth took a long draught from his wine glass. The wine tingled his pallet as it flowed smoothly down his gullet. He looked over to see Trevor take a drink as well. Now it was time to work.


    ¡°Trevor you are a man I could do business with. You have a vision for Advanced Cell Technologies that I don¡¯t think anyone there fully appreciates. Your work with abnormal protein strains and cell transmigration and directed migration is amazing, and could lead to very useful applications for the both of us.¡±


    Dr. Swaan looked at Kenneth with puzzlement. ¡°Wait; is this what this is all about, my cell research? Wow. Look, I think that you really do have the wrong idea about me. I have only done examinations in the migration of cells when introduced to foreign substance and alien DNA from the sample cell group, like putting jelly fish cells in cow tissue and see if the cells can adapt to the new environment or if it¡¯s possible to force the cells to migrate toward each other when isolated from their host body. It¡¯s really only a surface look to see if DNA can be transferred from one species to another and if our company would like to go into that field of research. We are way behind the power curve already, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard about experiments being done to transfer axolotl DNA to people so we can regenerate limbs. This is the same thing only on a much smaller scale. Not to mention all the research already being done through CRISPR and DNA rewriting.¡±


    Kenneth nodded knowingly, ¡°Yes, we know all of that. However, you are delving into seeing if cells can survive as a standalone construct in alien tissue. You want the jelly fish cells to feed off of the cow tissue to sustain the life of the jelly fish cells, creating cancerous swarms of cell tissue in another host body.¡±


    Trevor¡¯s eyes grew wide, ¡°My research was never meant to be applied like that! I¡¯m only looking to see if endangered and extinct species can be resurrected through this cell treatment. By introducing cloned cell clusters into other cellular tissue and using the host tissue to keep it alive and reproduce we could use it to rewrite the host DNA and tissue to mirror its own¡­¡± He stopped suddenly and lowered his gaze to the floor.


    Kenneth was amazed that he had given up the true nature of his research with so little prodding. He knew that he had regretted that little tirade. Kenneth was only interested in this application anyway. Someone else, however, might just try to use this research to fabricate some type of cellular weapon. If that was ever achieved the weapon might even be deadly to vampires. That would be a most dangerous weapon to have. He would have to look into that possibility.


    ¡°Trevor? Look at me.¡± The Dr. raised his eyes to meet Kenneth¡¯s. ¡°I want you to work for me.¡± The Dr. started to shake his head; Kenneth stopped him with a word, ¡°Look¡­ at me Trevor.¡± The Dr. did so. ¡°Feel your world start to fade around you. There is nothing outside this house, this room, this moment. You know I speak the truth don¡¯t you?¡±


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    This was the delicate nature of the first steps. Kenneth pressed his dominating will down on the scientist¡¯s mind. The human brain was capable of great things, for those that truly harnessed the minds power they were gods among men. It was a pandora¡¯s box of hidden labyrinth secrets and twists and turns. Kenneth¡¯s vampiric domination shot through these corridors and pressed his will onto, and dimmed, and in some cases snuffed out completely, the will of his subject. But he had to be delicate with this one. The hypnosis part of it all was more for the subject¡¯s benefit. Movies had an unhealthy effect on people¡¯s minds. It left, even people like Trevor, susceptible to his will.


    Trevor nodded never taking his eyes off of Kenneth.


    ¡°You feel my words. My words become your thoughts. Soon there will be nothing but the sound of my voice. You need my voice to guide you. My voice is everything. No will of your own. My will is too strong and you are so tired of fighting. Give in to my words, my thoughts. Let them guide you down, ever deeper down now, down into your subconscious mind where my thoughts and my words are already taking hold of your mind. Soon you will allow me to guide your thoughts completely. You love this feeling of letting go, no worries, no more confusion, only obedience.¡±


    Trevor sat with his shoulders slumped forward. His eyes glazed over and empty. Cassandra took his wine glass from his limp hand and returned it to the bar. Kenneth hoped that he hadn¡¯t been too strong with this man. If his knowledge and drive for discovery had been damaged at all, then he would be useless to him, and all this would have been for nothing.


    Kenneth began again, ¡°You are my student, Trevor. For the rest of your life, you are mine. You will obey me in every way.¡± Trevor nodded mechanically.


    ¡°Your life is mine, all that you own is mine, and your research is mine. You will continue your work. You will report to me every discovery you make, every breakthrough you have. Your entire body of work will be available to me whenever and however I ask, isn¡¯t that right, my student?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Instructor¡­¡± a whisper.


    Kenneth allowed himself to smile. One part was done. If there had been any damage to the man¡¯s mind it wouldn¡¯t surface for a while yet, maybe a day or two, perhaps longer, depending on how fast or slow his company picked up on his work output. This had been an inevitable risk. He needed this research and he needed it refined.


    ¡°Trevor, every time you call me teacher your obedience to me will double. There will be a wave of pleasure that flows over you every time you obey me. The more you obey, the more pleasure you will feel. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Instructor.¡±


    ¡°Very good my student, in a moment you will allow Cassandra to take you home. Once there you will remember that I am your Instructor. I will always reward progress and obedience to me. Once in your home Cassandra will please you in any way you see fit and you will know that she is pleasing you because that is what pleases me. If you continue to serve me well there will be many more rewards. You are mine. Say it.¡±


    ¡°I am yours, Instructor.¡±


    ¡°Very good,¡± He looked over his shoulder to the woman standing at the bar. ¡°Cassandra, take Trevor home and please him as he wishes.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Instructor,¡± The girl responded submissively. She glided up to Trevor, who was still sitting on the couch and took him by the arm. She helped him to his feet and led him out of the house, rubbing her body against his as they walked.

 Book 4 Chapter 12g

    Kenneth sat there watching them as they left. Cassandra rubbed her tits up against the doctor as the door closed behind them. He shook his head. He finished his wine and stood up.


    There was so much to do and yet he had no real idea of where to start. Alessandro would keep for the moment. He had been ready for this discovery and his secondary ledger was already prepared. Yet even with that small comfort he could not shake the feeling of unease that weighed down upon his shoulders like the Globe upon Atlas. Where to begin?


    ¡°The wolves trouble you, but why?¡±


    Kenneth turned toward the deeply feminine voice. His mate was beautiful; at least the mate he had chosen to be with for this long. He may choose another or this one may die, but for now she was his, and all the beauty that she possessed. Her long black hair was a well kept weave of pure night waves that flowed over her left shoulder. Her pure blue eyes were as radiant as any blue sky that he remembered. They looked into his now without fear or hesitation.


    ¡°Why are you troubled?¡±


    Kenneth torn his gaze away from hers and instead chose to look out the front door where his students left only moments ago. ¡°I have many things on my mind, Natalia.¡±


    ¡°Of those things none of which are me, I take it.¡± She replied coyly.


    Kenneth scoffed a little too hard. He turned back to her, ¡°Tell me, what do you see? What troubles me?¡±


    Natalia¡¯s eyes unfocused and refocused in rapid succession. Watching them was disorienting even for him. Her eyes flicked into and out of clarity and suddenly bore into him and he felt the need to retreat a step or two as if punched. His mind was strong but he let her have glimpses into it. It wouldn¡¯t do to let her know too much.


    She spoke with an even but exasperated tone. ¡°What troubles you is the same thing that you have been brooding about for these past several months. You are irritated and troubled that the one you had gone through such lengths to find, eluded you, seemingly without help.¡±


    He stopped himself before his rage could take hold of him. Of all the things that she could have said this was the one that cut the most. He walked swiftly over to the bar and slammed his glass on the counter top. He felt the crystal cry out under his fist. If he had pressed any harder the glass would have shattered. He let go and took a step backwards from the bar, exhaling slowly as he did so.


    ¡°You¡¯re wrong, Natalia.¡±


    Her laugh rang out through the room and out through the foyer. Kenneth endured the swift but well placed dagger to his mood and ego. Natalia was wise enough to not overstep her advantage and quickly dulled her mirth. ¡°You and I both know that my readings are seldom wrong, especially with you.¡± She softened her tone and stepped up to him and gently placed her delicate hand over his arm. ¡°I could help you with this little problem.¡±


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    She gently took his chin in her hands and lifted his eyes to meet hers. ¡°You know you can forget your troubles with me.¡± Her eyes shone in the light of the room and he was reminded of just how pleasant being with her could be.


    Suddenly he realized what she was doing and jerked his eyes away from hers. ¡°Good try, Natalia.¡± He cupped her chin in a vise grip and met her eyes with his. ¡°Don¡¯t ever try that on me again. Otherwise, you won¡¯t be coming back to the land of the living in the morning.¡± He forced her face to turn from his as he pushed her away from him.


    The deep red full skirt dress she wore shimmered in the light with violent movements. She retained her balance, of course, but the dress belied her being forcefully unsettled. The shimmering faded as her dress smoothed itself against her petite, lithe form.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t erase the fact that something that happened months ago still bothers you.¡± She looked around the room, her eyes roving nonchalantly over the effects in the room. She had been with Kenneth long enough to know that she had overstepped and she took her minor chastisement in stride. Her neck tensed ever so slightly, just enough to cause a shiver in her muscles there. Her long slender neck was gorgeous and he noticed the change in her stance.


    ¡°What is it?¡± He asked with just a touch of concern.


    Natalia smiled thinly not facing him. ¡°You¡¯ve done something or something has happened that you didn¡¯t tell me about.¡± She looked right at him and he knew that he was caught. It was a rare thing that Natalia did not find in your head what she was looking for, especially if she knew that it was there to be found.


    ¡°I knew it.¡± She said softly, ¡°You met the boy you had hunted for all those months, and you never told me. Why?¡±


    Kenneth knew that this was not a time to blatantly lie, but unlike with Alessandro he knew full well what her limitations were and where her loyalties lie. He turned his face, giving her a profile of his features. ¡°It wasn¡¯t important.¡±


    ¡°But important enough to brood over?¡± She heaved a full sigh, her chest pressing up and out against the delicate fabric of her dress. ¡°Kenneth, do we really need to play these games? Either I¡¯m here or not. If not, I¡¯ll go elsewhere.¡± She turned back towards the foyer, ¡°There are many, some in higher Houses even than Dukart, that would love to have me.¡± She walked around the corner disappearing from sight.


    He growled softly to himself. She was only half right. The boy did trouble him but only in the fact that he had escaped. What she didn¡¯t know and what he was truly interested in was why those two had been with him, Alexiares and Ansuya. These two were known to him and his House. What were the chances that they could have been in the exact same strip club, of all places, at the same time he was?


    He hadn¡¯t been recruiting in person for a while and it had been nice to judge the fare as he once had done. But the wolves had never been known to do any such thing. And there was that girl that they left with. He had seen her before, a year or two ago. She was polite and appropriately bubbly for a stripper, the job hadn¡¯t beaten her down yet. She had been the perfect age for recruitment but she showed him nothing and she had shown Natalia nothing. Why had the wolves taken her and for what purpose?


    ¡°So, it was the wolves but not the boy. Why didn¡¯t you ever tell me about your meeting with them? You could have died had they chosen to fight.¡±


    He half smiled to himself. Natalia was a lot of things, seductress, interrogator, seer, but she had never been a quitter. He looked over at his mate, who had reappeared from around the corner, languidly leaning against the wall that opened into the room. ¡°The wolves would not fight one of us in public if they could help it. The confrontation was not what they were there for. She wanted something else.¡± He said, losing himself momentarily in the memories of that night.

 Book 4 Chapter 12h

    ¡°I can see you mean the elder, Ansuya. She is clever, if half of what I know about her is true. How will you deal with this little problem?¡±


    Kenneth folded his hands in front of him as he let his mind free spin in deep thought. His response was a whisper, ¡°I have to know what the problem is.¡±


    ¡°Problems within problems, wheels turn upon themselves, and just when you think the ball will land on black, it bounces to red.¡± She responded in a light whimsical cadence.


    Kenneth ignored what she said. Why had they been there? What secret was there to the girl that he had missed? He had been trained in all the known ways of how to seek and hunt for those that would be reborn as werewolves, both human and wolf. That girl possessed no such ability.


    Was their kind growing so desperate to start recruiting as he had been? Would Ansuya and the rest of the Elders of their kind actually stoop to kidnapping and training those who were not one of their own?


    ¡°Why are you sitting here mulling over these things with so little information?¡± Natalia had always had a strong streak of impatience.


    He looked over at her. The woman was beautiful but sometimes she was a thorn in his side. In this case, however, he had to admit that she was right. He needed more information. If the wolves were doing something improbable, that was one thing, but something that went against everything that they had exhibited over the last hundred years? Not even the contemporary desperation that they must be feeling would drive them to do things that they had shown a complete inability to do even in extreme circumstances.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, of course.¡± She showed him a smug grin. Somehow that did not diminish her beauty at all. He stood up and walked out to his French double doors. He looked out over the night sky. Mother Night and all she had given to him. She was cold and dark and safe. Things were moving. He could feel it.


    Alessandro was only the first of things that he had prepared for. But this was something else. If the wolves really were lowering themselves to kidnapping, then they truly were desperate, but that wasn¡¯t the whole story behind this. Why kidnap a stripper of all people? He recruited and trained his students to be as he wished them to be. Rarely was he forced to recruit specialists in their field like Dr. Trevor, but he liked to rely on them as little as possible. The results were too unpredictable. The good doctor would soon prove whether his recruitment had been a success or a failure. There was a piece to the puzzle that he was missing, a very important piece.


    ¡°Natalia?¡±


    The woman glided up next to him to stand at the double French doors. ¡°You called, my mate?¡±


    Kenneth couldn¡¯t help but smile at her. ¡°I do rather like the sound of those words on your lips.¡± He grabbed her neck and pulled her into a fierce and passionate kiss. Their tongues playing tag with other. She tasted like nothing he had ever had before. Maybe it was because she was also a vampire. He had never taken a mate before. He was glad that she accepted his advances. His life seemed so much more stable and his goals seemed that much more real with her by his side. Of course he would keep her as far away from his goals, and the spoils of those goals, as he could.


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    He pulled away from the kiss abruptly. Still gripping her neck, he touched his forehead to hers and looked straight into her clear blue eyes, ¡°I need you to conduct research on ancient werewolves and shape shifters. House Dukart should have an extensive library.¡± He placed a finger over her lips before she could protest. ¡°You will obey me and do this.¡± She nodded her head as her eyes fell to the floor. ¡°I don¡¯t want to raise suspicions so do your research discreetly, understand?¡± Again, Natalia nodded weakly. ¡°Good girl.¡±


    He left her standing there, sorrowfully. He reached the stairs and turned back toward his mate who had raised her eyes to gaze at the night¡¯s stars shining dimly overhead. He smiled at her again. He knew that she would follow her orders magnificently.


    But that was for tomorrow. Tonight, he suddenly found himself¡­anxious. ¡°My mate? Are you going to join me?¡±


    She walked toward him, her head high, but her eye lids only half open. The radiant blue color of them smoked as her body gently swayed as she approached him. Her black hair bounced ever so gently on her shoulders. The motion was meant to seduce him and it rarely failed. The practiced movements of her lips parting as he reached for her, the closing of her eyes as he kissed her deeply, the rise of her chest as he pulled her into him. They had all been practiced long before he met her. But just as it had on their first night together, he was helpless to resist, or even care about who was seducing who.


    He took her hand in his and in a rare moment of humanity, he kissed it gently lowering his eyes from those of his mate. He had never thought to supplicate himself to her like that before, nor had he ever had any real feelings for the gesture when he lived as a human. What had caused this outpouring of weakness?


    He reasserted himself by pushing her roughly against the wall and kissed her again. Her tongue was cool and rough on his, their bodies rising with their heightened breathing. He couldn¡¯t keep his hands from roaming freely about her body. Passing over and triggering nerve clusters of pleasure under her skin all throughout her body.


    She started to moan softly and give in to his touch, enjoying what he was doing to her. The tingling sensation of base lust filled her and pulsed upward from her sacred center. As that happened, he seemed to know just when to press and pinch her nipples, augmenting the wave of pleasure that threatened to take away all sense and leave her empty and wanting only one thing. She didn¡¯t have to wait long.


    Kenneth grabbed her and forced her backwards up the stairs. Their lips came back together after every few steps or so, losing one piece of clothing at a time. They finally reached the upstairs landing and he was shoved backward through the bedroom door.


    He was filled with a surging passion that hadn¡¯t felt in quite some time. She stood out in the landing, the light caressing her gentle curves. Her eyes shown with a deep luster that could never be extinguished. Her hair was tussled and now flung back over her shoulder. The blue black strands had spread themselves against her shoulders, like a veil swept back over her head. Her pale skin glimmered in the light. She was the very picture of beauty, and she would remain that way for eternity.


    She took a commanding step into the room and closed the door.

 Book 4 Chapter 13a

    Kenneth had over slept. Typical. He rolled over to find the room completely dark and the bed empty. This didn¡¯t surprise him at all; Natalia often woke before he did and left unceremoniously. He knew that she would be hard at work digging up references to the vampire and wolves¡¯ ancestors, and being diligent about not letting anyone know what it was she was really researching. If Alessandro knew that she was digging up their past he would want to know why, and he didn¡¯t want anyone to know what was going on, at least not until he knew what was going on. The whole thing might lead to a dead end and then he would have to start over, from nothing. And nothing often had a way of turning into more nothing.


    He got up and went to his closet. He grabbed a decent set of clothes for his meeting with Alessandro tonight. He never questioned his return to Alessandro¡¯s tower tonight. One way to end up dead was not to do what Alessandro specifically told you to do. If one were ever thwarted trying to fulfill a master¡¯s direction, those occasions were usually met with prudence and evenhandedness. Disobedience, however, was always met with death and it usually wasn¡¯t quick.


    He made a hasty call to Michael and waited. He did not indulge in wine this evening. He came down the stairs and found his scrawny student, Jessica waiting for him. He lifted his eyes heavenward and heaved a sigh. What does this girl want and why right now?


    She was kneeling in the respectful position that he had taught her. That stance was one that he admired, but it was a rare thing. He preferred his students to be somewhat informal with him, made excusing the behavior of complete devotion to him easier to anyone else who may be present and prevent uncomfortable questions. She obviously had something worth saying.


    ¡°Speak,¡± he said flatly.


    The girl maintained her gaze at the floor and answered demurely, ¡°Instructor, I want to thank you for teaching me and sending me to my teacher to learn.¡±


    This was unexpected and frivolous. What was the girl thinking? ¡°Thank you, Jessica. Now, get up,¡± he replied more impatiently than he wanted to sound. He had to be careful around her now. With no sense of self opinion, she could take anything he did or said literally and set herself back months.


    ¡°Jessica,¡± he said in a much gentler tone, ¡°Stand up, please.¡±


    The girl raised herself from the floor with a grace that she had never shown before. He paused to admire her; where her movements should have been ungainly or awkward, she was now the opposite. Maybe she had needed a good kick in her ego to finally be molded to his wishes.


    He took her hand, led her over to the couch and let her sit down. She maintained the picture of perfect regality. The way she moved, the way she held her eyes in rapt admiration, maybe he should be more forceful with all his students at first. He couldn¡¯t keep a satisfied smile from creeping across his face. If she kept up this kind of progress, she might be ready for the next level.


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    He sat down facing her in the opposite chair. The girl was wearing a tight blue glittery skirt. Her stomach was bare, showing her pale skin. He could make out a slight outline of muscle there but that was mainly because of the girl¡¯s thinness. She wore a form fitting halter top that faded from blue to pink. It looked like it could be taken off easily. Her shoes were tinted blue platforms with six inch heels. She was working tonight.


    ¡°Jessica, I¡¯m pleased with the progress you¡¯ve made.¡± Except for your complete inability to gain any kind of muscle. He smiled at her, ¡°You attitude is much improved since last night. Did something happen?¡±


    Jessica¡¯s face split into a huge smile and if he didn¡¯t know any better, he would have said that she glowed. ¡°Instructor! Thank you so much!¡± The girl brimmed with excitement. ¡°You don¡¯t know what that means to me! I don¡¯t know what to say.¡±


    Kenneth smiled at her warmly, ¡°Say nothing, except that you are happy with me and you wouldn¡¯t want to change your new life in any way.¡±


    Jessica nodded, ¡°I am happy Instructor. I don¡¯t want to change my new life in any way. I didn¡¯t know how happy I could be until you found me.¡± Tears started welling in her eyes, ¡°Thank You, Instructor.¡±


    Kenneth nodded to the girl. ¡°Yes, yes, of course Jessica, my very special and wonderful student.¡± He pointedly glanced at the clock on the wall opposite him. ¡°Now shouldn¡¯t you be getting off to work?¡±


    The girl spun around in her seat, looking at the clock. ¡°Oh yes!¡± She said as she stood up wiping at her tears. She stood up and Kenneth followed suit. For a moment it looked as if she was actually going to touch him, instead she lowered her eyes to floor. ¡°Thank you, Instructor.¡± She said as she turned around and hurried out the door.


    Kenneth watched the stripper leave. She had attained a grace that he would have thought beyond her. What he had done to her was necessary and she was much more obedient and pleasing to him. He might try to up her training regimen. She seemed to be blinded to everything except her devotion to him. Maybe he would try dropping some hints about her physique. Maybe her inability to gain any muscle mass or tone had been a mental block that she had somehow managed to keep in place even over his influence. Now with a stronger hold over her, she might actually start to improve that bean pole she called a body.


    There was a solid knock at the door. Michael stood outside respectfully waiting. Kenneth shook his head. He was impatient to get this meeting with Alessandro over with, now that it was upon him, he felt like he would rather put it off for a few more hours.


    Of course, that wouldn¡¯t do and so Kenneth grabbed his ¡°official¡± ledger from the drawer of his desk and departed.


    The drive back to his master¡¯s officer building was uneventful, but troubling. Had this duplicate ledger been made carefully enough? Had he admitted to enough of his funds and growth to placate his master¡¯s suspicions? He started to doubt that he would make it out of this building alive if he ever went in. And then after a few impossibly short minutes, Michael pulled his Jaguar into the stupidly clean underground parking lot. He had been committed to this long before now. Michael opened the door, and steadying himself, he smoothly exited the car and got into the elevator.


    He knew this meeting was just as precarious as last night. Still, he felt a bit of optimism as the elevator raised him to the executive floor. Alessandro had forgiven him once and given him a chance to ¡°come clean¡± as the saying went, this meant that he still had some weight and pull and with his master.


    The elevator doors silently opened onto the glass and metal expanse of Alessandro¡¯s office. His master was sitting serenely behind his massive desk with the glass top, his hands folded gently in front of himself.

 Book 4 Chapter 13b

    Kenneth made his way directly to his master, not quickly but with a sense of purpose. Alessandro could read people by the smallest mannerisms and minutiae. The art was touted by the Sicilians, and Alessandro was a master, and a servant to one who practiced the art, one couldn¡¯t help but learn the game and begin to play it.


    He stepped up to the desk and laid the bulging portfolio on the desk. He didn¡¯t take a seat but stood in a relaxed posture with his arms at his sides, giving away nothing.


    Alessandro did not waste time opening the portfolio and grabbing the papers therein. He set up the papers carefully and with a speed that would have escaped mortal eyes, his master went through it all and placed them back in the portfolio.


    ¡°That is a much more appropriate picture of your transactions, Kenneth.¡± Alessandro began, ¡°But I suspect that you are still not giving me the whole of your accounts.¡±


    He felt a twinge of panic as his senses yelled at him to move, escape! With difficulty he pushed those feelings aside and met his master with a level gaze. Every tick, every eye movement, every muscle on his body was being watched. That moment of panic would not have escaped his master, no matter how good he thought he was. All he could do was control the damage. ¡°Yes, as you say.¡±


    His master¡¯s eyes darkened and his hands tightened noticeably on the desk top.


    ¡°What is not in my portfolio is the work and money invested in the biological company, Advanced Cell Technologies. They specialize in regenerative cell research.¡±


    Alessandro was stone. ¡°And why should we care about, or invest in, regenerative cell research?¡±


    Kenneth could draw upon his personal views, knowing that Alessandro shared them. ¡°Master, these humans want life. The field of regenerative anything, is in high demand, everything from Botox to stem cells. Humans want to be younger, longer. If Advanced Cell Technologies find that breakthrough to revitalize cellular functions or improve cell migration in the form of cloned tissue this could make more money than we know what to do with.¡± He hesitantly added, ¡°They will never know immortality, but they will pay billions for another decade of youth.¡±


    This caught Alessandro¡¯s attention. He lifted his hands to rest in front of his face, hiding his lip movement, ¡°Why were you so reticent to share with me your plans or your expenditures?¡±


    That was the question that he had spent all night trying to find an answer for. ¡°As I told you yesterday master, I didn¡¯t want to have to tell you just how much money I had lost if the investment fell through.¡±


    ¡°And yet here we are,¡± Alessandro stood up and walked to one of the wall windows. ¡°Kenneth, high risk investments are what we do. We could rule these humans,¡± He turned around and stared Kenneth in the eye, ¡°Do you have any idea as to why we do not?¡±


    Kenneth had always wondered that. Why weren¡¯t they ruling over the humans? The wolves could barely protect themselves, let alone all of humanity. Why hadn¡¯t his kind made their play and subjugated them? He could do nothing else but shake his head.


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    Alessandro didn¡¯t move, ¡°Because the risk outweighs the reward.¡±


    Kenneth saw nothing as a cold hand gripped his throat and lifted him off the floor. Alessandro¡¯s cold brown eyes flared as he flung his subordinate across the room.


    Kenneth hadn¡¯t been expecting such a harsh outburst from his master. He needed to do something, get away, to defend himself at the very least. Steel hands gripped his body again and he was feeling wind rush across him as he sailed through the still air of the enclosed office. He crashed, back first, into two metal chairs that tipped over with his weight and were now digging uncomfortably into his side and legs.


    He kicked out one chair and pushed the other away from his shoulder. He had to do something¡­too late. His master had him in a grip again and this particular trip through the air was punctuated with a loud thud, as his head crashed into the huge majestic windows that framed the office.


    He shook off the fuzzy feeling and kicked himself to his feet. If his master wanted to end his life, he wasn¡¯t going to make it easier for him.


    Alessandro came at him and Kenneth side stepped him, barely. A back hand to the older man¡¯s exposed neck, sent Alessandro reeling. The older Vampire moved with impossible speed. His next punch passed through air only as he felt cold steel clasp around his leg and lift. Kenneth tipped; face first, to the floor. He did not remain there. His body was whipped to the side as his face made unceremonious contact with more chairs and the side of an aluminum couch.


    He was breathing a lot harder than he should have been. He tried to stand up but his legs would not respond. Before he could struggle, both of his legs, simultaneously exploded with pain as an impossibly loud crack exploded throughout the office.


    Kenneth twisted himself around to see his master slam his sickeningly twisted legs to the floor. This caused another explosion of pain that ripped through Kenneth¡¯s body. He couldn¡¯t do anything but focus on how hurt he was. The hot electricity of it shot through his body in pulses, completely incapacitating him. He had never felt anything like this before.


    Alessandro quietly took his seat behind the desk.


    Kenneth knew he wasn¡¯t human and he knew that he would heal. But for now, those rational thoughts were rendered completely inadequate next to the shrieking pain that he was feeling. No rational thought could force its way past it. He couldn¡¯t move and he couldn¡¯t think. Pain was his world. He refused to cry out though. If nothing else he would hold on to his dignity.


    ¡°We are superior to those we would rule, in every way.¡± Alessandro said in a thoughtful voice. ¡°What you need to remember, my childe, is that while you may enjoy superiority over humans, I enjoy that same superiority over you.¡±


    Kenneth managed to roll over on his back. He stared up at the stainless-steel panels of the office. Everything about this office was sterile, even the ceiling. What he saw staring back at him was a grotesque, mutilated collage of what he should have looked like. His face was nothing more than a blob in the reflection. His leg was twisted in an unnatural angle pointed away from his torso. His arms stubs of tan proto matter. The reflection was probably truer to what he was than what his mirror at home showed him.


    Alessandro could kill him if he wanted to. He raised his head to see that his master had taken his place back behind his desk. Kenneth turned back to his reflection. He closed his eyes and with a jerk he reset his arm, which had come loose in its socket. He raised himself onto his elbows and reached down for his leg. He grabbed his knee and swung it back into a natural position with a grunt. His vampiric body would only take minutes to heel but those minutes were an eternity of pain. It was like performing surgery on oneself without anesthesia. He almost blacked out.

 Book 4 Chapter 13c

    When it was over and the pain dissipated, he slowly bent his legs underneath him and applied his weight. It still hurt, but it was manageable. He slowly raised himself up to a standing position being very careful not to falter or stumble in front of his master.


    He turned around and met Alessandro. ¡°Is the lesson over for today?¡±


    Alessandro smiled warmly, ¡°For today, Kenneth, for today.¡± He folded his hands in front of him on the desk. ¡°But there¡¯s always more to learn, and there are always those lessons which need to be retaught. I hope that the next time we meet it will not be so painful for you.¡±


    Kenneth made a small bow and stepped backward. Alessandro said nothing more and so Kenneth turned around and exited the office.


    Michael was ever vigilant next to his car. He neither asked, nor commented on Kenneth¡¯s mood or the obvious belabored gait. He held the car door open for his Instructor and Kenneth gratefully got inside. He didn¡¯t have time for these small pressing injuries. They would heal after he ate. But for now, he had other things to attend to.


    ¡°Drive,¡± he said.


    The car pulled out of the private garage. The streets were busy as usual, but Michael expertly and smoothly maneuvered the vehicle through traffic with little loss in speed. Kenneth knew there were a multitude of places he had to visit, but there was one place in particular that had failed him and he knew that only a show of force would get him the results he required.


    ¡°53<sup>rd</sup> precinct,¡± he said.


    Michael said nothing and after some time had passed the car was pulling in front of police precinct 53.


    The building was made of stone and was a very handsome square block amidst a series of square blocks. He shook his head. Americans had no taste when it came to architecture, everything was square. He would have to change some of that when the time came. The car came to a halt and he stepped out on to the curb. He walked through the doors, no one questioned his presence. He went into the back offices with nary a challenge. He made his way into a small alcove of offices next to the evidence room and was not stopped. He turned into a small office with a single florescent light and closed the door softly behind him.


    The man sitting behind his desk was young, only about 25 years old. He was good looking with short dirty blond hair, and green eyes. He used to be in very good shape, but the stress of his job had taken its toll on his body. Kenneth¡¯s eyes could see where some of his muscle mass had deflated and left behind only saggy skin. His arms were still a good size, but his once bulging veins had left only soft skin. It was like looking at a shadow trying to fill clothes. The man presented himself as if he still had the mass he once boasted, but his clothes hung off him at odd angles. He had lost no small amount of weight.


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    ¡°Mark. What have you been doing?¡±


    The statement hung in the air and Mark could do nothing but look at him. Finally, the man shook his head and heaved a sigh. ¡°I have been working, that¡¯s what I¡¯ve been doing.¡± He ran a hand through his disheveled hair. ¡°I have been tracking down every lead I can for some maniac on the east side of Compton. He¡¯s killed five people already. I¡¯ve been working on a drug bust to close down a ring of gangs that have been pushing drugs to the high and middle schools in the area. I have my boss breathing down my neck about a case of farmers who grow medicinal marijuana, but the feds keep coming in and every once in a while, they shut them down and throw the farmers in jail.¡±


    He stopped and looked up at Kenneth, ¡°But other than that; I¡¯ve been twiddling my thumbs! What can I do for you Mr. Pacifico?¡±


    Kenneth smiled at the young man. Yes, he had gotten very little sleep in the past week. Beyond human perception, he moved around the desk and had Mark¡¯s throat in his hand and the man was pinned up on the wall. The shock on the man¡¯s face was very satisfying.


    ¡°Mark, I do not make requests. When I say that I need something done, you do it. There is nothing else for you to do. I want that man found. Do I make myself clear?¡±


    Marks eyes were bulging from lack of oxygen. The man frantically nodded his head as far as Kenneth¡¯s hand would allow it. Kenneth dropped him to the floor.


    The man gasped for a moment on his knees. He massaged his neck and kept his head down for a moment. He coughed hard and looked up. He got back on his feet still massaging his neck. ¡°That was uncalled for.¡±


    Kenneth frowned. ¡°I decide what is called for and what is not. Remember your place, and maybe I won¡¯t have to remind you of that lesson.¡± Kenneth knew that he was channeling his own master. Mark was just a human, and humans deserved to be treated like this. He wouldn¡¯t mind seeing them all in collars and chains like it had been before.


    Mark dropped his eyes and turned around to a pull-out board from the wall and therein was an enlarged map of Northern California. There were circles and lines all over it. Even Kenneth couldn¡¯t tell what it all meant.


    ¡°Here was the last known place of the man you¡¯ve had me tracking,¡± Mark said pointing to a place on the map. There was a large purple circle around the point, about 35 miles in diameter according to the key scale. ¡°This is the radius our search teams have been out to so far.¡± He pointed at the purple circle. ¡°There has been no trace of them beyond our last known point.¡± Mark shook his head and indicated to other places on the map. ¡°We have tried backtracking and searching over countless miles of rocky, mountainous terrain hoping to find something. I¡¯ve pulled in helicopters, blood hounds, park rangers, you name it; I¡¯ve tried it. The man you are looking for has simply disappeared.¡±


    He looked up and saw how that did not please Kenneth. ¡°No one simply disappears, Mark. I want him found.¡±


    The cop rested his hands on his desk. ¡°The guy is a ghost right now. There is no hope of us finding him. The only thing we can do now is wait for him to pop up on the radar somewhere else. I know this guy can live in the woods for years on end. He survived at least one winter out there; he could do it again. But I simply don¡¯t have the men or resources to keep sinking man hours into a hunt that has led, and will probably continue to lead, to nothing.¡±


    Kenneth knew the man spoke truthfully, but that didn¡¯t mean he liked hearing it. He really wanted to break something. But he restrained himself and took a step back and sat in a chair against the wall. So, William, it looks like you¡¯ve won this round. But the game¡¯s not over. He knew that telling Mark about his encounter with the wolves in the strip club would turn up less than nothing as well. The wolves were somewhere and every time he felt like he was close to finding them, they turned to vapor in his fingers. Damn them!

 Book 4 Chapter 13d

    ¡°What about our other little side project? Are there any more of them out there?¡±


    Mark shook his head, ¡°No. People of that description and forensics have not shown up for some time.¡±


    That could either be good news or bad. ¡°Mark,¡± Kenneth focused his entire attention on him, ¡°your life is balancing on this one question. Have you and your team been following my protocol exactly, and have you been searching as diligently as you have in the past? Or have you let your standards and control over the operation slip and let things slide past you?¡±


    Mark took a deep breath and sat down heavily at his desk.


    ¡°No,¡± he said to the desk. Then he suddenly met Kenneth¡¯s eyes with his own. ¡°No, I have not! My team has worked just hard as when my predecessor had when he was on the project, let alone six months ago. We¡¯re proud of the work we do. And we know what¡¯s at stake when it comes to these monsters.¡±


    Kenneth stared hard at the man across the room from him. Mark was very tired, and fatigue made humans sloppy. But there was a steel edge to the man that Kenneth liked. It reminded him of himself so many years ago. That edge was what made Mark such a good officer and a valuable asset to him and his own efforts. If he had to kill him it would be a tragedy.


    Kenneth nodded and stood up. He kept eye contact with Mark and took a step. ¡°Mark¡­relax¡±


    The man at the desk immediately lost all tension in his face and muscles. There was no resistance to his words. Mark was beyond exhaustion and already the man wanted to relax. ¡°SLEEP.¡±


    Mark immediately fell forward onto his desk; he was out cold, sleeping soundly. Kenneth exited the office and closed the door behind him.


    He left the building without any more notice than when he came in. Michael held his door open for him, he got into his car, and they drove off. Kenneth looked out the window for some time not speaking. Michael seemed to know where Kenneth needed to go, even if he was distracted. Kenneth recognized the area and smiled to himself. He had trained his student very well. Soon Michael was pulling the car to a parking spot. His door opened and with he got out of his car.


    He inhaled deeply the cool night air. It was around 2:00am and the stars shone brightly in the cloudless sky. He walked up to the building and passed inside.


    His ears immediately rang with the vibrations of the cacophony of sound that assaulted him. The strobe lights overhead made him dizzy at first and he had to concentrate on not falling over. This was the one place on earth that his vampire senses were a serious detriment and hazard. The smells that assaulted him were a mix of alcohol, perfume, sweat, lust, drugs, smoke, and¡­was that human vomit? He almost turned around and left immediately. However, this was a safe club. The cops knew to avoid this place at all costs. His House paid well for security here. This was a double-edged sword. He and his House were free from prying human eyes, and the reputation of the place attracted more of the underside of society. With that said though, this place had turned into a cesspool of human drugs and crime. It was a tradeoff.


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    Kenneth made his way through the gyrating crowd. The mob moved and jumped to the thumping of the music. He had to focus to not lose his balance. The sound was hypnotic by design, but the bass thump in his vampiric ears messed up his equilibrium. He felt drunk walking in this place. He finally made it across the room and stumbled against the wall. Thankfully a handrail was there and he steadied himself, as he ascended the spiral staircase to the top floor.


    The upper floor was quieter, he didn¡¯t feel so disoriented up here, but the music down below was still uncomfortably loud. He walked into the VIP lounge to see a small group of twenty something¡¯s laughing and enjoying high end vodka chasers and what smelled like Jager bombs. He liked his alcohol, but tasting it in human blood was not very pleasant. Still, small sacrifices had to be made.


    He sat down at the table in one fluid motion, enjoying the leather couch for a moment. The group had noticed him the second he had entered the lounge. The girls were eyeing his clothes, while the boys were sneering at him, sizing him up to see if they could take him in a fight.


    Kenneth ignored the children and waved at the bar tender. The young woman there nodded and began mixing something behind the bar. Kenneth leaned back into the couch, trying to ignore the disgusting rot of human sweat and perfume. The conversation had died the instant he walked into the room and it had not restarted. Kenneth tilted his head up and looked at everyone else in the room. They were staring at him.


    Kenneth stood up off the couch and walked over to the group, ¡°My apologies, ladies and gentlemen¡± Kenneth said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m part owner of this establishment. I hope I have not intruded.¡±


    True to form as soon as he mentioned part owner the girls immediately started to smile at him, while the scowls from the boys only deepened. This was all part of the game. The girls were mostly drunk and one of them could have been very attractive, the other three of them were just scantily clad idiots with boob jobs. The men on the other hand were well kept, their clothes said they had money or had access to spend other people¡¯s money, and they were all in pretty good shape. This was going to be a fun night.


    Kenneth offered his hand to the attractive girl first. ¡°My name¡¯s Kenneth.¡±


    The girl took his hand and he immediately twisted it over and bowed down to kiss it gently. The girl giggled a little and blushed. That destroyed any sense of attractiveness she may have had. There wasn¡¯t a thought in her head. Somewhat disappointed he continued around the room, kissing the girls¡¯ hands and squeezing the guys, a small show of strength. He smiled as each guy tried to hide their pain by clenching their fists or shoving them in their pockets.


    After the introductions he sat back down again. The group seemed a little more relaxed now. A drink was offered to him and he gladly took it. The vodka martini was excellent. He ate the olive and savored the taste of the alcohol.


    He turned to one of girls. ¡°So, what brings a stunning woman like you to a place like this?¡±


    The girl blushed and giggled; he corrected himself from his earlier though, this was going to be a very long night. She couldn¡¯t even make eye contact with him. She kind of mumbled something that was so slurred even he couldn¡¯t hear it. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what was that?¡±


    The girl shrugged and leaned her chin into her shoulder looking up at him through her bangs, ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just wanted to have some fun.¡±

 Book 4 Chapter 13e

    Kenneth nodded and smiled again, this got an even deeper shade of red to blossom onto the girls cheeks and she turned away from him. How does anybody communicate with anyone these days? Kenneth turned toward the almost attractive one. Her blond hair was set in curls and waves that fell down over her shoulders and rested nicely on her chest. She wore a deep maroon dress, if you could call it that. It was strapless and left her shoulders bare. The fabric of it came down to just barely cover her butt. She could have worn nylons, or pantyhose, but didn¡¯t and her shoes were four or five inch heels, with no platform. It was a flattering dress if all she wanted to do was advertise her sexuality.


    ¡°And what about you, my dear, what brings you to this place of darkness and sound?¡± He said the last part as he swung his arm out to indicate the club.


    The girl shrugged, forcing her bust to shift in the fabric of the dress, and looked  behind her to a man who was standing protectively close to her behind the couch that her and her friends had occupied.


    Kenneth let his gaze drift upward to the young man and smiled warmly at him. This only caused the scowl on his face to deepen. He took a step forward and rested his hand on the couch very close the girl¡¯s hair. And who ever said chivalry was dead?


    Kenneth let the conversation continue around him. The girls were blushing and giggling and the men were beginning to relax a little. There wasn¡¯t much being said and Kenneth didn¡¯t care one way or another. The thumping of the music below was starting to give him a head ache though. The flashes of strobe and laser light weren¡¯t helping. He needed to wrap this up.


    The blonde was still sitting in her dress being lorded over by her boyfriend. He could have taken any one of the girls but the attitude of this guy was something that he really wanted to take care of. And that made her the sweeter target. He smiled at her and she blushed. He leaned in toward her, holding her gaze with his own. ¡°Come with me.¡±


    He stood up and the girl immediately followed. The club¡¯s music had been working on her subliminally since she arrived. It calmed the brains auditory reflex and dulled the operations of the prefrontal cortex. This made the subject extremely susceptible to him and his House¡¯s ability to dominate the minds of humans.


    The boyfriend immediately gripped her arm and stood in his way. Kenneth almost laughed in the boy¡¯s face. The young man stood his ground though and tried to force the girl to get behind him. He was very protective of his things.


    Kenneth slowed his movements down so that the boy could see and understand just how fast he really was. Seeing the look on the boy¡¯s face as he watched his wrist and hand being grabbed, a vise like pressure applied, and then twisted up to near breaking point, was sublime. The boy bit out a scream as Kenneth pushed the young man into the back of the couch and threw him over it. His feet flipped up in the air and hit the ground hard. All the boy could do was sit there and hold his sore hand and try not to cry out. Instead, he shot a look of pure hate and outrage at him. Kenneth turned around and placed his hand on the small of the girl¡¯s back guiding her away from the couch.


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    The rest of the group had seen the display and no other guy was going to stick his neck out for their friend¡¯s girlfriend. Instead, they rushed over to the boy and helped him up onto the couch as one went to the bar for either ice or another drink.


    With the drama of the night over, he led the girl to a solid steel door and punched in the access code. The girl was still cognizant of what was going on, she wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything other than follow him, but she was aware of what was going on around her. He wondered if she felt pity or joy that her over protective boyfriend had just got his proverbial ass handed to him. The door swung open silently and he entered the room leading the young woman.


    It was more of an open space than a room. There were several exits and the place was warmly lit and comfortable. There were chairs and a leather couch, several tables to sit and entertain at. It was a lot like any other VIP lounge he had been in, except that here, once he closed the door behind him, the music and noise from the club was blessedly drowned out. His ears rang with the sudden silence. He looked behind him and the girl too was blinking heavily at the sudden light of this new environment.


    He took a moment to just enjoy the silence of this sanctuary. The girl stood there. The floor was a sealed concrete which made clean up very easy. There were two guards in the room. Their bulk and dark skin were a deep contrast to the softness of the room. They were there to make the victims feel safe and secure. The horrors that those men must have witnessed here¡­


    Without a word Kenneth turned and forced the girl up against the wall. His hands pressed her head to the side and combed her hair back behind her. The girl didn¡¯t even have time to scream before his teeth sank into her soft flesh.


    Her aborted scream was more of a moan of lust and pleasure, cut off as the delicious sting of his bite finally registered to her. Her blood was not as infused with alcohol as he thought, she was a good girl. The thought that such a creature had wasted herself on that asshole that he had dispatched made him a little angry, but the flow of her warm blood down his throat was an anger erasing ecstasy.


    The remaining stiffness in his previously damaged knee dissipated rapidly as he felt his body repair itself. It was a tingling feeling, as if every cell in his body had rushed, en mass, to the site of his injury and was repairing it at lightning speed.


    The feeling of becoming whole and the sheer joy of drinking this girl¡¯s blood lasted far too long. Kenneth ripped his mouth away from the girl¡¯s neck. The two puncture holes he had made trickled blood but were already healing themselves. The girl was very pale and she was gasping for air as if recovering from an orgasm. The girl¡¯s eyes fluttered and her knees gave way. She would have collapsed to the ground if he hadn¡¯t caught her. He had drunk too much.


    He let her fall to the ground and made his way across the room to one of the exits. As he left, he told one of the guards, ¡°Get her to a healing house, she doesn¡¯t have very long.¡± Kenneth made his way onto the street and got back into his car.

 Book 4 Chapter 14a

    The wolves ran. They ran through the trees, through the underbrush, through the wind. Their howls were carried with them and through the mountains, they echoed. Something was happening. They didn¡¯t know what, but something.


    William crashed through the underbrush, urged on by the howls. They were so similar to his pack in his forest. There was a sense of urgency, some terrible need for alacrity and something more. He couldn¡¯t run fast enough. There wasn¡¯t enough time.


    The Lunar Mother was in her place in the night sky, he hadn¡¯t gotten used to being in his werewolf form when the moon was but a sliver of her natural full beauty, and yet here he was, running with Nicolas and the Elder, Ansuya. Where were they going? He only had a vague notion that he was going to see someone that might shed some light on who this vampire Kenneth was. The vampire that knew his name; the Vampire that had hunted him not so long ago. Wolves led the hunt; in his forest they were the apex predators. Being hunted had never occurred to him and maybe that had made him vulnerable. This man had changed everything.


    Kenneth¡­


    The man who had sought his capture or death, he still wasn¡¯t sure exactly what Kenneth had wanted from him. He had learned so much about himself and where he belonged from the wolves under the Mountain but this was still a total unknown. It was not just for him, the Mountain was also, by extension, being exploited, so the Elders had decided to act. This was the first step, or maybe just one more step in a long line of initiatives that he had no idea about. The Mountain was so different from his forest, there were shadows and shadows of shadows and the world had become so much more complex in a very short period of time.


    Ansuya had stopped short in a clearing and William and Nicolas followed suit. The elder didn¡¯t change to her human form. Instead she stood perfectly still and the three of them were drawn into the misty emptiness of the White Plain.


    The mists swirled and licked up their legs as they walked. They didn¡¯t dare move much faster than a trot. Even with their heightened senses their sight could not penetrate the white mists that always blanketed this place.


    There was a deep chill here that pushed through his fur. He wanted out of here and yet he knew that this was going to be the place for future battles. The war would have to be won here if his kind hoped to win against Kenneth and his kind. The Elders had made allusions to this, but there had been, at least not that he could see, no serious effort to reconquer this place. He started to wonder if this place could be conquered.


    They passed through the mist and vapor and the cold. The buzzing in his head never got more troublesome than a gnat¡¯s wings. And after a long trek Ansuya pulled them out of the mist and whiteness of the Plain and back into the natural world.


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    He inhaled deeply the warm air of the outside. It was always good to be outside after the mind-numbing sameness of the Whyte Plain. They were inside a copse of trees and they were well hidden from possible random passer byes. From the dull roar of traffic and the sounds of the city, the trees were a very thin line between them and the city that now surrounded them. Ansuya had already changed and Nicolas was back in his clothes as well. A moment later, he too was back to his normal self, his brown hair hung loose around his head threatening to reach his shoulders. He looked toward the Elder. She was already walking off in a northerly direction. William and Nicolas followed.


    They emerged from the trees onto a street. The street was heavy with traffic and the sound of brakes, the occasional honking horn, and the sound of the city itself was uncomfortable at best. There was a ringing in William¡¯s ears that wouldn¡¯t go away. After the silence of the White Plain the symphony of Los Angeles was painful.


    Ansuya walked calmly, in total control of herself. She didn¡¯t hurry, nor did she take her time, she was¡­determined. It was something in her walk, the way she carried herself, her scent spoke of a person who had to do a job and she was going to do it, irrespective of her feelings on the matter.


    The people of the city ignored them for the most part. William couldn¡¯t help but notice the way some small groups of men looked at the Elder Shape Shifter. Their scent was predatory and the hairs on the back of his neck never settled. He wasn¡¯t in his forest anymore and he hated the closeness of humanity that the city brought.


    The stink of mankind was everywhere. The cooling sweat on the bodies of the people who walked past him was stale and rancid. The stench of rotting flesh and refuse was ripe in the sewer grates and dumpsters. The sickly-sweet stink of fruit gum on the breath of a woman who passed by them was enough to make him gag. He tried to ignore the hot, clinging, wet feeling of passing through a street steam vent. The steam was light, but the smell was there, enough to stain his clothes and body. He needed a shower and to get away from this place; Colorado might have been far enough, maybe Missouri now that he thought about it.


    They walked up a long street block and wound their way around to the front of a very plain looking concrete building. Ansuya didn¡¯t hesitate to pull open the door and disappear inside, he and Nicolas followed.


    The lobby was floored in marble and the room was comfortable. The wooden walls gave way at waist height to large windows that allowed the eyes to roam the whole of the interior. What was strange was the lack of humanity in this building. There didn¡¯t seem to be a single living person anywhere on the first floor. The desks had been used, covered in small mountains of paper; bulwarks of wooden in and out boxes, but the people were absent.


    William followed as he was led around the windows to a rather wide and ornate stair case that disappeared around the wall into a dark alcove. William climbed the winding stars to be let out of the darkness into a well-lit, warm second floor foyer.


    There was a small man getting out of his chair, rather awkwardly when Ansuya entered. ¡°Ahh, Hello Miss Das, I just got your message a few hours ago.¡±


    He had a deep voice that was off pitch somehow, as if he was affecting an accent for some reason.

 Book 4 Chapter 14b

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to meet you here on short notice Mr. Ivey. You must understand why I¡¯m here and why this has become necessary.¡± He noted here was a slight uptick in her tone that gave away just how anxious she was. Just how bad have things become? He didn¡¯t have time to muse over that.


    ¡°Uh, yes, I understand Miss Das. I haven¡¯t been able to put together much for you I¡¯m afraid.¡± He self-consciously glanced around the room. ¡°This place is mostly just an archive and the computers are not hard wired for massive info searches. I was able to patch in to the national database but it¡¯s going to take a while.¡±


    He looked around the room again and shrugged uncomfortably. He was obviously embarrassed by the limitations of his equipment. He turned and looked around Ansuya toward himself and Nicolas, ¡°You gentlemen are welcome to wait here. I know you¡¯ve done some traveling to get here.¡± He looked back toward Ansuya. ¡°I wish there was something I could offer you while you waited, Miss.¡±


    Ansuya smiled and walked past him to sit in a seat at a desk. William and Nicolas followed and sat in similar seats at similar desks.


    Time passed too slowly to stand. He had no idea that time could move so slow. At one point, he swore that time was moving backwards, conspiring to keep him in this hell forever. Nicolas seemed to have the right of it and quickly feel asleep. William tried, but sleep constantly dodged him, like some nightmare rabbit he just couldn¡¯t catch.


    Why were they here in an archive? It didn¡¯t make sense, none of this made sense. They needed to learn about Kenneth. But how did you search for a person with a just a name, and a first name at that! How were they going to find one man in a city of millions? And what good would it do if they did? Would he lead them to whatever conspiracy the shape shifter Elders hoped to find? Would they learn some vital piece of information that would shed light on what had happened to the City under the Mountain for the last sixty years? He was still vague on that whole back story. What he really wanted to do now that he was here in this archive was find out who Chelsea really was.


    That had just become a solid thought in his head. He hadn¡¯t been thinking it before¡­at least he thought he hadn¡¯t. Chelsea Thompson. He realized just how little he had known about her. If he could maybe find out more about her, maybe he could do something. Like what? Maybe send a letter to her parents letting them know what had happened to their daughter?


    Wow, that was a fabulous idea! Dear Mr. and Mrs. Thompson you don¡¯t know me but I helped kill your daughter¡­I¡¯m sorry. Yeah, that was a terrible idea. William collapsed back into his desk chair and tried to go to sleep again. But the thought of finding out who Chelsea was would not leave him alone.


    With one eye half open he looked around what little of the room he could see. The cubicle he was in was still empty and the surrounding desks were also unoccupied. He lifted himself up and spotted Nicolas. He had his legs propped up and leaning back in his chair, dead to the world.


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    William moved around slowly and turned on the monitor that was in front of him. The computer showed a sign in page. Damn. Well, what the hell. He hit the cancel button and the computer opened up onto the main desktop. He smiled to himself. It had been a while since he had used computers but sometimes the idiocy of technology still baffled him.


    The first thing he did was type in the name Chelsea Thompson in a Google search, 26,300,000 different hits. He scrolled down about two pages worth and stopped, Okay, that¡¯s not going to work. What else did he know about the girl? She was a stripper. He typed in the name of the club where they met. House of Eden, the webpage was brought up with the address and the phone number.


    He took a careful look around the room. Nicolas was still sleeping and Ansuya was nowhere to be seen. He grabbed a phone off a desk and dialed the number to the club. It rang a few times before he heard a man¡¯s voice on the other end.


    ¡°House of Eden¡± was barely discernible over the loud dance music in the back ground.


    ¡°Yeah, hi,¡± William responded awkwardly. ¡°Uh, yeah listen I was there a few nights ago.¡±


    He was having a hard time trying to project his voice over the music on the phone while still trying to be quiet in his office cubicle. ¡°And, I, uh¡­met this girl there. She was, uh really great.¡±


    ¡°Pal, what do you want?¡± The guy was irritated and impatient.


    ¡°Well, I uh wanted to know if Lacey is there or if I could maybe see her if I came there tonight?¡±


    ¡°Look pal, we don¡¯t do that kind of business here and I don¡¯t give my girls¡¯ work schedules out over the phone. Bye.¡± The phone clicked and was silent.


    William sat stunned for a moment with the dead phone receiver in his hand. That was really quick. Of course he should have known better, what kind of business just gives out personal information over the phone. If he really wanted to find out who this girl had been he needed to go talk to some people in person. Now all he had to do was convince Ansuya that finding out who Chelsea was and letting her parents know what happened to her was worthwhile and necessary. He had a better chance of making a snow cone out of dessert air, he figured.


    He crossed his arms in front of himself in dejection and leaned back into his chair. This night was almost a total waste of his time. Why was he here? Ansuya didn¡¯t need him or Nicolas to come with her. She knew where everything and who everyone was. Of course, maybe that was the reason. So that now he and Nicolas knew where this place was and had become acquainted with one more friend of the City. And yet he couldn¡¯t help think it was still something of a waste of time.


    ¡°We have to go!¡±


    He was nearly made immobile by the uncharacteristic panic in Ansuya¡¯s voice. William jumped up and swung Nicolas¡¯s legs off the desk. In a very agile motion, Nicolas used that momentum to kick himself up and run to where Ansuya had disappeared.


    ¡°What is happening?¡± Nicolas yelled to the Elder who was already at the bottom of the stairs moving at blinding speeds towards the doors of the building.


    Ansuya reached the double doors and stopped as she yanked on them. They didn¡¯t budge. Ansuya turned around as they ran up behind her. ¡°He knows we¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°Who knows?¡± Nicolas asked still looking bleary eyed from sleep.


    ¡°Kenneth,¡± William replied.


    Nicolas looked between him and Ansuya still trying to connect something in his mind. ¡°Who is Kenneth?¡±

 Book 4 Chapter 14c

    William shook his head, ¡°We met him a few days ago, when we kidnapped Chelsea.¡±


    His eyes widened. ¡°The vampire?! How?!¡±


    ¡°We were betrayed, Nicolas. This place is no longer safe for our kind.¡± She looked around for a way out. ¡°Right now, we have to get out of here.¡±


    William wasted no time and shifted. He gently pushed Ansuya aside, gripped the door handles, and yanked back. The door handles fell off in his hands.


    ¡°Oh, you have got to be kidding me!¡± Nicolas shouted at the ceiling.


    William backed up a few steps and roared as he shoulder charged both doors. The doors splintered along their hinges but held. William backed up a few more feet from the doors and charged. This time the doors exploded outward. The left door flew out onto the sidewalk, and the right door hung skewed, stubbornly holding onto one hinge as it swayed, gently creaking. Ansuya placed a cool hand on William¡¯s left side and William shifted immediately back into his human form.


    The explosion of wood and metal had drawn some attention and there were some people cautiously creeping over to investigate what had caused all the noise. A stray orange alley cat was sniffing cautiously at the door, but bolted as soon as someone opened a door to a nearby building, casting more light onto the dark street.


    Ansuya and company moved down the stairs and hurried into the street but were stopped cold by a parade of blue and red lights in the distance. The accompanying sirens of the police squad cars were loud even at that distance.


    Ansuya turned immediately and ran the other way. William grabbed Nicolas and followed.


    ¡°Fucking po pos,¡± he screamed as he followed William over a fence. ¡°These guys are always after the wrong people!¡±


    Ansuya shifted and began leaping between buildings to get to the rooftops. William and Nicolas followed suit. Now he knew why he had been training so hard in the urban environments. Efraim knew that this might happen and had prepared his pack well.


    William leaped over the roof ledge and barrel rolled, leaping into a sprint, losing not the smallest fraction of speed. Nicolas was a little slower but was soon on his feet trailing after him and the Elder.


    They leaped over the gap between the buildings and were two buildings away from where they started. They were putting distance between themselves and the approaching squad cars. They cleared another gap and landed on another building where they could go no farther.


    The three came to a halt in front of the seven figures facing them. Two women, five men and they were all dressed in black with various red and blue highlights, one of the girls sported a black and purple outfit. Their boots were functional with no heels and looked thick. They stood in the Shape shifter¡¯s path not speaking; William could read the minute tension in their muscles and flesh. They were trying to affect an air of nonchalance.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Kenneth.¡± Ansuya said evenly.


    The vampire at the head of the formation stepped forward; the man stared straight ahead at the taller werewolf. The two were still as the light summer breeze moved between them. The sirens seemed louder but held their distance as the squad cars pulled to a stop around the building they had just escaped from moments ago.


    ¡°You know how this is going to end, Ansuya. You three can¡¯t overpower all seven of us.¡± Ansuya¡¯s ears twitched as the shouts of police were heard. They were entering the building. She tilted her head and addressed William and Nicolas, as if the Vampires were not even there. ¡°William, you and Nicolas get back to the city. Huan Li will know what to do.¡±


    Ansuya suddenly shifted back to human form. She looked back at the two werewolves and nodded, ¡°Go.¡±


    William took a step back unable to disobey the tone in her voice.


    Ansuya turned back toward Kenneth. Her motion was fluid and deadly. Suddenly there was a weapon in her hand and she fired off three shots. The bullets were on target, but the vampires were not standing where they had been. Before a fourth shot registered the gun clattered to the ground and Ansuya was wrenching a Vampire¡¯s arm up and yanked it down.


    Ansuya ducked and swung her leg out, dropping him, only to have him back on his feet in the same heart beat. William was caught between watching a dazzling display of martial prowess and looking on helplessly as a woman fought for her life. Nicolas was tugging at William¡¯s arms to go and he allowed himself to be dragged backward. The seven Vampires seemed to have completely forgotten about them and focused all their attention on Ansuya. Every time a Vampire went down, they were back on their feet instantly. Ansuya¡¯s arms and legs flew out in multiple directions but she was never able to break free of the circle of black clad figures. The flashes of red fabric and brown skin were appearing less and less, doing less and less damage, the Vampires falls happening less frequently.


    William knew that soon she would be completely over powered and then the vampires would turn on them. They had to escape. William turned and slapped Nicolas on the back. They ran. They leapt over the gaps between the buildings. The sailed through the air, silhouetted by the quarter moon, landing on the building they had escaped from.


    They ran.


    William had a vague idea of where the Whyte Plain might be but he wasn¡¯t positive. Nicolas was following him. At that moment a vague idea was better than nothing.


    He couldn¡¯t hear the sounds of Ansuya fighting. He couldn¡¯t hear the sound of boots thumping along concrete to follow them either. But he didn¡¯t dare turn to look. Efraim had taught them that vampires were not as fast as werewolves were in their shifted form; however they were quick and deadly quiet. In a one-on-one fight a werewolf could take a vampire easily, but when they were in a group, the vampires were their most deadly adversary, even more so then the Shadows on the Whyte Plain. So, William ran.


    He tried not to think about losing Ansuya to that thing that called himself his hunter. It seemed that Kenneth was more resourceful and more deadly than even he had given him credit for. Who was he? Now he had to get back home. This vampire would have to be dealt with, and soon.


    William ran along the roof tops with Nicolas trailing behind him. He made a sharp turn following the turn of an intersection. He was beginning to panic when a patch of green opened up in the concrete expanse of the city. He motioned to Nicolas and dove down between the buildings. He stopped. He listened and inhaled the air around them. He could hear no sounds of pursuit; there was not the rancid smell of blood on the wind. They were alone. William shifted back to human form and Nicolas followed.

 Book 4 Chapter 14d

    With cautionary glances back and forth, the two made their way across the street and into the wooded glade. They did not find their exact exit from their arrival, so they instead dove headlong through the brush in between the trees. They shoulder rolled up into a crouching position.


    All was still; there was nothing moving, save for them and the traffic that they had just left. They were alone for now. William looked at Nicolas and the scout stared right back at him. Neither of them had ever gotten into the Whyte Plain by themselves and now they were here, knowing an entrance was nearby, with no way to access it.


    Nicolas asked, ¡°Now what Will? You know it¡¯s only a matter of time before those vampires catch up with us. We have to find a way out of here or we¡¯re as good as dead.¡±


    William looked up and down the trees, he was aware of the circumstances. ¡°I know Nick just give me a second to think. There has to be a way out of here.¡±


    He looked around the clearing letting his eye adjust and he tried to focus on what was there.


    ¡°What are you staring at?¡±


    He had no idea and said as much.


    ¡°Well, we can¡¯t just sit here.¡± Nicolas leaned against a tree with a heavy sigh, ¡°All that time and training just to end up here, the only safety is a place we can¡¯t reach and we have nowhere to go.¡± Nicolas slid down the tree to lie on the ground and stare up at the sky.


    There was a bitter truth to that statement that William just wasn¡¯t quite ready to give in to. He crouched down on the ground and felt the grass. He listened to the sounds of the city and he inhaled the scent of the trees. There had to be a way. He stood up. Nicolas was now lying on the grass looking up at the night sky. He was remaining quiet, for now. William left him and slowly walked around the little clearing. He couldn¡¯t feel anything different in the air or the trees as he walked.


    He knew that if they couldn¡¯t get to the Whyte Plain, they would have to travel on foot. It took him and Aceso a week or more to reach the Mountain. Here in L.A. they were farther than that. He knew that L.A. to Mt. Shasta was about six hundred miles, anywhere between eight and half to ten hours driving. On foot even in werewolf form it would take weeks. Especially since Nicolas didn¡¯t share in the pack bond and he would grow tired faster than William would.


    The pack bond would allow Aceso to know where he was at least. After a day or two the City would realize something had gone wrong and come and get them. They would have to. The only thing was that he and Nicolas would have to stay hidden and away from those vampires. They may be happy with their Elder prize and forget about them entirely. This was probably the case, otherwise at least one or two vampires would have been sent to follow them. Still, something told him that every moment they spent in the city was another moment where they could also be captured.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°Nicolas, we have to leave.¡±


    ¡°No shit asshole,¡± Nicolas said propping himself up on his elbows.


    William ignored him and walked along the interior of the clearing. He wasn¡¯t sure which way to go but they had to find some place safe to wait everything out for a few days. Aceso would come and get them back home. Waiting here was not the best thing, but it was better than just blindly heading north and hoping they didn¡¯t get arrested for flagrancy somewhere.


    ¡°We can¡¯t get to the Whyte Plain, so we¡¯re going to have wait for someone to come and get us.¡±


    Nicolas scoffed, ¡°Really? And how do you suppose that we do that? I don¡¯t have any money, do you? How are we going to hide out for a few days? Here? In this tiny patch of woods, in the middle of LA? Yeah, nobody would ever think to look for us here. What else you got, fearless leader?¡±


    William almost shifted just to beat his ass. It would be gratifying to wipe that smug look off his face, but his points were still valid. They couldn¡¯t get a hotel room and they couldn¡¯t stay here. Then he looked upward. The sliver of the new moon was still visible in the night sky. The morning would be coming soon. Even Nicolas would be able to follow the sun east. East was where they had to go.


    ¡°We have to go east.¡±


    Nicolas got to his feet. ¡°Wait a minute what do you mean; ¡®we have to go east.¡¯ That¡¯s pretty vague, man.¡±


    ¡°It might be vague, but east is the way to the desert outside the city. If we can get outside the city, we¡¯ll be relatively safe. We can live in the desert; we can¡¯t live here.¡± He took a deep breath, ¡°Besides if you¡¯re right, and I think you are, those vampires will still be looking for us. If we stay here in their backyard we¡¯ll be found, sooner or later.¡±


    Nicolas slowly nodded his head, ¡°OK, but we have to wait till sunrise, they won¡¯t be able to follow us then and we can move without people looking at us weird¡­so long as we don¡¯t accidently stumble through South Compton. If we get within twenty miles of that place, two white guys walking down the street, we¡¯ll be lucky to avoid being shot.¡±


    That was something William hadn¡¯t even considered. There were places here that they were and were not allowed to go. The people here knew those areas, they didn¡¯t. The vampires and whoever helped them would be looking for things out of the ordinary. Maybe that¡¯s why they were caught at that records¡¯ building. Who goes to a records building in the middle of the night?


    ¡°You¡¯re right. We¡¯ll be careful and we¡¯ll find a map as soon as possible. Then we get out of the city, OK?¡±


    Nicolas looked skyward and shook his head. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t ever say my life has been boring. Yeah, whatever you say. Let¡¯s get to the desert.¡±


    William looked skyward again and he swore that the stars were starting to dim, of course that might have been wishful thinking as well. He and Nicolas made their way out of the small copse of trees and jumped onto the sidewalk.


    This was the most dangerous way to travel, but he hoped that if they stayed calm and walked like they had nothing to hide, maybe prying eyes would overlook them; it was easy to hide in plain sight when you were just two of eighteen million.

 Book 4 Chapter 14e

    It hadn¡¯t been wishful thinking, within an hour the sky lightened and the sun would soon rise. William and Nicolas both sighed with relief and continued to walk along the side walk. They were walking into the rising light to the east but other than that they had no real idea where they were going. Unfortunately, there was no place that looked even remotely helpful as far as a map went. He could never remember a time when finding a gas station had been so difficult.


    The sky brightened and the sun peeked over the horizon, or what they could see of the horizon, a vertical sliver of space between tightly crammed buildings and humanity. They were safe from their pursuers but they both knew that safety had a time limit.


    They went into a coffee shop along the street. The person there was unhelpful to say the least. The guy behind the counter was slim and tall. His sandy blonde hair was well kept and he had a perpetual smile.


    ¡°What can I do for you two today?¡± He said warmly.


    Nicolas sighed loudly and William glanced at the counter. ¡°We were wondering if you had a map.¡±


    The guy frowned but soon recovered, ¡°Ah, no we don¡¯t sell maps here, just coffee. You guys don¡¯t have a smart phone or anything?¡±


    William glanced at Nicolas who shook his head, ¡°Look, if we had a smart phone do you think we would be asking directions?¡±


    The guy behind the counter leaned against the counter looking upwards in a thoughtful pose, seeming to have missed completely Nicolas¡¯s tone.


    ¡°There is a gas station about three miles down the street, that way,¡± he said and pointed eastward. ¡°If they don¡¯t have a map I don¡¯t know who would.¡±


    He looked at two young men, ¡°Where are you guys headed?¡±


    William replied, ¡°Just out to see the sights. Thanks.¡±


    They both turned around and walked out of the coffee shop. Maybe it was something that Nick had said, or something he knew to be true, but the fact that the guy pointed out smart phones as if everyone had one made his flesh crawl. If that guy was with the vampires that detail would be about as obvious as a flare on a moonless night. They had to get to the gas station and as far away from the coffee shop, and the gas station, as fast as possible.


    They got to the gas station fairly quickly and ducked inside the brick and glass building. The place was spacious and pretty nice. There was a wide space filled with shelves of junk food, a soft drink station and even a small pizza outlet station with small two seat tables. Underneath the central counter were a few road maps and some atlases.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    William picked up one and Nick picked up one of the atlases and they sat down at one of the tables. William unfolded the map and looked at the maze of black and grey lines. The colors were muted pinks, greens, and blues showing the different districts of Central and Eastern Los Angeles.


    They had to ask the girl behind the counter where they were and even then, it took them a while to find it on the map. Once they did, they traced a path East through the city and out into what they assumed would be the desert. They intentionally added some north and south back tracks to elude any followers they might have picked up. Since they didn¡¯t have any money to buy the map they had to write directions down on a paper napkin with a pen from the girl behind the counter.


    From where they were, the Eastern border was about thirty five miles away, with all their back tracks and detours it would be closer to forty five miles, a distance that they would not be able to cover easily before dark, if at all. The other problem was food. That was something that they were going to have figure out on the way. William refolded the map and put it, along with the atlas, back underneath the counter. He returned the cashier¡¯s smile warmly and followed Nicolas back out onto the street. The air was warm and the sun was bright, a nice day for a walk. The two turned toward the still rising sun and began their long trek to what they hoped would be some semblance of safety.


    *          *          *          *          *


    As the night drew to a close, Kenneth looked out over his back yard. His house was quite pleasant and today had been a good day; it allowed him to fully appreciate all it was that he had and everything that he was working for. He turned around to the pair of slaves that were kneeling before him. Joshua and Susan both had the most exquisite blonde hair he had ever seen in either a male or female. Susan was a brilliant IT technician and she had found some amazing ways for him to reach out to¡­clients online that had as yet garnered no notice from either, Alessandro or any of the other House heads.


    Joshua was a fitness jock. He was beautiful by some standards, steel grey eyes, and well cared for, although a bit long for liking, blond hair. His neck alone was worth keeping him around for; he had a perfect ¡°v¡± for a back going from broad shoulders to a trim thirty two inch waist. The man was physically intimidating. Unfortunately, he had no brain. Even his influence could not drum up even a basic drive to understand the most basic concepts of science or technology. Sometimes he found himself wondering if mankind had de-evolved since he had been turned to the perpetual night.


    ¡°Susan, what was she looking for?¡±


    The girl kept her head and eyes toward the ground as she answered, ¡°Instructor, as far as I can tell she was going through archives and federal databases in a very clumsy ¡®search all¡¯, data sifter to find out about a person named Kenneth.¡±


    She paused briefly, ¡°With the search parameters in place I can only deduce that she was trying to find out about you, Instructor.¡±


    She stopped speaking and remained faced down, kneeling on the floor. She was a well-trained slave. He turned to Joshua, ¡°And you, Joshua, did you or any from your team happen to track down the other two that were with her?¡±


    The man also refrained from looking up from the ground, ¡°Naw, Instructor. See, what had happened was, when you sent us off after those other two by the time we got to where we seen ¡®em last, they was gone. There was no smell or nothing. They was just gone.¡±


    Kenneth grimaced at the language of the man. He could have driven out the man¡¯s mind entirely to better suit his needs. However, he had elarned when dealing with fire in a burning building, sometimes it was better to kneel down and breathe shallowly, instead of trying to mold the choking smoke.

 Book 4 Chapter 14f

    Still the loss of the other two was a minor irritant, one that he would have to see to. The sooner the better, the unseen knife was the one that stabbed you in the back in the end. He knew that one of those men had been William. He knew it down to his unbeating heart. Why had an Elder taken such a young pup with her to the city? These were questions that he had to have his new guest answer.


    ¡°Susan, you have done well, I assume that the information gathered has been taken care of?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Instructor, the search parameters have been deleted off of all the hard drives and back up data bases and the scant information that had been compiled when we arrived has also been deleted.¡±


    ¡°Very good, you may go Susan, have a good day today, you¡¯ve earned it.¡±


    The girl couldn¡¯t hide the pride and joy from her voice. ¡°Thank you, Instructor, I will.¡±


    She turned and left quietly out the front door. He watched her go with a bounce in her step as her wavy blond hair bounced off her shoulders and shoulder blades, springy from her joy and natural volume of the strands. When she was gone, he turned back toward the idiot.


    ¡°What have I told you about your language and grammar, Joshua?¡±


    The man on the floor visibly tensed. ¡°Instructor, I¡­I don¡¯t know¡­I¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Kenneth stood there, still as death, his voice flat and emotionless. ¡°No, Joshua sorry isn¡¯t good enough this time.¡±


    Kenneth walked over to him. Suddenly the man found himself standing bolt upright with Kenneth¡¯s hands gripped around his shirt collar. ¡°Do you have the slightest idea how easy it would be for me to kill you, slave?¡±


    Joshua¡¯s eyes were wide with terror and all he could do was shake his head. All Joshua knew was the sound of air rushing past his head. He had no time to think about why air was rushing past his head because his back erupted in pain as a loud crack split the silence of the large house. His legs were pressed against a wall as he was folded over backward on the stair banister. Joshua felt very queasy all of a sudden, as if he was going to throw up. He felt his feet dangling in space and his hands reached for his face. He coughed suddenly and violently which sent his body into a spasm and he crumpled to floor. He reached for his mouth and has hand came away red with blood.


    He couldn¡¯t move much, the pain that wracked his body was almost too much to endure, he would much rather just go to sleep. His eyes were closing to allow the blackness of sleep to blot out the pain when he was yanked back to the real world.


    ¡°Now, you moron, you listen to me,¡± Kenneth said quite calmly. ¡°I have no idea if you will ever recover from this but if you do, you had better come back speaking some language, any language, properly. At this point I don¡¯t care if you learn Japanese, but you will speak to me as if you are educated, not some red neck hick that Cassandra picked up off the lot of a Porn film.¡±


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    He increased pressure on the man¡¯s neck till he was sure just a single additional PSI would break it. The bleary-eyed man was barely able to nod his head. Kenneth dropped his slave to the ground. He pulled a phone from his pocket and keyed a number into it. ¡°Yes Michael, Joshua needs to go to the healing house. Come inside and pick him up, will you?¡±


    He keyed off the phone and walked away, leaving the bleeding man on the floor. Kenneth made his way downstairs. The basement of the house was one of his true prides. He had built a lot of it himself. He had dug out the basement slowly, with the help of a few contractors who he had subverted. They were made to be gracious and then promptly made to forget once the work was over. The basement was filled with supporting walls and was bigger than the floor plan of the house overhead. He had specially made cells installed that would hold in just about anything he could possibly want to hold, even werewolves if need be.


    He walked through the maze of supporting walls and cells till he found the one in the back which now housed his most ¡°honored¡± guest. ¡°Hello Ansuya. How are you adjusting?¡±


    The female Elder affected an air of nonchalance in the cramped cell. Her clothes had been damaged in the fight and now shreds of fabric were hanging off her frame, revealing the deep brown skin underneath. She had tied her thick black hair behind her head with some of the torn fabric and she appeared unperturbed, full of self-assurance, and calm. That would soon change. The Elder looked up at him; her voice rang off the cold walls. ¡°I am adjusting very well, Kenneth, thank you.¡±


    ¡°I see you understand your position and your situation.¡± Kenneth turned his back on the cell. ¡°What exactly did you hope to find there in that database? Why even try, you knew so little about me.¡±


    There was silence from the cell behind him. He smiled to himself, ¡°You¡¯ve obviously no idea who I am, and no idea what I am capable of, so let me just say that you will answer me¡­¡± He turned back around to face her, ¡°One way or another.¡±


    Ansuya closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. ¡°You¡¯ve had wolves here¡­recently. Why?¡±


    He laughed deeply and hollowly for a moment. He stopped abruptly and regarded her with a venomous glint in his eyes. ¡°Look at me Ansuya.¡±


    The Elder¡¯s eyes drifted up to meet the Vampire¡¯s. ¡°Can¡¯t you see how useless and painful it is to resist me? We don¡¯t have to fight. YOU, don¡¯t have to fight anymore. Here you can relax and be safe. Your fight is over.¡±


    His voice was hauntingly melodic and the Elder¡¯s shoulders relaxed a fraction of an inch. ¡°Just relax, Ansuya. Feel the weight of responsibility disappear as you relax. There is nothing for you to do, nowhere for you to be. Let your mind and body relax even deeper.¡±


    The Elder arched a single eyebrow at the vampire, ¡°I can never relax, being near such a dangerous parasite. The stench of death that surrounds all your kind is enough to make my skin crawl.¡±


    Kenneth smiled down at his captive, ¡°Yes, I guess being immortal and ten times as powerful as any human would have its necessary downsides.¡± Kenneth stared deeply into her brown eyes; in the dim light they were almost black. ¡°What were you doing at that archive, Ansuya?¡±


    The beautiful woman simply looked at him, her dark eyes shone and her brown skin was the shade of deep mocha. Even in torn clothes she had a look of regality and she carried an air of assurance about her. She remained silent.


    Kenneth continued to look into her eyes. The deep wells of solid brown seemed to go forever. There was a wisdom there that belied her young appearance. Knowledge was hidden in those beautiful eyes, knowledge that he wanted.


    He drew her into his eyes, while daring to look deeper into hers. He could see stars and whole galaxies there in her eyes and he drew upon his own vampiric powers to draw her deeply into his. There were no words, and time disappeared. Kenneth had never looked into eyes so deep before and he guessed that she never had either. He drew her deeper into his eyes as he crafted his will and power to envelop them.

 Book 4 Chapter 15a

    Ansuya was deep asleep. He had already gotten dressed and gently opened the curtains to their bedroom window. The sun was shining off the dew-covered leaves and grass of the early spring. He looked out over their small suburban street. One of the neighbors was sprinkling their yard and that nice kid, Jimmy was making his newspaper rounds. He smiled into the warmth of the light through the window. Behind him Ansuya was rousing herself.


    He turned around to face her, smiling, bathed in sunlight, ¡°Good morning, beautiful. How did you sleep?¡±


    The woman looked confused. She looked down at the deep red sheets as if she had never seen them before. She slowly surveyed the room and their furniture.


    ¡°Beautiful? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Kenneth¡¯s smile had turned to a frown of deep concern.


    The woman glanced under the sheets quickly and turned her gaze to him. She nodded toward the sunlight and the man standing in it. ¡°Your kind has learned to resist the sunlight.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a question.


    He glanced back out the window at the nice spring day. ¡°Beautiful, I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about, ¡®learned to resist the sunlight¡¯?¡± He laughed awkwardly, ¡°I love being outdoors. You and I went camping just last week, don¡¯t you remember?¡± He locked eyes with her; her brown eyes were gorgeous in the early morning light. ¡°Now, hurry up and get dressed you¡¯ll be late for work.¡± Kenneth left the room and shut the door behind him.


    He stood for long moments in the hallway, listening and focusing on the woman in the room. This was as deep and as elaborate a trap as he had ever attempted. The world was his own creation and it was held together by his will and the connection that he had bridged between himself and the Shape shifter. He was already beginning to tire. He wasn¡¯t worried about that though, he had faith in his endurance.


    He felt the woman move cautiously around the bedroom. He could almost read her thoughts here. The setting at least had caused some doubt in her mind, which was good. The more unbalanced she was, the less she would be able to resist him.


    He moved down the stairs and began cooking breakfast. He could simply will the breakfast into existence, but that would take concentration and he was fully focused on his ¡®wife¡¯ upstairs. Besides, the act itself, the smells it produced, and the actual time it took to prepare would only serve to deepen the fantasy and draw her deeper into his control.


    It was a long time before she came down the stairs. He was eating a piece of honey and butter coated toast, reading a newspaper when she came around the corner into the kitchen. She was wearing a modest charcoal grey business suit, with a black undershirt. She had on dark nylons, which accented her brown skin. Her black hair was curly and full of volume as one side of it bounced gently off her shoulders and rested over her rounded chest. She wasn¡¯t wearing any shoes.


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    He immediately stood up and quickly kissed her on the cheek, ¡°Good morning, sleepy head. I wish I could stay, but I have to get to work. Today is that big development proposal I¡¯m presenting.¡± He reached for the back of his chair and yanked his suit jacket off it and slung it over his shoulder. ¡°I made you some eggs and toast too, if you want it.¡± He glanced toward the happily bubbling machine on the counter, ¡°Coffee¡¯s almost ready too.¡± He leaned in for one more kiss but she jerked her head away from him, ¡°Okay¡­I have to go, bye Beautiful.¡± He rushed out the door.


    The sunlight glared evilly at him between the leaves of the tree. The whole world almost rippled. He kept his eyes down at his feet and tried to keep focused. The weight of this world was pressing down on him. He could feel her fighting him, trying to find cracks in the walls in this reality. He was too careful for that, but even so maintaining the world against her strong will was draining him quickly.


    He walked toward his metallic blue Lexus GS. The car reflected the false sunlight right into his eyes. He felt his anger rising and his control almost slipped. He knew that she was watching him, studying this fabrication that he had created. He had to get away from her. The closer he was to her, the harder it was to maintain the fiction.


    He reached for the car doors and his hand slipped off the handle. He grabbed at it again and door remained stubbornly closed. He fumbled in his pockets for the keys. He looked at the car and down at his keys. The door was supposed to unlock automatically. He was standing in direct sunlight now and he was sweating. His head felt lighter and it was hard to concentrate. He stared down at the key chain in his hand and calming himself he inserted the keys into the door lock and opened the lock manually. He heard the reassuring sound of the locks clicking to open and he gratefully opened the door. He slid into the driver¡¯s seat and closed the door.


    The heavily tinted windows of the car hid him from view from the outside. He spent long moments just focusing on his world, and the woman trapped inside it. He was shaken and still a little light headed. Even fake sunlight was fatal to him it seemed, or at least that reptilian part of his brain that feared it thought so. He was fighting to maintain this illusory world, Ansuya, and now his own limbic system. He would have to be more careful from now on. Flexing his hands and stretching his neck he pressed the ignition button. The engine purred to life and he backed out of the driveway.


    The car was nice, he might have to get one soon. He pulled into the street and shifted into drive. He looked back at his facsimile of a house and drove down the street. The street was long and ended in a T-junction at both ends. He had to be careful with the illusion, he couldn¡¯t short change anything that Ansuya might see or perceive as false but his powers, especially against her were not limitless.


    He drove down the street and turned left at the T-junction. Once out of site of his ¡®home street¡¯, he pulled into an open garage and parked his car. He got out and walked up to the concrete wall and pressed the large white button next to the door and the large garage doors blessedly closed. He closed his eyes for a moment and breathed deeply and evenly.

 Book 4 Chapter 15b

    He could feel her pressing against his will. She didn¡¯t believe she was where he said she was, and she didn¡¯t believe that she was who he said she was, that was expected. What he hadn¡¯t expected was how much work this fantasy was going to be to hold together. He was still sweating, he hadn¡¯t known what it was to sweat since the day he had been turned and now he realized just how much he did not miss it.


    He turned around and walked up the three concrete steps leading to what was supposed to be the interior of a house, however when he opened the door there was nothing but a black empty void. He stepped through the doorway into the darkness and left his fantasy world behind.


    He stepped out into his sitting room and bar. He stumbled a little on the last step. He caught himself with effort and sat down heavily in his comfortable leather chair. He could still feel the Shape shifter in his mind. The world he created for her was perfect down to the smallest detail. There was no way that she could find any cracks in it, unless he exhausted himself of course. Then the trap would dissolve around her and she would find herself right back in her cell in his basement under his house. Kenneth had never been so close and he would not let that happen. But he had to maintain his strength and for that he needed blood.


    He grabbed his phone and pressed a few buttons. After a moment he heard a reassuring voice, ¡°Yes Michael,¡± he replied, ¡°I¡¯m just a little tired. I need you to get me food. Go to the farm and get me at least a month¡¯s worth. Do you understand? A month¡¯s worth, no less. If they question you, tell them your sponsor was injured in a battle and needs enough to recuperate.¡± He thumbed the phone off.


    He placed his face in his hands. The woman was strong. He could feel her scan and prod the house she was in. She didn¡¯t trust the food but it was edible, she had eaten a little toast and was now sipping the coffee. He felt her mind try to reconcile the flavor and aroma with the reality that she was certain of. There were whispers in the back of her mind amidst shouts of protest that this had to be real. Those whispers were his own. Her will was strong though and she easily brushed them aside. She knew she was still in a cell somewhere, held captive by Kenneth the vampire. But his whispers in the back of her mind echoed through her psyche.


    The harder she resisted, the more drained he became. The hours ticked by and by the time Michael arrived with his food he was ashen in color. Michael quickly opened one of the cold boxes and started to drain it into a glass, Kenneth waved it away. ¡°I need it now, Michael. I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s cold.¡± His voice was weak and raspy.


    Michael quickly gave the thick plastic blood pouch over to his instructor and watched Kenneth drain the cold viscous liquid from the bag. Kenneth¡¯s face turned upward into a sour expression but almost immediately color returned to his features and he seemed more awake. ¡°Now, Michael,¡± his voice much stronger now. ¡°Prepare me another one, this time at a proper ninety eight point six degrees.¡±


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    Kenneth watched his student leave to follow his instructions. As Michael left, he leaned back into his chair and refocused on Ansuya. She was sampling all the food and had turned on every appliance in the house, at the same time. The blender had been on for about thirty minutes. With a thought he burned out the motor and the blender finally stopped. The clothes iron had been on for hours but that had turned itself off when the iron surface had reached a certain temperature. The television was on but she was not watching it. She was throwing towels into one of the bath tubs she had filled up. He had no idea what she was testing with that. It was just something else that he had to keep his attention on.


    All of her destruction and experiments could only be for one thing. She was trying to stretch him beyond his limits, to overload his world in a sense. He smiled to himself. She could try all she wanted, but this was his world and there were no limits to what he could do there. His tired arms buckled and rolled off of the arm rests. He was reminded that there wasn¡¯t a limit to his mind but his body most definitely did have limits.


    Michael returned with his hot blood in a special thermos flask which kept the liquid warm and prevented coagulation. Michael stood obediently by as Kenneth slowly sipped and swallowed the warm strength restoring blood. Kenneth smiled as he felt Ansuya try to rip apart the clothes in their closet.


    He glanced up in surprise at his student still standing there. ¡°You can go.¡±


    His student bowed low, ¡°Yes Instructor, thank you.¡± The young man turned around and exited through the front door. Kenneth drained the blood from the thermos flask and stood up. His strength had been completely restored and his fantasy world was still as impregnable as when he first created it. He felt Ansuya start to pound on the walls of the staircase. He couldn¡¯t help but smile. It¡¯s all real Ansuya. The sooner you realize that the sooner your life will become so much easier. He set the thermos flask on his bar and headed toward his basement door.


    He opened the door into a perfect dark void. He stepped through the veil of reality and reentered his world.


    He pressed the white button on the wall and opened his car door. The garage door opened to reveal that the sun was just setting. He pressed the ignition button and backed out of the garage. He drove the short distance back home and parked his car in the drive way exactly the way it had been this morning.


    He got out and inhaled the scents of the spring evening, someone was barbequing chicken and ribs nearby and he spotted the soft line of smoke from one of the neighbor¡¯s houses. ¡°How you doing Ken?¡± The next-door neighbor asked kindly.


    ¡°I¡¯m doing great Joe. How are the kids doing?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you know them, can¡¯t seem to keep themselves out of trouble,¡± Joe said laughing.


    Kenneth smiled, ¡°Why do you think I don¡¯t have any yet?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you will, trust me, one day it¡¯ll just hit you, ¡®I want a family¡¯ and then there¡¯s no going back.¡±


    Kenneth turned toward the house and yelled over his shoulder, ¡°Let me know when that day gets here. Have a good evening, Joe.¡±

 Book 4 Chapter 15c

    Joe laughed again, ¡°You too Kenneth, say hello to Ansuya for me.¡±


    Kenneth nodded his head as he walked up the sidewalk toward the front door. The four hundred milliliters of blood he drank had fortified him, but the closer he got to his house the more focus and concentration he needed. He unlocked the front door and stepped inside.


    He knew what he was going to find, but seeing it firsthand almost made him laugh. He had to fight the urge and instead took on a very stupefied look. The whole house was in complete shambles. The burned-out motor on the blender had left black soot and smoke stains on the surrounding tile and wooden cabinet it sat under. The coffee maker was smoking and the pot itself was black with burnt coffee remains and burnt glass. There were shattered dishes everywhere. The garbage disposal was still running, making a sick squealing noise as large carrots and celery were spinning around intermittently in an endless merry go round.


    He turned around to face the living room and found the sofa and love seat ripped to shreds and the good stuffing was thrown out all over the room. The television was on blaring out some sitcom or other with two guys and a girl sitting in an apartment kitchen talking about French toast. Ansuya was nowhere to be found. He knew where she was of course; he could feel exactly where she was. He turned the television off and walked up the stairs.


    He walked into their bedroom where Ansuya was diligently breaking the bathroom mirror into smaller and smaller pieces. He had to give her credit for her ingenuity. For some other illusion, splitting the particles into smaller and smaller pieces would eventually split the world, and the illusion would fall apart under its own weight and complexity. But this was so much more than just an illusion. The Shape shifter had no idea what she was dealing with. Still, her spirit was something to be admired.


    He stood still with his mouth hanging open looking around at the carnage of the bedroom. The bed mattress was shredded, there were clothes everywhere ripped and torn into pieces. A hair dryer had been split open and lay in pieces strewn about the floor. The place looked like it had been victim to a CIA shakedown, a hurricane, and a group of twelve-year-old gang bangers, all on the same day. This was a disaster area.


    ¡°Ansuya? What are you doing?!,¡± he asked with shock and concern.


    The woman looked up at him and smiled as she brought her hand down onto another larger shard of glass, shattering it into smaller pieces. Her hand scrapped the glass pieces onto the floor, leaving a long, thick, wide swath of blood from her hand on the counter. She smiled wickedly at him.


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    ¡°Ansuya, what have you done?! Our house is ruined!¡± Kenneth let some of his mirth out in an insane laughter that sounded pretty much what he expected any human to sound like after they had become truly unhinged from reality.


    The woman simply smiled at him, blood dripping from the ruined flesh of her hands. If he hadn¡¯t already eaten, the temptation to feed on her now would have been too great for him to resist, which may have been her point. She stood there, her nice business suit ripped and torn in several places. Her nylons had runs throughout and hung down between her legs in long strips of fabric. Her hair was disheveled and unkempt, like she had used a curling iron then used a flat iron and doused her hair in hair spray, then shoved a fork in an electrical socket. Her eyes were steady though; her deep brown eyes were just as steady now as when he first talked to her in her cell. She wasn¡¯t insane, though she definitely looked the part.


    Kenneth stared at her, ¡°What have you done?¡± he asked almost in a whisper.


    For the first time Ansuya¡¯s eyes flicked an emotion. It was small and very subtle. If he hadn¡¯t been a vampire he would have missed it. It was there for a split second, doubt, remorse? It was impossible to tell in that single flash. Her eyes were steady now and piercing, cool and in control. ¡°Don¡¯t you like my decorating?¡±


    Kenneth ran his hands through his hair and turned away from the woman. He let out his laughter finally and kicked over a pile of torn and ripped clothes. He bent down and picked up a very expensive pair of Egyptian cotton pants, now split down the crotch into two single pant legs. He held up the ruined clothes to her. ¡°These were my best slacks! What am I supposed to go to work in now?!,¡± he threw them aside partially covering the broken hair dryer.


    Ansuya looked into his eyes and held his gaze calmly, ¡°You and I both know you don¡¯t go to work.¡± She held up her bloody hand. ¡°I know you want this. Shall we end this charade?¡±


    Kenneth stared at the blood as it dripped onto the beige carpet, forever staining it an ugly maroon. He closed his eyes and looked up toward the ceiling. He pulled every memory of human emotion that he could, he brought his focus to a point on himself and forced this human facsimile of his eyes to water. He opened his eyes as tears streamed down his face. He looked at the beautiful woman standing in the room with him. ¡°Ansuya¡­I don¡¯t know what has happened to you. I don¡¯t know what I did, or what you think I did, but,¡± he blinked his eyes clear for a moment, ¡°I can¡¯t be here. Whatever madness has gripped you I want you to know that I love you and I want you back.¡± He turned away from her and spread his arms encompassing the room around them. ¡°This is all just stuff that can be replaced, but our life together can¡¯t be.¡± He lowered his head and whispered, ¡°I want you back, Beautiful.¡±


    He walked out of the room, down the stairs and out the front door. He got in his car and drove to the same house he drove to that morning. The sun had set in his world and the road was dark. There were a few cars on the road, which was more than normal. He pulled into the open drive way and closed the garage door. He got out of his car and walked through the door leading back to reality.

 Book 4 Chapter 15d

    He went behind his bar and got into the refrigerator. There he picked out a very powerful sedative mixture that would ensure that Ansuya slept through the day while he was resting. The woman was strong and it took him a moment to steady his hand. The strain of being with her in his world was pushing his body to its limit. He drew a double dose of sedative for her and opened his basement door.


    The cold cement basement complex lights lit up right away as he walked confidently down the steps. There were no sounds and nothing unexpected. He made his way to the back cell which held the elder Shape shifter.


    Her body was slouched against the cold stone wall. Her eyes were half closed and listless. Her jaw was slack and she looked dead. He could feel her in his mind. His performance had placed doubt in her mind. Giving a place for his whispers in the back of her mind to cling to and germinate. The woman was powerful and she was able to brush these aside as well. But the seeds of doubt would, with time, form the cracks in her psyche that would bring her finally under his control.


    Kenneth unlocked and opened her cell. He took the syringe and expertly inserted it into one of her veins. He pumped the drug into her body. He stood up and left the woman lying there. He locked her cage behind him, and walked back to sit under a single light at his workstation.


    He could feel her inside his head. The world he created was becoming dark. She tried to fight off the darkness and the drug that he pumped her full of. He felt her flail and struggle. She felt to her knees, cutting herself on bits of hair dryer, and glass. She walked on her knees to the stairs and tried to stand up. He legs gave way and she tumbled down the stairs, painfully. He could feel her panic, her pain, her doubt in her own senses. This was almost comical.


    Her breath came in ragged gasps as she clawed her way to her feet. Supporting herself on the couch she walked slowly toward the door. Her feet slipped and she fell again, hitting her head on the back of the plush couch. Lying on the floor, she reached out for the front door as her eyes grew blurry. Then nothing. Her movements had stopped and her breathing was now slow and regular. She was fully asleep and his world grew dark around her.


    Kenneth breathed a heavy sigh and stood up. His legs were a little wobbly as well. Ansuya was amazing. He had never felt such strength before. This woman may have been older than even the vampire scholars had surmised to have this much mental stamina. He made his way up the stairs and exited the basement.


    Once at his bar, he prepared another bag of blood for himself. The thermos flask was filled and he drank gratefully. In the forty-five years of him being a vampire, he could not remember having to drink so much blood in so short a time span. The woman was amazing, and still very dangerous.


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    He emptied the thermos flask and made his way upstairs to his darkened bed room. The sun would not rise for another hour or so, but he felt the need for extra rest. He got into his coffin and closed the lid, shutting out the world and encasing himself in oblivion.


    At nightfall, he opened his coffin silently and rose gracefully from his rest. The perfect dark of the room was comforting. This was the best time of night. He had known instinctively that the sun had set and his people¡¯s time had once again dropped down on the world of humanity. He felt a vibrant energy pulse through his undead body, an excitement that he had not felt since being turned. Tonight, the continuing challenge of breaking Ansuya loomed before him and the thought of making her his had him in a most exuberant mood.


    He exited his dark master bedroom and glided down the deep maroon carpet of the stairs. He rounded the landing toward his sitting room and to the basement door when his mate, Natalia, met him with arms crossed, her pure blue eyes held a level gaze.


    ¡°Natalia, what is it?¡±


    The girl shook her head and her blue-black hair spread itself through the air before falling neatly behind her again. ¡°You told me to investigate our ancient archives, I have. You told me to be discreet, I was. You told me to find some information on our ancient war with the Shape shifters, some piece of information that might be helpful to you, I didn¡¯t.¡± She uncrossed her arms and leaned on the nearby bar, holding her head in her hands. ¡°I tried, Kenneth. My mate, I have spent days in that vault sifting through tomes without sleep. There is not one scrap of information that might help you now. I tried to tell you it would be a waste of time but you never listen to me.¡±


    Kenneth looked at her tired body. The weariness was so obvious now, why did he not see it right away. He walked to her and gently pulled her hand away from her face. His steel grey eyes looked down at her, she was pale and ashen. She hadn¡¯t fed in a long time.


    ¡°So, you found nothing?¡± He asked.


    ¡°No, I found less than nothing! Only what every single one of us already knows.¡± She stood and looked him in the eyes, ¡°There were a lot of references to a battle in the Himalayas. Where we were able, through some form or another, use wolves to penetrate the great Shape shifter city, and we burned the place to the ground. The Shape shifters were scattered and we walked away victorious and the werewolves have been on the defensive ever since.¡± She walked over to the leather chair and sat down heavily, resting her head on her supported hand.


    He breathed a sigh. No, that couldn¡¯t be right, ¡°Was there nothing else? There had to be something.¡±


    ¡°Whatever information we had gathered on the wolves seems to have been lost.¡± She craned her neck to look up at her mate, ¡°There were a lot of references to a great library where vampires had stored our immense knowledge. But that was all there was, references and vague descriptions of locations which have been searched over dozens of times already.¡±


    Kenneth went over to his bar and looked at a few of his favorite liquors and wines. It didn¡¯t matter. He had Ansuya, he didn¡¯t need ancient information, he could just ask and the information he needed would be given to him.


    ¡°Natalia, it doesn¡¯t matter anymore.¡± His mate looked at him with a questioning stare. Kenneth smiled down at her, ¡°I have Ansuya herself downstairs right now.¡±

 Book 4 Chapter 15e

    Natalia¡¯s eyes opened wide for a moment, ¡°You are of course referring to the Elder Ansuya?¡± she asked.


    Kenneth nodded, ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Can you bring her under your sway? Make her one of your ¡®students¡¯?¡±


    Kenneth caught the sarcasm in her voice but he decided to let it go. ¡°I believe so. She is resisting me but even she can¡¯t resist me forever. She is in her human form after all.¡±


    ¡°And what is keeping her in her human form?¡±


    Kenneth felt anger flare up to his temples. ¡°My power keeps her in her human form!¡± He took a deep breath, ¡°I have woven a world which has trapped her mind. She already showed flashes of doubt last night. She doesn¡¯t believe in the world but there is doubt being seeded there. When I bring her to fully believe in my fa?ade she will break and become mine just as all my other students have. I am not fool to think it will be as easy as breaking Cassandra or Joshua but she will obey me.¡±


    Natalia looked up at him with respect. ¡°How long do you think it will take?¡± She arched a single eyebrow, ¡°And do you think it will be time enough before Alessandro finds out? He does seem to have a sixth sense when it comes to the goings on inside his own House.¡±


    Kenneth nodded. That was something he had not thought through. If Alessandro found out what he was doing, being killed would be the easy way out. This capture could be, and he had every intention to make it that way, a massive power shift in House Dukart. The vampires that had helped him last night were completely loyal to him, but that doesn¡¯t mean Alessandro didn¡¯t have spies of his own throughout the city. To break Ansuya all he needed was time, and suddenly time felt very limited.


    ¡°Alessandro won¡¯t find out until I want him to. What I need is time to break the Elder, find where these werewolves hide themselves, and wipe them out. Then I can be seen as a legitimate heir to a House and from there we can launch our other plans, but Ansuya has to be broken first. Nothing can happen before I have her. She¡¯ll tell me everything once that happens.¡±


    Natalia wearily raised herself out of the chair. ¡°What do you need me to do, my mate?¡±


    Kenneth stroked her hair gently, ¡°You need to feed and rest. I know you don¡¯t like to, but I would suggest you go to the farm and eat there. You look half-starved and hunting would be difficult tonight.¡±


    Natalia¡¯s lips twisted in disgust, ¡°I would sooner eat a street urchin than go to a farm.¡± She looked up into Kenneth¡¯s eyes and relented, ¡°This one time though, I¡¯ll eat there, you are right, of course, I feel really light headed.¡±


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    Kenneth knew that it was because of her hunger. He sat her down on his chair and traced the back of his finger along her pale white cheek. He pulled his phone from the bar and keyed in a number. ¡°Jessica, I¡¯m going to need you to call off work tonight. I need you here to pick up Natalia and take her wherever she needs to go.¡± His voice dropped an octave and slowed, ¡°This is very important Jessica, you will take Natalia in your car and you will wait for her. You will obey her in all things as if the commands came from me. You will obey Natalia. After you return with her, you will forget everything you saw, everywhere you went. It will be as if tonight never happened. You will only remember that you had a wonderful time. Do you understand, Jessica?¡± There was a brief pause, ¡°Good girl, now get here as quickly as you can.¡± He pressed his phone screen and ended the call.


    He turned around and looked at his mate in his chair. She was supporting her head with her hand and had her eyes closed. She has been too long without feeding. Every vampire knew that failure to feed regularly could be fatal. She had pressed herself close to that limit. He felt no remorse or guilt for her, but there was the ghost of an emotion he once called sorrow that gently tightened his throat.


    He couldn¡¯t be held back, not now. He had work to do. ¡°Natalia,¡± He said in a strong commanding voice, ¡°Jessica will be here soon, feed, and return here when you wish.¡±


    Natalia lifted her eyes, ¡°Really? Oh, can I?¡± She had a ridiculous smile on her face, ¡°Can I buckle my own seat belt too?¡±


    Kenneth smiled back, ¡°Whatever you want.¡± He left the room without another word.


    Kenneth opened the door to the basement and the black void yawned before him, he stepped through and reentered the garage he exited the night before.


    He opened the garage door and drove the car back to his house. The neighborhood was up and happily buzzing about as every good suburban neighborhood did on a Saturday Morning. There were people mowing the yards and kids riding their bikes. He had to stop briefly as a group of kids removed nets and a ball from the street. He waved as the kids quickly reset their game of street hockey. He pulled up to the drive way and parked the car. He got out into the warm sunlight and walked up the sidewalk and opened his front door.


    The house was pristine. The kitchen was clean and there were no dirty dishes anywhere to be found. The blender was in its place waiting to be used and the coffee pot was clean and ready to brew the first cup of coffee for the day. There was no sign of broken dishes or any of the chaos that he had walked into yesterday. The couches were in brand new condition and the television was off.


    He walked up the stairs into his bedroom. The windows were covered by the ornate but tasteful curtains; the carpet was clean and free of stains. The bed was a little ruffled but then again Ansuya was sleeping peacefully between the sheets. There wasn¡¯t a single piece of clothing to be found. He opened the closet and all of his suits were there, pressed and ready to be worn and the bathroom mirror was where it should have been, not a shard missing or out of place.


    He inhaled deeply and looked around his prison. He was completely refreshed after battling with her yesterday and today would be no different. He could feel the edges of his world, the very edge of his power and concentration, a few miles away. There was nothing that wasn¡¯t as he willed it. Still, the werewolf had drained him more than he had anticipated and he knew that tonight would be no different.

 Book 4 Chapter 15f

    He could smell her warm body; the sweat that lightly coated her features and matted her hair was salty. Her blood scent was strong as well, rich werewolf blood was a rare delicacy and also very potent. The thought of feeding on her sleeping form was tempting but that was not the goal here. Werewolves resisted everything vampire, even the immense pleasure that a vampire bite promised, go figure.


    He turned the sink faucet on and yelled into the bedroom, ¡°Hey, Beautiful are you getting up any time soon?¡± He could hear the sheets rustle and a soft moan. ¡°I thought I told you but maybe I didn¡¯t, I have to be at work a little early today and it¡¯s going to be a late night.¡± He idly ran his hands under the running water. ¡°We have a planning meeting to strategize about corporate sponsors, funding, and locations for the new complex I pitched yesterday.¡±


    A flash of black from the side of the mirror and a brown arm wrapped itself around his neck, efficiently cutting off the air flow.


    ¡°You and I both know you don¡¯t have any planning meeting today, at least not while the sun is out.¡± Ansuya gripped Kenneth by the neck and was restraining one of his arms by his side. She leaned in close to his ear. ¡°Let me go Kenneth. Or this world ends with your death.¡±


    Kenneth struggled visibly to breathe. He was opening and closing his mouth like a fish. His eyes were bulging and searching the room wildly. Both of his arms were pinned, one by her body and the other was in a vise grip by his side. It was a very effective move, something he would have to look into training his people on that technique.


    He gasped and sputtered and let his eyes roll back into his head. Vampires didn¡¯t have beating hearts and so breathing wasn¡¯t necessary. They all did breathe, most of them out of habit, just one of those human things that never went away. But they didn¡¯t need to. That didn¡¯t stop him from playing up the charade to the very best of his ability.


    He made himself start to foam at the mouth and spit a little as he could not get any air into his lungs. He caught a puzzled look from the werewolf as he went more and more limp in her arms. He pleaded with her to let him go with his eyes, as he let his lids slowly close and his body fell completely limp and lifeless.


    The woman held onto him for a few more minutes. Kenneth could feel her mind struggle with what she knew to be real and what all of her senses were telling her was real. The whisper of a ghost of a question, so quick and fleeting skittered across her consciousness. If he wasn¡¯t concentrating on her he would have missed it. ¡®Did I just kill a human man? My husband?¡¯ The thought vanished from her mind like breath upon a mirror. She still held him in her inhumanely strong grip but the thought had been there.


    Eventually he was dropped to the floor. He lay there for a few seconds before he inhaled fully and loudly, gasping and coughing, spraying spit and drool onto the carpet. He blinked rapidly, coughing harshly, and wiping his mouth he slowly got to his feet.


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    ¡°What in the hell has gotten into you? You could have killed me!¡± Kenneth was properly incensed and stared deeply into the woman¡¯s deep brown eyes.


    ¡°You and I both know there is no death for you, you¡¯ve already died. As for me killing you, that will happen one day.¡±


    Kenneth turned away from her and leaned on the counter staring into the mirror, ¡°Great, just great! My own wife wants to kill me!¡± He turned the water on and wiped his mouth again with the clean, cool liquid. ¡°May I ask what it was that I did that suddenly makes you want to kill me.¡± Ansuya stayed poised and silent watching the undead man. ¡°Sometimes I really don¡¯t understand you, Beautiful, I really don¡¯t. Is this a brown person thing?¡±


    Ansuya arched an eyebrow at him. ¡°A brown person thing?¡±


    ¡°Yes, a ¡®brown person thing.¡¯ I have done nothing but work hard and long hours to provide you with this home and everything in it. We were happy a while ago but all of a sudden, you¡¯re trying to kill me! I don¡¯t know what I did and you won¡¯t talk to me! Did I somehow disrespect Shiva or Brahma or step on that elephant guy¡¯s mouse friend! WHAT DID I DO?!¡± he threw himself against the wall and slid down its surface to sit on the floor, covering his face. ¡°What¡¯s the point if we can¡¯t be happy together?¡± He carefully softened his voice to sound as hurt as he could. ¡°What is the point of this house?¡± He lowered his voice to a hurt whisper, ¡°This home is ours, but if you¡¯re not happy with me this is just a shell with no meaning to it.¡±


    He realized his mistake too late.


    ¡°Yes, this house is a shell, a shell of your making. Nothing here is real and I want it to end now,¡± Ansuya replied emotionlessly.


    Kenneth let his anger flare. He jumped up from his spot on the floor. ¡°Fine! You want a divorce, fine! I can¡¯t live with someone who doesn¡¯t respect me. Everything we¡¯ve built together means nothing to you?! Then so be it! I¡¯m out of here, Ansuya. Do me a favor; don¡¯t be here when I get back. I don¡¯t want to ever see your face again!¡± He stormed out of the bedroom, slamming the door as he left. He stalked down the stairs and crashed out the front door. He got in his car and drove off down the street.


    How could he have been so stupid? He had her. He had her in his hands and a simple word erased all the progress he had made. His anger would not subside. He wondered if that was because he was mad at himself, or if he was mad at the woman who had been given everything she ever wanted and she threw it back in his face. So, what if this was a construct, a prison? It was the life that he had shaped from her own thoughts and desires, wasn¡¯t that enough? Why was she fighting so hard?


    Of course, if it wasn¡¯t for the fight, the prize wouldn¡¯t be as sweet. The trap was working, slowly. The thoughts he was planting in her subconscious were effervescing into her consciousness. The thoughts of him being her husband were there ever so quietly and gone just as a whisper, but they were there. The plan and the trap were perfect. Not even a werewolf could hold out forever. He just had to be a little more careful about his word choices.


    He pulled into the familiar open garage and closed the door behind him. He got out of his car and opened the door into the void that let back to his home. He stepped into his bar room and sat down heavily onto his leather chair. He wiped his face with his hands and focused all of his concentration onto the elder running around her rat maze trying to find a way out of the trap.

 Book 4 Chapter 16a

    Nicolas and William pressed hard and walked fast through the city streets. Their directions were good and they made good time. The sun was directly overhead and they had already walked almost ten miles. William thought that they may actually make it out of the city by day¡¯s end. He smiled up at the sun. Then his stomach made itself known and the answering cry from Nicolas¡¯s own stomach wasn¡¯t comforting.


    ¡°We need to get some food.¡±


    William nodded, ¡°Yeah, I know, but we still don¡¯t have any money. Where do you suggest we eat, Nick?¡±


    The built man shrugged his shoulders, ¡°I don¡¯t know. If we were in New York, I would suggest rolling a dirty water dog vender.¡±


    William looked at him with eye brows raised. ¡°A dirty water dog vender?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you know, the guys that walk around New York with the hot dog carts. We always called them dirty water dogs.¡±


    William nodded slowly, ¡°Okay, I¡¯m pretty sure L.A. doesn¡¯t have anything like that.¡±


    Nick nodded and kept walking up the street. ¡°If we weren¡¯t on such a tight schedule, with the sun and everything I would suggest we beg for some food.¡±


    ¡°Are you serious?! Beg for food?¡±


    ¡°What? You too proud to ask for a little help every now and then?¡±


    William shook his head and took the lead. ¡°I will never beg for food. Even, when I was traveling and hadn¡¯t found my forest yet. I never even thought about begging then, and I sure as hell am not going to start begging now.¡±


    ¡°Hey whatever you say, fearless leader. But if I die from starvation my ghost¡¯ll haunt you for the rest of your life.¡±


    William glanced back over his shoulder, ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind. Come on, we have to get out of here.¡±


    The two young men waited for the crosswalk sign to turn green before cutting over to the right of their current intersection, making just one more of the many detours that they had planned back in the gas station.


    The two kept walking, and the sun kept traveling overhead. William never had time to think about it but now that his life depended on where the sun was in the sky he could, probably for the first time, understand how ancient peoples saw the sun as some massive chariot being pulled by mountain sized horses, driven by a gleaming god. He just wished that whoever was driving the thing could slow down for a bit.


    ¡°Why did you stick around?¡± William asked suddenly.


    Nicolas turned toward him, ¡°What?¡±


    William looked at him and asked again, ¡°Why are you sticking around? I thought you would¡¯ve been gone as soon Ansuya was captured. Isn¡¯t that what you want? Your freedom?¡±


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    The blond shook his head and ran his hands through his hair, laughing quietly. ¡°Why is it that everyone automatically thinks the worst of me?¡± He looked William in the eyes. ¡°What did I do to make you think that I would just leave the first chance I got?¡±


    William tried not to laugh but couldn¡¯t help a bark escaping his lips, ¡°Are you serious? Nick, since the day I met you, you¡¯ve done nothing but complain about how the city cramps your style, you can¡¯t wait to leave, you don¡¯t want to put up with this bullshit. That incident between you and Katherine is enough to prove you¡¯re an asshole that only thinks about himself. What about when we were going to get Chelsea? You deliberately walked while the rest of us ran. You are the antithesis of a ¡®team player¡¯.¡±


    Nick lowered his head and kicked at an unseen pebble. ¡°You think you got me all figured out, don¡¯t you? Listen, do me a favor, don¡¯t talk to me for a while.¡± He buried his hands in his pockets and strode a few steps ahead of William and kept the distance between the two.


    William watched the man¡¯s back for a while then lowered his eyes to the pavement. He really couldn¡¯t care less if Nick was hurt or not. He didn¡¯t even try to make an excuse for what happened between him and Katherine. The guy was just a spoiled brat of a kid in a twenty-two-year old¡¯s body. Nick may be bigger and stronger in human form between the two, but they both knew that William would win in a fight.


    For the dozenth time that day William turned his attention to his other pack mates, Aceso, Charles, and Katherine. Their faint imprints on his consciousness hadn¡¯t gotten any closer than they had been last night. He wondered if they were ever going to come for them. If they weren¡¯t coming to get them then they must not realize that anything¡¯s happened. Which raised the question of how long did they expect the two of them to be gone with the Elder? How long did it really take to search through a database? Surely not more than a few days, but even still, the Elders would know that Ansuya wasn¡¯t with the two of them or that they were separated, wouldn¡¯t they? How long would they be forced to try and live out in the desert till someone realized that something had gone terribly wrong? Those questions were filled with paranoia and unfounded fears, funny how things like that eat at one¡¯s mind when one has nothing else to do except think and walk.


    Up ahead Nick made a left hand turn and cut across the street. He stopped on the far side of the street waiting for William to catch up. When he did Nicolas asked, ¡°Just what do you think happened between me and Katherine, anyway?¡±


    William was a little taken aback by the forwardness of the question. ¡°Charles told me that it was pretty much the beginning of a rape but Katherine threw you out of her room before you could get your pants off.¡±


    ¡°Rape!? So, I¡¯m a rapist now! WOW! That¡¯s fucking news to me!¡± He shoved a finger in William¡¯s face. ¡°Who the fuck do you think you are to pass judgment on me?! You weren¡¯t there! Who the fuck is Charles?! Was he there?!¡± Nicolas turned around and punched the concrete side of a building.


    William watched the outburst, not without some sympathy. Unfortunately, Nick was right, he hadn¡¯t been there and perhaps he came to the wrong conclusion. But Katherine didn¡¯t want to talk about it and she was very upset afterwards so he assumed the worst. He might have been wrong.


    ¡°So, what did happen then?¡±


    Nickolas turned around and sneered at him, ¡°What the fuck do you care? You and everybody else have already judged me. What the fuck does it matter what I say happened?¡±


    ¡°It matters.¡±


    If he didn¡¯t look so pissed off William would have sworn he was about to laugh. ¡°Okay, you want to know what happened? Fine. Yeah, I went up to her room and tried to get some, sure that parts true. Katherine is not exactly comfortable in her own skin and I told her so. She has these massive tits that are so squeezable I just want to bury my face in them like pillows. But she wasn¡¯t having any of it. I told her she needed to appreciate those tits of hers and start acting like they are the gift from god that they are. Then she fucking exploded and threw a statue at me. That¡¯s when I fucking left and I¡¯ve never talked to her since.¡± Nick looked hard at William. ¡°Does that sound like I fucking tried to rape her to you?¡±

 Book 4 Chapter 16b

    William stood there looking at the shorter man. From what little he knew about him that did sound a lot more like the asshole he had come to know and not care for so much. If it was true, he could understand why Katherine didn¡¯t want to talk about it. He found himself, despicable though his version of the story was, believing him.


    ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t sound like rape. It sounds like you are just as a big an asshole as I always thought you were.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I have never claimed to be anything else, Setford. But I aint no goddamned rapist!¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯re just the worst kind of person imaginable, a sociopath who only sees people as objects for your amusement and pleasure.¡± William pivoted off his right foot and continued up the street. He didn¡¯t care it Nick was following or not. Maybe he hadn¡¯t tried to rape to Katherine but openly admitting what he said to her and what he really thought about her was just another reminder of why he had left home in the first place. It also proved the futility of trying to run from the negative parts of human society. The negative always seemed to find him, even under a massive volcano in the middle of northern California.


    For hours they walked. Making left and right turns here and there, following their path they had carefully planned that morning. William had no idea how many miles they¡¯d gone and no real idea of how far they still had to go. If they were walking four miles an hour, in ten hours they would have walked forty miles. He looked up toward their golden protector. The sun was well on its way to setting. He judged maybe two hours of daylight left. They were both hungry and the growling in their stomachs was a constant reminder of that.


    They rounded right, around another building, and suddenly the desert opened up in the distance. The cityscape dissipated and for the first time they could see outside of L.A. William breathed a sigh of relief and glanced behind them. The sun was nearly touching the horizon; soon their world would be covered in shadows. Their advantage would be gone. William looked at Nicolas and jabbed his chin toward the end of the city. Nick looked out over the thinning city and shrugged his shoulders. They kept walking.


    The sun disappeared behind them very quickly, and with it the warmth of the day. The brilliant reds and oranges of the sunset shot out overhead in a brilliant fire storm of color and light. But the temperature dropped noticeably too. William knew that this was going to happen though he had never lived in a desert. He wasn¡¯t prepared for the sheer drop in temperature. They couldn¡¯t see their breath, but he felt like they should be able to.


    The coming dark of night is what really drove them. They were both hungry, but they shared the fear of what the night could bring down upon them. William had never fought a vampire, and he hoped he wouldn¡¯t have to tonight.


    By the time they reached the very outskirts of the desert along the quiet dark road they were traveling, all traces of the sunlight were gone from the void of space, to be replaced by the subdued myriad of the curtain of night, its pinholes shining their cold light from billions of miles away.


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    This was the time that the desert was truly alive, and very dangerous. He didn¡¯t know what his Shape shifting powers could do against the poison of a snake or scorpion and, that too, was also something he didn¡¯t really want to find out tonight.


    He led Nicolas off the road into the desert away from the still warm asphalt of the highway. The sands and stones of the desert were being brushed lightly by a breeze that never seemed to stop. He had to squint to protect his eyes from the gently flying irritants. The more they moved away from the city and the road, the more the wind seemed to gain in strength. It could have been his imagination, but what wasn¡¯t part of his imagination, he was getting colder.


    This place could have been Mars for all he knew, and just as alien. He knew that they could eat cactus, and rattle snake was a good protein filled meal. Unfortunately, he also knew that they needed water. Cactus again would be useful to them but he didn¡¯t see any around. In fact, this place was just as barren as any planet on one of those old Sci-fi horror movies. A thud and a scrape behind him made him turn around.


    ¡°Well, Setford? I walked my happy ass all over L.A. to get here. Where¡¯s the food?¡±


    William really wanted to hit him. ¡°If you wanted to be any help, you¡¯d help me look for some cactus or snake or other rodents to eat.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you mean that crap Efraim tried to teach us a while back. Yeah sure, ahh let me look¡­nope! Don¡¯t see any cactus! What else you got?¡±


    In an incredible act of will, William calmed himself and replied evenly, ¡°If you don¡¯t like it, you are free to go back to the city. Say hi to Kenneth for me when you get caught¡­and you will.¡±


    ¡°What is your problem, man?¡±


    William arched an eyebrow. ¡°My problem?¡± He turned around and gazed up at the stars for a few seconds before answering. ¡°I¡¯m stuck out here in the middle of nowhere with a sociopath who doesn¡¯t give a damn about anybody but himself. And when he has the opportunity to help himself, he bitches and moans about it being hard.¡±


    William whipped around to face him. ¡°Everything has been easy for you and the second something gets hard you quit and go home to your ¡®loving¡¯ parents who hug you, pat your head, tell you you¡¯re the best son ever, and gives you whatever you want. I HATE people like you Nick! Always have. That¡¯s why I left, to find a better life for myself away from fuck tards like you. But even after everything I¡¯ve been through, I couldn¡¯t get away far enough.¡± William stalked off into the ever darkening cold of the night desert.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know a thing about me!¡±


    William heard hurried footsteps behind him getting closer.


    ¡°Hey I¡¯m talkin¡¯ to you, asshole!¡±


    William felt a hand on his shoulder and he was spun around to face Nicolas. Then his face exploded in pain. He reeled back on his heels but with great effort he was just able to keep his feet.


    ¡°Is this how you talk to someone, Nick? With your fists, you ignorant fuck?¡± William barked a cold laugh. ¡°Just, what I would expect from you. Hear something you don¡¯t like and out comes the fist a cuffs. Well¡­¡± William shifted. His seven foot tall, furred form now towered over the shorter man. ¡°This time Nick, that won¡¯t solve the argument.¡± William unleashed a backhand that caught the man square across the chest and threw him four feet in the air. Nicolas crashed down on his back eight feet away.

 Book 4 Chapter 16c

    William¡¯s werewolf eyes gave him ten times the night vision he had when in human form and he could see so much better. He could clearly see Nicolas roll around in the sand trying to cough and hold his wounded chest with his dirty hands and arms. He still hadn¡¯t shifted yet. William could kill him, the thought was very attractive to him here in the cooling desert, away from the eyes of the City or humanity.


    He took a step toward Kenneth, ignoring the light of the heavens above him. He smiled to himself, if he was going to be a monster then let it begin with the death of this one. An evil in the service of good could still be seen as good. He took another step and was stopped cold.


    The quiet, solemn, regal shape of the full moon crested the horizon at last and the cold sand around the two of them was bathed in a frigid but glorious white light. William had never seen the moon so bright before, her light had never been this radiant. He looked down as Nicolas slowly rolled over and raised himself to his hands and knees. William had never felt so ashamed of himself. He knew full well what he had almost done, what he had thought about doing. He closed his eyes hard to blot out the memory of it. But it wouldn¡¯t fade and then, in the dark recesses of his mind, the ghost of a memory flickered and he swore he heard laughter. He let out a howl of sorrow and pain to drown out the sound and the memory. But not even his howl could erase that laugh.


    Nicolas coughed and heaved heavy breaths as he remained on all fours, holding his chest. William held his eyes closed but could tell from Nick¡¯s ragged breathing that he was hurt. Maybe even a cracked rib or two. Maybe that was why he hadn¡¯t shifted?


    William shifted back into human form while that horrible laughter echoed in his ears. He thought about helping Nick to his feet, but he doubted that it would be appreciated.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back¡­I¡­I¡¯m¡­¡± but he couldn¡¯t finish the sentence. He felt abhorrent at himself for what he might have done and yet he couldn¡¯t bring himself to apologize to him. The words stuck in his craw like a splintered bit of crab shell. William walked east into moonrise.


    The wind was picking up, noticeably and he would have to find shelter for the two of them by morning. Not just from the sun and heat, but from prying eyes as well. But the first thing he had to do was find them food and some water. Water would be difficult at best, especially since this was in southern California. The food might be a little more attainable.


    He raised his eyes to blue black sky and the white light of the moon. Maybe he could get some help from some flying informants.


    He shifted again and pierced the darkness of the night sky with his wolf eyes. He scanned the horizon and the patches of black between the stars. The wind carried sand into his eyes which he wiped away and shielded from as best he could. He turned a full three hundred and sixty degrees slowly. The sky was quiet as death and twice as cold. He lowered his eyes and was about to turn back toward Nicolas when he saw a blur along the edge of the moons full shape.


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    He stared at the blur, trying to get a better look at it and it dived suddenly. It was what William had been hoping to find. He leaped forward and broke into a sprint on all fours. The sands underneath him shifted with each step but his claws were able to dig in and propel him forward without losing traction or speed.


    The blurred shape in the distance had not yet risen back into the sky which was a good sign. If it was a bird of prey then hopefully that meant that it had caught its target and was eating. But where there was one small rodent, the nest wasn¡¯t very far away. He would be able to backtrack to the nest by smell.


    He ran hard and before long the blur rose back into the sky at his approach. It brilliantly spread its wings and was silhouetted in the glory of the moon. It was sandy colored with two tufts of hair crowning the head like horns, it was beautiful.


    William came to a stop and lowered his nose to the remains of the owl¡¯s meal. The sand greedily drank at the carcasses¡¯ blood, leaving only a tiny concealed mess on the rodent¡¯s fur. He inhaled deeply the scent of the animal and then slowly paced around the kill.


    The scent the small animal left along the sand was faint and the winds blowing the sands around were making the trail disappear even now. William leaped forward while keeping his nose down. The scent was weak and getting weaker but it was the only lead he had.


    He ran quickly, desperately clinging to the trail the small rodent had left behind. But even with his speed he couldn¡¯t outrun the wind and the trail dissipated and completely vanished from under him.


    William shook his head and leaned back on his haunches. Feeling dejected and defeated he rocked back and heaved himself to his feet. His stomach growled angrily and he couldn¡¯t stop his hand from absently rubbing at the void that had suddenly sprung up in his body.


    He turned around slowly scanning the ground for any sign of wildlife, but there wasn¡¯t any. He didn¡¯t want to give Nicolas the satisfaction of knowing that he had failed to get them even the smallest bit of food. He looked around and then threw his head to one side in disgust at himself. He was glad that he did.


    In a black outline, barely seen against the darkness of the night sky, jutting up from the ground to stand three or four feet about the rest of the sage and shrubs was something that he hoped he recognized.


    The stalk was straight and the puffy crown of the plant gave him hope. He walked over to it and studied the plant. He inhaled deeply the scent and scratched it gently. He reached his tongue out and licked at the wound. It tasted ok. There was no tang or sting upon his tongue. He knew that it would be ok to eat. Of course, it could be something completely poisonous and kill both of them, but William was beyond confident that he had found an Our Lord¡¯s Candle. If what he remembered from Efraim¡¯s teachings was right, they could eat every part of the plant.


    William carefully dug around the shoot and stem and removed as much of the plant from the sand and hard soil underneath as he could. He cradled the plant in his arm and hurried back the way he had come to let his pack mate enjoy the fruits of the hunt. It wasn¡¯t the same as when he led his pack in his forest, but right now, this single plant, was as good as any animal he had ever had to chase, and just as sweet as any kill.

 Book 4 Chapter 16d

    Using the wind and the moon behind him he was able to find his way back to Nicolas. The man had smartly shifted into werewolf form and lay next to a shrub, sheltering from the wind, as he bathed in the white moonlight.


    William sat down next to him and broke the plant he carried in half. He gave the flowered end to the injured man.


    ¡°What the fuck is this crap?¡± Nicolas said taking the thing offered to him.


    William grunted. He wished that the other man knew just how lucky it was that he had come upon this particular plant. But then, he had given him the injuries that made him move so painfully now. William hadn¡¯t expected such venom from Nicolas, but he should have.


    ¡°It¡¯s called an Our Lord¡¯s Candle. Remember Efraim told us about it. We can eat every part of it.¡± William paused, ¡°We should probably shift back to human form before we eat it though. I¡¯m not sure how plants would treat our werewolf digestive system.¡± He tried to smile at that last little joke.


    Nicolas gave him no support, ¡°Great¡­yeah just shift back...sure ok¡­my ribs are definitely bruised if not broken from your little outburst back there and you want me to change back so I can eat a lousy bush!¡± he threw the flowered top of the plant away. William watched it disappear into the darkness behind some shrubs. ¡°I want meat, Setford! I want to be back home. I want to be anywhere where I don¡¯t have to see or smell you for a year! GET AWAY FROM ME!¡± Nicolas howled into the cold night, to be carried away and lost by the wind.


    William stayed where he was, frozen, and stinging from the other man¡¯s words. Slowly, feeling his body fighting against him, he began to unseat himself and move away from the injured werewolf. He crept back the way he had come, still holding his half of the Our Lords Candle.


    The moonlight was no comfort to him as he walked through the desert. He was ashamed of what he had done, what he had almost done, and what he allowed himself to think about doing. He had mercifully been without his other¡¯s influence for a long time. He had begun to hope that it was gone. But tonight proved that part of him was still there, it had just been sleeping, waiting for the opportunity to make itself known. Would he never be fully in control again?


    What right did Nicolas have to challenge him? He threw the first punch. William was familiar with his type; all big and in charge until someone slapped them down and then they played the hurt, put upon victim pointing the finger at everyone else for their misfortunes or injuries. Yeah, his ribs may be broken, but they would heal by daylight in werewolf form. Nicolas was just being an asshole. Maybe William should slap him around a little more often, might even learn some decorum and manners¡­or not, his type rarely did.


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    William stopped to look at the night sky. The moon was already well past her zenith. It would be daylight in a couple of hours. He would need to find shelter for both of them before the sun rose. He could make out mountains in the distance. If they were going to find water, that would be their best bet. However, Nicolas wouldn¡¯t be in any kind of shape to walk until tomorrow. For now, he was going to have to settle for some simple shade from the sun.


    The good news was that there were plenty of low bushes and dry shrubbery lining the desert floor. He picked a spot that was on a small rise in the hard dirt and sand and gently started to dig out the earth from under a solid patch of twisting brambles and shrubs.


    The work wasn¡¯t hard and soon William had a nice trench dug, it was about three feet deep, four feet wide, and eight feet long. The trench sat right in between two patches of shrubs and their branches did a decent job of hanging over the opening. If William had a tarp, it would be better, but he was just going to have to settle for more shrubs and branches placed over the top of the trench when he and his pack mate were inside. It would also make great camouflage and would keep them hidden from any searching eyes, should helicopters come looking for them.


    His mind turned back the City under the Mountain. He could feel Charles and Aceso and Katherine in the back of his mind but their presence was still very far away and it didn¡¯t feel like they were getting any closer. Were they ever going to come looking for them? Just how long until someone decided that they had been gone too long and decided to come and help? It was discouraging but at the same time he understood the logic of their situation. This wasn¡¯t the first time he had been on his own and he had done just fine back then. Now he just needed to survive. Eventually his pack mates would come for them, he hoped.


    Looking at his dinner he sat down and immediately stood back up again. While he was in werewolf form, he needed to do one more thing. He walked away from the dugout trench and began ripping up the ground hugging shrubs and bushes, only one every few feet. He didn¡¯t want to draw attention to their location and a bare patch of desert surrounding a very dense section of bushes would look very suspicious.


    William walked out about a mile or so and gently looped his way back around in a rough oval shape to the north of their shelter. He had to make a few trips back to drop off what he had ripped from the ground but pretty soon he was satisfied with what he had gathered.


    William finally sat down and shifted back into human form, his clothes reconstituting themselves just the way they had been before he shifted. He grabbed his half of the Our Lord¡¯s Candle and started to peel off strips from the stem and ate them slowly. The bush was full of moisture and was quite tasty, of course that may be because he was so hungry. He was grateful for the meal. It was gone far too quickly though. He wished that he had more, but food in the desert was scarce and he had been lucky to find the one, he doubted he would find anything else tonight.


    He looked up to see the night sky was already fading into a deep grey. He looked to the east and the early oranges and some reds of the dawn were lashing out from the horizon. It was time to get Nicolas and get themselves hidden before unwanted eyes started looking for them.

 Book 4 Chapter 17a

    It had been another rough night. Kenneth had to drink three bags of blood to sustain himself. The Elder werewolf¡¯s attacks upon his prison and his mind were more violent last night. She had run out of the house and kept running. That had been easy enough. He simply dropped the sections that she had passed and created other sections as she entered into them. But that wasn¡¯t good enough for the Elder. She started ringing doorbells and pounding on doors. Now being that in his prison world it was well past morning and into the afternoon it would make sense that a lot of houses would be empty but he still needed to create some people, a house wife here, and a guy on disability there. He even threw in a sick child staying home from school for good measure. That had confused her for a moment and her doubt was a well-earned reward for his efforts.


    But she kept going. He was sitting in his chair sweating with the exertion of maintaining his world around her. He had never fought so hard in his life just sitting in his chair. It made him feel weak and sluggish.


    He had no choice but to keep the dream world going. He couldn¡¯t quit and it seemed that Ansuya was in no mood to quit either. He was so focused on his captive and his prison that he almost didn¡¯t notice his front door open.


    His mate, Natalia walked into his sitting room and looked down on him in his chair. Her hair was pure waves of blue-black water flowing over and around her shoulders. Her intelligent blue eyes studied him and her color and vitality had been restored. She was wearing a rather simple outfit today, something he would have preferred not to see on his mate but she was still her own person. She was wearing denim jeans and a t-shirt with an open leather jacket over it. The t-shirt did cover the whole of her torso however. Her breasts were accentuated by the flaps of the open jacket. She looked really good.


    Kenneth found himself smiling at her through his own mental effort, ¡°You look much better, Natalia. How do you feel my mate?¡±


    The woman simply smiled back at him and gracefully sat down on the floor in front of him, gently folding her legs underneath her body. She looked up at him. ¡°You¡¯re sweating.¡± She commented flatly.


    Kenneth looked at her and held her eyes. ¡°Yes, and I assure you, I find it just as distasteful as you do. I haven¡¯t sweat in decades and yet this elder werewolf is pushing me to my limits of control. She is relentless.¡±


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    Natalia smiled up at him, ¡°You knew this wasn¡¯t going to be easy. I think you would have been very disappointed if it was any easier. These humans you trap so easily and they are yours, body and mind in moments, sometimes a day or two, but you have never been pushed like this before, and I know that you are enjoying every second of it, despite the perspiration.¡±


    Kenneth knew full well not to try and debate her on her points. It was her ability to read his surface thoughts and emotions that made him take her as his mate in the first place. She had been very useful to him in the past four years. She was competent and clever. The fact that she was also beautiful had not been ignored. ¡°Yes, that may be true, but in the effort I have been forced to drink more blood than I thought and I don¡¯t want to raise anyone¡¯s suspicions as to what it is I¡¯m doing, or why.¡±


    Kenneth looked up at the clock on the far wall, 4:09 the sun would be rising in another hour or two. ¡°My mate, I am exhausted. My concentration is needed on the task at hand. I need you to get a double dose of the drug from the bar and go downstairs and give it to the werewolf.¡±


    Natalia raised her eyebrows but said nothing. She rose from her place on the floor and walked past him to the bar.


    Kenneth¡¯s mind was now split between a hundred cars and families returning to their homes. Kids in soccer uniforms, business men and wives coming home with groceries, white families, a few black families, and even one Indian family with a few mixed and Hispanic people peppered throughout his fictional community. If he knew any of Ansuya¡¯s native language, he would have thrown that in their as well, but he didn¡¯t, so the Indian family drove by her as she continued to run down the street.


    Finally, blissfully, Ansuya started to falter. Her legs gave out and she crashed into a nearby picket fence, ramming herself in the gut and giving her hand a nice gash. She was able to push herself off finding that her blouse had been ripped and a wide red scrape and bruise now cut diagonally across her torso. She looked at her hand and the blood flowed freely from the open wound there. Her vision became fuzzy and she suddenly thought, ¡®Why am I here?¡± The shame of destroying her nice blouse permeated through her being.


    She looked around the beautiful neighborhood. The sun was setting over the houses and the sound of children laughing and playing in the street echoed to her ears, somehow cutting through her quickly dulling senses. She felt a tear drop from her eyes as she looked down at the bloody, sweat soaked mess of her nice clothes. ¡®What am I doing?¡¯ It was the last thing she thought before darkness swept over her mind and body.


    Kenneth heaved a deep sigh of relief and slouched a little in his chair. The woman was strong, of that there was no doubt, but he was winning. His effort had been worth every second of concentration focus, she was beginning to break. Those last thoughts in her mind were so forceful. He wondered why he hadn¡¯t thought about that before. He should have known, but then he had never had any reason to know until now.

 Book 4 Chapter 17b

    A few moments later Natalia walked through the basement door and closed it behind her, an empty syringe loosely held in one hand. ¡°I take it that whatever this stuff is had the desired effect?¡± She dropped the syringe on the bar top. ¡°She was cool to the touch and her eyes were half open like she was in a coma. It was a little creepy and unnerving. No one should be left to live like that.¡±


    Kenneth walked over to her and gently took her chin in his hand, ¡°She is living as she should be, my mate. I have created a perfect world for her. Its only her body that is down in my basement, her mind in safely tucked away in mine and the prison I built for her there.¡±


    Natalia smiled and nodded, ¡°Yes, my mate. You have everything under control and the plan is proceeding as you wish it to?¡±


    Kenneth shook his head, ¡°Mostly. I would like to not have to drink so much blood. The effort of keeping her contained is a little more than I expected as the sweat clearly indicates. I haven¡¯t sweat since I was turned. Maybe it has something to do with the mental effort or the fact that I have implanted myself into the trap as a human and my body is reacting to what it is like to be human once again. I don¡¯t know. But it is a small thing compared to what I felt just before her mind darkened into the drug induced sleep.¡±


    Natalia folded her arms under her breasts, ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°She felt shame.¡± Kenneth replied. ¡°That feeling was so powerful in her I can¡¯t believe that I didn¡¯t feel it before, or even sense it as a weakness. Why she didn¡¯t feel it yesterday I have no idea, maybe it was because she was out in public?¡± Kenneth grew quiet and leaned on the bar, thoughtful.


    ¡°So what, my mate?¡± Natalia leaned in closer on the bar. ¡°So what if she felt shame? How does this put her any closer into your power? How does this help you get to your goal?¡± She asked not uncaring, her eyes searched the deep contemplation of her mate and she wanted to feel what he felt. The thrill of the hunt had taken him and his mind was spinning schemes within schemes and far flung thoughts of the future were being brought into sharp focus that only his mind could see. She wanted to be where he was, she wanted to believe.


    Kenneth¡¯s eyes saw only the mirror in front of them. His mind was preoccupied with what he had learned. ¡°Shame is just as good a motivator as one could hope for.¡± He looked at his mate then, his steel grey eyes met her pure blue ones. ¡°Through shame, one could be brought to endure anything.¡±


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    Kenneth pushed off from the bar and made his way to sit down on his leather chair. ¡°When I first met you around the time I realized what I truly wanted from this immortal life, I started my journey with the search of knowledge.¡± Kenneth closed his eyes and leaned back tiredly to rest his head against the back of the chair. ¡°Wars have always been won and lost with the ingenuity of the commanders of the opposing armies. But even before the battlefield has been taken the commanders who win spend days, sometimes months and years studying their opponent. Scipio would never have won at Zama without knowing how to defeat Hannibal¡¯s elephants.¡± He looked at Natalia and saw her attention waning.


    ¡°Yes, ending the second Punic Wars and establishing Rome as the super power of the ancient world. How did you use those lessons?¡± Natalia stopped and looked at Kenneth. ¡°What did you discover?¡±


    Kenneth smiled, ¡°I discovered the names of the Elders, well three of them, that were known to operate here on the western side of the United States, Ansuya Das, Alexiares, and Mr. Huan Li, a china man who was born north of here in San Francisco. Through studying these three I was drawn to Ansuya. For some reason her heritage was a mystery, shrouded in fantasy and mysticism. So, I buried myself in texts and books and whatever I could find, to discover the truth of the Indian culture and their religion.¡± Kenneth paused and then said, ¡°Why didn¡¯t I see it before?¡±


    Natalia was still standing next to him, ¡°I¡¯m not sure I follow you. I don¡¯t know anything about Indian culture, other than that¡¯s where all the spice in the world comes from, or did in the 1400¡¯s. What did you find?¡±


    ¡°The Indian culture is a lot like any Asian culture, shame driven.¡± He looked up at her and took her hand, ¡°Did you know that up until the English conquered India in the early 1600¡¯s they killed widowed women?¡±


    Natalia eyes grew wide, ¡°They did what?¡±


    ¡°When a man died, they would sacrifice the surviving wife by killing her on a funeral pier.¡± Kenneth replied.


    ¡°Just because a man died the woman was automatically sentenced to death? No wonder they have been conquered and reconquered over the years. Ignorant butchers! I¡¯m surprised they were never massacred as the savages that they are by the Dutch or the English, they did as much to the natives of this country!¡±


    ¡°Yes, well who can say,¡± Kenneth replied dryly. ¡°But don¡¯t you see? Her, entire culture is based on shame. An entire culture shamed thousands of women into willfully killing themselves for centuries till an outside force stopped them from doing it. She came from that culture; she wasn¡¯t born here; of that I am certain. Now I just need to figure out how to use that emotion to drive her, channel her towards me.¡±


    ¡°Then you¡¯ll have everything you¡¯ll need to put your other plans into action,¡± she said with a glow to her eyes.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he said smiling and standing up. He took her in his arms and kissed her gently. ¡°You¡¯re not worried that I don¡¯t need you anymore, are you?¡±

 Book 4 Chapter 17c

    Natalia smiled and laughed a little, ¡°Why would I be as paranoid as all that? I know you still need me and besides,¡± She unfolded his arms from around her and took a few steps back away from him, ¡°If you ever gave me reason to doubt your sincerity you know that your immortal life would not be so immortal, would it?¡± She asked with a devilish gleam in her eye.


    Kenneth was in front of her in a heartbeat. ¡°And what makes you think that I wouldn¡¯t rid myself of a possible rival threatened the plans I had put in place?¡±


    ¡°Because I happen to know that no man can resist the immortal call of one of my kind¡¯s lust and desire.¡± She looked up at him and pierced his eyes with her own and a beautiful sound filled the air, softer than a whisper but warmer than a fire on a cold winter¡¯s night. His mind was filled with images of black roses and moon bathed sepulchers. The call of death had never been so sweet, so irresistible. The images faded and shifted into rich bedrooms, warmth, and long pleasure filled nights with only the moon for company.


    Kenneth was so exhausted by his battles with the Elder he gave into her illusions and desires without a second thought or struggle.


    Natalia frowned a little. He had never given up this easily. It took all the fun out of her art; she only shared it with him. Still, the promise wanted to be fulfilled and so she led her bliss filled, numb minded mate to his bedroom.


    She led him up the rich carpet lined stairs. The more she led him the more his tired mind gave in to her. He followed silently behind her. She would never dream of making him permanently this way, that would destroy all he was. But that didn¡¯t mean that she couldn¡¯t have a little fun with her mate. She smiled wickedly to herself; tonight was going to be one that neither of them would forget for a very long time.


    She opened the door to the master bedroom and silently ushered him inside. ¡°Kneel slave.¡± She commanded. Kenneth fell to his knees. She laughed out loud. She would have to remember to make sure he remembered this night too. ¡°Now my slave, you will kiss my shoes, then remove them.¡±


    Kenneth dutifully leaned forward and kissed her simple white pump shoes. He remained for a while kissing them, and gently caressing her legs. Natalia let out a soft sigh as she allowed herself to enjoy his affections. He then gently removed one shoe and waited for her to lift her other leg. Natalia nodded her head and lifted her other leg and her shoe was removed.


    ¡°Slave, who do you obey?¡±


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    ¡°I obey you,¡± He replied simply.


    She bent down at her waist and cupped his handsome face in her hands, ¡°Will you do anything I command, slave?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    She stood up again and laughed warmly, ¡°My slave, my mate, you are so obedient and you deserve a reward.¡± She put her finger to her lips in deep thought. ¡°You will now be allowed to give me a massage.¡±


    She took off her jacket and t-shirt and laid face down on the bed, ¡°Come my slave, prove how much you worship me.¡± She couldn¡¯t keep from laughing out loud again.


    Kenneth dutifully stood up and approached the bed. He took out some oils and lotions from the nearby dresser for her to choose from. Natalia propped herself up on her elbows and picked a fragrant Jasmine seed oil. She smiled up at him. ¡°Good boy,¡± she said as she let herself fall back down on the bed.


    One of Kenneth¡¯s untapped and underused abilities was in the realm of massage and body rubs. His Vampire strength and sense of touch allowed him to know and trace along the muscle tissue of her body with expert precision. He worked all of her joints, muscles, and even the deeply sensitive erogenous zones of the back of her neck and the small of her back. He worked in a hypnotic rhythm that only he knew the depths of. She was too busy relaxing to try and figure out his art. Eventually she succumbed to his touch and as blackness nearly took her she said, ¡°My mate, when I fall asleep, you will sleep as well¡­When you awake tomorrow night you will be¡­released¡­from m-my ¡­powww¡­er.¡± With that she sunk down into the deep sleep of death.


    When Kenneth awoke the next evening, he saw that Natalia was still sleeping. He looked down at her shoes that he had been made to take off her. He couldn¡¯t help but smile at his evil mate. She would be made to pay for that little humiliation.


    Her eyes slowly opened as he looked down at her. ¡°So, my mate is awake?¡±


    Kenneth smiled warmly and gently took her chin in his hand, ¡°You were very unfair to me last night. You knew that I wouldn¡¯t be able to resist you and yet you did it anyway. I think that I will come up with a suitable punishment for you.¡±


    Natalia smiled warmly at him, ¡°What would this punishment be?¡± She asked gently rocking on the bed in a teasing manner.


    Kenneth smiled back. Suddenly his eyes burned with fury and he unleashed his power on her unprepared mind. Through his trials with Ansuya he felt his mind stronger than it had been even a few days ago and with that new found strength, he overcame her mind quickly. Her eyes glazed over and she held herself perfectly still awaiting his instructions.


    ¡°Tonight, my slave, you will go to the club.¡± Her expression didn¡¯t change. ¡°You will go there and dance. You will seduce five men. As you do so, you will act like the dirty slut that you are. You will do anything they want. You will perform any sex act they want and you will tell them that they can do anything to you and you will enjoy it. Do you understand, slave?¡± He waited till her head nodded up and down in agreement. ¡°After they have their way with you, you will take their blood and leave them for the Healing House. You will milk them for every drop they can spare without killing them. Do you understand, slave?¡± Again, Natalia nodded. ¡°Good little slut. Now GO!¡±

 Book 4 Chapter 17d

    With that command Natalia walked out of the bedroom grabbing her shoes, shirt, and jacket as she went.


    Kenneth took a few moments to quell his anger. How dare she even try doing what she did last night? He had taken her as his mate but right now he felt as little for her as he did his students. This lesson would teach her to never try that little stunt again.


    He got up from the bed and walked downstairs. The darkness of night was already filling his house and his thoughts. He had to get back to Ansuya. But first he had to fortify himself and he prepared a double portion of blood. He was still fuming at what Natalia had done to him but the blood seemed to calm his body and focus his mind on what his true goal was. Tonight was when he found out just how far this new leverage against Ansuya¡¯s mind would get him.


    He drained his thermos flask and sat down in his chair. Tonight, he would try a different approach. Tonight, he resettled his mind into the by now familiar patterns of the elder werewolf¡¯s mind and awakened her mind inside his dream world.


    She was disoriented. She awoke stiff necked and cold on the sidewalk where he had left her yesterday evening. Her blouse was still torn and her abdomen now showed a deep red scab that covered her gash across her midsection. Her clothes were now splotched red with her blood.


    He felt her slowly get up and look around. The dawn was coming quickly to the world and she felt very exposed. The light of the sun was just peeking over the houses around her and already the neighborhood was showing signs of life. A boy rode by on his bicycle gaping at her wounds and clothes. It was just a simple believable reaction from a small child.


    Ansuya¡¯s mind reeled from it. She turned away from the street and tried to bundle the tattered remains of her clothes in her arms, to protect her wound from the seeing world. She was very unbalanced and Kenneth decided that another little nudge was called for.


    Ansuya leaned heavily on the picket fence that she had gashed herself on the previous night. She didn¡¯t seem to be able to walk without its aid. The front door of the house to which the fence belonged opened and out stepped a handsome older man with shoots of white hair at his temples.


    The man stopped and stared at the struggling woman as she tried to hurry past the house. Kenneth smiled as the man cried out, ¡°Miss, are you alright? You¡¯re bleeding?!¡±


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    Ansuya was only able to mutter, ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­just¡­just a little¡­¡±


    ¡°No Miss, you are not fine.¡± He rushed out onto the lawn and reached out for her. ¡°Please come inside and clean yourself up. You can use my phone to get help. Please, let me help you.¡±


    Ansuya¡¯s face was hot coal red, even through her brown skin, and she shook her head.


    ¡°Look you can hardly walk, please tell me what happened. I can help you.¡± There was genuine concern in the man¡¯s face and voice and that seemed to only deepen Ansuya¡¯s anguish.


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand; please just¡­just leave me alone!¡± She pushed off the fence and starting running. Her legs in this world were not empowered by the moon and she tired quickly, succumbing to what it would be like for an ordinary girl.


    The woman stumbled to a halt, her abdomen on fire with the exertion and the pain only growing worse as she tried to catch her breath. Her hair was matted with dew and grass and dirt. Her hands were stained with blood and now dirt and sweat and the only thing her mind could focus on was how concerned that man had sounded for her. All because of her stupid mistake, her stupid slip of her tired body. Why had she run? What did she hope to gain? These questions were all irrelevant, and the pain of her body muddled her thinking.


    She had to get off the sidewalk; she couldn¡¯t bear if another person saw her like this. How would her mother react to seeing her like this? The thought came unbidden and unwanted to her teetering mind. Why had she thought that? She hadn¡¯t thought about her mother since¡­since¡­she couldn¡¯t remember when the last time she saw her mother.


    Her mind couldn¡¯t handle the reality of her situation and tears started falling from her brown eyes. She knelt down in a yard behind a bush and silently wept.


    She didn¡¯t know why she was crying, but she was. Her world had become so backwards lately. She had trouble focusing her mind on anything. Where was she? Where did she live? She couldn¡¯t grasp even those simple things that everyone knew. The thought of her mother and the lost memory of seeing her last was particularly difficult to come to terms with. She could see her beautiful brown face, elegant it its structure. Her softly shaded pink lips, her brown eyes titled at the corners, those eyes that once held such compassion and beauty for her, now looking down on her with scorn and disgust.


    Ansuya looked down at her spoiled clothes and her mother of her memories scoffing at her for allowing her teachings to go completely unheeded. In the youth of her life, her mother would have nothing but scorn for her in such a state, weak, helpless, disgraceful. She tried to reach out to her mother, to touch her full gently curling hair that always seemed to perfectly frame her beautiful face. But there was no comfort from her mother now and even the memory of her mother turned her back on her, leaving her to wallow in her own shame and grief. Her mind cried out for her mother to come back. The memory only faded from her, shunning her.


    She wept openly now. She didn¡¯t care. There was nothing for her here, she had destroyed everything there ever was for her and there was no going back. Even her mother¡­the woman in her memory had been wearing a red and gold sari. Ansuya immediately stopped crying and stood up.

 Book 4 Chapter 17e

    The neighborhood was fully awake now with cars leaving and children yelling, running down the sidewalk. Ansuya calmly walked out from the bushes stepped back onto the sidewalk. Even though this earned her the stares of many of the children and some of the adults as they looked away and got in their cars.


    Ansuya¡¯s mother had never worn a red sari and there was no reason why her memories of her should have her dressed in a red sari. That color was reserved for very special occasions in her culture and religion, usually only when a woman got married, did she wear red. Her mind reformed and hardened around this fact. This place, this neighborhood was just as fabricated. Her mind focused on her memories, and she walked slowly and deliberately down the street.


    Kenneth gritted his teeth and nearly broke his arm rest with his fist. He seethed in fury for long moments. The fire in his mind and gullet would not subside and he launched himself out of his chair, knocking it aside as he howled in rage. The chair sailed through the air to explode in a shower of splinters and leather against the far wall. His chest heaved up and down as he forced air to fill his dead lungs. Everything in the room had taken on a strange red tint that only seemed to increase his fury.


    His muscles flexed and his mind was foggy at best. He wanted to kill something. He wanted to break something. He launched himself toward the door leading down to the basement and threw himself down the stair in two steps. He tore through his basement and sped to the back cell of the basement. He stopped and stared at his prisoner.


    Ansuya, the elder werewolf, was awake and gazing at him serenely. His mouth hung open, unable to believe what it was he was seeing. The brown skinned woman smiled at him in a very tender way. The room disappeared around them and his focus sharpened to a pin point on her eyes; nothing else existed, just him and her eyes, all else was lost to some unseen void.


    The woman spoke tenderly to him, ¡°Kenneth, my darlings how are you?¡± It was the hushed voice of a lover.


    Kenneth took a step back, his mind reeling from what he was seeing and what he knew to be the truth. The woman could not have escaped his grasp. She should still be in his world, on the sidewalk. His mind was cluttered and he couldn¡¯t reach any point of clarity. Rage had dulled his wits and now this had further unsettled him. NO! She was still in his thrall, still in his world. She would not escape him, not when he had been so close!


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    ¡°What are you staring at, Kenneth?¡± Ansuya was smoky eyed seduction made flesh. ¡°I hope I have something you want.¡± She smiled radiantly in the dimness of the cell.


    Kenneth stumbled back a half step, trying to compose himself. ¡°What are you doing, Ansuya?¡± His voice was harsh and raspy.


    Ansuya languidly unfolded herself from her position on the floor, and rose like a blooming flower. Her posture was one of pure power and control. Her frail form in his world was nowhere to be found. She wrapped herself in majesty and beauty that even he was not completely immune from.


    He found himself wanting her. His mind was drawn to her and the whole of his being felt a tug to obey her. He yanked his mind from the sensation and pulled himself back from her. Being this close to her was what a star must feel like on the event horizon of a black hole. Teetering on the edge of space, waiting to see if it would be flown free or tumble inexorably into a sweet crushing death.


    Ansuya stood tall in her cell and she held his eyes with hers. ¡°You failed, vampire.¡±


    Kenneth watched as she pressed against the bars with her hands. Not even steel disobeyed her. The bars bent immediately to her touch and she stepped gracefully from the cell.


    He was frozen, incapacitated by her gaze and her amazing being. She was everything there was, everything there could ever be. The command on his mind to obey her was growing by the second and he had to wrestle with himself to even remain standing in this Goddess¡¯ presence. The battle within himself was so great that he didn¡¯t even see her walk past him.


    Kenneth tried to catch her but as he reached for her, she instantly wheeled around and grabbed his hand, and flung him into an open cell.


    He found himself turned upside down with the weight of his body on his neck. He let himself fall to the floor and rolled over on his hands and knees. The cell was dusty, he was momentarily rather thankful he hadn¡¯t put any furniture in these things. Shaking his head he jumped to his feet and pursued the werewolf up the stairs to his house.


    He crashed through the door and found the woman by his bar. He side-stepped the wreckage of his now broken chair and tried to get a better angle on her than he had down in the basement.


    Ansuya smiled to herself, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye, ¡°You have a very lovely collection of wine and alcohol, Kenneth.¡± Her forehead wrinkled and she tilted her head to the side. ¡°I thought, though, that vampires never drank wine.¡±


    Kenneth¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°We vampires are capable of many things she-wolf bitch.¡±


    Ansuya fully turned toward him with admonishment in her eyes and a frown on her lips, ¡°Come, come, Kenneth. You should know better than to use that kind of language.¡±


    Kenneth immediately felt remorse for using that word and wanted to lower his eyes. It was a fight to keep them locked on the woman and even more of a fight to wipe away the feeling of remorse. What was she doing to him?

 Book 4 Chapter 17f

    Ansuya stepped away from the bar and gracefully moved into the foyer. Kenneth could do nothing but follow her. She gently touched the banister going up the stairs and gazed at the deep maroon colored carpet. Kenneth couldn¡¯t help but hope that she was envious of his house, his taste, and the wealth that it represented.


    ¡°Tsk tsk tsk, Kenneth, I had expected so much more from you.¡± Kenneth¡¯s eyes bulged out of his skull in disbelief. Ansuya turned back toward him and swept her arm aside taking in the whole of the house and the stairs behind her, ¡°So gaudy, completely uninspired. A man of your heritage and status, I had expected rich hard woods, subtle plays of angles and light, simple elegance harkening back to your Italian heritage.¡± She stopped and looking down at the carpet scoffed loudly. ¡°This is worthy only of the most vulgar gothic in shape and form. I would expect this from a German, Kenneth, not you.¡±


    Kenneth knew that she was trying to distract him. Everything her eyes touched was fully examined and studied. She moved without hesitation and with purpose. Her grace and poise was unmatched by even the most talented of his dancers. She glanced at his French double doors and moved off into his study. He could do nothing but follow.


    Ansuya moved off behind the massive desk and sat down, taking her place of authority in the room, Kenneth remained standing. He watched as she tried every desk drawer and found them all to be locked. She easily sat back in the tall office chair, her black hair disappearing into the leather. Her impossibly deep brown eyes lifted and locked onto his. ¡°What are you trying to hide from me, Kenneth?¡±


    ¡°Dual record keeping¡­¡± Kenneth was able to regain control of himself enough to silence his traitorous lips. He remained glaring at the dark woman across from him and said nothing more.


    She arched an eyebrow. ¡°Dual record keeping¡­what? Books I¡¯d imagine.¡± She put a single finger to her lips tapping it gently against the soft flesh. ¡°Why would you need dual record keeping books?¡± She looked past Kenneth into some far-off place where he was not meant to follow. ¡°You¡¯re planning on betraying your House Head at some point.¡± It was not a question.


    Her eyes refocused on him and once again that barely resistible urge to kneel in front of her took him. His knees bent but he was able to keep himself standing. She smiled warmly at his struggle. The smile faded quickly. ¡°Is that why you keep wolves in your basement?¡± Her voice was pure ice and promised death.


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    He stood there looking at her. She could kill him in a fair fight, of that there was no doubt. She had mentioned his wolves twice now. With huge effort he managed to say, ¡°No.¡±


    Faster than even his eyes could follow she had launched herself across the room and now had Kenneth¡¯s throat in her hands, pinning him against the wall, hovering inches above the floor. ¡°What are you planning, vampire? Why do you need wolves?¡±


    She tried so hard to keep the desperation out of her voice but Kenneth had spent years in the tutelage of his masters and picking out voice inflections and emotions was a particular strength of his. He smiled down at her. ¡°My end run will happen in its time. And not you, or anyone else, will see it coming till it¡¯s already over.¡± Kenneth managed a weak smile as he felt his throat being crushed under the vise grip of the elder werewolf. He then felt air and the crushing impact as the floor rushed up to meet him.


    He gingerly tested his limbs one by one in rapid succession. In seconds he was back on his feet. His body healed itself almost instantly and his pain faded quickly. His vampiric body had always healed quickly, but this was amazing. He guessed that it was a side effect of his drinking such large amounts of blood over the past few days, a useful bit of knowledge of have.


    As he got up, he noticed Ansuya had already sat down again behind his desk. He couldn¡¯t help but admire the beauty and grace she wore around her. She was so comfortable even here in his house. She had everything that he wanted his students to have.


    She looked at him and gently slid her hands over the deep colored wood of the desk. ¡°How is one as young as yourself able to get such a lovely collection of obviously expensive pieces of furniture and a house big enough to fit it all in?¡±


    ¡°My students.¡± Kenneth smiled proudly as a look of confusion passed across her features.


    ¡°Your stud¡­ent¡­sssss¡­¡± the words died on her lips as her eyes fluttered quickly and closed.


    The room suddenly went completely dark. Kenneth thought for a moment that there had been a black out. But this darkness was too complete even for a total blackout which California had made itself famous for over the past few years.


    He felt cold, instant and deadly, settle around his shoulders and then light exploded around him. He felt sensation return to his body and the light receded somewhat to normal levels around him.


    He noticed two things, the first was that he was sitting in his leather chair that he distinctly remembered destroying in his rage, not even an hour ago. And second Natalia was standing beside him with an ice cold washcloth and ice water in a bucket next to said chair.


    It took him a few moments to fully understand what had happened. He let a smile and a small laugh escape his lips.


    ¡°Clever girl,¡± He muttered quietly.


    Natalia let the washcloth drop back into the bucket. ¡°What happened?¡±


    Kenneth looked at her and inhaled the club smell that still clung to her, that and the stench of human sex. She wore what looked like strips of latex that crossed over her torso and wrapped around her back to cross over her breasts, with plenty of skin in between.

 Book 4 Chapter 17g

    Her neck was fitted with a latex chocker with a single pendent hanging down to rest over her nipple line. She wore matching latex fingerless gloves that went half way up her forearms. Her ass was covered with nothing more than what looked like latex panties and her legs were wrapped in latex high heeled boots that came up her whole leg, stopping inches below her panties. There were some metal studs placed throughout the outfit, around the cross section between her breasts and in two straight rows to either side of her crotch. She looked incredibly slutty but really good all at the same time.


    He stood up and placed a hand on his chair. ¡°How much did you give her?¡±


    Natalia stood up and shook her thick mane of black hair, which was now frazzled and unkempt, behind her. ¡°When I couldn¡¯t awaken you, I found myself back under my own control.¡± She glared at him but said nothing more on the subject. ¡°I realized what was going on and I gave her a double dose of what we have been giving her.¡± She crossed her arms protectively around her midsection.


    Kenneth nodded to his mate. ¡°You acted appropriately I trust?¡±


    Natalia looked at him out of the corner of her eyes and thrust her chin out toward the refrigerator behind the bar. Kenneth didn¡¯t have to open it to know that she must have collected at least six or seven more bags of blood for him and the smell that surrounded her was proof enough that she had obeyed every one of his other instructions.


    Seeing her dressed like this awakened some primal sexual instinct that he had not felt in a very long time. It also stirred in him the same disgust that he felt toward his students before he was able to refine them and redirect their energies into more useful endeavors. She stank of human sweat and sex and that alone was enough to make him want to puke, if he was even still capable of puking.


    ¡°Get out of my sight and clean yourself. You reek of human.¡±


    Natalia said nothing, she lowered her head just enough that her black hair covered her shameful face and the next second she was gone, the front door slamming shut was the only sound of her passage.


    Kenneth breathed a heavy sigh and sat back down in his chair. Even though his mate was gone the stench that surrounded her was left behind. He hated going to the club. The hunt was always fun, he could be subtle or not and getting into fights was always a good time. But his ears always rang for long periods of time afterwards, the negative side effect of the excruciatingly loud hypnotic trance music that thumped its ways into his and everyone else¡¯s brain. For some reason his ears always took a long time to repair themselves, sometimes his hearing wouldn¡¯t be right until the next day which was a frighteningly long time to wait for his body to heal itself.


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    And the smell. The absolute bile that was distilled in aroma form was always the worst. He was always ready for it, but he had never truly gotten used to it. The stench of rotting flesh and decay, covered in a shower of foul-smelling cologne, perfume, and that sickly sweet, rotting fruit smell of chewed gum. And that acrid cloud of combined poison had followed his mate into his house and he knew it would be a full few days before that smell was truly gone. He wanted to gag.


    Instead, he prepared a full portion of blood for himself and drank it quickly. He looked off to his basement door and shook his head. He had given so little to her but he felt that he had given her far too much. He replayed everything that happened to him that night. His failure in his dream world and being seamlessly pulled down into one of her making. It was so fast that he hadn¡¯t even realized where he was. She had asked just enough and had exerted herself over him to such an extent that he had been unable to resist her fully. He should have been proud that he had managed to hang on like he did. But those two or three sentences that he had given her were enough for her to start piecing together clues. Not enough to prove anything, but in the game he was playing, suspicion was enough to get him killed.


    He felt that same rage he had felt earlier start to boil up in him. It was an effort to calm himself. It had been his rage that had allowed that she-wolf bitch to pull him into her world, that and the connection that he had made. The feedback along that connection hadn¡¯t been felt, it had simply happened. She was just as dangerous as he had known her to be. He could still feel her in his mind; the drug induced sleep enshrouded her soundly. He instantly cut himself off from her. He could no longer feel her, but she would not be able to feel or trap him again either. He would have to find some other way to get her to see his way of thinking.


    He had exhausted every technique that he knew trying to bring this woman under his sway. The only thing else he could do was go to another of his House, an older more ancient vampire than he, and see if other techniques even existed. Of course that would almost immediately raise suspicions. Why would you need more powerful techniques to dominate subjects? Have you been practicing your techniques on subjects already and for how long? What would you need advanced techniques for? Humans were weak willed and weak minded already, what business did he have going after prey with strong wills and strong minds? Scientists gave poor blood, and strong-willed people were always too visible. No, going to another of his House would only raise more suspicions and he could not afford to have any more oversight on his quiet little corner of California.


    He wanted to go down stairs. The darkness under foot was calling him. He wanted to go down and face the elder werewolf. He wanted to dominate her and have her perform humiliating acts for hundreds of people to see. He wanted her broken and leashed at his heels like a hound from his childhood, hunting in the wilderness outside Follonica. He needed to know what she knew. He had to get to wherever she came from and destroy the wolves where they slept. He had to break the circle and end this pointless war between them. The wolves had lost a long time ago; they just refused to see it.

 Book 4 Chapter 18a

    They had been out in the desert for a few days. The uneasy truce between them had been unsettling at best. It seemed that Nicolas wanted only silence and any attempt by William to break that silence was met with the other man walking away into the desert and sitting down several hundred yards away. This had been maddeningly unhelpful towards any end of rescue or survival. Nicolas seemed to not care about food, water, or shelter. Luckily for them there hadn¡¯t been any helicopters in sight since the night they arrived, thank God for small favors. The one good piece of news was that Nicolas was now fully healed and he had eaten a few things.


    The second night out in the desert, after William had cleaned up their camp area and further obscured their whereabouts, he was ready to crawl back into the hide he had dug that first night, only to find that a pair of rattle snakes had taken up residence there. He froze in place as he watched the two sit there sleeping, their coils just barely moving, shifting around each other for warmth in the rapidly cooling desert night. William shifted into werewolf form and killed both of them silently and swiftly, his claws neatly separating their heads from their bodies. He took the larger one to Nicolas and he ate the smaller of the two. Nicolas took the fresh kill and ate it without a word.


    They had lived like that for the last few days. Eating the occasional kill or finding various shrubberies that were edible. More than once since being out here he silently thanked Efraim and his survival lessons in the Mountain. At the time he would have never thought them necessary but now he was very grateful that he had them.


    His thoughts had turned to Ansuya more times than he would like to admit. What was happening to her? Was she ok? Was she even alive? The not knowing part was driving him crazy.


    He hadn¡¯t felt any movement from the presence in the back of his mind that was Aceso, Katherine, or Charles. They remained in the City. He was wondering if maybe he and Nicolas should take their chances and try to travel overland back to Mt. Shasta. It would take weeks and it would be hard, but anything was better than just waiting around here for someone to come and get them. Of course, that was if Nicolas decided to talk to him or answer him at all with anything other than him getting up and walking a few hundred yards off into the desert. So, when William came back to find Nicolas surrounded by three men and three wolves. He was at once disturbed, happy, and confused all at the same time.


    William walked up to the seven of them as they turned around. William immediately recognized, Efraim and Billy. ¡°Billy! What are you guys doing out here?¡± This was met with a look of surprise by the Shape shifters; even the three wolves cocked their heads to side in confusion. William shook his head, ¡°I mean, I¡¯m glad to see you, but how did you know where to find us? Why are you here?¡±


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    A light brown furred wolf, with a distinctive swath of black fur along his spine, stepped in front of his pack. He raised his snout to the wind. William watched as his ears shifted in all directions and his eyes scanned every part of their surroundings. When the wolf was satisfied, he shifted. The Shape shifter was about seven feet tall, maybe a little taller, and his golden eyes moved from William to Nicolas and back to William.


    The werewolf said, ¡°I am Lethe, Alpha of my pack. I believe you know Billy Jones and Efraim Goldstein?¡± William nodded to both of them. Lethe nodded to a shorter male, ¡°This is Ryan Yamamoto, our healer¡± The man stood only about five feet seven inches, maybe eight, he nodded to the both of them. Lethe pointed to the other two wolves in the group, ¡°The charcoal gray is Pepromene, our Sage, and the grey with the white spiral on her right side is Paregoros our Tracker.¡± William nodded to each of the females in turn.


    Lethe turned back to William, ¡°My pack and I were sent here to find you and find out what happened with the Elder and the task that you were given.¡±


    William glanced over at Nicolas who was studying the sand under his feet. The explanation would be up to him then. ¡°Ansuya was captured.¡±


    Lethe¡¯s face hardened noticeably and his lips became rigid, just barely covering his fangs. ¡°How did this happen?¡±


    William took a deep breath, ¡°She gave herself up so Nicolas and I could get away. We were ambushed on the roof of the building we went to, to access the FBI archives or whatever that place was. We got almost no warning at all, and by the time we got to the roof, the vampires were already waiting for us. They were led by Kenneth.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s Kenneth?,¡± Efraim asked harshly.


    William shook his head, ¡°I don¡¯t know, but he definitely knows us. He¡¯s the guy we were looking for in that database. The only reason I know it was him, is because we met in the strip club where we picked up Chelsea.¡± Even saying her name brought a surge of guilt. Kidnapped you mean. We kidnapped her and threw her into a death trap that she wasn¡¯t even remotely ready for. He couldn¡¯t shake the thoughts away and the guilt of that settled very roughly on his shoulders.


    Lethe remained rigid. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°We ran to the roof and seven of them were waiting for us, Kenneth was out in front. Ansuya told Nicolas and I to run and she jumped in the middle of all seven of them. She moved almost too fast for me to see. Her gun was taken from her without firing a single shot and Nicolas and I ran. We didn¡¯t look back to see what happened. We ran back to the little grove where we exited the Whyte Plain but I don¡¯t know how to enter that place on my own, so Nicolas and I started walking east and have stayed here ever since.¡± William didn¡¯t bother looking for approval. He knew that Efraim and all these Shape Shifters probably saw him and Nicolas as cowards, or worse, traitors for leaving behind an Elder.

 Book 4 Chapter 18b

    Suddenly he felt a large furred claw rest on his shoulder, ¡°You did the right thing.¡±


    William looked up to see Lethe looking down at him, his claw on his shoulder. ¡°But when Ansuya was captured, I ran, when I knew that I should have stayed, if I had maybe she wouldn¡¯t be where she is now.¡±


    Lethe shook his head. ¡°No, William you¡¯d have been captured too, and then all of us would have been endangered. You may have been able to take down one maybe two or three of them, but in the end all three of you would have been captured. At best the three of you would have been killed. At worst, one of you would have been made to give all of the Mountains most guarded secrets away to our enemy. The Elder can take care of herself.¡± Lethe let his claw drop from William shoulder, ¡°We have a mission and you two are going to help.¡±


    Nicolas perked up. ¡°Help with what? I¡¯m not going to help kidnap someone else; you can go fuck yourself if that¡¯s the case.¡±


    The Shape shifters looked over collectively at Nicolas. Lethe spoke quietly, ¡°If the Mountain requires you to aid in the retrieval of an unborn Shape shifter that is what you will do, young Scout. However, that is not our mission. We have received several reports of a vampire club and Farm in the outskirts of Los Angeles. We are going to destroy those establishments.¡±


    ¡°A Farm? In the middle of Los Angeles? I didn¡¯t know vampires grew their own vegetables,¡± Nicolas said.


    Billy spat in the sand. ¡°vampires don¡¯t eat vegetables, ya idiot. A Farm is where they keep humans for feeding and blood production. It¡¯s usually an apartment complex or a set of condos, and the humans there are usually enthralled, but a lot of ¡®em aint. Vamp¡¯s seem to get more out of the blood when there¡¯s strong emotions¡¯ running through their victims, like fear.¡± Nicolas looked like he wanted to say something but didn¡¯t.


    Lethe turned back to William, ¡°The Mountain Elders sent us here to find you and to destroy these places. You are going to help.¡±


    William nodded. ¡°Ok, I¡¯m in. What do you need for us to do?¡±


    Nicolas shot a glare at William and opened his mouth. He wanted to say something, his eyes darted between William and Lethe but he closed his mouth without a word.


    ¡°William you will follow Efraim, he will lead you in battle and tell you what to do and when. Nicolas you will follow Billy and do what he instructs you to do. We will enter into the Whyte Plain once the sun goes down. Then we¡¯ll travel to where we need to go.¡±


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    Lethe turned toward the group and motioned William to enter the circle they were making. William stepped up and stood quietly next to Lethe. The Alpha spoke, ¡°There will almost certainly be guards at both locations. Efraim you will lead William, Pepromene, and Ryan to the club.¡± Efraim nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll take the rest of you to the farm.


    ¡°Efraim will hit the club first, with any luck the chaos of that strike will help to mask our incursion into the Farm. The club strike will be covert. The four of you will get into the club and once inside you will destroy the building with as little collateral damage as possible.¡±


    ¡°The Farm will be more difficult. Hopefully when the club starts to go up in flames the people will have sense enough to get out. The enthralled victims of the Farm won¡¯t want to leave. Paregoros, it will be your job to sweep behind Billy and Nicolas and pick up any stragglers. The place will be heavily guarded. Look after yourselves. If it comes down to you or an enthralled victim, leave the victims. If the person is so far gone as to have no self-preservation instincts left, it might be better for that person to be dead anyway.¡± Lethe looked up at the setting sun and inhaled the desert air deeply. ¡°Life without freedom isn¡¯t life at all; remember that if you have to make the hard choice.¡±


    Lethe looked at the group and addressed everyone, ¡°Take care of yourselves tonight. We will rendezvous back here once the mission is complete. Now, get some rest we leave at sunset.¡± With those last few words Lethe shifted back into his wolf form and trotted off with the other two wolves into the shifting sands of the desert.


    William looked over at Efraim, but the older man simply turned and walked off into the desert in another direction. Billy lay down and draped an arm over his eyes. The shorter man, Ryan, turned his back on them and knelt down in the sand, resting his hands on his knees with head bowed.


    William glanced at Nicolas, who pointedly turned around and sat down on a nearby rock with his back to him. And he was alone. The weight of the situation and the gravity of the words of Lethe set a great weight on him. There was finality with those last few sentences and the reaction of everyone around him was like something out of a war movie. There was a dangerous mission, maybe even a suicide mission, and every member of the team has to go off and come to terms with that on their own. Except in the movies there was always the possibility of going home or sleeping with the girlfriend or wife one last time, he didn¡¯t have either of those, and no possibility of going home either. So, he walked out into the desert, thinking of his forest and the distant shores of his true home.


    As the sun set, William made his way back to where he had met Lethe and his pack. He found Nicolas still there, it didn¡¯t look like he had moved at all from his rock. Billy still lay down in the sand, but his eyes were open and Ryan had maintained his repose as well. There was no sign of Efraim or the three wolves. William sat down, cross legged and waited, but not for too long.


    The three wolves were the first to return. The three stalked up to the group with their snouts to the wind, looking straight ahead. They sat down simultaneously facing west, watching the sun sink below the horizon.

 Book 4 Chapter 18c

    Efraim rejoined them soon after the wolves appeared. He strode with a casual gait that belied his deadly focus. William knew that this man was ready for the upcoming battle, should there be one. There was something in his eyes and his stride that said he had made peace with whatever God he prayed to. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder if his resolve was half as strong as this man¡¯s. Efraim casually sat down next to Billy.


    As soon as the sun had been swallowed by the horizon, Lethe, as well as the other two wolves, stood and started running west. This didn¡¯t seem to faze the other pack members who joined their Alpha immediately. William and Nicolas looked at each other and back at the rapidly disappearing group of Shape Shifters. William shrugged and forced himself into a full run to try and catch the other pack as Nicolas was, for once, keeping pace with William.


    They sprinted ahead only to find the other pack waiting for them just behind a small drop in the desert floor, with the rise covered with a sparse collection of shrubbery. Lethe stepped forward and the cool desert wind disappeared. The dunes and scents around them were gone. Below him was a mist shrouded level ground that felt neither earth nor stone. The brilliant reds and oranges of the sunset were replaced with washed out shades of white and gray, which swirled with mist. He was back in the Whyte Plain.


    Lethe stalked forward in his werewolf form, the other two wolves had shifted as well. They moved with a silent trot. Efraim looked in all directions at once. His concentration was focused on the mist around them. Ryan and Billy mirrored him on their respective sides of the group.


    Before William had any real time to wonder what would happen to them should they run into any Shadows, the three werewolves shifted back to wolf form and the eight of them were standing in the same small copse of trees that William and Nicolas had escaped to just a few days earlier. What had taken a full day¡¯s travel for the two of them on foot had taken no more than a minute or two in the Whyte Plain.


    Lethe nodded forward and Efraim took the lead. Once they stepped out of the brief natural environment onto the concrete of the city Lethe moved over to the right with Paregoros and Billy. William looked at Nicolas as he moved off with the Alpha and his group. William didn¡¯t have any real idea what they would face at the farm. He hoped that they would all make it out ok. Efraim nodded to Lethe who let out a small bark and trotted down the street. William watched as the two wolves and two men walked around the corner and were gone.


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    Efraim moved silently up the street. There was no talking between them. Efraim¡¯s six-foot-high frame was bent forward but his head moved in all directions, a quick shift of the neck, a cocking of the ears was all William needed to know that Efraim was intensely aware of everything that was happening around him.


    The wolf, Pepromene was directly behind him and Ryan walked at William¡¯s shoulder. The wolf was calm and relaxed as she walked in between them all. Ryan on the other hand was a ball of tightly spun wire. Instead of trying to put on airs, he reverted back to how he behaved when he first came to his forest. He focused his breathing and had his head on a swivel. William tried not to fixate on anything in the city, opting instead, to take it all in. As they walked, he opened his senses to really smell the city around him.


    It wasn¡¯t as pleasant as he had hoped. The stagnant air from the day was cooling slowly and it seemed that whatever sewage system nearby had decided to vent itself by disgorging clouds of acrid vapor that burned his nose hairs. The city was dirty and noisy and soon he pulled himself back in and did everything he could to not use his heightened senses to perceive this mass of humanity that was sprawled around him.


    His near gag at the stench must have caught Ryan¡¯s attention. ¡°You don¡¯t need to try so hard. Believe me, where we¡¯re going, you won¡¯t need to try to smell anything. It¡¯ll be really hard to miss.¡±


    William wasn¡¯t sure if the man was trying to make a joke or not. Ryan wasn¡¯t smiling. Guess not.


    The group walked for a long time. The sun had set a while ago and William had to admit that he was getting a little hungry. No one else was mentioning anything about food so he wasn¡¯t going to bring it up. Besides he was sure that was just his brain going into some hyper activity over that last few miles walk.


    He had never been to a club, so he had no idea what to expect. The movies he had seen led him to conjure dark rooms with black lights, strobe lights, girls dancing half naked in cages, bizarre neon lights thrown up against walls highlighting strange makeup. He imagined people on a crowded dance floor, waving glow sticks in time with the thumping music. The thought came unbidden to him mind, of his other, breaking free from his control, plowing through the thick throng of people ripping people¡¯s arms and legs from shattered torsos. Spattering black blood on the walls as it ran down in rivulets amidst orange and green lights.


    A shoulder collided with his. ¡°You alright, pal? This is no time to fall asleep.¡±


    William shook his head to clear it. ¡°No, I¡¯m good. Sorry just started thinking... about something.¡±


    ¡°Well, put your game face on, the party¡¯s right in front of us,¡± Ryan said as he nodded to the building in front of them.


    The image that met William was exactly what he had imagined the building to have looked like. Industrial poles were running along the height of the brick building¡¯s outer facade. The double door entrance to the place, on the corner, was awash of bodies, some trying to get in, other¡¯s buying beer or alcohol, others on phones yelling, so as to be heard by whoever was on the other end.

 Book 4 Chapter 18d

    The music that was disgorged from the building plowed outward in an unseen maelstrom of sound. The bizarre thumps were off beat but still, somehow, found their own rhythm in the garbled mass of clashing instruments and synthesized wavelengths. The sound pulsed through him even though he was still across the street and somehow that made him very aware of just how good his hearing was and how poor everyone else¡¯s may have been.


    The mass of people was not as different as he had thought. For the most part the men were well dressed in slacks and shirts, some even wore ties. The women wore an array of cocktail dresses, skirts, or tight jeans, their shirts were of every cut and style he could imagine. But for the most part, the people wore the fashions of those who had money. This threw into stark relief the fact that he had none.


    Ryan and Efraim continued toward the building without the slightest pause, and Pepromene was right behind them just as if she had as much right to be there as anybody walking around on two legs. William looked up at the three-story high building, braced himself against the thunderous ¡°music¡± and quickly followed.


    ¡°Uh, yeah¡­you can¡¯t bring a dog in here; it¡¯s against the house rules.¡± Said a fairly attractive woman holding a clipboard and cell phone at the door.


    Ryan simply lifted his head and looked around strangely. William arched an eyebrow at the display; what is he doing?


    Efraim stepped up to the girl with the clipboard. ¡°Look Miss, I uh¡­¡± Efraim spoke with a pronounced accent. His Israeli accent could be really thick, when he wanted it to be. ¡°See, my friend, from here, he invited me all the way from Ashdod, my home, he said ¡®come my friend you must see this amazing place my friends told me about. I want to take you out for a good time.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I get that. The dog still can¡¯t go in.¡±


    ¡°But you must understand, my friend Mr. Yamamoto, is now newly blinded. He got in a car accident and¡­he will never be able to see your fine night club¡­I¡­I wanted to keep my promise and be here with him tonight. He can¡¯t go anywhere without his seeing eye dog, Carrie.¡± Efraim gave the woman a pleading look. ¡°Please you mustn¡¯t turn us away. Besides¡­isn¡¯t there laws in your country against discrimination of people with¡­troubled uhhh¡­have the handy capped, yes?¡±


    William saw just a glimmer of sympathy in her eyes and then he watched it turn to fear. ¡°What do you mean discrimination? I haven¡¯t discriminated against anybody! I¡¯m just doing my job!¡±


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    Efraim nodded. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure you are and I appreciate your position in all this but I am well versed in California state penal code 578 section 5c paragraph 2; ¡®No business shall place undue stress or restriction on any individual for a naturally or artificially caused physical or emotional impediment. Under such restriction if found guilty in a court of law or mandated committee that place of business shall be closed down for a time not to exceed One hundred and eighty days, and pay out damages to party equal to the judges or committee discretion.¡±


    The girl looked like a scared child trying to stand up to her parents after being disciplined. She licked her glossy lips. ¡°Wait¡­, hey¡­ I¡­I never tried to put any stress on your friend, look I¡¯m just doing my job, I can¡¯t go without being paid for six months. Please, I have bills¡­and¡­¡±


    ¡°I understand, please I just wish to see the club with my newly blinded friend. We will just sit in a dark corner in the back of the building and relax to good music and drinks, yes? We won¡¯t bother anyone and no one will even know we are here.¡±


    The girl looked sick. ¡°Yes, ok fine, just please don¡¯t say anything to anybody, ok? Go in have a great time. And if anybody asks, I didn¡¯t let you in.¡± Efraim nodded in agreement and led Pepromene, Ryan, and William into the dark swelling tide of people.


    William was blasted by the harmonics that flooded outward from the heart of the building. They were strong enough to knock him dizzy. The world seemed to rock underfoot, like a vessel out at sea. He was tossed, and brushed up against, and moved along a narrow eddy that was created in the tides by the two men and wolf in front of him.


    The place had a super high ceiling. He craned his neck to look out and around over the crowd. There was a nice-looking metal staircase jutting out from the brick wall that led to two other levels up above the ground floor. The third floor was cut off by a velvet rope and two pretty big guys in black and white suits. He knew they weren¡¯t there just for looks. There was something worth protecting up there. He wondered if he was going to find out.


    ¡°So,¡± William had to practically scream to be heard over the music, ¡°EFRAIM, HOW DO YOU KNOW SO MUCH ABOUT THE CALIFORNIA STATE PENAL CODE?¡±


    The Enforcer just looked over his shoulder at him and yelled into his ear, ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about the crazy laws of this state, but I do know what sounds good.¡± He smiled thinly at William and he turned around and continued to lead the small group into the dark back recesses of the club.


    The four found a leather sofa in a smaller room off to the side of the main dance floor. Pepromene lay down between it and the wall. The music was somewhat muted here, and they were able to talk normally.


    ¡°That was easier than it should have been and now we have work to do.¡± Efraim looked at the other two men. ¡°Did you two notice the stairs and the muscle at the third floor?¡± William and Ryan nodded. ¡°You two will need to get up there when Pepromene and I start the show.¡±


    William was well aware of what Efraim meant. He needed to get past those two guys in the monkey suits and take whatever they could find before whatever Efraim was planning destroyed the whole building.


    ¡°Where are you going to be?¡± asked Ryan.

 Book 4 Chapter 18e

    Efraim looked around the room and nodded to himself. ¡°This is where we start. I¡¯ll short out on of the electrical outlets and start a small fire in the corner; the room should go up fast after that. Pepromene will be in that doorway,¡± he said pointing to the doorway they just came through. ¡°Barking and snarling to start clearing out the building.¡± He paused, ¡°Once that happens, I don¡¯t know how much time you¡¯ll have. I hope you can escape to the roof and take care of yourselves from there, if not you¡¯ll have to go through the front doors, hopefully this place will be a raging inferno by then.¡± He offered his hand to them, ¡°Good luck.¡± William shook his former teacher¡¯s hand and stood as Ryan did.


    William and Ryan pushed their way through the crowd to the dance floor, edging their way as close to the staircase as possible. The overwhelming scent of sweat, perfume, cologne, and some other smells which he found repulsive, were washing over him.


    They pushed to the outside of the crowd and started march dancing to the music. The people around them ignored them for the most part, but there was one or two glances shot Ryan¡¯s way. William was ok with that; he was just a white boy who couldn¡¯t dance and had no fashion sense.


    Then he heard muffled growls and a few barks from the other side of the club. William looked out over the crowd in that direction, the people nearest him didn¡¯t seem to notice it yet. Efraim came out onto the dance area yelling and waving his hands around like he was crazy. That got people moving and soon the sea of dancers and club goers were surging out from the back corner room toward the front entrance. William could see tendrils of smoke quickly turn to billows of black, flowing up into the dance room as orange flames licked the walls. William waited another minute for the panic to fully take hold.


    When the surge turned into a human tidal wave, William and Ryan took the opportunity to burst out of the throng and up the staircase. He looked up and two guys were talking into hand mics and head pieces. It didn¡¯t take them long to spot the two men running up the stairs towards them.


    They held out their arms. ¡°Alright you two you can¡¯t come up here; exit towards¡­¡±


    William grabbed an outstretched hand, twisted the arm around and shoved his shoulder into the guy, pushing him off the third-floor landing. The man fell with a flat thud to the dance floor.


    This added screams from the club goers below and a full-on panic to get out of the building ensued, causing a rush of people to move faster towards the exits.


    Ryan stood over the man he had just dropped. He leaned over the edge of the staircase and looked down at the dead body guard. ¡°Jesus, William have you ever heard of restraint?¡±


    ¡°It was the only thing I could think of?¡± He offered weakly. He tried not to think about children without a father coming home anymore. It had happened so fast. William¡¯s eyes drifted over to his hand that was still outstretched towards the dead body. He had tried to stop him from falling, to catch him, or at least he thought he had, didn¡¯t he? He had been too slow and gravity had been too strong. A half second was all he¡¯d needed, just a half second. A half second that he would never get back.


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    Ryan was already halfway down the hallway leading away from the staircase. ¡°William now is not the¡­GET DOWN!¡±


    William felt a huge, thick, brick like object collide with his head. He found himself looking back and up toward the ceiling; his legs were awkwardly sprawled over his head as he tried to untwist himself on the floor. Ryan ran over to him and helped him up. Then he let him go. ¡°This just got a whole lot more interesting.¡±


    He looked over at the staircase and watched as the second bouncer joined the first one who had clubbed him in the head. The one that William had watched fall three stories appeared to be just fine and was sharing a glance with his partner. There was no way a normal human could have survived that fall. Then William saw the reason why he wasn¡¯t dead, as the two smiled at them, and closed the distance. They were vampires, how he had missed the smell and stink of blood them in the first place was a question for later.


    Ryan said nothing and William watched as he shifted into werewolf form and charged straight at them. The vampires hesitated only a half step before meeting the oncoming werewolf. Ryan crunched into them and brought one of them to the ground with the force of the impact.


    The vampires moved just as fast as the ones that assaulted Ansuya that night on the roof of the archive building. As soon as Ryan had one on the ground, he was back on his feet, dishing out a blur of punches.


    William shook himself free of his temporary paralysis and shifted forms. He stalked toward the three-man scrum. With a little effort he was able to grab one of the vampires and hoisted him up onto his shoulders. He threw himself backward and with a crushing force and sound, collided with the floor of the hallway, letting the vampire take the full force of the impact.


    He rolled back and hopped to his feet just in time to receive a tackle from the vampire that he had just dropped. The vampire lifted him up and slammed him into the hallway wall, revealing the stone and concrete underneath. William blinked the stars away from his eyes, and then his torso exploded as the vampire speared him with a strong shoulder charge.


    William had been in a fight like this one before, only that time he had no idea what he was and his opponent was much braver than the one he faced now. The size difference hadn¡¯t fazed the Old Gray in the slightest. As far as the wolf was concerned, he saw a threat to his pack and he would have died for his cause. Would this vampire die for his?


    William launched himself away from the wall. He grabbed the vampire by the waist and served him a pile driver as hard as he could. He grabbed the vamp¡¯s legs and arm and swung him around like a child and crushed his head into the wall, into the same indent that William had left.


    The vampire went limp for a moment, and then dropped to his knees, shaking his head and holding his left wrist. William didn¡¯t give him any more time. He grabbed the vampire by the neck and squeezed, lifting him off the floor.


    Instead of gasping and struggling, the vampire silently laughed at him. William let the rage boil in him and his claws drew tighter around the vampire¡¯s wind pipe. The vampire just hung there, silently laughing, swaying gently with William exertions to keep the man off the floor. William threw him off to the side in disgust.

 Book 4 Chapter 18f

    Realizing his mistake, he turned to catch a fire extinguisher ricochet off his shoulder and graze his cheek and eye. The vampire was a good height, six foot four, or six foot five but William had the height and weight advantage, and he suspected strength as well.


    He ripped the fire extinguisher out of the vampire¡¯s hands and tossed it out over the staircase into the rapidly growing orange lights of the fire below. Tendrils of smoke were beginning to fog his sight and fill his lungs. Not enough to stop him, though.


    The vampire attacked again with rapid punches and he was able to match the vampire mostly, he got a few punches in but nothing serious. William caught one fist of the vampire, then the other. William wrenched the vampire¡¯s wrists up at a sickening angle as he squeezed the bones. He felt them crack and splinter under the force of his grip and he pressed harder. The wrist bones of his opponent ground into one another; slivered pieces of bone shot up through the skin and into his own hand, but he didn¡¯t care. The look of pain and panic on the vampire¡¯s face was priceless.


    He maneuvered the vampire into a low guard wall and threw the vampire out into space. He watched as the guy flew end over end, toward the bright warm orange glow of the fire that was consuming just about everything it touched. The thing disappeared in a billowing column of black smoke. William heard a crash, but it was softer than what he was expecting. If anything he knew about vampires was true he knew that the guy would probably survive. He hoped they would meet each other again. He hated leaving jobs unfinished.


    He turned around to see Ryan standing over the body of the vampire he had fought. His light brown fur was highlighted by the orange glow of the fire. The vampire¡¯s head had been ripped to the side and was barely attached to its neck by visible lines of muscle and tendons. When Ryan turned toward him there was a swath of deep black ichor over his muzzle.


    Ryan didn¡¯t wait to explain or question, he moved quickly to the door at the back of the hall. As he moved William saw dark shapes come up the stairs and into the hallway, their shadows danced ahead of them. Ghastly apparitions that made William¡¯s body tense and screamed danger to his mind.


    As the shadow forms made their way to him, they materialized into that of Efraim, still in human form, and Pepromene in werewolf form. William relaxed and then jerked around, startled, as the wrenching and screaming of twisting metal rang out through the silence behind him. He turned in time to see Ryan throw aside a thick metal door and step through the gaping hole it made. Caught in the wake of Efraim and Pepromene he followed the other werewolves through it.


    ¡°Ah, so you did bring others with you.¡± William saw the speaker and came to a surprised halt, but it was the number of people here that really gave him pause. The man who spoke was sitting calmly behind a massive wooden desk. There was a flat computer screen off to one side and the leather of a high-backed chair could be seen above his well-groomed brown hair. There were six others in the room, lounging on sofas with arms and legs flung over armrests or leaning casually along the walls. They seemed to be unperturbed at the commotion and their presence. What had they just walked into?


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    ¡°I¡¯m relieved, actually. I was rather worried that the guards had been so inept that we had a made a mistake making them vampires in the first place. I¡¯m glad to see that at least that last part is untrue.¡± The vampire smiled thinly at his own words.


    There were three males and three females throughout the spacious office. The room felt more like a billiard hall than anything else. The females were wearing appropriately revealing outfits for the club atmosphere, but the males were dressed in casual business attire. There was an air of wealth and style about them, even though the women showed a lot of skin, they carried a kind of dignity about them that he hadn¡¯t seen from any of the club patrons earlier.


    His eyes were drawn back to man behind the desk. ¡°My name is Brian, Brian Kemp. I¡¯ll be killing you now.¡±


    With that the chair behind the desk was empty and a hand was quickly tightening around William¡¯s throat. He felt himself being lifted off the ground by one of the women. Her petite frame seemed incapable of lifting anything, much less his massive frame. Her eyes gleamed in the soft light of the office as the orange glow from outside steadily grew, throwing her pale features into a blur of white and hues of orange and red. She smiled up at him, her enlarged canines visible over blood red lips.


    William kicked his legs up and around her arm and, using that as leverage, arched his back and jerked his whole weight over the woman¡¯s arm. The sudden maneuver broke the girls grasp and William hit the ground, rolled and popped to his feet, only to be grabbed from behind by another set of arms. These were much thicker and the grip was harsher. He immediately threw his head back and felt the impact. The sound of the hit was quickly followed by a muffled cry of pain and he was free.


    He looked around the room and found that it was a blur of chaos. Chairs exploded as vampires and werewolves danced. One or two hit the ground, only to be gone the next instant. William saw one of the vampires standing completely still for some reason. His eyes rolled like a frightened horse as Pepromene charged and clothes lined him into the wall. The wall gave a little, but not much, and the vampire fell to his knees; the wall bore his full body indent. Within the next second he was on his feet exchanging blows with the female werewolf.


    He didn¡¯t have time to study the scene further. The female vampire who had initially attacked him was moving towards him with a purpose. William turned and grabbed the reeling vampire who had attacked him. William¡¯s claws ripped at his clothes as he hurled him toward the advancing female. Both vampires flew backwards and crashed into the heavy oak desk. A half a second later they were both back on their feet and moving toward him with sickeningly fluid electrified movements. He stood there watching their perfectly synced movements as they advanced on him. Their two bodies were hypnotic and he couldn¡¯t tear his eyes away from their graceful forms. His feet were rooted to the ground and his body would not respond even though he was straining to move away.

 Book 4 Chapter 19a

    A chair exploded into the side of the female and she stumbled. The spell was broken and William was free to dodge to the side as a vicious punch to his face closely missed its mark. He glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw Ryan touch his forehead in salute to him before he turned his attention back to his attacker.


    William launched himself at the male in front of him. His claws led and they sunk deep into the vampire¡¯s chest. Black ichor ran out onto his claws and William felt a part of him howl in victory and another part of him cry out in terror. The vampire looked at him, gasping and trying to stand up, fighting the convulsions that now wracked his body. William¡¯s mind recoiled at the horror of the dying man but something inside him needed to finish it. Against his will his claws closed of their own accord and ripped itself free of the vampire¡¯s chest. His claws were black with the thing¡¯s blood and filled with the tangled innards of his victim. Part of its heart was in his gasp as well.


    The vampire collapsed against him and slumped to the floor. William dropped the innards and franticly tried to wipe the blood from his claws. The room was filled with an inhuman scream of rage and everything seemed to stop. Except for the explosive concussive force of a female body crashing into William¡¯s gut and hurling him back out of the office into the hallway.


    William noticed how much darker it had gotten out here. The smoke was billowing around him and filling the hallway with a surreal hazy texture, like a dream. The orange and red light of the fire was diminished as the club filled more with smoke than flame. He could barely make out the neon green exit sign at the end of the hallway.


    He didn¡¯t have time to see anything else. The girl shot out of the office and shoulder charged him again. William was once again knocked back by the sheer force of the collision. The girl was in a pure rage. William was very familiar with it. Her eyes were locked on him and so full of hate there was no room for any remorse or fear.


    The girl flew into a whirlwind of punches, jabs, and kicks aimed at face and body. Even in werewolf form he had a hard time seeing where the punches were coming from and where they were aimed. He was a heavy weight fighter going against a flyweight fighter with no fear of death. She was a blur of motion and more and more of her strikes were landing.


    William knew he couldn¡¯t last much longer against the barrage and covering himself he threw himself backward into a summersault and came up on his feet. The move gave him a little distance and caused his opponent to stall for the tiniest fraction of a second. William didn¡¯t waste the opportunity. He lunged forward with a shoulder charge of his own and sent her careening into the wall behind her. William¡¯s claw shot out, catching her by the throat and lifted her petite frame off the floor as she had done to him. He squeezed hard, crushing her neck under his grip and threw her out into open space to disappear into the smoke and fire of the ruined club.


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    He rushed back into the office only to find a room full of blood and bodies and two men and a werewolf throwing open drawers and cabinets. He hesitated for a moment, trying to comprehend the banality by which these people had killed and then proceeded with their original task. He caught Efraim¡¯s attention, who nodded his head at an unopened filing cabinet behind him.


    William was only able to turn and numbly open a drawer. The files were hard to read. His mind couldn¡¯t seem to get past the harsh smell of blood and the smears of black ichor on the wall, pooling under the bodies strewn about the room. He was drawn to his own claw, still heavily caked with drying blood and bits of entrails that he had relived the vampire of. He barely suppressed the wild laughter that desperately wanted to escape his lips. All that time in his forest and the days spent with Ares he had lived in fear of his rage, his other, turning him into some unrecognizable monster. He had managed to become a monster just fine on his own. The scream that filled the quiet office stopped all movement and startled even him. What was even more startling was the realization that the scream was his own.


    Suddenly he felt the world spin and his gut exploded in pain. Stars danced around his vision as he found himself staring into the werewolf form of Efraim. He held William by the shoulder with one hand and the other he kept buried in William¡¯s abdomen. This, of course, ended William¡¯s scream and caused him to have a coughing fit, instead.


    Efraim looked pointedly down at William¡¯s blood caked claw and returned his gaze to meet the young Shape shifter¡¯s eyes. ¡°What the hell is the matter with you?¡±


    He was caught off guard by the directness and simplicity of the question. What was wrong with HIM?!!! What wasn¡¯t wrong at this point? He had never dreamed of doing what he had done in only a few minutes. He had attached and hurt a girl and he had killed someone. He killed another human being. What was right with him would be a better question.


    ¡°I¡­I¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t speak. Instead, he looked down at his outstretched claw, red and sticky with blood and bits of flesh.


    Efraim grabbed William¡¯s arm below his claw and shoved it into his face. ¡°Is this what you¡¯re worried about?¡± Efraim grabbed William by the back of the neck and yanked him forward to look around at the carnage that used to be a club office. ¡°You think these are people?!¡± Efraim let go of him and grabbed a nearby corpse, a woman, who¡¯s right arm was nowhere to be found. Efraim forced the mouth of the dead girl open and shoved it in William¡¯s face. William could see the elongated canines of the vampire. As he watched, his werewolf sight was able to watch the almost imperceptible shortening of the girls¡¯ fangs. In another ten minutes they would return to a normal human length.

 Book 4 Chapter 19b

    ¡°These are the monsters here, William. These are the demons that feed on the youth and vitality of the human race.¡± Efraim let go of the girl and shifted back to his human form. ¡°What do you think this place is?¡± William had no answer. ¡°This place is a feeding ground for them. The vampires have places like this set up all over the city, right under the human¡¯s noses. People flock to these places, especially now in this age of free sex and instant gratification. They have no idea that they are just cattle and lambs, except they don¡¯t need to be led, they come here of their own free will to be slaughtered!¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have time for that right now Efraim,¡± Pepromene said over her shoulder. ¡°The humans don¡¯t know any better and now is not the time for another one of your, ¡®America is a Godless country,¡¯ rants.¡±


    ¡°IF this country had some humility in God maybe we wouldn¡¯t need to attack and burn places like this.¡± Efraim shot back with some venom in his voice.


    ¡°America is where it is right now because of WHAT America is,¡± Ryan said as he turned away from a filing cabinet. ¡°America hasn¡¯t had to fight for its survival in a long time; this breeds complacency and a sense of invincibility. These people don¡¯t know what it¡¯s like to live in fear every day of being invaded or attacked by a neighboring country. Not everyone has lost family in the name of God and religious beliefs. May, Israel live on.¡± He turned back toward the files he had been sorting through.


    Efraim looked as if he wanted to say something more but didn¡¯t. It seemed to William that this group had had conversations like this before and he had just walked into an argument that was several years old. William watched as Efraim glanced at his pack mates once and went back to the stack of files and papers on the desk.


    William regarded his bloody claw and shifted back to human form. The blood was still there. He didn¡¯t know if he expected it to be gone or not, but seeing it now against his white skin just made it darker and more real. He wanted to wash himself off. He felt dirty, he needed a shower.


    The smoke from inside the club was now ballooning into the open door of the office. The light from the fire itself was dimming which was a bad sign. Any moment the lights would go completely out and then they would have to rely on emergency lights or memory to get to the exit. Luckily it was right down the hall from the office door.


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    William turned to open the filing cabinet next to him. The smoke was getting worse and his eyes were starting to water. The overhead fluorescent lights started to flicker. He rifled through the name tabs on the files as fast as her could.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got it. Let¡¯s move!,¡± Ryan¡¯s voice rang out behind him.


    William slammed the cabinet drawer shut as the group filed out of the office into the thick smoke of the hallway. The three men dropped to their hands and knees and followed after Pepromene, who had shifted back to her natural wolf form.


    The four of them made their way down the dark smoky hallway. William could barely see Efraim who was right in front of him. The smoke swirled and moved around them, darkening by the moment. William thoughts were bombarded with images of the fire licking up the walls and eating the hallway out from under them, he saw himself falling three stories to be lost in a sea of fire, burning to death.


    Suddenly something moved in front of him and the smoke began swirling past him. It didn¡¯t make breathing any easier but the rush of heat around him escaping ahead of him made him feel better. A few moments more of crawling and he was outside on a steel grating fire escape. He coughed and hacked a little. He had inhaled a lot of smoke but having fresh air filling his lung once again only made him cough harder.


    After a few moments Efraim grabbed William¡¯s shoulder and they all made their way down the fire escape. Pepromene led the way as the three men followed her down the final stairway into an alley around the back side of the club.


    The front of the building was surrounded by people as they watched the orange and red flames lick up toward the sky. The building threw a huge pillar of black smoke into the sky. People were so busy looking up at the building and playing with various phones and other things that the four of them passed down the street almost invisible next to the carnage that they left behind.


    They cut across four blocks of the city as the roar of fire engines and police squad cars sped past them toward the scene of the fire. They kept their heads down and walked at a leisurely pace. William watched as Ryan lifted his head up to inhale deeply the cool night air of the city. How he was able to ignore the smell of this place, even after the smoke of the fire they just escaped, was beyond his understanding.


    Finally, Efraim asked, ¡°So what did you find, Ryan?¡±


    Ryan smiled and withdrew a stack of invoices and receipts from his pants pocket. ¡°I only found a stack of invoices that has a whole chain of names and addresses, a pretty good place to start looking for this Kenneth character. Oh, and one even has his name on it as the signing official, though there¡¯s not anything else on it except his name. Just a delivery invoice I¡¯m afraid.¡±


    Efraim grabbed the stack of paper from his hands and scanned through the receipts. ¡°There¡¯s not even a last name on the invoice just a signed name, ¡®Kenneth¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Oh, forgive me. Next time I see the man sign his name I¡¯ll make sure he puts his last name on it,¡± Ryan shot back.

 Book 4 Chapter 19c

    ¡°Will you guys knock it off?!,¡± William said out loud, surprising himself with the sudden outburst. The two men simultaneously turned toward the younger man. William felt very self-conscious all of a sudden and he wished that he hadn¡¯t said anything. But you can¡¯t put the cookie together once it crumbles, he thought. ¡°I mean¡­look, we got what we came for right? We have documents connecting Kenneth with this particular club and we have other invoices and receipts that we can use to possibly trace back to him. We have a lot more than we did when you guys came to pick me up earlier, don¡¯t we?¡±


    Pepromene let out a short soft bark in agreement. Efraim glanced down at the wolf and back at William and then back at Ryan. ¡°It¡¯s a start anyway.¡± He held out his hand, ¡°Good work Ryan.¡±


    The Scout took the other man¡¯s hand and shook it. ¡°You weren¡¯t too bad yourself in there¡­for an old man.¡± He said the last part with a smile.


    Efraim returned the smile, ¡°This ¡®old man¡¯ could still kick your ass, Ryan. Don¡¯t make me embarrass you in front of the pup.¡±


    William wasn¡¯t entirely sure why Efraim was still calling him a pup. Then again, he had totally freaked out over killing a vampire and the blood was still heavy on his hand. He needed to wash it. With a hasty, ¡°I have to go.¡± He stepped into a side coffee shop that was still open and hurried to the back of the restroom.


    He locked the door and breathed. He inhaled slowly through his nose and out his mouth. He looked around the place. It was a simple one room bathroom with a toilet and urinal. The sink was clean and the mirror had a few scratches. There was some graffiti on the walls here and there.


    William made his way to the sink and let the water run over his hands. Looking in the mirror he had some blood splattered there too. It was only a few flecks but enough to start questioning himself on who may have seen it.


    He grabbed the soap and scrubbed his hands. He rinsed and grabbed some more soap. He scrubbed his hands and thrust them under the water again. He grabbed the soap and scrubbed his hands. He was clawing his own skin but the blood wouldn¡¯t come off. He had never felt this way about killing a deer or any other animal for that matter, and he had killed many of those over the past two years in his forest and under the mountain. He was ashamed of himself for not being able to handle this better. But he could still see the blood. He tried telling himself that they were monsters. He tried to rationalize how many people he had saved by killing that one guy.


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    He would be dead if he hadn¡¯t done it. And suddenly he recalled what Huan Li had told him a lifetime ago. ¡®Those weakling half demons are the least of your worries.¡¯ What had the Elder meant by that? He was better than this. This was a war and he had taken his first kill, he knew it wouldn¡¯t be his last. There was something greater out there; he had seen it in himself and in the Whyte Plane. He had killed one or two of those Shadows, those who used to be Shape shifters, now corrupted by that place, doomed to feed on his kind and who knows what else. The vampire was an armed combatant and an enemy soldier on the battlefield.


    It was time he started acting like an Enforcer. One day, his pack may rely on him to protect them. He couldn¡¯t afford to feel pity for those parasites. They were a poison that needed to be purged. He straightened and dried his hands. He used the wet paper towel to scrape away the few flecks of blood on his face. He knew what he was.


    William came out of the bathroom with a renewed sense of purpose. Never again would he shy away from a fight. He was no monster. His other held no control over him. His mind was silent and calm. He felt a weight lift from his shoulders.


    He strolled out of the coffee shop and rejoined the group who was waiting for him. Pepromene tilted her head at the way William walked up to meet them. He gave the wolf a small smile of reassurance.


    ¡°Should we go see about helping the other group?¡± William asked nonchalantly.


    The two guys shared a glance. Efraim replied, ¡°No, their mission should have taken only a little longer than ours did. If we try to get over there now, chances are we¡¯d just run into police and firefighters, or more vampires. Lethe will get them out safe; we¡¯d just be getting in the way at this point.¡±


    William nodded and continued following the three. His hand still felt a little sticky, as if blood was still there but he tried not to let it bother him. It was different from deer blood and that alone was a little unsettling, but his revulsion had gone. Knowing that he would have to kill again, and keep on killing was never something he had ever imagined for himself. But if Efraim and the Elders were right, and he had no reason not to believe them, then he knew he was doing the right thing. And if killing these monsters gave them peace and freedom from the thirst that he only knew from movies and books, then he knew, no matter how distasteful it might be, he would keep doing the right thing, again, and again, and again.


    The group didn¡¯t wait for the others to rejoin them. Instead, Pepromene led them straight back to the park and the copse of trees. There they entered the Whyte Plain.


    The unseen distances were covered in that now familiar white hazy mist that hung to the ground and gave the place a dream like quality. They moved through the mist. The three men shifted into werewolf form and followed the Sage deeper into the Plain.


    They moved with a grace and silence that belied their impressive size. The natural born wolf who led them was confident and wary of every shift in the mist around them. The whiteness giving way to darkness as you looked farther and farther out into the barren expanse.

 Book 4 Chapter 19d

    William scanned his right and hoped that this trip would be like the last few trips here. Then the darkness itself moved and William knew that this was not to be a quiet walk.


    He grabbed Efraim who was walking in front of him and the older Enforcer turned to see where William indicated. The four stopped and gazed at the shadows dancing and moving with the mist. There was a graceful, smoky harmony to how the darkness met and swirled around the white mist. It was almost beautiful¡­hypnotic.


    William felt his shoulder jerk and he was almost pulled off his feet as Efraim shouted, ¡°RUN!¡±


    He was in no position to argue. He dropped down onto all fours and ran, tightly trailing Efraim¡¯s tail as it moved from left to right in time with his four legged strides. William glanced behind him and he could now make out the Shadows as they had given up all pretense of subterfuge. There were at least a dozen of them. They were mobbing each other trying to get to them. William looked ahead and forced his legs and forearms to carry him faster through the Plain.


    Suddenly, Efraim made a sharp left-hand turn and William had to scratch and claw at the smooth ground beneath him to match the maneuver. William looked to his right and saw another group of Shadows bearing down on them. They were four werewolves, hopelessly outnumbered and running for their lives. He hoped that Pepromene knew where she was going. The only thing he could do was force his body to run faster as the three older werewolves darted ahead through the mist.


    The Shadows were relentless in their pursuit. William felt the temperature around him drop and he knew that even at their pack enhanced speed they couldn¡¯t stay ahead of them forever. The darkness that they brought with them was starting to encroach on his peripheral vision and like an approaching storm, the white turned grey, darkening by the stride.


    William was sweating despite the chill in the air. The sweat dried almost instantly on his skin and fur. The Shadows were close. The dark tendrils that they sent after them were sliding along his legs caressing him, urging him to slow down his hectic pace. The touch was death but there was a comfort in it. The thought of rest and surrender invaded his mind. The thought to give up fighting, to lie down, that the world could go on without him. These thoughts infested his mind like a virus and even though he knew not to believe them, he felt his body slow down.


    There was so much he was expected to do, so many people that he just didn¡¯t want to care for. He had gone to his forest to leave all those people behind, to be his own person. The chill of the touch soothed his hot skin and wrapped around his legs and chest. The touch instantly took away the burning feeling in his lungs. This war wasn¡¯t his. Aceso had brought him to the Mountain, he hadn¡¯t brought himself.


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    But then that was the point, wasn¡¯t it? His mind lashed out at the false comfort that the soothing touch offered. Aceso had sacrificed to bring him to the Mountain. Ares could have died if he had been wrong about him. Was he truly ready to throw all that trust away? He had overcome his demons once. Aceso had risked her life pulling him from this place once before, there wouldn¡¯t be a need for anyone to risk their lives for him again.


    He pushed off with his hind legs to his original speed, and pushed himself even harder. The Shadows wailed loudly behind him. He couldn¡¯t keep a smile from his face. Anything he could do to upset those creatures was a win in his book. The tendrils remained wrapped around him. Their formless shapes clung to him like smoke. He used the chill in their touch to fuel his body and force even more speed from his limbs.


    The Whyte Plain stretched out forever on in its vast emptiness. He felt a renewed vigor in his stride and he caught up with the others. The Shadows were still closing the distance between them, little by little. He didn¡¯t dare turn around to look but the chill in the air that they brought with them was getting colder. The hairs on the back of his neck were on end and his ears were buzzing with their unintelligible noise.


    He drew strength from his pack bond. He felt Aceso and Katherine and Charles all ahead of him, getting closer. It was like a light at the end of the tunnel, a beacon to guide his steps. He didn¡¯t know how to get out of this place but he knew that they were close to the Mountain.


    And then the world appeared, roaring through the mist with its scents, color, and gravity.


    He skidded to a halt on an obsidian street of the City under the Mountain. The other three Shape Shifters were standing up on their hind legs, smiling to each other. William stood as well and shifted back to human form as Efraim and Ryan did the same. Pepromene stayed in her werewolf form and sighed deeply.


    ¡°That was a lot closer than I would have liked,¡± she said.


    Ryan and Efraim both nodded. ¡°For a moment I almost thought we weren¡¯t going to make it,¡± Efraim said.


    William looked around at the familiar buildings around him.


    Home.


    It was odd that that word came so readily to his mind when he thought about this place. Had his forest seemed like home so soon after his arrival? His forest had made him a lot tougher than he had ever been. He had to be just as tough as the wolves that lived there. The forest, he now realized, was never really his home, just a training ground. His pack and the Old Grey were his trainers. Everything he had done was to prepare him for what he was now expected to do. This place was his home, it may always have been.


    He turned to Pepromene with urgency. ¡°I need to learn about the Whyte Plain. Where the entrances are, how to open them, what that place is¡­everything.¡±


    Pepromene shared a glance with Efraim and Ryan. ¡°William you may not be ready¡­¡±


    ¡°The hell I am!¡± William¡¯s outburst engendered startled looks all around. He took a deep breath and regarded the floor for a moment, gathering his thoughts.

 Book 4 Chapter 19e

    He looked up and met her in the eye. ¡°Look, Nickolas and I were trapped in a city with no escape because we had no idea how to open a way into the Whyte Plain. I don¡¯t even know how you know where an opening even is! If I¡¯m meant to fight in your war, if I¡¯m meant to protect my pack and fight against those shadows and vampires, these are things that I need to know.¡±


    Pepromene looked over at her pack mates and nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right, William. We may have been overly cautious of you and your pack mates training. You are the youngest of us and the last for some time. This has made us very protective of you, but that in itself has been a disadvantage to you.¡± She turned around back the way the four of them had come. ¡°Do you see anything?¡±


    William looked at the road that stretched out for a block or two and ended abruptly in what looked like a dead end of smooth obsidian black. He had never gotten used to the strange twists and turns the City made. It was a maze that only his experience with it had allowed him to get anywhere. Here was nothing but space and black polished stone.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see anything.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s why you can¡¯t open a way into the Whyte Plain,¡± Efraim said sternly. ¡°You have to see with more than human eyes. Look past what you see and follow what you know.¡±


    William was lost. He looked again at the street ending in a dead end. There was nothing there. He looked past that to an obsidian wall. He looked up and saw the brightly glowing crystals embedded there in the rock ceiling. He looked to each side of the street and the buildings and walls. There was nothing¡­nothing.


    ¡°You know what is there because you passed through it a moment ago,¡± Ryan said patiently. ¡°If the Whyte Plain was so easily seen, don¡¯t you think everyone would know about it? I know this is going to sound clich¨¦, but reach out with more than just your eyes. See beyond what sight alone tells you. Feel what is there in front of you.¡± He smiled encouragingly at the younger man.


    William took a deep breath and closed his eyes. If his eyes wouldn¡¯t tell him what he needed to know maybe some of his other senses might. He listened to the soft noise of the city off in the distance. He could feel the cool air around him; the city was never truly warm or cold. The air moved around him but not wind, just a feeling of circulation that was just beyond still air. The smell of the place was that of stone and earth. The obsidian had a very sterile, worked smell and the ceiling of the cavern was harsh stone. There were so many things for his senses to explore. He had never actually studied this place with all his senses.


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    Then he felt it. A cold hollow place where there was no scent. The place they had exited, the Whyte plain was a huge empty space in the middle of the smells and feel of the city. It was something that raised goose bumps on his skin immediately and even though he wasn¡¯t afraid of that place there was a sense of foreboding coming from that empty hollow part of the city. He opened his eyes.


    ¡°You started to feel it didn¡¯t you?¡± asked Pepromene.


    William nodded, ¡°It was cold, like a dead, hollow thing. But I¡¯ve never felt anything like that while traveling through the Whyte Plain.¡±


    Efraim nodded and Ryan folded his arms across his chest. ¡°The cold you feel is the void between this plane of being and that of the Whyte Plain. To understand why you perceive it as a cold feeling is because your mind and body doesn¡¯t know how else to process the idea of different planes of existence.¡±


    ¡°Whoa, whoa, hang on. You¡¯re telling me that the Whyte Plain is like another dimension? That¡¯s something out of Star Trek.¡± He shook his head and laughed to himself. ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡±


    Efraim stepped up in front of him, ¡°I don¡¯t care what you believe, pup. Just know that what Ryan said is true, more or less.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what do you mean more or less?¡±


    Pepromene answered, ¡°The Whyte Plain was built by Shape Shifters thousands of years ago. It exists in the space between, as a tangible plane of existence. In layman¡¯s terms think about it like this: picture the Earth and its surface. Then about halfway between the Earths¡¯ crust and its core write in another circle, that¡¯s where the Whyte Plain exists. It was built to allow Shape Shifters to move quickly from place to place in the world. You probably know that at one time it was a beautiful place, filled with light and warmth, Shape shifters met there to discuss their discoveries, to travel and share ideas and experiences. The cold hollow feeling around the entrances now is because of what the Whyte Plain has become, a diseased, festering wound that has been trying to spread out onto this plane of reality.¡±


    ¡°OK, I understand that,¡± William replied. ¡°But how do I open it and get into and out of the Whyte Plain?¡±


    Ryan shook his head. ¡°It¡¯d be too dangerous to go through this opening right now. The Shadows who pursued us are very likely waiting by this place. They are not devoid of sense and any shift in the dimensional rift between the two planes would be felt and they would try to take advantage of that weakness to rip open a hole between the two. If you want to learn how to open the way, we need to find you another entry point.¡±


    Pepromene shook her head. ¡°We have things that need to be done. And we need to report to the Elders on our raid.¡± She nodded at William. ¡°If you want to learn more about the Whyte Plain you should gather your pack and seek proper instruction. We should go.¡± The werewolf led the other two men away, leaving William standing in the middle of the street.


    That was weird. He took a look around the place one last time, feeling out the dead hollow sensation of the Whyte Plain beyond his sight. It was a very unpleasant feeling. That coupled with the creatures that now call the Whyte Plain home he felt dirty even letting that cold sensation touch him. He moved away from the possible opening and directed his senses to find him a way through the labyrinthine City back to his room.

 Book 4 Chapter 20a

    He arrived a short time later, the familiar sounds of the City and the people and animals living in it were a comfort to him. He had been away for a little while and it was good to be back surrounded by the deep polished black obsidian of his room. He reached around and pulled the soft, warm deer furs that covered his bed, around his tired body. It was good to be home.


    ¡°So? What happened?!¡±


    The voice startled him and he threw off the furs and looking around wildly. Katherine and Charles stood just outside his doorway with Aceso in werewolf form standing just behind them.


    He shouldn¡¯t have been startled, he could feel all three of them standing there, and he must have just not been paying attention. ¡°What do you mean, what happened?¡± he said rolling back onto his bed and burying himself in furs.


    The sound of footsteps came straight at his bed. He knew what was coming. What he didn¡¯t expect was his soft furs to be yanked away from him and thrown to the side. ¡°HEY!!¡± He sat up on his bed and saw a very satisfied Katherine smiling down at him.


    ¡°You have been gone for several days, my friend,¡± Charles stated. ¡°What has happened to you in all that time?¡±


    William sat up in his bed looking at his pack mates. Aceso was the only one who hadn¡¯t spoken. She stood in the middle of the room with arms crossed and her gaze fixed directly at him. Her golden eyes shone with curiosity and questions. He wasn¡¯t going to get any rest any time soon. Well, if they wanted the hammer dropped, he thought. ¡°Ansuya was taken.¡±


    Katherine gasped and the smile fell from Charles¡¯ lips. Aceso had a poker face made of carved marble.


    ¡°What do you mean, ¡®taken¡¯,¡± Aceso asked evenly.


    William sighed tiredly and recounted the events of the last few days. His escape from Kenneth and his vampire thugs, his flight from the city with Nicholas, the raid on the night club, everything. When he was done there was silence in his room.


    Aceso finally broke the silence. ¡°So, Kenneth was waiting for you.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a question.


    ¡°It would seem so. I didn¡¯t get a chance to ask him, you know, with the whole running for my life thing,¡± William replied. Charles gave his friend a small smile.


    ¡°So, wait, do the Elders know that Ansuya has been kidnapped?¡± Katherine asked. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we go and tell them?¡±


    ¡°Yes, even though, I¡¯m pretty sure they know roughly where she is. The Elders can probably feel each other the same way we can. Even if thay can¡¯t Efraim and Ryan and Pepromene went to meet with the Elder¡¯s before I came back to my room.¡± William looked around at them. ¡°I know Ansuya can take care of herself, if it was up to me we would be mounting some kind of rescue right now. But there¡¯s a more pressing issue that was brought up to me during my time away from here. We need to learn as much as we can about the Whyte Plain and how to kill those Shadows that live there.¡±


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    ¡°I see that this is something we must do,¡± said Charles. ¡°But, wouldn¡¯t our time be better spent doing other things like searching for Elder Ansuya, or perhaps help Nicholas learn what he has to learn so he can fulfill his purpose as a Scout?¡±


    William looked over at Aceso who was nodding her head. He shook his. ¡°Charles believe me, I want to and I want to agree with you with everything in my being. But hear me out. I learned today that the Whyte Plain isn¡¯t just some infinite space of nothingness. It has a shape and size. With a finite size the inhabitants also must finite in number. Also, if what Katherine told us a while ago was true and from what Pepromene told me today, the Whyte Plain used to be a place to exchange information and discoveries. It won¡¯t do us any good to help Nicholas learn his lost ability, if he even can learn it, if we don¡¯t have a way to get to these unborn Shape shifters before the vampire do.¡±


    The thought sunk in to his pack mate¡¯s heads. ¡°But the Shape shifters here and everywhere else have been fighting to clear the Whyte Plain for a hundred years or more,¡± said Katherine. ¡°What difference do you think we can make when compared to that time frame? We¡¯re not even a whole pack.¡±


    William nodded. ¡°I hear you Katherine, but this City is dying. Who was the last Shape shifter brought here?¡±


    ¡°You,¡± Charles answered.


    William¡¯s face dropped, ¡°No, I wasn¡¯t.¡± He looked his friend in the eye. ¡°Have you forgotten Chelsea already?¡± The three standing around him grew silent.


    ¡°What are you saying, William?¡± asked Aceso.


    William stood and walked to his open doorway. He looked out over the City. ¡°This city can¡¯t keep fighting a double front war. It will eventually destroy everything that has been built here. If Efraim is right, and there really are dozens of night clubs around Los Angeles run by the vampires, then they have an endless supply of recruits and slaves. For every one we kill, they can be replaced by ten, while our own numbers dwindle down to nothing. There had to have been a balance at some point, an equal amount of vampires and Shape shifters. Nature doesn¡¯t know how to work any other way.¡±


    ¡°And that is relevant¡­how?¡± asked Katherine.


    William gave her a sharp look. ¡°What happened to upset that balance?!¡± He took a deep breath and continued, ¡°The Whyte Plain was lost to us and there¡¯s a pretty strong correlation that it caused the Scouts to lose their sight.


    ¡°Yes, my friend, we know this,¡± replied Charles. ¡°What we are asking is how are we, the five of us, going to be any help to a battlefield that has been bloodied and fought on for a hundred years?¡±


    William faced his pack mates, ¡°We don¡¯t have to retake the place by ourselves. But we need to learn, and not be afraid, to use it. Once we can move through the Plain at will, maybe we can get Nicholas and the other Scouts to pool their collective resources and maybe we can jumpstart our¡­recruiting, if you will? If nothing else, maybe we can figure out why there hasn¡¯t been any mass sightings of monsters terrorizing people every full moon.¡±


    Charles blurted out without thinking, ¡°But I was reborn on the crescent moon.¡±


    William laughed and said, ¡°I was making a reference about bad horror movies, not us.¡±

 Book 4 Chapter 20b

    Katherine spoke up just then, ¡°OK, so we have to learn about the Whyte Plain so we can use it to do what exactly? Just kind of hop around the world and hope that we don¡¯t get eaten, or possessed, or whatever those Shadows do to their victims?¡±


    She was not smiling.


    William¡¯s mirth left his face. ¡°No, Katherine¡­listen.¡± He went back and sat down on his bed. ¡°If we want to win against either enemy, the shadows, or the vampires, we have to be able to tilt one war front in our favor. If we can use the Whyte Plain again, we can get to these people or wolves before the vampires do. That, and maybe make our raids against them a little more frequent and a little more effective.¡±


    ¡°What is more important at this point,¡± said Aceso ¡°Is finding out where Ansuya is and to get her out of whatever cage she might be held in?¡±


    The room grew quiet as the thought of one of their own, an Elder, being used by the enemy sank in. If there was an advantage to the vampires it was having an Elder as leverage, or a source of information. Ansuya would never betray the Mountain or the people in it but what about torture? Pain resistance was relative but if given enough time¡­


    ¡°We need to go see the Elders,¡± Charles declared.


    William nodded his agreement. ¡°Jacob, we can talk with him.¡± They all got up and left his room in a file. As he was following Aceso out, Charles asked, ¡°Nicholas, where is he right now?¡±


    He turned around and said, ¡°He¡¯s with Lethe and rest of his pack. They took him on a raid against a Vampire farm. Why?¡±


    Katherine shook her head. ¡°Well, you did mention that Efraim told you that they should be back soon and yet he hasn¡¯t come to see us. Where could he be?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s possible they haven¡¯t returned to the city yet,¡± said Charles.


    ¡°We need to ask about them. If those shadows were as close to you as you said William how will that group get back here if they traveled through the Whyte Plain?¡±


    William nodded. ¡°Ok, but we¡¯re not going to get anything more done sitting around talking about it.¡± He turned and followed Aceso out of the room with Charles and Katherine in tow.


    The four of them made their way deeper into the city, taking the various turns and avoiding the dead ends throughout the place. The Tower loomed a short way from them, but they weren¡¯t going there today. William knew where Jacob lived and directed the group there. The thing that made their steps a little more hurried than usual was the uncertainty about Nicholas. They all felt it. If he had sworn to Aceso like the rest of them had, they would be able to feel where he was and maybe they would be reassured by that feeling. But as it was, it was like losing a younger family member with no cell phone and no clue where they might have gone. William was amazed that he felt this much worry about a guy that infuriated him so easily. It was almost like they were a real family.


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    Aceso led them up to Jacob¡¯s room and asked to enter. Jacob¡¯s voice came from inside the building. ¡°Alpha Aceso and pack, come on in!¡± Jacob sounded his usual cheerful self. The group walked into the room.


    The room was pretty much what William remembered with a few embellishments here and there. Was there always a Manchester United banner neatly tucked behind the wooden dresser?


    Jacob was lounging at his desk with his head rolled back against the seat and his feet squarely on the ground in front of him. He looked up and spun around to face the group. ¡°What do I owe the pleasure of being visited by the City¡¯s newest pack?¡± He said with a wry smile.


    Aceso answered, ¡°Elder, are you aware of Elder Ansuya¡¯s capture?¡±


    Jacob nodded without skipping a beat. ¡°Yes, we are aware of that little development. I understand that both you and Nicholas escaped though?¡± He directed this at William, who nodded. ¡°That¡¯s just as well. Better that one should be captured than three.¡±


    ¡°But she¡¯s an Elder!¡± Katherine exclaimed. ¡°You¡¯re not going to go after her?¡±


    Jacob leaned back in his chair with a surprised, almost shocked look on his face. Katherine hung her head, ashamed at her outburst, her long brown hair partially covering her reddening cheeks.


    ¡°Tell me, William, the man who was leading this group that captured Ansuya, it was this Kenneth? Was it not?¡± Jacob asked.


    William nodded; there had been no mistaking the man they had met in the strip club. The way he dressed, the confident way he carried himself; even his voice had been full of self-assurance. There was no doubt in his mind.


    Jacob stood and looked at Katherine and William in turn, then seemed to look at all of them at once. ¡°I understand your concern. Ansuya is not an Elder because she¡¯s sixty-two years old, or because of her ethnicity, or for any reason other than the fact that she is one of, if not the, most powerful Shape shifter in the City under the Mountain and many others as well. Ansuya knew the risk when she accepted this task, and it is hers to complete.¡± Jacob sat down softly in his chair again. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about Ansuya. She¡¯s held her own against far worse than a few vampires.¡± He breathed a heavy sigh, ¡°Now, is there something else I can do for you?¡±


    The four looked around at each other until three sets of eyes rested on William. He looked back at them for a moment in a battle of silent thoughts but in the end, he lost and shook his head. It was his idea after all. ¡°Jacob, we need to know about the Whyte Plain. How do we use it? How do we open ways into it and how do we get out of it?¡±


    Jacob sat silent for a moment, ¡°The Whyte Plain is a dangerous place. Even Mr. Davis and his pack do not enter it lightly. What makes you think you¡¯re ready to?¡±


    William stood his ground, defiance visible in his stance, ¡°We need to know the battlefield if we are to win the war. That battlefield was taken; I mean to help take it back.¡±

 Book 4 Chapter 20c

    Jacob rested his chin thoughtfully on his fist. ¡°I know the determination I see in you now, reminds me of me when I was your age.¡± William smiled. ¡°There are so many things that have happened and we are spread too thin to deal with even the smallest problems, it seems.¡± Jacob walked over to his dresser. He fingered a black and white photo that William couldn¡¯t make out from around Jacob¡¯s back. After a moment he turned back to face to them, again. ¡°We, the other Elders and I, agreed that your training should be limited due to your youth and inexperience. That is a luxury that we can no longer afford.¡± He shifted his gaze to Aceso. ¡°I will give you the knowledge that you need. This knowledge could kill every single one of you and that will only make our enemies stronger. Do you understand?¡±


    Aceso nodded. Jacob then said in an unsettlingly upbeat tone, ¡°Well, then you have something new to learn. How very exciting.¡± Without another word he strode from the room.


    The four of them looked at each other quizzically. Aceso turned and followed the Elder. William let the others leave ahead of them. He turned back to Jacob¡¯s dresser and saw the black and white photo that had given the Elder pause. The picture was of a group of guys in some kind of uniforms that were not American military. If he had to guess by the helmets, he would say Vietnam era but the differences in style from what he had seen in popular media made it hard to tell. He saw a very young Jacob smiling into the camera with a huge guy standing next to him with some kind of machine gun propped up in between them. For some reason a quote struck him as he was looking down at the smiling young Jacob. There are old pilots, and there are bold pilots, but there are no old, bold pilots.


    Why had that thought come to him looking at the picture? He didn¡¯t have time to worry about it as he turned and hurried out the door after his pack. He caught up with the group as Katherine was asking the obvious question, ¡°¡­is Nicholas? We haven¡¯t heard anything except that he was with Lethe¡¯s pack. Have you heard anything?¡±


    Jacob was walking with purpose. His strides were quick and sure, heading in a definite direction. ¡°No. Efraim, and the rest of the group William was with, made their report of what happened at the club. The invoices are a start and we have made arrangements for some of our contacts to start tracing that information back to their respective sources to maybe get a lead on this Kenneth vampire and find out why he knows so much about us.¡± He glanced behind him toward Aceso and Katherine. ¡°But they had no word on Lethe or the group that was with him.¡±


    Katherine¡¯s continued following in silence. William was sure they were all feeling the same thing. Nicholas was a pain but they didn¡¯t want him hurt, and especially, not dead.


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    The group continued walking. After a very long time, traveling through the city, they found themselves in a very old, outer section, of the city. The buildings were dust covered, and the sharp angles they once boasted had been worn down and rounded by age. The polished stone had deep layers of dust that shifted and moved as they passed by. It felt dead, or dying. The temperature here was no different than in any other part of the city but for some reason William felt cold and fought the urge to rub his arms.


    Jacob didn¡¯t slow down. He continued in his sure strides and followed a side street as it curved around a single-story building. The road opened up to a wide thoroughfare that stretched out farther than he was used to seeing in the city. Jacob walked down the street and William finally saw what he was walking toward.


    A massive black dome crested above the surrounding buildings. The dome was perfectly round and the light from the ceiling crystals reflected off the immaculate surface. He heard Katherine let out a small gasp in wonder. William had never seen anything like it, except in books. The Pantheon of Rome would have looked very much at home next to this structure.


    Jacob didn¡¯t stop to admire the building, or the impressive foyer. He strode through the opening walkway and into the venue. He turned around and waited for the group to catch up with him.


    William walked through and into the huge opening in the middle of the dome. Unlike the Pantheon, there was no opening at the peak of the arch but it was still a very impressive building. Why would the Shape Shifters need a grand hall like this?


    ¡°So, by now you¡¯re all wondering why I dragged all of you all the way out here, into a massive dome in the middle of nowhere.¡± It was a rhetorical question and no one answered. ¡°Really? And here I thought I would have at least some one question my sanity after that long walk.¡± He scratched the back of his head and continued, ¡°Well, this.¡± He held his arms dramatically outstretched. ¡°Is a training hall.¡± He looked for any kind of wonder, or applause, or some reaction from them¡­which he didn¡¯t get. He dropped his arms back down to his sides. ¡°When the Whyte Plain was corrupted, we knew that we needed a place that we could show new Shape shifters how to enter and exit the Whyte Plain safely.¡± He looked pointedly at Aceso. ¡°I understand it was you who made it possible for your pack to enter the Plain the first time.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a question and Aceso¡¯s eyes lowered a fraction.


    Jacob turned to the rest of them. ¡°But this is a skill that you all need to have. You all know what the Whyte Plain is and now it¡¯s time for you to learn how to make use of it.¡±


    Katherine asked, ¡°But what about the Shadows? What if we can¡¯t get back out?¡±


    Jacob smiled. ¡°Got a little ahead of myself.¡± He took on very rigid, scholarly stance, looking at them from a side profile. His voice deepened and became stuffy. ¡°This place was built as a sectioned off portion of the Whyte Plain. A training ground that is completely separate from the rest of the Whyte Plain, and therefore completely safe from the Shadows and their influence.¡± He glanced at them out of one eye, his voice returning to normal. ¡°Any other questions?¡± The group remained silent. ¡°Oh, very well.¡± He turned to face them. ¡°So how much do you know already?¡±

 Book 4 Chapter 20d

    ¡°I know how to find an opening, just don¡¯t know how to pass through,¡± said William.


    Katherine shrugged her shoulders, ¡°I know how to find and enter the Plain.¡± While Charles shook his head.


    ¡°Ok so a bit of a knowledge gap, no worries there. Katherine, for the sake of training, please don¡¯t help the others.¡± Katherine nodded in agreement. Jacob smiled and nodded before turning to William. Looking at the Enforcer he asked, ¡°Would you please tell me where the best place to enter the Whyte Plain is?¡±


    William looked around the place and let his body feel out toward the unseen planar rift. He felt the sickly chill almost immediately. It made his skin crawl a little but he continued searching. Jacob had asked where the best place was, so he slowly walked toward the center of the dome trying to feel where it was the coldest. He did feel a stronger chill off to the right and away from where they were standing. Feeling the rift was becoming easier, but trying to discern a difference in the intensity of the chill was strange. It wasn¡¯t just the chill that wasn¡¯t really there, but something else that he couldn¡¯t hope to describe. He pointed to the spot he had found.


    Jacob gave him a small clap. ¡°Well, that was better than some on their first attempt. Now can you describe how you came to that conclusion?¡±


    William looked at his pack mates. ¡°I just felt around me. The Whyte Plain feels like, well like a chill, but more diseased than that. Like a cold sweat from someone who¡¯s sick. I just felt around for the most intense concentration of that feeling.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an accurate description, though a bit morbid,¡± said Jacob. ¡°But yes. The planar rift between us and the Whyte Plain does feel something akin to what William is talking about. Now, Charles, I want you to try and feel what William is talking about and tell me where the best place to enter the Whyte Plain is.¡±


    William and Charles practiced for a while, with Katherine having quiet conversations with Jacob off to the side. The two younger men spent the time trying to feel the rift between them and the Whyte Plain that was all around them. The sensation was changing a little in William¡¯s mind. It wasn¡¯t like a disease per se; he was starting to feel something else as well. Maybe whatever it was he was feeling was how the Plain felt before it was corrupted.


    ¡°Why is the Plain the way it is now?¡± asked Charles, breaking the silence around them.


    ¡°It was a mistake, made by other Shape shifters,¡± said Jacob with a bit of curtness in his voice.


    ¡°What?¡± Katherine breathed. Even Aceso jerked her head back as if she¡¯d been slapped.


    ¡°Yes, they were trying to help those that had passed into enthrallment of the vampires,¡± said Jacob. ¡°You know that vampires have the ability to influence bats, rats, and other creatures, right?¡± The group nodded. ¡°Well, they can also enthrall wolves.¡± Jacob walked over to a row of stone benches that had been placed along the inside of the curvature of the dome. He sat down heavily and beckoned the rest of them to join him.


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    ¡°A long time ago the area surrounding this mountain was rich with wolves. Aside from the Grizzly and Black bear, wolves were the apex predators. When California was being settled and populated the wolves started to thin out, this is common knowledge, but what isn¡¯t so common knowledge is the fact that the wolves themselves were being turned on each other.¡±


    ¡°By vampires?¡± William asked.


    ¡°More or less,¡± Jacob answered. ¡°See, with a denser wolf population there is a better chance for a richer Shape shifter population. Now, humans did their fair share of wolf hunting, believe me. But vampires also had a lot to do with it.¡± Jacob looked out over the dome and started speaking to no one in particular. ¡°Wolf born werewolves can resist the call of vampires, even before they are reborn as Shape shifters. Imagine being a young wolf in a pack and all of a sudden, the pack starts to veer off from their patrol territories without reason. Your pack mates start attacking humans for no real reason, running head long into other wolves¡¯ territory knowing that it means a fight and death for the intruding wolf.¡± He looked at Aceso. ¡°How would you feel?¡±


    Aceso was quiet for a long time. ¡°Confused, angry and very sad.¡±


    Jacob nodded, ¡°The vampires wanted to cull the population of Shape shifters here so what better way than to kill off the wolf populations before they could produce Shape shifters in the first place. After a while even that wasn¡¯t enough for the vampires.¡± He looked at William. ¡°Vampires began to refine their control over the wolves.


    ¡°What do you mean, refine?¡± William asked.


    Jacob replied, ¡°Instead of just having wolves getting themselves killed, they started to experiment with having wolves attack each other. The vampires would call wolves together to a point in the forest. There they would play games with them. Games designed to see and test their control over wolves. Like seeing just how long they could keep a wolf silent while having two other wolves attack him. Or taking a superior wolf and making him lose a fight and be killed by a much smaller and inexperienced wolf. The experiments were brutal; I guess the vampires considered it entertainment.¡±


    ¡°That is barbaric, by anyone¡¯s standards,¡± Charles said.


    ¡°Quite right. But they also served a greater and darker purpose,¡± Jacob continued. ¡°Up till this time we werewolf Shape shifters have only been able to change during the moon cycle we were born to. The vampires wanted the wolves to hunt us down where they could not. Our scholars have theorized that during this time more wolves killed wolf born werewolves than humans killed human born werewolves. The wolf was the vampire¡¯s perfect weapon.¡±


    ¡°With the Shape shifter population thinning out rapidly, our sages were forced to try to come up with a solution. Their answer was drastic but hope inspiring. See, we had believed that there was no way to break vampiric mental domination, it just couldn¡¯t be done.¡± He looked around at the dome around them. ¡°Maybe they shouldn¡¯t have been so idealistic.¡± Jacob shook his head.


    William asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡± Jacob didn¡¯t answer right away. ¡°Jacob, what happened?¡± William asked again more forcefully.


    The Elder gave a half smile, ¡°The Sages captured several enthralled wolves. Given the chance to run free in the mountains the wolves would return to a semblance of normalcy but never really normal. They were unsure of themselves and the natural instincts from hundreds of years were dulled. Capturing them was easy, almost a mercy to them. What our Sages did to try to break that vampiric domination over them was essentially their ¡®best guess.¡¯ They tried everything from isolation, to starvation, to wolf interaction, standard rehabilitation stuff. Nothing worked. Then they started experimenting with their Earth bonds and the Whyte Plain itself.¡±

 Book 4 Chapter 20e

    ¡°It didn¡¯t work either?¡± Katherine asked.


    ¡°Oh, I wouldn¡¯t exactly say that, not exactly,¡± Jacob quietly mused.


    Charles asked, ¡°Their abilities mixed with the vampires¡¯ and something went wrong?¡±


    ¡°No, something went right, but only one small thing. Everything around that small thing is what went to hell.¡± Jacob smiled sullenly. ¡°Their abilities mixed with the vampires influence and for a moment, just a small moment, the wolf they were experimenting on was free, free from vampiric control, free from our Sage¡¯s abilities, free from gravity and, some say, free from reality itself. For a moment he was completely free. The only problem with that was the whole thing crashed down in on itself.¡±


    ¡°Picture a layer of dust on a table, then you slap the table. The dust rises off the table right?¡± The group nodded. Then Jacob asked, ¡°But what happens after that?¡±


    Charles responded, ¡°The dust falls back down on the table, or the floor.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. So, the Sages had managed to slap the domination from the wolf. But they didn¡¯t have anywhere else for it to go. The mental force that collided with the wolf¡¯s mind a few seconds later caused an explosion of psychic and, some say, if you believe in that stuff, spiritual energy, so much so that the wolf¡¯s spirit was ripped from its body.¡±


    ¡°That left a Shadow,¡± said Aceso quietly.


    ¡°Yes, the first Shadow. The wolf¡¯s body was dead. The sages managed to trap the Shadow in the Whyte Plain to keep it isolated from our world and from hurting anyone until they could figure out what to do with it. They never found an answer.¡±


    William said, ¡°You¡¯re telling me that all those Shadows in the Whyte Plain all started from a single Shadow, from a single wolf? That sounds impossible.¡±


    ¡°Big things have small beginnings, young William,¡± Jacob retorted darkly.


    ¡°And after all this time the Sages have never found a way to exercise or destroy these Shadows?¡± asked Katherine.


    ¡°Well, we all know how to kill them,¡± replied Jacob. ¡°But you have seen firsthand just how difficult that is.¡±


    ¡°So, what you¡¯re telling us,¡± said Charles, ¡°is that these Shadows can only be killed one at a time? The spirit realm has ways of reclaiming its own, in time.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the problem, Charles,¡± Jacob answered. ¡°The Whyte Plain doesn¡¯t exist in our realm of reality. It¡¯s a whole different dimension where the natural order and rules of the spirit and physical world, as we know them, just don¡¯t seem to exist, or follow different rules. Now you of all people should understand this. Honestly, you should, by all rights, be dead right now. The domination and possession that was happening to you has only been broken a handful of times in our history. You two,¡± he pointed at Charles and William. ¡°Are the first people to survive that kind of encounter in over a decade, if not longer.¡±


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    ¡°So, it¡¯s a ¡®no win¡¯ scenario.¡± said Aceso.


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe in ¡®no win¡¯ scenarios, Aceso,¡± answered Jacob. ¡°We have been successful in finding ways that don¡¯t work.¡± He smiled, ¡°After a couple hundred years or so there are a lot fewer things to try.¡±


    Jacob stood up from his bench. ¡°Well, that was a nice little break. It¡¯s time to work on actually bridging the gap between us and the Whyte Plain.¡±


    He walked to the middle of the dome and stood still for a moment. Then the dome disappeared. They were back in the misty white confines of the Whyte Plain.


    ¡°Did anyone see what I did?¡± asked Jacob. The group looked around at each and they all shook their heads, except for Katherine. Jacob hung his head in mock exasperation. ¡°Really?!! By the love of all that¡¯s Ho¡­Look. I will do it again.¡±


    The mist instantly disappeared to be replaced by the smooth black surface of the dome they had been standing in a moment before.


    ¡°Now, how did I do it?¡± Jacob asked. Before Aceso could answer he held up a silencing hand. ¡°Not you, Aceso, or you, Katherine. Your pack mates need to learn this.¡± He looked at William. ¡°William? What did I do?¡±


    The Enforcer hesitated for a moment. ¡°It was like the air around us sighed, but that¡¯s not really right. I felt the air move and it seemed to bend in on itself? I can¡¯t explain it.¡±


    Jacob rubbed his chin. ¡°Hmm well it¡¯s a start anyway.¡± He looked to Charles. ¡°Anything else to add to Mr. Setford¡¯s summation?¡± Charles shook his head. ¡°Well, it¡¯s a good thing I had nothing to do today,¡± Jacob said sarcastically. ¡°Ok, do you think that you could do it?¡± he asked the group.


    Katherine nodded. ¡°I can.¡±


    Jacob raised his eyebrows, ¡°A bit of confidence does wonders, Miss Ryan. But this exercise is for all your pa¡­¡±


    The world faded. The black stone of the dome was replaced by open misty nothingness as far as any of them could see. William looked over at Katherine who was smiling. He nodded his head in respect to the Sage. Charles too clapped softly while smiling broadly.


    Jacob looked around at the four of them. Whatever he was going to say died on his lips and was replaced by a smile. ¡°Derceto said that you were a tight knit group, beyond most expectations. I¡¯m impressed you want to step in for your pack, Katherine. Now can you also get us out of this place?¡±


    Katherine nodded and a look of serenity came over her face. They were back, standing in the middle of the black dome in the outskirts of the City under the Mountain. This time even Jacob gave her a small clap. ¡°Very good. So, what happened and how were you able to do it?¡±


    Katherine glanced at her pack mates and back toward the Elder. ¡°I started with that sick cool feeling that William described then I got as close to that feeling as possible. In my mind I pictured myself reaching through a mirror or a pond. I could feel myself reaching into the Whyte Plain. Once that happened, we were there. To get out I did the exact same thing except I reached for the warmth of the City.¡±


    ¡°Well at least you can articulate what it was you did. Now its up to the two gentlemen to follow in your footsteps.¡± Jacob looked pointedly at William and Charles. ¡°Well, can either of you two duplicate what Miss Ryan has done?¡±


    William felt the atmosphere around them. There was the sickly cold feeling and the whisper of warmth and light that he had felt earlier. He pictured himself reaching through a mirror¡­and they were still in the dome. He looked over to see Charles¡¯ disappointment as well. This was going to take a little while.

 Book 4 Chapter 20f

    They stood there for what seemed like hours. He pictured the pond and reaching through to the chill of the Whyte Plain but the place refused to open up to him. He would feel retarded if Charles got this before he did. Not because he thought Charles was less capable than he was, only that being the last to understand something always made him feel stupid.


    Then the world misted over and the temperature perceptively dropped. William looked over to see Charles smiling. Nice going man. He meant it. He couldn¡¯t be mad at his friend¡¯s success. Ok guess I¡¯m the retard for the day.


    Jacob said, ¡°Very good Charles. It took you a little while, but still very good. Now can you get us out of here?¡± Charles nodded and the black dome instantly reappeared around them.


    Jacob looked over at William. ¡°And then there was one. Well, William?¡± It wasn¡¯t said in anger or cruelty. Just the fact that it had to be said and directed at him made his hackles rise.


    He didn¡¯t bother concentrating with what his eyes saw. By now he had memorized the curvature of the obsidian dome. Now he focused on his other senses, the air and the room itself around him. It was a little hard, knowing that Charles and Katherine had already accomplished this feat. What was he doing wrong? There had to be something he was missing.


    He reached out with his senses, hearing the breathing of the people in the room. He felt for that sickly cold that he had been feeling for all day it seemed like; the chill that wasn¡¯t really a chill, and that strange hint of warmth underneath. He pictured the mirror in his mind.


    He could see himself looking back at him in the smooth reflective surface of the mirror. It was surrounded by gilded gold for some reason. It hung suspended in midair and he was looking into it trying to see beyond what his eyes were seeing. Suddenly his reflection smiled at him. He let go of the mental image and stumbled backwards a little.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Jacob asked. ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    William looked around at his pack mates and the Elder and nodded his head. He was breathing a little too hard and forced himself to calm down. The image of the mirror was still vivid in his mind. He knew what it was he had seen, that visage which had risen unbidden in his mind. He couldn¡¯t tell his pack mates that, and there was no way he could tell Jacob.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m fine I, uh, just slipped a little bit that¡¯s all.¡± He gave Jacob a lopsided grin.


    Jacob had a wary look on his face, not at all certain of the truth of what he claimed but this was a safe zone not connected to the Whyte Plain. He eventually nodded, ¡°Very well, William. Next time be more careful.¡± He gestured to the center of the room. ¡°If you please?¡±


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    He stepped forward and tried again. He ignored his sight and refocused his other senses. The mirror hung where it had the last time, where it had hung multiple times. He stepped up to its perfectly smooth surface. His reflection didn¡¯t act out of the ordinary this time, reaching out to meet his touch. His blue-green eyes stared back at him. He pressed his hand against the mirror. Nothing happened. He had been pressing against this stupid thing all day!


    He wiped away the mirror from his mind and decided instead to feel for cracks or a seam in the feeling of the rift between here and the Whyte Plain. The room was quiet. His pack mates were standing behind him, waiting for him to have his breakthrough. This was so important but he was sure that no one could help him with this. And that is what was eating at him. There had to be a way!


    Then there it was. A feeling so small he was amazed that he felt it at all. It was a seam, or crease, an atom¡¯s width between the sickly chill and the memory of warmth. In his mind he pressed against the seam¡­and he was standing in the Whyte Plain. He almost couldn¡¯t believe it. He barked out a laugh and Charles clapped him on the back.


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t so hard, now, was it?¡± Katherine asked with arms folded.


    William laughed and nodded his head, ¡°Yes it was hard. I¡¯m glad you guys thought it was so easy.¡± He smiled at his pack mates and looked over at Jacob. ¡°Well, what do you think?¡±


    The Elder smiled. ¡°If I knew it was going to take you all day I would have packed some food.¡± A smile spread across his face. ¡°Well done, William.¡± He pointedly glanced around the misty open area they now occupied. ¡°Now if only you could uhh¡­,¡± he trailed off not needing to finish the sentence.


    William felt outward and found the seam again. He pressed against it and they were back in the black dome, just as they had been a moment before.


    ¡°Good work, lads¡­ and ladies,¡± Jacob added quickly. ¡°Well, that was enough fun for one day, don¡¯t you think?¡± He looked around at the young pack and nodded to himself. ¡°I don¡¯t know about you, but I¡¯m hungry, time for supper.¡± William breathed a sigh of relief and followed the rest of his pack and Jacob out of the dome.


    The walk back to the central part of the city was just as long as the walk out to the dome. There were times when William really didn¡¯t see the point in all the turns and dead ends and everything else that made it so hard to navigate the city. He saw the tactical advantage to how it made defending it a lot easier, but why couldn¡¯t there just be one road that cut down the whole length of the City that they could use to get to out of the way places like the dome? They eventually got back to the Tower.


    ¡°I want to go check up on Nicholas,¡± Katherine said. ¡°See if he¡¯s back yet.¡±


    Charles nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Uh, yeah I¡¯d better not,¡± William said. ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯d want to see me.¡±


    Katherine and Charles looked at him. ¡°You two need to get over this,¡± Katherine said.


    Aceso nodded her agreement, ¡°If we are going to be a pack, I don¡¯t need my Scout and Enforcer constantly fighting with each other. If we are going to be anywhere near successful with what we are charged to accomplish, you two need to figure out how to work together.¡±


    William nodded. ¡°I know that. I just wish he knew that.¡±

 Book 4 Chapter 21a

    ¡°See, there you go,¡± Katherine said. ¡°It¡¯s always one way or the other with you. There¡¯s never any middle ground.¡± She jammed a finger at his chest. ¡°If he can¡¯t work with you, than you need to work with him. We are never going to survive if one of you doesn¡¯t give.¡±


    ¡°And why should I always be the one to give in and ¡®be the better man¡¯?!¡± William protested. ¡°Don¡¯t I deserve to press my rights too every once in a while? Why are you all on his side?!¡±


    ¡°This is not about sides, my friend,¡± Charles said calmly. ¡°Believe me I know what it must feel like for you. I saw it growing up. The two sides of my country were so blinded by the smallest things they were ready to destroy everything they had worked hard to build because they could not see the pain and destruction their blindness was causing.¡± Charles looked around the city. ¡°All of this could be gone tomorrow. Would you really want to throw away the chance to save it because you and Nicholas couldn¡¯t agree to at least work together?¡±


    William looked around at his pack mates. He had made peace offering after peace offering to that whiny, spoiled little asshole. He had never been thanked and Nicholas would probably leave him to rot in a hole somewhere if given the chance. He looked around the city. There was something here. He had seen it that first time in the Temple; the unobtrusive and quiet acceptance of faiths, reason, and schools of thought. Wolf and human born had worked together for thousands of years to build this place. Acceptance was something that he would have to set the example for.


    He nodded to his pack mates. ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll give him the space he needs. I can¡¯t, and won¡¯t offer any more than that.¡±


    Aceso nodded and Charles gripped his shoulder. ¡°There is no stronger man, than the man who accepts the nature of another.¡± William nodded his thanks and followed Katherine as she led the way to Nicholas¡¯s room. She led the way up to his room and stepped through the open doorway.


    ¡°What the hell are you doing here?¡± Nicholas¡¯s voice came from inside his room.


    William shared a glance with Charles as the man smiled broadly and William rolled his eyes. They both entered the room, following Aceso.


    They found Nicholas sitting comfortably at his desk. Katherine had taken a seat on his bed and Aceso leaned up against the wall. As William walked in Nicholas immediately turned away from him to face Katherine instead.


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    Aceso pushed herself away from the wall to stand upright, ¡°What is this all about between you two, Nicholas?¡±


    The Scout didn¡¯t bother to look at Aceso but rather waved a hand idly in the air. ¡°Ask him. I know you¡¯re going to side with him anyway.¡±


    William felt a rush of heated anger flood his face and shoulders. He wanted to reach out and squeeze the life out of the man child sitting in front of him. Who the hell did he think he was putting everything that happened on him?


    Aceso replied calmly, ¡°I don¡¯t take sides. And I asked you what this was all about.¡± Aceso held a very dangerous look in her golden eyes.


    The room temperature dropped a few degrees and Nicholas hesitantly turned around to face the middle of the room and the pack alpha that was standing there. ¡°This guy always gets his way and when he doesn¡¯t, he shifts and beats me up. He shifts because he knows that I¡¯d beat his scrawny ass in a fair fight!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just see then!,¡± William shouted back and stepped toward the Scout, fighting against the restraining arms of Charles. William had already beat this guy already in both human and werewolf form. Who the hell did he think he was?


    ¡°See?! What did I tell you?!¡± Nicholas laughed at William¡¯s red angered face. ¡°He hates me so much because he knows I¡¯m better than he is and he can¡¯t STAND IT!!¡± William growled his frustration, and lunged for the man once again.


    Aceso howled loudly and the echo reverberated off the smooth obsidian walls. William¡¯s breath came in ragged gasps from the sudden rage fueled strain he had pushed himself to. Nicholas looked more hurt and victimized than anything else.


    The pack Alpha looked at both of them. ¡°This ends now,¡± she spoke in quiet even tones. Her back was razor straight. Her arms were by her sides, but her claws were spread, a sign that she was ready to fight, if need be. ¡°I don¡¯t expect you two to like each other, but I do expect you two to work together for the good of the pack and the City under the Mountain.¡± She took a step to stand over Nicholas¡¯s chair. ¡°Am I understood, Scout?¡±


    Nicholas looked up at the werewolf and spat, ¡°Fine!¡± Crossed his arms and turned his head away from her.


    Aceso looked over at William, ¡°Am I?¡± she asked again. William nodded once. ¡°Good, I thought I might have to expel one of you for a moment.¡±


    Nicholas looked up. ¡°You mean I can quit?!¡± he asked excitedly.


    Aceso slowly looked down at him, ¡°Do you really want to know what it¡¯s like NOT being part of a pack?¡± Nicholas let his eyes drop from her and shook his head. ¡°Good, now where have you been? We were a little worried about you, after what William went through to get here.¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah I¡¯ve had kind of a shitty day,¡± Nicholas replied glumly as he dropped his eyes to the floor.


    Aceso¡¯s ears twitched forward and her tail rose an inch. ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    The Scout sighed, ¡°Yeah, I guess I¡¯ll be alright if I can end up not going insane from not being able to sleep at night¡­ever.¡±


    Aceso looked over at William who was now leaning against the wall, watching the exchange. ¡°You were actually inside the farm weren¡¯t you?¡±

 Book 4 Chapter 21b

    Nicholas nodded his head. ¡°Oh, is that what it¡¯s called? Cuz, I was thinking something more along the lines of Sick Torture Apartments, or Third World BDSM Bazaar. What do you think? Catchy right?¡± He ran his hands through his long dirty blonde hair and shook his head. He laughed quietly to himself and whispered, ¡°farm.¡±


    Aceso glanced over at Katherine. She was sitting on the bed but her posture had closed somewhat. Her knees were pressed together with her hands in between them. Her arms trailed straight down to cover her chest. She was listening intently.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Aceso asked a sternly.


    Nicholas looked up with rage but also pain. ¡°I saw a whole building, a hotel I guess, and every single room had two people, guys and girls, tied up, some bloody, some not. Some were on cross racks and others were in chains. Some were just strapped to their beds. I swear it was like something out of a prisoner of war movie¡­ or Hellraiser.¡±


    ¡°My god,¡± breathed Charles.


    ¡°Yeah, and that wasn¡¯t the worst part. If that was the only thing I could have gotten over that.¡± Nicholas looked to Charles and Katherine. ¡°The worst part was the rooms with people who just sat there. No ropes, no chains, no nothing. Just people sitting there with this blissful, empty look on their faces. The whole place stank of blood and there was always screaming or crying going on, voices that in no way could be ignored, crying out for this person or that person, begging to go home. But these people were dead inside. I couldn¡¯t shake them awake. All they would say was¡­¡± And he affected a dead monotone voice. ¡°¡¯I have to wait for the Masters. I must feed the Masters. I can¡¯t leave without the Masters permission.¡¯¡± He shook his head and then said, ¡°Those people didn¡¯t care about anything that was going on around them. They just sat on their beds staring at blank TVs with that retarded half smile on their face and blank stare as if they were high on some shit that I have never tried or even heard of before.¡± He stopped speaking and returned his gaze to the floor.


    Aceso said quietly, ¡°I have been told of these farms but I have never seen one. It was good that you were able to destroy it.¡±


    Nicholas laughed. ¡°Destroyed? Destroyed?! That¡¯s not exactly what happened, Aceso.¡±


    ¡°So, what did happen?¡± Aceso asked not unkindly.


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    Nicholas took a deep breath and exhaled harshly through his lips. ¡°Everything went just like Lethe said it would, at first. We got to the Farm just fine, a few guards, but no cops. I knew what they were expecting of me and I was ready to do it. We went in through front door. We took out the two doormen who were standing there. I didn¡¯t feel too sorry for them. From there we split up I went with Paregoros, and Lethe broke off with Billy. The bottom floor was just like every other floor in the place. So Paregoros and I went off into the rooms. The first room we came to had a girl and guy. The girl was tied to a stand up BDSM cross with some nylon rope. The guy was chained, naked, face down on the bed. It didn¡¯t even serve any purpose, it was just humiliating for him to be like that. Well, I untied the girl who fell into my arms; she must have been completely exhausted because she couldn¡¯t even stand up on her own. Paregoros shifted and broke the guy¡¯s chains off so he could get up. The girl was terrified of the monster in their room but after a second, we were able to calm her down, then she passed out, I don¡¯t know which came first. We told the guy to get himself and her out of the building and run. The guy didn¡¯t need any more encouragement. He thanked us and picked the girl up. She was skinny, but he had a hard time carrying her. I don¡¯t know how long they were there but it must have been a while for both of them to be so weak.


    ¡°And that was pretty much the routine for about an hour. We would go into a room, free the prisoners and tell them to leave. I wanted to shift as well but Paregoros stopped me pointing out the reaction she alone caused when they entered the rooms. People aren¡¯t used to seeing werewolves anymore I guess,¡± Nicholas half-heartedly joked and tried to smile. No one in the room reacted very much. Nicolas continued, ¡°So, we managed to clear the first floor and then up to the next one. That¡¯s where things got fucked.¡±


    ¡°The entire floor was those dead inside victims; we couldn¡¯t move them and were forced to leave them all. The next thing I know, I hear shouting and yelling, not from the victims which had been constant up till now, these voices were strong and confident, military assholes if I had to guess. We came out of a room just as the elevator opened and a whole squad of what looked like SWAT team members poured into the hallway. It took them all of point five seconds to open fire at us and I had to dive back into the room just to keep from getting my ass shot off.¡±


    ¡°Then I was running for my life. The walls of the place were paper thin and the bullets tore through them like nothin¡¯. I got grazed a few times.¡±


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Katherine asked.


    ¡°Yeah, when I got back Ryan fixed me up. So, I ran out to a balcony and shifted to werewolf form and started climbing the outside of the building. To be honest, looking back that was pretty cool. At the time it was a fucking nightmare! I got up to the next floor and I had to throw myself through a sliding glass window because those SWAT guys or whoever had also gone out to balcony and started shooting at me.¡±

 Book 4 Chapter 21c

    ¡°I had been separated from Paregoros and I had no idea where she might have been so I figured I was on my own. I ran through the rooms as fast as I could, ducking gun fire and freeing as many people as possible.¡± Nicholas stopped and stared at the floor. He finally said in a quiet voice, ¡°I don¡¯t know if any of those people got out.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you did everything you could,¡± Charles said. ¡°Whether they made it out or not, you at least gave them the chance for freedom, a chance they wouldn¡¯t have had without your help.¡±


    Nicholas looked up at the taller man with genuine gratitude for once. ¡°Thanks, Chuck really¡­ thanks.¡± The tall man nodded back to the Scout. Nicholas continued, ¡°So there I was, somewhere on the third or fourth floor I don¡¯t remember and I didn¡¯t even know how many floors this place had. I had gotten away from the assault team for a second and I was sitting in a recently vacated room. There was blood spattered in places, on the walls and floors but quiet otherwise. I had no idea what had happened to the Shape shifters and I realized that I might be the only guy left. So, I had to make sure this place burned.¡±


    ¡°Now say what you want, but growing up in Jersey I learned a few things about pipes, pressure, release valves, and water boilers.¡± The rest of them regarded him with surprise.


    ¡°What?¡± Nicholas asked looking up at them. ¡°My uncle was a plumber and he taught me a few things. I used to work for him sometimes during the summer, before my dad moved me out here to this shit hole side of the country. Anyway, I knew that what I needed was going to be down in the basement so that¡¯s where I tried to get to. I crept outside and used the fire escape to get down. I shifted back to human form to not attract any unwanted attention. That half worked.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, ¡®half worked?¡± asked William.


    ¡°Well, Setford if you¡¯d just shut your pie hole and listen, maybe I¡¯d get there.¡± William let the comment pass. Nicholas continued with a smug look on his face. ¡°So, I¡¯m going down the fire escape, right? And then I must have passed a room with people still in it because I hear this screaming from right beside me. And just as I¡¯m about to go in and help them, the door blasts open and this SWAT guy starts shooting at me. I fall straight back, hit my head on solid concrete and just barely manage to roll off to the side before the guy¡¯s bullets trace right where my body used to be.¡±


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    ¡°I jump up and over the railing. I shift into werewolf form again, mid fall, and even rolling off the landing the way Efraim taught us to do, I still landed really hard. Good thing I was only three stories up.¡± He looked around at them. William guessed he was looking for praise but he didn¡¯t get any. Nicholas got a sour look on his face. ¡°Yeah, so after I survive a death fall, I break into a back door of the building and start looking for the utilities room.¡±


    ¡°Funny thing is, when I get there Lethe and Billy and Paregoros are already there. And they act like I¡¯m the one that screwed stuff up. Anyway, they rig the place and we get out of there. The temp maxed out a few minutes later and we watched from a block or two away as the building catches on fire.¡± A dark look passed over Nicholas¡¯ face just then. ¡°I wanted to watch that place burn to the ground, but Lethe had already told us that we couldn¡¯t stick around. The place would be crawling with cops and fire fighters any minute. So, we left. The only thing is, is that I know that fire would have been put out pretty soon unless the place just flared up after we left, which I doubt. That place could be repaired and back up and running again in a month or two.¡± Nicholas looked over at Aceso, pointedly. ¡°So, there you go. Did we destroy the place? Not really. Do I need any more incentive to want to kill every last one of these parasite vampires, no. Am I ever going to be in a pack with that asshole?!¡± He shoved a pointed index finger toward William¡¯s chest. ¡°Fuck no!¡± He folded his arms in front of his chest and glared down at the ground.


    Aceso looked over at William, he had nothing to say. She looked back to Nicholas. ¡°So, you¡¯re ok, then?¡±


    Nicholas shot her a look out of the corner of his eye. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine,¡± he spat.


    ¡°Good,¡± she replied. ¡°Because you are going to use your Scout abilities and help us find another unborn Shape shifter.¡±


    Everyone in the room shifted their eyes to Aceso. William had hoped for something like this but who said Nicholas could even do or even want to do anything with them.


    Nicholas snorted, ¡°You really think I¡¯m in any kind of mood to do anything with you f¡­?¡±


    He didn¡¯t get the chance to finish.


    Aceso ripped him off the chair and pulled him to a standing position. ¡°I am Alpha. I guide the pack. I understand the shock that you must have gone through today but if you want to help prevent more people from becoming enslaved to the vampires, you will do everything in your power to help your pack locate and bring back more Shape shifters.¡± She set Nicholas down on the floor. She then addressed the entire room. ¡°We are it. William, you came here a few months ago and there has been no other Shape shifters to enter the city since. We need to find these un-reborn Shape shifters before the vampires do.¡± She turned to Nicholas. ¡°To do that, I need for you to remember what you did that Elder Ansuya was able to pull out of you. You have to do it on your own, Nicholas. If you really care at all about those people you rescued, and the one¡¯s that couldn¡¯t be saved, you will help us.¡±

 Book 4 Chapter 21d

    Nicholas dramatically brushed his clothes off in front of her. He looked around at the group and held William¡¯s gaze for a long time. He turned back to Aceso and said, ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡±


    Aceso inched closer to his face, her muzzle only an inch away from his nose, ¡°Think fast Nicholas I want a candidate soon.¡± With that, Aceso turned and left the room.


    William didn¡¯t see any reason to stick around so he left too, followed by Charles and Katherine came out a minute later. The three of them went to the cafeteria and ate their dinner. It had been a while since he had eaten there and the protein rich, meat heavy meal was exactly what he needed after what he had been through the past few days. What he could have done without, was seeing Keva behind the counter. Her red hair was tied loosely behind her head and she greeted him with a smile. That smile brought to mind the memory of what had happened in his bedroom all those nights ago. He looked in every direction besides her face and moved quickly from the food line to rejoin Katherine and Charles. Even being in the same room as Keva was a little uncomfortable now.


    While he ate, he shot quick glances at her from the corner of his eyes. She didn¡¯t seem to be paying him any attention. The room felt way too small and the only thing he wanted to do was get out of there as soon as possible. He finished his meal and left with a brief goodnight to his friends.


    That night William tried to make sense of everything that had happened, survival in the desert, watching Ansuya get captured, and the raid on the night club. It all seemed so disjointed in his mind. What was really bothering him? Was he really waiting for Keva to show up again? The first time was vivid enough in his mind. He really didn¡¯t want to deal with her right now. The thoughts of his world and his place in it had seemed to grow exponentially in the past week. He had a real understanding of what was really at stake in this world that he had been thrown into. And if what Nicholas had said was even half true those vampires were more sinister than even he had realized. And people tried to romanticize them?! He shook his head and rolled over in bed and tried to get some sleep.


    The next day he performed his morning routine and got some breakfast. It¡¯s true, you never really appreciate things like food and shelter until you don¡¯t have it anymore. He finished up and cleaned himself up. He walked around the city and found Charles and Katherine. They hadn¡¯t eaten yet so he let them go. He found himself wandering toward the Tower. For some reason ever since he had got here in the city, the Tower seemed to draw him to it whenever he had nowhere else to go.


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    ¡°Hey Setford!¡±


    William turned around to face the one person he dreaded seeing. ¡°Hi, Keva.¡±


    The red-haired woman walked up to him smiling. ¡°You didn¡¯t even say hi to me last night. I figured you had things on your mind so I left you alone but you didn¡¯t ask about me this morning either. What¡¯s up?¡±


    William looked away from her toward the Tower. ¡°Keva, nothing is up. And you¡¯re right I do have a lot on my mind.¡±


    ¡°You know you can always talk to me.¡± She placed a hand gently on his shoulder. ¡°After all we are both Enforcers.¡±


    William felt his skin crawl at her touch and brushed her hand away. ¡°Keva, I don¡¯t have anything to say.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck is this all of a sudden?¡± Keva didn¡¯t try to hide her anger. ¡°The last time I saw you, you were ready to fuck me and a week later it¡¯s ¡®I don¡¯t have anything to say¡¯?! Who, the fuck, do you think you are that you can treat me this way?¡±


    William forced himself to look directly into her green eyes. ¡°Keva, I have nothing to say to you because I don¡¯t feel the same way about you that you do about me. I think you¡¯re ok as a person but I don¡¯t really know you. Aceso told me a few things when you left and sex is not just sex here. If I mated with you, you and I would be joined for life as far as the city is concerned. Do you know, or even care, what will happen to your babies if you ever get pregnant?¡±


    Keva shook her head, her pony tail whipped around behind her, ¡°Setford, it¡¯s just sex. You know, something to do to keep us warm at night.¡± She said seductively and tried to move in close to him, to touch his body with hers.


    William stepped back, out of reach. ¡°What is wrong with you? Do you really need me to say it? I don¡¯t want to be with you, not now, not ever.¡±


    The woman stood stock still, shocked for a moment. Then a fire lit behind her eyes and her lips pulled back into a sneer, which became a snarl full of elongated canines. Where Keva had been there now stood a werewolf, about seven feet tall covered in reddish brown fur with deep black along her shoulders. Her tail was very pale though almost white.


    An arm lashed out and caught him with a vicious backhand sending him sailing backward to land on his back and shoulders. Keva walked over to his prone body, reached down with her claws, picked him up, and slammed him against the wall.


    ¡°Nobody has ever said no to me Setford. I¡¯ll be damned if I¡¯m going to let you sit here and lie to me about how you feel about me. You probably sat in bed wishing for me to show up last night, didn¡¯t you?¡± She looked down his front side. ¡°All men are the same you all think with your little brain and I know you want me.¡± She put him down and stepped back without shifting into human form. ¡°Now, tell me the truth. Tell me you want me.¡±

 Book 4 Chapter 21e

    William¡¯s eyes shot around his surroundings frantically; he didn¡¯t know what he was looking for. Keva gripped his chin in her claws and forced his head up so his eyes met with hers. ¡°I¡¯m right here, Setford. You don¡¯t need to look anywhere else. Tell me you want me.¡± Her muzzle was uncomfortably close to his face.


    He had thought he could have avoided this, but she was the one who pressed the issue. Without a word he shifted and ripped her claw away from his face. ¡°No, Keva. I don¡¯t want you, at all. I want you to leave me alone.¡±


    A claw pounded into his abdomen and pain exploded there. Then a fist crashed into his muzzle and he was thrown to the side. He felt a forearm across his neck as he was pressed up against the wall. The pressure was increasing steadily, forcing his windpipe closed.


    William wrapped his legs around the female and tried to push her body away from him. This earned him a smile, ¡°Well Setford, if you wanted me that badly all you had to do was ask.¡± The pressure increased.


    He jerked his legs away from her as the thought of doing anything even remotely sexual with her, even defending himself, was more distasteful than fighting back. A very familiar laugh rang out quietly in the back of his mind. The female in front of him was making no sign of letting up anytime soon and little black dots were starting to swim in front of his vision.


    He was back in his elementary school yard. He and his long time friend Shawn were talking about professional wrestling of all things. Shawn was mad about something that happened over the weekend something about a head lock that caused Hacksaw somebody or other to tap out.


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t a head lock cause somebody to tap out?¡± William asked.


    ¡°Because it¡¯s bull! If I choked you right now, would you tap out?¡± Shawn retorted.


    He was completely lost. ¡°Shawn I have no idea what you¡¯re talking abo¡­¡±


    Without warning Shawn had grabbed William¡¯s throat and squeezed. William grabbed and scratched at his friend¡¯s arm trying to get him to let go. Shawn only pressed harder. Soon, black flecks started to swim in his vision and he felt dizzy. In an act of desperation, he reached out and pressed his hand against his friend¡¯s throat.


    They both stood there for a minute, each with his hand on the other¡¯s neck. Then they both let go and coughed a bit. Shawn smiled, ¡°Let¡¯s do that again!¡±


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    William smiled back, ¡°Ok, but you can only use one hand.¡±


    His friend nodded and they grabbed each other¡¯s throat again. This would become one of their daily rituals. William¡¯s neck got really tough and he was able to withstand a lot of punishment. He also gained a lot of knowledge on the various pressure points and just how the Adam¡¯s apple could be exploited.


    Of course that fleeting memory of younger more innocent days didn¡¯t help him at all in this situation; Keva didn¡¯t have an Adam¡¯s apple. But he reached out and squeezed her throat just like he had done countless times with Shawn. He pressed up under her blocking forearm and chin. He used the wall behind him as leverage and pushed forward with his hand and arm.


    Keva¡¯s eyes blinked hard and she was forced to back away from the wall. This allowed William to grab her arm and spin her around, as the wall supported his weight and gave him some leverage. William broke the hold and shoved the female away from him.


    Keva massaged her throat and looked at him. ¡°You bastard!¡±


    William was busy getting his own breath back as he watched her closely, looking for another attack. ¡°Why are you doing this Keva?¡± He didn¡¯t want to fight her. He knew that the City needed everyone working together; they had enemies enough without making enemies out of each other. That thought brought Nicholas to mind. He shook the thought away; he would deal with that later.


    The female looked at him with a curved sneer. ¡°I don¡¯t know about you, Setford. But I¡¯m a woman and I have needs. You have no idea what it¡¯s like living here with no hope of escape. I see you, a great guy and I thought we might fuck so I could be happy for a little while. Sex is just sex. I don¡¯t see the big deal. I am a sexual creature. I need to fuck every once in a while, why is that so bad?!¡±


    William wished that he had an answer for her but he didn¡¯t. If he had ever found her attractive those thoughts were completely gone now. She was the worst kind of selfish, self-absorbed person he had ever met. Exactly the kind of person that drove him away and into his forest in the first place.


    He shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t think you fully appreciate or care about what sex is.¡± This got a snort from the woman. ¡°All I can say is, things work differently here, and I have no interest in you at all.¡± He shifted back to human form. ¡°I think you need to take some time and really think about who you are, why you¡¯re here, and¡­¡±


    ¡°Why I¡¯m HERE?!!¡± she spat. ¡°I¡¯m here because I was brought here, pretty much against my will and I¡¯m a prisoner here till god knows when.¡± She stepped toward him and he took a step back. ¡°I just thought you and I could have some fun. But I guess not! Maybe you can go hang out with your gay friend Charles and butt fuck each other till you¡¯re both happy because that¡¯s all you deserve!¡± With that Keva turned and stalked away.


    William watched her go. He had no idea what she was going to do or how she was going to cope with this. Had he really ever found her attractive? She was so ugly on the inside, how did he not see it? Maybe it was true, that all men really do think with their little brain when the time comes. If Aceso hadn¡¯t stopped them he would be joined with her for the rest of his life. He wondered how much anyone could really know about another person? He still had a lot to learn.

 Book 4 Chapter 21f

    This brought up the thought of Nicholas. The guy needed his ass beat, but Charles had been right too. He needed to ¡®bury the hatchet¡¯ with the man so they could actually work together. He looked around but he couldn¡¯t see Keva anymore. He brushed his hands through his long hair and started walking off toward Nicholas¡¯s room.


    The Scout didn¡¯t live far from where he was so the walk didn¡¯t take too long. He stood by the door for long moments, looking at the polished obsidian black stone of the building. Well, waiting here isn¡¯t going to make it any easier. He finally knocked on the outer wall.


    ¡°What do you want, Aceso?¡± The voice was irritated but not openly hostile. That might be a good sign.


    ¡°It¡¯s not Aceso, it¡¯s me,¡± replied William.


    There was a long pause. After a while William started to think that Nicholas wasn¡¯t going to say anything. And just when he turned around to leave¡­


    ¡°Are you going to stand outside all day or come in? I¡¯m not going to yell at you through a wall and open doorway all morning.¡± He was definitely irritated, but the fact that he invited him into his room was a very good sign. Maybe the two of them could work out some of their differences.


    William stepped into the room hesitantly. Nicholas was sitting at his desk; much the way he had been when they had come to visit him yesterday. The blond haired man wasn¡¯t looking toward the door though. Maybe this wasn¡¯t going to be as easy as he had hoped.


    ¡°Nicholas? We need to talk.¡±


    The man didn¡¯t turn or even move. ¡°And what do we need to talk about. If I say something you don¡¯t agree with, you¡¯ll just shift and we¡¯ll fight and I¡¯ll lose. What¡¯s the point in talking with you?¡± He spat


    William didn¡¯t move from his spot a few feet into the room. How could he make this man understand? ¡°Look I¡¯ve apologized for what happened out in the desert. What more do you want from me?¡±


    ¡°You tried to kill me! Setford! You were going to kill me over an argument! What more can you say!¡± The man finally turned around and stood up from his chair. His bare chest flexed and his cut muscles rippled with even the slightest movement. ¡°I want justice for attempted murder, Setford. That¡¯s what I want!¡±


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    ¡°But I didn¡¯t kill you! I stopped myself from beating you within an inch of your life even though you deserved it!¡±


    ¡°Oh, so now I deserved to be killed for disagreeing with you?! Gee, what a great system you have in your head!¡± He affected a very offensive mentally handicapped accent, ¡°Gee I donnn¡¯t like what you say I kill yu now.¡± He smiled and shook his head. ¡°What the fuck are you even doing here? What do you want?¡±


    ¡°I want us to stop fighting with each and work together,¡± William pleaded. ¡°I can¡¯t go back in time and take back what I did in the desert, I can¡¯t. But I can say that what happened there will stay there. I don¡¯t expect you to forgive me anytime soon. But will you at least try to work with me and say that we will at least get along with each other?¡±


    Nicholas looked at the man standing in front of him. ¡°I want nothing more than to beat the shit out of you, Setford.¡± There was hatred in his eyes and venom in his voice.


    ¡°If you want to fight me, I won¡¯t fight back.¡±


    ¡°NO!!¡± Nicholas yelled. ¡°I want you to fight back. I want you¡¯re absolute best. If we fight there will be no shifting into werewolf form. Only you and I, no weapons, just hand to hand. With everyone there so I can finally prove that you ain¡¯t shit without your werewolf form.¡±


    ¡°I have a better idea,¡± William said meeting the man in the middle of the room. ¡°Why don¡¯t we do this right now?¡±


    Nichols looked around his room. ¡°I don¡¯t want you breaking any of my stuff as I¡¯m throwing you around,¡± he retorted.


    William glanced up toward the ceiling. ¡°Let¡¯s go up there and see what happens.¡±


    Nicholas looked up as well and a small smile creased his lips. ¡°Ok, I got no problem with that. I¡¯ll meet you there in two minutes.¡± William¡¯s eyes brows raised in surprise. Nicholas smiled, ¡°I have to get dressed. Besides,¡± he said as he turned around. ¡°I know you would never trust me enough to turn your back on me. And how could I blame you.¡± Nicholas waved a hand behind him, ¡°I¡¯ll be there Setford. Now get out.¡±


    William backed out of the room the way he had come. When he was outside, he shifted into werewolf form and scaled the building¡¯s smooth walls. When he was on the roof he shifted back into human form.


    He looked out over the city. The building he was on was an average height. There were some that were taller and some, shorter. The buildings spread out in the vast underground cavern. He was able to see two hunting forests from where he was, the dark green needles of the evergreen trees were a stark contrast to the deep black of the buildings that surrounded them. He looked toward the Tower and beyond as the light from the ceiling crystals made everything fade and blend together in a haze of light and dark. He was rarely afforded the opportunity to marvel at the city and just how beautiful it was.


    ¡°Hope I didn¡¯t keep you waiting.¡±


    William turned around to see Nicholas also in werewolf form climb onto the roof. He stood up and shifted back to human form. The two squared off equidistant from each other and the sides of the building. The roof held no kind of barrier at the edge. The roof simply dropped off in a smooth angle with the outer walls, it would be a rough fall if either of them were thrown off the roof.

 Book 4 Chapter 21g

    Nicholas smiled as he slowly turned to take in the view around them. ¡°Wow, this is really nice. You know, for a weak ass bitch, like yourself, Setford, you do know how to pick a nice spot to get your ass kicked.¡±


    William cocked his head to the side, ¡°You know, somehow, I just can¡¯t hear you, Nicholas.¡±


    The Scout turned toward William and without warning he charged. He had almost no time to react and just barely dove out the way in time. Nicholas skidded to a halt and threw out a wild back kick that somehow managed to catch William¡¯s leg and left a nice stinging feeling as it impacted.


    William pulled his foot away and changed his lead foot stance. He dive rolled at Nicholas¡¯ feet then popped up on his heels and head butted him right on his open chin. Nicholas¡¯ head flew back and blood spattered from his nose.


    Nicholas backed up a step and wiped the blood from his face. ¡°Not bad, Setford. I¡¯m glad you¡¯re not holding back. But I am going to kick your ass this time. I¡¯m going to enjoy this.¡± He charged him again, and William mirrored him and broke into a dead sprint himself. The two met in the center of the roof colliding with enough force to make a concussive grenade envious.


    *          *          *


    William and Nicholas met with Aceso, and the rest of the pack, at the base of the Tower. William was bloodied and battered. Nicholas was holding his arm protectively, it may have been broken. Blood caked his pant leg and shirt. William could barely see out of one eye that had been nearly swollen shut and was a very nasty purple and black color. Both men were in pain and yet they both seemed a lot happier.


    ¡°What happened to you two?¡± Aceso asked in shock.


    ¡°Well, funny you should ask that,¡± William said. ¡°See, I wasn¡¯t paying any attention to where I was going and I slipped down the ramp that led to my room. I don¡¯t think anything¡¯s broken but I did get banged up pretty good.¡± He smiled sheepishly.


    Aceso parted her lips in a half snarl. ¡°You expect me to believe that?¡±


    William held up in hands in surrender. ¡°Aceso you are my Alpha. God¡¯s honest truth, I fell down the ramp outside my room.¡± William glanced over at Katherine and Charles. They both shook their heads. They knew something had happened between the two of them, and they had probably already guessed what, but thankfully, they weren¡¯t saying anything. He would have to remember to thank them later.


    Aceso looked over at Nicholas. ¡°And what happened to you.¡± She leaned in close and sniffed at his held arm. ¡°I thought so. I don¡¯t suppose you broke your arm falling down a ramp too?¡±


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    Nicholas shook his head and glanced toward William, who met his eyes briefly before he returned his gaze toward Aceso. ¡°No, I was running and I slipped. I tried to catch myself and I crashed right into the corner of that building over there.¡± He pointed to a building off to the right of Tower. ¡°I must have been going faster than I thought because my head had a run in collision at the same time. Will found me and woke me up.¡± He hefted his hurt arm gently. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you could help me out with this?¡±


    Aceso snorted loudly as she shifted her gaze between the two of them. ¡°I don¡¯t believe either of you.¡± She sniffed at Nicholas again. ¡°This has got to be the dumbest thing¡­¡± She quickly bit at Nicholas¡¯ arm. She held his arm in her jaws for a moment as she applied steady pressure there, then let go.


    Nicholas lifted his arm and rotated his wrist. He smiled as the pain he was feeling obviously subsided. He flexed his arm and tested a full range of motions with it. ¡°Thanks, Aceso. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯d do without you.¡± He said with a childish grin.


    Aceso did not share his joy. ¡°Maybe you wouldn¡¯t break your bones over something really stupid, knowing you two.¡±


    William protested, ¡°Hey I didn¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°DON¡±T!!!¡± Aceso warned loudly, instantly silencing any protests before it could leave their lips. She backed away and between him and Nicholas. ¡°I don¡¯t even want to know what happened between you two. But I will know if whatever it was, it is over between you?¡±


    William glanced over at Nicholas. The two men didn¡¯t smile but there was respect in Nicholas¡¯ eyes and William returned the man¡¯s glance with equal respect. They didn¡¯t shake hands either. They turned to Aceso.


    Nicholas said, ¡°Yeah¡­ yeah we¡¯re finished.¡±


    Aceso glanced at William who nodded once. The pack Alpha took a step back. She said, ¡°I¡¯m going to leave the rest of your wounds to heal on their own. Maybe,¡± She said looking directly at William¡¯s ugly black eye, ¡°You¡¯ll learn from these little wounds you gave each other and the pain will serve to remind you of your stupidity.¡± William and Nicholas gave their Alpha a wide-eyed innocent look as she turned away in frustration. Lithe smiles played on their lips.


    She turned back toward Nicholas. ¡°Well Scout? Have you ¡®thought about¡¯ what I want you to do?¡±


    Nicholas rubbed at his shoulder and he said, ¡°Yes, and the only thing about that is, when I did it that first time I was working with a couple other Scouts. We seemed to be helping each other out. I don¡¯t think I could do it again without at least one other Scout.¡± He looked out toward the city. ¡°Actually, the more I think about it the better it sounds to have as many Scouts helping each other out as possible.¡±


    Aceso looked down, her tail dipping a fraction, in thought. She crossed her black furred arms over the white spot on her chest. She looked over to Katherine and Charles. ¡°Go find Lethe and Billy they might be able to help Nicholas. I¡¯ll go find Ares or Mr. Davis and see if Hermes is available.¡± She turned back toward Nicholas and William, ¡°Go get yourselves cleaned up and put on some clean clothes. You don¡¯t need to be seen walking around the city like you just took down a moose by yourselves.¡± Without another word she shifted into her natural wolf form and ran off, disappearing in between some buildings.

 Book 4 Chapter 21h

    Charles asked, ¡°So what did happen between you two?¡±


    Nicholas said, ¡°We had a gentleman¡¯s wager and contest Chuck, other than that you don¡¯t need to know.¡±


    Charles looked over at William with a wry smile. He shrugged, ¡°It¡¯s just like he said man, a ¡®gentleman¡¯s wager¡¯.¡±


    The black man smiled. Without saying anything he turned and left with Katherine to go find Lethe.


    William looked over at Nicholas. ¡°How¡¯s the arm?¡±


    The Scout rotated his wrist again. ¡°It¡¯s good now. I don¡¯t feel any pain at all.¡±


    ¡°So, we¡¯re good then?¡± William asked.


    Nicholas turned toward him and there was no mirth there. ¡°Look, Setford I may have come to terms with working with you, but don¡¯t ever assume we¡¯re ¡®good¡¯, got it.¡±


    William nodded in understanding but held out his hand anyway. Nicholas looked down at the offered hand with a sneer. He raised his eyes to meet William¡¯s, and quietly turned away. Well, what did he expect from Nicholas anyway? He dropped his hand and started off for his room to get some clean clothes of his own.


    By the time William got back to where they had broken up, the three other Scouts were already there with Nicholas. The group was in close and talking amongst themselves. Aceso stood apart and Katherine and Charles were even farther from her.


    ¡°What¡¯s up guys?¡± he asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to tell,¡± replied Katherine. ¡°They¡¯ve been like that for a few minutes. I don¡¯t know what the problem is but I don¡¯t think Lethe was with the original group of Scouts. He seems to be rejecting whatever they suggest.¡±


    William looked over at the group of Scouts. Every once in a while, he could see Lethe¡¯s head shake back and forth. He was not arguing but he was definitely the one who was holding up the conversation.


    ¡°What do you think the problem is? Is it just hard for him to believe that what we are attempting can even be done?¡± William asked to no one in particular.


    ¡°Lethe is wolf born. It will be hard for him to accept change in how we perceive our world,¡± Aceso said quietly as she joined them. ¡°Wolves do not understand why things change. For us Nature is a balance of cycles that are ever turning but ever repeating as well. The game herds we hunt follow the age-old paths of migration and feeding areas. The snow falls when the moon is in a certain place in the sky and the rains come after the snow thaws, these are things that have happened since wolves were born into this world. Telling him that the way things are may be changed will be difficult for him to understand.¡±


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    William nodded, ¡°Yes, I understand that but he has to know that these things have to change for our survival and the survival of the city.¡± Aceso did not respond but only turned her head back toward the Scouts with her ears pointed toward the group.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have time for this,¡± William said. He strode up to the group of Scouts. ¡°Uh guys? Hi.¡± The group stopped talking and turned toward the sudden intrusion. It didn¡¯t seem like anyone was happy to see him, especially Nicholas. But he had already started might as well finish it. ¡°Look, Lethe? We need your help so Nicholas can do what he did a few weeks back. You weren¡¯t there but Nicholas led us to a girl named Chelsea who we were able to bring back to the Mountain. We need for him to do it again, and again, and again, if he can so we can bring back more Shape shifters so this city can regain some of its fighting strength for this war that we are obviously losing.¡± He felt very proud of himself for that little speech, it sounded very powerful and full of urgency which they needed.


    Lethe did not share his enthusiasm. ¡°William, I know you think you know what you are talking about. I am a bit older and have been a Scout for a time. No Scout has ever boasted of the abilities you speak of Nicholas exhibiting.¡± He looked over the small group around him. ¡°However, I understand the need for hope. What will happen, will happen, but on Nature¡¯s terms. I have business to attend to. I won¡¯t try to stop you from trying but I will not be involved.¡± With that he silently walked away and disappeared around a building corner.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s great! That¡¯s just great. Way to go, Setford!¡± Nicholas fumed. ¡°Now what? We try with what we have? I still don¡¯t even know what it was that I did. It felt to me like it was more Ansuya than anything else, and she¡¯s not here. How in the hell are we going to do this when we don¡¯t really know what the hell we¡¯re doing in the first place. Maybe Lethe was right and this is a waste of everyone¡¯s time?¡±


    Aceso stepped up to them. ¡°Nicholas, we need for you to remember what it was you did and get us to where we need to be. There are Shape shifters out there that we haven¡¯t been finding. Because of our ineptitude, the vampires must be finding them. Throughout our history we have never had such a downfall in new Shape shifters to the city. You are the key to helping us get some of it back.¡±


    Billy said, ¡°Hell, I may be a little older but I can still learn a new trick or two. What do we have to lose?¡±


    Nicholas looked over at Hermes. He sighed, ¡°Ok. Let¡¯s go to the top of the Tower and see what we can do.¡±


    The Scouts headed off to the Tower to execute their plans. William still didn¡¯t understand exactly what it was they were going to do but last time it took them a day or two and Nicholas had come out exhausted from the ordeal. Maybe the second time wouldn¡¯t be so taxing, but without the Elders and Ansuya there? Maybe Nicholas had a point and this was all just a giant waste of time.

 Book 4 Chapter 22a

    Kenneth sat in his chair, thinking, fuming, and contemplating. There was a puzzle under his feet that for the first time in his life, he had no idea how to go about solving it. She had resisted everything he had tried. He had resisted his domination, his dream world, his own charm and seduction; she had risen above all he had tried.


    He looked over at his wall as he drank deeply the wine from his glass. The clock said 3:34 AM. The night would be gone soon and he had gained nothing, and worse, done nothing. That woman who now took up residence beneath his feet was so infuriating he had to fight the impulse to throw his wine glass across the room. His mental powers were not a match for this woman, it seemed, and that was what grieved him the most.


    How could any half animal abomination be able to resist him? He had broken over forty humans; sluts, muscle men, scientists, police officials, and the occasional politician, though those were usually the biggest waste of his time. Politicians did have their uses, but he would rather use money to procure their services. After all, after they left office, they were less than useless, such a waste of his talents.


    His Talents.


    He was a god compared to those he chose to walk amongst. They had no idea the power he wielded, and he knew that Alessandro had forgotten as well. There was something to be said about dealing through back doors when their kind was bargaining from the position of weakness of numbers and resources. But now? They ruled this entire city! No one crossed them. Their clubs and farms were spaced throughout its concrete sprawl. Alessandro and the other House Heads ruled their servants and the humans who in turn served them. They could take over the entire continent and be thanked by the masses for returning order and prestige to the great United States.


    Alessandro was a fool and so were the rest of them. He had no real desire to kill every House Head. No, all he needed was a voice with them. One man couldn¡¯t hope to topple the secret empire that the vampires had built meticulously over the years. He was still young, but even he had seen the rise of their power. Why couldn¡¯t the rest of them?


    They were close to eradicating the only real threat left to them and the woman down stairs was the first step in their utter destruction. And if he was able to do what he was planning to do, then who better to bring the Vampires back into the light of dominance then the one man who destroyed the werewolves? All he needed to do was find out where they were hiding.


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    He had been so close, so close! Only a few months ago there had been a golden opportunity and his people had blown it. They let William Setford get away!


    Suddenly the wine glass in his hand exploded.


    He cursed to himself and stood up to get a clean towel to brush out the stain and wine on his clothes before it had time to set. He couldn¡¯t be seen walking around with soiled clothes; that simply would not do.


    The thought of that reminded him of one of Alessandro¡¯s first lessons. The ability to maintain the good graces of the upper class, the ruling class, was to always look the part. The ruling class was where the power was, not some farmer who didn¡¯t know a Merlot from a Pinot Nior. Always look the part and doors would open for you. That advice had served him well here in the Americas.


    He left the shards of the wine glass on the Persian rug; he would get Cassandra or Jessica to clean it up later. The wine stain would be hard to get out, but not impossible. He had nowhere to go and he found his feet carrying him toward the door that would lead down to his basement. To her.


    He opened the door, walked down the stairs into the basement proper and found himself in front of his work bench. He idly ran a finger lightly along it¡¯s surface and looked up at the wall adjacent to it. The tools that hung there were made explicitly for extracting information. The tools themselves were crude and blunt. That¡¯s why he had them hanging on the wall. There brute force and crude angles gave them a beauty which he found few people actually appreciated. His eyes slid down the shaft of a simple rod. Most of the cruel curves of the blades, or the spikes, were only for show, he would never dream of using them on actual people. His methods were elevated far above those of simple human minds anyway.


    He stood in the gloom of the partially lit basement. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply the scent of what had transpired there over the last few years. There was the glorious smell of human blood. Those smells always made him smile. That was from people he wanted to practice on. They hadn¡¯t had any real information and were of no real use for him, but a tool not used soon blunts itself.


    He inhaled the smell of wolves. The wolves had been so central to his early machinations. They might still prove useful in the future but that part of his project had been completed.


    And then there was her. He knew that she was aware of his presence. They had been locked in this bitter struggle for so long he was sure that they would never be truly apart from each other. He couldn¡¯t let her go on that slim chance though. She had blocked him at every turn and even managed to turn his own thoughts and plans back onto him. It had been a close thing, but Natalia had seen to it that she hadn¡¯t succeeded. He could smell her sweat, her scent mixed with the earthiness of this place, which mixed with the blood scent and wolf hair. The smell of this place was a cacophony of smells that wrapped his senses in ecstasy.

 Book 4 Chapter 22b

    And what to do with the wolf bitch in the back? It could have gone so much easier for her if she had just submitted to him, like all his other ¡®students.¡¯ But she was stronger than anything he had ever encountered before. She probably wouldn¡¯t succumb to brute physical force either but right now he was beyond his limits for patience.


    He grabbed the rod that was hanging on the wall pegs. Its metal shaft was heavy and reassuring in his hand. The leather wrapped handle felt secure in his grip. He grabbed a few other things and walked to the back of the basement.


    He stopped next to the wall just out of reach for her from inside the cage. He glanced up to see her eyes open and watching him. She was sitting as regally as she could in the cramped space. The cage had been sized and chosen to wear her down physically by forcing her into uncomfortable positions, there wasn¡¯t enough room to lay down or stand up. Her hair was a mess and her scent was that of stale sweat. There wasn¡¯t any hint of the scent of fear, but maybe there would be after tonight.


    He finished setting up his marvelous little device and looked directly at the caged woman. ¡°Hello, Ansuya. You know why I¡¯m here, yes?¡± He asked as politely as possible. Seeing her there, sitting like a queen upon a throne of refuse, made him want to strangle her dead then and there. He forced himself to be calm.


    She gazed deeply into his eyes, the smoky effect from her dark skin tone made him think such wonderfully dark thoughts. Beautiful or not, she was going to give him what he wanted, even if after he was done with her she wouldn¡¯t be so attractive.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t imagine what you want, Kenneth. You¡¯ve never asked me anything,¡± she said with shocked wide-eyed innocence.


    Kenneth could not control himself. He jammed the rod down in between the cage bars. An evil crackling rang out in the confined space and Ansuya yelped with sudden pain. Her eyes opened wide in pain. Her features contorted around the pain from the electrified rod. Kenneth kept the rod jammed between the bars for long moments as Ansuya¡¯s body convulsed and jumped against her will. She remained stoically quiet. Except for that first yelp, she remained completely silent. But her face gave away everything that he needed. She felt every glorious second of the white-hot electricity that flowed through the bars of her cage that she couldn¡¯t get away from.


    Kenneth withdrew the rod with a sigh, tiring of her face contorting and her body spasming uncontrollably. He looked down at the woman as she heaved heavy breaths while trying to keep her outward fa?ade of calm. He held the rod up to his face. ¡°Now, Ansuya, tell me what I want to know?¡±


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    She spoke between heavy breaths, ¡°You¡­haven¡¯t¡­told me¡­what¡­you want.¡±


    ¡°Huhm,¡± Kenneth snorted and jammed the rod in between the bars again.


    The sweet crackling of electricity rang out through the basement again and Kenneth couldn¡¯t help but smile warmly down at the helpless woman as a about a thousand volts of electricity coursed through and over her body. She was so brave not to cry out, not even a sudden yelp of surprise escaped her lips this time.


    There was the scent of something burning. That was to be expected. Her clothes would be a bit singed. The voltage was high but the wattage of the current was low, that meant that she would feel the pain but never be in any real danger of dying. He removed the taser from the cage bars.


    The woman sat there serenely as her muscles came under her control again. Even though she was dirty and probably exhausted, she exuded a regal air that at once enticed him and then repulsed him. She had no right to look up at him the way she did, as if she was somehow still in control of the situation.


    ¡°I can tell this hurts you, Ansuya. Why don¡¯t you just save me the time and yourself the pain? Tell me what I want to know,¡± Kenneth said calmly as he idly regarded the instrument of his torture.


    ¡°I told you¡­I don¡¯t know what you want¡­You never asked me anything,¡± Ansuya replied still trying to catch her breath.


    Kenneth smiled sweetly down at his prisoner. ¡°Very well, Elder.¡± He walked away from the woman. He had left his tools where they were, no reason to take away the threat of pain, let her look at it and contemplate just how long he could keep going.


    He slowly made his way back to his little work bench and the peg board with his tools. He picked up and carried a small chair back to the cage. He gently set it down and took notice of how she hadn¡¯t moved. Her face was placid. It made him want to slice her neck. He had heard of the famed calm of the werewolf Elders, but this was more than maddening. He grabbed the rod and jammed in between the bars.


    The electricity made her body convulse, her muscles flex and strain against the current. Eventually she would pass out or die, or both, even with the low wattage, human bodies can only take so much abuse. The voltage would eventually start to burn her skin and her hair. She couldn¡¯t escape it. All she could do was try to be brave and not cry out. Eventually she would scream, eventually everyone did and werewolves were no different. He watched her face twist and contort as her legs twitched and her back arched. Not too much fun all at once though. He withdrew the rod. Maybe he should have tried this method first? Oh well, nothing he could do about that now.


    He looked down at the woman¡¯s chest heave up and down as she tried to catch her breath. There was the smell of burning hair now. Such a pity, she had such a gorgeous full head of waist length hair, not easy to come by or maintain. He lamented the damage that it must now endure.

 Book 4 Chapter 22c

    ¡°Very well, let us talk, Ansuya, as two people. If you¡¯d like you may imagine a peaceful sunset setting from my native Italian landscape. A beautiful seaside sunset with the water on fire as the sun slips beneath the calm waves.¡±


    The Elder looked at him and sighed, ¡°I¡¯ve always preferred a moonlit night, full of bright stars.¡±


    Kenneth smiled, ¡°Oh, yes I must have forgotten, you would be a little more predisposed to moonlit settings wouldn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°As would you, vampire.¡±


    Kenneth barely kept his rage in check. His hand twitched for want of using the taser on her again, but then again that might be exactly what she intended for him to do. He calmed down with some effort and smiled again.


    ¡°You know, I could keep going for several days down here. You might be expecting me to have to leave and sleep during the day? That¡¯s not an accurate portrayal of my kind. We can go sometimes a month or more at a time without sleep. All we really need to do is avoid sunlight. Down here, sunlight can¡¯t affect me in the slightest. Can you last even a week? I can see from here just how exhausted you are already,¡± Kenneth said.


    Ansuya looked up at him and despite the dark circles under her eyes she held strength and a fire there that was admirable, even a bit shocking. After everything that had been done to her, she still held on to her defiance.


    ¡°I suppose,¡± replied Ansuya, ¡°that you will just have to stay down here and find out.¡±


    Kenneth jammed the rod in between the bars as he let his anger get the better of him. He watched her for a few moments before withdrawing. He would have to use his tools sparingly otherwise what reason did she have to talk? He let go of the rod and sat back in his chair with his hands steeped in front of his face, hiding his mouth and facial features.


    He said, ¡°You want to know what it is I want, right?¡±


    Ansuya nodded her head once. ¡°It would¡­.make this¡­torture¡­have some kind of point¡­at least.¡± She said weakly.


    Kenneth nodded. ¡°I want your kind destroyed, to start with.¡±


    Ansuya¡¯s face held no shock or surprise at this. ¡°To start with?¡± she asked.


    Kenneth smiled, clever girl, but not clever enough. ¡°Yes, to start with, Ansuya, and to do that I need to know where you live. So, if you would tell me that, this could all be over very soon. If you can¡¯t tell me, well I¡¯ll be content with a nice little scream from you, to start with.¡±


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    Ansuya looked up at the vampire and smiled. ¡°Well, if that¡¯s all you want, why didn¡¯t you say so? My home is on a little square of a market place. It doesn¡¯t really have an address but its right next to the merchant district in Calicut. We have a lovely two story home with 15 bedrooms, two full kitchens, five full bathrooms, and a few sitting rooms. It really is quite lovely.¡±


    A shadow passed over her face as she was describing the house. There was truth in what she said but not the truth that he was looking for. ¡°Ansuya, you may have lived in a home like the one you describe, but don¡¯t take me for an idiot. Where do the werewolves live!¡± He sent another current through the bars. This time a small whimper did escape her lips but was quickly cut off as she grit her teeth together.


    Kenneth stopped and sat back in his chair. ¡°Well, Elder? I¡¯m waiting?¡±


    The beautiful brown woman took her time rearranging her clothes and repositioning herself in a more comfortable position. When she was ready, she looked back at Kenneth. ¡°I would really like to help you, Kenneth. I would. But I¡¯m very thirsty and my memory is all fuzzy. I can¡¯t keep things straight in my head. Maybe if I had a glass of water, I might be able to help you.¡±


    Kenneth smiled viciously. ¡°You¡¯re just stalling now.¡± He tased her once more. The woman was very strong, but the harder she tried to stop herself the more small noises escaped her lips. It wouldn¡¯t be long now before she was howling with the pain. ¡°Where do the werewolves live, Ansuya?¡±


    The Elder spoke through ragged breaths, her dirty hair hanging in front of her face, ¡°Go find it yourself, parasite!¡± she spat. There was a pause and a slumping of her shoulders.


    Kenneth smiled down at her. Well, pain was a powerful motivator and her visage of strength and dignity was collapsing around her. ¡°Really Ansuya? Reduced to name calling? I¡¯m surprised.¡± He resumed his torture.


    She was now whimpering as the voltage flowed all around her. Her back was spasming, her hair was burning, and her muscles were convulsing and tensing uncontrollably from the current and the pure white hot pain that came from it. There were even a few whimpers that escaped her lips. He removed the rod from the cage. She woman¡¯s body slumped back. Her breathing was so harsh and ragged it almost echoed off the walls around them.


    ¡°I am a reasonable man, Ansuya. I hate to see a woman of your stature and beauty kept down here in a hole like this that I usually reserve for wolves and criminals. I hate seeing you endure all this pain. And for what? Your people have obviously abandoned you. Why else would they not be out actively looking for you? I have eyes and ears all over this city and they haven¡¯t seen anyone that matches William¡¯s or the other man who was with you the night.¡± He sat back and folded one leg across the other. ¡°Surely you would like a bath and some food. You must be starving. I haven¡¯t fed you much over the past week or so. All you have to do is point to a place on a map and all this pain will go away.¡± He glanced upward at the ceiling of his basement. ¡°I have a hot tub that could be ready for you in five minutes so you could soak yourself and get cleaned up, if you wish. All I need is a location.¡±

 Book 4 Chapter 22d

    The Elder took a deep breath and gathered her hair behind her. She rested against the bars of the cage. ¡°Who are you, Kenneth?¡±


    He turned his head in surprise at the question. ¡°You should be more worried about the question I asked you.¡±


    Ansuya¡¯s voice dropped an octave and took on a very sweet sultry tone. ¡°I want to know about the man in front of me. Who are you, Kenneth? You don¡¯t really care about werewolves. What is it you truly want?¡±


    The tone was unexpected and he found himself wanting to answer the question. This woman was even more dangerous than he had learned so far. Her reserves of strength and endurance were beyond anything he had experienced. She was using some sort of control on him, maybe from the moment he stepped down to the basement. It wasn¡¯t like his domination, it was more subtle than that, far more seductive and very, very dangerous.


    He slowly made himself stand up even though he wanted to stay. Without a word he forced his legs to carry him away from the woman in the cage. The farther away he got from her, the easier it was to move. But the pull to go back was such a pleasant thought. He moved away and kept himself locked on the idea of getting out of the basement.


    When he reached the interior of his house, on the other side of the basement door, he turned and locked it without allowing himself to think about it and sat down. He was very glad to sit down in his chair once more. The bitch had wanted him down there with her. She had kept him there and stalled for time so that whatever she had tried to do to him could take hold. He cursed his legs and mind for falling into such an obvious trap. He knew that she was a viper in a rabbit hole, but he hadn¡¯t expected to learn that he was the rabbit.


    He looked up at the clock, it read 5:45 am, and soon the sun would rise. It was time for him to sleep. He had wasted another night in contemplation of what to do with that woman downstairs and he had almost played right into her hands. If he hadn¡¯t been trained so well by his master and teacher Alessandro, he might be letting her out of her cage right now, enslaved to her power. He would rather commit suicide by sunlight then allow himself to ever be enslaved by anyone, especially a hairy animal like a werewolf, no matter how beautiful their outward appearance may be.


    He made his way upstairs. Natalia was waiting for him. He didn¡¯t have the energy to deal with her right now. ¡°What is it?¡± he sighed.


    She tucked her hands behind her back forcing her chest out. She looked him directly in the eyes; there was no playfulness there regardless of how her stance might appear. ¡°Something happened earlier that you will want to look into.¡±


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    Kenneth rubbed his eyes, he was more tired than he had thought and he wanted rest, the sun would rise soon. His house windows had been heavily draped so no sunlight would get in but he just wanted to sleep. ¡°I don¡¯t have time for games, Natalia. What happened,¡± he said a touch harshly.


    His mate replied coldly, ¡°One of your clubs was burned to the ground.¡±


    It took him a moment to understand what it was he had just heard. One of the clubs? ¡°Which one?¡±


    She answered, ¡°Does it really matter? What¡¯s strange is that the preliminary arson investigators have found no accelerant at the presumed base of the fire. Faulty wiring is assumed to be the cause.¡± She turned her head and looked at a window at the end of the hall, its black curtain still as death against the oncoming sunrise. ¡°What does that tell you?¡± she asked.


    Kenneth pursed his lips. Faulty wiring could be the cause? Just a coincidence? If it was faulty wiring then why hadn¡¯t the staff there delt with the flames early on? Any vampire could smell burning rubber and sparked copper a mile away. He knew exactly what that meant and his anger flared. He replied simply, ¡°Werewolves.¡±


    Natalia nodded, ¡°That was my guess too. Does it have anything to do with that bitch we have downstairs?¡± she jerked her head down toward the basement.


    He didn¡¯t know. It was pretty pointless to have a distraction a half a city away, that he hadn¡¯t even learned about till now. And if the investigation is already underway that meant it happened at least a few hours ago. He had been sitting in his chair thinking about what to do with Ansuya a few hours ago! There was something going on. He didn¡¯t know what it meant, but maybe the wolves had decided to start making a nuisance of themselves again? It was a bold stroke even for them. But ultimately pointless, they had clubs all over the city. Even this one would be rebuilt, such a reckless gambit which afforded them very little. No, the wolves never did anything just because; there was a specific reason for this hit.


    ¡°What club was it?¡± he asked again.


    ¡°I can¡¯t remember, my mate. I do know that it was owned by House Dukart,¡± she answered.


    Coincidence? He didn¡¯t believe in coincidences. Were the wolves trying to find their lost Elder? Or something else. ¡°Did anything else happen tonight?¡±


    His mate nodded her head. ¡°Yes, but you won¡¯t like it.¡±


    Kenneth let anger flash in his eyes, he didn¡¯t have time for games. ¡°Natalia? What else happened?¡± he said with a deadly quiet.


    Her eyes widened in fear upon recognizing his tone and voice. ¡°One of the Farm¡¯s got raided earlier this morning.¡±


    Kenneth closed his eyes and tried to hold back his rage. He took a step over to a side table and brought his hand down through the stained finished surface, smashing the delicate router work edges and splintering the smooth polished top. He had felt that something had gone wrong tonight. He had been convinced that it was just the Elder in his basement that was frustrating him. The club could be repaired in months, but the Farm? It would take a year at least to get that place back up and running!

 Book 4 Chapter 22e

    He snapped his head around toward his mate. He didn¡¯t care that he was screaming at her, he didn¡¯t care about anything right then. ¡°Where the hell were those cheap ass security mercs we paid so much for? How the hell did that happen?!¡±


    Natalia ducked her head, avoiding making eye contact with him. ¡°The security force was there relatively soon. They had the perpetrators in sight. They fired hundreds of rounds but the perpetrators were able to set fire to the place using the boiler and by sabotaging the emergency release valves, it caused an explosion that set fire to the place.¡±


    ¡°Who were they, Natalia? ANSWER ME!!!¡±


    She bowed her head again; eyes were glued to the ground. ¡°They were werewolves, my mate.¡±


    Of COURSE they were werewolves! He ripped a mirror off the wall and threw it down the hallway. The mirror shattered into a thousand beautiful shards that caught the light from the crystals of the chandeliers above. Natalia watched them fall back to the ground, afraid to look at Kenneth.


    ¡°Why? What in the hell is going on? Why would the wolves break the peace now? They haven¡¯t done anything like this for over a year, maybe two or three. Why DO THIS NOW?!!¡± Kenneth put his hand through a wall. His ongoing frustration with Ansuya downstairs and now this was all just a little too much for him to handle. His plans would still be in motion, there was nothing that could stop that now, but these minor irritants were infuriating.  And he knew that Alessandro would call on him to check out the two locations and do an assessment of loses and time tables for when the two operations could be back up and running. He hated finding out about these things so long after they had already happened.


    ¡°Alright, there is nothing I can do about this now. I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m going to bed¡­¡± He stopped and turned back toward his mate. He lifted her chin so that her eyes met with his. ¡°You will be with me tonight.¡± It wasn¡¯t a question.


    ¡°Yes, my mate, I will,¡± she answered. There was fear in her eyes but obedience in her voice. Ever since he had sent her on her little escapade, she had taken on a very demure behavior around him. That pleased him. She had been taking too many liberties with his patience as of late. It was good that she remembered where it was she stood in the natural order of things. And if that understanding took a little chunk out of her fiery personality, that was a sacrifice that he was willing to make. She was his mate, not the other way around.


    *          *          *


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    The next sunset he was up and ready to face whatever task that Alessandro would no doubt contact him about. He had other things to do today, but if his House Head called upon his services, who was he to refuse. Only a fool disobeyed his master.


    He left Natalia in the bathroom. ¡°Natalia, I want you to inject a double dose of the drug into Ansuya tonight. And only cut it with 500 mg of the dopamine, we don¡¯t want her too comfortable down there just enough to continue the process.¡±


    ¡°I understand, Kenneth. It will be as you say,¡± she said quietly.


    He smiled at her response and the way it had been delivered. It was really nice to not have to worry about the loyalty of his own people, especially the ones closest to him. After all trust was a scared covenant between mates. If he couldn¡¯t trust her, he couldn¡¯t trust anybody.


    Michael was waiting out in the front drive with the Jaguar, idling beautifully and ready to go. He allowed Michael to open the door for him and he slid onto the leather seats. Michael took the driver¡¯s seat and they were on the road in moments.


    It had been a while since he had ridden in this car. The leather and the clean smell of the vehicle reminded him of why he loved the car so much. Driving was so pass¨¦ anyway, why drive when one could be driven. If you control the driver, are you not also in control of the car?


    ¡°Michael, we need to make a visit to Advanced Cell Technologies. I need to check up on our dear doctor Swaan,¡± he said with mock concern.


    Michael looked into the rearview mirror and nodded his head once. The car shifted lanes and moved through traffic with a purpose. Michael was an expert driver. He could handle a Formula One car if given the chance. In fact, that had been where he and Michael and first met, at a race track.


    Michael was so young and full of energy and he wanted to prove Formula One was a sport. His body was in great shape, much better than most drivers, though his car was tenth rate at best. His sponsors included a cereal company and some synthetic motor oil company that went bankrupt that year. He had a snowball¡¯s chance in hell of ever making it past his first year in Formula One, no matter how good he was. It had been a mercy to ¡®talk¡¯ him out of professional driving and into construction contracting. He made a pretty decent income, had twenty people work for him, and he still got to drive cars. It really had been for the best, all things considered.


    Michael pulled up to the labs on the outskirts of the city. Kenneth checked his phone and Alessandro still had not called for him to attend to either incident from last night. That was a little troublesome. Alessandro had always turned to him for this kind of thing. He had the contacts to deal with the wolves. His network had led him to over fifteen Shape shifters in the last few months alone. He was the closest thing to an expert on the wolves that Alessandro had, and the old man knew it.


    Kenneth smiled to himself. Even if Alessandro somehow thought he could solve this problem by going around him and his resources, the old man would eventually come around and give him the job. The problem with having a pupil who was smarter than you was that you had to rely on them more and more till they had all the power in the relationship.

 Book 4 Chapter 22f

    Not that he would ever underestimate Alessandro. The old man might need him to deal with the wolves, but the old man was the power base for their kind in L.A. He was not in a position to contest him on that¡­ yet.


    He walked through the front doors and asked for doctor Swaan. Some nervous looking little man with glasses pointed down the hall as he rushed off down a side corridor holding a beaker in one hand and test tube in the other.


    The place was as sterile as a hospital, and smelled just as bad. Somehow the smell of overly disinfected floors and super clean walls left an uncomfortable sting in his sensitive nostrils.


    He walked down the brightly lit main corridor. His Italian leather shoes made a soft squeak with every step. The side hallways were well labeled and he had no problem finding the side hallway the orderly had pointed him to. After that though, the place turned into a honeycomb mess of doors, rooms, side hallways, dark closets, and throughways. This place looked more like a hospital and less than what he imagined from a research lab.


    With a little bit more difficulty than he was comfortable admitting, he finally found the lab the orderly had directed him to. He pushed open the door and entered a clean room. The walls were lined with heavy plastic and some clean suits hanging on racks. He found a wide window looking into the lab with an intercom built into it. On the other side were three people in white hazmat suits moving between two tables. One was peering into a microscope while another was replacing a slide on the microscopes base.


    Kenneth pressed the intercom button. ¡°Dr. Swaan might I have a word with you, please?¡±


    One of the haz-mat suits turned around. Kenneth couldn¡¯t quite make out the man¡¯s face. He was wearing some sort of goggles or glasses inside the suit. He turned to one of the other suits, gripped the shoulder of the person next to him placing the tray under the microscope, and walked out into the clean room.


    As he entered a small adjacent room, Kenneth heard a hiss of air and the decontaminant spray. After a few moments the entry door opened and the man slid the helmet of the suit off. His hair was matted and wet with sweat. His face glistened with perspiration.


    As soon as he saw Kenneth the man bowed his head, ¡°Teacher, how may I help you?¡±


    Kenneth smiled at his newest student. He wasn¡¯t sure how well this particular man¡¯s brilliant mind would react to his domination. He was working, which was good. Kenneth didn¡¯t answer right away; instead he chose to look out the window into the clean lab. ¡°How is it going with your research, student?¡± he asked, not unkindly.


    Dr. Trevor Swaan straightened up and ran a hand through his matted hair. ¡°Not as well as we would have hoped, we are having trouble with the CPP¡¯s.¡± Kenneth cocked his head to one side, questioningly. Trevor explained, ¡°Cell-penetrating peptides. The polycationic amino acids aren¡¯t reacting the way we had projected. We are trying to reassess with other amino acids like lysine but right now the acid itself isn¡¯t transmitting the cargo to the cells, it¡¯s just getting lost and absorbed in the cellular covalent bonds.¡±


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    Kenneth held a dead expression on his face. ¡°Fascinating.¡± He turned to look at his student directly. ¡°I have need of your expertise and facilities.¡±


    Trevor nodded, ¡°I will do what I can, Teacher.¡±


    Kenneth smiled. ¡°Yes, I know you will. I want you to abandon your current project and put all of your available resources into something for me.¡±


    Trevor rubbed at the back of his neck. ¡°Uh, I¡¯m not sure I can¡­we have put so muc¡­.¡±


    ¡°Look at me Trevor.¡± Kenneth took a step toward his student and helped the man with his gaze. He projected his will onto his student and spoke with all the authority and power of a god over a mouse. ¡°You will abandon all your current research. You will inform your team of a new project. Do you understand?¡±


    Trevor nodded; his eyes had glazed over as everything Kenneth said was absorbed into the very fabric of his soul. ¡°What is the project, Instructor?¡±


    Kenneth continued to stare into the blank, dead eyes of his enthralled student. ¡°You will find a way to inhibit the regenerative qualities of cellular mass and tissue.¡±


    Trevor¡¯s face twisted with confusion. ¡°But Instructor, simple irradiation will break down cellular tissue and kill cells out right, why the need to just inhibit regeneration?¡±


    Kenneth nodded; it was a valid question. He had to maintain control of himself. If the man was asking questions he was not fully under his control. If he brought Trevor fully under his thrall, his scientific mind would be dulled and then he would be useless to him as a student.


    He took a deep breath, ¡°I understand, student. For what I have in mind, irradiation is not an option. I need something that will attack the cells only. I need an aerial transmitting agent, which can be quietly spread through a wide area that will only stop cells from regenerating, without any other side effects. It needs to be quiet, odorless, tasteless, and colorless. Do you understand?¡±


    Trevor nodded. ¡°I understand Instructor. I will get my team to work on it right away.¡±


    Kenneth shook his head. ¡°No, it¡¯s all right. Why don¡¯t you go in there and tell your team to call it a night. Go have some fun. Cassandra could greet you and take you out for a dinner date, if you wish.¡±


    Trevor couldn¡¯t stop the smile from spreading across his face. ¡°Yes, Instructor I would like that very much!¡±


    Kenneth smiled as well. ¡°Very well then, close up shop and I¡¯ll have Cassandra pick you up at your place in one hour.¡± Trevor turned back toward the small adjacent room already pulling his helmet back on. Kenneth stopped him dead. ¡°Trevor?¡± The man turned around to face his instructor with his hood half pulled back on. ¡°After tonight, I expect you and your team back here early tomorrow and working twenty-four hours to find a solution to my problem.¡± He turned back toward the scientist. ¡°Don¡¯t disappoint me.¡± At the exit he paused and said over his shoulder. ¡°Oh, and Trevor don¡¯t be late. Cassandra hates it when people are late.¡±


    He returned to the car and rechecked his phone. Alessandro still had not contacted him about the two hits they had taken last night. Well, he wasn¡¯t going to just sit around and do nothing. He told Michael to drive to the Farm first. Better that he get a firsthand view of what the wolves had done to them and just how badly they had been hit.

 Book 4 Chapter 23a

    When he got there it wasn¡¯t as bad as he thought, it was worse. The whole hotel was nothing but a charred-out husk. It looked like a bombed out ruin from the World War II era. The whole building was scarred and blackened from fire damage. Jesus, did the fire fighters just sit and watch the place go up before they did anything?


    The place was taped off but there were a few workers walking around and some official looking men in suits, probably the arson investigators. He approached one of these men as he was examining, what used to be, a window frame with a flashlight.


    ¡°Excuse me, can you tell me just what the hell happened here?¡± Kenneth asked.


    ¡°This is a closed crime scene, pal.¡± He turned toward some other police officers standing off to one side. ¡°HEY!! Can you two get this guy out of here?!¡±


    Kenneth whipped the man around to face him directly. His eyes bored into the detective¡¯s. Soon the man¡¯s body relaxed and went slack against the wall. ¡°Now, tell those men to back off, that everything is fine.¡±


    The investigator nodded and looked over to the approaching officers. ¡°Never mind fellas, my mistake, this guy owns the joint¡­or used to anyway.¡± He smiled at his joke. The two officers looked sideways at him since Kenneth was still gripping the man¡¯s coat. Kenneth let go of the man and said, ¡°Sorry guys he just caught me as I slipped that¡¯s all. Go on, you¡¯re security, right? Go secure something that needs to be secured, I¡¯m fine here.¡± The two officers shared a glance between each other but turned and walked back the way they had come.


    ¡°Now officer,¡± Kenneth sneered. ¡°What the hell have you found out about what happened here?¡±


    The officer looked back at the charred shell. ¡°Well, near as we can tell the fire started in the basement with a little explosion around the water boiler. The explosion was no big deal and it should have been contained there. But the internal sprinkler system was off line and somehow the fire managed to make its way up and over to some gas lines used in the heating system and that¡¯s what we think caused this place to go up so fast.¡±


    Kenneth could only look up at the charred remains of the five-story hotel. All those resources, all that time and effort, and all those cows, gone. He couldn¡¯t keep the laughter from escaping his lips. Of all the things that the wolves had hit over the past five years, they had never hit a Farm. What had changed? What had happened to make them so bold now? Did his capturing Ansuya have anything to do with this?


    ¡°What about survivors? Was there anybody that escaped the fire?¡± Kenneth asked.


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    The officer rubbed his chin. ¡°Well, yes and no. I spoke to a few of them that managed to make it out but they were like mind numbed zombies. I know being caught in a fire is traumatic but I ain¡¯t never seen people like that. A hand full of men and women just sitting there, blank stares on their faces, waiting for something, refusing to speak at all.¡± He massaged his temples absentmindedly. ¡°Downright creepy if you ask me.¡±


    Kenneth looked up at the building again. The hand cuffs, chains, and other restraints wouldn¡¯t have all been destroyed. Alessandro would know this and he would have made sure one of House Dukart¡¯s investigators was in charge of the scene. He knew that this guy wasn¡¯t it.


    ¡°Where is the lead investigator? The guy in charge?¡± Kenneth asked harshly.


    The officer pointed to a group of vehicles and a small gaggle of people around it. ¡°Detective Diaz should be right over there.¡± Kenneth left the man without another word.


    He made his way through the gathering of police and found an open van with a small group huddled around a table with benches along the sides of the van and some bright interior lights. Kenneth was looking for a man but it seemed that all the attention is the group was being given to a woman.


    She had long wavy black hair tied behind her in a tight pony tail. Her face was not unattractive but it was hard. Her strong nose and downturned lips gave her a look of anger but also authority. Her deep brown eyes were cold and calculating. This must be Detective Diaz.


    ¡°Detective Diaz, might I have a word with you?¡± Kenneth asked overly politely.


    ¡°WILL SOMEBODY GET THIS DAMN REPORTER OUT OF HERE?!¡± She yelled without looking up from her reports.


    Kenneth smiled and shrugged off a guy who caught hold of his jacket shoulder. ¡°Detective Diaz, I¡¯m not a reporter. But I am someone who you really should give your precious time to,¡± he said quietly.


    The woman looked up in indignation, ¡°Are you threatening¡­me?¡± Her voice trailed off as their eyes met.


    Kenneth smiled at the woman. She obviously recognized who he was. That was a good start. ¡°Not at all Detective. I just have a few questions for you, if we could speak in private?¡±


    The woman nodded and cleared the group away. She gave orders to a few men who were closest to her, the rest she shooed away with a flick of her wrist.


    When the two of them were alone Kenneth turned to the woman. ¡°How dare you call me a reporter! I should have you as a slave for a month to teach you respect!¡± He said, loud enough to get his point across, but not loud enough to be overheard. His voice dripped with venom.


    The woman was obviously shaken by the threat. She had been dealing with vampires for a while it seemed. ¡°Yes, Mr. Pacifico, please forgive me. I will be more careful in the future.¡±


    Kenneth snorted and swept a few files to the front of the van. ¡°Be sure that you do, insect! I¡¯m not in the habit of granting boons to buffoons and morons!¡± He moved around the small enclosure. ¡°What have you done about our contraband? Evidence of our activities here has been cleansed, yes? Tell me you could do that right.¡±


    Detective Diaz bowed her head and nodded quickly. ¡°Yes, the evidence of the farm has been taken care of. The metal obviously didn¡¯t burn, so the chains, hand cuffs, and other instruments were swept clean before the site was even opened for investigation. The contraband is currently being shipped to the predetermined address. It should arrive there tomorrow morning.¡±

 Book 4 Chapter 23b

    Kenneth grabbed the girl by the chin. She accepted his grip without pain. She might make an interesting slave. He looked deeply into her brown eyes. She wasn¡¯t owned by another vampire. The thought was tempting, she was a little bit older than he preferred for his students. He stopped himself. She was already a loyal servant to someone. If he took her then it might raise suspicions and questions that he wasn¡¯t ready to answer. He let her go.


    ¡°So, is what the investigator told me true? Was this fire started from the inside?¡± He wanted confirmation, not that the male officer would have lied to him, his control over him was light and impermanent, but even then, no human could lie to him while under his sway.


    ¡°Yes, we believe it was,¡± Diaz replied. ¡°The boiler exploded and the fire there jumped onto the gas lines and the whole place went up like a match stick.¡±


    ¡°A match stick?¡± Kenneth wheeled on Diaz and grabbed her throat. He shoved her up against the van wall. She tried to pry his hands loose. Kenneth squeezed; it took a moment but her legs stopped flailing. ¡°Do you have any idea how long it took to get this site producing at capacity?¡± Diaz shook her head violently. ¡°Do you have any idea how much money it took to build this place to what it was?¡± Diaz¡¯s eyes started to roll back into her skull from lack of oxygen. He dropped her to the floor.


    She crumpled into a heap and coughed violently. She stayed on the ground rubbing at her neck and trying to take long slow breaths.


    Kenneth turned back toward the small table in the lights. ¡°I want whoever did this Diaz! I don¡¯t care what you do or how you do it, just get it done.¡± He didn¡¯t look back at her as he exited the van and strode away back to his car.


    Michael opened the door and he slid onto the back seat. It was later than he realized, almost two o¡¯clock in the morning already. He needed to see the club though he was pretty sure he would find the same thing.


    They arrived at the club a little while later and the place had about the same amount of fire damage as the Farm. The place was charred, but it didn¡¯t seem that the fire had scorched the outside as badly as at the Farm. He strode through the police tape and found the guy in charge.


    ¡°What happened?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t know, Sir.¡± The detective promptly answered. At least somebody had the sense to know who he was on sight and not provoke him. ¡°Seems that faulty wiring started the fire. It¡¯s likely the fire started in a corner of the club, and grew out from there, luckily no one was hurt.¡±


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    Kenneth glanced around the inside of the still dripping wet interior. ¡°You mean everyone made it out, ok? That was very lucky,¡± he said dryly.


    ¡°I know, right? The few witnesses we talked to said that they were dancing, or drinking or whatever, then some guy screams, ¡®FIRE¡¯ and everybody just bolts for the door. I¡¯m amazed nobody got trampled to death.¡±


    Kenneth asked, ¡°Did anyone get a description of this guy that called out the warning?¡±


    The Detective shook his head. ¡°No. That would have been a break, but with the darkness in here and with all the black lights it would have been impossible to get a reliable description. Even if someone came forward, I would be hesitant to accept their description of what the guy really looked like.¡±


    Kenneth nodded his head. ¡°I see.¡± He looked up toward the upper floor and the office that was housed there. ¡°What about the upper floor, was anything found there?¡±


    The Detective nodded. ¡°Yeah, some of my guys went up there earlier.¡± He bowed his head and shook his head. ¡°The place was a blood bath, Sir. The people up there were slaughtered. There was six total, Sir. We have a girl who had an arm that was ripped off. A few men with their faces bashed in, some broken bones, all dead. Whoever did that was either the strongest men in the world or just a couple of junkies high as kites on PCP, would be my guess.¡± He looked up toward the office and the blackened walls. ¡°The place itself wasn¡¯t damaged that bad by the fire itself. There were some scorched walls, some of the papers upstairs were torched, the desk was half burned, some of the filing cabinets were a little melted and some damage to the underside of the floor, but other than that the place was in good shape. Oh, that and it had been ransacked.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean ransacked?¡±


    ¡°I mean, Sir that the place had just about every file cabinet open, every desk drawer was open, and every piece of paper in the place had been rifled through. There were stacks of paper all over the place. Payment vouchers, order sheets, time cards, everything was thrown all over the place.¡±


    Kenneth nodded. ¡°Was there anything missing?¡±


    ¡°Well Sir, I wish I could tell you that, really. Between the fire, all the damage, and the amount of paperwork up there, it¡¯d be impossible to tell if anything was taken, but somebody was definitely looking for something.¡±


    ¡°Is it possible that whoever started this fire had also tossed the office?¡± he asked coldly.


    ¡°I¡¯d say that¡¯s the assumption we¡¯re going off of right now. Especially with all the dead bodies up there, I¡¯d say that was a certainty. So, whoever started the fire, used it as a distraction and made their way up to the office, killed those people up there and made off with whatever it was they were looking for before the fire trucks arrived.¡± He shook his head again. ¡°I don¡¯t even want to know how fast they must have moved through that place. Those people up there probably didn¡¯t even see it coming.¡±


    Kenneth looked up toward the office. Was this the wolves¡¯ true target or was the Farm what they wanted? Or did they want both? How many had there been? His thoughts were promptly interrupted.


    ¡°Uh, Sir did you want to see if you could identify the bodies. I¡¯ve got them down at the morgue if you wanted to take a trip down to the precinct.¡±

 Book 4 Chapter 23 c

    Kenneth glanced up at the office and took a final look around the club. ¡°No,¡± he replied. ¡°I¡¯ve got other things to do. I¡¯m sure someone will be along to identify the bodies. If not, hold on to them for a few days then dispose of them in the usual way.¡±


    The detective nodded. ¡°Yes, Sir, that shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Kenneth replied tartly as he turned to walk out of the club.


    This night was just getting better and better. He knew what he was going to find here before he arrived, but actually seeing it just made him more pissed off than he already was. As if he needed any other proof that the wolves were behind this little incident; the dead vampires from the office confirmed it. The only thing about it, though, it was embarrassing that six vampires had been killed and ripped to shreds like that! A female had her arm ripped off?! There was no question that the wolves were to blame for this. The only question was what was their end game?


    He looked up at Michael as he drove down the street, ¡°Michael what night is it anyway?¡±


    Michael checked his watch while keeping an eye on the road. ¡°It¡¯s the sixteenth, Sir.¡±


    The sixteenth! He had been having so much fun with the Elder in his basement he forgot about his other duties. He smiled to himself. ¡°You know what the sixteenth means?¡± he asked his driver.


    Michael nodded. ¡°Yes Sir. Do you want me to take you there now, Sir?¡±


    Kenneth nodded. ¡°Yes, I do Michael. It has been a while since I have checked up on my other students.¡± The car smoothly maneuvered in and out of traffic as Michael drove him toward his intended location.


    He walked into the black lit club. The familiar smell of sweat, alcohol, and women was at once repugnant, but also comforting. This was the smell of decadence and the dirty grimy underside of the lower rungs of capitalism. This was a place not fit for a true business man, and this was exactly how he had been able to amass the wealth he had in ten short years. Officially, he didn¡¯t own the clubs, but he owned the women who did and a few of the dancers as well. As strip clubs go it was a lot cleaner than some of the other dives around town and across the desert. But was a strip club ever any more than a sex pit?


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    He walked in gave his order to a waitress and sat down at his reserved table. There was no need to go looking for anyone; she would know to come find him. He didn¡¯t have to wait long.


    An attractive girl of about twenty seven sat down at his table. She was wearing a ¡®not so conservative¡¯ business suit. Her fishnet stockings were a high quality and her heeled shoes were four inches high. Her platinum blonde hair was dyed, of course, but it was well kept. If you didn¡¯t know any better you¡¯d think she was a natural blonde. Her clear green eyes were piercing.


    ¡°You seem to be doing well even on a weeknight, Chloe,¡± Kenneth commented watching the girl on stage.


    The girl leaned in closer over the table to be heard over the loud thumping music. ¡°We try, Instructor. The girls have been putting in extra hours learning how to dance, they realize when a real dancer comes in it makes them look bad and they don¡¯t get good tips. Can¡¯t say I disagree with them. I encourage them to learn and practice.¡±


    Kenneth nodded. ¡°I see. Well, you know why I¡¯m here Chloe and not because of the drinks or the girls¡­well at least not all of them.¡±


    Chloe nodded. ¡°Yes, I understand Instructor. Allow me to go and get the deposit for you.¡± The girl slid out of her chair and walked back to the counter to her cramped little office next to the dressing room.


    Kenneth was watching the girl on stage. She was not one of his but she possessed a simple grace that he hadn¡¯t seen in a while. That spark couldn¡¯t be taught. He was pretty sure that no matter how many lessons Jessica attended, she would never have that natural grace that this girl did. She slid down the pole in a gentle spiral and landed in a split before kicking herself up and around, caressing her breasts as she did so. He might make another student tonight. As he was contemplating the prospect Chloe returned to the table with a sizable blue leather pouch. She handed it across the table toward him.


    He opened the pouch and flipped through the large stack of bills there. The stack was mostly fifty¡¯s and twenty¡¯s with the occasional hundred dollar bill. ¡°How much Chloe?¡±


    ¡°A little under five thousand, Instructor,¡± she replied immediately. ¡°There has been a slight uptick in people coming in so I was able to make you more money, minus all the bills to keep the place open.¡±


    ¡°And what was your salary for this month?¡± Kenneth asked.


    ¡°Two thousand minus my rent as you required, Instructor,¡± she said promptly.


    Kenneth shook his head and smiled, ¡°This is a little more than I expected. I¡¯m pleased Chloe. I¡¯m very pleased with you.¡± He looked the woman in the eye. ¡°Now go find me Aisha. I only hope she pleases me as much as you did.¡± Chloe slid from her chair and disappeared into the back of the club.


    Kenneth watched the girl on stage finish her dance. She was naturally gifted, physically. Her hair was long and full, he saw that it was natural as well, that was a rarity in itself. Her legs were those of a dancer with good muscle tone and she had a balance that was well cultivated. Her pole work was refined. She would make a great addition to his slaves. While the song finished and the girl picked up her tips, a muscular woman sat down at his table.

 Boo4 Chapter 23d

    Aisha was half black. Her skin was darker in the black lights than it was naturally. Her dark hair had been straightened, with her bangs hanging low over half of her face. She did have extensions but they were modest and most people wouldn¡¯t be able to tell they were even there. Her arms rippled with muscles that she spent many hours in the gym sculpting. Her original goal had been to dance to fund her body building career. He had changed her mind about that. Now she danced to fund her education in animal behavior and psychology, specializing in wolves and other wild dogs.


    ¡°Aisha,¡± Kenneth said. ¡°How are you tonight my student?¡±


    The girl smiled. Her smile was a point of true beauty on her. She could have any man with that smile. ¡°I am very well tonight, Instructor. Thank you.¡±


    Kenneth smiled back at her. ¡°Aisha, you know why I¡¯m here. Please go get your funds.¡±


    The girl stood up and moved away from the table back to the dressing room. Why hadn¡¯t Chloe told her to just bring the money with her? This was a waste of time for both of them. He would have to remind Chloe that his time was not something to be wasted.


    After a few aggravating minutes Aisha returned. She too handed him a small blue leather pouch. This pouch was filled with one¡¯s, tens¡¯, some five-dollar bills, and some twenties. He glanced up at his student. ¡°How much Aisha?¡±


    The girl looked down at the table trying to hide her smile. ¡°Instructor, I was able to make over nine thousand this month so after paying all my bills I have just over five thousand to give to you.¡±


    Kenneth nodded curtly. It was an average amount. Aisha had never been one of his big money makers. Her body building worked against her, especially with her reduced breast size. Muscular women seemed to intimidate men for some reason. Still five thousand was a pretty good amount for her.


    He zipped the pouch closed. ¡°Very good my student. How are your studies going?¡±


    She said, ¡°We just started into the pack mentality and how that it affects wolves and other pack animals. We were introduced to the idea that the Alpha as the pack leader is not necessarily a dominator but without him the pack structure falls apart. Wolves actually have more of a family based dynamic than first supposed in the early sixties. We studied the possible repercussions that could have psychologically on single animals in captivity and how we could use that to better understand wolves in captivity and accurately compare them to wolves still in the wild.¡±


    ¡°Would that knowledge help to understand, say howls and communication?¡± Kenneth asked.


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    Aisha pursed her full lips. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so. Wolf howls are unique and are only a small part of a very intricate communication system of body language, scent produced through their glands. The wolf howls might be imitated but wolves don¡¯t respond to them. They know their own kind too well to be fooled by recorded howls or noises or human imitations.¡±


    Kenneth smiled and patted her hand. ¡°I suppose not. Keep studying Aisha, I expect you to graduate at the top of your class.¡± He leaned toward her locking her gaze with his. ¡°I demand it.¡± Aisha¡¯s face went slack and her eyes glossed over, and she nodded obediently.


    ¡°Good girl,¡± he said as he pulled out two empty blue leather pouches. ¡°Now give one of these to Chloe.¡± He scanned the room for the girl who had just gotten off stage. ¡°Who is the girl who was just on stage?¡±


    Aisha didn¡¯t move. Her voice was soft and demure her eyes still glazed over. ¡°I don¡¯t know Instructor. She has only worked here a few times. I haven¡¯t spoken with her.¡±


    Kenneth shook his head. He stood up, leaving a twenty on the table. He scanned the club one last time for the girl. He didn¡¯t see her. Well, there would be time enough for her later. He walked out of the club with the money in his suit jacket pocket, leaving Aisha at the table staring blankly at nothing.


    Kenneth made his rounds to three other of his clubs. When all was said and done he had close to twenty thousand dollars. Not too bad for a night and he still had three other clubs to visit. But it was getting late. By the time Michael pulled into the drive-in front of his home the sky was brightening. In less than an hour the sun would peek over the horizon. He made his way inside to go to bed.


    He found Natalia waiting for him at the foot of the stairs. He cocked his head to the side. ¡°What is it?¡±


    The girl looked at the wall beside him and said, ¡°The Elder is asking for you,¡± she stated quietly.


    He stopped and thought for a moment. What kind of game is she playing at now? ¡°Did she say why?¡± he asked.


    ¡°No, she didn¡¯t. Just before I gave her the usual dosage, she asked to see you. That was last night. I tried to tell you then, but you were asleep by the time I came back up here.¡± She held her arm in front of her chest, looking anywhere but at her mate.


    Kenneth nodded and rubbed his chin. She was smart, too smart to do anything without a purpose in mind. He was certain all she wanted was more time with him so she could try to do what she had tried yesterday. Even in that cage she was more dangerous than he originally gave her credit for. He wouldn¡¯t make the same mistake again.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you giving the Elder her dosage anymore. Have Michael or one of my slaves come over and do it.¡±


    Natalia balked at the rebuke. ¡°I can handle it, Kenneth I don¡¯t need some slave doing everything for mm¡­¡±


    Kenneth grabbed her by the chin and squeezed her cheeks painfully. ¡°Listen to me very carefully, mate! You don¡¯t question my motives or my orders; you obey and do as I tell you to. Do you understand?!¡± Natalia nodded her head. ¡°Good.¡± He let go of her. ¡°Now, I have to go visit the dogs. I expect you to be gone and working on those texts we talked about.¡± She started to protest but Kenneth stopped her with a glare. ¡°Do not question me, Natalia! Or would you like to end up as a club whore for a month?¡± Natalia¡¯s eyes went wide. She shook her head violently. ¡°Leave,¡± he said his voice was ice cold.


    After his mate left, he looked around the house. There was not a whole lot to do. The Elder downstairs was proving to be more of a nuisance than she was worth. He couldn¡¯t get close enough to her to break her. Was there a way to do it remotely?

 Book 4 Chapter23e

    He thought about that; maybe, an intercom system with a remote electrical switch that he could turn on and off from up here away from whatever trick she had tried to use on him before? That could work except he would have to have people install it and he wasn¡¯t sure if she would be able to sway slaves that were already enthralled to him. It was too much of a risk in any case. He would have to keep that in mind though, for future interrogations.


    If he couldn¡¯t control her, and he couldn¡¯t break her, maybe he could use her in other ways. Other Houses might pay a lot of money for a captive Elder. Who knows, she might even succeed with them in what she had tried to do with him. It was a captivating thought. He would elevate himself in the eyes of the other House Heads, while weakening another House. That could be a most fortuitous chain of events. He would have to put out delicate feelers. He knew that if he went to another House Head directly, somehow it would get back to Alessandro. Then he would die. There was no question. Alessandro would kill him just for having an Elder without telling him. With that in mind, he knew that she was an albatross that would sooner or later become his hanging noose. He needed to figure out what to do with her, the sooner the better.


    He walked outside to find Michael and his car. ¡°The zoo,¡± he stated simply. Michael drove out onto the busy freeway system of Los Angeles. The ride was longer than he would have liked. He consoled himself knowing that he was closing in on his goal. But the attacks two nights ago on the Farm and the club meant that the wolves were also up to something. He might have to work faster than he had originally supposed.


    The zoo was an animal research facility. Or at least that¡¯s what people passing by the outside of the place thought it was. Inside it was a little less formal.


    He walked in through the double doors and the sounds of animals were muted but still there. This was a training facility that he had developed over the past few years. With Natalia¡¯s help he had discovered some of the lost arts of the Vampires. One of which was the domination of nocturnal creatures, rats, bats, and wolves.


    The art had been let go by the House Heads in favor of politics and hiding out in the open. Gone, were the days where their kind needed the advance scouting skills and early warning abilities afforded by wolves and rats. Alessandro hadn¡¯t used this talent in front of him ever, if he even still possessed it.


    But it had occurred to Kenneth that since the werewolves were part wolves themselves the more control vampires could exert over the four legged allies of their enemy would only serve to make the werewolves weaker and the vampires stronger. Thus, he had started this training facility.


    It had been difficult at first. He only had one wolf at first, and even with Natalia¡¯s help, some of the texts she had uncovered were maddeningly difficult to decipher. The process of dominating wolves was so alien to the way he had dominated humans. Getting inside the extremely disciplined mind of the wolf was like trying to crack computer code, which was absolutely lost on him as well.


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    He had been working for a little over two years. He only had four wolves to experiment on, but he was certain of his imminent success. The wolves were tired, but well fed. He didn¡¯t need wolves that were suffering from malnutrition. An artificially weak-willed wolf was no real test for a strong one in the wild.


    There were two animal handlers and two other people that took care of the facilities. The wolves were housed in separate enclosures, two males, two females. The floors of the enclosures were coated with dirt and wood chips. The place was power washed and hosed down every week. The wolves had a living enclosure and smaller enclosure where they were fed. It was usually around that time, before feeding, that Kenneth tried to apply what he had learned on them.


    ¡°Tony! Is it feeding time yet?¡± Kenneth yelled to one of the handlers. The man was sitting behind a metal desk, reading a magazine.


    The man kicked himself up and stood up in a very rushed and comical fashion. The man shoved the magazine into a desk drawer and looker around wildly for a clock. ¡°Um, yeah¡­I ..uhh¡­Yup! Yes, it is that time, Boss.¡± He started moving toward the cages pulling on a heavy glove and arm protector. ¡°Should I go and move them out now?¡±


    He looked out at one of the males. The wolf didn¡¯t like him but he knew that Kenneth wasn¡¯t going to harm permanently. The intelligence of the animal was what really fascinated him. Would tonight be the night?


    ¡°Yes, Tony. I want you to move that male, first¡± Kenneth said. ¡°I will feed him myself. Get the others fed as well.¡±


    Tony nodded and moved out to the cages. He was a tall man, gentle minded. That¡¯s why he picked him, he would never dream of hurting the animals. He cared for them too much. Tony may even have had names for them. If he did Kenneth didn¡¯t know them, or care.


    ¡°Come on Dutch. There¡¯s a good boy. Come on, you know it¡¯s time for food. Oh gimme the food?! Gimme the food?! Yes, here it is!¡±


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Kenneth asked dryly.


    ¡°Well, you never said I couldn¡¯t name them,¡± Tony said a little hurt. ¡°He reminds me of Dutch, so that¡¯s what I call him.¡±


    ¡°Do you always speak in that ridiculous baby tone with a 3-year-old male wolf that would rip you to shreds if he was ever hungry or angry enough?¡±


    Tony laughed looking down at the male wolf in the enclosure in front of him. ¡°No, Boss not Dutch. Wolves aren¡¯t like that at all. I¡¯m not part of his pack but he knows that he¡¯s in my territory. That makes him the intruder and my subordinate. He wouldn¡¯t ever attack me unless he started to get the idea that he owned this place which would never happen because we clean the place every week. He never gets a chance to leave his scent mark on anything for long.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Kenneth said dryly. ¡°Just get the others fed. And keep the baby talk to a minimum. I have work to do.¡± Tony nodded with a sad look on his face. He looked down at Dutch and moved to the other enclosures to feed the other wolves.


    Kenneth sat down in the feeding enclosure and stared at, ¡®Dutch.¡¯ Stupid name. The wolf stared back at him with a straight face and deep golden eyes. There was no malice there but perhaps boredom, instead. The wolf started to turn away but Kenneth lightly tapped the cage with his foot to bring the animal¡¯s attention back to him.

 Book 4 Chapter 23f

    Wolves were not like cats. They are not food motivated in the way that cats are. It has been stated many times that the intelligence of wolves prevents them from being trained. This he could personally attest to. His goal was not just to train the wolves, but to enthrall them. The legends of Elizabeth B¨¢thory de Ecsed and Gilles de Rais were true and catalogued in the texts that Natalia had found, translated, and interpreted. She was an amazing woman, all things considered. He hoped her new demure attitude would continue and he would not need to engage in any more lessons for her. He did hate the idea of those under evolved, filthy, amoebas who called themselves humans touching her. They were good for only two things, food and servitude.


    The wolf in the enclosure gazed up at him with his head cocked to the side. His ears were attuned to the sounds of cage doors opening and Tony quietly talking to the other wolves.


    ¡®Dutch¡¯ looked back at the man in the feeding enclosure. His bright golden eyes were outlined with a heavy black line of fur like mascara. His muzzle was accented by a thin line of black fur as well which pulled back a little to show his canines.


    He looked into the wolf¡¯s eyes. There was a deep intelligence that seemed to have a memory that stretched back beyond the three short years of its life. The deep golden color was a glassy reflection of that past. He tried to bore deeper, past the glassy surface, to where the animal¡¯s mind was.


    He pushed past it as the animal held his gaze. His world exploded with images and memories that couldn¡¯t possibly be the animal¡¯s own. Images of old men in furs with hunting bows and short spears seemed to race through his mind. The smell of moose and caribou flooded his sense. He could see vivid green trees and harsh white snow drifts. Forests, deserts, harsh dry mountain ridges, and muddy wetlands and even beaches assaulted his mind as even more images flew past him, too fast to fully understand.


    He tried to break away, but found with rising panic that he couldn¡¯t. Kenneth flung himself backwards in his chair, covering his eyes with his forearm. The violence of the act and obscuring his gaze pulled him out of the memories that threatened to swallow him.


    The sudden commotion raised a few yips from the other wolves and some other guttural sounds. ¡°Are you OK, Boss?¡± Tony called out.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine you idiot!¡± Kenneth snarled back at the man. ¡°Are you done feeding those animals yet?!¡± He wasn¡¯t so much angry at the handler, but more at himself.


    ¡°Almost Boss. I¡¯ll be done in a minute or two,¡± Tony said, sounding hurt.


    Kenneth rubbed at the back of his head and his shoulder where the back of the chair had buried itself when he fell backward. He untangled himself from the chair and stood up slowly, righting the fallen chair as he did so.


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    ¡®Dutch¡¯ had turned around and was lying down facing away from Kenneth, showing him his butt. Kenneth wasn¡¯t sure if that was supposed to be an insult or not.


    Kenneth watched the animal for a moment. He kicked the cage again but the wolf did not turn around. He kept his head resting on his fore paws, with his tail out behind him in a relaxed posture. This may not be his territory, but he sure as hell has no fear of me. Maybe I should educate him?


    No, Tony would never allow something like that and still want to work here. Tony was useful as he was. He liked the man, and the wolves were well cared for, which is what he needed. He didn¡¯t want to enthrall him and have him lose those instincts that made him so good at his job. Sometimes there were limits to what he could do, and at times like that he hated all humans and animals equally.


    Kenneth moved his chair out of the feeding enclosure and closed the outer gate. He hit a button to open the inner gate that would allow, ¡®Dutch¡¯ to get the raw chicken and lamb leg from the feeding enclosure.


    The wolf stayed where he was for a long time. His ears twitched at the sound of the gate opening but other than that, he remained still. Kenneth wanted to beat the crap out of the thing. It knew that it could eat whenever it damn well wanted to and it knew that he would eventually leave. His posture was saying, ¡°I do nothing for your pleasure.¡±


    Kenneth had to walk away from the wolf before he did something that he would regret, like killing it. He stalked out of the place and into the parking lot. The cool night air soothed him and he inhaled deeply the smells of the city.


    Something had happened in there. He had never had a connection like that before. The images that he could interpret were of places wolves either lived or used to live. The desert was a new one though. And beaches? When did wolves ever travel along beaches? Maybe Aisha would know? Maybe Natalia had found something else that he could use. After scouring and studying those texts he finally learned what the wolf mind was. The only thing was, he hadn¡¯t read anything about what he had just experienced. Was this just a natural step in the process that no vampire scholar had bothered to write down? Or was this some kind of mental defense that the wolves had developed after all these years. He didn¡¯t really know, but he was going to find out.


    He didn¡¯t wait for Michael to open the door. He slammed the door shut and waited for his driver to run back around the car and get behind the wheel. Michael looked into the rearview mirror respectfully.


    Kenneth pinched his lower lip as he looked up at the animal research facility. There was something going on with the world. He had gone to sleep a few days ago thinking that he was on his way to power and control over his own destiny. Today, it seemed, that he was being blocked at every turn. Even the vague idea of enthralling that dancer he had seen yesterday wasn¡¯t appealing right now.


    How much money could he gain? How many facilities and clubs could he own? Sooner or later Alessandro would find out about all these places that he had bought. That had been paid for through his clubs and some dummy corporations, but it was only a matter of time before his Head of House would come looking for him for answers. The answers to Kenneth¡¯s questions were out there. He just hadn¡¯t collected all the pieces of the puzzle yet. But how long could he keep going before his day of reckoning came?

 Book 5 Chapter 1

    There were many predators in the world. They ran and hunted, lay traps and waited, they came in two and four and eight legs, and sometimes no legs at all. They existed in all climates from the harshest desert, to the coldest frozen wastelands. They circled over the helpless or killed silently from cover. They wore fur, or scales, some used light as a lure, while others used their prey¡¯s own pheromones against them. Some let their prey wear themselves out and ate at their leisure, while others needed allies and friends to bring down the big game. Predators were always hunting, always learning, and expanding their territory as their strength grew.


    Kenneth was no different.


    It had been a little over a year since that first night with that wolf who had somehow thwarted his efforts, and Kenneth had managed to avoid all signs of insolence from his Head of House, Alessandro. The older vampire had his suspicions, but Kenneth had been growing his power base, little by little, now Alessandro could question all he wanted. He still needed to be careful though, Alessandro could call every House down on his head at any moment, but his allies within the House kept him ahead of his master¡¯s inquisitions and reasonably safe from judgment.


    He was sitting in his study, behind his massive oak desk. There he still carefully kept his dual copies of all his record books. He had seen a steady rise in profit the past year from his clubs, dancers turned blackmail artists, and his drug and arms dealing. And his farms were turning in a healthy profit as well.


    Human trafficking had been in a boom for the last two decades. Especially since his clients would pay extra for girls and boys to go willingly to their new ¡°employers¡¯ without the whole mess of incarceration and chains. The Chinese cartels paid him close to a million dollars per boat load which he could fill quietly in six months to a year. Business was so much easier for all concerned when the slaves weren¡¯t trying to escape or call authorities. And the bonus was that the families weren¡¯t looking for them either, thanks to a few well placed phone calls and instructions from him on what to say.


    There was surprisingly little progress from Advanced Cell Technologies. He had been monitoring Trevor very closely for the past year but after a few months the scientist seemed adjusted to his role and his research had continued. However, there was little production on the project that he had set the young man on, and no amount of threatening or rewards have seemed to change that progress, for good or bad. Maybe it was time to pull the plug on his funding from the company and cut Trevor loose. He had not proven himself, one way or the other and he did so hate to admit defeat, maybe a few more months?


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    He looked down at another report from Joshua. His vampire eyes read the hastily scribbled note on top of a typed report. He couldn¡¯t stand to wait so he had instructed the idiot to write down everything he could, as fast as he could then to call Susan, his personal IT assistant, and have her type up a full report from his ramblings. Susan was always prompt and made sure that the original scribbles from Joshua was always on his desk with an email that she would send to Natalia, who would print it out for him.


    The rage boiled in his mind so quickly his arms were flung wide and his books and folders were scattered to the wind before he could see straight again.


    Another one of the farms had been hit and destroyed! That would make the second one this month and it was only the second week of August!


    The werewolves were trying his patience. Over the last year the attacks had become increasingly more regular and more devastating. He had lost, and rebuilt, over two dozen farms in that time period. Five of his clubs had been burned to the ground and more and more of his ¡®seeker¡¯ teams had been thwarted, losing more and more werewolves before they had been reborn as werewolves. The strangle hold that House Dukart, and the other two Houses who shared this territory, had put on the werewolves for the last fifty years or so was beginning to wane.


    He threw himself back into his chair. He filled his dead lungs with air and let it sit and fester there as he forced his mind back over the past dozen years. He closed his eyes and let his mind wander back through time


    Everything had been going according to his design. He had planned every aspect of it. He had started from nothing with only an off handed permission from Alessandro to find his own way in this strange land of America. He had gone away from his master with a clear goal and path alight with vengeance and fortune ahead of him.


    He had started small with a single dancer here, a strong bouncer there, until he had a small empire of the underground ready to fight and die for him at his command. It had all seemed so easy, even the far-seeing eyes of Alessandro were blind to his machinations.


    His eyes shot open. The one failure he had to endure over that stretch of time, that one person who managed to elude his grasp. That filthy immature child of a man who had, through some unknown, blind, divine providence, somehow managed to eluded his capture. In all that time he was the only one to ever do so. William Setford.


    He quickly searched his memory from all the time from then to now. That bitch who was still rotting in his basement, his slow but steadily increasing growing power and number of devoted servants, everything that had happened, William was the lynch pin to all those events, both good and bad.


    His mind turned to Ansuya, that once beautiful woman, so regal in her stature, and so long lasting in her defiance. She was his trophy now, nothing more. He took no pleasure from her, and she took none of his energy. She just sat there. And if nothing else, the werewolves were without their queen. His lip curled into an ugly snarl. But a side without its queen was still dangerous it would seem.


    He would have to rebuild that lost farm as he had done two dozen times now. There was always work to do.

 Book 5 Chapter 1b

    William looked at the pup sitting in front of him. This would be the second pup he had trained and sent off to be placed in a pack. The young male was almost completely silver grey, with white fur slashes up his fore legs. He had been found up in the high forests on the eastern border of Oregon. He hadn¡¯t gone out to get him, but he was placed in charge of training him.


    The pup stood and William barked once in a guttural tone and the young pup shifted into werewolf form. The kid was good and had learned quickly over the past few months. William had helped train a few wolf pups over the last year; he had trained better, but not many.


    He looked at the young pup and smiled. ¡°I have nothing more to teach you, Notus. I will leave you with the same words that a teacher once left me. You have to care for yourself and your pack now. Maybe someday I will get to see the Enforcer that you will make of yourself.¡±


    The young werewolf smiled up at his teacher. ¡°Thank you, William. I won¡¯t let you down, and even more I won¡¯t let my pack down. I swear it.¡± With that the young Shape shifter dropped down onto all fours and ran through the forest were they both stood.


    William watched the young pup run off through the brush of the underground forest and disappear. It was a little alien to him still. Even being with wolves as long as he had, wolves, in the wild, when they broke off to make their own packs they never looked back. He would see the young pup again, they all lived in and around the city, but to see them just run off without any real show of emotion was something that was always a little unsettling in its cold efficiency.


    Notus didn¡¯t have to understand the sadness that he felt right then. He looked up at the bright gems in the ceiling that still simulated daylight. He would not be able to look upon this ceiling again for a while. Soon, he would have to leave the Mountain for good.


    He had chosen his profession and he was to start his real-world job as an electrician He wasn¡¯t sure how he should be feeling but now there was just a hollow pit in his gut. The rest of his pack had made their choices as well, and they too would be going off to make money and increase the Mountain¡¯s influence. That made him smile.


    The Mountain had begun to start winning again. The place was getting fuller as the months rolled by. Instead of months before a new pup would enter the Mountain it was now a few a month. He had trained three pups and unlike himself, they had learned quickly. Wolves were amazingly adaptable to anything, even the idea of walking on two legs and speaking in a tongue that, before they were reborn, hadn¡¯t even dreamed of. He walked back to the city.


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    Katherine was the first to find him. She ran up to him at a full sprint. Before he could ask what had happened she interrupted, ¡°They need us to go out again.¡± She grabbed his arm and ran off with him following quickly behind her.


    Huan Li met them and the rest of his pack. They were only five and as a pack, they still weren¡¯t whole. But the five of them had learned how to augment and support each other¡¯s strengths and weaknesses in a harmony that the Mountain Elders had deemed to not disrupt by adding a sixth member.


    They had all grown. Charles looked wiser and more stately, he permeated outward calm that had an effect on all of them. His body had grown in strength, and his stature was one of power and confidence. He wore a familiar easy smile that put most people at ease right away. His stance was comfortable and easy in ways that he hadn¡¯t when he first met the man.


    Katherine had grown into her frame. Her long curly brown hair framed her face and shoulders nicely. She stood in a way that did not shy away from anybody. She was confident in her stance and in her demeanor. Her toned muscles rippled just under her skin as she moved liquidly to stand amidst her pack.


    Nicolas¡¯ features had softened somewhat. He hadn¡¯t lost his arrogance, however and the chip on his shoulder was as big as ever. His Brooklyn accent which he took so much pride in had also softened into a somewhat refined tongue, one that most people had a hard time placing.


    Aceso hadn¡¯t aged at all. While she maintained all her youthful energy, she had matured in every way. William could see in her stature that she had taken the lessons of the last year, the victories and the tragedies, and had placed them deep within her. She had evaluated everything that had happened, and she had applied all that she had learned. He was proud to call her his Alpha.


    The Elder standing in front of them had weathered the last year well, as had all the remaining Elders of the Mountain. There was a hole in this place though. The loss of Ansuya and their continued inability to find her, regardless of the gains that they had made, weighed heavily on the remaining Elders and the rest of the City. Its as if with the loss of Ansuya, they had all lost a small part of themselves.


    For William it was even worse. He had left her on that rooftop, surrounded by enemies. And ever since that day he had felt like he had lost something precious and no number of victories, or amount of ground recovered, was enough to assuage that guilt, or that feeling of loss.


    The Elder looked over the five of them. ¡°The vampires are becoming careless in their activities. Judge Cortez, an appellate circuit judge, has been receiving word of more and more permit requests and other such correspondence dealing with an enlarged undeveloped area around the outer city limits of Monterey. We want you five to investigate what might be going on there.¡±

 Book 5 Chapter 1c

    ¡°Oh, this should be good. How far along is this project and why should we even care about a bunch of permits?¡± Nicolas still hadn¡¯t gained any real respect for the Elders, something that was a constant pressure point between him and his Alpha.


    Huan Li ignored the outburst. ¡°The five of you will go to this site. To be honest there have been so many contradictory permits, and Judge Cortez doesn¡¯t deal with them directly, to really know what is going on. Judge Cortez has always given reliable information and if he says something is worth looking into, then we will honor his intuition. Here is the area and the closet address we have,¡± Huan Li said handing Charles a small slip of paper.


    ¡°What should we do if we find anything?¡± asked Charles. ¡°Should we destroy it, study it, or simply report on what we find?¡±


    ¡°That we leave to you. You have proven yourselves capable in the past. I trust you will handle this situation with the same manner of care and diligence as you have shown yourselves capable.¡± He paused a moment looking at the five of them. ¡°There is another address on that piece of paper. There you will find Mr. George Rivera. He has been a loyal friend to us and he will give you what you need.¡± The Elder looked around the group and nodded. ¡°The seasons always change; the summers fade to be reborn in another lifetime. Soon you will serve the Mountain in other ways, until that time, I expect you to care for each other, as you always have. May the great philosophers grant you wisdom,¡± with that small bit of encouragement the Elder turned his back on the pack and strode away calmly through the glossy black obsidian city.


    The pack didn¡¯t speak, they simply moved. One second they were standing still in the street, and the next they were a blur of speed on all fours.


    They raced through the city. There powerful werewolf forms carrying them faster as they used the small air movements through the corridors in the city to speed them on their way. William¡¯s fur ruffled and his nose was bent to the wind to catch his pack mates¡¯ scents. His ears were flicking back and forth listening for the small variations in wind and noise around them. There was no danger here in the city, but it was so ingrained in him that he did it automatically.


    The five of them moved in sync and soon they were outside the city, racing through the Whyte Plain.


    This place, that had held so much dread for them not so very long ago, had become as familiar to them as the city itself. They had gone on many raids here and they had always come back, having sent, at least a few, of the hated Shadows to whatever Hell awaited them.


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    The buzzing in William¡¯s ear was something to be ignored, or embraced. The sound ticked and his ear involuntarily flapped against his skull. He inhaled deeply and smiled. He would have loved to break up this little trek with a little exercise. His werewolf claws tore into the smooth mist covered ground, hurling himself forward even faster through the dense fog. The Whyte Plain faded away as the pack stepped from that place onto a broad open cliff face.


    The five of them immediately shifted back into their natural forms. And they looked out over a calm brightly lit city laid out beneath them.


    Even though William had lived in California his whole life, he had never seen Monterey before. The city was a wonder. The lights below him were isolated into a relatively small area. It was as impressive as any major city but the size of it was inviting. Unlike Los Angeles where just looking at the city would make his heart sink to think about the huddling mass of convulsing humans, writhing, moving, choking, and trampling each other. Here, there was only the breeze tinged with salt from the nearby ocean and a comfort that was welcoming. They didn¡¯t wait long. The five of them headed down the cliff to see exactly what it was that Huan Li and the Elders saw fit to send them here for.


    *          *          *          *          *


    She sat huddled in her cage. There was no day here, no night, there was simply time. Time was the only thing that kept her company. She could feel its cold grip on her throat at night. The teeth of the impudent predator had always been laughed at by her. But now time was gnawing away at her, at it must gnaw away at every living thing.


    She stroked her fingers through her hair and held it up to her eyes, after so long in the dark, her eyes had become accustomed to the low light. She saw her matted, dying hair in front of her. To think that it had once been a source of pride for her, a source of pride that the Mountain had tried to rid her of. She had been so arrogant back then. She had been placed on a pedestal, one that no one was allowed to acknowledge, but it was there. She had reveled in her singular place in the Mountain and had served that place well.


    Her eyes caught her finger nails. Once beautiful and so well-manicured, the accents she had worked so tirelessly to perfect in their shape and contour had been so totally, and  consciously missed by those around her. Now they were cracked, faded, and hideously long. So long they curled back in on themselves. She resembled one of those street babas, or gurus from her home. She had become one of those freaks that had peddled their bodies and their religion to the British, then to whoever would give a coin to listen to them.


    Her body had become flaccid, and her muscles had atrophied. She was a mass of fattened, malnourished flesh. She couldn¡¯t even smell her own self under the piss, shit, and dirt that now covered and surrounded her. She still held her mind. She was here for a reason. The machinations of which were close to fruition. The work she had accomplished, through dreams and her other faculties, had born some very interesting fruit. She knew so much more than she could have hoped. Even the cage she now sat was bending to her will. She needed more time, and one other thing that would take a little more patience to cultivate.

 Book 5 Chapter 1d

    There was nothing left to be done. She looked up at the darkened ceiling and thought back to where it was she had come from.


    She was at festival, the first for her. She had only just reached her fourteenth birthday and her mother had deemed it ok for her young daughter to spread her wings and test her skills that she had learned.


    Her mother was a well-known and well connected woman. Ansuya had no idea why this was so. She had lived a privileged life. She had been surrounded by the finest silks since she was a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes. She had learned everything from the best teachers. Her math tutor was a strong man with a quick mind who could twist and tilt numbers to make them do as he desired like a magician. Her music teacher was a beautiful woman who could possess the very souls of those who listened to her sing or play the sitar. She had taught her that music was praise to the Gods from the very depths of the soul of the person making the music. Ansuya had taken this lesson to heart, and after long hours of trial and practice she too found that her music was sought after, even with her being so young.


    Her hair and dress were made up in the finest fabrics and most intricate designs imaginable. Her hair was always something she had been proud of. Even her beautiful mother had remarked how thick and long it was. The jet-black strands seemed to obey those who dressed it for her. When she wore it up it was always done so with gold netting, or pearl bands.


    Her face had been as angelic as the lovely Radha. And her body had always moved with the fluidity of water. Her mother had cultivated that skill in her the most and now here at this wonderful bright, loud, exciting, festival she was given full reign to showcase her skills in all things.


    She danced for what seemed like hours in a grand dance hall off the main street of the festival. She soon garnering the attention and adoration of the small crowds that would gather inside the building only to dissipate and be replaced by another. Her silk sari moved around her as her bodice was free of fabric and her lovely muscles shifted and flexed gently with the music that played nearby. She was as hypnotic as a King cobra, and as fluid as the very ocean, gliding from dance step to dance step.


    She had been so young, so naive. Later that night her mother brought a man to see her. The man was middle aged but well groomed. He wore expensive garb for their part of the country. He smelled of rich cologne and wore a very fine watch at his waist coat. She didn¡¯t understand exactly what her mother had wanted from her.


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    He bowed deeply to her. ¡°May you dance for me?¡± He asked. He hadn¡¯t asked in Hindi.


    Ansuya recognized the language and responded easily, ¡°How shall I dance for you?¡± The question confused her and she looked at her mother.


    ¡°It¡¯s all right Ansuya. It is a great honor for you. Dance. Dance as you have done this day, the way you love to. The Gods will watch as well.¡±


    This statement confused her even more. But just then a chord of music struck and her body moved almost of its own volition. Questions spun through her head. Who was this man? Why was she dancing for a single person? Why was her mother looking at her in such a way, stern but proud, and yet somehow warningly all at once.


    She let the music take her as she had done earlier that day. This music was faster, more passionate. Her body moved and shook in ways that she had only indulged in a few times. She had watched other women that her mother and her had visited often. She had watched their hips shake, as their feet made the sari that wrapped around them add their own rhythm to the passionate percussion of the drums. She moved in similar fashions now.


    After a time the music finally ceased and Ansuya smiled at her small two person audience. Her mother smiled radiantly as her pride for her daughter shown through and the gentleman smiled as well and gently clapped his hands together.


    Ansuya watched as her mother led the gentleman away. Suddenly two soft arms wrapped around her bodice. She turned in the sudden grip and returned the hug of her friend and music player, Haina, ¡°I have never seen you move like that before! I would not have believed it if I was not sitting here watching you. You moved as a water made Goddess this night!¡±


    Ansuya did not respond at first except to blush fiercely. ¡°I only dance to please the Gods and show my devotion to them.¡± She finally responded proudly.


    ¡°You did that this night, my sundar ladki.


    Ansuya started to reply but was interrupted by her mother returning. ¡°You did very well Ansuya. I am so proud of you. The gentleman has offered to come back tomorrow.¡± She lovingly stroked her daughter¡¯s hair. ¡°You do yourself and I justice in the eyes of the Gods.¡± She kissed her on the forehead, ¡°Now go bathe yourself, my sundar ladki. You have earned a reward this night. When you are ready, we shall go and enjoy the festival.¡±


    She had no idea what it was she had done to earn such praise from the two women she loved more than all the world. She was so happy that she had made her mother so proud and she was eager to see the sights and explore the sounds of the festival that had only been heard by her throughout the day through thick walls.

 Book 5 Chapter 1e

    Over the next few weeks she was called on to dance and to sing for the same gentleman at roughly the same time. Not every day, but he was never absent for more than three days at a time. She was slowly becoming more aware of what the gentleman liked in her dancing and soon she was unconsciously changing her dancing style to meet his likes and desires. She had no idea what was going on, she assumed that this was just another step in her studies.


    The door was opening to the basement. Ansuya slowly turned her head so that, through her wild strands of hair, she could see who it was that would bring her daily dosage.


    His name was Joshua. He wasn¡¯t too bright. The syringe he held loosely in his right hand and the needle shown a little as it reflected the small overhead light as he turned it on.


    It was too soon, or she was losing more of her grip on time. If that was the case, she would have to be more disciplined. She sat there calmly. Joshua could not see her eyes through her thick hair that hung in front of her face. She made no indication to move. Joshua opened the cage and snorted loudly, probably at the ripe smell of her body and the excrement that surrounded her. He leaned down and swiped her hair away from her shoulder.


    Ansuya forced herself to stay calm as she had done many, many times. The needle punctured her skin and the tight pressure of liquid from the needle flooded her system.


    Joshua slammed the cage shut and walked away. Ansuya had built up a meager resistance to the drug but even with that, her eyes involuntarily closed a short time after the basement door swung shut and she had once again been enveloped in almost total darkness.


    *          *          *          *          *


    The five pack mates made their way to the edge of the city. After all this time they had learned how each other moved and how each of them smelled and what they would do in most circumstances. They were a veteran fighting force and didn¡¯t need to speak to know where to go or who should take the lead.


    Aceso had shifted back into wolf form and led them through the outskirts of the city. The area of construction, if there was one, would be fairly easy to spot. The moon overhead was a bloated gibbous moon that gave off more than enough light for them to see.


    They wrapped their way quickly around a large apartment complex and then ran through a vast meadow. They were following an over ground route to get where the Huan Li had told them the supposed construction site would be.


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    Suddenly Aceso stopped and the rest of the pack could see girders and scaffolds perfectly outlined in the distance against the pale pure white light of the moon. Aceso looked up at Nicolas and before her eyes met with his he was already closing his and sitting down.


    Charles and Katherine turned their back on him and moved outward from the rest of the pack. Charles was scanning and inhaling the wind as he went, testing it for any hint of something that shouldn¡¯t be there. Katherine also was moving outwards, but she would stop every couple of steps and place her open palm upon the ground. William knew that she was using her abilities to test vibrations in the earth around them. If anything was underground or something that Charles somehow missed, it wouldn¡¯t escape Katherine¡¯s notice.


    William stood at the ready scanning the world directly behind Nicolas. Aceso was at his back sitting, in her wolf form, arrow straight and her ears moving and twitching in all directions listening to the faintest traces of sounds.


    Nicolas sat cross legged and his breathing deepened noticeably. His eyes were loosely closed and his shoulders slumped. William knew that this was his Scout technique that he had uncovered with months of training and god knows what the Elders did to him for those long days in the Black Tower. He never spoke of it and William had seen enough of their world to know that there were dark things and dark purposes for everything the Shape shifters did, sometimes he just didn¡¯t want to know about them. This was one case that he was content to let Nicolas keep his secret and what it had cost him to earn his awareness.


    William and the rest of them stood, watched and waited. After a time, Nicolas opened his eyes and stretched his back. It always took him a few minutes to fully come out of whatever it was that he had sunk into. Nicolas blinked fiercely and yawned. Then he stood up and cracked his back. Charles and Katherine rejoined the group and waited for Nicolas to speak. Aceso shifted to her werewolf form and crouched low amidst the tall grass.


    ¡°There are three caged wolves in there. I can¡¯t be sure if they are to be reborn or not. I¡¯m too far away or they are too young.¡±


    ¡°Anything else?¡± William asked.


    ¡°Yeah, I was getting there Setford, jeez man.¡± Nicolas let an annoyed smirk cross his face. ¡°If you¡¯d let me fucking finish every once in a while.¡± He shook his head. ¡°There¡¯s some equipment in there and some tools, heavy tools, vehicles, forklift, a cement mixer¡­let me see¡­a couple hammers a few dozen 2X4X16¡¯s, three poured concrete slabs¡­¡±


    ¡°What else, Nicolas?¡± Aceso demanded.


    He stood for a second and looked at all of them as a smile slid across his features, ¡°What are you going to give me?¡±


    ¡°Tell us about the vampires!¡± Katherine hissed. The look on her face dripped with a silent warning that now was not the time for games.


    Nicolas managed to look hurt, and after a moment¡¯s hesitation he said very petulantly ¡°They¡¯re five of them, two on a scaffold, and two in some kind of dug out, and the other one is near the caged wolves.¡±


    ¡°Why do we have to go through this every time?¡± William asked.


    ¡°Because I like to put you in a bad mood,¡± Nicolas shot back.


    Aceso had long since learned to ignore this pointless bickering between the two. William had tried to not get himself drawn in to these little spats but sometimes he just couldn¡¯t help it.

 Book 5 Chapter 1f

    Their Alpha stood up and nodded to Katherine, William, and Charles. The three took off running at a sprint towards the fenced off construction area. Nicolas fell in behind Aceso as everyone but Nicolas was now in werewolf form. Nicolas wrapped the back pack that he had been carrying around his back and chased after Aceso. William, Katherine, and Charles were approaching the site head on, while Aceso led Nicolas on a sweeping arc to reach the far side of the construction site.


    William was on all fours as were the other two with him. He could smell the stink as it was carried faintly with the wind from the west. They approached fast. The fence guarding the construction site was chain link with a wrap of barb wire over the top. He could start to pick out details in the darkness.


    The unfinished project girders jutted up from the ground like bones of some long dead animal that gleamed white against the gentle moon light. There were containers to the far side of the compound and various vehicles parked nearby. A cement mixer was sitting close to the fence that they were running toward.


    He could start to see cross beams that bridged the vertical girders. It was very early in the construction process; some of the girders were wrapped with cement molds, ready to hold the wet substance till it hardened. On those cross beams he saw a few shapes that could be the vampires Nicolas had mentioned.


    The three did not hesitate at the fence, but instead they launched themselves into the air, clearly sailing over the fence and barb wire. Then they skidded to a halt. The shapes that William had seen on the cross beams were in fact people, then the two jumped down from their places and landed as easily as cats on the hard ground. They began walking toward the newcomers immediately as they were joined by a third who moved away from some crates. And if that wasn¡¯t enough proof, the rancid smell of death and blood hovered around them like moths around a flame. He scanned the rest of the yard looking for the other two but they hadn¡¯t, as yet, decided to show themselves. Something about these vampires were familiar, but he couldn¡¯t remember why or where he may have seen them.


    ¡°Well, well, looks like he wasn¡¯t mistaken at all was he?¡± said the front man for the vampire group.


    ¡°He¡¯s going to be insufferable for the next few days, you know that right?¡± asked a woman to his left.


    ¡°I can¡¯t say I blame him,¡± The front man said, ¡°of all the schemes he has come up with over the last few months this had to be the most out there. I kept giving him shit about it. Now¡­I guess I¡¯m going to have to pay up.¡±


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    ¡°Man, I told you not to bet against Kenneth. That dude has an eerie sixth sense about these things. If it wasn¡¯t for him, I probably would have been dead a long time ago¡­and stayed dead. You hear what I¡¯m saying?¡±


    On hearing the name of Kenneth, William immediately tensed. He hadn¡¯t heard the name in a while, but he still remembered that night the two met for the first time in that strip club. Even with Ansuya and Alexiares there, he was so full of confidence, and later when he admitted that it was he who had sent those ¡®people¡¯ after him in his forest. He couldn¡¯t keep his hackles from rising and a snarl from splitting his lips.


    ¡°Oh, look Brian; I think you made one of them mad. He looks so cute standing there with his fists all balled up like that,¡± the girl said with a smile full of mirth.


    It was then that William¡¯s memory clicked and he remembered where he had seen these three before. These vampires were with Kenneth on that rooftop where Ansuya was taken.


    That memory caused him to flood his body with adrenaline and his werewolf body pulsed with strength and energy. He wanted nothing more at that moment than to crush the skulls of each and every one of them.


    Katherine made a small motion with her middle claw on her right side. This was completely hidden from the vampires¡¯ view, but William saw it perfectly and forced his body to stop producing its rage enhancing adrenaline. He calmed down almost immediately.


    Charles stepped forward and with a very low, showman like, bow he introduced himself. ¡°Greetings, my name is Charles and these are my pack mates. We have come on behalf of our Elders to see what exactly your kind is doing here and what your interests could possibly be with those wolves you have caged behind you.¡±


    ¡°My, what a polite little doggy,¡± The female said. ¡°If you¡¯re really good I think I might take you home with me. Would you like that little doggy? Huh? Would you like to come home with me?¡± She said this last in a childish voice with a mock smile plastered on her face.


    William caught the faintest change in the air around him. He recognized the scents. Charles was sending out pheromones and other scents towards the vampires. Charles had become pretty adept at doing this over the last year. He wasn¡¯t as good as Ansuya was, but then again Ansuya was a lot older and she had way more experience.


    The vampires stood there, William and his pack mates hadn¡¯t moved, both sides facing off against the other. Nothing was said for a few moments.


    ¡°So, what does a large, powerful, and incredibly influential group of vampires want with a lousy spit of land on the outskirts of a small city like Monterey?¡± Charles tone was equal parts ingratiating, and humble, and inquiring in all the right amounts. Charles was pretty impressive in his own right.


    ¡°To train our dogs,¡± The woman answered easily.


    The lead vampire shot her a look, ¡°Don¡¯t tell them anything, they¡¯re guessing.¡±


    Charles ignored the comment from the lead male and focused on the woman who had spoken, ¡°and by dogs I assume you mean the wolves in the cages behind you?¡± asked Charles nonchalantly.


    ¡°Yes, and they are such good doggies now that Kenneth showed us how to train them.¡±


    The lead vamp gripped his head and yelled out at the female speaker, ¡°GODDAMMIT RACHEL!! Will you keep your fucking mouth shut?!¡±

 Book 5 Chapter 1g

    ¡°Showed you how to do what with the wolves?¡± Charles pressed, ignoring the outburst.


    ¡°He showed us how to¡­¡± but before Rachel could finish answering she was tackled to the ground by Brian.


    The two scuffled in the dirt for a few moments, before a sickening thud of fist on flesh sounded out through the construction site. Brian got up from the ground and Rachel¡¯s form was left limp and motionless.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t kill her, did you Brian?¡± asked the lone companion.


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t fucking kill her, though I probably should have, stupid bitch.¡±


    Unphased by what just happened Charles asked, ¡°So, you were telling me what you were training the wolves for?¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t telling you shit, dog,¡± Brian answered roughly. ¡°But I was told to kill you and bring back your lifeless carcasses.¡± Without another word the two vampires charged.


    Katherine knelt down and punched deeply into the hard ground. A ripple in the earth moved and a fissure was created that streaked its way towards the charging vampires. This caused them to change course and William was already charging to meet them. They turned just enough to allow William to tackle one of them from the side.


    Charles jumped into the air and crashed into the other vampire as their arms wrapped around each other. Charles twisted and pulled Brian into a suplex and landed with his full weight on the vampire. Brian used the sudden impact to get loose of the grip and jumped away from the werewolf as he grabbed Charles¡¯ tail.


    Brian ripped Charles backwards and hurled him several feet behind him before he let go of the Tracker¡¯s tail and let him fall. Charles was a little slow to get up.


    William was having a hard time dealing with his target. The vampire was skilled at everything. He had quickly kicked out of William¡¯s tackle and had turned the hold back on him. William flooded his body with adrenaline and other natural stimulants to augment his strength. The chemicals that his body produced responded to his will and this time was no different. It took everything he had to escape the grip of the other.


    He slashed and kicked out at the vampire as he dodged and blocked everything William could throw at him. He was not used to a fight taking this long and this vampire seemed to be playing for the long game. After William had escaped his grip, he seemed content to play defense and attack only enough to keep William engaged. This immediately made him nervous and very weary as his eyes started darting all over the construction yard.


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    Suddenly there was complete silence. Brian turned his back on the Shape shifters, brushing his shirt sleeves and pants, as if to get dirt on them. William looked back and saw Katherine on the ground with the vampire, Rachel, standing over her with a wicked grin on her face. William caught a fist across his jaw that sent him sprawling into the dirt.


    With a twisting roll he sprang back to his feet and charged to where Charles was standing and surveyed the three vampires as they regrouped. The vampires that William had faced in the night clubs and farms up till now had been challenging but nothing like this. These were elite fighters. No wonder they had been able to capture Ansuya. These vampires were far more dangerous than they looked.


    William caught the briefest glimpse of something that cut through the moonlight as it arched gently through the air. It fell directly in front of the vampires and they all stared at the object as a small red LED light blinked consecutively faster with each blink.


    The three vampires hissed and raced back through the construction yard. William jumped in front of Katherine and shielded her with his body as he covered his eyes with his arm milliseconds before the object detonated.


    A loud high pitched crack rang out through the yard as a blinding white light splashed throughout the area. William had never heard anything like it, except when he had gone to see military jets at an air show. The air around them seemed to sizzle and shriek. Then there was a roaring silence as his ears rang in protest.


    He lowered his arm and looked around the area. His night vision had been damaged and it took a few moments to recover so he could look at his surroundings. Charles was getting to his feet and Katherine was stirring underneath him.


    He stood up and hoisted the sage to hers. Nicolas and Aceso ran over to where they were. Nicolas still hadn¡¯t shifted to werewolf form yet. He threw the back pack onto the ground and threw some sort of weird gun belt at Charles.


    The Tracker caught it easily and wrapped the leather around his waist. The oversized gun at his hip looked natural for his seven foot five inch werewolf frame. William took one as well as Katherine was clipping her belt to her waist.


    As Nicolas threw the empty backpack aside, William caught a small gleam of white moon light against metal off in the distance and dove right into Nicolas¡¯ exposed chest. Just then a shot of gunfire, probably from a rifle of some kind, rang out against the quiet night. Nicolas hadn¡¯t even protested as the five of them picked themselves up and ran for the large stack of 2X4X16¡¯s that Nicolas had told them about earlier.


    More gun shots rang out as Charles and William returned fire as the five of them took cover behind the stacked wood. William could hear at least 3 different weapons firing at once. That could mean that some of the vampires were using the same weapons or only three of them were firing at them.


    It was too loud and they were pinned down. Nicolas was not able to enter his Scout trance and there was no way any of them could leave their cover without taking heavy fire. William looked behind them. They might be able to make the fence and escape that way. A sniper bullet did travel a long way though, any idiot knew that. But if they stayed there with their heads down like this it wouldn¡¯t take the vampires long before they flanked them and gunned them down where they stood. It was time to go.

 Book 5 Chapter 1h

    William patted Katherine on the arm after she took a shot from her weapon. She ducked down and looked at him. He pointed back toward the fence. She hesitated, then nodded once and fired another shot at their attackers. Charles watched the whole exchange and he nodded as well. Aceso nodded and crouched ready to move.


    Then the gunfire stopped.


    They hesitated a moment before they heard a sound that should have been a relief. A lone wolf¡¯s howl rang out against the sudden silence. All four of them looked to Aceso. She listened with a growing unknown expression on her features. The howl was wrong, it was tainted. William had heard wolves in his forest howl for just about every reason imaginable and this howl matched nothing from his memory. It just sounded wrong, somehow. The five of them listened as another howl rang out and it carried the same dirty feel with it.


    Then they saw the source of the howl as it rounded the wood and launched itself into the air and attached itself to Charles mid thigh. The Tracker grunted in pain as the wolf held on with some kind of demon¡¯s strength. Charles tried to dislodge the animal from him but he didn¡¯t want to hurt the animal. Just as William was about to help Katherine was jumped by another wolf and William barely side stepped a third as it dove at him.


    William had only had to fight two of his pups. But that was out of fear and the fight had quickly ended and they had come to understand the why about who and what they were. This was altogether a different feel. He had never had to fight a wolf like this before, not even the Old Grey.


    Even in his forest when he first fought the old Grey after he had changed that first time in his forest. The old Grey had fought ferociously and with a steel will that he had come to expect from Alpha wolves. But this was like fighting a deranged person who didn¡¯t feel pain. William stabbed down into the wolf¡¯s belly just below the chest area. That didn¡¯t even slow this beast down.


    It was Nicolas who reached down and grabbed the animal by the neck and held it till its body went limp. Then he tossed it gently on the ground and heaved William to his feet.


    The wolf that had attached itself to Charles¡¯ leg was sleeping soundly on the ground next him and soon the wolf attacking Katherine was also asleep. The five didn¡¯t wait for any more surprises. They all ran for the fence. William and Charles took up the rear guard and fired blindly into the construction yard. Before they reached the fence the gunshots from the vampires resumed.


    William was the last to hurl himself over the fence and landed with a soft body roll and popped up firing two quick shots behind them. The five raced away from the yard and the sound of gunfire slowly, too slowly for any kind of comfort, receded behind them.


    When they reached a safe distance away with relatively good cover, they all took off their gun belts and shifted back to their original forms, except for Aceso.


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    The belt that had a light weight to William in werewolf form was suddenly heavy and it was a strain just to hold the thing. It must have weighed all together thirty pounds or more. He laid it on the ground and looked around at his pack mates.


    ¡°What the fuck was that?¡± Nicolas demanded. ¡°Did you know about this?¡± he shot at Aceso.


    The Alpha shook her head, ¡°No and I can¡¯t explain it. I don¡¯t think I want to.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s just great!¡± Nicolas said sarcastically. ¡°Now they are using our kind to do their dirty work. What¡¯s next? Are we going to meet werewolves that are fighting on their side too?¡±


    William thought back to someone he hadn¡¯t thought of in a long time, not since he had left her little valley, Tasha and her pack. He wondered if the Mountain considered her an enemy or just something to be ignored and forgotten. If it was the former than maybe the Elders did expect her to fight for the vampires.


    ¡°Does it matter?¡± Charles asked calmly. ¡°We got what the Elders wanted. We know what this place is supposed to be, some kind of training facility.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so,¡± William answered. ¡°If this was a training facility those particular vampires wouldn¡¯t be there. This was a trap. You heard them when we first arrived. Kenneth sent them here on purpose, to catch and kill whichever werewolves decided to show up. And I¡¯ve seen these vampires before.¡± The group looked at him, even Nicolas, but his eyes were telling him not to say anything.


    ¡°Have you seen these vampires before, William?¡± Aceso asked.


    He looked at Nicolas. Nicolas shook his head slowly. He ignored the Scout. ¡°Nicolas and I both saw them. These were the same vampires that were with Kenneth when he captured Ansuya.¡±


    There was silence in the group. No one spoke and the implication of what they had just learned settled around each of them like a death shroud.


    ¡°If that¡¯s true, then their methods have gotten more intricate. Either this Judge Cortez is no longer a reliable source for the Mountain, or we have to be very, very careful from now on.¡± Katherine said quietly.


    Aceso nodded, ¡°Yes, but now we have to get back and let our people know what has just happened.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± William said. ¡°This changes everything. We have to find Ansuya and get her back. I¡¯m going to the Elders as soon as we get back and volunteer to take a strike team out to find her, whatever it takes.¡±


    Aceso looked at him like he was crazy.


    ¡°Yeeup,¡± interrupted Nicolas in a upbeat tone, ¡°Then Derceto will probably jump us at some point with her little pack of greys and demand that we go and find out exactly how the vampires did what we are going to claim that they can do, if she doesn¡¯t accuse us of being traitors and sentence us to death on the spot. Forget about your elder girlfriend then Setford..¡± Nicolas snorted dismissively with a wave of his hand.


    The implication of what Nicolas had said was not lost on the group and Derceto had not taken well to them as a pack either. She still believed that William was a threat to the Mountain and she had done everything she could do, without being directly implicated, to push William and his pack to do something dangerous and stupid. It had taught William that even though the werewolf society as a whole was incredibly inclusive in most things when a wolf set their mind to something, it was near impossible to change it, or persuade them otherwise.


    Aceso stood up and shifted back to her wolf form. William took two of the gun belts and Nicolas and Charles took the rest. Slinging them over his shoulders he followed their wolf guide back the way they had come. He wished he had something better to tell George, other than the fact that they just got their asses handed to them.

 Book 5 Chapter 2a

    Ansuya was dancing again. The ghungroo wrapped around her ankles rang and thumped to the vibrant drum music that seemed an ever-present companion to her these days.


    She still studied. She studied harder now than she ever had before. She no longer had leisurely afternoons and evenings to practice her math or music. Her life was strictly regimented in ways that felt cold and alien to her. Gone were the days of spending the warm afternoon on her balcony, sipping chai, and laughing over some joke or the latest story brought from the western British Empire, retold in as amusing way as she could by her long friend and tutor, <u>Bali Jai</u>. Now there were alarm bells and curtains being flung back into place before the sun was up.


    When she wasn¡¯t practicing her dancing, or singing, or math, she was sleeping. She was allowed a two hour nap in the afternoon and she took it. At first, she felt she was too old for a mid-day nap. She told her mother that she didn¡¯t need a nap and if her studies were so important than she would bend her will to that task.


    Her mother had acquiesced. She wished that she hadn¡¯t. It only took a week before she was begging to take a nap. Her mother denied her for another week before she relented and let her daughter rest. It was a lesson that Ansuya had not forgotten.


    Here in the dark confines of her prison, at the hands of Kenneth, she could remember what that hot chai felt like on her tongue. How warm and inviting the Indian sun had been to her. She reached down and scratched at her legs. The grime and sweat that covered her body was disgusting. The incessant itching was something that she could have done without.


    There was movement upstairs. She could identify at least five sets of footsteps, maybe more. They walked from where the front door was to where she remembered Kenneth¡¯s office to be.


    Back logging into Kenneth¡¯s dream world had drained her more than she thought possible. She had never tried anything like that, but through studying the dream, she began to peel back the layers and see the clicking gears behind the clean fa?ade. It had taken her a long time but she finally figured out how to control it.


    Seeing Kenneth¡¯s face as she turned his little world upside down and bent the bars to her cage had been a sight worth the half victory that she had sustained. He was very strong but, given enough time, he would have succumbed to her.


    Time that she wasn¡¯t allowed. She remembered blacking out just as Kenneth was about to reveal something that he had desperately wanted to keep hidden. It was a hard prize to claim, and she had almost done it. He was in her hand. Till the drug had flooded her body.


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    She had seen Kenneth only twice since then. And for a while she had not been able, or allowed, to regain consciousness. It was only after months of her captivity that her body had turned itself inward and worked against the drug enough to where now it was whole minutes before she blacked out. She had maintained that fiction. If they knew that she could awaken on her own they would naturally increase the dose and the progress on her work would be lost once again.


    The footsteps stopped and all went back to silence. She would only have a little time before her dose was delivered to her. She had to focus her will and body. Her abilities had been stunted by the drug, whatever the parasites had been using on her.


    She breathed deeply and calmly and reached down to her aching legs. She massaged them as best she could in her cramped position. She looked up towards the door that led back into Kenneth¡¯s house. She forced her body to release a faint trickle of body chemicals. The amount wasn¡¯t enough to control, and she didn¡¯t have the strength to attempt to back log into Kenneth¡¯s dreams. No, this was just enough to invade his house. Nothing overt, but over the long months she had delivered an impressive amount of pheromones and other bio chemicals into Kenneth¡¯s house. It was a slow process, but it was a gamble worth pursing.


    She had to be very careful. His instincts on these things were impressive. She forced her body to produce just a little more and she focused the chemicals through the air towards the basement door.


    She let herself rest. This had been very easy for her not too long ago. Now her body protested even the thought of doing anything physical. The drug kept her asleep but she got no real rest from it. She always awoke groggy, thick in memories that she had to brush away before she could even tell where she was. Her world of memories and dreams were invading on her sense of reality and with no one to talk to, no company to keep, it was up to her alone to keep herself sane and focused.


    She looked up to ceiling and heaved a deep, slow, and silent sigh. What she wouldn¡¯t give for freedom, the chance to move around again and heel her body for this lethargy. But it wasn¡¯t time yet. She could wait. She was the daughter of Gayatri Das. She had been raised and trained since before she knew what training was. She could take this. It was not the first time that she remembered just how much she had loved and appreciated her mother¡¯s and her tutors¡¯ lessons.


    *          *          *          *          *


    The Gentleman arrived promptly on time and she bowed deeply to him. The drum was struck once, she smiled radiantly and her leg swept out and in dramatically. The gentleman smiled as well. The drum was accompanied by another and another. And Ansuya danced.


    The drums were fire to her fluid movements. The flames of the music gathered against her and swept her around as her legs followed the difficult and intricate path through the beats. Her dress swirled around her and her hair flowed behind her. Her smile was one of pure joy. Her legs had long ago accustomed themselves to this prolonged activity and she was able to flow and hover without touching the ground. The music carried her as she moved her body in vibrant passionate expressions. She let the music direct her and her body followed her heart, which leapt at every hard beat of the drums as her body twirled and shook and her feet kept perfect time.

 Book 5 Chapter 2b

    She didn¡¯t know how long she had danced for but the music sadly ended and her heart thudded against her chest in happy rhythm. She took a few moments to calm her body and her breathing before she turned and met the gentlemen and her mother.


    The gentleman held his gloves and cane in one hand. He extended his other hand to her and bowed deeply. She took it gently and bowed as well. This was a common occurrence for them. The gentleman then reached behind him and placed in her hands an ornate box of deep silver with inlaid jewels that sparkled in the soft light of the dance hall. The gentleman bowed deeply to her mother and left the dance hall quietly.


    Ansuya was deeply confused and a little distressed. She had never been given a gift before by anyone other than her mother and a few friends, and then only on Holiday. She turned the box slowly in her hands and looked up at her mother questioningly.


    The elder woman smiled down at her. ¡°You have pleased me and Sarkar Rajiv. He has been here to see you many times and your dancing has been different every time. I am so proud of you. This is a gift, my sundar lurki, one that you should keep close to you. Not all gifts will be as ornate or special. This one should be very special to you.¡±


    She was deeply troubled by this. ¡°Why, mother? I don¡¯t understand.¡± She shook her head, confused. ¡°Why is this one special? Am I to expect more from Sarkar Rajiv?¡±


    ¡°No, Sarkar Rajiv will be traveling back to Dehli on the first train tomorrow. But I can promise you there will be other gifts. Being my daughter you have an advantage. You¡¯ve noticed this since you were young. But that advantage will be tested regularly now. You will make a name for yourself, Ansuya. In the coming months you will spend less time with me. And if all goes well my sundar lurki you will be joining Bali Jai in Delhi to start your new life. You have a good future, if you are careful and if you use the prudence that you have been taught. I will be here, but no longer as your mother. Now you must see me as your matron and elder.¡± She knelt down on her knees and hugged her weary, confused daughter tightly. ¡°I am so proud of you sundar lurki, and I hope that you never forget that. Everything I have done is so you can live better than even I have been able to provide for you. You will look to yourself now, and you will be loved by many.¡±


    The elder woman stood up. ¡°But that is for tomorrow. Tonight, I will be the parent that some of the nearby British children have and allow you to spend my purse as you see fit.¡± She said this with a broad radiant smile. ¡°Tonight, I send my praises to Shiva that my daughter is now a woman, a woman worthy of her name and station.¡±


    Ansuya let her mother lead her back into the depths of the dance hall and allowed herself to be bathed by her, something that she hadn¡¯t done since she was almost too young to remember. As water splashed over her weary shoulders, she glanced over at the ornate silver box that now sat upon the dresser top, the first of many¡­


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    The weeks went by and true to her mother¡¯s word she did travel, though not to Delhi, at least not by any direct route. She came to realize exactly what her mother had meant when she had told her she would be loved by many. She was well taken care of, but as her mother had said, she was seeing less and less of her. The people from her youth were left behind and her days and nights were spent catering to larger and larger and audiences. She was dancing in grand theatres and singing in parks. The throng of people at her feet showered her with flowers and love. She was beginning to understand just how high a price and how strong the demand was for the young and graceful Ansuya Das.


    *          *          *          *          *


    She awoke suddenly in the pit of the dark basement. There was a moment of panic as she thought about a long-forgotten appointment that she was in danger of being tardy for. Then she breathed in the stink of the stale air of this place and calmed her mind, forcing the half-remembered dream from her consciousness.


    She went through the repetitions of her mental exercises. This was all she could do but her long hours of disciplined study had ingrained in her the need for order and routine. She kept her mind as sharp as she could. Twelve times twelve is One hundred forty-four. The Pythagorean Theorem was discovered by Pythagoras of Samos and tells the law of isosceles triangles; A squared plus B squared equals C squared. Schrodinger¡¯s Cat is a mental exercise of theoretical physics which tells of a being in a flux state where they exist in both life and death, and only when they are observed does the cat fully enter into one state of existence over the other. Planets travel in an irregular ellipse around the star of our solar system, Sol.


    The drug was heavy in her system. These exercises were the only thing keeping her mind tethered to reality. She had begun these exercises immediately upon capture. It was probably the only thing that kept her cognizant during Kenneth¡¯s more sadistic mental puzzles and traps. It was because of that, that she had been able to see through Kenneth¡¯s dream world in the mirror. There were some details that he missed, and could never know. If she had let her mind become clouded from his drug, she may have missed them and succumbed.


    When she reached the end of her exercises she took a deep breath, and tried not to gag on the horrid smells around her. Sometimes she wished she had been reborn a Healer, but her gifts gave her the advantage here. She set to work on her own trap. She didn¡¯t know what the actual effects of what she was doing would be. She had been working slowing and tediously over the long months she had been down here. The work was slow. She was reminded of a few of the stories that she used to read when she had been younger. The stories of men thrown into deep prisons who swore to escape and began slowly digging their way out through the bowels of the earth below the prison. How they measured their progress in handfuls of dirt, and their calendars were months and years long to see fruition of their plans till they could escape the deep prisons where they had been cast, forgotten by their kin and associates.

 Book 5 Chapter 2c

    That was her reality now. Except she wasn¡¯t digging with her hands, she was digging with her mind and the slow, slow work that she had set upon herself to do. She wanted to know what Kenneth had meant by ¡®students¡¯ all those many days ago when she had almost broken free of his trap. She hadn¡¯t counted on that woman showing up.


    It was of little consequence now though. Kenneth had stopped tormenting her and she was free to her work, ¡®Apathy becomes our ally¡¯ as one such romantic prisoner had intoned to his cell mate as they dug, so too was she allowed to keep to her work in peace.


    Something was troubling Kenneth. There was absolutely no reason for him to be troubled though. Brian had come back and reported their victory over the Werewolves. Their wolf pets had performed admirably and attacked on command and had returned when ordered. The werewolves had gotten away but that was a small thing. They did recognize one of the werewolves from the rooftop where he had captured his prize so long ago. That was not altogether unexpected but rather a small bonus to the spoils, had they succeeded in taking him or killing him. The use of weapons was nothing new, new for William though. He had no memory of William ever using weapons before but then with so many of his establishments getting raided it was impossible for him to keep all the reports straight from one to the next without his notes.


    The plan was proceeding along just fine. His ability to dominate wolves had grown since that first one he broke not so long ago. But that first one, what did Tony call him? Ditch? Lunch? Scrunch? Something. That one he had not been able to dominate. Every time he had tried, he was met with a mental blast not unlike that first time with images of places from the long past that this wolf couldn¡¯t have possibly seen and yet every time he tried to dominate him the typhoon of images and emotions always forced him back. He had tried to figure out how that wolf was doing it but so far, he had no idea and no real leads on the why of it.


    And yet he was still uneasy. Where ever the werewolves hid was still hidden to him. And he seemed to be losing ground to these animals that he had thought were all but wiped out. He would have to have Brian and his group start training others on how to fight. He had figured that it wasn¡¯t worth it. After all it was them that had captured Ansuya, very easily as it turned out. But with the raids increasing and the werewolves growing in number it was time to start training competent fighters. He would also need to work on adding quality additions to his House, above the sheer numbers that he was so hungry for only a few years ago.


    It had been sometime since Alessandro had called him in for a meeting in his glass tower. This also was not unexpected. The vast network of people that he had emplaced throughout his House was very good at protecting him. So, the illustrious Head of House had no reason to worry about him. Soon he would have no reason to worry about Alessandro either.


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    Was that it? He hadn¡¯t heard anything from Advanced Cell technologies and everything hinged on that one thing. He was far from ready though. There were too many pieces not in place and he must wait for them all to be ready before he moved that piece into position. Time was not on his side. He could live forever, but so could Alessandro. Even with his network, the Head of House was still powerful and it was only a matter of time before he did call Kenneth to the tower for answers on what he had been doing.


    He felt an itch, something like an itch, just below the surface of his skin right between his shoulder blades, an itch he couldn¡¯t scratch. It was time. Time was always against him. It seemed such a short time ago where he had all the advantages. Now things were speeding up. He had to be ready and spring his plan before the pendulum of fate swung the other way.


    Alessandro may be placated for now, but the Head of House wasn¡¯t stupid. The machinations of Kenneth would soon be discovered, it was only a matter of time. He had to be ready before that happened.


    He pushed himself back from his desk and stared up at his smooth ceiling. He couldn¡¯t place why he was disturbed but it had been a slowly growing thing for what seemed like a while now. Some things were proceeding as planned, others needed his immediate attention. But this unrest that he felt, even here in his own house, was something that wrapped itself around him like a shroud.


    He closed his eyes and let himself simply hang in space for a time.


    ¡°My mate?¡± came a soft cooing from the door.


    Kenneth opened one radiant green eye that stared at the black-haired woman with a soft intensity.


    ¡°Are¡­are you¡­alright? Do you need me to get you anything?¡± The younger vampire stammered in uncertainty.


    ¡°No, Natalia,¡± he said as he rocked forward and looked at her with both piercing blue eyes. ¡°I am just thinking about what Brian told me and¡­other things.¡±


    The woman stepped gingerly into the room. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to upset you, Kenneth but you have almost everything that you wanted at one time. You have power in your house and the respect of the others inside our House, even if Alessandro won¡¯t acknowledge it. What troubles you?¡± She took another step into the room. ¡°Perhaps I can...distract you.¡± She said this with a mischievous smile and slowly moved her seductive hands down toward her hips and waist line, gently caressing herself, promising those things which made him want her so badly when they met in Naples all those years ago.


    The movement was so simple but it elicited in him such a response that he was grabbing her and ripping at her clothes in seconds. Whatever was troubling him was suddenly forgotten as his mind gave into the passion of his body and the closeness of his mate. He silently thanked her for not making him destroy her with more lessons, like the one he had to administer to her not so very long ago. She was strong and she knew just what he needed and when he needed it. He had chosen his mate well.

 Book 5 Chapter 2d

    ¡°Well? What did you learn?¡± Derceto snapped at the five of them. Her reddish brown fur was bristling along her shoulders and ears. The Elder was never what he would call happy, but she was definitely annoyed at something.


    The nine of them were standing inside the Tower¡¯s uppermost room. The young pack, the Elder and her three grey Shape shifter body guards were standing in the same room that William had emerged from his trials in.


    The four, obsidian, high backed chairs were as immovable as ever spaced in between by the two pedestals that Alexiares and Derceto had sat upon in wolf form.


    ¡°We learned that this construction site was either simply a trap to lure werewolves there, or the vampires are building something there which might be some kind of training site. Either way, there were five of them waiting for us. They were well prepared and ready,¡± Charles said calmly, not giving in to the hard stares that the Elder was trying to stab him with.


    ¡°A trap? Judge Cortez gave us reliable information that this site had been using up more and more resources and money and when you five get back all you can say is, ¡®it was a trap¡¯?¡± She snorted loudly turning her head to the side toward one of her grey werewolf body guards. ¡°Perhaps these five do need a sixth member after all.¡± She mused to her followers. This elicited a laugh from one of them.


    ¡°Yeah? Keep laughing, jackhole! You sound like a hyena!¡± Nicolas spat out taking a step towards the offending grey.


    William shifted and stepped in between the two as they rapidly closed on each other. William held the grey with a forearm and elbow and held Nicolas off with an outstretched claw. The grey snarled at him past the enforcer and Nicolas smiled back and winked.


    ¡°Enough!¡± Derceto stated.


    The grey backed down and William shifted back to human form.


    ¡°Do you really expect me to believe what you are telling me?¡± Derceto asked. ¡°I have been part of this city for over sixty years. I have seen many friends and sometimes whole packs die, either from incompetence, or overconfidence. And in all that time I have never heard a Shape shifter, either human or wolf borne claim what you five are telling me.¡±


    It was Katherine who spoke. ¡°We need to consider that these vampires have either rediscovered something or are using techniques than we have never seen before.¡± Her quiet voice bore a hard line of confidence and knowledge that stilled all opposition. Even Derceto took a moment to respond.


    ¡°What are you trying to say, girl?¡± the Elder questioned.


    Katherine looked the Elder in the eye and held the Shape shifter¡¯s gaze. ¡°There have been thousands of years of our history that has been recorded. The one event that has remained bare of any real details is the destruction of the City under the Clouds.¡±


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    Derceto snorted. ¡°A testament to our arrogance. The thought that we could live among humans as we are. It was a fool¡¯s gambit to assume that humans would give anything back to our kind, even after our ancestors and others had shown the humans how to behave. We were better left staying in the shadows and illustrating by example how to live and survive instead of opening our arms and welcoming our destruction by those same ungrateful, uncaring hypocrites that mankind has proven itself to be throughout history.¡±


    Katherine was unimpressed, ¡°That is the conventional wisdom on the topic. But in my research and my quest to find out why it happened I came across some very interesting personal journal entries and transcribed cave paintings that tell a very different story.¡±


    Derceto looked at her out of the corner of one eye. ¡°What could you have possibly rediscovered that our scholars have studied for years?¡±


    ¡°The lack of hard facts lets our scholars be held by the long-standing belief you just retold to us. It keeps us happy under the guise of safety. But the cave paintings found in Northern Spain show a group of people with bows being led by wolves.¡±


    ¡°Those painting are of a hunt. It shows the last of the wolf packs being chased from Spain!¡± One of the greys cried out.


    ¡°In most cases I would agree with you,¡± Katherine replied calmly. ¡°And if it wasn¡¯t for some of those journal entries I have read I wouldn¡¯t have any reason to doubt it. But there is another part to the painting. You never see the people actually fire their bows; they are all slack without arrows notched. And just to the right of that, in front of the wolf line there is a village depicted.¡±


    ¡°So what? Humans have always hunted our kind under the auspice of protecting their homes and families,¡± The same grey snorted.


    ¡°The village is depicted underneath a cloud laden sky.¡± Katherine stated.


    ¡°The City under the Clouds,¡± Charles breathed.


    ¡°I believe it is,¡± Katherine said. ¡°I also believe that those wolves are actually leading the people in the picture and because their bows are not drawn, I have come to realize that they entered the city without challenge.¡±


    ¡°The City under the Clouds was the biggest city in the world at one time. There, people and wolves and Shape shifters lived in relative peace and harmony. Wolves ran the streets playing while merchants sold their wares to people and Shape shifters alike. In the journal of a woman named Malkia, I found some very wrong translations and I retranslated them using some updated texts. She says that ¡®the place beneath the Clouds was opened to all and all entered. The goodwill of the animals and humans was subverted by the demon walkers and the once great city fell in a day. The evil was led by the four-legged predators. Those that could be reborn and the evil was carried by them¡¯.¡± The group looked at her quietly and even the Elder was silenced.


    ¡°The wolves led the vampires on the assault on the City under the Clouds?¡± Aceso asked.


    ¡°According to Malkia they did,¡± Katherine replied.


    ¡°And what proof do you have, girl. The ramblings of some human who probably wasn¡¯t even there, and a cave painting? That is hardly proof of anything.¡± Derceto said calmly.


    ¡°Except what just happened to us a few hours ago,¡± Nicolas intoned offhandedly.


    Derceto looked at the five of them and then glanced at her three greys. She looked to the ceiling of the room. The room was silent for long moments as the group waited for the Elder to speak. She nodded to herself.


    The Elder turned and made a sign to her greys. The three growled loudly in protest. The Elder turned her head, made the signal again and growled harshly from the back of her throat. The three greys bowed to her and stepped backwards slowly in respect. Then they quietly left the Tower without so much as looking back or an irritable tail swish.

 Book 5 Chapter 2e

    The remainder of the group stood quietly watching the three of them go. Derceto moved to the far wall with the pictograph of the man shifting into his werewolf form, and studied it closely.


    The five of them watched and waiting for the Elder to speak. The mood in the room was reverent, almost like they were at a funeral. It made William nervous and a bit uncomfortable.


    Derceto eventually turned around and faced them. She looked tired and¡­something else. It was a look that William had never seen on any wolf before. It was alien and a little frightening at first. He focused his mind to stop his leg from taking an involuntary step backwards.


    ¡°You five have done things that no other Shape shifters in this City has ever done. You,¡± She pointed a claw directly at William, ¡°should be dead and buried, and yet you live and walk. Aceso, you accepted an oath from an uninitiated wilde Shape shifter, and yet you too are here walking, breathing, and Alpha of your pack. How some of you came to be here is a mystery to me and I may never understand the motivations of humans.¡± She said this staring pointedly at Charles.


    ¡°And yet here you five are, having survived your trials in this very tower, and even your first few excursions into the Whyte Plain. And it is for those reasons alone that I have agreed to meet with you here.¡± She gestured to the mural wall behind her. ¡°Katherine, you would have discovered this on your own in time or you would have been approached by your teacher, Tyche at some point to tell you what I am about to relate to you.¡±


    ¡°As most of you know, the Shadows of the Whyte Plain are the remnants of werewolves and Shape shifters that have been corrupted by the evil there. What you don¡¯t know, is that not only werewolves and Shape shifters dwell there. The influence of the Whyte Plain has grown and now it claims others, the young or the gifted that have, through some means, been pulled into, or travel there through dreams. Some of those shadows are the souls of children, infants and even animals and other people.¡±


    ¡°Jesus!¡± Nicolas breathed heavily into the sudden silence.


    ¡°So, our raids into the Whyte Plain and the Shadows that we kill are actually babies? Children?¡± Charles shook his head in disbelief.


    ¡°That¡¯s what they once were, yes. But now they are as twisted as the souls of the parasitic vampires that we have always fought against.¡± Derceto replied.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t anyone tell us?!¡± Nicolas spat. ¡°I don¡¯t like a lot of people but I¡¯m not a baby killer!¡±


    ¡°Oh please!¡± Derceto snapped. ¡°Your feigned self-righteousness is a tired, wasted effort. I don¡¯t give a damn how you feel about how we do things, or how you feel about what we believe suitable to tell you or not.


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    ¡°So why tell us now?¡± William asked. ¡°What is the point of telling us that over the last years we may have been killing children instead of twisted Shape shifters?¡±


    ¡°And I respond again, it doesn¡¯t matter what you think, and moreover I don¡¯t care,¡± Derceto was getting impatient and raw anger was rising in her voice. ¡°The Whyte Plain and all those trapped within it are products of our past mistakes.¡±


    ¡°What ¡®past mistakes¡¯?¡± Charles asked into the sudden silence.


    The Elder stood up to her full height, towering over the four humans. She looked pointedly at Katherine. ¡°I say this to you all because just telling Katherine wouldn¡¯t matter. I know that you five share a good deal between you and this knowledge is too valuable for us to keep hidden forever. With the recent successes of the past year, we Sages had contemplated not telling you at all. But now you bring this disturbing news to us and if it is true than the vampires have in fact rediscovered an old tool to use against us.¡±


    ¡°An old tool?¡± Katherine asked.


    ¡°Yes. When the City under the Clouds fell, our people started being harassed by vampires in a relentless effort to wipe us out completely. They used coercion, bribes, horror stories and propaganda to turn the humans against us.


    ¡°After what happened in the City under the Clouds this was understandable. We chose to start living in smaller pack groups and hunt separately from each other. Some have surmised that those practices only added to the hysteria surrounding our kind and gave rise to more wilde werewolves being reborn and wreaking havoc on the surrounding country sides.¡±


    ¡°Ok, so when are going to get around to telling us stuff that actually matters?¡± Nicolas said with a smirk.


    Derceto narrowed her eyes at the Scout and continued her story, ¡°As we moved away from the population centers of humans, we began to feel ourselves safe. We could live out in the jungles and forests of the surrounding countries and live peacefully.


    Then we started seeing and hearing of wolves, sometimes whole packs, leading vampires and humans right to where our people had set up shelters and had been living for months and sometimes years. The news of these attacks spread slowly but soon our people had come to realize that the stories were true. Our own brethren and cousins had turned against us and had allied themselves with humans and vampires.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re talking about the first breed of dogs?¡± Charles asked.


    ¡°Please, young Tracker, wolves had chosen to live with and teach humans how to hunt and live long before this time. How do you think that we Shape shifters even came to be?¡± Derceto said in a sarcastic voice. ¡°No, these were not dogs. They were wild wolves, and yet they hunted and returned to their masters as sure as if they bore a leash and collar. Vampires have claimed this ability since their inception. When they learned to control and influence wolves we don¡¯t know. But we know that they used our kin for centuries to hunt us down. It was then that the Elders and the greatest of our kind came together to form another great City. Unlike the City under the Clouds, this City was to be hidden deep within the Earth to avoid all, the humans, the vampires, and our wolf brethren.¡±


    ¡°The City under the Sand?¡± asked Katherine.


    ¡°Very good Katherine,¡± Derceto acknowledged nodding to the younger Sage, she continued, ¡°Yes, it was the City under the Sand. It was created and buried under present day Jordan. Our people could finally live in peace.¡±


    ¡°So, when do you get to the part about a weapon?¡± Nicolas asked.


    Derceto snorted and growled, ¡°The day I adhere to your wishes Scout, is the day I lie burned and only a pile of ashes will remain.¡± There was steel and fury in those words. Nicolas wouldn¡¯t stand a chance in a fight against the infuriated Elder.

 Book 5 Chapter 2f

    ¡°Elder, please continue,¡± Charles said smoothly into the suddenly tense room, ¡°Nicolas won¡¯t interrupt you again. Will you, Nicolas?¡± He looked pointedly at the Scout with a warning look on his face.


    ¡°Hey, you guys know me. I¡¯m just wondering if I need to go get some popcorn or something.¡± Nicolas said with a humble tone and an insufferable grin plastered on his face. It was times like this that William really wanted to kill the asshole.


    The Elder looked at Nicolas and William like she would happily do the deed for him, but she eventually calmed down and continued, ¡°You should all know that it has been wolves, mainly, that has taught mankind how to hunt. They taught them how to observe nature, how to track, how to observe the changes in the weather and to track the migration patterns of prey animals, from foul to caribou. Humans and wolves grew up together. If it wasn¡¯t for us wolves, the humans may have died out long ago as did their predecessors, the Denisovans.


    But the tides of our time passed and more and more of our kind was being blamed for savage attacks on humans. We became the silent killer in the dark, not the wise teacher. We were made out to be monsters in the eyes of humans. We Shape shifters couldn¡¯t understand why at first. Humans started to turn on wolves and have great hunting parties to drive our kind off their land. The stories were true but it was only when several human borne Shape shifters made their way to the City under the Sand that we began to take these stories seriously.


    It was later discovered that the vampires had used their influence on wolves to not only hunt Shape shifters, but to hunt human beings. Wolves had become the demons that people were so frightened of. Wolves were compelled to hunt and kill people. The vampires used this and their ability to infiltrate human society to further the hysteria surrounding the wolf attacks.


    ¡°That¡¯s when the great wolf purge hunts began,¡± stated Aceso.


    ¡°Yes, the vampires, knowing that they couldn¡¯t hunt us, and not having discovered who or when a Shape shifter is to be reborn, they decided to use humans to kill half the population of Shape shifters before they were reborn. They drove man kind to the brink of a blood thirst frenzy in an effort to kill all the wolves. They succeeded in many places, including Britain. During this time, more Cities were formed and created to help stem the massacre and the loss of our kin. The City under the Rock, and the City under the Ice were examples of this and were created more as a sanctuary for wolves than for any needed strategical value. About a hundred years ago when you humans founded Hollywood, the Elders thanked providence that this City had been rediscovered; now it is of great strategical significance.¡±


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    ¡°Wait,¡± William asked. ¡°What do you mean, the City Under the Mountain had been rediscovered?¡±


    Derceto looked to the cavern around them. ¡°William, this place is as ancient as the world itself. It¡¯s said, that this was a sanctuary after the great flood. The Hopi and just about every native American tribe along the west coast has a legend that revolves around this place. The place of a great battle between a god and demon who was trapped at the bottom of Crater Lake. This place was not built but any Shape shifter we could trace back to that long ago.¡±


    ¡°So, we¡¯re squatters,¡± Nicolas retorted.


    Derceto shot daggers out of her eyes at the blond. ¡°I was speaking of a hundred years ago?¡±


    Katherine nodded and Derceto continued, ¡°It was at this time that the great Sages of the City under the Sand gathered. They knew that they had to try to break their wolf kin free from the vampires influence. Without the guidance from wolves, mankind was starting to devolve into blood thirsty tyrants and freighted sheep that followed governments and war lords without thoughts or protests. The Sages knew that they had to reclaim the wolves from our long-standing enemies. This of course played right into the vampires¡¯ hands. Because the more the humans warred with and killed each other, the more blood there was just waiting to be drank. It served their ends perfectly.


    Meanwhile, it took dozens of Shape shifters and long months before the Sages were able to capture and return with a dozen or so of the dominated wolves. They studied their minds and the taint of the vampire domination. It was an intricate design that even our Trackers couldn¡¯t figure out.


    The Trackers as you know use pheromones and naturally occurring biochemicals to induce favorable results. This is correct, is it not, Charles?¡± The Tracker nodded. ¡°What our Sages and Trackers found was far more complex and something that couldn¡¯t be easily explained. Their minds were locked to us. And no amount of prodding or experimentation seemed to loosen the hold that the vampires had placed over them. In a last-ditch effort, the Sages did something that no Sage today is proud of.¡±


    ¡°What did they do?¡± asked William coldly.


    The Elder looked pointedly at Katherine. The younger Sage tilted her head in a questioning gesture. Katherine had no idea what the Elder was going to say but it looked to William that she wasn¡¯t going to like hearing it any more than the rest of them would.


    ¡°The Elder Sage of the City gathered her best Sages into a chamber with a single dominated wolf,¡± The Elder began. ¡°There, they spent over five days doing things that no Sage has spoken of. Those that did know what they were planning have long since died. The reports of the aftermath quoted it to be said that the energies of the Earth itself were gathered into a single place and time. Every Sage in the city felt the massive amount of power that was being concentrated.


    Then, for a moment or two, the concentrated energy ceased to be. There was nothing and the City took a collective breath, thinking that the Sages had accomplished their task.¡±


    ¡°The next moment there was an explosion of power that washed over the entire city. This energy was dark and malicious and some of the stronger Sages in the City went mad and crumpled to the floor in mumbling heaps of flesh. A few of them died, then and there, those that felt the blast and survived, were nothing more than vegetables.¡±

 Book 5 Chapter 2g

    ¡°Every Sage in the City?¡± Katherine asked wide eyed.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Derceto responded coldly. ¡°No one knew what happened only what the aftermath caused.¡±


    ¡°Who allowed that to happen at all, and what the hell happened? What did they do?¡± pushed William.


    ¡°No one knows for sure, young Enforcer,¡± Derceto answered quietly. ¡°What we do know is that when the remaining Elders opened the chamber all they found were a few piles of clothes, a bloody wolf pelt, and the bloody pelts of the two wolf born Shape shifters. There was no trace of any of the Sages that went into the chamber except for their clothes and pelts and as for the wolf body there was no bones, or muscles, everything was gone except its bloody fur.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a horror movie plot line to me,¡± remarked Nicolas.


    Charles shot him a sideways warning glance. ¡°I thought when one of our kind dies,¡± he said returning his attention to the Elder, ¡°we revert back to our original natural born form. Why would there be werewolf pelts left if they died?¡±


    ¡°That was one of the things that disturbed the City Elders most, but they did not have the skill to ascertain those answers.¡± Derceto seemed to be unmoved by the story she had just told.


    ¡°There¡¯s more you¡¯re not telling us,¡± Aceso states.


    The Elder stayed quiet for a few moments as she looked over the young pack. ¡°The room was sealed, as it was.¡±


    ¡°Why even bother?¡± asked Nicolas.


    ¡°With all the sages gone,¡± replied Katherine, ¡°it would be impossible for anyone to learn about what they might have been doing or what had happened in their final moments.¡±


    ¡°Correct,¡± Derceto said. ¡°The remaining Elders knew that if they were ever going to find out what happened they would need gifted and trained Sages to try and recreate what happened there. The room was sealed to help protect and preserve the energies that were concentrated there so that others might be able to study it at a later time.


    It took a few months. The Elders sent for the most gifted and powerful Sages from the City under the Rock and the City under the Ice. By that time, the Whyte Plain was used regularly by our people to speed up communication between the Cities. The troublesome thing was that it took months for Sages to start arriving from the other Cities.


    No one could explain why and speculation was rampant. The City was steadily growing more tense and it was only a matter of time before full hysteria and panic gripped everyone. The stories and theories ranged from vampires having discovered the Whyte Plain and had begun to capture our kind even there. There were stories of this Sage or that one being overly confident and being caught by humans and killed. It was a time of chaos and uncertainty.¡±


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    ¡°Where were the Elders when all this was happening?¡± Charles asked.


    ¡°They were trying to calm the population and give the newly arrived Sages all the help they could,¡± Derceto replied. ¡°The city was still trying to get over the loss of all their Sages in a few moments.


    The Elder Tracker, Yasir Fayad tried speaking with a few of the survivors. He used every technique that the Trackers know. But after a few weeks he gave up. The Sages that had survived that day had had their minds completely wiped clean. There was no memory; there were no higher brain functions at all. They were comatose with no memory of anything and no ability to process or learn anything. They were completely empty husks.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ terrible,¡± remarked Nicolas dryly. ¡°Hey, just letting you guys know; if that ever happens to me, kill me. No questions, just kill me.¡±


    ¡°What did the Sages find?¡± asked Katherine ignoring Nicolas.


    ¡°The Elders did the best they could to calm the city and reassure them that there was no way the humans, or the vampires, had discovered them. It was almost a mile deep in the Earth, some of which was underneath mountains, and no human or vampire would be able to dig down that far to find them.


    The Sages meanwhile, went into the chamber and studied the residual energies that were there and began to try to piece together what had happened. They studied the wolf pelt, the piles of clothes, and the werewolf skins. It was slow work but the City was desperate for answers. There was nothing to be done except let the Sages work. Through the long months they began to piece together what had happened.


    The wolf pelt still had traces of whatever the vampires had done to it. The pelt itself felt slimly to the Sages, not physically but when they examined it with their own methods and energy the pelt sloughed off their attempts like oil repelling water.¡±


    ¡°Yeah and?¡± Nicolas finally said.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to hear what the Elder has to say, you can leave any time,¡± Katherine spat.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that, I just want to know when we are going to hear something worthwhile instead of all this bullshit tension building blah blah blah, Sage magic, blah blah blah.¡± quipped Nicolas.


    Katherine shook her head in disgust, ¡°You¡¯re insufferable!¡± she spat.


    ¡°Are you two children done?¡± asked Derceto coldly.


    Katherine¡¯s cheeks reddened noticeably and nodded her head once. Nicolas shrugged his shoulders and made an off handed wave.


    Derceto continued, ¡°The hypothesis of what happened that day and corroborated with subsequent Whyte Plain attacks and disappearances is this; whatever the vampires had done to that wolf, the Sages tried to use their abilities to counter it. What actually happened in that chamber will never be known, but whatever they did seemed to settle for a few moments and then the vampire technique mixed with our own powers and energies exploded outward. The werewolf skins left behind suggests that when that happened their souls were ripped from their bodies and deposited into the Whyte Plain. They hadn¡¯t been killed, just their souls had been transplanted into the only place for them to go.¡±


    ¡°And because of what had happened to the other Sages it is reasonable to suggest that the same thing happened to their souls and they became the Shadows of the Whyte Plain,¡± Aceso stated into the silence.

 Book 5 Chapter 2h

    ¡°That is what we now believe,¡± answered Derceto.


    ¡°Forgive me for asking, Elder¡± Charles said quietly. ¡°But how does this story help us to understand what we have just seen from the vampires and their ability to seemingly exert their will over our wolf brethren?¡± he asked.


    Derceto cocked her head to the side. ¡°After this singular incident we stopped getting reports of dominated wolves, anywhere. There was still plenty of wolf hatred from the humans. It could be that the vampires just chose to stop using wolves and let the humans deal with them. They were doing a fine job of it by themselves. It¡¯s possible that the seeds of hate and misunderstanding had been planted and so the vampires didn¡¯t need to do anything. Since that time, we have not had a single recording of vampire dominated wolves. We had begun to believe that this was an ability lost to them, much like the recently rediscovered Scout Sight, was believed to be lost to our kind.¡±


    ¡°So, you were wrong¡­again,¡± said Nicolas flatly. The Elder started to snarl but quickly smoothed her features.


    ¡°What difference does it make if it is a rediscovered ability or whatever? The fact that they can do it again is disturbing. What are we going to do about it, and what does it mean for us? And more over what does that mean for Ansuya? She¡¯s been gone too long. I volunteer to take a hunting party to go look for her if that¡¯s what it takes!¡± said William.


    Derceto looked at the young Enforcer, ¡°You¡¯re right, William. That is the question. maybe we can look to our past and not make the same mistake that our ancestors made. It is either by desperate need or confidence that they would show this ability now, just as we are starting to rebuild our own power base and take back some lost ground.¡± The elder took a deep breath, ¡°as for Elder Ansuya, that is business that you don¡¯t need to concern yourself with.¡±


    ¡°Oh that is horse shit!¡± William exploded expressing emotions that he would never had admitted were real until just then.


    ¡°You have gained in skill and reputation, but compared to me, you are still pups. Ansuya and I and the rest of the Elders have the situation in hand. Don¡¯t think to outplace yourself from your position.¡±


    ¡°The young are allowed their passions, Derceto. You were no different.¡±


    The six of them whipped their heads toward to sound of the new comer¡¯s voice. Standing in a doorway was the City¡¯s Elder Scout Huan Li. ¡°There is much to be learned from past mistakes and even our past assumptions. And having concern for the citizens of the city, regardless of circumstances is one of our strengths.¡± He said this with a pointed look between the Elder Tracker and William. Derceto nodded to the Elder Scout as Aceso made a small bow toward him.


    ¡°What? So, this means that vampires are going to use wolves to attack our city? Just like the City under the Clouds?¡± asked Nicolas who for the first time sounded genuinely concerned.


    ¡°No, Nicolas I don¡¯t think so.¡± replied Huan Li easily. ¡°I¡¯m not saying we should rule out the possibility, all things are possible, but I think it rather highly unlikely that should happen. What I believe this means more than anything is that they are desperate. I don¡¯t think they would have uncovered such a tool if they weren¡¯t ready to use it.¡± He looked at Derceto, ¡°We must be very cautious for the time being and seek to find out exactly what it is our parasitic adversaries are planning.¡±


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    ¡°What do you wish of us, Elder,¡± Aceso asked formally.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Huan Li replied flatly. ¡°You have done what I have requested of you. I suggest you all get some rest.¡± He said the last with a friendly smile as he and Derceto left the five of them standing alone in the Tower room.


    William rushed after the two Elders, ¡°Wait, what about Ansuya? Doesn¡¯t this mean that she¡¯s in danger? She couldn¡¯t possibly have known about this before she was taken, we have to find her,¡± William pleaded.


    Huan and Derceto shared a look.


    ¡°William, you are allowed your passions, but we do know what we are doing. Ansuya is exactly where she needs to be. I will say nothing more and wont tolerate further discussion.¡± Huan smiled softly, ¡°we have been doing this for quite a long time and we do have a pretty good understanding of our enemies.¡± With that Huan patter William on the shoulder and walked away.


    Dejected and with else better to do he returned to his pack.


    ¡°Did that feel really odd to anybody else?¡± Katherine asked.


    ¡°Yes, it did,¡± Charles answered. ¡°The Elders have always been a bit cryptic and Elder Derceto has always disliked you,¡± he said nodding to William. ¡°So why all of a sudden has she chosen to tell us this history which I don¡¯t even think you knew,¡± he said looking at Katherine.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Katherine answered shaking her head sending her long brown hair flying to either side of her face. ¡°Tyche never even hinted at such a history or that Sages were the cause. I guess he didn¡¯t feel I was ready or¡­something¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not important right now,¡± William interjected. ¡°If the vampires are going to use wolves against us, that means, no matter how confident Huan Li is they could use them to follow us back to the mountain. We have used the outside entrances plenty of times. And it doesn¡¯t matter how well hidden the door is, if you know where it is you will eventually find it.¡±


    ¡°Even if it takes a knocking thrush and a well-timed sun beam,¡± said Charles smiling.


    William smiled at the literary reference. His smile faded quickly though as his mind turned back to their encounter, and Ansuya who was still ¡®missing.¡¯ The wolves had been working for or with Kenneth and it so happened that the city had sent him and his pack to go and scout out this development project. He didn¡¯t believe in coincidences and the more he dealt with vampires the more he knew that eventually he and Kenneth would have to come face to face again. A meeting that he was going to ensure the vampire didn¡¯t survive.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Aceso asked.


    ¡°Yeah, you went away for a bit there. Are you ok?¡± Katherine added.


    William shook his head and smiled at the group, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m good. I was just thinking¡­¡±


    ¡°About Kenneth,¡± stated Charles.


    ¡°Yeah, him,¡± William answered slowly. ¡°He has been on my case since before I came to the Mountain. And we seem to keep crossing paths. Now he shows us that he can control wolves. Does this mean that he can also control people?¡± he tried but he was sure he couldn¡¯t cover the anxiety in his voice.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t put it past them, Will,¡± replied Katherine. ¡°Although that¡¯s a thought I never wanted to think about. What if he is doing the same thing to Ansuya that he proved that he can do with wolves? Will she betray us and lead him into the city?¡± That statement fell like a bomb into the room and left nothing but dead, stunned silence in its wake.


    ¡°We have to be prepared for anything,¡± said Aceso softly, placing a claw on William¡¯s shoulder. ¡°The Elders knew what they were doing when they sent you two and Ansuya out hunting for Kenneth. Ansuya knew the risks and she is an Elder after all. If nothing has happened yet, I have to believe that Elder Ansuya is still fighting and she is probably working on her own plan to escape as we speak.¡±


    The upbeat message of Aceso¡¯s speech did little to remove the dark pall that hung over all of them. The idea that an Elder, Ansuya, would lead their enemies into the city under the Mountain was unthinkable and yet it had just been shown to them that vampires were capable of such things. William left the Tower room with a heavy heart and if he could see through rock, he imagined that he could see the coming storm and the destruction that would be left in its wake.

 Book 5 Chapter 3a

    Ansuya was drinking tea with a young British Officer, a Machine Gun unit lieutenant of the 17<sup>th</sup> Indian Infantry Division. He had traveled a long way to be in the city and she had agreed to have afternoon tea with the gentleman.


    It was strange but as she sat listening to him speak about his job, the combat he had already seen, and what was to come, she had a strange feeling that she had seen this man before. He wasn¡¯t handsome, but he had a quiet way about him that was attractive, as men goes. His light brown hair accented his light eyes well. They had a level gaze and his conversation was engaging. This wasn¡¯t odd, but he seemed only interested in talking with her, which was fine. His approach was far better than the vulgar and insulting overtures some other British men took with her.


    Ansuya was only seventeen at this time and already she had built a reputation for herself. She had begun to use her status to engage tutors and other scholars to better herself. Her mother chose this life for her and she was well suited for it, but her mind and ambitions were uneasy as she looked toward the heavens and to the sciences to become more than what she was war being pushed into. When she walked the streets in the early morning, she saw how her people lived, suffered, and died. She would end some of their suffering. She would make a difference and when she married, if she married, it would be for love, not out of necessity for safety or security.


    ¡°How long have you been living this way?¡± The gentleman asked kindly.


    Ansuya smiled coyly as she raised her tea cup to her lips. She took a slow sip as she gazed at him through her long eyelashes. She lowered the cup delicately and replied, ¡°How do you mean, good Sir?¡±


    ¡°Simply put, you live fairly well for one so beautiful as yourself, even though it is by the sale of your body and time.¡± The gentleman held her eyes with a steady gaze, neither kind nor judgmental.


    Ansuya felt a flush of anger rise up to her cheeks. ¡°I do not sell my body or my time, Sir.¡±


    ¡°Call it what you will,¡± the man said with a wave of his hand. ¡°But you surely must know that even one so beautiful and skilled as you at your trade, your profession is a fleeting one and one day, sooner or later, your wealth and loving public won¡¯t be there anymore and you will be left with nothing.¡±


    ¡°Your words are harsh and cruel, Sir,¡± Ansuya said haughtily. ¡°I wish for you to leave.¡±


    The gentleman stood up and took a step backwards still facing her. ¡°There will come a time, and you won¡¯t believe a word I am about to say to you, but a time will come a few years from now, when your entire world will be ripped from you. You will undergo a massive change. When that time comes, one of three things will happen, either you will die, you will live but give into base, animalistic emotions and become a monster, or you will accept my help and learn to control what the Gods have blessed you with.¡±


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    ¡°I wish not, nor will I ever wish, for help from you, good day!¡± Ansuya said standing up quickly and gracefully. She pointedly turned her back on her guest.


    ¡°When the time comes, you will have to decide, unfortunately none of your Gods, Ganesh or Shiva or even Brahma will be able to help you.¡± With that Ansuya heard her front door open and close quietly behind her.


    That had been so long ago and she wondered why it was that her mind had bent itself to that particular memory. It had seemed so alien to her, so surreal that a man had the gall to not only call her cheap to her face, but then to offer such vague help and advice when he knew that he had done nothing short of insulting her in her own apartment.


    She found herself smiling at her own youthful arrogance. By that time, she was well beyond her naivet¨¦ and she knew exactly what her dancing and singing gained her and what others lost in the exchange. It was the straightforwardness of the gentleman that had shocked and insulted her. She was so worldly then, but she had come to learn a few years later that she was still a child in a world of wonders and mysteries that she hadn¡¯t even begun to discover.


    She forced her body to give just a little more. The biochemicals that she was making and forcing away from herself was so subtle she would have used up more energy than usual in the best of circumstances, but now her body was taxed to the point of passing out.


    She allowed herself to cease her work as her eyes swam in black flecks and the air that filled her lungs did little to give her any real respite from the exertion.


    She closed her eyes and let herself drift back to those warm afternoons and that first encounter with that British officer. She had been so confident and sure of her skills that it was only a matter of time before she was allowed to play to a country wide audience in Bollywood. It was the culmination of her hard work and through that she could finally start to affect real change in her country and for her fellow countrymen.


    But that was so long ago. She had affected change in her own way. It had been a lot less grand than her youthful self would have liked to dream. But she wouldn¡¯t be able to affect any change at all if she was forever captured and the prisoner of Kenneth.


    She took a deep breath and continued her work, straining her body and focusing her tired, strained mind to her very delicate and deliberate task.


    *          *          *          *          *


    He had lived over three hundred years. He had been there in the first Great War. Blood had been so plentiful back then, in the blasted wastelands of France. He had traveled here shortly thereafter with his moderate sized House. They had to travel hidden in cargo holds and back rooms. They easily out maneuvered the humans manning their ship but it allowed for very little feeding. When they arrived, it was with nothing. The port city, and the new world country was a wide expanse of hostile terrain.


    Now, House Dukart was the city. There wasn¡¯t a thing that happened in Los Angeles without Alessandro and House Dukart¡¯s knowledge. That was one of the things that troubled the House Head so deeply. Why in this great city, under his great House were there suddenly moving, unseen hands that sought to undermine his dominion and control? Especially when it was he, that kept this place running and allowed, both humans and vampires, to act as they wished.

 Book 5 Chapter 3b

    Of course, those idiot people thought it was their so called ¡®constitutional freedom¡¯ to act as they did. That freedom, given by a piece of paper was fantasy. Their wants and desires had been slowly pushed and nudged in the direction that they now took. Where in that, aged crumbling piece of parchment did it say, ¡°You have the right to get drunk and take moronic pictures of yourself making out with five different people in the same bar on the same night¡±? No, their freedom and wanton desires are the product of his designs. It was so easy to bend the people to his way of thinking.


    He owned the magazines, through dummy corporations of course, he owned the news and he owned Hollywood, the biggest producer of trends and fads. Although even he was a bit surprised at the level of narcissism these people had adopted with their ¡°selfie¡± craze. He didn¡¯t wait long to start pushing his own influence even there though. The more the people sought the dark tendencies of their animalistic natures, the easier it was for them to fall to his House and his kind.


    He could care less for those other Houses that shared this territory. They were just as much leaches as the humans, be them so called vampires or not. They were carcass feeding creatures, nothing better than carrion birds. He may not have been able to prevent them from establishing themselves here though. That had happened far too long ago and his House was still weak back then, but no longer.


    He had accomplished in decades what some of the Great Houses had taken centuries to do. The people, if you could even still call them that, seemed to drive themselves toward his House and toward their death, or servitude, in droves. The mass movement toward bondage and slavery, pain and sadism were all his doing. America, such that it was, held no promise for brighter futures anymore. And when people stopped looking toward the light, they inevitably sank into darkness, into his and his kinds waiting, cold embrace. And the best part was, the humans asked for the pleasure.


    But now things were not well in his kingdom. There were forces unseen to him or his servants moving outside of his sight but within his arms reach, taunting him, daring him to swipe away all that the perpetrators had built. And even with all his strength of numbers and loyal servants the ones responsible never showed themselves.


    Alessandro looked out over his city from his glass tower with a troubled brow and hands clasped behind his back. He could strike out from his tower, anywhere. He had crushed a similar uprising against him some three decades ago. After that, no one, from his House or the other two, had dared to even hint at conducting operations within this city without his permission. He was the strongest and even the Great Houses had acknowledged the mastery of his domain. He could go back to the old country and take his rightful place among the Duces whenever he wished. But why be a slave among the old, when he could be a God among the young. He quickly traced his city¡¯s borders with his eye sight. The light ended abruptly where it was met by the cold, harsh nighttime desert. His kingdom.


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    He had arrived here with nothing and had built this place from nothing. If need be, he would return it to nothing before he let anyone take a dime, or a single drop of blood from him without his permission. This city was his, and it existed for his pleasure, not for someone else to come and take it away from him piece meal.


    He stalked over to his phone and raised the receiver, jamming a number into the touch pad. After a moment he knew that someone had picked it up on the other end. Without waiting for a response he said calmly, ¡°Simon, it has been too long. I want you to come visit me here in America. I trust you know how to contact me?¡± There was a short response from the other end. ¡°Wonderful my friend, we have so much to talk about.¡± Alessandro hung up the phone easily as he calmly sat down in his chair.


    His eyes passed over the reports that he had received from his various businesses and contacts through the city. There was a small discrepancy here, an unbalanced book of a hundred dollars there. That was normal. But then again maybe he had let these few hundred-dollar discrepancies go for too long? There may be more work for Simon to do when he got here then even he realized when he had called his longtime friend even a few moments ago. His city needed to be reminded of who it was that allowed the people to seek out that thin line between life, death, and pleasure. A cleansing fire was always inevitable and soon his city would burn.


    *          *          *          *          *


    Michael was driving the car at just the right speed. Kenneth had instructed him to drive with prudence and his driver had always obeyed driving right at the tipping point of being pulled over. His car was a sleek, beautiful machine that could handle the traffic and the stresses of hardline race driving if needed, but Kenneth had long ago learned to appreciate the art of subtlety and prudence, excessive speed would only draw attention to himself.


    They pulled up outside a magnificent frontal fa?ade of a building. The bright lights of the front sign shown in sharp contrast to the massive tinted mirror windows that reflected almost no light at all that served as the face of the structure. There was brick inlaid with concrete construction and the study support pillars were round and had a rough untouched look to them.


    The labs of Advanced Cell Technologies was very impressive and he found himself wondering if the place had really spent all there grant money on research, or the building and the life style of those that worked here. He wouldn¡¯t have cared either way. There was always someone, somewhere that took advantage of those that were willing to give. He would have to look into expanding his influence in Advanced Cell Technologies funders and grant givers. But that was for another time.


    Kenneth approached the door and pulled them open easily. Michael was left with the car and he walked into the building as if he owned it. Which in a way he did, or could, if he wanted it. Scientists and politician¡¯s, technicians, and nonprofit ¡°college educated¡± secretaries, money grubbers all, these people were no better than beggars in the street.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sir?¡± said a young man jumping out from behind a receptionist desk to intercept him, ¡°is there something I can help you with?¡±


    Kenneth reached out and snapped the man¡¯s neck easily in his grasp. The man child slumped helplessly and lifelessly to the floor. Kenneth didn¡¯t even smile; killing these creatures was more a blessing than a punishment.


    ¡°Sir? Are you alright?¡± The man asked bewildered at the look Kenneth was giving him.

 Book 5 Chapter 3c

    The vampire stared at the man, asking himself the question of why he didn¡¯t give in to his urge and just kill this annoyance. He replied instead, ¡°No, you can¡¯t,¡± and began to head for the elevators once again, stepping around the young man.


    The idiot jumped in front of Kenneth again, this time he dared to put a hand to the vampire¡¯s chest. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Sir, if you don¡¯t have an appointment, and there are no appointments for this time of night, I¡¯m going to have to ask you to leave.¡±


    Kenneth¡¯s eyes flashed and he yanked the moron off his feet and held him above the floor by the throat. He snarled at the suspended sack of meat, ¡°Look at me, fool! Do I look like I need an appointment?¡± The dangling man weakly kicked out his feet as he tried to shake his head in the negative. Kenneth let his anger flow through his veins and he actually entertained the idea of killing the man again. But instead, he remembered Alessandro¡¯s lessons of control and prudence and released the man¡¯s throat, letting him free fall a foot or so and collapse on the ground.


    Kenneth kicked the man in the ribs for good measure. The man was so dazed and with the air forced from his lungs he couldn¡¯t even cry out. It was satisfying to see this worm slither on the ground gasping for air, gripping his throat, and trying to cover his abdomen all at the same time. Kenneth smiled down at him.


    But he didn¡¯t have time for these games and the last thing he needed was this coward reporting him to some authorities or the news and making his visit public, which is not what he was about this evening.


    Kenneth grabbed the man and yanked him to his feet once more. The man¡¯s face was still contorted by pain and his mouth was opening and closing reflexively like a dying fish, it sickened Kenneth just to look at him.


    He slapped the man, hard. The clap of skin on skin resounded in the open entry way of the lab building. He gripped the man¡¯s shirt and held him. Kenneth penetrated the man¡¯s eyes with his gaze.


    The two of them were alone and Kenneth needed this man¡¯s silence. There was only one way to guarantee that. He set the man on the floor. ¡°I am sorry, young man. Please forgive my anger towards you.¡± Kenneth started walking the man back to his desk.


    This new approach bewildered the man and his face held a strange expression as well as that of pain. There was something wrong here, he just didn¡¯t know what it was.


    Kenneth needed the man to relax and trust him just a little bit. The young man¡¯s mind was malleable, but his vampiric domination was not unlimited.


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    When they returned to the man¡¯s desk he sat down gingerly and looked up at the vampire. He was sitting rigidly with his hand gripping the chair, as if that was a point of safety, an anchor to his reality which he had been so rudely yanked from only moments ago.


    Kenneth looked down at the man and smiled. The young man looked terrified. ¡°You know, it¡¯s rude to not look a person in the eye when they speak to you,¡± he said offhandedly.


    The man slowly brought his eyes up to those of his assailant.


    ¡°There, you see? Now, isn¡¯t that better? Makes the conversation a little more personable, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    The young man hung his head as he nodded dumbly. He was starting to try Kenneth¡¯s patience.


    ¡°Look, I said I was sorry about the whole hold you up in the air thing, didn¡¯t I? I mean are you going to hold that against me forever?¡± Kenneth said in mock exasperation. A few more moments of this and he really would be exasperated. He wondered again if it wouldn¡¯t be faster just to kill the man.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± the man said in a monotone low voice. ¡°We don¡¯t have any money here and we don¡¯t keep drugs here either. We¡¯re a bio chemicals lab. You¡¯d be better off robbing a GNC, or a Wallgreens.¡± The man said with just a hint of desperation in his voice. The man was broken.


    Kenneth stood there looking down at him for a long time in silence. His attack must have returned the man to some very painful memories of something. It was probably something from his childhood, and if that was the case then it was either an abusive parent, or this kid had problems with a school bully or some other mundane thing that he had held onto for all this time. Kenneth decided to push on that pressure point a bit.


    ¡°You must have taken far worse than what I just gave you in your time, huh?¡± Kenneth asked politely.


    The man¡¯s eyes became unfocused for a moment. Kenneth recognized the faraway look of memory. The troubling thing was there was no outward response. This guy had learned to hide his wounds well.


    ¡°I bet he used to hurt you pretty bad.¡± Kenneth pressed.


    The man simply nodded. His grip on the chair had relaxed and Kenneth knew he was making some headway.


    ¡°But look at you now. I mean you work here at this great bio chemical lab and you have a pretty good job. What does he have anyway?¡± Kenneth asked with upraised eyebrows. ¡°You know what?¡± he said not waiting for any answer. ¡°Does it matter? You beat him. By being successful and being here in this job, you won. He¡¯s probably rotting in some trailer park somewhere, has five kids, and is with his high school cheerleader girlfriend or wife who is disgusting and fat now.¡± Kenneth said with a small smile.


    The man returned the smile with a small one of his own. ¡°He did live in a trailer park, before he was thrown in jail, last I heard. And you¡¯re right; she did get fat, like really fat, opera fat.¡±


    Kenneth burst out laughing in a mirthful tone and was even joined by the seated man for a bit. ¡°See? Look I¡¯m sorry about before, I really am. You know I should have just listened to you and come back tomorrow. What business I have can wait.¡±


    ¡°What is your business?¡± the man asked.


    Kenneth looked down on him, ¡°If I was going to tell you that I would need for you to look at me.¡± The young man cocked his head to the side and looked up at Kenneth. ¡°I want you to start to feel very comfortable and begin to relax,¡± Kenneth intoed calmly. He changed the tambour of his voice as he did for full effect of his domination.

 Book 5 Chapter 3d

    Kenneth stared deeply into the man¡¯s eyes and began overpowering the man¡¯s will. He could see the man¡¯s hands slacken and relax on the arm rests of the chair. The man¡¯s eyes still held a sharp look and his will was still his own. Kenneth would have to be careful but he was winning.


    ¡°Just relax for a bit. Start to feel your body sink comfortably into your chair, as all your worries and stress starts to fade away. You don¡¯t feel any pain in your body and everything is becoming just a bit fuzzy and unimportant.¡± Kenneth pressed further and pushed the man¡¯s will farther and farther back till all that was left was Kenneth¡¯s will and control.


    ¡°You feel very light and loose right now. Your thoughts have vanished and all that remain are my words and my thoughts. You obey my words without question or hesitation. My words become your truth.¡±


    The man simply nodded blankly.


    ¡°I am of no importance to you or anyone else. When anyone asks you about me you won¡¯t even remember my face. You will sit at your desk and you will forget ever having seen me. I am invisible to your eyes, and silent to your ears, until I tell you otherwise. You will forget you ever saw me; you will forget all about how you got that bruise on your chest and your throat. You won¡¯t remember me in any way. You understand me, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Again, the man nodded blankly.


    ¡°And you will obey my words completely. My words are your reality, aren¡¯t they?¡± Kenneth asked.


    The man nodded again.


    Kenneth left the man sitting at his desk. As he summoned the elevator, the man started to clean up his desk and look around a bit. He shook his head as if he had just woken up from a nap and tenderly touched his chest and neck. Kenneth snorted softly as he stepped inside the elevator and rode it to his destination.


    When he reached the prescribed lab, he was a little surprised to see it still inhabited. Through the opaque glass he was able to make out three bulbous forms which he assumed were three people wearing their puffy, sterile space suits and massive unwieldy gloves. Even his vampire sight couldn¡¯t pick out any more real detail than that. He stepped inside the clean room.


    Usually, he would have sent word about his impending visit but he had gotten word that Alessandro was taking a keen interest in the port areas and had made inquiries to the other two Houses about an increase in drug trade inside his borders. Time was growing short for Kenneth and he needed answers now. It would only be a matter of time before the other two Houses reported that they had no idea as to why the drug trade or the port activity had increased. Then Alessandro would have to look to his own House for answers. It wouldn¡¯t take too long before Alessandro¡¯s mind and search turned towards the relatively young and somewhat ambitious vampire that he himself turned in that so called ¡°summer of love¡± in 1969.


    Kenneth pressed an intercom button and listened to it buzz for a moment before he heard a woman¡¯s voice on the other end. ¡°Tom?! You know we are busy in here and that we asked for all our calls to be held.¡±


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    Kenneth was not amused. ¡°I am here for Trevor, actually.¡± Kenneth thought quickly. ¡°I am only in town today and we had agreed on this time to meet. I would hate to have to tell my investors that there is no update and therefore no justification to further fund your research.¡±


    Through the opaque glass Kenneth was able to see a blurry figure walk all the way across the room and meld into another figure. Then the figures separated and Kenneth could hear the hissing of air and a weird sealing sucking noise as well. Then the inner door opened and Trevor walked in yanking off his helmet. He looked angry till he saw that it was Kenneth standing in the clean room. He calmly set his helmet on a nearby rack and waited.


    The vampire turned toward his newly arrived student, ¡°I have not received an update on your progress Trevor. I will have that report now.¡± Kenneth was looking at Trevor with a stern, stoic face that brokered no disobedience.


    The grey eyed man in front of him lowered his eyes and they remained on the ground in front of the vampire. ¡°I haven¡¯t reported to you, Instructor, because we haven¡¯t had anything worthwhile to report.¡± He ran fingers through his close-cropped brown hair and shook his head. ¡°This issue we are running into is¡­¡±


    Kenneth said flatly, ¡°I am not in the business of brokering excuses.¡±


    The shorter man stood there with his eyes glued to the ground, he didn¡¯t respond at first, waiting to see if Kenneth was finished. ¡°The compound is attacking the cohesive enzymes that we are using as a bonding agent. We have tried just about every combination of protein to synthetic to bacteria. Without a proper restorative bonding agent, the compound breaks down and turns to sludge. If you needed this for things less specific then maybe we could distill and manufacture multiple doses with multiple trial and error results. With that research we could then narrow down the field of compounds to use and get you an exact match. Without said experimentation we have been fumbling around in the dark.¡± Trevor was remarkably calm as he said this, knowing that it would do nothing but garner the dissatisfaction of his instructor, which it did.


    ¡°If it is impossible, then why should I keep funding you? Why should I even let you live?¡± Kenneth asked warningly.


    ¡°Because without me and my research you will never find the answer you¡¯re looking for. I am pushing my team to their absolute limit. I have never failed at something I have set my mind to. I have found greatly improved synthetic and natural cures for a dozen different bacteria strains and my research has made four different types of open surgery sixty four percent more successful.¡±


    ¡°Yes, your track record is why I am standing here, Trevor. So, this is to be your first failure?¡± Kenneth drew very close to his student, ¡°I don¡¯t tolerate, nor can I afford failure, Trevor.¡± His voice was low and deadly calm, ¡°I ask you again, why should I let you live?¡±


    ¡°Because,¡± Trevor stated calmly, ¡°I haven¡¯t failed you, yet. My team and I just need more time.¡±


    Kenneth was caught between a need for urgency and the need to let this man finish his work. His work could not truly begin till Trevor had accomplished his task. Trevor needed more time, if it was his to give, he would grant the scientist another century, if need be. There was nothing that could be done. He had some time and that time was worth giving to the student in front of him. He prayed that he was making the right choice. The lynchpin of everything depended on Trevor¡¯s research and that compound he was working on, without it none of his plans would reach fruition and his fall from grace would be legend, not only in House Dukart but in all the other vampire Houses as well. He prayed that they both had time enough to avoid that end.


    He looked calmly at his student, ¡°I will give you whatever resources I am able. I hope your team is worthy of the trust you place in them. Pray that the answer to this conundrum does not elude you overlong, Trevor, I would hate to have to be the one to facilitate your first professional failure.¡± He didn¡¯t wait to see the response form on his student¡¯s features. Instead, he calmly pushed the door open and made his way out of the building.

 Book 5 Chapter 4a

    Ansuya heard the basement door swing open and she was just able to get herself back into her passed out position before she heard footsteps on the stairs leading down into the basement prison. She had begun to try and squeeze herself into different positions in her cage. She used the bars and the cage as resistance as she pushed and pulled herself in multiple directions. It wasn¡¯t what anyone would call working out, but her body needed some kind of activity. She had to be careful to be back in position when the basement door opened though. This time she barely made it back to her sitting position before the steps were heard on the wooden stairs. She would have to be more careful in the future.


    Her eyes were closed but she tracked the footsteps with her hearing till they were outside her cage. She did everything she could to appear like she was still in fact in her drug induced stupor. Long moments passed; it had never taken this long for the drug to be administered. She remained calm and breathed deeply and evenly keeping her body limp, and lifeless.


    ¡°I hate you, bitch!¡± spat out the light feminine voice from in front of her. ¡°I look at you and wonder how I ever could feel threatened by you at all.¡± There was another long pause, ¡°no, no that¡¯s not it, either. I used to fear you and I respected you for a long time. My mate did everything he could for weeks to try and break you and then, that one time, you almost broke him. I was fascinated by your strength.¡±


    Footsteps sounded as the woman outside the cage started to pace back and forth. ¡°But then I had to come to his rescue. I had to show you your proper place. And now look at you. Covered in shit and piss and God knows what else. I offered to clean you once just to get rid of the smell down here but its underground and we clean around your cage well enough. In fact, it¡¯s hard to smell you at all now, even with my vampiric senses. This drug is amazing; it keeps you alive and produces almost no waste products. Of course, you wouldn¡¯t know because we keep you sleeping soundly pretty much all the time now, don¡¯t we?¡± The voice was very near to her cage as the woman spoke these words.


    ¡°I have a feeling that maybe someday you might wake up.¡± Ansuya¡¯s heart skipped a beat but her outward appearance was that of a comatose slumber. ¡°I keep thinking that maybe you¡¯re down here working on some plan or other to escape. I keep thinking about stories that I know and movies where the prisoners in some prison or other, Alcatraz or some prison camp in Nazi Germany, dig their way out from underneath the walls and make their way to safety. I keep wondering about that,¡± there was a pause. ¡°But then I remember what happened to those prisoners, they were shot in cold blood by the Nazi¡¯s and the others probably froze to death in San Francisco Bay and drown.¡± The voice once again was very close to the cage bars, Ansuya could almost feel the air move as the other woman spoke. ¡°And if you ever wake up, dog, the same thing will happen to you. I admire your strength but I¡¯m stronger and one day I hope you give me a reason to kill you.¡± With those last words a needle plunged deep into her thigh and Ansuya felt the drug rush into her bloodstream.


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    There was a small scoff as footsteps lead away from her cage. They climbed the wooden stairs out of the basement and the door slammed shut loudly, leaving Ansuya once again in solitude. The Tracker could feel the drug working its way through her system. She closed her eyes and focused inward on her body and mind.


    Much sooner than she would have liked, but longer than expected, her mind slipped under the veil of total blackness that even the darkness night could not imitate.


    She was dancing again. The room was filled with colorful dresses and everyone around her was stunning and graceful. She had to work harder than she ever had to just to be recognized among the sea of people she was in.


    She was on the set of her first Bollywood film, ¡°Seeta Aur Greeta¡± and she was part of a big dance number. She didn¡¯t know if this was to be in the beginning or end of the film. She never read the script. She had been given a choreographer and her job was to learn the dance and chorus parts of the song. And she was going to be the best.


    They had just finished rehearsal and they were going to film the scene once everyone had taken a five-minute break. Ansuya was excited and ready. She had traveled a long road to get here. Her mother would be proud of her and she would make an impression. She had trained and practiced harder than anyone here, and she was ready to showcase her skills and talents.


    The set became quiet on the yelling commands of the director, the lights lit up while others dimmed, the music struck a chord and the slow thunder of drum beats rolled over them.


    It was much like that first time she had danced for her one gentleman audience. Her body seemed to move on its own. The drum beats told her body where to move and when. She was liquid on the dance floor. Her body flowed from step to step and the people around her disappeared. There was nothing but her body being moved by the music.


    Then the music turned up and her voice was lifted up towards the Gods as she sang out with the rest of the chorus and her voice rose in magnificent harmony and strength higher and purer than those around her. She was a boulder in the tides, immovable by those around her and impossible to not see and admire her beauty.


    The song ended, the drums died down and everyone escaped the dance floor, except for the two or three main actors that would continue the scene after the chorus and dancers had left. Ansuya gazed at the main players, bathed in bright lights that hung overhead. One day she would be there and then she could finally pursue, from a place of power and influence, her goals, her dreams, and all that she wished for her country and people.

 Book 5 Chapter 4b

    ¡°Ansuya?¡± a stage hand asked from her side.


    She turned and looked at the man, ¡°Yes?¡± she asked.


    ¡°There is a man to see you. He says he knows you and that you agreed to meet with him?¡± The man was polite but a little perturbed by this menial task. ¡®This is not my job¡¯ was written silently all over his face.


    Ansuya blushed at the inconvenience she had caused this poor man. ¡°Yes, absolutely I will. Where is he?¡± The stage hand pointed off to some corner of the sound stage and left quickly to see to some other duty he needed to attend to. Ansuya gathered her dress in front of her and glided to where the stage hand had pointed.


    When she got to the end of the sound stage, in a somewhat darkened corner hidden from view from the rest of the stage, Ansuya saw the indicated man standing there. If she hadn¡¯t recognized him, she would have turned right back around and rejoined her chorus mates. Even though she was better than they were, they were good people for the most part and she enjoyed their company.


    She approached the man with caution and reserve. What was he doing here and what did he want? ¡°Yes?¡± asked Ansuya shortly.


    The young British Officer bowed deeply to the Indian actress. ¡°I have come to congratulate you on your performance. I was allowed the privilege to be a spectator during the filming, and I must say you were the high point in both the dancing and singing in terms of skill. I hope that whoever is directing this film sees your obvious talents and gives you your chance to star in one of these musical extravaganza¡¯s your people so adore putting to film and in the cinemas.¡±


    Ansuya wasn¡¯t impressed and she still remembered the insult that this Officer had given her the last time they spoke. ¡°What do you want, sir?¡± She asked coldly.


    The Officer bowed once more, ¡°I am only here to keep a watchful eye on you till the day comes of which I was telling you about,¡± he stood up and looked up toward the ceiling of the sound stage as if he was looking through the wood and steel and was watching something beyond it, nestled in the heavens, unseen to all eyes but his. ¡°It will be soon, I should think,¡± the man muttered to himself as he continued to scan the unseen object beyond the ceiling. ¡°The phases in turn, if I¡¯m right of course, it will be¡­¡± He dropped his gaze back to her, ¡°I think that you may well become a class most suited to your upbringing and training, though I could be wrong. If so, you may be very successful¡­if you survive.¡± The man simply stared at her as if she was meant to follow or understand any of his disjointed babbling.


    Ansuya stated to turn away, ¡°As I told you, sir, I will never ask for your help. Also, I have been trained to look after myself. I am not one of your humble, demure, white British women who pride themselves on being helpless before men and spend their lives in the hunt for a worthy husband.¡± The emphasis on the word was not lost on the Officer. She was glad to see he hadn¡¯t missed her meaning. ¡°I am proud, strong, and I need no man, for either protection or instruction, in either scholarly pursuits or the more wanton and vulgar pursuits of the physical. Good day.¡± Ansuya walked away from the Officer the way she had come.


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    ¡°When the Lunar Mother calls, we must all answer her in our own way,¡± said the Officer in a naturally speaking voice, neither walking away, nor chasing after the beautiful woman. ¡°Soon you, as with all of us, will know what it is to pass through the fire of rebirth and no one here will be able to help you. Look to the stories and fables for the truth, for our past speaks to us through friendly wrapped stories of parable.¡±


    Ansuya had heard every word and quickly turned around to ask the man what he was talking about. He stood there staring at her evenly. When she took a step toward him, he easily turned away from her and walked out of sight.


    Remembering her previous oath and pride at never chasing a man, she let him go. The strange poetry he read was something that was at once strange and something all too familiar to her. Like the half-remembered lyrics to a piece of music, or the waking remnants of a dream, the true origin of the words the Officer spoke eluded all of her efforts to place them.


    She looked back towards the bright lights of the sound stage. They would be resetting and taking their starting positions again within minutes. The shadow cloaked hallway where the Officer disappeared was familiar but had suddenly become frightening to her. Yet, she felt something very important was there, some piece of knowledge that she desperately needed and until now, didn¡¯t even know it existed was secreted here.


    But the Officer was gone and she had work to do. Slowly she turned back around and walked toward the light of the sound stage. Her mind was busy working the puzzle that had just been seeded there by an Officer she didn¡¯t like; with words she couldn¡¯t decipher the meaning to.


    The Lunar Mother? Was he talking about the moon? Obviously. But what about the rest of it? To be reborn? His words wrapped themselves around her brain and even after she had taken her starting position and prepared herself for the dance and the chorus, her mind would not let his words go. Then the music started and her body moved, as it always had, in step and perfect rhythm with the passionate music that flowed through her.


    She awoke suddenly. Her eyes were closed and she knew the dark room around her, the cage and the familiar smell that surrounded her were her anchor to reality. Her eyes stayed closed as she listened intently to the room around her. She hadn¡¯t moved when she awoke and she stayed as calm and as still as if she still slept.


    After long moments she was convinced that she was alone and opened her tired eyes. The gloom of the room hung around her. It was impossible to make out any real detail. Everything was a profile or shadow thrown up against others shadows. But the contours of the cage were discernible.


    She began her days work.


    Sixty seven times twelve is eight hundred and four. A black hole is a collapsed star creating a volume of space-time with a gravitational field so intense that it exceeds even light. The capitol of Djibouti is Djibouti. The average wind speed velocity of an unladen European Swallow is eleven meters per second or twenty miles per hour.

 Book 5 Chapter 4c

    Once she had finished her mental exercises she began to slowly move and flex her body as best as she was able. The cage didn¡¯t move and offered her stalwart resistance for her stretches and movements.


    While she massaged feeling and blood back into her legs and arms, she began her tediously slow task of introducing her own biochemicals and pheromones into the air and directing them gently toward the basement door and to the house itself.


    Time passed slowly, too slowly sometimes. She had been at work for well over fifteen minutes now and still there was no sign of anyone coming down to give her the drug that her body was starting to adapt to.


    She broke out into a sweat as large beads dropped from her forehead. Her vision blurred for just a moment, and then everything returned to normal. She ceased working for a moment and just breathed. She wiped the sweat from her forehead, and even though she was no longer trying to work she felt a cold chill run through her body as she felt like she needed something, water, or something cool to drink.


    Her throat suddenly became sand and she was drowning. She tried to scream but no sound came. Her stomach filled with a never-ending flow of tiny grains that impossibly came from nowhere. She tried to stand, to lean over but the sand kept flowing down her throat. She coughed violently and then sand started to fill her cage. She had become a fountain of earth particles as it alarmingly filled the basement around her.


    Her whole body was on fire. Her eyes were burned out and she could only hear the terrible sound of running sand and the increasing pressure of it on her body, as it slowly buried her.


    Her eyes snapped open. The dark basement was empty and there wasn¡¯t a single grain of sand to be found anywhere. She took a slow deep breath and calmed herself.


    She knew what the dream was and what it had portended for her. She was running out of time and the drug was to be her shackles. It was possible that this dream was simply a nightmare, or she could already be addicted to it. She had been given the drug continuously for a year. It was very possible that if she tried to escape on her own, lack of the drug would drive her right back here. It was a common thread in captivity cases. She knew about Kenneth¡¯s slave trade and human trafficking. Regardless of whatever advantages his vampiric abilities granted him it would be foolish to assume that he would not employ the use of drugs. Addiction was a powerful thing, and it kept those he held docile.


    There was nothing that she could do about it now though. Measured in handfuls and inches. She went through the same routine of exercises, massages, and her own brand of chemical warfare, the only tools left to her, that she had just gone through in her nightmare. She had to hold out, as long as it took. She hadn¡¯t bowed to a man in her life; she hadn¡¯t even bowed to the Mountain when it asked her to mate. She was made of stronger stuff than that. She had survived worse than what Kenneth the vampire had managed so far.


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    It was just six months past her twentieth birthday when the Lunar Mother finally called to her.


    She was thankfully alone in a quiet park off a small apartment building that she was staying in.


    She had just finished with her parts in, ¡°Seeta Aur Greeta.¡± She had been approached by one of the second unit directors and had been asked about her agent and what her schedule looked like. He had been very professional but was very full of himself. His cock-sure attitude left him as she spoke candidly about her wants and desires, none of which required her body. This had sobered the man and his whole countenance changed. He pressed his palms together in respect. The meeting was still offered but he professed that he was a first-time director and his movie would not get much money for casting or marketing. It would be a small film but he had enjoyed what he had seen from her, directing the second unit and he wanted her for his first film.


    They had accepted a time and place to meet with her agent to hash out the details of the story, her role, and her salary. If all was in agreement with them the contract might even be signed that day.


    Ansuya had smiled gently at the man as she watched him walk away. She was under no delusion. A starring role would help her career, but her road would still be a long one, especially if the movie tanked. But if it succeeded, then she would have her springboard into bigger, more prominent roles, in time.


    She walked the park and touched a tree as the deep reds of the sunsets slowly gave way to deep cool blues of the night. Her ambitions went beyond the screen and she hoped that this may be the chance she needed to accomplish what it was she wished for her country and people faster.


    The moon was just starting to show itself in the evening sky. She stepped out from under the tree and bathed in its pure white light.


    Then a horrible wrenching pain grabbed at her stomach. The pain was a vise that ripped and twisted her insides. It was so intense she couldn¡¯t even cry out. It jerked her whole body to one side and she could no longer stand. Her legs gave way under her and they twisted and convulsed as the pain wracked her body.


    She had never felt this kind of pain before. Her body was on fire. She couldn¡¯t see anything. Her beautiful brown skin had become blurry as tears welled up inside her eyes.


    The pain subsided, but it wasn¡¯t gone. Ansuya gasped for air, she tried to cry out, but pain, in horrible wave after wave crashed into her and smothered her. She was burning alive. Her skin must be on fire. Only ragged gasps escaped her lips as the fire rolled up and down her body, crashing into her with more force every second. The pain never stayed in one place and she thought she must go mad from it.


    Suddenly there was a hand grasping hers, the physical touch alone held her to reality. The fire and the pain didn¡¯t lesson, but she knew she wasn¡¯t alone and the firm hand that gripped hers was probably the only thing keeping her anchored to sanity.

 Book 5 Chapter 4d

    The fire died slowly; the pain ebbed as the ocean tide at night. It was an eternity for her in that hell of hot electricity that seemed to course through and fuel the fire that would have consumed her had it not been for that one friendly hand.


    She looked up and saw her savior. It was that British Officer.


    She calmly thanked him and stood up as he assisted her. She immediately realized that she was now much taller than he was. She looked to see if he was in fact standing, which he was. She saw shreds of a deep sari at her feet on the cool grass.


    She then saw what had become of her. Her toned, slim, dancer¡¯s legs had been replaced with powerful, though very hairy ones. Her hands had elongated into claws and her whole body was naked but covered in long hair, almost fur.


    She wanted to panic. But there was nothing left in her. She was exhausted, too exhausted to call for help or demand answers. She was hungry though, very hungry. She could suddenly smell every cat in the nearby buildings and their scent made her mouth water.


    She was a monster. But for some reason she was amazingly calm about this. She turned toward the British Officer. ¡°What do you know about this?¡± She asked while holding out her hands.


    The British Officer nodded, though he had a very shocked expression on his face. He bowed and his form partially melted, only to be reformed again in the form of a familiar child¡¯s nightmare. Then again, she knew that she was the same. And the fact that this man in front of her knew this would happen, and only offered vague warnings was enough to infuriate her.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡± she asked coldly, ¡°Or do you prefer seeing me this way, to gloat and revel in your victory?¡±


    The once British Officer shook his head, ¡°I have no joy in watching what just happened to you and I will explain everything. But first,¡± He half melted and became his human self again, ¡°we need to go someplace a little more private, don¡¯t you think? I¡¯ll explain everything.¡±


    With that he threw a thick blanket around her shoulders and told her to hunch over. He guided her to a car and asked her to get in the back and hide there as best she could. There was not a whole lot of space for her to fit, but she managed to wedge herself into the back seat of the vehicle somehow. The blanket was warm, but she was in no mood for rest. She wanted answers and all she could do was wish for this trip to be over so she could get those answers.


    The car soon slowed down and parked. The door opened and a hand helped her up and out of the car. She was told to hunch over as the blanket was pulled down over her features. She was forced to be guided blindly by the British Officer.


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    A door opened and she was inside a warm building. There was light that filtered through her blanket. ¡°Stay here a moment.¡± The Officer said. She was half tempted to throw off her blanket and confront this man here and now, but that wasn¡¯t wise and she knew it.


    The old stories telling of those that had been cursed with what she had now become were all she could think about. How villagers would hunt and kill these amazing predators that seemed to at once take on the form of animal and then man. The nightmares that those stories had created in her as a little girl came back to her in vivid detail.


    There was one such story where a young pair of twins only a year or two old were carried away from their village one dark moonless night. The parents had searched for their missing children for days, nights, and eventually months. The mother died from grief at the loss and the father became a village drunk and the source of pity from those around him.


    Then one night many years later, the father was drinking a strong beer when suddenly a terrible growling was heard outside the village. In his drunken stupor he stumbled to the door, ¡°Is that my little girl? My Little girl come home?¡± He cried into the still dark night. He was only answered by the terrible growl and like a man possessed he stumbled toward the horrible sound. ¡°It is my little girl! You sound so cold Haimavathi, show yourself! Let daddy make a fire and you can warm yourself inside our home.¡±


    The man was half mad and ran out the village gate. The growls turned to savage tearing and the man screaming in pain and agony filled the night. The villages lighted torches and ran to where the commotion was coming from.


    Their torches lit up a scene of horror that she had hid deep under her covers from as a child. The fire lit up two large creatures. Their fur was colored like that of Bengal tigers that roamed the area nearby, but they were at least ten feet tall. Their bodies were twisted and contorted to have a very human appearance and hanging from their powerful jaws and claws were the bloody remains of the distraught father, lured to his death by the abominations.


    The villagers were able to chase away the creatures and a funeral pyre was built for what they could recover of the man¡¯s remains. They burned him and spread his ashes with wishes that he might find peace with his family in the afterlife and that his false hope on the night he died would not keep him from his place among the Gods and his wife. The two creatures never returned and were never seen again.


    That story had always terrified her and whenever she was bad all it took was a spirited retelling to make her wish that she hadn¡¯t misbehaved at all because she didn¡¯t want to get carried away by such monsters.


    Now looking down at her own hairy body she could do nothing but think that instead of being carried off by one of those monsters, she had become one. Only her fur was a deep rich brown, there was no gold or black at all. What had happened to her was something different than what those stories told of.


    ¡°You can take off the blanket now, we are alone, all the shades are drawn, and the doors are all locked,¡± said the Officer.


    Ansuya pulled the blanket from her body and let it fall to the floor. ¡°May I see a mirror, please?¡±

 Book 5 Chapter 4e

    The Officer nodded and gestured to a small room off the main foyer. Ansuya went in and turned on the light. She was met with a visage from some unspeakable nightmare, a cheap horror cinema character come to life. She truly was a monster.


    Her head was crowned with two elongated ears, her body was naked and covered in fur, which was rich brown slashed here and there with some tan highlights. Her once deep brown eyes, shown golden in the light of the bathroom. Her face was dominated with a canine jaw and the razor sharp teeth therein were long and serrated. Her nose was moist and black at the tip of it.


    She stared for long hard moments at what she was now to be. There were no tears, only acceptance. She was still who she was. She could remember everything about her life. She was not a blood thirsty animal that would pillage and ravage the countryside like those old stories. She was still Ansuya Das. She would find a way to accomplish her dreams still. This changed nothing for her hopes of her future, it just made things more¡­interesting.


    She walked out of the bathroom calmly. She fixed her gaze on the British Officer. ¡°What am I to do now, sir? Am I to live out the rest of my existence like this?¡± she asked with restraint and power. This man may know things she did not but she would not be lesser than she had ever been.


    The British Officer ran his fingers through his hair and sat down on a wooden chair that he pulled out from a small table. ¡°I have seen one or two people go through the change. But I have never seen anyone like you before.¡± The man smiled and poured himself some liquid from a pitcher. ¡°Would you like some water?¡±


    Ansuya nodded her head, ¡°Yes, please.¡± She was his guest now and manners had been ground into her since she could talk. The man handed her his glass and got up to fetch another clean one.


    Ansuya tried to drink but her snout was not used to drinking from a glass and water spilled over her jaw and down her mouth. She hissed at her mistake and quickly wiped the water from her chest and tummy. She set the glass down.


    The man returned and set his glass down on the table. He eyed the other glass on the table but he didn¡¯t comment on it. He stood before the werewolf and bowed in the English fashion. ¡°I don¡¯t believe I have ever formally introduced myself, I am Jacob Miller, CPT; 17<sup>th</sup> Infantry Division; 7<sup>th</sup> BN Machine Gun unit.¡± With that he half melted as he had before and stepped towards her in his monstrous form. ¡°I first saw you in a park singing and I felt something. I noticed something about you, the way the sun glanced off your shoulders, the way you moved as you sang. All these were my spies. But it was your eyes that gave you away. I knew you were one of us, or at least had the potential to be. I have been keeping a close watch over you ever since.¡±


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    ¡°You have been following me, Sir?¡± Ansuya asked flatly.


    ¡°Yes, for a while I have been. You didn¡¯t think me running into you time and again over the last two years had always been coincidence, did you?¡± He asked with a small laugh.


    ¡°What am I?¡± Ansuya asked pointedly.


    Jacob sighed, ¡°You and I both are called Shape shifters. Well, you are more werewolf than Shape shifter, but in time you will learn to control your gift as I, and all the other Shape shifters have.¡±


    Ansuya inhaled deeply and gazed at the man. ¡°How do I learn to do what you do? How do I learn to change back to my human self?¡±


    Jacob cocked his head sideways, ¡°uh, Miss Das I would love to help you. I can teach you what I know, but that won¡¯t be nearly enough. We have to get you to the nearest City. Unfortunately, the nearest City is blocked to us right now.¡± He said looking off to his side.


    She was confused by his words. ¡°The nearest city is New Delhi and I just traveled from there, it is less than an hour from this very spot.¡±


    Jacob nodded in agreement, ¡°Yes New Delhi is less than an hour from here but I am talking about a city that you have never heard of. A place that is safe from the prying eyes of our enemies and normal humans. Unfortunately,¡± he again sighed deeply, ¡°The nearest City is closed and the surrounding area is a war zone. All passports there have been suspended even my military Visa was cut.¡±


    ¡°Where were you planning on taking me?¡± Ansuya asked coldly and calmly.


    Jacob nodded out the door, ¡°To Israel. But as I just pointed out it¡¯s a war zone.¡±


    ¡°So what other options are open to us?¡± Ansuya pressed.


    Jacob looked at her with a smile, ¡°Have you ever been to California?¡±


    Ansuya was forced to stay the night with Jacob. The next morning, she woke up, tired and hunger gripped her painfully. Her monstrous form had melted away with her sleep and she was inclined to believe that it had all been a dream, except she was greeted with her strange surroundings and the company of the British Officer.


    Over the next two weeks, she was forced to cancel her appointment with the director for her starring film debut and get her affairs in order. Jacob still had to report to his unit but was given leave to handle what he was required to. He was gone often and she was allowed to leave and go back to her apartment and live as she once had.


    There was no need to practice singing or studying anymore, but her training had been ingrained in her. She sang and danced. She called her mother and told her what she was planning to do. She never lied, but she let her mother think that she was going to California for Hollywood. It seemed to sooth her mother¡¯s nerves.


    She looked out toward the moon every night. She had been sure that on the night she changed it hadn¡¯t been a full moon. All the stories she had ever read the creatures always changed on the full moon, why hadn¡¯t she? She wasn¡¯t frightful of the moon or what she had become; it simply was another form that she would have to learn to control and use. Just like when she learned to dance. Her body was an instrument that she had to learn to control and make it obey her wishes when she wished, for as long as was required, this was no different.

 Book 4 Chapter 4f

    She ran through the exercises that Jacob had taught her. Even though she didn¡¯t know how that would help she did them anyway. Jacob wasn¡¯t the best teacher; he was clumsy and unsure in his teaching methods. But it was clear to her that he meant to help her. She was blind in this new and strange world that she found herself in and even the fumbling guidance of a child was guidance that she could not provide herself.


    One night Jacob came to her apartment unannounced. His face was a bit moist with sweat, looking like he had exerted himself in some way. ¡°We have to leave, now.¡±


    This was a little shocking and confusing to Ansuya, ¡°What do you mean? We weren¡¯t scheduled to leave for another ten days?¡±


    Jacob stepped toward her calmly, in a very British manner, ¡°Ansuya, I have just broke about every traffic law in India to get here in time. I couldn¡¯t take the time to call you, I¡¯m sorry,¡± He looked toward the back of her apartment nervously, ¡°A group of men came to the military base and have accused you of theft and assault on a British Officer.¡±


    Ansuya wasn¡¯t impressed, ¡°So what? I haven¡¯t done anything. They can have their witch hunt if they want.¡±


    Jacob shook his head, ¡°More like a wolf hunt.¡± He gripped her shoulders tightly and looked straight into her eyes. ¡°Whatever happens you will be thrown in jail till the whole thing gets sorted out, less than a week at most. But you don¡¯t have a week. You will change again on the crescent moon. That¡¯s in two days. Then they will kill you for an abomination. We have to leave now!¡±


    Ansuya didn¡¯t ask any questions but grabbed a bag and threw some clothes in it, while Jacob grabbed a few things from the closet and bathroom. They were running toward his car three minutes later.


    It was almost too late. Just as Jacob was turning out onto the busy main street, he saw a British Army cavalcade of three cars and a jeep pull into Ansuya¡¯s apartment parking lot. Jacob was sure to blend into traffic as he watched Ansuya¡¯s apartment disappear from his rear-view mirror.


    He breathed a heavy sigh of relief and sped up the car. They needed to be on a plane within the hour, any plane.


    ¡°Who accused me, Jacob?¡±


    The frazzled Officer looked over at the beautiful woman, ¡°I don¡¯t know who they were. But I have an idea as to what they were.¡±


    ¡°Were they vampires?¡± she asked calmly.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he replied flatly. ¡°We can smell vampires, if they are close enough, and these four men stank of death and blood. How they talked one of my friends into going along with the whole thing I have no idea.¡±


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    ¡°How did they find out about me? What did they want?¡± she asked.


    Jacob ran his hands through his hair, ¡°They found you, like they find all our kind. They have eyes and ears all over the world, slaves, or willing accomplices. They have wanted to hunt and kill us since our two species met millennia ago.¡± Jacob switched lanes and took a side road.


    ¡°Before history was written down, during the early dawn of mankind, human beings were weak, unprotected, and miserably inadequate for the harsh cruel world they found outside their caves. It was wolves and other predators, tigers, lions, and even ants that became their teachers. The wolf was a symbol of strength and discipline. Discipline in family, tribe, and survival and human kind took those lessons, which the wolf freely gave.


    But after a few hundred years, the civilized people of the world began to forget who had taught them how to survive when they first stepped out of their caves. With the advent of irrigation and agriculture people started settling in cities. The wolf went from a teacher and a symbol of strength, to a ravenous creature that was everything the wild was, dangerous, unforgiving, and brutal.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ansuya said, ¡°I remember one of my teachers telling me stories of horrible large cats and wolves that would drag children away in the dark.¡±


    ¡°Of course, this happened long after the fall of the City under the Clouds. But the vampires began to rule over the human¡¯s desires, and began to shift their attention from discipline and patience, to immediate gratification and hedonism. Their greatest triumph of the day was Rome. It only took a few vampires a few hundred years to take a hearty, almost nomadic people before the founding of the city, with a strong warrior culture, and turn it into one of excess and base debauchery.¡±


    ¡°But they weren¡¯t satisfied, were they?¡± Ansuya asked redundantly.


    ¡°Since when is excess ever enough?¡± Jacob answered wryly. ¡°You pretty much know the rest. We Shape shifters have been trying to restore balance to the humans by fighting the vampires whenever we can. But the vampires aren¡¯t going to take that lying down, so they hunt us relentlessly. Hedonism is their greatest weapon and we have been working and fighting against that.¡±


    ¡°How is that working in India? Or England?¡± Ansuya snapped.


    Jacob nodded his head, and twisted his jaw. ¡°Yeah, we haven¡¯t been very successful.¡± He glanced at her and held her eyes for a moment before returning his attention to the road, ¡°But is that a reason to give up and do nothing? Would you have us stay in our cities and let the vampires take what they want, like they did in Rome?¡±


    Ansuya looked ahead of her evenly and held her chin steady. ¡°No,¡± was all she said.


    Jacob pursed his lips and glanced at her again, ¡°I know how you feel. You told me how you wanted to make a difference with your country, and you will. You only need to learn how to control yourself and then you can go and do almost anything, be almost anything. The City under the Mountain may be your new home for a while, but it¡¯s not your prison and when you¡¯re ready, you¡¯ll be free to leave.¡±


    Jacob was worried about what he might find at the airport but there was nothing. There were able to book a small flight into Thailand. The plane left the airport without incident and a few hours later they were landing safely in another country outside of the immediate British Army¡¯s reach. But it wouldn¡¯t stay that way for long.


    They spent a week in Thailand.

 Book 5 Chapter 4g

    Jacob was constantly on edge and every time a car drove past their hotel room quickly, he jumped to the window to watch it speed past them and away. Ansuya spent her time going over the exercises Jacob had taught her. They were hardly a comfort; she knew that in another night or two, she would change again. She wasn¡¯t fearful of the event; it was the pain that made her reticent and a little scared.


    Two nights later the moon was a perfect crescent and Ansuya changed.


    The pain was incredible and Ansuya tried hard not to cry out. Her insides twisted and she moaned softly with the pain. Hot electricity shot up her spine and through her whole body as a deep fire raged and burned her skin away.


    Jacob was with her the whole time. Grasping her convulsing hand in his and holding it tightly. He was a Healer and it was all he could do to take some of the pain of her transformation away. He bit down hard on her wrist and the pain ebbed but her body was still consumed with fire. He wished he could do more for her but during the change, until she learned to control her abilities; she must ride the pain every time. It was a small miracle she had survived that first change, if he had been a few minutes earlier or later.. that didn¡¯t matter now though.


    When it was finished, Ansuya stood up and looked over the hotel room. Her senses were sharp, her eyes focused, and her mind clear. She swore that day to conquer her abilities, to learn how to control them, and to use them to guide her people back to the path of usefulness and health. The people that defeated Alexander would be feared and disciplined again. She would show them how.


    Four days later they were on another plane to Tokyo Japan, and from there they would fly to California, and make their way to the City under the Mountain.


    Here, in Kenneth¡¯s basement, Ansuya drew a deep breath as she had pushed herself to her limit that day. She leaned an arm against the cool metal of her cage and wiped her brow as best she could. She was disgusted that this small activity took up so much of her energy and precious time.


    Her memories and dreams blended together now. The drug held its sway over her body, but her mind was breaking free, little by little. Her memory dreams were telling her something. It couldn¡¯t be a coincidence that she was reliving her first moments as a werewolf. How her subconscious was constantly reminding her of her promise to learn what she could and come back to India to teach them how to be better through discipline and meaningful work, and loving supportive family structures. Her dreams rarely came about through coincidence.


    She hadn¡¯t changed her plan, but something had changed. There was a reason she decided to accept the title of Elder of the City. She wasn¡¯t quite as old as Huan Li but she was close and she didn¡¯t look more than a few years older than William. That had been a topic of many discussions with the rest of the city Elders.


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    The basement door opened and Ansuya quickly and easily resumed her former comatose position before a foot fell on the first step. She breathed deeply and easily as whoever approached her. The needle plunged into her thigh and the steps retreated. Ansuya counted the steps and heard the door shut firmly and opened her eyes. She sat there, exhausted as she waited for the drug to take her.


    ¡°No, I will not,¡± she said coldly into the silent chamber.


    She was standing before the City Elders in the top room in the Tower in the center of the city. She had seen a few of her friends die in the Whyte Plain. There was only three left from her original pack.


    She had been called here to discuss her lack of aging. She hadn¡¯t aged a day since her arrival. The Shape shifters keen eye sight and sense of smell could detect the minute details of aging in people around them, but Ansuya showed no signs of this. It was a trait that had only existed in legends. This only seemed to heighten her value to the city.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a cause for debate or concern, Ansuya. You have a very special blood trait that will help our people and give us an even footing with the vampires,¡± remarked one of the elders calmly.


    ¡°You want me to give up my body, mate with someone and become a brood mother because I don¡¯t age. And that my progeny, hopefully, will acquire this trait and give us Shape shifters a longer life span and even the playing field with vampires.¡± She looked evenly at the Elders sitting in front of her. ¡°I will not mate until I am ready, regardless of the reasons.¡± Ansuya stood calm and defiant.


    ¡°We won¡¯t force you, Ansuya,¡± a female Elder said with a touch of impatience. ¡°I only hope that you will find someone that interests you and be happy with. We only want what¡¯s best for our people. We have to be stronger; you have a gift that can go a long way in helping us do that. You understand that don¡¯t you?¡±


    She had thought that it might end there, she was wrong.


    Every year or so some Elder or other came up to her and questioned her about her prospects and if she was ¡°happy.¡± The conversation always drifted to her mating. It was infuriating to her. She was not a tool to be used by the Mountain or anyone else.


    She had fought and lost many friends and pack mates, both human born and wolf born. It saddened her deeply and she often took walks through the underground temple, among her Gods and the Gods of ancient civilizations. She would not break her promise to herself. She would marry for love and for no other reason.


    She stood in front of the statue of Ganesh, his benevolent eyes looking down on her as she prayed to him. Why was she given this trait, what had caused it, and why was she the only one? She wanted to be the best, to stand out and be respected. Had the Gods cursed her for her vanity and hubris?


    Ganesh offered no answer, only a small comfort that she wasn¡¯t alone. Looking at his elephant trunk nose, and his large elephant ears, Ganesh stood alone as being blessed as well. It might not be a curse. Maybe it was a gift from the Gods. She would use it as she saw fit. If the Gods chose her, then she would choose for herself who she would share that gift with. She silently thanked him pressing her hands together and bowing toward the God.

 Book 5 Chapter 5a

    She awoke again. She felt more rested than she had in months. She went through her exercises and began her work. She had almost forgotten that day, and the comfort that she had felt from her Lord Ganesh. She had worked long and hard to be worthy of her gift. The blood trait that she carried was unique so far as she knew, and she had not made any real headway into finding out why or even how she could have been bestowed with it.


    She pressed both hands against the cage bars, exerting herself. After all these years she may have found someone worth mating with. Or she could just finally be ready to have a family.


    After all the years she had been on this earth, she had tried a little bit of everything, chemistry, studying various and all subjects, being an apprentice volcanologist, and teacher.


    She had thought often about returning to India. It was her home after all. But when she revisited that place, long after her mother had died, she saw that it was just as bad as ever. Her people had truly lost their way. It was improving by inches and yards when miles were required. America was, up until the last decade or so, the place to be for science and medicine and even school. But all cycles turn, and now India was on the uptick while America drooped and faltered. It was here that she could actually make a difference. She was fighting to prevent the fall of a civilization. When this place was safe, and if she still had time left on this world, maybe she would go back to that place she used to call home, and begin the long road to recovery. But that was a long way away.


    She looked out of her cage into the gloom of the basement. She learned that India was what it was because of what her people had become. There were slow small steps being made, but she had just gotten lost in the shuffle of everything. She knew she couldn¡¯t go back to the stage or cinema, that would just make her a very big target for her enemies. So, she had decided to stay with the Mountain. She could at least teach and help other Shape shifters learn from her experiences. She had a lot of work that was still unfinished. This cage would not hold her forever. Handfuls and inches...


    *          *          *          *          *


    Kenneth was sitting in his office in his home. There was feeling of unrest about him. The night was no longer comforting as it once was. He had received word that Alessandro was on the move. His loyal supporters inside House Dukart couldn¡¯t pin down what exactly was going on or what the House Head had planned, but there was something happening. Kenneth looked out of his French doors into his back yard and the night sky beyond it. If Alessandro was moving then it was time for him to move as well. He had never been able to predict what his old Master was planning or thinking, but over the last few decades he had become very good at matching Alessandro¡¯s movements.


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    He pulled his phone out from his pocket and punched a phone number that he had sworn to himself that he would never call again. But he had been rash when he made that promise to himself. That¡¯s why he kept the number. It was said to keep your friends close and your enemies closer, this particular number belonged to the latter.


    A male voice answered the phone, ¡°Wow, you kept my number? I¡¯m surprised, and very little surprises me. What do you want?¡±


    Kenneth grit his teeth at the sound of the man¡¯s voice then unhinged his jaw and spoke clearly, ¡°Alexander, so nice to hear from you again.¡±


    ¡°Cut the crap Kenneth, what do you want?¡± the man said harshly.


    ¡°I have a business proposition for you. This is a onetime offer and it¡¯s for you alone, something that might get you that place of prestige you always wanted.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m listening. What do you mean ¡®for me alone¡¯?¡¯


    ¡°I mean that if I get even a hint, a whiff, that you have brought anybody else into this you¡¯ll never get a scrap of anything for the rest of your miserable undead life from me. And I will make it my personal hobby to ruin everything you have ever tried to do or will ever try to do.¡± Kenneth¡¯s voice dropped an octave and all warmth left it. ¡°And you know I can do it. I already did it to you once, you miserable piece of shit!¡±


    There was dead silence on the other end of the phone. Finally, Alexander replied, ¡°Where do you want to meet?¡±


    Kenneth smiled and leaned back in his seat. ¡°Meet me at one of my clubs; Foxxes I think will do nicely for the business we have to attend to.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be there.¡± Then the line went dead.


    There was something to be said about knowing your enemy¡¯s weakness. Alexander¡¯s weakness was something akin to his own ambition, but it made Alexander blind. All he had to do was wave even a hint of advantage for the man and he would bite hook, line, and sinker, every time, regardless of their history together.


    He would have to play this very carefully, though. He didn¡¯t want to get caught with Ansuya, but he didn¡¯t want to just hand her over to someone else either. He didn¡¯t have to worry about her being broken by Alexander. He had chosen Alexander simply because his House talents were not mental at all. He was a purely physical brute that relied on strength in all things. If Ansuya could withstand him, she would have no problem with Alexander.


    That gave him pause. Is it possible that that is exactly what she wanted? Could it be that she was somehow manipulating him to give her over to another Vampire House? It was possible.

 Book 5 Chapter 5b

    Kenneth relaxed and smiled to himself. Even if that was her plan what difference did it make to him. She had gotten nothing out of him and even if she had a whole other House worshipping her as a Goddess they didn¡¯t know much about House Dukart. Vampires were, out of necessity, a very secretive bunch.


    And if she succeeded, then Alessandro would know who and what had been pillaging his property and territory. All suspicion would be shifted from him to another House. There might be a war, all the better if there was. If that happened, he would let all three Houses spend themselves on each other, then he would take House Dukart and sweep away the other two while they were exhausted. Sometimes he amazed even himself.


    Kenneth called Michael and walked outside. He stepped into his car as it pulled up and it sped away down the road. A short ride later the car pulled to a stop and Kenneth got out. The club was a well made stand alone structure. It looked nice from the outside, a perfectly respectable building for a perfectly respectable business. It didn¡¯t help that there was a gaudy purple neon sign with a woman¡¯s profile as she lay prone with a leg moving up and down. He had wanted to take it down but it was advertising, and he didn¡¯t want to hurt his profits at all. Shaking his head he entered Foxxes.


    The place was busy tonight. Kenneth sat at his usual reserved table and ordered a drink from the waitress. She asked for ID. Kenneth pursed his lips and looked up at the girl. ¡°How long have you been working here, girl?¡±


    She was taken aback by the title he had given her. ¡°I have only been working here for a few days, and the name¡¯s Wendy, hun, not girl.¡± She put her tray down on the table; Kenneth arched his eyebrow at it. ¡°I¡¯m required, by law I might add, to see ID when serving alcohol and I don¡¯t want to be fired over you.¡±


    Kenneth contemplated dominating her, for a brief moment. The girl had a bit of fire in her and he couldn¡¯t help but smile a little, this seemed to incense her even more.


    ¡°Are you going to show me some ID or should I have my manager come speak with you?¡± She had her hands on her hips and her chest puffed out in front of her. Her black corset augmented this pose beautifully.


    ¡°Yes, please Miss¡­?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Wendy!¡± she snapped.


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    ¡°Wendy, I think I would very much like to see your manager if you would please.¡±


    The girl grabbed her tray and stalked off as fast as her high heel stiletto shoes would allow her to go. Kenneth chuckled as she left. This might be an entertaining night after all.


    The girl did not return, but the manager did. She was a very attractive woman with short cropped red hair. Her green eyes almost glowed in the black lights that surrounded the place. She was wearing a formal grey business suit with high throwback heeled black shoes. She wore a black blouse underneath and dark tan nylons.


    She smiled at Kenneth as she sat down. ¡°Instructor, this is an unexpected pleasure.¡± She leaned in. ¡°Is one of my girls bothering you?¡±


    Kenneth waved the question away with his hand. ¡°No, Allison, not bothering me. She obviously has no idea who I am. Bring her back here so you may tell her in front of me who exactly I am. She is very concerned about her job security apparently.¡±


    Allison rose languidly to her feet and walked off; her hips swaying seductively as she left. Kenneth started watching the girl on the main stage. She was rough and untrained. Her technique was sloppy and she had no rhythm. Her use of the pole was atrocious and her eyes were bored and uninterested. He didn¡¯t like her. That and she was visibly sweating. Kenneth knew the signs of drug use when he saw them.


    Allison returned with Wendy in tow, she motioned for Wendy to sit down; she did so with her hands folded in between her legs.


    Without taking his eyes off the girl on stage he asked, ¡°Who is that?¡±


    Allison looked out over the stage and shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s Pearl, oh sorry Patricia Gayman. She started working for me about a week before I saw you last month so¡­about five weeks or so.¡±


    ¡°I want her fired immediately,¡± Kenneth said flatly.


    ¡°Is there something wrong? I mean, of course I will fire her immediately but, if I may ask why, Instructor?¡±


    Wendy¡¯s eye¡¯s opened wide at the honorific title that her boss just gave him but he didn¡¯t care at the moment. ¡°Allison, you know my rules. I expected better from you. How long has she been coming to work high?¡±


    Allison whipped around and studied Patricia¡¯s movements. Once it had been pointed out it was impossible to miss, with her sloppy kick outs and weak pole technique. But her eyes were the real give away. ¡°I¡­I¡­don¡¯t know, Instructor. Please forgive me?¡± she asked.


    ¡°There is nothing to be forgiven, Allison,¡± Kenneth reassured her. ¡°You run this whole club and are in charge of¡­what, twenty girls on any given night, with another twenty on the payroll? I don¡¯t blame you for one bad apple getting into the bushel.¡± He fixed his gaze upon her and dropped his voice low. ¡°But if I see something like this again, don¡¯t expect to walk away from it so easily.¡± Allison nodded in perfect understanding. ¡°Good, now, Wendy? Was it?¡± Kenneth said as he focused on the other girl sitting at the table. ¡°Do you have any idea who I am now?¡±


    Wendy was shaking like a leaf in a hurricane. She couldn¡¯t bring her eyes up to look at the man who owned the club. She was probably thinking about where she would look for a new job tomorrow.

 Book 5 Chapter 5c

    Kenneth smiled. ¡°You know I actually admire you, Wendy.¡± The girl did look up at the unexpected compliment. ¡°It¡¯s nice to know that the manager of my club has the insight to hire a girl who is not only attractive but willing to stand up for herself and obey the laws of the state.¡± Wendy wasn¡¯t breathing anymore; she was so tense he could have strung her on a guitar. ¡°But in the future, do me a favor.¡± The girl barely moved her head in a nod. ¡°Don¡¯t ever ask for my ID again and NEVER put your tray down on my table. Am I understood?¡± He asked kindly. The girl somehow nodded again her hair falling in front of her face. ¡°There¡¯s a good girl, now run along and get me my drink.¡± The girl slowly stood up and walked away in a very zombie like fashion.


    ¡°You were gentle on her,¡± Allison commented.


    ¡°I¡¯ve had a rough couple of days and she¡¯s harmless. Sometimes I have to not be an asshole to appreciate what I have.¡±


    Allison smiled up at him. ¡°Is there anything I can do to help you with those rough days, Instructor?¡± She turned to face him and lowered her body towards him giving him a better view and a deepening of her cleavage.


    Kenneth shook his head. ¡°No, Allison, thank you. I have business to conduct.¡± Allison sat up a little straighter, letting disappointment just crease her thin lips. Kenneth continued, ¡°How is the other side of business doing?¡±


    Allison folded her hands in front of her on the table, ¡°Instructor, I have three girls who are ready to travel. They want to see Cairo and Bagdad, they¡¯ll pose no problems.¡±


    Kenneth nodded, ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°The shipments have been coming in regularly and we have seen a steady rise in profits, except with the home-grown stuff. The legalization process is making it harder to turn a profit there.¡±


    ¡°We may need to cut that side from our business then or look to branch out into the legitimate side of the house.¡± Allison raised her eyebrows in surprise. ¡°What? Are you afraid that I might have another favorite business, besides yours?¡± Kenneth asked.


    ¡°I would never dream of it; besides I know you have other favorite businesses besides this one,¡± she responded coyly.


    Kenneth smiled, ¡°I¡¯m glad you remember your place so well, Allison. Just keep people away from me and my guest, who will be joining me shortly.¡± The girl nodded and quietly walked away from the table. Soon after Wendy came back with his drink, she carefully set it down on the table and left without a word.


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    About thirty minutes later Alexander finally showed up. The man angrily threw his jacket at the doorman and stormed through the club. He shoved one man to the side and Wendy had to jump sideways to avoid a collision with the guy. Kenneth saw that she was just about to yell at the asshole that had tried to run her over, but thought better of it when she saw where the guy was stalking off to. Wendy ducked her head and side stepped up to another table asking for drink orders.


    Kenneth had one leg crossed over the other as he watched his associate climb the stairs to the VIP lounge area. It was more of a raised corner of the club. But it was dark and the loud music made it impossible for anyone, even vampires, to hear what was being said even a few feet away. It was the perfect meeting place.


    ¡°I was beginning to wonder if you were going to show up or not,¡± Kenneth said dryly.


    Alexander scowled at the other man. He was rather tall and well built. His jet blue black hair was well kept and well styled. His bright blue eyes would be the envy of any man. His skin was tanned just enough to make people question his ethnicity. His body barely fit into the moderate sized clothes that he wore. Alexander was in good shape and he wanted everyone to know it, even if it meant wearing clothes that were a size or two too small for him.


    The man sat down heavily at table. ¡°You want to tell me what this is all about, Kenneth?¡± he spat. ¡°I have other important things to do than get up and leave every time I hear your whiny voice on the phone.¡± He spoke with a thick german accent though his vocabulary was pure American, it was kind of jarring and made Kenneth wonder just how long this man had been in the States.


    Kenneth regarded the man silently. Some more powerful vampires could resist his House¡¯s natural domination ability. If he was in the mood he would have Alexander naked except for a bow tie up on stage. But that kind of fun would have to wait for another day.


    ¡°You came here because I have something that might be of great advantage to you and your House standings. I could just walk away now if you¡¯d like?¡± He said moving to stand up.


    Alexander regarded him out of the corner of his eye. ¡°I¡¯m here aren¡¯t I? I still have no idea what the hell you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    Kenneth relaxed back in his seat. ¡°I have something that could be a major power shifting force for the Houses.¡±


    ¡°If whatever it is, is so powerful why don¡¯t you play that card yourself?¡± Alexander scoffed.


    Kenneth smiled. ¡°You know me, Alexander. I wouldn¡¯t play the card unless I needed to, or unless I knew that allowing someone else to play it was somehow more beneficial to me.¡±


    ¡°I knew it!¡± Alexander exclaimed. ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous for you to use so you¡¯d get a pawn to use it for you. Yeah, well thanks but no thanks!¡± Alexander stood up to leave.


    ¡°Even, if it meant you becoming the next Head of House?¡± Kenneth asked quietly. Alexander stopped in his tracks and gave Kenneth an icy look. He didn¡¯t immediately sit back down but he knew that the other man was listening. ¡°What I have to play is a true balance shift in how we do things in this city. It might even mean the utter destruction of our mutual enemy. Now, would this be worth something to you, or should I just walk away?¡±

 Book 5 Chapter 5d

    Alexander sat down slowly; his full attention was on Kenneth. ¡°Let¡¯s say for a moment I was interested. What exactly are we talking about here?¡±


    Kenneth became very serious. This was the most dangerous part of the game. ¡°What I need to know from you is whether or not I can trust you as far as I can throw you. This thing would be a great asset not only to you but also to my House. If I give it to you I expect to have a ¡®friend,¡¯ among the other House Heads.¡±


    Alexander laughed. ¡°There is always a catch with you isn¡¯t there. And just what would this ¡®friend,¡¯ be expected to do for you?¡±


    ¡°A few words here, some coin dropped there, eyes averted from that corner over there, nothing much really,¡± Kenneth replied innocently.


    ¡°You really have lost you goddamned mind haven¡¯t you?¡± Alexander spat. ¡°You expect me to make a deal with you on the promise of something that I don¡¯t even know what it is. I¡¯m just going off your word that it could put me right where I¡¯ve always deserved to be. No more fucking games, Kenneth! What exactly are you talking about?¡±


    Kenneth took a covert deep breath. If Alexander betrayed him he could have the Elder moved to any number of places in the city till Alessandro was convinced that she had never been there. But the warnings that he had received gave Kenneth a chill. Alessandro was going to burn this city to the ground looking for whatever it was he was convinced he would find. He could call Alexander a liar and publicly challenge him on the basis of Natalia. There really was nothing to be lost here, but that Elder had to go. Alexander didn¡¯t know what Alessandro was going to do or how dangerous having the Elder in his house had become for Kenneth though and he needed that advantage.


    ¡°I have in my possession, a werewolf Elder. She could be ready for transport to wherever you choose within the hour if you agree to my terms,¡± Kenneth said plainly.


    Alexander stopped, and then laughed. ¡°Oh wow! You had me going man. You were so serious I almost fell for it.¡± The man slapped at the table top in affected mirth. ¡°Whoo, man that was a good one! I really need to remember that.¡± Alexander made to get up and leave again. ¡°That was great, really! I enjoyed it but I really do need to get back to more serious matters. Thanks for the laugh!¡±


    ¡°Does it look like I¡¯m joking,¡± Kenneth said flatly stopping the man dead in his tracks. Kenneth stood and squared off against him. ¡°I don¡¯t joke about things like this you moron. Did I not say it could shift the balance of power for the Houses? Now sit down and try to keep your voice down.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand. How is this even possible?¡± Alexander asked. ¡°Where did you capture a werewolf Elder? Is she wolf or human born?¡± He asked.


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    ¡°Human born, and she¡¯s quite beautiful,¡± Kenneth said. ¡°Now, can I trust that you will honor our agreement? The Elder will never be traced back to me so don¡¯t even try. And if you do try to go over my head I¡¯ll rip yours off, that¡¯s a personal promise, Alexander.¡± Kenneth raised his hand across the table. ¡°Do we have an accord?¡±


    Alexander¡¯s mind was still free spinning. He looked down at Kenneth¡¯s hand but his brain was still trying to comprehend what exactly had happened. Kenneth had just offered him a bargaining chip that could give him real power in his House. But the price for that power was he would always be indebted to Kenneth. How and where could he even play the Elder as a bargaining chip would take a little while for him to figure out, that and where to keep her locked up.


    Kenneth saw the man¡¯s mind go through these probable questions but the reward to him was beyond what he could accomplish on his own in even fifty years. Kenneth politely sat there with his hand outstretched waiting for the other man to take it and seal the deal. Ansuya would be too much for him to handle. House Brandt would be weakened from the inside out. But Alexander didn¡¯t have to know that.


    Alexander took Kenneth¡¯s hand suddenly, squeezed once and let go. The man was breathing hard as if he had just taken a shot of poison and he didn¡¯t know if he was going to suddenly die or not. Strangely, that was more accurate that he knew.


    ¡°Very well, Alexander,¡± Kenneth said as he stood up from the table. ¡°I will have the Elder delivered to that charming little spot that you do so love to frequent¡­What is it called again?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s called, ¡®I don¡¯t like your tone¡¯ Bar and Grill and please try to show some of that intelligence you brag about so much.¡± He shook his head in thought, or disgust Kenneth couldn¡¯t be sure. ¡°Okay, listen drop her off at the loading docks back behind pier Twenty Two. My house owns that turf and I know how to get things in and out without causing too much trouble. Can you do that at least?¡±


    ¡°Of course, anything for an old friend,¡± he leaned in close so that only the two of them could hear, ¡°She¡¯ll be knocked out, in a crate, delivered promptly at 2:00am tomorrow morning. Don¡¯t be late. Once the package is dropped, I take no responsibility for its contents or the whereabouts of said contents.¡±


    Alexander nodded gruffly. ¡°So, this is what it feels like to make a deal with the devil,¡± he muttered.


    ¡°In this case we¡¯re both devils and we create the nightmares. Goodnight,¡± Kenneth said and quietly left the club leaving the other man there to ponder just what it was he had done and how best to make it count for him.


    He knew that Alexander would claim full responsibility for the capture of the Elder and that was part of the plan as well. He needed as much attention from this away from him and on other things and places.


    She wasn¡¯t going to break; of that he had no doubt. The only way for him to get what he wanted was through the wolves themselves. Brian had been very clear and very enthusiastic about their first encounter with other Shape shifters. It should be possible for them to be taught how to hunt other wolves and Shape shifters. It would take a little time but with the help of Alexander he may have been given a little more of the precious stuff. He sat stiffly in his back seat as Michael drove him home. The hour was late, he was tired, and there was still so much left to do.

 Book 5 Chapter 6a

    Ansuya awoke in a very different place than she was expecting. She kept her body still and her breathing deep and regular, as she had done for the last eight or nine months inside Kenneth¡¯s little basement dungeon. She let her eyes open to slits as she used her eyes to gaze around her new surrounding as best as she could.


    She was inside a fully concrete building, a warehouse, by the looks of it. There were aluminum shelves full of items ranging from tools, to cords, to heavily plastic-wrapped boxes of who knew what. The ceiling was too high above her to see anything and she didn¡¯t dare move her head till she knew what new kind of surveillance was on her. Was this a trick? Had Kenneth managed to infiltrate her dreams again? Or had he moved her for some other purpose? These were questions that she needed to have answered before she did anything.


    Her cage was much bigger than the last one. Her legs were fully stretched out in front of her and she couldn¡¯t see the top of it from where she was sitting. She was clean for the first time in a year. She could feel clean clothes on her, and she knew that they were not what she had been wearing all this time.


    That thought was at once gratifying and terrifying. What had been done to her body while she was passed out under the influence of Kenneth¡¯s drug? She let her eyes close again and in one long deep inhalation of her breath she took in all the scents of her body.


    The scents of the soap and shampoo used to clean her were mixed with her skin and the dry dusty smell of the warehouse. She could smell salt from somewhere. It wasn¡¯t a sharp smell; she wasn¡¯t by the ocean. But the things in this warehouse held a salt residue smell that suggested that most of the things in this warehouse had been shipped by cargo ship.


    She inhaled again. She sifted through all the other surface scents to smell what was distinctly her. She smelled her warm skin, the thin layer of sweat that had accumulated in her arm pits and between her legs, and even deeper. She could smell her center, and the natural scents that came from there. There was no trace of anything other than her. She hadn¡¯t been raped or violated. She let out her breath in a relieved sigh.


    She kept her eyes closed and her body in place. She went through her exercises as she had done since her capture; tightening the muscles of her shoulders and arms. She tensed the muscles of her abdomen and her legs till she couldn¡¯t hold them tight anymore.


    She went through her mental exercises as well. She systematically went through her mathematical tables. She summarized theology and philosophy. She silently recited scientific facts and theories. When she was done, she waited.


    She had to stop herself from beginning her work and sending out her scents and pheromones. In a warehouse those scents would be swept away by the air constantly circulating through the place. And the openness of the warehouse would make what she was attempting to do in Kenneth¡¯s basement impossible. So, she sat and waited.


    ¡°WAKE UP!!¡± Suddenly Ansuya was doused with cold water which caused her eyes to shoot open and she let out a involuntary gasp against the sudden assault of cold and wet.


    Ansuya looked out of her cage to see a tall well-built man. He had jet blue black hair and his eyes were bright blue. He was wearing a pair of khaki pants and a white polo shirt. The cut of the clothes spoke of taste and expense. He was holding a now empty aluminum bucket which he dropped loudly to the floor.


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    ¡°Stand up, bitch! I want to see you,¡± he said with a commanding voice.


    Well, it sounded like it wanted to be commanding and maybe for most people it was. Ansuya however was not most people. The tone was a little too curt to be truly commanding. Ansuya stood up slowly, gripping the bars of her cage, more for the show of weakness than out of any actual need for support. Always better to appear more wounded to an unknown enemy than show your true strength right away. She stood upright, maintaining a firm grip on the bars of her new cage.


    ¡°Ahhahahah, wow you really are as weak and helpless as he said you¡¯d be! You can¡¯t even stand up without help! Wow¡­ really? Is this the best you werewolves have to offer?¡± He laughed and walked around the cage, taunting her. ¡°I guess being thin is just as important to a brown chick as it is to useless white ones.¡± He stabbed her hard in the back with a finger. ¡°I guess it¡¯s all about appearances with you, as long as you¡¯re skinny, you¡¯re attractive, and as long as your attractive, you have value isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    The taunting reminded her of someone who was insecure about something and was trying to cover it up. It was not all bravado though. There was an edge to his voice and his body was well built. She could sense that he would back up his words with violence if need be. Ansuya could tell that very little was needed to give this guy an excuse to resort to violence.


    The man made his way around the cage and was standing in front of her with his arms crossed, probably to show off how big his biceps were. ¡°So, your name is Ansuya, right?


    The Elder held his gaze for a moment and then nodded once. She inhaled his scent and returned back a light mix of pheromones just for him.


    ¡°When I present you to my Head of House, I¡¯m finally going to get the recognition I deserve. But I have some questions first.¡±


    Of course he did, otherwise she would find herself dead or as a trophy for some vampire that was much more powerful than this one. The man pulled up a chair and sat down. Ansuya also slid down her cage and let herself sit down again. It felt good to stand up, but she wanted to appear as weak as possible. She let her body shiver as the air that moved through the warehouse chilled her now cold and wet clothes.


    ¡°Where did you come from?¡± the man asked.


    ¡°I was born in Bangalore,¡± Ansuya answered meekly. She continued to send out her pheromone mix towards the vampire, just enough to not be detected by him at all.


    He kicked out at the cage and made it rattle on the cement floor. ¡°Don¡¯t fool around with me, Bitch! I don¡¯t give a shit where you were born! I want to know where you and the rest of your filth live!¡±


    Ansuya was shaken by the sudden attack. She didn¡¯t raise her eyes to the man who had just yelled at her, weakness before strength. ¡°I...I don¡¯t know what you mean? Please?¡±


    The man stood up so quickly his chair was turned over as he rushed towards the cage and gripped the bars so hard he bent them ever so slightly. If she could get him this worked up with a few words and a bit of a show he might break her out of her cage himself.


    ¡°Don¡¯t, mess with me,¡± he growled menacingly. ¡°I want you to tell me what you wouldn¡¯t tell Kenneth. We can do this the easy way, here with you safe in your cage? Or we can do it the hard way, which will include your pretty fingernails being ripped out one¡­ by one, and all two hundred and six bones in your skinny ass little body broken one¡­ by one. Do you understand?¡±


    Ansuya had never liked when people had tried to intimidate her and it took every ounce of will that she possessed to not blow her cover of the meek and weak persona that she was trying to convey to this rather stupid and over confident vampire. She settled on letting her knees shiver a little with the cold water that had been splashed on her and shook her head violently.

 Book 5 Chapter 6b

    ¡°Good girl,¡± he sneered down at her. ¡°Now, tell me where I can find the rest of your kind and wipe your furry asses out of existence!¡±


    She had had enough. She slowly stood up and sent out a forceful blast of pheromones toward him. She threw her hair out of her face behind her and held his eyes with a steady gaze. The vampire looked at her with something like shock written all over his face.


    ¡°What is your name?¡± she asked causally.


    ¡°My name is Alexander, if you must know,¡± he replied then looked a little surprised at himself for doing it.


    ¡°Alexander, what? Surely one as graceful and powerful as you, has a proud family name that you are the pinnacle and pride of?¡± Ansuya asked one parts patronizing, three parts ingratiating.


    Alexander smiled at the compliments, ¡°Bet your ass I am. I¡¯m Alexander Gr?n. I was born over fifty years ago in Germany.¡±


    Ansuya looked over his powerful body. Her eyes and face held a look of wonder and approval while her mind and stomach wanted to vomit. ¡°What do you plan to do with me, Alexander Gr?n?¡±


    He smiled again. ¡°Well, I was going to serve your ass on a platter to my Head of House, after I got what I wanted out of you.¡± He looked her up and down with hungry eyes. ¡°Although now I think I might just keep you for myself. You can be my little slave whore. After all women don¡¯t want responsibility, they want to be taken care of. If you give me what I want to know I can rule House Brandt and all of California, once I crush House Dukart and House Himura. And you can be by my side as my little doggy bitch.¡±


    Ansuya was not impressed. ¡°How do you intend to do all this? Wouldn¡¯t your Head of House just take what you told him and use it to better his position among these rival Houses you mentioned?¡±


    ¡°Not if I destroyed the other two Houses first and took over my House before he could do anything about it,¡± he said proudly with a nod of his head. ¡°Now, why don¡¯t you just tell me what I want to know and I won¡¯t have to hurt you. If you make this easy, we all get what we want, no mess or fuss.¡±


    Ansuya looked at him for a moment. Kenneth had given her to a rival House. This vampire obviously saw this to his advantage or he never would have accepted her. He had no real idea what she was or what she was capable of. She could have him eating out of her hand. The process had already begun. Her mission was to learn about Kenneth and what he had planned, his resources, and his abilities. She hadn¡¯t been able to get that information from him directly. Maybe Alexander would be more cooperative.


    ¡°Alexander?¡± she asked sweetly. ¡°Maybe I can help you with those rival Houses you mentioned. Why don¡¯t you tell me everything you know about Kenneth and¡­what was his House again? God, I¡¯m such a stupid girl! I can¡¯t even remember the name!¡± she laughed lightly.


    Alexander laughed as well but answered easily, ¡°Kenneth belongs to House Dukart.¡± He said smiling down at her.


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    She tilted her head in just such a way to gaze up at him through her eyelashes, ¡°If I¡¯m going to help you Alex, I need to know what this rival House is capable of. Who is Kenneth?¡±


    Alexander cocked his head to the side. His eyes flashed and he shook himself visibly. She had pushed too hard. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what? Why don¡¯t you tell me a bit about you and then we can go from there.¡±


    So, this vampire wasn¡¯t as weak as some of the others she had encountered. He wasn¡¯t terribly strong but he wasn¡¯t weak either. She would have to play this out a bit longer. ¡°My name is Ansuya Das and I¡¯m a werewolf.¡±


    This seemed to put Alexander at ease because he picked up his chair and sat back down again. ¡°I see. I didn¡¯t know that, babe.¡± He sat there for a moment looking at her body studying the way she held herself.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t know what?¡± Ansuya asked innocently.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know your last name. How can such a pretty little thing like you be such an abomination? If only¡­¡±


    ¡°If only what, Alex?¡± Ansuya was just playing the part. She could see where his eyes were going, how they were gliding over her body. This one was easy to figure out. He was an ¡°alpha¡± male with all the supposed power and control that he though himself worthy of. To him, women were just supposed to fall to their knees in worship his masculinity and male sexuality. Ansuya had dealt with men like this all her life. Even the Shape shifters had a few of them that had tried this macho routine with her and all had been sent back to whatever group they had come from with their tails between their legs.


    ¡°If only you were human, I might make you my whore or my personal farm pet. I think you¡¯d like that. I could never make someone like you my mate or anything, but being my personal farm pet is a great honor and you¡¯d get to be close to me every day.¡±


    This guy was full of himself. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Alex. I¡¯m sorry that I was born to be this way. I¡­I can¡¯t stand this animal part of myself! I hate it! All I wanted was to be beautiful and normal!¡± Bringing herself to say these words to this man was easy. Making herself say them with any conviction and forcing the tears out of her eyes at the same time was very difficult. She had to play the role. Her pheromones and biochemicals were working but he had proven that he could resist them for a time. She just needed to hold him a little longer.


    ¡°Hey, stop that! I hate to see a woman cry! God, all you bitches are so weak, it disgusts me!¡± he stood up and glowered at her through the cage bars. ¡°We can¡¯t change who we are. I am what I am, and you are what you are. There¡¯s no point crying about changing it because we can¡¯t! Just sit in there till I can stomach to be around you again!¡± He turned around and stalked away. ¡°And stop crying like a baby! You sound like a mewing cow!¡± Alexander turned a corner around some of the shelves and disappeared from her view.


    Well, that did not go as she had hoped. She had misread his attitude as compassion. It was a rare man who actually dipped below her expectations! Dealing with him was going to be a bit more delicate than she had first supposed.


    She shook her head and keeping her head level, she used her eyes to scan as high into the ceiling above her as possible. She couldn¡¯t see any cameras anywhere nearby. Wait a minute. At the far end of the shelves, she could see a small black security camera slowly swiveling back and forth the ninety degrees from wall to wall. She looked at the other corner of the warehouse and found a similar camera on a synchronized rotation. The cameras kept her in view almost one hundred percent of the time.


    She wouldn¡¯t be able to do any pull-ups or anything but Alexander hadn¡¯t seemed too worried about her escaping either. She could still do her exercises and maybe a few more. She could probably get away with some Isometric exercises and things that she wasn¡¯t able to do in Kenneth¡¯s basement. She wasn¡¯t free yet but this was a definite upgrade in freedom than she had been enjoying.


    This would be a different battle for her. She would have to make sure that she allowed Alexander to lead. She had learned much from meeting this supposed ¡°conqueror,¡± lessons that she would not soon forget, or fail to exploit.

 Book 5 Chapter 7a

    Simon stepped out of the car into the rain drenched street looking into a side alley. This city was always dirty and even heavy rain, like tonight, failed to wash away the stench of human disease and refuse that chocked the gutters and buildings of this place. He had only been here a handful of times in the last fifty years, and every time he did, he only wanted to leave it again. How could this place be so unlike the cities of the old country? Might as well wonder why Alessandro had chosen this place as his seat of power. It suited the House Head, for reasons that he was unable to comprehend. But the work that needed to be done was here, so he was too.


    His dark brown, heavy leather duster¡¯s collar was popped up against his face. He wore no hat even in this weather. And only a fool would use an umbrella doing the kind of work that he was about. He bent his face against the wind and biting rain and strolled down the alley. He had learned long ago, the best way to find trouble was to appear as easy prey. Trouble would eventually come to you with its hand¡¯s out.


    He walked through some back streets and across a main thoroughfare, lined with taxis and street seating from bars and restaurants. Even though the outside patio areas were neatly covered with broad awnings, there were few people taking advantage of the weather there.


    He heard them before he saw them. They were a small group, mostly male by the sound and weight of their footsteps though they were a little light for that, teenagers probably. He could hear words spoken but not the meaning or conversation. He slowed down a half step. The only people out on a night like this were those too drunk to notice, stupid, horny, or what he was looking for. He hesitated till he knew that they had seen him then he turned into a side alleyway. If they were the latter of the possibilities, he would be a mark not soon passed up.


    He walked less than twenty-five yards before his quarry turned into the alleyway behind him. He hesitated and stumbled a bit and took out a bottle of dark liquid and took a long swig. He then stumbled into a wall and kept walking forward. He smiled as he heard behind him rapid footsteps approaching from behind.


    They didn¡¯t say a word and they didn¡¯t need to. When the footsteps were three feet from him, he threw his duster back and spun around, ducking down just as an aluminum bat swung through the air where his head had just been. His arm shot out and grabbed the would-be assailant¡¯s throat and squeezed. His other arm shot out and clothes lined another member of the small group of men.


    He now knew why their footfalls had been so quiet. His attackers were all young, twenty something year old Asian boys. He frowned at the four of them. He hadn¡¯t known that he had drifted into House Himura territory. Of course this could be just a group of street thugs, time to find out.


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    He dropped the boy he had been holding by the neck and placed his heavy boot on the face of the one he had just dropped with the clothes line. He looked at the other two as they helped their dazed comrade to his feet and backed a few feet away from this superior opponent.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Simon asked plainly.


    The boys stared at him defiantly. He exerted pressure on the young man¡¯s face with his foot, exacting a very satisfactory wail and moan. He looked up at the three still standing, ¡°Who are you?¡± Still, they said nothing, grabbing each other¡¯s drenched shirts in the rain. He couldn¡¯t figure out if they were keeping each other here, or begging the others to be the first to run. He added more pressure to the face of their comrade on the concrete. He spoke in the few Japanese words that he knew, ¡°Who are you?¡±


    The boys stared at him. He knew they understood and they couldn¡¯t play dumb this time. One of them stood up and shoved his friends back toward the way they had come. He didn¡¯t yell he just pointed. The friends nodded and took off running.


    A glint in the rain was his only warning. A small throwing blade, knifed its way through the alley towards the downed combatant. Simon caught the blade easily without removing his foot from his catch and looked up. The three boys had almost made it to the mouth of the alleyway.


    Simon reached down, and in a controlled punch across the boy¡¯s temples, knocked him out with one blow. He pulled the child out of the rain into a narrow covering of the alley and checked his vitals. He was breathing evenly. He would live, albeit with wounded honor. He stood up and silently followed his prey. The night had given him a lead; there had been better starts to his first night on the job, but not many. He followed the escaping boys at a distance, hounding their steps, following where they would lead him.


    They ran back through the main thoroughfare and quickly flagged down a car. The car swerved and pulled an E-brake turn, picking the boys up in less than 20 seconds and skidded away down the street. Simon smiled and ducked back into the alleyway.


    He looked down the alleyway and jumped up the side of one building; he then jumped off of it and rebounded off the opposite building. In two bounds he was on top of the buildings racing towards the roar of the car engine and the sounds of skidding tires and protesting brakes as the car that picked up his quarry tore off down the city streets trying to get away.


    While the car was limited in space and speed by the roads, Simon was free to run at full vampire speeds, easily catching up with, and pacing, the getaway car. Simon watched the car as the driver began to slow down trying to blend into traffic a bit more.


    The car took a sudden right turn and Simon was forced to jump over the street onto another building to keep up the chase. He was careful to not be seen by anyone. The car was now proceeding like any other car. To Simon, it resembled a calming prey animal after its frantic escape. Of course, as soon as the hare relaxed, that was when the wolf or fox would pounce. Tonight, would be no different.

 Book 5 Chapter 7b

    As he followed the car below, he began to review everything that had happened when he got to this city. The strange phone call from his longtime friend and mentor Alessandro had happened out of the blue. He had not heard from the Head of House Dukart in years, almost a decade. So, picking up the phone and hearing the wise man¡¯s voice was a real surprise. The message and the implication that he received was anything but.


    He jumped another building and over the street again to follow the car as it made a right turn away from him.


    Alessandro knew that there was something going on in his city. There were movements on the board that he wasn¡¯t aware of. Someone was trying to rig the game and it fell to Simon to find out whom. Alessandro had only this nagging feeling of his to go off of, a feeling which had proven to be right time and time again. Simon did not question his old mentor, if Alessandro said something was going on, then there was.


    The leads had been nonexistent. Someone was making a move on House Dukart. That usually meant a rival House, even though Brandt and Himura had kept the peace for over sixty years. There was money being exchanged and services rendered, and it was up to Simon to figure it out, and deal with the problem.


    The car slowed down. They had traveled outside the city proper and were now in the area known as Little Tokyo. The trees were neatly trimmed along the main drag boulevard. The buildings were definitely inspired by Japanese architecture, with a modern flair.


    The car pulled down a market street and then took several tight turns and disappeared into a garage. Simon had followed the car easily and was now faced with how to get inside the noted building. The building he was on had a fire escape and he rapidly scaled down the stairs and ladder to the street.


    He walked around the place once. All the doors were locked. That wasn¡¯t a surprise. He looked up and down the building¡¯s concrete frontal fa?ade, and then strolled around a corner. He made note of the side streets and places of entry. The pouring rain had not let up and it masked him pretty well.


    The night had not been fruitless. He had a lead in any event, a place to start looking. The driver looked to know exactly what he was doing and this building was just the first. He would have to find a way into it without raising too much suspicion to see just what was inside. He wiped water from his hair and calmly walked away.


    He hadn¡¯t expected to find out House Dukart¡¯s enemy tonight anyway. This work would be long and tedious, as his work mostly was. The thing that bothered him was what could be causing Alessandro this much anxiety?


    Surely his house wasn¡¯t in any danger of being overrun or overturned? House Himura and House Brandt wouldn¡¯t make such a brazen power grab, not now. Alessandro owned this city. But he was here for a reason. Maybe it was just as Alessandro had told him, a hundred little bites that he had finally grown weary of. If that was the case than his nights were going to be very busy for a while.


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    He found himself making his way to the docks. He was walking and seeing everything around him. If there was something to be found, he might as well go there and snoop around for a bit. He dipped into an alley and hurled himself to the roof and started running at vampire speeds towards the docks district of this wonderful city of Los Angeles.


    He arrived in about 30 minutes, he could have been faster, but his eyes were his best tool and weapon in this hunt. He surveyed an active loading dock and the containers being loaded into a nearby ship. The place was full of the sound of metal grinding and people yelling and machinery being used and cooled down with its oil and water pumps. The place was deafening to his ears. How could anybody hear anything down there? The rain had died down a little but the constant drumming of water on the cement and aluminum containers was still thunderous.


    He jumped up on a stack of containers away from the bustling workers on the dock and looked around for the main office building. He would have to get copies of manifests and then go through those numbers with what had been delivered on the other side. This was one of the most boring parts of his job.


    The office building was several blocks away from the actual port and safely nestled among other buildings. The one he was looking for had a nice sized garage and big open windows. Not that any human inside could actually supervise the docks from there, but he guessed that maybe it worked for the dock workers. He ducked inside the building and hugged the shadows of the place.


    The offices were quiet and there were only a few lights left on. That was the good part, he didn¡¯t need a lot of light to see or read by for that matter. The bad thing was that this office was huge. His heart sank a little at the enormity of the job that he had tasked himself with. He opened a file drawer silently and began shuffling through files.


    *          *          *          *          *


    The night was cool and Simon was waiting patiently in the crowded airport terminal. It had a been around two weeks since he first arrived in L.A. and it had taken him two of those nights to realize he needed help. In cases like this, there was only a few people he could call upon and he had called all of them.


    The people around him at the airport smelled of stress, fear, hunger, irritation, but the most prevalent among them was hatred. Hate permeated this place. He watched one man duck out of the way of a child as he was exiting the bathroom and his face flushed as he quickly looked around wildly, for the parents he supposed. The man shook his head and stalked off to wherever he was going. Hatred.


    He couldn¡¯t blame them. There were too many people here. The raw emotions of mankind could, and have, caused explosions of pain and misery in the form of riots and fires, random acts of violence, aggression, and assault. He was glad that he was able to elevate himself above those concerns.


    He would live forever and with that the rush of everyday life had been given up, slowly to be sure, but after the last forty years or so he had learned to slow down a bit and start to really appreciate life and all the delicacies of human interaction. It made him even better at what he did.

 Book 5 Chapter7c

    He was standing there for only about twenty minutes or so before he saw his friends come down the escalator. They didn¡¯t really stand out except for how pale they were, compared to the tanned, both natural and fake, bodies around them. There were four women and two men. They wore natural looking bright clothes. One of the men, Marco, was wearing a ridiculous Hawaiian shirt with a flower pattern on it. They approached Simon and without a word he turned and led the group outside toward the garage.


    When they reached the moderate sized SUV, Simon tossed the keys to Noemi. All seven of them, threw their small bags into the back, piled into the vehicle, and drove out of the parking lot.


    When they reached the abandoned warehouse that Simon had set up as home, Noemi pulled the vehicle into the parking area, while Lorenzo jumped out and closed the door behind them.


    ¡°Nice place, Simon!¡± One of the women said in Italian, ¡°First class all the way!¡±


    Simon looked at her wryly, ¡°Silvia,¡± He replied in Latin, ¡°if I wanted First Class, we would be in an uptown suite in a five-star hotel. As it is we have work to do.¡±


    Marco said in Russian, ¡°Are we playing the language game? Can I play too?¡±


    ¡°All right, knock it off all of you,¡± a young redheaded woman said in Spanish jokingly, ¡°Simon? Are we going to show off our language skills to each other or are you going to tell us why in the name of God you sent for us to come to this rat-infested hell hole of humanity.¡±


    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s get down to business shall we,¡± Simon replied in Italian. ¡°This job is way too big for me to handle on my own. I wanted to come here first though and check on a few things. First, I raided the shipping yard office a few nights ago and I have been going through the manifests. I haven¡¯t had time to go through even half of them, but there are discrepancies, sometimes pretty big ones between the pickup and drop off. Not on paper, but the money trail isn¡¯t adding up, that¡¯s where you come in, Sofia.¡±


    The raven haired woman nodded her head. ¡°Do you have a place for me to set up?¡±


    Simon nodded to a loft area behind them. ¡°You should be able to find everything you need up there. I¡¯ve made a few purchases here and there. If you need upgrades or anything else just let me know and I¡¯ll get them for you within the day.¡± Sofia nodded and made her way up the loft stairs.


    ¡°Marco, I tailed a group of young-looking Asians to a building in downtown Little Tokyo. I marked the building and have been watching it over the last few days or so. There is definitely something there. Whether it belongs to House Himura or just some gang headquarters, we need to find out, either way, that¡¯s our ¡®in¡¯ to see if House Himura has anything to do with what I have been looking into at the docks.¡±


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    ¡°No problem, but I¡¯ll need a good hide with line of sight so I can set up my LLD and recording equipment.¡±


    ¡°No problem there,¡± Simon replied easily. ¡°I already have a reservation for you under the name of Thomas Caine in a nice little hotel kitty corner to the building with beautiful line of sight options to two sides of the building.¡± Marco smiled and sat back.


    ¡°Valentina, I need for you to get a hold of the building schematics for the building in question as well as see about getting us the full layout for the other two House Headquarters. I want to be prepared if the wrong people start to get wind of what we are doing. I have no intention of being a ¡®guest¡¯ of either House.¡± The red-haired woman nodded.


    Simon didn¡¯t need to go into detail about the last time he and a few of the others had been ¡®guests¡¯ of a rival House. His vampire body didn¡¯t hold any of the scars of the wounds that he received during his stay, but the pain, and the memory of it, was seared into his mind for an eternity.


    ¡°What about me?¡± a sandy blonde man asked.


    ¡°You, Lorenzo? I need you to go procure a helicopter that will be ready when we need it to be ready. The warehouse has an operable ceiling, we can park it right inside, hidden from the eyes of casual observer.¡±


    ¡°Great,¡± Lorenzo replied dryly, ¡°Should I buy it or just lease it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s your area. We have the money for either. I leave it to you.¡± Lorenzo nodded.


    ¡°I guess I¡¯m supposed to pick up some cars too?¡± Noemi asked. Her bright blue eyes sparkled even in the dim light.


    ¡°Of course, the same as last time different makes different models, with at least four different license plates for each. Four cars should suit us just fine, don¡¯t overdo it,¡± Simon replied.


    The short haired brunette smiled broadly, ¡°Could you make it any easier on me?¡± She said with a laugh.


    ¡°Silvia,¡± Simon said turning to last of the group. Her wavy light brown hair reached just below her shoulders; her piercing hazel eyes were looking at him expectantly. ¡°I want you to keep with Marco and Sofia. If they need anything custom, that¡¯s your job.¡±


    Silvia, sat back and had a grimace on her face, ¡°Why don¡¯t I ever get to do anything fun?¡±


    ¡°What did you have in mind?¡± Simon asked.


    ¡°I hear the underground fight circuit here is really brutal. Maybe I can find some weapons fights to get into?¡±


    ¡°You still have that Duelists mentality to prove yourself, don¡¯t you? People don¡¯t really fight for honor or chivalry like they did two hundred years ago.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not stupid, Simon,¡± Silvia shot back. ¡°I know what fighting is now. It¡¯s ugly and deadly and nobody takes a woman seriously. If I hadn¡¯t wanted to be the best so badly then maybe I wouldn¡¯t¡­have, I¡­I, wouldn¡¯t¡­¡± she trailed off.


    Simon said calmly, ¡°This isn¡¯t the eighteen hundreds anymore and we aren¡¯t in France either.¡± He looked at her as she scoffed and shook her head, throwing her hair in front of her face. ¡°Alright, if you want to go, go. But while you are there kicking the crap out of guys, don¡¯t forget to keep your ears open. We have a job to do.¡±


    Silvia eyes lit up as a smile crossed her lips, ¡°I would have gone anyway.¡±


    Simon rolled his eyes to the ceiling, ¡°I know.¡±

 Book 5 Chapter 7d

    The next few days were spent setting up his team and getting them familiar with the city of Los Angeles. They had all been there before but it had been some time. The better they knew the city the better they could move around and coordinate their efforts with each other.


    Marco was pleased with his room and the view of the target. He set up his equipment and immediately starting listening to conversations and creating dossiers on the most likely higher ups that frequented the place.


    Noemi had outdone herself this time. She had procured a flat black Lamborghini Diablo, a green Toyota Camry, a silver Mustang convertible, and a red Mitsubishi Galant, all paid for with cash for the next six weeks. In Los Angeles that was perfectly normal. Celebrities were often here for shooting a film and other people were here on long term, so a few weeks rental wasn¡¯t out of the ordinary.


    Meanwhile Simon had checked in with Sofia and had traced some of the money from the cargo shipments leaving the ports. There was money being lost somewhere, as well as some discrepancies in container numbers. The ship left with one hundred and twenty five containers and arrived with one hundred and twenty five containers, but some of the serial numbers would be different. Typos could account for a few of them but some were so drastically different the only explanation was that the containers had been switched. This was something that most people would over look, Sofia was a lot more detail oriented.


    ¡°So, now that we know that there is something going on with the shipping in and out of the port what do we do?¡± Sofia asked as she was showing her evidence to Simon.


    Simon stood up straight and rested his chin on his fingertips. ¡°Who do the ships belong to?¡±


    ¡°The ships are from all three Houses.¡± She saw the look on Simon¡¯s face and continued quickly, cutting off his response before it was made. ¡°But, the majority of them are House Himura.¡± She pushed herself away from her computer. ¡°So, what now?¡±


    ¡°Now,¡± Simon replied casually, ¡°we go ask the good people of Little Tokyo, if they might have an idea who may be switching shipping containers on them. They may be interested to know if they are being ripped off or not.¡±


    The two of them got into the Galant and drove down the freeway to Marco¡¯s hotel, deep in the heart of Little Tokyo. They walked into Marco¡¯s room. He was hunched over a computer screen and listening intently to some head phones and adjusting his laser listening device.


    Simon touched the man on the shoulder and Marco pressed a few buttons and took off his headphones. ¡°Found out anything interesting?¡± Simon asked.


    Marco grunted with a twist of his lips in a sardonic smile. ¡°Not really. I have been listening to a few interesting conversations though. One of these guys¡¯ wife is pregnant and he can¡¯t really believe that he is going to be a dad. I call him, ¡®Phil¡¯. But his buddy is already prepping him for the hard line when little Jr. will grow up and follow in his daddy¡¯s footsteps. I get the feeling that Phil doesn¡¯t want his kid trapped in this world like he is. Might be worth leaning on him a bit, offer him a way out.¡±


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    ¡°Do you think he might know anything about the docks or shipping arrangements?¡± Sofia asked.


    ¡°Hard to tell.¡± Marco gestured to his gear. ¡°This stuff is great but I would need another guy on the other side of the building to get full coverage. Sometimes the people move and get lost in there somewhere. But from what I¡¯ve gathered over the last few days, he¡¯s a little higher up than just security. If he doesn¡¯t know what you¡¯re looking for he may be able to point you in the right direction.¡± Marco turned his computer screen toward him. It showed a young thirty something Japanese male with close cropped hair and a nice suit. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s him. Simon, meet Phil.¡±


    Simon nodded, memorizing the photo, and took a seat on a not so comfortable chair next to the wall out of sight from the window. The stars were not bright here in the heart of the city but the sky was clear, except for that haze that was always present.


    ¡°Is Phil still here?¡±


    Marco put back on his headphones and made some adjustments. ¡°I have been keeping tabs on him for a few days. He is very rigid in his schedule, as most of these guys tend to be. He usually leaves around 11:00pm.¡±


    ¡°When does he show up to work?¡± Sofia asked.


    ¡°Before dawn, every day so far, like clockwork.¡± Marco replied with a smile.


    ¡°What does he drive and where does he go?¡± Simon asked.


    ¡°He drives a white Toyota, Avalon if I¡¯m not mistaken. He leaves here and goes south.¡± Marco replied easily.


    ¡°Then I guess it¡¯s time to leave you to your work. We have a mark to catch.¡± Simon said as he got up from his chair. Sophia stood up and followed Simon out of the room and down to street level.


    They made their way casually toward the targeted building, taking in the sights and sounds of Little Tokyo. Sophia even took a few pics with her phone. Of course, the frivolous seeming pics always seemed to be aimed at their targeted building. Simon bought some spring rolls from a street vendor and the two of them ate the fried food quietly as they put their backs to a potted tree and looked out over the mildly busy thoroughfare watching other people laugh and enjoy themselves. Simon¡¯s eyes rarely left the building that he had scouted over a week ago.


    He checked his watch and saw that it was approaching 11:00. He nodded to Sophia and they made a casual couple induced happy trek towards the building, speaking in Italian and laughing at children¡¯s jokes. The garage barrier rose up and a white Toyota Avalon pulled out and turned south.


    Simon saw only one passenger. Sophia was already headed toward the cover of a nearby alley. Simon quickly turned around and raced back to his car. In the cover of the shadows of the alley, Sophia launched herself to the roof and gave chase to the car.


    The car was meticulous about speed and direction. It followed a straight path and didn¡¯t even change lanes. Simon followed a few cars behind. He thought about Sophia and glanced at her form on the rooftops, compared to his last foot chase he gave to a car this was a cake walk. The two vampires chased the car for about forty minutes, Sophia on the rooftops and him in his Galant. Finally, Simon saw the car pull calmly into a parking garage belonging to a city building of upscale condominiums. He drove calmly past the garage and pulled into a parking spot along the street and waited.

 Book 5 Chapter 7e

    Sophia dropped down to ground level again and sped past the lone security officer in his booth. He didn¡¯t see her swift passing, but he may have felt the wind she created. She ran up the ramp in pursuit of the car. The garage was quiet and she heard very little noise.


    The car in question pulled to a stop and Sophia, slowing to normal human speeds, started walking toward the car. The car¡¯s engine cut out and Phil exited the car smoothly and bent down to grab a cup and a thin brief case.


    Sophia stopped short and bent over to be level with the man as he ducked back out of the car. ¡°Hello? I¡¯m sorry to bother you, really.¡±


    The Japanese man stood up slowly and eyed the woman carefully. He didn¡¯t seem flustered or nervous but his knuckles whitened as his grip tightened about the briefcase handle. ¡°Yes, Miss how may I help you?¡±


    ¡°Well, you see I was invited to a friend¡¯s house tonight, these are very nice condos by the way, anyway I was invited over and I must have left my light on or something because now my car¡¯s dead. I was wondering if you might have some jumper cables.¡±


    ¡°If your friend was any kind of friend, they would call you a cab.¡± He said not cruelly but he did take a step toward the nearest elevator.


    ¡°Well I would, of course, but um you see the reason I left now was because¡­well she has a new boyfriend¡­and ¡­well, you know¡­¡± Sophia was equal parts embarrassed and timid. She took a few more steps toward him. ¡°I really couldn¡¯t bother them right now. They probably wouldn¡¯t even answer the door. And, I mean, you are right here.¡±


    The man shook his head slowly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry Miss. I really don¡¯t have jumper cables. I will call a cab for you, ok?¡±


    Sophia was surprised in spite of herself this was not the kind of behavior she was expecting from this guy. She nodded her head in agreement. There was a small twinge of guilt before she moved. If he had been an asshole then this would be easy, but he didn¡¯t seem like such a bad guy at all. But she had a job to do.


    In the time that it takes to blink, she was beside Phil with his hand at his side in an iron grip that no human could break. She whispered in his ear, ¡°Get in your car right now and your wife won¡¯t have to find your brains all over the pavement in a few hours.¡±


    The sudden movement was definitely a shock to the man but he maintained his dignity and simply nodded. He held his briefcase in his hands and turned calmly toward his car. Sophia stood behind him as he got into the driver¡¯s seat. She then forced him into the passenger seat as she climbed in behind him and locked the doors.


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    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hurt you,¡± she said as she inserted the key and started the engine. ¡°But if you try anything I will kill you. Do you understand?¡± Sophia was watching the man intently.


    The man nodded quietly. His eyes were sharp and his demeanor was calm. He had laid his briefcase on the floor and his eyes were looking at her calmly.


    Sophia pulled the car out of the garage and into traffic again. She saw Simon¡¯s Galant pull into traffic behind her. Splitting her attention on the road and her passenger, she was aware of everything he was doing and what he wasn¡¯t doing. Her vampire sight was searching his body for tensing muscles, strained veins, the tightening of his cheeks. He was doing none of these things. This made her a little uneasy and she readied herself for whatever he might be planning. She pulled the car off into some seemingly random alley and stopped the car.


    ¡°Get out, please,¡± Sophia asked politely. The man did as he was told and stepped out of the car into the dirty alley. Simon had parked his car but left it running. He quickly got out of the driver¡¯s seat and stepped up behind the man and gently pushed him forward. Phil wasn¡¯t stupid and he began walking. One minute Phil was walking calmly toward the dark end of the alley with both eyes open, and then suddenly he couldn¡¯t see.


    Simon had fastened a molded eye mask to the man¡¯s head, blinding him before Phil could react in any way. Simon then gently grabbed Phil¡¯s elbow and guided him some distance. Then he whipped Phil around in a circle several times. The blind folded man was disoriented and Simon had to help support him so he didn¡¯t fall.


    Sophia pulled up in the Galant and Simon helped the dizzy, uncoordinated man into the back seat. Simon sat next to him and bound the man¡¯s hands. Sophia drove off into the night.


    She stopped in the industrial district. She pulled the car into a warehouse garage and parked. Simon got out and pulled Phil with him. He guided the man into the warehouse office that had been carefully sound proofed for just this sort of occasion. Simon sat the man down in a chair and Sophia cut all the lights except for one that shown down on the bound seated man.


    Sophia took up a position behind him, while Simon was in front. Sophia pulled the blind fold off of Phil. He sat blinking for a few moments as his eyes slowly adjusted to the bright light focused down on him.


    Simon stood with his arms crossed. ¡°What is your name?¡± he asked in gruff Japanese.


    Phil¡¯s eyebrows shot up at hearing the language. He squinted as he leaned forward to try to see through the bright light into the darkness that shrouded Simon¡¯s form and kept him in obscurity. Sophia reached down and gripped his shoulder tightly. She pulled him calmly back and put pressure on him. He was to stay put. Phil didn¡¯t struggle against the grip and seemed to relax as he sat in his chair. Sophia kept light pressure on his shoulder as a reminder.


    ¡°What is your name?¡± Simon asked again in the same gruff, but patient voice.


    ¡°My name is Kenji Matsumoto,¡± the man said with a strong dignified voice. He didn¡¯t try to lean forward but he kept his head level and his gaze steady, even through the bright light focused on him.

 Book 5 chapter 7f

    ¡°Kenji,¡± Simon began in Japanese, ¡°We have information that someone in your organization may be stealing from it. It has to do with shipping containers and the ship yards. Somewhere between load and unload, whole cargo containers are being switched. To what end we don¡¯t know, except that someone is making a healthy profit from the last minute changes. I am currently trying to track down who that is. I need a name or a location of where I can find the person who runs the docks in your district. Most of the containers are being shipped and or received in Little Tokyo. I am not here to kill or harass you. I have a job to do and I hope that we may converse as reasonable men.¡±


    ¡°Reasonable men do not kidnap those they wish to converse with,¡± Kenji replied calmly but with the same proud strong voice.


    Simon glanced up at Sophia but she shook her head. This was something that seemed ingrained into his personality. He had maintained this dignity throughout the initial parts of his ordeal and even now, when he had no idea where he was or who Simon or Sophia was, he was calm and proud. Sophia found that she was beginning to like this man. She silently hoped that he would cooperate and she could take him home. But that would all depend on him and his responses.


    Simon nodded, ¡°I am not a common man with common problems. All I need is a name or a place, Kenji. It¡¯s a simple and harmless piece of information.¡±


    ¡°This is not the way information is shared. I am to guess that you want me to give up what I may know for the promise of the proverbial carrot on the string. Am I right in my assumptions?¡± Kenji carefully chose his words and spoke in formal Japanese, a rare thing even among Japan¡¯s natives. Simon was impressed.


    ¡°I want a name, Kenji, or a location, either will do. Your organization is being taken advantage of. These people who either you know, or know where they may be is a plague on House Himura.¡±


    ¡°That name means nothing to me. If these people exist, and my employers are being taken advantage of, then I will handle it on my own.¡± Kenji stated. He gave away nothing with his voice.


    But his words told Simon that Kenji thought he had a lever to use against him. Without letting anything slip he said, ¡°Because I know that you alone are not capable of taking this information as high as it needs to go.¡± Simon watched him for any signs of resignation or surrender. Kenji might as well have been made of stone. ¡°Besides, like you said, if you suddenly had this information there would be questions asked about who you had talked to, what person¡¯s honor you would be challenging and you would have many different fights on your hands, fights you must know that you can¡¯t win on your own.¡±


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    ¡°I would rather fight the unwinnable battles ahead than betray my honor to you for nothing,¡± Kenji said quietly.


    ¡°I wonder if your wife or child would feel the same way.¡± Simon stated solemnly.


    Kenji¡¯s eyes widened and his head jerked up toward the voice of his unseen interrogator. ¡°My wife and child are not a part of this! Only the worms of the gutters would hide behind the families of his enemies.¡± Kenji maintained an amazing amount of control. Even his outburst was quickly subdued. In the span of two heartbeats, he was perfectly calm once again, at least on the surface.


    Simon could see every muscle fiber twitch. Kenji¡¯s jaw was clenched. His whole body was tense. His muscles were a tight, flexed ball of energy. Kenji appeared calm but it was a riptide of emotions that the man was riding.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to bring your family into this. In fact, I can save you the trouble of the upcoming battles and keep your family safe. Your child doesn¡¯t have to grow up in this world that you live in. You and your wife can be far away from here and under powerful protection that not even whoever you work for would dare go against. I am offering you peace and freedom, something you haven¡¯t had the luxury of for a very long time. My carrot is not on a string, Kenji, it is laid on the floor, and all you have to do is take it.¡±


    Kenji shook his head, ¡°You have no idea who the people I work for are. They are probably on their way to my house right now to get my pregnant wife as leverage against me. They will kill her and my unborn child. Your protection means nothing to me, it will come too late. I have no family now.¡± The proud man had nothing left and he slumped down in his chair with his chin resting on his chest.


    Simon looked up at Sophia. ¡°Kenji, we know that isn¡¯t true. Not even the Yakuza in the old country could claim a family or hostage this fast.¡± She stepped into the light and kneeled down in front of the broken man. ¡°We have strong friends and we are well aware of yours. We can guarantee yours and your wife¡¯s safety. But first, you have to trust us. We need to know what you know, even if it is small. Your family will be protected. You have my word, sealed in the old ways if you wish.¡±


    Simon simply watched the exchange. He was aware that members of his team had traveled and spent time all around the world in the long years they had existed on this earth. Sophia had always been a bit vague when the matter of her age was brought up. Watching and listening to her, he found himself wondering just how long she had lived. Her unknown history was becoming deeper and more interesting the longer he knew her. He would have to ask her about it later. But then she would just deflect the question, as she always did. They had known each other for a long time, if she wanted him to know than she would tell him, and not before.


    Kenji sat there quietly. For a long while he didn¡¯t speak. He stared straight ahead, weighing his options. Simon looked from his thoughtful gaze to Sophia. She shook her head and Simon was content to wait. Minutes passed by.


    ¡°Whether I agree to help you or not, my family¡¯s lives will still be forfeit, just by my being with you¡± Kenji looked between Sophia and the dark form of Simon. ¡°Protect Mikayo and my child.¡±

 Book 5 Chapter 7g

    Simon said, ¡°We have friends very close to your home. She will be picked up and moved to the airport where you will meet her within the hour. We will stay with you till you meet her there. Then you will board an airplane and be received upon your arrival at your destination. You and your family will be safe.¡±


    Kenji shook his head and muttered to himself, ¡°I will always trust the knife in front of me before I trust the one at my back.¡± He nodded and looked up at his two interrogators, ¡°I know of a man and building where the people you may be looking for will be. His name is Rin and the building is 35674, east of the docks on Pico Avenue towards the south side.¡±


    Simon smiled and nodded to Sophia. She cut the bonds that held Kenji¡¯s hand together.


    Kenji got slowly to his feet from the chair. Sophia moved to his side as the man sort of stumbled forward. Sophia moved to grab his arm and brace him from the fall. Kenji moved at almost vampire speeds, taking the knife from Sophia¡¯s loose grip and shoved it, hilt deep, into his side. Sophia went ashen white, seeing the deep red-black blood ooze from the fresh wound.


    Simon swallowed as he watched with eyes wide, ¡°Why?¡± Simon muttered ¡°We could have protected you?¡±


    The Japanese man sputtered as he stood weakly in front of the two of them, ¡°I already told you, I¡¯m dead already. Keep my family safe, my son deserves to live.¡± As he gasped in pain his legs finally gave out and he was sent sprawling to the ground. The loss of blood already too much to keep him upright.


    Simon and Sophia both stood and watched the man bleed out. There was nothing to be done. Kenji was gone. Simon felt a twinge of guilt as he thought that not only was this a complete and utter waste of life, but also a waste of blood. He couldn¡¯t deny his nature, even when he wanted to.


    Simon pulled his phone out of his pocket and thumbed a phone number.


    ¡°Hi, Simon, what do you need?¡± Noemi responded in French.


    ¡°I need you to travel to this address and pick up a pregnant woman by the name of Mikayo. She won¡¯t want to leave and she may, for some reason, think that you are there to kidnap her,¡± Simon replied in Russian.


    ¡°Am I kidnapping her?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yes, but if you don¡¯t, then she may well end up in the company of people that she will like far less than you and may be dead before sunrise, if you don¡¯t get there first.¡± There was the silence of understanding from the other end. ¡°She falls under our protection,¡± he placed an almost unheard emphasis on that word. ¡°We¡¯ll be waiting for you.¡± He quickly gave her the address and hung up the phone.


    He knew that she had understood exactly what he meant by ¡®our protection¡¯ and was confident that in an hour he would be sending Kenji¡¯s wife to a much safer place than Los Angeles was going to be.


    Simon and Sophia left Kenji¡¯s body where it lay. House Himura or the authorities would discover him soon enough. It looked like a mob hit. This was why Simon chose this warehouse. There was nothing there to incriminate him, or his team. And if the death of this man caused a little bit more paranoia and chaos for the local vampire Houses, then all the better.


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    Sophia drove, and both sat in utter silence. Simon didn¡¯t even bother forcing his dead body to breathe. A man had died. That wasn¡¯t the issue though, what ate at Simon was that he couldn¡¯t be sure if Kenji was a good man or not. Sacrificing himself for his family pointed that way, and if so, he was just another good man who died because of him. No matter what he seemed to do, that score just kept piling up and he hadn¡¯t even begun to make a dent on his debt to those people.


    When they arrived at the airport Noemi met them in the terminal with the very pregnant Mikayo. The meeting was solemn and silent. Mikayo didn¡¯t need to be told when she saw the two strangers approach them, that her husband wasn¡¯t coming to join her.  Simon had very few words for the widow, she barely responded anyway. He gave her a small piece of paper and an envelope. The envelope had twenty thousand dollars in it and the piece of paper within explained that the woman¡¯s destination would be Italy and she would be staying in a small estate with their friends.


    Simon saw her to their terminal and watched as she got on the plane. Once everyone had boarded, he walked through the airplane carefully scanning every passenger, looking for signs of assassins, or thugs. When he was satisfied there was no danger to Mikayo he walked off the plane and had a small conversation with airport security. Apparently, he had delayed the flights takeoff by five minutes. He apologized and said that he was going to miss his son, who was traveling to Europe with his mother. The two security guards smiled and said they understood and escorted him back out to the main passenger terminal. Three minutes later the plane was off the ground, taking Mikayo and her unborn son to the safe haven of Italy.


    Two hours after that Simon and Sophia found themselves driving down Pico Avenue looking for this building 35674.


    It was getting late and the sun would be rising in less than two hours. They drove down the road and then near the end of the row they saw the faded numbers on the side of a well built, but aging, warehouse. Sophia drove calmly past the building as Simon took a few pictures and looked around the building as best he could.


    It was separated from the other warehouses by a good ten meters. The sides of the building were slick aluminum siding. The top of the building was flat, probably reinforced from the inside. It was pretty big though, not nearly the biggest warehouse on the street, not by a long shot. But it wasn¡¯t the smallest either. Those two facts alone made it promising that Kenji had pointed them in the right direction.


    Sophia turned the car around, and not seeing any way to drive along the other side of the building, she contented herself to drive back the way they had come. Simon took a few more pictures and studied the barb wired fence that wrapped itself around the warehouse. It was an altogether typical building in a series of typical buildings. Just like the Yakuza to hide in plain sight.


    As Sophia headed back to their warehouse in the Industrial district, he found himself going back to what Kenji had said about House Himura, ¡®that name means nothing to me.¡¯ If that was true, either House Himura was content to let the higher officers of the Yakuza deal with them or it had lost some ground to the rival criminal gang. If the latter was true then maybe House Dukart had much bigger problems than just the occasional missing thousand dollars here and there. If the Yakuza could intimidate a vampire House, there could be a very real war that would need to be fought. And with all the other upstart gangs around, House Dukart might find itself on the losing side.


    That was the worst-case scenario however and he was content to go over what they had gathered from their reconnaissance mission and study the photographs he had taken. Tomorrow or the day after Rin and whoever else might be in there would receive a little visit, one they probably wouldn¡¯t like very much. But then again, that¡¯s what made this job fun, most of the time. His thoughts drifted back the dead man they had left behind as Sophia parked the car. He made his way up to the loft and started studying the photographs and some by Google Earth, as he and Sophia started putting together their plan.

 Book 5 Chapter 8a

    The cage was cold. Her clothes had dried, but even with her increased mobility she had been unable to shake off the chill brought by the air that constantly swept through the large warehouse where her cage had been placed.


    She stood up and flexed her muscles, carefully. She didn¡¯t want to appear that she was hiding anything, but she didn¡¯t want to give away just how strong or weak, she really was. She glanced up at the cage bars and yearned to do a few pull ups, or at least make the attempt. But the ever-vigilant security cameras kept her from doing so. She pressed against the cage bars and forced her muscles to keep pressing the immovable steel.


    She hadn¡¯t seen Alexander since that first night that he had interrogated her. Her muscles and reactions had been dulled by the constant doping of the drug that she had received under Kenneth. She could feel her own body still struggle with the remnants of it. She was sure that she wasn¡¯t addicted to the substance but even after these few days, she still felt fuzzy, like her mind was shrouded in a sleepy haze that she hadn¡¯t been able to throw off yet. That would be dealt with in time.


    The thing that really bothered her was that Alexander had not come back yet. She had never been in this situation before, but her treatment of him should have left him a drooling worshipper of hers that would obey her slightest whim. The fact that he had not returned had given her pause for reflection.


    She knew that Kenneth had the very powerful gift of mental domination, through multiple forms. Alexander, on the other hand, seemed to be able to resist her biochemicals. Kenneth could do that too, but it only lasted so long with Kenneth. It had taken a very near thing for him to realize just how powerful she was, and she believed that it was that fear alone that kept him away from her.


    Alexander seemed to be able to resist her abilities in an entirely different way. He was a brute and his intelligence would probably reflect that. It was possible that his dull wits were what kept him away. No, that wouldn¡¯t work either. A stupid man with a big ego was eager to lay claim to anything that they saw as theirs. And Ansuya was, for all intents and purposes, his for now.


    The different vampire Houses had attributes that were specific to each one, this had been known for a long time. It was that fact alone that had swayed the Elders to let her target Kenneth and his House. However, the exchange with Alexander suggested that not only did each House have its primary unique attributes, but also secondary attributes as well. If Alexander had a natural resistance to her biochemicals maybe it also protected him against Kenneth¡¯s and House Dukart¡¯s Domination abilities? The lines of the different modern Houses would have to be studied more closely. The Mountain had never risked their limited man power, nor had they ever had anyone in any kind of position to even attempt what she had been able to do, and survive. Though in hindsight she wouldn¡¯t have asked anyone to endure what she had been subjected to over the last year.


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    She had wanted this; she knew that this might happen. She had received lectures from just about every other Elder, especially Jacob.


    ¡°I did not risk my life forty years ago to get you safely here, just for you to turn around year¡¯s later and run right back into their waiting arms!¡±


    Even as a child she had followed the path that others had set out for her. Her mother had set her on the path of entertainer. She didn¡¯t know if she had a natural talent for it or if it had just been long hours of practice and discipline. She took that ability and would have used it as a tool to achieve her goals. That was taken from her, when she had been reborn a werewolf, and she had molded her ability into a tool as well to help and guide others. Her blood had made her a precious commodity that needed protecting. She had been able to travel but the Mountain did not let her stray far. She had been placed in a tower, a glass cage to be looked at and admired. For the first time in her life, she had chosen a path for herself, not a tool or an ability granted by someone else, she had chosen for herself, and in so doing, she had exchanged glass for steel.


    She looked around at her cage and the warehouse beyond. This place was too quiet for a warehouse. There were no idle conversations, no sound of equipment or work. The only sound that she could hear was that of the moving air around her. This place was so open compared to Kenneth¡¯s basement, but it was just as solitary.


    She saw the briefest glimpse of movement at the far end of the warehouse. She gripped the bars behind her and slowly sank back down to a sitting position, letter her muscles flex and work as best she could with the limited movement.


    The half glimpsed figure turned out to be Alexander. As he came walking around the end row of stuffed shelves, he scooped up a chair and came to sit down right in front of Ansuya¡¯s cage. ¡°Well? Ansuya? How about you start this time?¡±


    Ansuya looked at the black-haired man in front of her. She didn¡¯t have a clue what he wanted, or what he was talking about. She remained silent for a moment, reading his body language and the steady expectant gaze that he held on her. She began sending out waves of biochemicals towards him.


    She held his gaze evenly as she let her attack sink into the vampire. After a few short moments she replied, ¡°Alexander, I¡¯ve been here, where you have put me. I don¡¯t have any idea what you are talking about.¡±


    This only caused Alexander to smile easily, if a bit menacingly. He leaned back easily in his chair, ¡°It¡¯s not that I expect you to know everything about what goes on outside your cage, but you do have information which could shed some light on the subject. So, I¡¯ll reiterate, you start this time.¡±

 Book 5 Chapter 8b

    Alexander was clearly trying to upset her or put her off balance. The fact that she had no real idea what he wanted or what could have happened to cause this sudden visit would be completely lost on this vampire. ¡°If you told me what you wanted to know about, then maybe I could help you.¡± She leaned casually back against the bars of her cage, ¡°I want to help you, Alexander. I do. What has happened?¡±


    The vampire leaned forward in the chair and propped his chin onto his folded hands. His eyes were tracing her body up and down and came to rest, gazing into her deep brown eyes. ¡°There was an incident, down by the Port Area.¡± He stood up and raised himself to his full height and looked down on her, ¡°Why did your people attack?¡±


    Ansuya let her eyes widen in surprise, looking up at him through her eyelashes, ¡°Why would we attack? What was there for us to gain?¡± She had dropped her voice an octave; this gave it a rich, seductive, slow quality. She half expected him to attack her cage again as he did the interview before, but this time he was surprisingly in control of his emotions.


    He sat back down, ¡°A warehouse was destroyed, Ansuya. A vampire owned warehouse. It wasn¡¯t one of mine, so I could care less, but I want to know why your people attacked this particular warehouse, why now? Werewolves have never shown any interest in the Port Area before. So why?¡±


    Ansuya gripped a bar of her cage in a languid fashion over her head. She let her knuckles whiten as she tightened her grip and let her body turn to give her captor a nice profile view of her body. She gently slid down the bar till her knees touched the ground. She gently turned her body till her butt was on the ground and she was facing Alexander with her knees bent in front of her. Alexander watched her every move.


    She let her lips curve into a whisper of a smile towards him. ¡°What was in the warehouse that was worth destroying?¡± she asked in that same softly deep, sultry voice.


    ¡°I just told you the warehouse wasn¡¯t mine; I don¡¯t know why it was destroyed. I want you to tell me. Tell me why all of a sudden, your people are attacking House Himura!¡± He stood up and gripped the bars of the cage staring at Ansuya. ¡°I will make you tell me, bitch! I don¡¯t have any time for games. If you want to help me, then help me!¡± He whipped around and punched a nearby wooden crate, shattering the whole top and part of one side spilling out packing materials and large cans of engine lubricant.


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    He was breathing hard looking down at the floor, not seeing the cans slowly roll away from the destroyed crate. ¡°If you are going to be mine, then you can¡¯t keep secrets from me.¡± He looked up and stared into her eyes. ¡°If I am to rule House Brandt then I need your help. If I fail, you¡¯ll be killed. Do you want to die?¡±


    Ansuya lowered her head not returning his gaze, like a good submissive woman, she replied quietly, ¡°Please, Alexander, don¡¯t let them hurt me.¡±


    ¡°Then tell me what I want to know!¡± Alexander bellowed in a hoarse choked voice, that was half commanding, half pleading.


    Ansuya stood up slowly and leaned against the front of her cage, ¡°Tell me what you really want, Alexander. It has nothing to do with this warehouse or House Himura. Look at me.¡± She commanded with a steady voice.


    The vampire turned his head and met her eyes as she spoke. This could have been for any reason, but she knew that she was getting somewhere with this vampire. The pheromones that he had been swimming in since he arrived was influencing him, even it was small.


    ¡°You want me,¡± she said in that deep sultry voice, ¡°to tell you all about my people? What do you really want? Tell me why you want to know about my people. If I am to be the concubine of the Head of House Brandt, then you need to be honest with me. Drop the word games and false pretenses, Alexander. What do you want?¡±


    ¡°I want to kill every last one of you!¡± He said this with venom, even as he looked at her with wanting eyes. ¡°Your kind has been nothing but a constant irritant, which has neither stopped, nor even hindered any of the plans of any of the Houses. You may have won a few battles here and there, destroyed a couple of night clubs, a few warehouses, but it has meant nothing. I still own this place. We still run the city, and pretty much the state itself. Your time was over a long time ago. I want you dead, I want every last one of your kind, dead!¡±


    ¡°Even me?¡± Ansuya asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The statement hung in the air between them for long moments. Ansuya knew that as long as he was talking about it, he wasn¡¯t actually considering doing anything about it. She had got his mind away from the warehouse attack though, even if doing so had made him state a very real threat that he could level at her at any moment, if he was willing to voice that threat than she would have to take it seriously.


    ¡°What about ruling House Brandt?¡± Ansuya asked quietly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know! I don¡¯t know about anything right now!¡± He slammed his hands down into the remains of the shattered crate, demolishing the other three sides that were still upright, sending cans flying and rolling out of the crate. ¡°I want you. I think about you a lot and I want you to be mine, no one else¡¯s.¡± He stood up and looked at her hungrily. ¡°I want you, and I don¡¯t take no for an answer.¡±

 Book 5 Chapter 8c

    Ansuya looked pointedly around her small cage. ¡°Here, Alexander? It¡¯s cold and very small. When I offer myself to you, I want to be warm, washed, oiled and scented the way you want me to be. I want our first time to be long, enduring; I want you to spend the whole night with me. Would you rob me of that time with you? Would you destroy the dreams I have for you for a few rough minutes in a steel cage that you have kept me in?¡± Ansuya sent another wave of biochemicals toward him. ¡°Let me please you. Let my wishes become your fantasies. Take me the way I know you can take me. Show me your passion, not your anger. Show me your control, not just your dominance.¡±


    The vampire moved very close to the cage and looked down at the beautiful brown woman standing in front of him. A smile slid across his face. He reached into his pants pocket and then hesitated, frozen with his hand in his pocket looking down at her. ¡°Tell me why your people attacked a House Himura warehouse.¡±


    Ansuya slid closer to him and seductively showed off her feminine form, ¡°What does it matter? House Himura can deal with it.¡± She slowed her voice and it took on a very hypnotic quality, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about what loses another House incurs. That only makes you stronger. When the time comes and you take House Brandt, these loses will only make the other Houses too weak to attack you. Your coup will be successful with me by your side. Forget about the warehouse, let me help you.¡± She smiled up at him while holding his blue eyes in a steady gaze.


    Her words seemed to melt any hesitation from him. He pulled a ring of keys from his pocket and easily unlocked the cage that held her. He swung the door open and grabbed her by the waist. The sudden movement surprised Ansuya for a moment. Before she could do or say anything his cold lips were pressing firmly down on hers, his tongue fighting for entry into her mouth.


    Ansuya fought the sudden revulsion at the assault and fighting every impulse in her body to push away from him, she melted into his embrace and accepted his cold kiss with feigned relief, if not pleasure.


    Alexander held her for a few moments and then let her go. He smiled down at her. ¡°Are you my little bitch whore?¡±


    Ansuya demurely looked up at him, careful to keep the murderous rage from her eyes and stature, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m yours forever.¡±


    Alexander took her under his arm and led her away.


    After a fifteen-minute drive in the back seat of a sizable sedan, which was driven by a human as far as Ansuya could tell, she and Alexander arrived at a fairly nice condominium apartment complex. They entered an elevator and rode it up to the twenty third floor.


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    Ansuya stepped off into a singular hallway a few steps away from a very nice, heavy looking oak wood door. Alexander smiled and unlocked the door with a key and pin pad. She was able to catch the first and last digits of the six-digit code. Alexander opened the door and strode through the threshold. Ansuya was content to follow him.


    She entered a very rich apartment without being garish or gaudy. The entry way opened into a sitting room with a large full-size piano with some very comfortable looking crush velvet sofas. A large painting hung on a brick separator that dominated the room. It was a black and white depiction of a battle. The combatants were on a forest road. She recognized one bewildered man in the foreground as being distinctly Roman but the attackers flooding down from the wooded hills were beyond her recognition.


    ¡°That is the Battle of Teutoburg Forest, nine A.D.¡± Alexander answered her unspoken question. He stepped up to the painting and pointed at the bewildered Roman man. ¡°Three Roman legions being led by the General, Publius Quinctilius Varus, were ambushed and destroyed by an alliance of the Germanic tribes led by Arminius.¡±


    He looked at Ansuya for her understanding, or maybe approval? She smiled knowingly and nodded her head for him to continue. She began pushing out her biochemicals and pheromones. He didn¡¯t seem to be able to detect what she had done in the warehouse and if they were to be living together, she wanted as much of an advantage as she could get. The longer he was exposed to her attacks, the less he would be able to resist her.


    Alexander continued, ¡°It was here that Germania drew the line and the Roman Legions didn¡¯t try to conquer Germanian lands east of the Rhine River again.¡± He said this last with pride and beamed down at Ansuya.


    Ansuya nodded and looked closer at the painting. ¡°Was this painted by a German? I don¡¯t recognize the style.¡±


    Alexander shook his head, ¡°No, unfortunately. This was painted by Paja Jovanovic, he¡¯s from Greece. This was painted in eighteen something or other.¡±


    Ansuya smiled and nodded, ¡°I thought Paja was born in Serbia. That¡¯s north of Greece, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Oh whatever, it¡¯s all the same thing, Greece, Cyprus, Kosovo they¡¯re all Greek to me. Besides,¡± he stopped to look at her and pointedly traced his eyes up and down her body, ¡°didn¡¯t you say something about wanting to clean yourself up?¡±


    Ansuya smiled and nodded her head, ¡°Yes, I would like to do that. Where is your bathroom? And,¡± She looked down at her clothes, ¡°do you have anything for me to wear?¡±


    Alexander looked around the room with his hands on his hips. ¡°I can show you the bathroom, but I don¡¯t have any clothes for you to wear, that would fit.¡± He walked up to her and grabbing the back of her neck yanked her head back and slammed his lips and mouth and against hers. ¡°Besides, you don¡¯t need any clothes, for a while at least.¡±


    Ansuya pressed up against him, ¡°teasing adds more spice to the chase, don¡¯t you agree?¡± She smiled radiantly up at him.


    ¡°I suppose I could give you a little time to yourself, let you get to know the place. I will go out and get you some clothes, something sexy and demure, just like my little doggy bitch should be.¡±

 Book 5 Chapter 8d

    Ansuya smiled up at him, hoping to god that she wasn¡¯t letting any of her revulsion show. ¡°Yes, baby. And when you get back, I will show you a night that you and I will remember for a long time.¡± Alexander nearly tripped over himself trying to get out the door.


    When she was finally alone, she walked through the entire condo. The area was large and open that would work against her, but the place was enclosed. There was only a small patio in the back of the kitchen area that seemed to have remained locked for a while.


    Ansuya carefully and slowly walked through every inch of the condominium. She memorized the floor plan. There wasn¡¯t a room or corner that her scents did not touch. Alexander would be difficult to handle, but not impossible. These first few days would be the hardest, and the most dangerous for her.


    When she was finished, she made her way to the master bathroom. She prepared for her shower and mercifully let warm water flow all over her. Had it been so long since she had let clean running water, flow over her, through her hair, wet every inch of her skin? She looked down at herself and saw just how skinny Kenneth¡¯s drug and feeding tube had made her. Her breasts were almost nonexistent and her butt was every bit as flat and bony as Alexander had alluded to. She would have to be careful for the next few months about just what she ate and how much. Her body would recover, of that she was certain. But she wanted to make sure her body did not hate her in the process. Throwing up her first meals of solid food wouldn¡¯t do her any good.


    After she thoroughly cleaned herself and washed and conditioned her hair a few times, she shut off the water with a bit of regret and dried herself. She put back on the only clothes that she had and made herself comfortable in the main sitting room, and waited for her vampire host to return.


    Less than thirty minutes later the door crashed open and Alexander came stalking through the entry way. Behind him were two young men, probably employees of the condominium complex, laden down with all manner of bags from various department stores. Alexander jammed a finger at the love seat. The two men laid the assortment of bags down carefully and not even looking for a tip hurried out of the room. Ansuya stood up slowly and looked at her host with concern at the amount of bags that had been accumulated.


    Alexander scrubbed his hair with his right hand and gestured towards the bags. ¡°I am never doing that again!¡± he started pacing back and forth breathing heavily in irritation. That was good, from Ansuya¡¯s point of view. ¡°I have never been asked so many God damned questions about clothes in my life! What size is she? Her bust size, shoe size? What¡¯s her hip length and width, what is her cup size?¡± He walked into the kitchen and then back out again, ¡°I have no fucking idea what cup size you are or hip size, or shoe size. Why can¡¯t I just go and get a nice-looking dress, or pants and have it be as simple as it usually is for me!¡±


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    He looked hard at Ansuya, ¡°Do you know how many sizes I have for my pants?¡± Without waiting for her to answer he thrust two fingers up in the air between them, ¡°TWO!!! Just two for a pair of pants! I can walk into any store at any time and find a pair of pants with those two sizes and know that they will fit me, but can woman be that simple, no!¡± he said sarcastically. ¡°You have one size but one size is not the same in any store for any two different kinds of dresses! I am never going shopping for you or any woman ever again!¡± He plopped down on an empty sofa. ¡°Go through it all. I¡¯ll be surprised if you find anything that actually fits you, even though I feel like I bought ten different versions of everything hoping to get the right combination.¡±


    Ansuya took a hand full of bags from the love seat and departed to a bed room in the back of the house. She came back out and grabbed the rest of the bags and closed and locked the door behind her.


    She dumped the clothes out on the bed all at once. She had everything from what looked like stripper outfits, to cocktail dresses. There were two pairs of business suit pants and a few conservative blouses. She threw away the clothes that she wouldn¡¯t be caught dead in, the cocktail dresses and the stripper outfits. Unfortunately, that only left a small percentage of the clothes remaining and there was no telling what would fit her.


    After a few tries she finally had something that resembled decency that did fit her fairly well. Nothing like what she was used to from the Mountain, but it would suffice for now. She was wearing a black skirt that came almost all the way down to her knees. She was wearing a powder blue blouse with some lace around the neck line and a thin leather jacket that framed the plunging v-neckline of the blouse nicely. There was a nice pair of nylons that she considered not wearing but then though better of it. She pulled on the nylons. The shoes Alexander bought were all heels, of course. The only pair that fit was, unfortunately, a black four inch through back heel with leather straps. She decided to count herself lucky, at least she didn¡¯t have to wear the six-inch glass stiletto heeled shoes that she had immediately thrown into the back of the closet.


    She looked at herself in the mirror. Even with the shower, she was ashen and her eyes had puffy bags under them. Her muscles had all but withered. Even with her exercises she hadn¡¯t been able to combat the lethargy of Kenneth¡¯s cage completely. Her hair was wispy and dry and her clothes hung off her skeletal frame. She took her image in and accepted it. She had much more serious reasons to want to see Kenneth destroyed and right now, she had a job to do. She walked out of the bedroom with her head high, her chin set, and wrapped herself in her confidence and the power that she held.

 Book 5 Chapter 8e

    She walked out into the main sitting area. She didn¡¯t see anyone at first. She walked around the kitchen island and looked into the sitting room area proper. There, almost exactly where she had left him, Alexander was asleep on the sofa. Ansuya smiled to herself. She reinforced the scents that now surrounded her sleeping prisoner. She then kicked off her shoes and slipped back into Alexander¡¯s study. There she turned on the computer and pulled up a familiar search engine.


    She typed in a search for recent warehouse fires in the Harbor District. She glanced through the top few headlines till she found the most recent event, yesterday. She clicked on the story.


    Law enforcement officials had apparently found an empty storage warehouse, where a fire had began earlier that day. There was no suspicion of arson or foul play. The warehouse was empty with very little inside, save a locked office which housed some office supplies and equipment. The Fire department had been called in to protect the surrounding warehouses and contain the blaze. Unfortunately, the warehouse was beyond saving by the time fire fighters arrived on scene. An investigation as to the cause of the blaze is still ongoing.


    Ansuya looked up the address for the burned down warehouse. It was inside House Himura territory. This gave her pause. Why would someone attack a vampire warehouse? The idea that some kids pulling a prank that had gone out of control had crossed her mind. But that would have been just coincidence, and she had learned long ago to never trust blindly in coincidence. The Gods did not play at dice and this was too convenient for her to believe the blind hand of fate had directed this event. She picked up the nearby phone and dialed a number.


    She casually turned her chair to face the entry way as she heard the phone ring on the other end.


    A muffled and somewhat distorted, ¡°Hello¡± came from the other end.


    She knitted her eyebrows in irritation, ¡°Jason? What have I told you about answering the phone with food in your mouth? It¡¯s very rude and makes you seem like a simpleton.¡±


    There was a pause and she heard a scuffling sound from the phone, ¡°I¡¯m sorry Miss Das, I wasn¡¯t expecting a phone call from you, I... please accept my apologies.¡±


    She smiled at the stammering voice, as she pictured the older man scrambling to find a seat and swallow his food, maybe even wiping his face with his hand as he did so. ¡°It¡¯s alright Jason. I don¡¯t have time for that now. Are you the investigating officer for the warehouse fire yesterday down in the Harbor District?¡±


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    There was a short pause, ¡°Yes, I am. How did you know about that? And why would this particular fire have attracted your attention? As far as we can tell the warehouse was empty except for the admin office upstairs but even that was pretty barren as well.¡±


    ¡°That fire wasn¡¯t just some prank set up by some kids for laughs, Jason,¡± Ansuya said quietly. ¡°I know that it was caused by someone and the reason for it is very important. I need for you to do your job with due diligence and find out why someone would want to burn down that warehouse. Call some of your federal friends and investigators to help. I need for you to find out the history of that warehouse and what has been stored there in the past.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Miss Das anything for you.¡± There was a hesitation in his voice, ¡°Care to tell me why this particular warehouse is so important to you? What am I supposed to be looking for?¡±


    ¡°House Himura,¡± was her reply.


    ¡°Oh¡­I understand Miss Das. Don¡¯t worry, we will find out all we can. I didn¡¯t recognize this number. Can I call you here with what I find out?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± she hissed sharply. ¡°No, Jason, go through the usual channels. I¡¯ve been out of touch for a while and will be for some time. Our friends can take any details you send them. You can tell them why you are contacting them as well.¡±


    ¡°I understand Miss Das. I¡¯ll get to work on this right away,¡± there was a brief pause, ¡°and Miss? It¡¯s good to hear from you.¡± The phone clicked and silence met her ears. She put the receiver back in its cradle.


    She carefully wiped the search engine history and keystrokes from the hard drive and turned off the computer. She then dialed a few random numbers, waited for the phone to start ringing, then hung up. It wasn¡¯t perfect, all Alexander had to do was look at his phone bill to see who she had called, but she was betting on him not being that interested, or motivated for something as banal as checking his phone bill to keep tabs on what she might be doing in his house.


    She walked back out to the sitting room. She looked at the dead form of Alexander. He wasn¡¯t breathing and he was as still as the grave. It was disconcerting to look at. She moved behind the sofa where he had sat down and whispered into his ears. Her words painted pictures in his mind of ecstasy and fulfilled lust that would make any pornographic movie director proud.


    She stood back up and, picking up her shoes that she had discarded, walked back to the bedroom where she had tried on her clothes. She locked the door behind her. She slipped out of her skirt, jacket, and blouse. She grabbed a skimpy top and skirt that she wouldn¡¯t wear outside and pulled them on. She unfolded the covers of the bed and laid down in the deep softness of the sheets, comforter, and well-made mattress. She let the soft pillow cradle her head. It had been so long since she had been able to lie down properly. This was as close to heaven as she could wish for. She had never fully appreciated being able to stretch out completely on a soft mattress like this. She let the comfort and relaxation envelope her as pure joy. A tear ran down her cheek as she smiled. A few moments later she was deep in a relaxed and comfortable sleep.

 Book5 Chapter 8f

    Kenneth was uneasy. Michael was driving him to the ¡°zoo¡± once again. The Himura warehouse attack had not gone unnoticed and it had sent a chill stillness over the city. Oh, there were still parties and celebrity galas that morons and fools paid thousands of dollars to attend, but the underbelly, the true heart of the city, was still. All major trades, shipments, goods both bought and sold had been stopped.


    This was very unfortunate for him because he had a shipment of ¡®merchandise¡¯ sitting in a container waiting to be uploaded on a cargo ship and shipped to his people in Asia. That boat had been delayed. The warehouse attack had all but shut down any ships leaving, as part of the ¡°official¡± investigation. He had to wonder why the officials would suddenly be so interested in an empty warehouse, just one among hundreds down on Pico Avenue.


    He couldn¡¯t be bothered by that now though. He had other business to attend to. Trevor had not seen any progress in his work. He couldn¡¯t move until that work was completed. Still, even if Trevor had completed his research, he was no closer to finding where the wolves were hiding. The animals¡¯ destruction would go a long way to help him secure his station when he was ready to move. He had nothing to do but wait, he might as well make use of his time.


    Michael stopped in the parking lot of the familiar animal holding facility. Kenneth waited for his door to open and he stepped out into the cool night.


    He looked up at the few stars that were visible in the blue-black sky. Those were the survivors, the ones that outlasted and outshone all the rest. He would be like those few dim stars in the sky. He would outlast his competition and shine where no others could. He turned toward the building and entered.


    Tony was cleaning up a far empty cell of the spacious room. Kenneth looked around at the empty cages. He eyes came to rest on the last remaining wolf, ¡®Dutch.¡¯ Kenneth snarled at the symbol of his one failure here. He had enthralled the other three but this one had somehow managed to block his every attempt.


    There was something to be learned though, even in his failures. He grabbed a chair and opened the feeding enclosure door and sat down looking at the animal. His golden eyes seemed to bore into his own with defiance. The animal stood proudly with his tail neither lowered nor raised. Kenneth looked into the glassy golden orbs of the wolf.


    As he pushed past the surface of ¡®Dutch¡¯s¡¯ eyes the flood of memories poured into his mind. He couldn¡¯t keep up with all the images. A dry desert, swampland flooded with a recent rain, a snow-covered mountain, the crisp clean smell of a cool spring forest morning. Smells of prey, ocean, trees, emotions, assaulted his mind and nose. He tried to concentrate, to focus on the images as they flew past at blinding speed. Even his vampire senses had trouble making out one image from the next. Frozen rivers covered in snow marked by deer hoof prints, the smell of blood and food assaulted him relentlessly.


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    He managed to gain some control of himself and throw himself back and away from Dutch¡¯s assault. Kenneth stared at the ground breathing hard. Pulling himself out of the flood of memories hadn¡¯t become any easier, if anything it was becoming more difficult to separate himself from them.


    The wolf simply turned around and trotted along one of the caged walls, having suffered no adverse effects from the episode. Kenneth breathed slowly and evenly and collected himself. He idly wiped his mouth with his left hand in thought.


    The images never remained in his memory for long. He had to desperately snatch at the half seen, and less understood images from his fading memory and bring to bare all of his concentration and force the images to remain steady. None of it made any sense to him. The images were already fading like he had dreamt the whole thing.


    He stood up quickly and threw the chair he had been sitting on outside the feeding enclosure. He didn¡¯t even look at Tony or say anything as he left. He stalked out to his car and slammed himself into the back seat. He didn¡¯t say a word to Michael. He just sat there, scrubbing his face and eyes with both his hands, trying to make sense of a world that suddenly conspired to block him at every turn.


    He looked at the floor of his car. The wolf inside that building wasn¡¯t going to give him anything. It had outlived its usefulness. He needed to find other subjects. Tony wouldn¡¯t like having to kill that wolf but he didn¡¯t give a damn what Tony wanted or not. He needed to bring in wolves from the wild. He nodded to Michael and his driver started the car moving. He would have to notify Brian and his team that he would be going camping for a few days.


    Turn your defeats into future victories, was how the old proverb went. He would have to take what this Dutch had taught him so he would not be thwarted again. But, what had he learned?


    The question hung in his mind for long moments. He couldn¡¯t give an answer. The path to power was being better informed and better equipped than the next guy, or the target. His target was set very high and to win in the coming battles he would have to be very well informed and ready to exploit it when the time was right.


    The car eventually pulled up into his compound. Michael waved off the sentry guards and a single spotlight trailed the vehicle. Kenneth waited for the car to stop and Michael opened his door.


    He strode up to his house, nodding to the two guardsmen on duty at the front of his house and unlocked the front door. Standing in the front room in very neat business attire was his mate, Natalia. She greeted him with a smile which quickly turned down to a look of concern.


    ¡°What?!¡± Kenneth barked harshly.


    Natalia lowered her eyes to the floor, ¡°I¡¯m sorry Kenneth. I thought I should be the one to tell you that one of our farms got hit again, although the damage was minimal this time.¡±

 Book 5 Chapter 8g

    Kenneth closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, trying to stem the rage that was threatening to engulf him. Was everyone around him completely incompetent? Could he not have a single moments rest?


    He slowly opened his eyes and focused on his mate, ¡°Is there anything else you want to dump on my lap? As it seems that no one can handle anything on their own.¡± His eyes bored into the woman who could not raise her eyes to meet his.


    ¡°Th¡­there w¡­was another explosion tonight,¡± she stammered. She glanced up to see his livid features and immediately lowered her eyes again. ¡°It wasn¡¯t one of ours. It was a distribution plant for House Himura. This is the second facility of theirs that has been destroyed in the last two days. I thought you should know.¡± She quickly ended her speech and fell silent.


    That gave Kenneth pause. Why would someone be attacking House Himura? They had an uneasy at times, but mutually beneficial, alliance with the native Yakuza branch. Who would be crazy enough to start attacking them and risk bringing the rage of both a vampire House and a sizeable organized crime syndicate down around them? Maybe it was an offshoot of those terrorist organizations he had been hearing so much about as of late?


    It was possible that whoever it was simply didn¡¯t have any idea who or what they were dealing with? And if that was the case the fools would be disposed of quickly. No one simply wanders into Little Tokyo, blows up a few buildings, and walks out again. There would be a price to pay for this little display. Too bad he wouldn¡¯t be there to see these idiots get their comeuppance.


    He nodded to his mate and idly waved her away with his hand. He walked into his study without even looking at her as he passed. He sat down behind his desk and picked up the phone.


    After a few moments and a few words between him and Brian he hung up the phone again. He needed more wild caught wolves. There had to be something that he was missing, something that he could use from his failure with Dutch.


    Scowling he picked up his cell phone and jammed in a number.


    ¡°Hello,¡± came the short reply.


    ¡°Tony, I want you to kill that damn wolf and get rid of the body. I will be receiving more wolves soon and you will have the facility ready to receive them when they arrive.¡±


    There was a long silence on the other end, ¡°Sir, you can¡¯t mean for me to¡­to actually¡­I couldn¡¯t! I won¡¯t!¡±


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    Kenneth leaned forward in his chair and pressed his forearms down on his desk, ¡°Listen to me, you meat headed shit sack! I don¡¯t give a damn what you think you won¡¯t do. You will kill that fucking animal and dump the body. I don¡¯t want to see it again. Do you understand me?¡±


    Another long silence from the other end, ¡°Yeah¡­ yeah I understand, you never told me that I was gonna have to kill any of these animals when I took this job.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t fuck with me, Tony! I don¡¯t give a damn what I did or didn¡¯t tell you, just get it done!¡± He jammed the hang up button and slammed the phone down on his desk.


    He was so tired of dealing with morons and fools. He should have killed the thing himself. But as long as it was done, he didn¡¯t care. Tony was good with the animals but he had hired the man precisely for his lack of spine. He wouldn¡¯t disobey him. He leaned back in his chair and for the third time today he wondered what God in Heaven or Hell he had pissed off all of a sudden to make his life a living hell surrounded by cowardice and incompetence.


    *          *          *          *          *


    Tony slowly hung up the phone. He looked out the window from his office and apartment onto the holding area with all the enclosures. He knew that he wouldn¡¯t be able to find anyone that could take in a wolf in such short notice. And he knew that it would be killed on sight if let loose, once people recognized it for what it was.


    He looked at his office and grabbed a cattle prod and a small pistol that he kept for his own security. He looked into the clean camber and slid a fully loaded clip into the weapon. He pulled the slide back till it clicked and he eased it forward. He looked out at Dutch as the wolf was happily trotting back and forth along his cage wall.


    Wolves weren¡¯t meant to be inside like this anyway. They were meant to be out there, in the forests, the mountains, the deserts, where they had roamed and hunted for thousands of years before humans came. Now, there was so little space for them left, maybe all there was for them was a concrete enclosure like this.


    Tony slowly stood up and tried to breathe. His breath was ragged and heavy. His eyes began to tear up as he looked from his weapon to the majestic animal that he was about to kill. There had to be some justice in the world. Maybe Dutch would go to a better place, maybe, if there was a God out there, he might not condemn him to hell for what he was about to do.


    Tony was openly crying now, sobbing loudly as he trudged toward Dutch¡¯s enclosure. The only thing this wolf had ever done was be captured and brought here. There was no malice in what Dutch had done. He had been a failure as far as his employer was concerned and that had ultimately meant a death sentence. He entered the feeding enclosure and closed the door behind him.


    Dutch came up to meet him and immediately saw that something was wrong. The two unfamiliar instruments in Tony¡¯s hands made him back up a step.


    Tony knew that Dutch had no idea what was about to happen. He looked down at his weapon and back at the beautiful animal in front of him. ¡°Dutch, I hope you make it to a better place than this.¡± Tony had a hard time holding the weapon or even standing without bracing himself against the steel bars. ¡°I wish I could have been stronger for you. You have been a good friend¡­Ple¡­please forgive me.¡± His lip quavered and he breathed a deep ragged sigh as tears freely fell from his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he whispered.


    A single gunshot rang out hollowly through the facility.

 Book 5 Chapter 9a

    Ansuya awoke suddenly. She felt the soft comforter and the sheets around her. She jerked her head up and looked at the still closed door to the bedroom. She let her eyes drift to the other side of the room where curtains were drawn, but not even an outline of light around the limp heavy drapes. She slowly pushed the sheets down and away from her. She still had on the skimpy outfit that she had put on before she fell asleep. What time is it? What day is it?


    She looked around and couldn¡¯t see a clock anywhere. She stepped out of the bed and roamed around the room. She pulled the drapes aside. The windows were heavily tinted, almost black. She couldn¡¯t be sure if there was any light out in the world at all. She eased her way to the door and listened for any sound. She considered shifting to werewolf form but then though better of it. She was still far too weak. Even one shift might deplete all her stores of energy and cause serious damage to her own body, especially if she couldn¡¯t find any food. When she was as satisfied as she was going to get about no one moving around outside her bedroom, she unlocked the door and silently opened it.


    The condo was as dark as her room had been. There was not a single light on anywhere. There was a small red light coming from the kitchen. She moved around the island from the hallway and looked for the source of the light. The microwave time read four thirty with a little p in front of it.


    She breathed a sigh of relief. It would still be some time before sunset and she was confident that she would be able to move freely through the condo until then. She flicked on the kitchen light without fear or hesitation. She opened the refrigerator. There were bags of blood stacked neatly there. There was nothing edible for her. This was not unexpected. She hadn¡¯t reminded her ¡®host¡¯ that she would need real food at some point. Her stomach growled intensely. She hadn¡¯t eaten any sizeable quantities of food while in Alexander¡¯s cage, and before that, she had been fed through a feeding tube in Kenneth¡¯s. She needed real food to regain some of her lost strength.


    She closed the refrigerator door softly. She went through all the cupboards and closets she could find. There wasn¡¯t a speck of real human food to be had. She dared not do anything strenuous until she had eaten. That would have to wait. But she wasn¡¯t going to be idle with her time either.


    Ignoring her growling stomach, she went into the bathroom and cleaned herself. She went back to her bedroom and got dressed in the same clothes she wore last, tossing the discarded stripper outfit back on the bed. Then she quietly went back into the study and turned on the computer.


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    She began searching for information on the warehouse fire and anything else that might give her a clue about what was going on in the world.


    She scrolled through her search engine. There had been a gun fight at a construction site? That was a new one. There weren¡¯t any suspects and no vandalism had taken place. Strange custom shells were littered around the site. Custom shells? Without any hard facts, and there was none to be had in the news story, that could mean anything.


    She backed out and continued to search the page she had been on moments ago and found an article on a Little Tokyo distribution plant having an accident. She opened the link and read the story. Again, no real facts, no suspicion of foul play, or arson just a strange accident that was being investigated by the company with the help from local firefighters and authorities.


    Ansuya leaned back in the office chair. This would be the second ¡°accident¡± that Little Tokyo had suffered in as many days. She didn¡¯t know for sure but she could guess that this too was a House Himura facility. This could mean two things; either House Himura was purposefully sabotaging their own facilities for whatever reason. Fumiko Nakahara, the Head of House Himura had a history of cutting off her own finger if it meant she could take an enemy¡¯s arm with it, this could be another gambit on her part. Or, it meant that House Himura was being attacked. Either way, she would need to convince Alexander to get her information on what was going on.


    Alexander. She had no qualms about using him in the slightest. He would have used her if he could. Vampires were despicable monsters that used what was available and then tossed it away as soon as it wasn¡¯t useful anymore. She still had a job to do. She had to find out how Kenneth could know what he did and how the vampires were attacking and probably killing shape shifters even before they had been reborn.


    She carefully erased her history and keystroke data from the hard drive once more before she turned it off. Hopefully Jason would have better luck in finding out just what that warehouse was used for. It might give the Mountain a clue as to what was going on.


    She stood up and, like the night before, began carefully lacing the entire condo with her scents and biochemicals. She lazily walked around the apartment, gliding her hands over every piece of furniture. She pulled the drapes aside in the sitting room and found that here too the windows had been heavily tinted to an almost black.


    She found Alexander, sleeping right where she had left him the night before, sprawled out on the sofa. His dead form not breathing or moving in any way. He would answer for the indignities that he had visited on her, soon.


    She walked through the rest of the apartment. Looking at his possessions and seeing what kind of a man he was.

 Book 5 Chapter 9b

    He was neat, that was for sure. There was not a single item that looked misplaced in the whole condo. The place was immaculately clean. It was also very sparse. There was enough room in the condo for a lot more stuff, but Alexander kept it relatively empty, with a lot of free floor space. There had to be a reason for that but she just couldn¡¯t figure out what.


    By the time she finished going through the apartment it was close to sunset time, as far as she knew. She walked back out to the sitting room and watched and waited for Alexander to wake up.


    It happened suddenly sometime later. His eyes simply opened and his lungs filled with air, once. He looked at her and smiled. ¡°My dirty little bitch was so good last night.¡±


    Ansuya easily returned the smile, ¡°I want to please you, Alexander.¡±


    ¡°Oh, if you keep up what you did last night, I¡¯m sure I could die happy. In fact,¡± he moved almost too quickly for her to react. She forced her reflexes to stillness and accepted his weight as he pressed down on her into the couch, his mouth and lips pressing and sucking on hers. She grabbed his hips and tried to roll on top of him, but she was too weak for even a playful maneuver, much less when Alexander had no real interest in playing. She accepted his mouth and tongue in an eager way, forcing her own bile back down her throat and resisting every urge to try to push him away. Suddenly her stomach came to her rescue by ripping and moaning loudly enough to echo.


    Alexander stopped what he was doing and looked down at Ansuya. She grabbed her stomach in mock pain and embarrassment; it also gave her some much-appreciated separation from the unwanted presence of the cold vampire body. Alexander got up from the couch and ran his hands through his black hair. He looked around the apartment and then down at his feet. ¡°I, uh, don¡¯t have any food for you, at least not anything that you could eat. I have some blood if you people can drink that.¡± He said this almost like he was dumb enough to believe it.


    Ansuya looked up at him and gently shook her head, ¡°No, we eat normal food.¡±


    ¡°Oh, ok, so like pizza, cheeseburgers, that sort of thing?¡±


    She couldn¡¯t tell if he was joking with her or if he was just that stupid. Although the way she was now she would eat those things if it was the only thing available. No, what she wanted was food. She pushed out more scents toward the vampire, ¡°No, Alexander what I would like is Naan, with Basil Pesto Hummus, Butter chicken with Basmati rice, and Gulab Jamun. It wouldn¡¯t be too much to ask for that would it? I deserve a little treat after last night, don¡¯t I?¡± she playfully asked with a coy seductive smile.


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    Alexander twisted his face in a questioning glance. ¡°I don¡¯t have a clue what you just said, or what any of that stuff is, much less where I would get it from. How bout I just order you a pizza?¡± He started to get up.


    She let the smile fall from her face. ¡°Alexander.¡± She said in a very commanding voice. The vampire stopped and looked at her, his face was asking the question, ¡®why did I just stop what I was about to do?¡¯


    Ansuya continued, ¡°If we are to be a team you need to trust me at least a little as I must trust you. Why don¡¯t you let me order my food and then I will heat up some blood for you from the refrigerator?¡± There was no hint of playfulness or compromise on her features or in her stature.


    Alexander stared at the woman sitting across from him for long moments. Then, looking as if he didn¡¯t quite know why he was doing it, he took out his wallet and handed it to her. Ansuya smiled as she stood up. Taking the wallet from his hand she kissed him fully with her lips and mouth. She left the dazed vampire sitting on the sofa and she walked into the study, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand as soon as she was out of sight.


    Several Minutes later Ansuya exited the room. She was smiling and she handed back Alexander¡¯s wallet. She then sat down on a sofa facing him. She crossed her legs at the knees and folded her hands on top of them.


    ¡°Alexander, we need to talk, you and I,¡± she said with a certain amount of command but polite as well. She had Alexander in her sway, but his secondary ability to resist her pheromones was something that she hadn¡¯t figured out the full spectrum of yet. Better to play it safe than lose all the ground she had gained.


    The vampire sat there in a relaxed posture, looking a little bored, ¡°What do we have to talk about?¡±


    ¡°You were telling me about an incident in the Port District, why is House Himura being attacked?¡± Ansuya asked as innocently as she could with as much wide-eyed innocence as she could muster.


    ¡°Probably because they¡¯re weak,¡± he responded quickly. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t worry about the Japs, baby. If someone is moving in on their territory it¡¯ll only make crushing their House that much easier.¡± He got up and sat down next to her and kissed her hungrily. ¡°Forget about it.¡±


    Ansuya smiled up at him as she pressed closer into him, ¡°But if House Himura can be attacked, isn¡¯t that an enemy that House Brandt should keep tabs on? Isn¡¯t it better to know when an enemy is thinking about striking and be prepared for it, than to be surprised by their attack?¡±


    Alexander was groping and massaging her body as she spoke but her words made him hesitate. He looked down on her and nodded, ¡°Yeah, yeah you may be right. Even if they are stupid enough to try to attack House Brandt, which they won¡¯t, it¡¯ll be easier to destroy them after they¡¯ve bloodied themselves on the Asians.¡±

 Book 5 Chapter 9c

    Alexander smiled down at her, ¡°You are amazingly insightful for a little doggy bitch, aren¡¯t you?¡± He smiled and kissed her forcefully again.


    Ansuya accepted the kiss. She fought down the rise of bile in her throat as she forced her body to remain passive. ¡°Who¡¯s behind the attacks? Who is dumb enough to attack one of the Houses in the city?¡±


    ¡°Nobody knows, baby. And right now, who cares?¡± He kissed her again and forced her down on her back on the sofa. He started pulling at his pants and groping her skirt.


    Ansuya had to fight every urge in her body to run. Panic rose up in her neck and face like a fever. She fought hard seconds to regain control of herself. She couldn¡¯t breathe. She had to maintain control.


    Alexander¡¯s groping hands slid up her legs toward her center. She wanted to gouge his eyes out, to tear his hair out one by one, by each follicle. She couldn¡¯t think. The panic gripped her and she was lost in a whirlpool of hatred and fear.


    ¡°Alexander.¡± Her voice was calm and firm. As soon as the words were out of her mouth, her mind ceased freewheeling and was steady again. Her own voice made the panic recede and she was once again in control. The vampire stopped immediately. He looked down into her deep brown eyes. ¡°You don¡¯t want to do this now,¡± she intoned melodically. ¡°My food will be here any minute. Then we would have to stop.¡± She lifted herself up and whispered into his ear. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, baby, I¡¯ll make it up to you. This morning after you come back, I will be so good to you, it will make yesterday seem like two teenagers fumbling in the dark by comparison.¡±


    Alexander hugged her tightly to him as he kissed her, forcing his tongue down her throat. After a few moments he did ease up and finally got off of her. She rose to a sitting position as he stood in front of her.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, my bitch, I do have things to do tonight.¡± He pointedly looked around the sitting room. ¡°I thought that you said something about warming my blood for me.¡± It wasn¡¯t a question.


    Ansuya smiled and slid off the couch. She started walking toward the kitchen and she gave him a wicked smile as she passed. He returned the evil smile with a wicked lopsided grin of his own. Ansuya couldn¡¯t see the man leave fast enough.


    After a few minutes in the kitchen, she returned with a mug of dark liquid and handed it to the vampire. He swallowed the blood in two large gulps. ¡°Perfect ninety-eight degrees give or take. How did you learn to do that so well?¡±


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    Ansuya smiled at him and shook her head, ¡°Alexander,¡± she said in mock admonition, ¡°we women have to keep some secrets.¡±


    The vampire smiled and looked as if he was about to grab her again when the front bell intoned melodically through the condo.


    Ansuya took his mug and placed it on the kitchen island as she made her way to the front door. She looked at the door and tried the handle. She made a show of being incompetent, turning the knob, pushing on the door, fumbling blindly in the most obvious blundering way. Only a child would have missed that she had no idea of how to open the door.


    Alexander stepped up next to her, ¡°I know women aren¡¯t good with technology. I¡¯ll answer the door.¡± Ansuya watched as he punched in the door code, four, three, seven, nine, two, five. The vampire then took a key from his front pocket and jammed it into the dead bold key hole, and turned the bolt back. Ansuya stepped clumsily out of the way as Alexander swung the door inward to open it. Standing in the hall way was a young Indian man holding a white plastic bag with several Styrofoam boxes inside.


    Alexander grabbed the bag and closed the door in the man¡¯s face without leaving a tip. Ansuya asked, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tip him?¡±


    ¡°I never tip the help. Money grubbing bottom feeders; all of ¡®em. If he wants a tip get a real job,¡± Alexander retorted.


    Ansuya put a hand on his arm. She looked deeply into his eyes and said, ¡°You should always make the help feel appreciated, baby. By tipping them well they will work harder for you in the future. Of course they¡¯re bottom feeders, but enough bottom feeders can rise up into revolution. Isn¡¯t that the lesson of Rome¡¯s arrogance?¡± she said nodding at the Jovanovic painting behind her.


    Alexander looked at the painting, then back at Ansuya. ¡°I don¡¯t tip the help,¡± he said again flatly. He handed her the bag of food and disappeared down the hallway. She glanced at the closed door. Alexander was going to be a problem. She would have to pick her battles carefully with him. And although she felt sorry for the delivery man, that was a battle that she would have to let go.


    Ansuya walked to the table and began laying out her meal in front of her. Her mouth was watering from the smells of the rich spices and warm bread in front of her.


    When Alexander came back, he was in a completely different set of clothes. Without really looking at her he said, ¡°I¡¯ll be back before sunrise. I expect you to keep those promises you made when I get back.¡± The door slammed shut as he exited the condo. Ansuya heard the dead bold slide locked and an electronic beep as the keypad was rearmed. She was once again a prisoner. But this cage was far more comfortable than the cage she had been in. Even so, Ansuya breathed a sigh. It was nice to be truly alone without any security cameras watching her every move.


    It had been so long since she had eaten real food, she had to be cautious. She tore off a small piece of Naan and dipped it into the Hummus. She chewed it carefully and swallowed. Her throat wasn¡¯t used to the sensation and she had to sip water to help it down.

 Book 5 Chapter 9d

    She could feel it travel down her throat and rest in her stomach. It wasn¡¯t unpleasant but it didn¡¯t feel nearly as comfortable as she would have liked. She carefully sipped a little more water and let her body get used to actual food.


    She then took a small bite of butter chicken and ate it as well. This time it was a little easier but the food rested no more comfortably in her empty stomach than the Naan had. Again, she waited a few minutes and sipped a little water.


    She continued eating in this careful, slow, deliberate way for almost half an hour eating only a small handful of bites before her stomach felt full. She then cut a small piece of her desert, Gulab Jamun, and chewed it slowly. It was the sweetest thing she had ever tasted. She felt like a little girl again enjoying a well-earned treat. After the small bite she sipped some more water and pushed herself away from the table.


    Then she sat there, letting her body process the real solid food that she had just ate. It had been over a year since she had eaten solid food. She thought about how her body would react to dealing with it again, and all the horrible things that would happen if it didn¡¯t. But she had at least some time before that happened, if it happened. The last thing she could afford to lose was precious planning time to gastric distress or some other bodily revolt against the sudden change in diet.


    She cleaned up the kitchen, carefully wrapping her food in some plastic wrap that she had found, and she threw away the used containers.


    When she was done, she sat down in a chair and placed her elbows on the table. She thought back to what had happened that evening. She had not gotten any real information from the vampire. That had not been her intention, she would have to push a little more for him to be more open with her. Then again, it may be that he really didn¡¯t care about House Himura being attacked all of a sudden. If he really wasn¡¯t concerned, then he was a bigger fool than she had originally thought.


    Even if he was a fool, she was still his prisoner, for now. And he was the best link for her to finish her mission and get some solid information back to the Mountain. If Kenneth was able to track future shape shifters, and hunt them down before they were reborn, then surely the other Houses were also able to do it. It wouldn¡¯t do House Dukart any good to keep that kind of information secret from the other Houses, it served no advantage. If the vampire Houses agreed on anything it would be the combined effort to destroy the Shape shifters.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    She glanced toward the office. It would be too dangerous to call Jason again, but she needed some way to communicate with the outside.


    She glanced at the pulled drapes and the heavily darkened windows that they covered. Even if she could get a copy of Alexander¡¯s door key, it would be incredibly dangerous for her to go outside. She could be seen by any number of people. And any number of them could be agents of House Brandt, Dukart, or Himura.


    She stood up and walked around the apartment, filling it with her scents as she had done the night before. Alexander was proving to be far more resistant than she had anticipated but she did have some control over him, control that she wanted to expand.


    She stopped in front of the full body mirror on the closet doors inside the bedroom. She looked at her unhealthy, scrawny body. She would also have to regain her strength. Now that she had food in the house and her body hadn¡¯t protested terribly to the food in her stomach, it was time to start reclaiming some of what she had lost.


    She stripped down to her underwear and began slowly stretching her body. She took a spread legged stance and bent down to touch the feet of each. Her bones creaked and her muscles protested. Even though to her mind the exercises and stretches were familiar, her body had forgotten them and was protesting at every new movement.


    She began one of her most basic dance warm-ups, slowly and deliberately going through each motion, testing both her balance and muscle stamina. Even though she lost her balance several times as her feet and ankle muscles could not hold the once well practiced angles and movements, she continued.


    The she dropped down to the carpet. Her body was covered in a thin layer of sweat already. She laid down flat on her stomach and pushed up her body into a straight perfect pushup. She held the form for three seconds before her muscles gave out and she collapsed to the floor.


    Breathing heavily, she lifted herself up again. She was able to just lock her elbows, before her arms gave out and she collapsed again.


    She laid there on the ground breathing hard as her body was openly sweating now. She drew her knees to her chest and raised herself to a kneeling position. She stood up slowly, using the bed to help her to her feet. She stood for several moments, trying not to teeter. When she was confident enough to walk again, she made her way out to the kitchen and drank a few swallows of water, from the glass she used at dinner. Leaning heavily on the kitchen island she breathed deeply and tried to calm her heart, which still thudded loudly in her chest.


    The exercise session had not gone as well as she had hoped. She was as weak as a newborn. At least she knew where she stood and she could only improve. After a few hours she would try to eat again. The two things her body would need most were protein and rest. Her circadian rhythm would be thrown off, one because of the internal lighting of the apartment, but also, she didn¡¯t dare sleep too soundly, or too long, when Alexander could walk in on her at any moment.

 Book 5 Chapter 9e

    So sleep would be at a premium, at least she could work on improving her strength in peace. And as long as she could get solid animal proteins like chicken and lamb, her body would be able to rebuild her muscles.


    She took a quick shower and redressed herself. Communication was still going to be a problem. She could wait for daylight and for Alexander to sleep. Then she could take his key and move about the city freely, all except for the countless number of people who could see her and possibly recognize her. Still, if she was going to get information to the people that needed it, going outside was a risk that she was going to have to take.


    The recent attacks on House Himura were irksome. If it was the Mountain that had directed the hits that would be one thing, but why would Huan Li send out a pack to burn down an empty warehouse? It was obvious to her that that warehouse hadn¡¯t always been empty. It could have been used for anything, but most probably illegal goods, weapons, human slaves, or drugs. It still would have been a waste for the Mountain to hit an empty holding warehouse.


    That left only two other options, a random act of vandalism, which was highly unlikely, or someone else had decided to make a play. That would be very dangerous for Los Angles in general and would upset the balance that the vampires had in the city. If there was another player on scene than that would make the three Houses very nervous and very paranoid. That could be used to her advantage, if she could find the right leverage against one of the Houses. Maybe Alexander could be of help in multiple ways?


    She began searching the house, for anything. She had studied chemistry and a whole other slew of topics and subjects in her sixty-two-year life span and she was pretty confident she could use some of that in her current situation.


    She went through every cupboard, every closet, in every room. After a short amount of time, on the kitchen table, she had gathered a nice array of cleaning supplies, to include some ammonia, simple green, Windex, and bath and tile cleaner. In the wash room she found some bleach, fabric softener sheets, cotton balls and Brillo pads.


    She could definitely make some weapons with all that she had found. She smiled at the collection; Alexander had given her something, if not what she had wanted initially, she had a way to defend herself until her strength returned. She was still far too weak and emaciated to even try to shift to her werewolf form, so she would have to rely on chemistry and manmade ¡°deterrents¡±. After she had made some preparations she returned all that she hadn¡¯t used back to their original places.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    She then carefully cleaned the kitchen. When she was done, she took out some of her butter chicken and ate a few small bites, just as slowly and carefully as she had done a few hours before. The food rested a little easier in the pit of her stomach and she found that she had a bit of an appetite, which was good. Her stomach was full after those first few bites though and she returned the chicken to the refrigerator. She wasn¡¯t going to rush her journey back to normalcy in eating, even though time was truly against her, this was one thing that could not be rushed.


    All too soon after that she heard the front door pad beep, the small light lit up green, the dead bolt slid back, and the door swung inward as Alexander strode into the room. His face was unreadable, but his steps betrayed his impatience and irritation.


    Ansuya tried to look as deeply concerned as she could, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, baby?¡±


    Alexander didn¡¯t answer her at all but grabbed her and kissed her roughly forcing his tongue down her throat. Ansuya forced herself to relax once again and accept the harsh treatment. Eventually Alexander let her go and stalked off into the back of the apartment.


    Ansuya hesitantly followed after him, just like a good little house wife should. She found him going through his closet throwing things to the side as he dug deeper into his belongings. Ansuya had made a pretty through check of the walk-in closet and hadn¡¯t found anything that she was looking for. What could he be doing?


    Alexander came back out of the closet with a medium sized gym bag that was stuffed half full, with what she could only guess was clothes.


    ¡°Where are you going, Alexander?¡± Ansuya asked meekly.


    The vampire looked at her and put a finger in her face, ¡°If I don¡¯t tell you, then you don¡¯t need to know.¡±


    ¡°When will you be back?¡± she asked sounding a little frightened.


    He stalked past her toward the front of the condo. He called back over his shoulder, ¡°I¡¯ll be back sometime tonight, or tomorrow,¡± he stopped as he opened the front door, ¡°Don¡¯t wait up for me, Honey,¡± he said cruelly as he exited. He slammed the door shut behind him. The key pad light turned red and the dead bolt slammed into the locked position, and she was alone again.


    So, Alexander was not as high up the hierarchy as he would like, he still needed to jump when the right master demanded it. She smiled. Although she had already surmised that was the case with the egomaniac, it was nice to have concrete proof of it. That was her leverage against him, now the only thing would be for him to give her what she needed against House Dukart and Kenneth.


    The sun would rise within the hour. It would not be possible for Alexander to come back and get wherever he was going before sunrise. She went back to her bedroom. She still locked the door and put on the stripper clothes to sleep in. She pulled the covers over her tired body and fell asleep almost instantly.

 Book 5 Chapter 10a

    Two days later Alexander returned.


    Ansuya had been working out ways to communicate with the outside and ways to escape back to the Mountain when she was able. She still had much to discover and escape would be a long way off, but the plan must be ready to execute at a moment¡¯s notice, if needed.


    Alexander grumbled loudly as he ignored her completely and stalked back to his room. She heard some rummaging and a door slam shut, which surprised her a little. He strode back out to the sitting room and collapsed on one of the sofas, with his legs sprawled out in front of him.


    Even though her food supply had been all but depleted over the last few days and her stomach was demanding her attention she decided to play to his ego first. She knelt down next to him on the floor looking up at him, gently stroking his leg, ¡°Tell me what happened, baby.¡±


    ¡°Oh nothing, nothing at all. Fucking assholes!!!!¡± he jumped off the couch and slammed his fists down onto an Ottoman, plunging his fists through the thing rending it in half. He didn¡¯t even look shocked or concerned. He stood up and combed his hair with his hands roughly.


    Ansuya stood up wide eyed; effecting a startled look was not hard. ¡°Why did you just do that? What happened?¡± She asked again, putting a little more steel into her voice.


    This seemed to calm Alexander down enough for him to look at her. His shoulders were tense and hunched forward, his mouth was set in a snarl and his eyes did not stay focused or steady on anything for long. He just stood there not speaking.


    ¡°Alexander!¡± Ansuya said in as strong and commanding voice as she had ever dared use with him, ¡°You will tell me what happened, and why you are so upset, so that I can help you.¡±


    He seemed to calm down even more then. ¡°My Head of House wants to take away my warehouse and give it to someone else so that he can ¡°move¡± me to other assignments.¡± He snorted to show just what he thought of that.


    ¡°Then you are being promoted, then?¡± Ansuya asked a bit bewildered.


    ¡°NO!!¡± He threw himself down into a single chair and gazed up at her, ¡°Wolfgang would never take something away if he truly wanted to promote someone. If you are to be promoted it is your job to find someone below you to fill in the gaps that you are no longer able to fulfill with your new responsibilities and duties.¡±The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°It shows you have management skills and that you can recruit competent people to do jobs that you no longer have time for,¡± Ansuya said.


    ¡°Right,¡± Alexander said, ¡°It also lets the one promoted keep some of that money, building trust between him and new underlings and the House grows stronger with the promotion. But that didn¡¯t happen; my warehouse was taken away from me!¡± he jumped up again and began stalking around the room. His body was a ball of intense pent-up energy. Ansuya could see his muscle rippling under his clothes.


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know what I did or didn¡¯t do. All he said was, ¡®Alexander, I¡¯m moving you out of your warehouse, your duties will be taken over by someone else.¡¯ What the fuck does that even mean?!¡± Alexander almost screamed.


    ¡°Alexander, you need to calm down and talk to me.¡± Ansuya said calmly.


    ¡°There is nothing you can do about it. There is nothing anyone can do about it. I¡¯ll just sit here and do nothing! All I can do is wait for someone to come here to kill me, or deport me, or send me to some God forsaken icy hell hole somewhere so that Wolfgang won¡¯t have to deal with me anymore. I don¡¯t even know what I did!¡± he punctuated the rant with a fist through his wall.


    ¡°You have to calm down!¡± Ansuya said sternly. ¡°It doesn¡¯t do either of us any good for you to go around punching holes in your walls for no reason.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t do me any good to even be living right now! Just screw all of this shit! I don¡¯t even know what I was thinking! That I would ever be taken seriously or that my dreams would ever come to fruition, that I could ever become Head of my own House? I might as well just drop you on Wolfgang¡¯s doorstep and walk away, for all the good that it¡¯ll do me now! I might as well just fucking die for all anybody else would care!¡±


    ¡°THAT¡¯S ENOUGH!¡± Ansuya yelled out through the condo. Alexander stopped immediately and looked at her. She was standing in the middle of the room with her arms at her sides but her eyes burned with anger. ¡°I know you are upset but this is not the time to throw your hands in the air, give up, and wait for death. You have me and I open doors for you just by being here.¡±


    ¡°Not anymore,¡± Alexander replied petulantly.


    Ansuya calmly walked up to him and smacked him square across the face. ¡°Don¡¯t ever try to marginalize my value to anyone, especially to you,¡± she said deadly quiet. ¡°If it¡¯s as bad as you say then we need to fix whatever you did wrong.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything wrong!¡± Alexander yelled. ¡°Everything was going just fine. Then all of a sudden, I got this bomb dropped on me. I don¡¯t know what to do.¡± He threw himself down on his sofa and held his face in his hands.


    ¡°If you didn¡¯t do anything wrong then you must not have done enough right.¡± She was bathing him in pheromones. The off-balance man on the couch in front of her really didn¡¯t know what to do. He didn¡¯t have the dead look of having completely given up, but there was a dogged resignation about his posture, he was set to continue but he really had no idea where to go. But she knew where she needed to go. It wouldn¡¯t take much to push him in that direction.


    ¡°Alexander,¡± she said softly, ¡°If this really is a slight against you then we need to do something to bring you back in the good graces of Wolfgang.¡±

 Book 5 Chapter 10b

    ¡°LIKE WHAT?!¡± he exploded. ¡°I don¡¯t know what I did and I don¡¯t know where to go. You might as well just leave. I¡¯m going to be killed anyway for failing. I must have pissed off somebody and now I¡¯m dead. I¡¯m surprised they didn¡¯t kick me out of my house. I¡¯ll be homeless in a few hours, just wait and see.¡± He folded his arms across his chest, closed his eyes, and breathed heavily through his nose, throwing his head back against the couch.


    ¡°If you really have given up then let me leave. I won¡¯t be with someone who just gives up,¡± Ansuya said.


    Alexander opened his eyes, ¡°I haven¡¯t ¡®given up¡¯ on anything,¡± he said petulantly.


    ¡°Then act like it,¡± Ansuya demanded. ¡°Would taking down a member of a rival House be enough to bring you back in the good graces of your own?¡± Ansuya asked sternly.


    Alexander looked up at her, ¡°I guess, what are you even talking about? What are you saying?¡±


    Ansuya raised herself to her full height, ¡°I¡¯m offering you a path to not only restore your station in House Brandt, but to surpass your peers and competition.¡± Ansuya¡¯s eyes bored into his. ¡°I¡¯m offering you a way to take back what you lost.¡±


    ¡°Who are you talking about?¡± Alexander asked desperately.


    ¡°Kenneth,¡± she replied quietly.


    The blood immediately left Alexander¡¯s face and he swallowed reflexively. ¡°Kenneth¡­that¡¯s not possible,¡± he said shaking his head.


    ¡°So, now you¡¯re afraid of doing what needs to be done?¡± Ansuya scoffed at him, ¡°So much for the famed strength of House Brandt, the fearless warrior House that knows no equal in any fight.¡± She laughed coldly, ¡°I guess my people overestimated your strength and courage.¡±


    ¡°We are the strongest,¡± Alexander replied quietly, ¡°but Kenneth is a favored member of House Dukart. If I was to attack him, which is close to impossible anyway, then House Brandt would draw the fervor of all House Dukart and lose whatever protection we have from our alliance. We would be attacked by House Dukart and House Himura and the Duces would bring down their wrath on us as well.¡± He shook his head, ¡°Then my death would be a guarantee.¡±


    ¡°Then we would have to make it look like something other than a rival vampire attack,¡± Ansuya said soothingly. ¡°You have me and I was there for over a year. I know things about him that few could know. We could get in, kill who we wish, and leave. The only traces would be the ones that we left, pointing to a gang fight, nothing more. Surely nothing that would link back to you.¡± Ansuya smiled, ¡°Or better yet, let me do it and rend his life from him. Then it would appear as if my people led the attack. Only you and Wolfgang would know what really happened and you would reap the reward for his death.¡±If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Alexander looked up at her, ¡°Do you really think we could get away with it?¡±


    The brown woman smiled sweetly at him, her voice took on a rich honeyed texture as she intoned hypnotically, ¡°Alexander all things are possible beneath the moon. I would need to gather my strength, but if we work together, we could take down Kenneth, deal a vicious blow to House Dukart and raise you in your own house. Help me to help you. As your station improves then so does mine. I want to help you, Alexander.¡±


    The blue-eyed man looked bewildered and skeptical at best, ¡°Do you really think we can do this? Kill Kenneth?¡±


    She knelt down at his feet and looked up at him, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have suggested it if I didn¡¯t, baby. There are preparations to make and I will need time to gather my strength.¡± She stood up and nodded to the door. ¡°This means I will need more food. You left the other day without leaving me anyway to feed myself. Do you want me to starve?¡±


    He scratched the back of his head and smiled awkwardly, ¡°Yeah, sorry about that I guess I just forgot.¡±


    Ansuya grabbed his chin and tilted his head up so that his eyes met hers, ¡°I should never be forgotten about, do you understand? I am your most prized possession and you should treat me as such.¡±


    He nodded awkwardly in her grip, ¡°Yes, I should have thought about you first.¡±


    She smiled and patted his cheek, ¡°Good boy, you¡¯re learning.¡± She stood up and turned her back on him, ¡°Do you know where Kenneth lives? His address?¡±


    She heard him shift around on the couch behind her, ¡°No, and I never bothered to go find him. As long as he stayed in his territory and left me alone than I was ok with that.¡±


    She turned around and gazed at him, ¡°Are you afraid of him, Alexander?¡±


    The man looked up suddenly with anger in his eyes, but with something else too. He stood up slowly and pointed a finger in her face, ¡°Don¡¯t ever say anything like that to me again.¡±


    Ansuya smirked, ¡°Why? Because it¡¯s the truth?¡±


    Alexander swung his hand so fast it caught her square across the face, sending her careening into the lazy boy chair. ¡°Don¡¯t EVER say anything like that to me AGAIN!¡± He screamed hysterically.


    Ansuya pushed herself up from the chair, wiping away a small trickle of blood that was dripping down her lip. She knew that now was not the time to push him. She may have pushed a little too hard already. She nodded toward him, ¡°I¡¯m sorry baby, please forgive me.¡±


    The man stood there, seething. His fists were clenched and his eyes were red, ¡°Don¡¯t ever call me a coward again!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, baby please can we just forget about what I said? I¡­I didn¡¯t mean it.¡±


    He stared at her for a few minutes before he finally unclenched his fists and nodded heavily. ¡°Don¡¯t ever forget it, bitch! Unless you want another one,¡± he sat down on the sofa again.


    Ansuya decided to shift directions a bit to keep him off balance. ¡°Baby, I am really hungry. I need food to be of any help to you. May you please go get me something to eat? Please baby? I¡¯ll be so good to you. Please?¡± She was kneeling at his feet, massaging his leg with one hand. The taste of bile was rising in her throat and it was all she could do to not gag.

 Book 5 Chapter 10c

    He looked down on her, ¡°What should I buy for you? That same crap that you ate a few days ago?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t care baby, anything. I¡¯m just grateful for having you here to take care of me.¡± The words were barbed and pained her as she spoke them. She had seen the aftermath of confrontations like this in India, it had never gone well. Men like Alexander expected women to be one way, and the women who were with them always acted that one way. They never wanted to leave or help themselves out of that situation.


    Alexander was a means to an end. She would play up the adoring broken housewife for a while longer. He would still serve a purpose for her plans. The best part was the seeds have been sown and her plans were becoming his plans. He had reacted to her exactly as she had expected.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be gone for a little while.¡± He stood up, ¡°I expect this place to be clean, you in something sexy, and ready to serve me before you serve yourself. Got it?¡±


    ¡°Oh, of course baby, whatever you want. I want to be good to you,¡± Ansuya resisted the urge to laugh or smile at him, keeping her eyes steady and her features completely in line with what she was saying.


    Alexander nodded and without another word he left the condo, relocking the number pad and deadbolt as he left.


    Ansuya breathed a heavy sigh of relief. She had pressed him too hard. Her control over him was deepening but she should have known better than to push his masculinity so far. Kenneth was a sore spot for him. It was more than just the fear of another vampire who might be equals with him. She got the feeling that for Alexander, Kenneth represented something deeper and much more painful. Had they had run ins in the past, she wondered? She couldn¡¯t think of another reason that would have caused that kind of reaction from him.


    She had had him in the palm of her hands, then she mentioned his fear and he just snapped. There was defiantly something there, another tool to use against him perhaps. She would have to move around the subject delicately, ¡®use the scalpel and brush, instead of the shovel¡¯ as the old saying went.


    Unfortunately, because of her zeal she had taken a step backwards. Now she would have to play the role of demure housewife. She would play the part but only so far. She could feel her body and strength. She may be just strong enough to shift forms. If it came down to that Alexander would be dead before he touched her in any way that she didn¡¯t want. He did have a very solid backhand though; she had to give him that.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    She went into the kitchen and grabbed a small bag and filled it with ice. She sat at the table looking at the wall, pressing the bag against her cheek and jaw. She had to get Alexander to find out where Kenneth lived. Once she knew that she could get inside and deal with that parasite herself. So what if Alexander took the credit. She would find out how Kenneth knew what he did. If she couldn¡¯t get it from him, he would die and eventually Alexander would be more than willing to help her. She just needed more time.


    She stood up and laced the apartment with more of her pheromones and biochemicals. She was getting stronger. She went through her exercises and dance forms. She still had very little endurance and was clumsy after a few minutes. She then dropped herself down to do some pushups and sit ups. Her body was covered in sweat and she took a hasty shower. She wanted to be ready and waiting for Alexander when he got home.


    The vampire was carrying several bags of food, some were groceries and some were take-out. He unceremoniously dumped them on the table and walked away. Ansuya knew the game he was playing and she would play her part. She immediately prepared his blood to a perfect temperature and gave it to him in the sitting room.


    Once he had his meal, she began to clean up the kitchen. There was a lot more food than she expected. There was chicken and some pork and of course beef. She twisted her face at the beef but if it was what she had to eat, then she would eat it. Shiva would not condemn her for eating meat from the sacred animal if it was what she had to do to survive. She needed protein to regain her strength, strength enough to fight. The Gods would understand. She cleaned up the kitchen after she had put away all of her groceries.


    She looked over at the sitting room and Alexander had that far away, contented look on his face. He was enjoying the feelings that her pheromones were eliciting in him. She smiled to herself; everything was happening as she had planned for them to happen.


    She opened the warm bags of food and found a few dishes that she recognized, Roti, Chana Masala, and some curried chicken. In another bag she found some weird looking Goulash or Stroganoff, she wasn¡¯t quite sure. She tasted it and was certain that it was beef, whatever it was. She ate slowly and deliberately, mostly the Roti and curried chicken, just as she had done for the past two days. Her stomach was getting used to food again and eating was becoming easier but this was something that she was still very careful with. She was limited with how fast her body could recover from the year long ordeal. So, she ate slowly, and carefully, taking her time, almost for a full thirty minutes.


    When she was satisfied and sure that she hadn¡¯t overeaten, she pushed herself away from the table and began to clean up. The whole time she was pushing her scents out toward the vampire who hadn¡¯t said a word since he had gotten back. She carefully wrapped all of her leftovers and put them in the refrigerator. She nodded as she left the clean kitchen and headed into the sitting room.

 Book 5 Chapter 10d

    As she had hoped the vampire was again dead. His mug was forgotten on his lap. Ansuya took the mug and placed it on the coffee table. She then stood behind the dead body and spoke softly into his ears. She spun yarns in his head of images both grotesque and sublime. Images and memories of sexual acts that were perverse and pleasurable. She painted him as the dominant, performing sexual tortures on her body. She told him of different positions that she had taken and he had taken her, filling his ego with memories of impossible stamina and power, giving unspeakable pleasures to both of them.


    She left the dead body in the sitting room as she had done before. She walked into her bedroom, locked the door, and went to sleep.


    She woke up in the afternoon. She performed her morning rituals in the bathroom and ate a light breakfast. Alexander was still dead on the couch. She took the time to exercise once again. Her ongoing diet of solid food and her continuing exercise were giving her results. She already felt much stronger than she had a few days ago. She was able to complete her initial dance warm ups with only a few loses of her balance. Her pushups were improving too. She took a nice long shower this time, having no fear of Alexander waking up any time soon.


    She got dressed in one of her less conservative outfits that Alexander had bought for her. She looked at herself in the mirror. She still had an emaciated look, but her clothes seemed to fit her just a little better than they had at first. Maybe she was gaining weight, which was a good thing. She prepared another meal for herself in the kitchen. She watched the wall as she slowly ate, watching the minutes click by on the microwave touch screen.


    She finished her meal and cleaned up the kitchen. She waited till an hour or two before sunset and then shook Alexander. ¡°Baby, wake up. Wake up, we have work to do.¡±


    The dead form of Alexander was a lead weight. She knew that vampires couldn¡¯t go out in the daylight but she was aware that they could be awake and move while the sun was up. He was cold to her touch and didn¡¯t budge even while she was shaking him. With no pulse and no breathing, he was truly dead. She didn¡¯t have time to wait for the sun to set.


    She prepared another serving of blood for her vampiric ¡°host¡± and took it to him. She held the mug under his nose for a moment or two letting the smell invade his dead senses. Then she carefully tipped the mug and dripped some of the warm liquid over his lips. She only let a few drops fall. Alexander¡¯s eyes suddenly flew open. Ansuya smiled warmly down at him and offered him the mug.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    The vampire took the mug and swallowed its contents quickly. She took the mug from him and grabbing the used mug from the night before from the coffee table she disappeared back into the kitchen. When she came back out, she glided into the room with all her elegance and femininity on full display. The effort was not wasted on Alexander who visibly relaxed back into the sofa.


    Ansuya said, ¡°Baby, you need to get me Kenneth¡¯s address. Once we have it, we can start planning how to get into his compound and what we¡¯ll do with him when we finally have him.¡±


    ¡°You said we were going to kill him,¡± replied Alexander.


    ¡°Yes, baby whatever you want. You can do it or I can, it doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯ll follow you in whatever you want to do,¡± Ansuya¡¯s voice was deep and sultry and very convincing.


    Alexander nodded, ¡°I think I want to kill him then you can mangle his body, so that it looks like just another murder from one of your kind.¡±


    Ansuya smiled, ¡°Yes baby, of course. I¡¯ll do whatever you want.¡± This was exactly what she had suggested to him the night before. Her influence was growing over the vampire and he would continue to be led by her suggestions and her ideas. Soon she wouldn¡¯t need all the ego stroking and role playing that she was doing. Alexander would come to her eventually.


    Alexander nodded, ¡°Okay, okay then if we¡¯re going to do this then I should get started.¡± He stood up and looked around. ¡°I am going to need to do this quietly. My whole House will know about what happened to me last night so it¡¯s going to be very hard to get people to help me out. I need to get a hold of some people that I trust, after that, well, we¡¯ll see.¡± The vampire walked into his office and closed the door.


    Ansuya couldn¡¯t imagine what he would have to go through to find a simple address. It would be incredibly naive of anyone to think that each House didn¡¯t keep tabs on the higher-ranking members of the rival Houses within the city. But if Alexander really was as short sighted as she was learning that he was, maybe he really didn¡¯t see a need to keep up with the goings on of his enemies. If that was the case it wasn¡¯t too terribly hard to figure out why Wolfgang had demoted the vampire in the first place.


    Ansuya spent the rest of the night by herself. Alexander kept himself shut inside his office. He hadn¡¯t demanded anything from her and she wasn¡¯t willing to offer anything. She ate again and did some light exercises. She was careful to be ready for him if he immerged from his office suddenly. She didn¡¯t want to tip her hand that she was actively working out and getting back in shape. She ate another small meal in the early morning, as she had done the past few days. As the sun began to rise, she went to her bedroom, locked the door, and slept.


    She woke in the late afternoon. She silently berated herself for over sleeping. She quickly went to the bathroom and performed her hygiene routine. Then she worked out again. Her dance forms were coming to her easier now and she felt stronger when she did her pushups and sit-ups. She ate again, this time making a little more food. She ate slowly and carefully as she had done but she ate a little more. She pushed herself to feeling comfortably full. Then she cleaned the kitchen and took a shower. By the time she got out of the shower the sun had set.

 Book 5 Chapter 10e

    She got dressed and looked for her host. He wasn¡¯t in his office, nor was he in the sitting room. She carefully checked every part of the apartment; Alexander was nowhere to be found. Ansuya relaxed a bit. She still had no real way to get out into the city and communicate with anyone. She could only wait for Alexander to get back; hopefully he would have some good news. She did silently wish that whatever happened with her, Jason had gotten word back to the Mountain about her being alive at least.


    It was early morning before Alexander exploded through the front door.


    It startled her. She was sitting at the table studying a map of Los Angeles. She looked up as Alexander came around the corner, beaming. He held a piece of paper in his hands. Ansuya looked down at the sheet and arched an eyebrow.


    Alexander slammed the piece of paper down on the kitchen table. Ansuya looked at it and saw an address. She quickly traced the map in front of her with her eyes and found the section of the cities suburbs where the address was. She looked up at him expectantly.


    Alexander smiled down at her, ¡°He¡¯s there.¡±


    She looked down at the address again. If that was his house she would be able to tell when she was inside it if it was where he had held her. She looked up at Alexander. ¡°Ok, baby, we have to be smart about this. What do you think we should do? We can wait till tonight.¡± She looked up at him through her long eyelashes as she spoke.


    Alexander looked down at her and nodded. ¡°We should wait till tonight, it¡¯s getting late now. I¡¯m going to have to sleep soon.¡± He looked at the draped windows.


    ¡°You¡¯re right baby, you¡¯re right,¡± Ansuya said lightly. ¡°How should we go about doing this? I mean we can¡¯t just walk into his house and kill him, can we?¡±


    Alexander lifted her up from the table and kissed her, openmouthed. Ansuya forced herself to melt into the kiss. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that, babe. I have everything under control, don¡¯t worry. I still have a few friends in House Brandt and there are a lot of people who want to see Kenneth dead. It¡¯ll be alright, you¡¯ll see.¡± With that Alexander picked her up and started carrying her to his bedroom.


    Ansuya knew instantly what he was planning on doing. ¡°Alexander,¡± she commanded softly, ¡°put me down.¡± Her voice was edged with steel. The vampire hesitated but put her down where he stood. Ansuya pushed more pheromones out toward him, bathing him in her scents. ¡°Go to the bedroom, baby. I¡¯ll be right behind you; I have a surprise for you.¡± Alexander smiled and walked happily to his bedroom.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Ansuya waited till he was in the bedroom. She had to stall for time just a little. She put on a corset that he had bought for her and high heels. She slipped a mini skirt on and walked slowly toward the bedroom. The soft clicking of her heels on the floor would have been heard by the vampire.


    She entered the bedroom. Alexander was lying half naked on the bed, with a blissful look on his face. His eyes were only half open but she knew that he was aware of her presence in the room. The constant lacing of the condo with her pheromones had given her a distinct advantage. She walked towards him.


    She beckoned him to roll toward her. He clumsily repositioned himself as he was being overcome with the biochemicals in the room. She continued to bathe him in pheromones and started to slowly massage his temples. She whispered to him as she had done twice previously. The raw sexual memories that she created in his mind were undeniably pleasurable. The vampire soon succumbed to her touch and her words and he was once again dead as the sun rose unseen from the darkened apartment. She dropped the vampires head and kicked off her heels as she strode from the room.


    She grabbed the address from the kitchen table and when into the office and did a Google Earth search for it. She zoomed in closely on the house and studied its perimeter layout.


    There was a circle drive out in front. A small shed looking structure which could be a guard shack. The image did show a person walking in the lawn; since the picture was day time, she could only suppose that that was one of the guards, which meant that there would be more of them. There would have to be at least three or four, otherwise why have a camera in the basement that was constantly monitoring her? That many people would be needed just to monitor the cameras. And from what she could remember from the hijacked dream world she knew that Kenneth liked to live a bit lavishly, if the bar was any indication.


    To attack the front of the house would be suicide. The large drive circle out front made a large open field where guards could fire on insurgents with clear lines of sight for a very long time and distance. Even in her werewolf form she wasn¡¯t sure she could survive that kind of barrage.


    She studied the compound as best she could. The image wasn¡¯t very clear at this magnification. The back yard looked promising, but she would be a fool to think that Kenneth hadn¡¯t covered that side as well. He may have manned guard shacks back there as well. Over hanging foliage from trees covered a good portion of the yard.


    There was a wall surrounding the place. That wasn¡¯t unexpected. It was probably about ten feet high. She couldn¡¯t tell but she was sure that it didn¡¯t have barb wire on it. It was in a city suburb. Only Police facilities and other such guarded places would have barb wire fencing. Kenneth had to play by the rules of decorum. And that might be her way in. The wall was easily scalable in werewolf form and once she convinced Alexander to be the macho alpha male that he saw himself as, he would be more than ready to charge the front gate, leaving the side path open for her to get into Kenneth¡¯s house. There were things in that office of Kenneth¡¯s that he had been desperate to conceal from her and she wanted to know what those secrets were.

 Book 5 Chapter 10f

    She smiled to herself. Alexander was becoming more pliable to her will by the hour, it seemed, and now she was close to finishing her mission and finding out just what her captor had to hide from the rest of the world. Her year of captivity would finally prove fruitful tonight.


    She woke up suddenly in the late afternoon. She cleaned herself and ate a nice sized meal. Her body was acclimating well to solid food and she had had only a few problems, but none of them lingered. She suspected that she was through the worst of it.


    She woke up Alexander with a mug of warm blood as she had done the night before. She took him to the kitchen and showed him her plans on a blown up picture of Kenneth¡¯s compound that she had taken the liberty of printing that morning.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know baby, there will probably be a lot of guards in that thingy over there,¡± she said, swallowing her intelligence to lead Alexander. ¡°Maybe a big strong man could go through those gates though, because there are those walls all over the place.¡±


    Alexander took her bait nodding in agreement, ¡°I could go through the front gate with my friends, we could take out that building there,¡± he said pointing at the front yard guard shack, ¡°Then I could storm the front doors there,¡± he said pointing to the front of the house. He stood up nodding to himself, ¡°Don¡¯t worry baby I¡¯ll make it through and Kenneth is as good as dead.¡±


    Ansuya smiled up at him, as much as for the false show of support, and for her contempt at just how stupid and ¡°bullet proof¡± Alexander though he was. ¡°Oh, baby you¡¯ll see. When you kill Kenneth, everything will be alright and Wolfgang will have no choice but to promote you and give you back your warehouse, maybe even give you more duties and responsibilities.¡± She hugged him around his waist, ¡°Pretty soon I¡¯m going to be the mistress of a vampire Head of House,¡± she said swallowing the bile that was rising in her throat.


    Alexander returned the hug, but bent down and kissed her passionately which Ansuya forced herself to accept and return. ¡°We need to go babe; my friends will be waiting.¡±


    This wasn¡¯t unexpected but the unceremoniousness of it was a little jarring. ¡°Baby, how much do you trust these friends of yours? How much about me have you told them?¡±


    Alexander stopped and looked back at her, ¡°They know that you¡¯re a werewolf,¡± he said taking a step towards her and grabbing her around the waist, ¡°and that you¡¯re mine.¡± He then kissed her roughly, shoving his tongue deep into her mouth. Easing off a little he said, ¡°That¡¯s all they need to know. And yes, I trust them.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    Ansuya was not terribly impressed with his confidence. She would have to watch these friends of his carefully. Her capture as a secret was advantageous to Kenneth. For Alexander it would be as well. But his friends might see opportunity there, opportunity that she planned to deny them. She was strong enough to shift again and therefore strong enough to defend herself. If Alexander was blind to his friend¡¯s ambitions, then she would have to kill a few vampires in the near future.


    She grabbed a set of clothes and shoved it in a small bag and hurried after Alexander as he held the door open for her.


    She got into the car that Alexander unlocked and buckled her seatbelt. The vampire tore off through the parking garage and roared out into the night streets of L.A. The two of them eventually pulled up into another parking garage. This one was a standalone though, not connected to any office or apartment complex. Yellow florescent lights gave a faded light as it shown down through dirty transparent coverings. The garage was multi leveled with heavy unfinished concrete barriers and fencing between the levels. There were multicolored graffiti and street tags all over the place. By the looks of it you¡¯d think you were in gang territory, but she knew that this was actually a fairly upscale part of outer Los Angeles. Alexander parked on the roof level and Ansuya exited the car.


    Facing them was two other cars on the roof with them an upscale luxury car, and a high horse power muscle car. There were two other people on the roof with them, one female and one male. They both looked a bit like Alexander, very muscular and strong, physically. Since they answered his call though, neither one of them could be very strong on the intelligence side of things.


    Alexander walked up and grabbed Ansuya by the waist and held her tightly to him. ¡°All right, listen up;¡± he barked at them, ¡°We¡¯re going to do this hard and fast.¡± The two vampires were listening to him intently. It was all Ansuya could do not to shake her head and roll her eyes. ¡°We¡¯re going to hit Kenneth¡¯s compound through the front gate. Me and Hagen will go through the front gate. Hanna,¡± he said nodding to the brown haired woman leaning against the muscle car, ¡°You will keep an eye on Ansuya, keep her safe.¡± He said this while hoisting her in the air a few inches, demonstrating ownership. Ansuya smiled up at the man, but in her mind she was ripping his throat out.


    Alexander continued, ¡°Once we get inside, Kenneth is mine, do you hear me? He¡¯s mine!¡± Both of the two vampires nodded solemnly. Even if they weren¡¯t the brightest in the bunch they knew that this was Alexander¡¯s one chance to get back in Wolfgang¡¯s good graces. She had to admire their loyalty, if nothing else.


    ¡°Ansuya,¡± he said looking down at her, ¡°I want you to go with Hanna.¡±


    ¡°But baby I want to be with¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t argue with me!¡± Alexander interrupted her mid sentence. ¡°You will do as I say and you will go with Hanna.¡± He gently shoved Ansuya towards Hanna. He looked at Hanna again. ¡°You¡¯ll take Ansuya and circle around to the back of Kenneth¡¯s compound. Once the shooting stops you can follow us. That way we have both exits covered.¡±

 Book 5 Chapter 10g

    Ansuya stopped a smile from creasing her lips. Although the tactics of covering the exits was sound, leaving her alone with a lone vampire was not. Alexander¡¯s confidence was amazing. Did he really think that entering someone like Kenneth¡¯s compound would be as easy as he was making it seem? Then again, she knew Kenneth for what he was, and he left nothing to chance.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get moving people, we have bloody work to do,¡± he said with a wicked smile. The other two vampires returned the smile with smiles of their own and quickly got back into their cars. Ansuya got into the passenger side of Hanna¡¯s muscle car. The woman jammed her foot down on the gas pedal. The tires screamed as smoke immediately bellowed out around the car and the car lurched forward as it dove down the exit ramp.


    The trip to Kenneth¡¯s compound was a silent one. After the theatrics at the parking garage, Hanna controlled her vehicle with restraint. It wasn¡¯t long before Ansuya started to recognize some of the street names. They were getting close.


    From the GPS on the dashboard of Hanna¡¯s vehicle they had about 2 miles left to go before the woman suddenly turned the vehicle off into a side road. The car coasted for a dozen feet with the headlights off before the blue-eyed woman turned to her.


    ¡°What are you planning, dog?¡± There was hatred in her eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m not planning anything,¡± Ansuya said a bit flustered. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean?¡± A hand slapped the right side of her face.


    ¡°Don¡¯t play games with me, dog,¡± Hanna sneered. ¡°Alexander would never just decide to go after someone like Kenneth. What did you do to him? Why does he care about you so much?¡±


    ¡°I¡­I don¡¯t know what you mean,¡± Ansuya said with wide eyes and feigned terror. ¡°I care about Alexander. I want to see him succeed and show Wolfgang that he deserves better than what he got.¡±


    The blue-eyed woman squinted at her and gave her a long sideways glance. ¡°I don¡¯t trust you. If you try anything tonight to get him or any of us killed or hurt you won¡¯t be breathing long enough to enjoy any of it. Do you understand me, dog?!¡± Ansuya nodded slowly. Hanna nodded and pulled the car back out of the alley way and continued to their destination.


    The three cars met two blocks away from Kenneth¡¯s house. The cars circled each other, Alexander made some hand motions and Hanna drove away. Ansuya wasn¡¯t sure what she was feeling. There was an eagerness to get to Kenneth¡¯s compound. But the site of her torture was something that she wanted to see burn to the ground. This would not be a happy return for her.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    She glanced at Hanna as the woman drove, her focus completely locked on the street in front of her. Then Ansuya saw the walls surrounding the compound. She saw the multi-level house top rise above the wall and the trees surrounding it. She recognized the look of the windows that would match the French double doors in the back of the house. Hanna pulled the car past the house and then followed side streets to reach the back side of Kenneth¡¯s compound. She stopped in a back drive way of the nearest house from Kenneth¡¯s, a few hundred yards distant.


    Ansuya waited. Hanna got out of the car and was sitting on the hood acting like she was looking at the stars. Ansuya could tell from her tense shoulder muscles that she was nervous. She had more brains than Alexander did, that was for sure. Ansuya could read in her body language that she knew things would not be as easy for the two men as Alexander had alluded to, and yet she stayed where she was told to.


    The sound of gunfire exploded suddenly. The sound of automatic weapons rang out through the still night, shattering the serenity of the darkness. From her vantage point Ansuya could see small eruptions of red and orange as the muzzle fire from automatic weapons lit up the night. A loud crash and splintering metal and wood rang against her ears. Hanna was sitting bolt upright as the crash was added to the sound of gunfire.


    Alexander has breached the front gate, Ansuya thought. Hanna was standing next to her car. There wasn¡¯t much time for her to act. She silently opened the passenger side door. The door swung open with a small whine that was left unheard amidst the distant screams and gunfire still sounding off against the night.


    Ansuya crept around the car. Hanna¡¯s full attention was on the unseen gunfight happening just on the other side of the wall. Ansuya was beginning to pick up the smell of blood mixed with gun powder. If she could smell it than Hanna could. Ansuya said a silent prayer to Shiva and shifted.


    There was a bright blinding light and pain in every fiber of her body. Every muscle stretched and tweaked back in on themselves. Ansuya gasped at the sudden unexpected pain. That gasp caused Hanna to turn around. The vampire was standing face to face with an over six- and half-foot tall werewolf staring her in the face.


    The vampire immediately threw a blinding punch to her snout, which Ansuya easily blocked. The transformation had been painful, but now that she was once again in her werewolf form she was fully functional and ready.


    Ansuya blocked everything the vampire could throw at her with ease. She suddenly grabbed one of the vampire¡¯s fists and jammed it back on its wrist, breaking every bone in that hand. Ansuya swept Hanna¡¯s legs out from under her but held her up by the hand she had just broken. She looked into the vampire¡¯s blue eyes. They held hate and a despair that she had failed. Ansuya felt no pity for the parasite, she had received none. She grabbed Hanna¡¯s head and before the vampire could call out, slammed her face down through the concrete of the driveway, crushing her skull like an egg.


    Not wasting any time Ansuya, grabbed her small bag from inside the car and then ran on all fours from the murder scene and scaled Kenneth¡¯s wall. Ansuya landed with an expertly timed shoulder roll. As she popped up out of the roll she seamlessly shifted back to her human form.

 Book 5 Chapter 10h

    The fire fight out front was still going on. She hoped that Alexander and Hagen could stall Kenneth¡¯s guards for a few more minutes. She opened the bag and quickly redressed herself. The clothes that Alexander had bought had not been treated by a Sage. When she had shifted, the clothes she had been wearing were ripped to shreds.


    Once done, she hurried to the side of the house. No one had seen her yet and gunfire was still heard from the front, it hadn¡¯t lessoned in any way since they began firing. That was good. Ansuya edged her way along the house to the back French double doors and tried the handle. The door was locked. She plowed her elbow through the glass, reached through, and unlocked the door.


    She found herself in a very well-remembered setting. The house was strangely empty. The gunfire could still be heard, but it was muted. Ansuya rushed through the hallway into Kenneth¡¯s office.


    She hurried behind the desk and felt for the locked drawer. She found it. Using a letter opener she jimmied the lock, not being delicate or subtle, and forced the drawer open. She pulled out his two log books and two stacks of receipts and invoices. She shoved the invoices aside and opened both books.


    She looked at both books, the entries were similar, same dates, times, and locations. But one showed a lot higher values in the money column. She studied the two books. Kenneth would only be doing this to hide something. The question was what, or maybe who? Could Kenneth be trying to hide his operations from his Head of House, Alessandro himself? Ansuya knew that Kenneth was ambitious. Was Kenneth strong enough to go after House Dukart?


    ¡°Looking for something?¡±


    Ansuya had been so engrossed in comparing the two books, she hadn¡¯t noticed the figure materialize in the doorway. Ansuya looked up to see a thin, attractive, blue-eyed, black-haired woman standing in the doorway. Ansuya recognized her immediately.


    ¡°Hello, Natalia,¡± she replied calmly, returning her gaze to the books on the desk. Ansuya had been pushing her pheromones since she stepped into the room. Now that she had a target and a subject she refined those biochemicals to attack what she knew of Natalia specifically.


    The woman took a step into the office, looking at the books and papers strewn about Kenneth¡¯s desk. ¡°I had a feeling that when Kenneth shipped you out of here it wouldn¡¯t be the last that I would see of you. But I never expected to see you this soon, and back here in the place of your long incarceration.¡± She smiled wickedly at the Shape shifter behind the desk, ¡°Do you miss our hospitality or is it the drug that you need?¡±


    ¡°Neither,¡± replied Ansuya absently. Natalia¡¯s steps faltered just enough to be detected out of Ansuya¡¯s periphery. ¡°What do you want, Natalia?¡± Ansuya asked, not taking her eyes from the documents in front of her.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    ¡°I want you to stop what you¡¯re doing and look at me, dog!¡± Natalia¡¯s voice cracked on the last word.


    Ansuya placed her hands on the desk and raised herself from her seated position. She slowly raised her eyes to meet those of the vampire in front of her. ¡°You will never call me ¡®dog¡¯ again, Natalia. Am I understood?¡±


    The vampire faltered and her eyes wildly looked in all directions. She didn¡¯t know what was happening and was suddenly very off balance. ¡°How dare you speak to me like that? I should kill you where you¡­¡±


    ¡°Stand?¡± asked Ansuya calmly. ¡°Yes, an excellent idea. Stand right where you are, Natalia and don¡¯t move a muscle.¡± The vampire looked ill as her body responded to Ansuya¡¯s commands. Natalia¡¯s eyes rolled back and forth showing the whites around her irises. ¡°Stop looking like that, Natalia. You look like a panic-stricken horse.¡± Natalia¡¯s eyes stopped moving and looked forward without another movement.


    Ansuya walked toward the immobile vampire. Holding her gaze with her eyes she said in a calm, deep, voice, ¡°You will answer my questions, Natalia and you won¡¯t try to withhold any information from me.¡± She whispered into the other woman¡¯s ear, ¡°You want to help me, don¡¯t you?¡± The vampire slowly nodded her head.


    Ansuya had been bathing the woman in pheromones since she had appeared in the doorway. But Natalia had been down in the basement cells with her many times before now. The subtle chemicals that Ansuya had been able to push out from her weakened, imprisoned state had primed the susceptible vampire perfectly.


    ¡°Where is Kenneth?¡± Ansuya asked looking the vampire in the eyes once more.


    ¡°He isn¡¯t here, Ansuya,¡± Natalia replied in a dreamy voice.


    Ansuya stepped closer to the enraptured woman, ¡°Don¡¯t try to hide anything from me, Natalia. Where is Kenneth?¡± she asked with a bit more steel in her voice.


    ¡°He isn¡¯t here,¡± Natalia replied again with a pained look on her face.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know where he is, do you?¡± Natalia shook her head slowly. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t he tell you where he was going?¡± Ansuya asked already knowing the answer.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t trust anyone, not even his mate,¡± she said with a single unshed tear collecting in her eye.


    This was not lost on Ansuya, ¡°He has hurt you, hasn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°It was for my own good,¡± Natalia replied quickly. ¡°He only does it when I deserve to be punished.¡±


    Ansuya immediately felt sorry for the girl. Under her influence Natalia could not lie, she really did believe that Kenneth¡¯s abuse was a necessary lesson.


    The gunfire outside was becoming more sporadic, she was running out of time. ¡°Natalia, what is Kenneth planning? Why are their two bank books here?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s hiding things from Alessandro, where he gets his money and how much.¡±


    There had to be more than that. Ansuya glanced toward the front doors of the house, ¡°What is he planning, Natalia?¡±


    The vampire stood there perfectly still. Her eyes were locked onto Ansuya but she didn¡¯t say anything. Ansuya pushed more pheromones out towards her. There was a small shift in her stance. ¡°He wants¡­ House, Dukart,¡± Natalia replied haltingly.


    ¡°Where might Kenneth be, Natalia,¡± Ansuya asked soothingly.


    ¡°He might be at one of his clubs, or a farm. He may be at the Zoo,¡± Natalia replied. Her eye lids were hanging halfway closed. Her body was swaying gently and minutely back and forth. Natalia had no will left to contest the Shape Shifter. She stood where she had been told to stand.


    A last gunshot was heard outside, and then silence met Ansuya¡¯s ears. She had run out of time. She grabbed the vampire by the shoulders, ¡°Where is this Zoo, Natalia? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Kenneth never told me.¡±


    Ansuya knew that she had scant seconds before the front door would open, ¡°What is the Zoo?¡±

 Book 5 Chapter 10i

    ¡°He trains wolves there,¡± Natalia replied dreamily.


    Ansuya heard a footstep outside the door. Her time was up. She left the vampire standing there and ran down the hall. She opened the French double doors just as the front door was opening. There were a few shouts and a few gunshots rang out. Ansuya threw the door closed behind her and dove to the side of the house. She didn¡¯t have to guess who had won the firefight.


    Ripping her clothes off of her body, she ran towards the side wall that she had scaled to get in. Gripping her clothes in a wad in her fist, she shifted forms. In werewolf form she easily cleared the ten foot high wall. She ran on all fours to the car.


    She shifted forms again and threw open the door to the car. Turning the keys in the ignition, she peeled out of the driveway and shot off down the street away from Kenneth¡¯s house, leaving the dead body of the vampire behind.


    She turned into a side street and immediately slowed down. She was out of sight of Kenneth¡¯s house and she hadn¡¯t seen anybody following her. Pulling the car to a stop, she slipped her clothes back on. Grabbing the GPS from the dashboard she redirected it to give her directions back to the origin of the last trip. From the parking garage she would be able to back track further to Alexander¡¯s house.


    She calmly drove back to the garage where the four of them had met. She drove the car up to the roof level and coasted the vehicle to a stop. Alexander and Hagen both stood looking at her. She quickly got out of the car and stood there looking at both of them, the unasked question written plainly on each of their faces.


    ¡°Where is Hanna?¡± Hagen asked slowly.


    She lowered her head and looked down at her feet. ¡°We¡­we were caught at the back gate by some men with guns,¡± Ansuya began in a weak voice. ¡°Hanna wanted to help you and she tried to storm through the back. I tried to help her but she told me to stay in the car. She¡­¡± Ansuya looked at Alexander and fell silent. Letting the two men fill in their own details with their imagination.


    Hagen took a step towards her, ¡°And you left her there to die? You left her?¡± There was anger in his voice and a very real threat in his stance. Ansuya watched his movements carefully. If he was going to attack, his legs would be the tell that would allow her to defend herself.


    Alexander reached out and held his compatriot with an arm, ¡°It wasn¡¯t her fault. You want someone¡­¡±


    ¡°How do you know?!¡± Hagen yelled back suddenly very hostile. He grabbed Alexander¡¯s arm and threw it away from him. ¡°Were you there? How do we know this canine bitch didn¡¯t kill her and steal her car? How do we know anything about this woman? She¡¯s a shit eating dog, man! Have you forgotten that?!¡±Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Alexander seemed very calm. He took a half step back from his friend. Hagen looked like he was going to say something else. Alexander¡¯s fist flew and landed squarely on Hagen¡¯s jaw, sending the vampire careening to the floor.


    ¡°Is there anything else you want to say to me, Hagen?¡±


    Hagen swiped his mouth with the back of his hand as he pushed himself off the ground. ¡°Is this how you want it, Alex? There ain¡¯t no going back after this.¡±


    Alexander stood very still, ¡°I want Kenneth dead! He has a lot to answer for and now for Hanna¡¯s death as well. I need your help, Hagen.¡± He crossed his arms in front of his chest, ¡°But I¡¯m not going to beg, and I¡¯m not going to worry about if you¡¯re going to follow my lead. Either you¡¯re with me, or against me. Just like it¡¯s always been with us.¡±


    Hagen stood there, blood trickling from his split lip, looking at Alexander and then at Ansuya. He held the gaze of the Shape shifter for long moments. He looked back at his friend, ¡°I don¡¯t like having her around, Alex,¡± he said motioning to Ansuya, ¡°I¡¯m with you, but she will never be at my back, you hear me, man?¡±


    Alexander took a step towards the blond-haired man, leaning towards him with a shoulder, ¡°She¡¯ll be wherever I put her, you got that?¡±


    Hagen looked up at his friend. He didn¡¯t move. Ansuya thought that he would walk away. Instead, his shoulders slumped just a touch and he lowered his eyes, ¡°Yeah man, whatever you want. I get it.¡± He let himself fall back against the hood of his car and sat down.


    Alexander looked at both of the other two, ¡°There¡¯s no point in us standing around here arguing with each other,¡± he looked up at the night sky, ¡°It¡¯ll be daylight in a few hours. Hagen just go home and I¡¯ll figure out something,¡± Alexander said running his hands through his hair shaking his head. ¡°I¡¯ll get a hold of you tomorrow night.¡± He caught the other man¡¯s eye, ¡°This isn¡¯t over, not by a long shot.¡±


    The drive back to Alexander¡¯s apartment was quiet. Ansuya didn¡¯t want to push Hagen any more than he had been and he was going to take care of the late vampire¡¯s car.


    Ansuya didn¡¯t really care one way or another. The car was unimportant. What was important was her figuring out just what Natalia had meant. She was certain that the Zoo was not any conventional zoo. But she had said it was where Kenneth trained the wolves. What in the name of the Gods did she mean by that? You can¡¯t train wolves. It¡¯s a proven fact.


    But for the moment she would have to take Natalia¡¯s word that Kenneth was at least holding wolves. And if that was the case then the Zoo would have to be a fairly sizable place. He wouldn¡¯t be able to stuff wolves into pens like where he had kept her. But then again, he was just the type of man to give only what was required for life. If that was the case, depending on how many wolves he was keeping the place could be any size, with no consideration for habitable living space.


    For a moment she thought about asking Alexander about it. Natalia hadn¡¯t even known and she was Kenneth¡¯s mate. If Kenneth didn¡¯t trust his mate, then why would he trust anyone else with something that was obviously very important to him? No, Alexander would be less than useless in the search for the Zoo. This trip had been almost a complete waste, almost.

 Book 5 Chapter 11a

    Kenneth sat down in the feeding pen of the first holding cell in the Zoo. The newly captured wolf trotted up and down the fence, sniffing and pawing at the concrete ground. It was a male who was covered in mostly brown and tan wolf with intent golden eyes.


    When Brian and his team had brought back the six new wolves he had complained. ¡°You never told us we would have to go to Idaho to find these guys. Do you know what is up in Idaho, Kenneth? Nothing! absolutely nothing, but mountains and potatoes!¡±


    ¡°Brian, I told you what you would have to do. Look at it like it was a vacation.¡± Kenneth had replied easily.


    ¡°Yeah, a vacation with no city night life, no women, and no decent city blood at all!¡±


    Brian had never been an outdoors type person. Even now after sixty one years of life, he still hadn¡¯t found an appreciation for other ways of living outside of urban areas. The wolves and the dogs were out there in the wilderness. Vampires would have to become just as familiar with it as the wolves themselves if they were to completely eradicate them.


    Kenneth tossed a piece of meat into the enclosure and watched the wolf trot up and down the fence line. He had come to learn the hard way that wolves were not food driven the way other animals were. Wolves were impossible to train by any standard means. They did as they wished. In that respect Kenneth found a grudging respect for the animals. But now he had the power to yoke them to his will. Soon this wolf would be just like the three that were sitting quietly together in the far enclosure, completely obedient, with no will of their own except that to obey his commands.


    The animal would eventually come to get the meat; it was only a matter of time. Kenneth watched the wolf distress itself finding that it couldn¡¯t dig through the concrete. There were some objects in the enclosures, carpet, a few tires, that sort of thing. This animal wanted out and it was working itself up trying to dig at unyielding concrete, whining pitifully.


    Kenneth sighed at the futility of the struggling animal. He got up, grabbed his chair, and exited the feeding pen. He closed the door and locked it. He walked to another enclosure and nodded to Tony as he did so. Tony took a few steps toward the whining wolf and shot it with a tranquilizer dart. The animal yelped suddenly and very quickly became lethargic. Soon the animal was sleeping soundly, with its muzzle pressed up against the fence.


    Kenneth walked through the enclosures. He chose one with a relatively calm wolf sitting in the center of it. He placed the chair inside the feed pen and sat down.


    He tossed a piece of red meat into the enclosure and the wolf raised its muzzle, looking quizzically at the piece of raw meat. It took a hesitant step toward the food, sniffing deeply the air of the place. It made its way over to the meat and sniffed it.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    Kenneth had seen the wolves act this way a hundred times. They never really trusted the place; he guessed because it didn¡¯t smell like outside. The wolf would eventually eat the meat. It would just take some time. Time that he really didn¡¯t want to spend here with the furry beasts, but such was his lot in life.


    He watched the wolf snip at the food, in a quick jab of its jaw and teeth. He focused his eyes on the beast as it ate. The wolf¡¯s sharp golden eyes were watching his every move. Kenneth held the wolf¡¯s gaze. He saw into the golden coloring.


    The wolf slowed down its movements. Its food left forgotten on the floor. Its head rose up and seemed to move closer towards the vampire.


    Kenneth pushed past the gold of its eyes into the deep parts of the wolf. The darkness that shrouded the thoughts and soul of the beast was infinitely black and foreboding. The dark void of its consciousness was spacious and frightening. His mind wanted to reel back from the hostile place.


    It was a reflex, he knew. His mind had not yet become accustomed to the purely wild untrainable nature and will of these animals. This was the forth wolf he will have chained to his will. It was much like the previous three, but unique as well. It made this game very fulfilling, but also dangerous.


    He was only aware of the wolf¡¯s mind in all its complexities now, the Zoo and even his own body was far away and ignored. His will was past the spacious void of the consciousness and was now pushing through into the subconscious and memory.


    The images and sensations of memory were thick and vivid. He could reach out and touch the images and smell what the wolf knew very well. The taste of blood after the kill was thick in his throat. He could smell each individual tree in the forest where it had grown up. The feel of warm fur during the winter was something he could feel along his bodiless will. The life these creatures led were rich ones.


    This is what made this practice so dangerous. He somehow knew that he could lose himself in these memories and feelings. The same way he had hoped to entrap Ansuya in his dream world. The wolf wasn¡¯t aware enough about what was happening to fight back. The past experiences were so vivid and rich that the wolf might easily try to attack him with them. He wasn¡¯t sure that he could repulse that kind of attack.


    He made a final push past the memories into a warm, burnt orange, glowing place. It was just as infinite as the rest of the mind of the wolf but here was more intimate. There was a glow that seemed to come from everywhere at once. But when he focused his will on any given point the source of light was nowhere to be found. The place was warm and safe. The soul of the animal was here and not here. The animal was his as he occupied this space.


    He forced his will to enlarge. He pushed outward with is mind, growing his influence and taking up more and more of the warm space. As he did so, the soft orange light gave way to the rising shadow of his will. Like a Solar eclipse he dimmed the space with his presence. All too soon his shadow had dimmed every scrap of the warm burnt orange color of the wolf¡¯s soul. He pushed out even more, to ensure that every bit of the light was shrouded. He pulled his will back, leaving the soul a grey, cold version of what it once was.

 Book 5 Chapter 11b

    When his will had pulled completely out of the wolf, the animal was sitting very obediently waiting for his command. Its eyes were dull, with none of the sharpness that it once had, but there was still a fierceness there that he had used before and would use again.


    ¡°Eat, dog,¡± he commanded sternly.


    The wolf dipped its head down and ate quickly. Kenneth smiled and left the pen.


    A sudden wave of weariness passed through him and he had to grab the enclosure exit to keep himself from falling. It had been like this after he had enthralled the other three as well.


    The animals had a strong will, much stronger than any human he had ever encountered, and some vampires as well. The act of pushing through the stages of the wolf¡¯s mind and then deeper into the heart and soul of the beast was always taxing. He needed to feed and even then, it would take a day or two before he fully recovered.


    Alessandro hadn¡¯t called him to his Tower in the city. There hadn¡¯t been any reports of any other vampire structures or hub being blown up. Maybe he had dodged Alessandro¡¯s possible scrutiny.


    He would be a fool if he believed that. Alessandro hadn¡¯t survived over three hundred years by not catching plots, or even supposed plots, against him and being able to counter them. Perhaps politics would be enough to earn him the right over his old Master. He needed the werewolves destroyed. It was the fastest, best possible way to ensure the support of the other Houses.


    He looked around the Zoo and nodded. He now had four wolves as his thralls and three more candidates as well. He would come back tomorrow or the next night to add to his army.


    ¡°What in the Hell Happened?!¡± Kenneth asked a guardsman as he stepped from his car into the front of his house.


    Michael had been forced to park outside the house as a massive police line had been drawn around the smashed gate of his compound. The flashing blue and red lights everywhere was the last thing he expected to see when he drove back from the Zoo.


    ¡°Sir, we were attacked by two unknown assailants and a third from the rear entrance,¡± the guardsman said quickly. ¡°They drove their car through the gate and attacked us with automatic weapons. We were able to hold the gate and repel their attack, Sir!¡±


    Kenneth leaned in very close to the guardsman, ¡°Why are all these police officers here, then?¡± he hissed.


    ¡°Sir, they showed up without our request,¡± the guardsman was looking very uncomfortable as he reported this to Kenneth. ¡°We barely had time to¡­shroud our things¡­before they got out of their vehicles and started combing the place. We asked them what they were doing and who had called, they said it was ¡®an anonymous call¡¯ and now that gun fire has been confirmed it falls within their jurisdiction. Peters confirmed that, of course, and so we had no choice, Sir.¡±If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Kenneth looked calmly over the damage that had been done to his compound. The gate was completely wrecked and would need to be replaced. Through the police lights he could see into his yard and saw that the landscaping was in fact torn up to hell. It would cost a decent amount of money to replant all his landscaping and to repair all the damages done. He glared silently at the gate. Who in their right mind would attack a vampire compound? He would hunt who was responsible for this. Whether it was a rival, or just fools wanting to make a name for themselves, he would teach them what it meant to anger a vampire and why no one dared to do it.


    He pushed past the police tape and got a hand on his chest from a blue uniformed woman. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, no one is allowed in.¡±


    He rolled his eyes at the woman, ¡°I live here!¡±


    She looked at him, ¡°You got any ID?¡±


    Kenneth dropped his shoulders and cocked his head to the side, silently saying, are you really pulling this crap with me, right now? He slowly pulled his money clip from his pocket. He pulled out his ID card and showed it to the woman.


    She looked carefully at the card then back at Kenneth. She read the card and turned around to look back at the house. She then turned back to face Kenneth and gave him back his ID. ¡°Thank you, Sir. We have already done a walkthrough of your house and it¡¯s safe to go inside. We will knock on the door if we need anything.¡±


    Kenneth took back his ID, shoved it into his pocket, and stalked toward his front door.


    He opened the front door calmly and walked in, gently closing the door behind him. He found Natalia standing in the foyer waiting for him. He stalked towards her, ¡°WHAT the HELL happened here tonight, Natalia?¡± His eyes bore into hers.


    She didn¡¯t shy away from the glance, ¡°I¡­I don¡¯t know, baby.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, ¡®you don¡¯t know¡¯?¡± Kenneth asked.


    ¡°I heard gunfire outside; I was on my way to help when¡­¡±


    ¡°When what?¡± asked Kenneth sharply.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­I¡­I can¡¯t remember. All I know is that I was on my way from the stairs to the front of the house. Then all I can remember is being found by Ty standing in the hallway.¡± She looked away from Kenneth then, ¡°I tried to remember what happened, but I can¡¯t.¡±


    Kenneth leaned towards her and inhaled deeply. He gripped her chin and forced her eyes upwards to meet his. There were no words spoken between them. Kenneth pushed past her consciousness, as he had done with the wolf earlier. He searched her recent memories. It was exactly had she had said. She was on the stairs going toward the front door, then standing in the hallway. There was nothing in between those two moments, no fog, and no haze, there was literally nothing there. But something had to have happened in that time.


    He let go of her and walked into his office. He sat down and leaned on top of the desk. There was something going on, something that he had missed, or not considered yet. Could the attack on his house tonight have anything to do with the other hits that had been carried out against House Himura? Could this have been an inside job from one of Alessandro¡¯s agents? Both were equally possible.


    He pulled his key out and went to unlock his drawer, only to find that the lock had been destroyed and the drawer itself hung ajar.

 Book 5 Chapter 11c

    A deep seeded primal feeling rooted his feet to the ground and blurred his vision. If his heart still beat it would be beating a thousand times a minute. The fear inside him threatened to overthrow all reason.


    It had been one of Alessandro¡¯s. The thought was the only one that made sense, the only one that fit. It would also account for his mate¡¯s complete lack of memory. He may be one of the strongest in his House in Domination, but the skill was one that all of House Dukart shared. His lessons may have weakened his mate, thus making her more susceptible to it? Someone now knew what he had worked tirelessly to keep hidden from Alessandro and they had probably made Natalia help them to understand exactly what it had all meant.


    He hadn¡¯t told her anything of any real consequence, but the woman was his mate and she was smart and resourceful in her own right. Under the influence of Domination, she would have told them everything that they wanted to know.


    He slowly stood up and walked out of the office, past Natalia, and sat in his deep lounge chair. His eyes were glassy and unfocused, looking at his extensive bar and the multicolored bottles displayed there.


    If Alessandro knew what he had been doing, then he only had one option left to him. He had to find the Shape shifters and kill them, kill them all, and gain the favor and support of the other two Houses in the city. That might be the only thing that would save him and keep him alive. But nothing was ready yet.


    He had to force his head to turn, his neck protesting like a rusted hinge, so he could look at the clock. Four thirty, it was too late to go to the lab and prod Trevor again. He had chosen him for his brilliance and his ambition. He could always count on those with ambition to serve themselves first. This project would give him everything that he coveted, to include world renown and prestige. If there was a way Trevor Swaan would not fail.


    He still had to find the Shape shifters, where they lived had eluded him for decades. Now his time was up and the necessity of finding them pressed down on his shoulders, like Atlas¡¯s globe.


    He could see Natalia out of the corner of his eye holding a glass filled with red liquid. He stood up unsteadily and took the glass from her. He drained it quickly. ¡°Get me more, Natalia. I need more.¡± Natalia ran to prepare more of the life preserving blood for him.


    He walked to the bar and grabbed the phone he kept plugged in there. He thumbed through his contacts and pressed down when the right name came up.


    ¡°Yeah?¡± came the short, groggy sleep encrusted response.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    ¡°Mark, have you done nothing?¡± Kenneth asked tightly.


    ¡°Sir?¡± there was rustling and a commotion like moving sheets, and the phone being dropped and quickly picked up again. ¡°Oh shit¡­Sir, I didn¡¯t know this was you¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t apologize you moron, just tell me what you have done about our problem,¡± Kenneth demanded.


    The phone was silent for a few moments, ¡°Sir, we haven¡¯t found anything. I tried to explain the last time you were here; I have limited resources and we have other pressing concerns from the...¡±


    ¡°More pressing concerns?¡± Kenneth hissed. ¡°Now you listen to me, every month we seem to be killing less of those monsters than the month before. You have yet to find where William may have disappeared to. And your only answer to me is, ¡®we have other pressing concerns¡¯!¡±


    ¡°Sir, the LAPD is stretched thin as it is.¡± The voice was a little pinched in consternation, ¡°I have kept this city safe from those monsters as best I can. But you can¡¯t expect me to use one of our very few helicopters every day to search for something that may be thousands of miles away. Los Angeles would never allow that kind of wastage and I¡¯d lose my job.¡±


    Kenneth forced himself to breathe and pause a moment. He was still shaken from what he found in his office and the implications of that. But he couldn¡¯t afford to be seen as irrational or weak to anyone, especially those that were on his payroll.


    ¡°The only¡­ let me say that again so that you will be sure to understand, Mark. The only pressing concern you have is to make yourself worth all that money I pay you. I don¡¯t pay for people¡¯s excuses or failures. You¡¯ve had ample time to do this. Find them Mark, now.¡± He said quietly. He thumbed off his phone and pressed it down on the counter.


    That had been pointless, he knew. There was no way that Mark or anyone else could find where the Shape shifters were. In all the time he had had he hadn¡¯t been able to find them either. He scrubbed his face with his hands.


    Natalia came in shortly thereafter with another glass filled with red liquid. He took it and again drank it down quickly. He shoved the empty glass back at her, ¡°I need more.¡± He walked away from the bar and stood in the center of the room, looking skyward.


    He stood there, waiting. What was he waiting for? Soon, tonight? Tomorrow? Alessandro would either summon him, or come for him himself. He could try to hide, but that would mean banishment and forever looking over his shoulder. The only way back, he knew, was forward.


    Setting his jaw, he went straight to the small refrigerator behind the bar. He grabbed four bags of blood and drank them down, one by one. The blood was cold and disgusting but it was nourishment that he needed. The blood would sustain him and give him strength. He wasn¡¯t just going to sit around and wait to be taken like a lamb to slaughter. He would meet this head on just as he had done with all his trials in life.


    He left the empty bags on the bar top. Natalia came in with another glass filled. He took it and forced himself to gulp it down. He shoved the glass back into her hands and stalked out the front door. He summoned Michael and soon he was being driven back to the Zoo.


    He got out of the car at his destination and looked toward the east. The sky was already beginning to lighten, the sun would rise soon. He was safe, for now. But the sun would not protect him forever. The blood he had drunk was coursing through him, strengthening him for what must be done. Setting his shoulders he hurried inside the Zoo and let the door close noiselessly behind him.

 Book 5 Chapter 11d

    He knew that Tony would be asleep, and that this was not feeding time for the animals. He didn¡¯t care and he could not wait for a more opportune time. He opened the first enclosure and did not halt within the feeding pen. He went directly into the enclosure proper.


    The wolf had time enough to prick his ears and raise its head before Kenneth had the beast by the neck with both his hands. The animal whined and tried to knash its teeth. It kicked out feebly and shook its whole body like a fish on a hook.


    Kenneth muzzled the beast and plopped it down roughly on the hard cement ground. Holding its jaw closed he tried to force his will into the mind of the animal. This was far more difficult than it had been earlier that night. Then, the animal had helped because it was curious about the person sitting in the feeding pen. This animal knew that it was being attacked and fought back with every fiber of its being.


    Kenneth locked eyes with the beast and tried to push past its golden eyes. His will began to push past the golden iris of the wolf¡¯s eyes. Suddenly he was rocked back on his heels as his mind was suddenly and violently assaulted with images and memories and smells, past hunts, far away locations. The sands of a sunny beach and the calm dew covered ground of a lush forest in spring after the big four legged prey had returned. A snow covered mountain and the hunt of a crafty snow fox, as they bounded in zigzag patterns up the steep slope. Kenneth wrenched his mind away, only barely keeping control of the wild, enraged beast in his hands.


    He maintained his grip on the animal and looked at its body and fur a little more closely. The fur pattern was of a silver and brownish grey that ran in broad slashes along the body of the wolf. The muzzle was black with a white outline and neat black fur lines around its eyes. This was not Dutch. Tony had disposed of that animal a few days ago before Brian and his team had brought these animals here. And yet this wolf was able to repel him just as Dutch had done.


    The blood he had drunk had made him strong though, stronger than he had ever been when confronting Dutch. He would have this wolf. If his world came crashing down around him he would not leave without this victory. He had learned to master wolves as their creators and forbearers had done. He would take that secret to the grave if need be, but he would not be thwarted again by another four legged animal!


    Gripping the wolf¡¯s muzzle tighter he again locked eyes with it. He forced his will outward. Again the assault of images and memories assailed him. He tried to ride the smells, the sensations. It was all so beautiful and terrifying and painful. The smell of the tall grass of the windswept plain after the night rain was clean and lush like the earth that produced it. The sweet flood of morning dawn through the rocky terrain of the mountains as he looked down into the shade covered valleys below. A snow capped mountain in the distance, reflecting the beautiful blue white snow and the promise of water and the return of the big prey that the pack hunted for survival. The chill of the stream as it splashed around him as he attacked a doe that had come to drink.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    The smells and memories threatened to overtake him but he reground himself and plowed forward. The smell of the ocean as he ran atop a rocky cliff face had a rich tangy feel that he could almost taste. The feel of soft pine needles silently pressing down into the soft earthen floor of the forest cushioned his deep pads as he stalked a large antlered moose. The taste of warm blood as it spilled into the dirty white snow after he had caught a white, long eared rabbit.


    He could feel the push back from the images, the memories fighting against him. It was a kin to walking against a hurricane but he would not be defeated, not now, not by this thing.


    A snow capped mountain reflecting orange and red against the setting sun and the long shadows growing longer as the sun continued to sink. The frothy waves lapping up the beach hardening the soft sand as his furred paws dug in and his body flew over the land. The scent of the prey just before the kill and the way the blood soaked into his fur and the ground surrounding the carcass.


    He pushed his will against the onslaught. There was no going back. He was weakening, and he was starting to lose himself in the memories. The blood he had drunk had strengthened him but he could only take so much. He forced his will forward into the maelstrom.


    Snow, deep and cold pressed against his underbelly as his powerful forepaws cut through the drifts, chasing movement through the meadow. The mountain jutting up from the surrounding forest as the late snows melted and ran down in long rivulets and rivers feeding the lakes and streams, the rocky paramount of the mountain standing in sharp relief against the crisp blue sky of the late spring morning. Streams of sunlight filtered down at beautiful angles through the forest in the cool morning, providing light and warm.


    He screamed out against the pain and at last threw himself back away from the animal, pushing the muzzle away at the same time.


    Kenneth sat there watching the wolf pick itself up and trot away, all the while keeping its two deep golden eyes on the vampire. It kept itself a good distance from him but also from the fence that stood behind him.


    He in turn picked himself up, growling and hating himself for not being able to push through the onslaught that he had weathered. He wanted to kill something, he wanted that animal and everyone who had ever stood in his way dead!


    He took a deep breath and exited the enclosure. There was nothing to be gained from anger or vengeance. It was a worthless animal that needn¡¯t bother him in the slightest, and yet it did.


    He stalked around the Zoo. Glaring at the captured animals and the walls that now held him against the sunlight that bathed the world outside, he continued to walk restlessly. He was just as trapped in here as the animals that he had had captured. He had to think.

 Book 5 Chapter 11e

    There had to be something he could do. The blood he had drunk earlier was all but gone. If he tried to Dominate another wolf, he would be swallowed by the animal¡¯s memories and he would be lost. That was unacceptable. What had he learned? There was always something to be learned, even in the face of failures.


    There were images from that wolf that he could still recall, more vividly than he ever could with that other wolf, Dutch. There were beaches, forests, the green forests of spring, the deep snow drifts of winter, the hunt for moose and a snow fox. Deep snow drifts that he had plowed through on all four legs, the steep slope of a mountain.


    That solitary rocky mountain that jutted up from the surrounding forests. The majestic snowcapped mountain painted red against the sunset standing alone in the landscape. That image had repeated itself various times throughout the onslaught. Why had he never caught it before?


    It was possible that the extra blood he had drunk had fortified his mind and body so that he could hold on to that which he was being attacked with. The image of a mountain had to be significant in some way. He would have to look into this mountain, find it, and find out why it was so important. Maybe he hadn¡¯t failed at all. Maybe this was the piece of the puzzle that he had been missing the whole time.


    He quickly went into the office and woke up the computer that was in sleep mode. He did a Google search for ¡®solitary snowcapped mountain¡¯. He quickly scrolled down the screen. There was nothing there that matched what he had seen in the wolf¡¯s memories.


    He tried searching for images of ¡®solitary mountain.¡¯ Again, there was nothing that matched the memory images from the wolf. There had to be something. Stupid humans and their retardation, if he wanted to look at morons with ridiculous smiles in front of a sign, he would have searched for that in the first place.


    He sat there looking at the screen. What else could it be? It wasn¡¯t Mt. Fuji and it wasn¡¯t any of these other mountains either. Mt. Fuji was not just a mountain it was a volcano. Unfortunately, ¡®solitary volcano¡¯ only pulled up more of Mt. Fuji and some book written by Ezra Pound, whoever that was.


    Here too, ¡®volcano¡¯ only gave him a bunch of fantasy pics and diagrams of an erupting volcano. He didn¡¯t need to know the science behind how a volcano works, he wasn¡¯t stupid, nor did he need to see some kind of lava tiger growl at him with a lava flow behind it, although as far as pictures go it was pretty cool.


    He got fed up and did a search for ¡®volcanoes in North America.¡¯ He looked at Mount St. Helens, no¡­ Mount Hood, no¡­Mount Rainier, no¡­Mount Shasta, he stopped.


    He clicked on the header and opened a page of nothing but Mount Shasta photos. The towering rocky peak jutting up into the crisp clean blue of the summer sky was a perfect match to the memories of the wolf. The memories of running up those slopes chasing prey were so vivid and an exact match to what he was looking at on the computer screen. There was no question in his mind; he had found the mountain from the wolf¡¯s memories.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Of course, now that he knew what mountain it was it could mean anything. There was no reason to believe that anything he had gotten from the wolf meant anything at all to him or his search. He stared at the screen wondering why this mountain was repeated so many times in the wolf¡¯s memory. It must have some significance, whether that significance would mean anything to him at all would remain to be seen.


    He pushed back into the office chair and rested his head against it. Should he call Mark again and yell at him. He had a lead and he wanted to know what made this mountain so special. He picked up the phone and dialed a number. The phone rang twice.


    ¡°Hello,¡± said a very groggy male voice.


    ¡°Mark? How are you? Did you sleep?¡± Kenneth replied easily with a smile.


    ¡°Kenneth, no I thought you¡¯d be¡­ unavailable this time of day, as usual.¡± There was a rustling sound from the other end of the phone and muffled thud as something hit something else with a solid plop. ¡°No,¡± continued Mark, ¡°I haven¡¯t slept since you woke me up this morning having me working on your little project.¡±


    ¡°Well, Mark I may be able to make your job a little easier. I have come across a lead that I want you to check out. I want you to look into Mount Shasta, Mark. It is significant in some way. I need to know why.¡± Kenneth stated flatly.


    ¡°Wait a minute, let me get this straight?¡± Mark began, ¡°You want me, to stop what I¡¯m doing, forget about the three leads I have on my desk in front of me, you want me to drop all that to look into a dormant volcano way up in bum fuck Northern California?¡± Mark said in a high-pitched sarcastic voice.


    ¡°Mark?¡± Kenneth asked dangerously, ¡°When have I ever asked you for anything that was unimportant? Do you think that I would send you on some wild goose chase just to for the hell of it? Is my time so abundant that I can afford to waste it by sending you on unimportant time-wasting errands?¡±


    There was a brief pause, ¡°No,¡± came the clipped reply.


    ¡°Good. Mark, be thorough. I can¡¯t stress this enough. I need you to do your due diligence in this search. This is the best lead I have ever had. Use it wisely but discreetly. I want to know why this mountain is so important. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°What am I even looking for? You haven¡¯t been very clear on that. It¡¯s a dead volcano! What could possibly be so special about it?¡± Mark protested.


    Kenneth pursed his lips, ¡°Mark, you and I both know that Mount Shasta may be dead, or it could just be dormant, nobody knows. You know what we are looking for, what you should have been looking for these last four years. I don¡¯t care what it takes, helicopter searches, satellite photos, men on foot crawling over every inch of that damn mountain. I want to know why it¡¯s so special.¡±


    ¡°Do you think those monsters might really live somewhere near there?¡± Mark replied. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t there have been reports of sighting of bigfoot or something if they were?¡± Mark said with a short laugh.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re in a playful type mood?¡± Kenneth asked. ¡°Good, being happy makes you work better and faster. Get to work Mark. I¡¯ll be expecting an update from you by nightfall. Good bye Mark.¡± Kenneth dropped the phone receiver back into the cradle and leaned back in his chair.


    Sleeping was going to rough today. He let the influence of the sun outside start to shut down his body, to revert his living corpse back to death. His eyes closed and his skin cooled. He had once again returned to the ever-waiting embrace of death.

 Book 5 Chapter 12a

    He awoke with a start.


    There was nothing to immediately put him on guard. There was no one with him in the office. He pushed himself up and looked out through the window into the Zoo. There was nothing out of the ordinary there. He slowly stood up and stretched himself. He inhaled deeply and didn¡¯t find a hint of smells outside of himself, Tony, and the wolves outside. He relaxed a little. He, like all vampires, never dreamed when they were returned to death every day. But the way he had awaked just now rang out echoes through his mind of when he was human and had been woken suddenly by an unremembered nightmare. That hadn¡¯t happened since he had been turned.


    He could tell that night had fallen on the city, which meant that Alessandro would be sending people for him in all likelihood. No one knew about this place, so he was safe for now. He didn¡¯t dare call Natalia. She had proven herself to be compromised and vulnerable. He would have to get rid of her; a pity that, but she had let herself become a liability.


    He looked out into the Zoo. He hadn¡¯t fed since yesterday and it would still be too dangerous to try to Dominate another of the wolves. There was only one thing he could do, and that was stay here and wait for Mark to call him back and give him some kind of an update.


    He probably wouldn¡¯t find anything there. It was probably a mating ground that the wolves had vacated when they had been exterminated from California almost a hundred years ago. The only wolves anywhere near Mount Shasta were in Oregon in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, wolves from that pack had crossed into California briefly but now stayed mostly north. Still, a lead was a lead, and he would follow every one he had till something panned out.


    He hated just sitting here though. His compound was too dangerous right now and probably being monitored. And he couldn¡¯t go out into the city because Alessandro had eyes and ears everywhere, only a portion of which had he been able to identify and turn to his camp.


    There was nothing to do but¡­


    His phone rang.


    He picked it out of his pocket and looked at the number. If his heart still beat it would have jumped into his throat. ¡°Trevor?¡± he answered with expectation.


    ¡°Instructor,¡± came a very excited happy voice, ¡°I think you¡¯ll want to come down to the lab.¡± The man¡¯s excitement was poorly masked. ¡°We¡¯ve found it! Instructor, we fucking did it!¡± Trevor¡¯s voice rose triumphantly at the end of his sentence.


    Kenneth¡¯s knees were suddenly weak and he let himself sink back into the office chair. A smile spread across his face. ¡°Trevor,¡± Kenneth began. ¡°Well done. I¡¯ll be there shortly.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll have the champagne chilled and ready when you get here, Instructor.¡±The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°Yes, there may be much to celebrate tonight,¡± Kenneth thumbed off the phone and stood up. He dialed Michael to pick him up outside.


    Kenneth walked out to see his Jaguar gone and Michael standing next to a blue Honda Civic.


    ¡°What the hell is this piece of crap?¡± Kenneth asked.


    ¡°After last night I assumed that you might want to be less conspicuous if you needed to drive around the city tonight. So, I took the liberty of renting a car in my name for the next few weeks.¡±


    Kenneth looked at the blue car and his driver. He nodded, ¡°Yes of course, Michael you did well. We need to go to the lab tonight.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Instructor,¡± Michael replied as he closed the door after the vampire.


    The car wasn¡¯t all bad. At least it had leather seats and was comfortable. He missed the luxury of his Jag already, but Michael had been right. It would have been too easily spotted by one of Alessandro¡¯s spies in the city. He was too close to the finish line now to be caught stupidly by someone catching a glimpse of his car going down the freeway.


    They arrived at the lab and Kenneth walked into the building. He nodded to the gate guard behind the desk. It was the same man that he had Dominated on his last visit here. The man completely ignored his passing. Kenneth smiled and entered an elevator.


    He rode it up to the research lab and stepped into the clean room. Waiting for him was Trevor and his team. They were all very proud of themselves with bright smiles on their faces. Kenneth greeted Trevor with a nod.


    The woman grabbed a glass of champagne and handed it to Kenneth. He took it readily. Trevor held up his glass. ¡°A toast to the best team of biochemists I have ever worked with. I have never met another person, much less two people, who had the same drive to succeed that I have. This accomplishment is just as much yours as it is mine. Cheers!¡± He drained his glass quickly and the other two followed suit.


    Kenneth took a drink of the alcohol before putting the half empty glass aside on a counter.


    ¡°Before we get too out of hand with congratulations, maybe you should show me what exactly you¡¯ve discovered, and how it works,¡± stated Kenneth coldly.


    Trevor placed his glass down with a smile. ¡°Of course, Instructor. Please, if you¡¯d step into a clean suit, we can show you what we have.¡±


    After a few moments, Kenneth was inside the laboratory proper with Trevor and his assistants standing next to a few Petri dishes and a micro scope.


    Trevor motioned to the device and Kenneth looked down into the microscope as best he could with the unfamiliar bulky mask and suit.


    ¡°What you will see are a set of cells that matches you set parameters,¡± Trevor said.


    Kenneth saw several of the cells and bacterial move and squish along inside the microscope. He even saw two that were conjoined together ready to split in the final stages of mitosis. ¡°Yes, very interesting,¡± Kenneth replied dryly, trying not to sound bored.


    Trevor moved something on the counter and shone it onto the microscope. The cells in the Petri dish quivered and began to shrivel in death. The cells darkened and slowly stopped moving. Then Trevor removed the strange light source and the cells immediately started to split and reproduce until the cell count in the Petri dish matched what it had been before the light was shone on them.


    Trevor continued, ¡°Under your parameters, the cells would start to die under harmful stimuli, once the stimuli was removed however, the cells would reproduce at an extreme rate to almost instantaneously cover whatever loss was suffered during the attack, keeping the colony in a perfect state of balance.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and I wanted that perfect state to be disrupted and stopped. I don¡¯t care about you reproducing a biochemical process that I already knew existed.¡± Kenneth stood up from the microscope and looked at his student.

 Book 5 Chapter 12b

    Trevor and the other two chemists were smiling broadly, ¡°No,¡± Trevor replied calmly, ¡°but we had to understand what you described before we could find a way to stop it.¡± He motioned for Kenneth to look again into the microscope.


    Trevor put two drops of a substance into the Petri dish, and then shined the strange light onto the microscope again.


    Kenneth saw every cell wither and die in the liquid of the tray. No cells reproduced to cover the deaths of some. In moments all the cells in the colony were dead. Kenneth stared at the dead cells in the Petri dish. Nothing was moving, they were all dead under the light.


    Trevor turned off the light and stood with his arms folded, ¡°Now, can I cook, or can¡¯t I?¡± he asked smiling.


    Kenneth stood there staring into the microscope, unable to pull himself away from the dead cells. ¡°How much of that liquid did you make, Trevor? Who else knows about this?¡±


    Trevor hesitated, ¡°We were the only ones working on the project being that it was paid for through a grant, from you I assumed. We weren¡¯t responsible to give updates to anyone else but you.¡±


    Kenneth stood up smiling, ¡°Can you turn that liquid into a gas or solid form?¡±


    ¡°I suppose we could, we really hadn¡¯t put any thought into it,¡± Trevor replied.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure we could,¡± interjected the female assistant, ¡°the liquid itself isn¡¯t anything really special, and the chemical compound should survive a vaporization process.¡±


    ¡°Would a vapor have the same effect on the cells that the liquid did?¡± Kenneth asked.


    ¡°That would need more testing,¡± answered Trevor.


    ¡°Besides,¡± asked the woman, ¡°wouldn¡¯t gas be really hard to control what areas of the body it affected? I mean we are talking about affecting isolated cancer cells, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Kenneth answered easily, ¡°I was only asking if it could. But that isn¡¯t important right now. Shall we go outside and celebrate properly?¡± he asked motioning for them to follow him back out of the lab into the clean room.


    Back outside they shed their clean suits and drained the opened bottle of champagne and opened another one.


    The atmosphere was one of joy, albeit an exhausted joy. Kenneth watched and listened as they told stories of lab humor that almost went completely over his head. He guessed that you had to really know biology to find a miscataloged bacterium sample in with fungus samples funny. The other two were pleasant to be around. Trevor was a little reserved, his mind already working on solving the problem of vaporizing the liquid form of the chemical in his mind.


    Kenneth checked his watch. It was late but not too terribly so. ¡°I have an idea,¡± he said suddenly breaking up the conversation. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I have to run, but I have a plane to catch shortly. I want you all to enjoy yourselves on my tab at a great little bar and grill just fifteen minutes from here.¡±Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    The girl answered ¡°Oh, no, we couldn¡¯t, thank you though but¡­¡±


    ¡°No, I insist!¡± Kenneth said with mock sternness. ¡°I have already made the reservation so if you don¡¯t go, it¡¯ll cost me anyway, and the chef is a personal friend of mine. Everything is on the house for you tonight.¡±


    ¡°Well, I mean¡­if it¡¯s no trouble,¡± said the male hesitantly.


    ¡°Of course not!¡± Kenneth said with a laugh. ¡°Now I believe Trevor knows where it is?¡± Trevor nodded in assent. ¡°Wonderful! Now you three go and have fun.¡± He turned to leave. He opened the door and looked back, ¡°And by the way, if my tab for the three of you is under five hundred dollars I will be very hurt,¡± he said with a smile as he let the door close behind him.


    He walked out of the laboratory building and got back into his car. He had Michael wait till he saw the three scientists get into their respective cars and drive off.


    He took his phone out of his pocket and thumbed it on. After a few rings a male voice answered. ¡°Brian, I have a job for you.¡±


    * * * * *


    ¡°They BLEW UP my warehouse!¡± Alexander screamed as he stormed into the sitting room.


    Ansuya jerked up from the couch. She had been up too long and she had almost allowed herself to lightly doze. She stood up clearing the haze from her tired mind.


    ¡°What do you mean, baby?¡± Ansuya asked genuinely confused.


    ¡°One of my guys just called me!¡± Alexander said hurriedly. ¡°My warehouse, well what used to be my warehouse till Wolfgang took it away from me, got attacked and blown to shit tonight!¡± Alexander was pacing around the room rapidly.


    ¡°Why? Who did it?¡±


    ¡°I DON¡¯T KNOW!!¡± Alexander screamed. ¡°I don¡¯t know who would do this. Maybe it¡¯s the same assholes that hit House Himura! When I catch the son-of-a-bitch that did this I¡¯m gonna¡­¡±


    Ansuya grabbed his arm and held him, preventing him from walking around the room any longer. ¡°First off it¡¯s not your warehouse anymore, so it¡¯s not your problem,¡± she said calmly, ¡°secondly isn¡¯t this a good thing?¡±


    ¡°How is this possibly a good thing?!¡± asked Alexander his eyes wild with emotion and rage.


    ¡°This didn¡¯t happen while you were in charge. Obviously, the guy Wolfgang put in charge is incompetent and your Head of House will realize that he made a mistake,¡± she replied warmly.


    Alexander stopped. He looked at her and slowly nodded, ¡°Yeah, I¡­I guess you¡¯re right. Maybe this is a good thing,¡± he said contemplatively. ¡°Yeah, maybe I can even use this against good old Wolfgang to give me a little more responsibility, a promotion in the House, even!¡± Alexander was all smiles now as he threw himself onto his couch, ¡°Ha! Baby? What would I do without you?¡± he said motioning for Ansuya to join him on the couch.


    Ansuya slowly walked towards him, ¡°Probably get yourself into trouble and not know how to get out of it.¡±


    This elicited a strange somber reaction from Alexander, as if her words recalled to his mind some not too fond memories.


    Her features twisted into that of concern, ¡°Baby? What is it? Did I say something wrong?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± replied Alexander quickly, ¡°no it¡¯s uh¡­it¡¯s nothing.¡± He stood up from the couch and walked to the painting that hung on the room divider. He contemplated the black and white painting of Romans being slaughtered.


    ¡°Alexander.¡± Ansuya¡¯s voice was full and powerful from behind him.


    The vampire turned around to find the Shape shifter standing behind him. She was elegant and beautiful, and very dangerous. Her eyes bored into his, ¡°Alexander, I have to leave this apartment.¡±


    ¡°Where do you want to go?¡± he asked, ¡°I could take you anywhere.¡±


    ¡°I need to be able to go places that you can¡¯t, during the day when you can¡¯t,¡± Ansuya replied.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t¡­¡±


    Ansuya forced more pheromones toward him. ¡°I need to be able to move during the day, Alexander. I need to leave this place.¡±

 Book 5 Chapter 12c

    Alexander hesitantly moved his hands, as if not of his own free will. He reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out the front door key. His arm slowly reached towards her. Ansuya took the keys gently from his hands. She kissed him on the cheek and slipped the key into her skirt.


    ¡°Thank you, baby,¡± she said softly, ¡°You take such good care of me.¡± She walked toward the kitchen and started pulling food out of the refrigerator. She looked over her shoulder and saw him still standing there.


    ¡°Baby? Didn¡¯t you mention something about calling Hagen and telling him to get some people together to watch Kenneth¡¯s house?¡± she asked innocently.


    He seemed to shake himself, ¡°Ye¡­yeah, I did. I¡­ I¡¯ll go do that,¡± he muttered as he walked into the study.


    She glanced at him disappear into the room. He was still resisting her. It had been a gamble to demand anything from her captor. But she had to test just how powerful her influence was. He would listen to her if her advice made sense to him and if she could distract him as well. Her ability to direct him was growing though, little by little.


    After he set a guard or two to watch Kenneth¡¯s house then she would have to convince him to tell her about his associates. If she couldn¡¯t get to Kenneth, then maybe she could get to one of those five other vampires that had been there to jump her on that rooftop a year ago, a year that seemed like a whole other lifetime ago.


    ¡°Just do it, Hagen!¡± Alexander yelled from the office.


    Ansuya smiled, who ever said that two men couldn¡¯t be used to help push one in the direction that you wanted them to go.


    Alexander stalked out of the office.


    ¡°Is everything alright, baby?¡± Ansuya asked with a touch of fear in her expression.


    Alexander shook his head, ¡°No, everything¡¯s fine.¡± He sat down at the kitchen table and ran his hand through his hair. ¡°Hagen didn¡¯t know why I was still going on about Kenneth. He wanted to know why I should even want to put a guy or two on his house to watch for him.¡± He smirked as he snorted, ¡°Kenneth is mine. I just needed to remind him who was really in charge.¡± He leaned back in his chair, his hands behind his head, smiling.


    Ansuya gave him a cup with a prepared serving of blood which he drank readily. She finished preparing her meal as well. It was a tenth of what she wanted to eat, but with Alexander still awake it would look very suspicious for her to suddenly eat many times more food than he had ever seen her. So, she contented herself with a small portion of rice and butter chicken and forced herself to eat slowly.


    Alexander watched her with interest. It was a little disconcerting, being watched while she did such a mundane thing like eat. She looked at him quizzically as she chewed her food.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I had to physically eat anything,¡± he said quietly.


    ¡°You drink blood,¡± replied Ansuya.


    ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s not the same thing.¡± He gestured with his hands as he spoke, ¡°I remember what it was like eating, the feel of solid meat and potatoes in my mouth¡±


    ¡°But you can eat and drink normal food?¡± Ansuya asked.


    ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s an empty exercise!¡± he exclaimed with derision, ¡°I get nothing from it. It¡¯s just a waste of time, so why do it.¡± Alexander replied curtly. He looked at her plate and then gazed at the dark curtains that hung closed against the windows.


    ¡°I¡­I¡¯m sorry baby. Do you want me to go?¡± Ansuya asked. This demure housewife routine was getting old very quickly. She would break this vampire soon then she could drop this charade. She began to get up from the table.


    Alexander flashed his hand out grabbing hers, ¡°Stay. I want you to.¡± He said softly as he let go of her hand.


    She sat back down and finished her meal, avoiding eye contact with him. He wanted her close even when doing so meant that he was reminded of those few joyful things he had been forced to give up for his immortality.


    ¡°Alexander,¡± she said with command and force.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he replied evenly.


    It was time to see just how strong her influence over him really was, and just how far he was willing to go to curry her favor. ¡°I know that Kenneth has friends, Alexander, at least five of them. Do you know anything about them?¡±


    The blue-eyed vampire shook his head, never letting his eyes leave hers though. ¡°No, they could be anyone.¡±


    Ansuya grabbed his hands and held him, her eyes boring into his as she bathed him in pheromones. ¡°These are five very strong vampires, baby. You would know about them. I need you to think and tell me who they might be.¡±


    The vampire stared back into her eyes, but no knowledge shone there.


    Ansuya eased her grip on his hands and her voice took on a melodic tone, much the same way she had talked to Nicolas all that time ago under the Mountain, ¡°Baby, let your mind drift for a while. You want to help me.¡± Her voice wrapped around his mind and ears sweetly as she spoke. ¡°You want to remember these five vampires. They are friends of Kenneth, and you need to kill him.¡± Twisting his desires and hers together in her words and his thoughts left him completely entranced to what she was saying.


    ¡°These five may be your way of finding him.¡± She leaned in closer to him, ¡°You want to follow them, baby. Find them. They will know where Kenneth is. We have to find where he¡¯s hiding.¡±


    Alexander nodded slowly. His eyes were empty as she spoke but she could see his mind open and relax with her words. If he knew anything then soon his relaxed mind would make a connection.


    ¡°Tell me,¡± Ansuya spoke quietly.


    ¡°I remember a male, green eyes and light brown hair,¡± Alexander began.


    ¡°Tell me what you remember, baby. Tell me his name,¡± Ansuya pressed.


    Alexander¡¯s eyes swam in memories as his relaxed mind jumped from one to another. His mind was desperately trying to answer her questions.


    ¡°Kenneth called him, Brian,¡± he finally answered.


    Ansuya smiled and kissed him fully on his lips, leaving him stunned, ¡°Find him, baby. Follow him and let him lead you to Kenneth.¡±


    *          *          *          *          *


    Kenneth was in a store house. It was a dusty, dirty, empty store house, probably once used for grain or food stuffs. Now it was a relic. A rusted out, cobweb laced, shrine to human greed and disposable purposes. Why fix something when you could spend more money buying something brand new?


    He kicked at an inch of dust and God-knows-what that had settled on the floor. The dirt and dust spewed up in a heavy dense cloud that immediately fell back to the floor with a silent splash, scattering the layer of grime on the floor as it landed. The place was dark and even though the place was big, it felt small, claustrophobic.

 Book 5 Chapter 12d

    It pissed him off that he had to meet his followers here. But deep down, he knew that Alessandro knew that he had lied and deceived him. He knew that his Head of House was just waiting for him to peek out of hiding so he could publicly kill him in front of all of House Dukart. Kenneth was not going to give the old man the pleasure.


    He heard a car engine off in the distance. He melted back into the shadows of the large store house. The engine grew louder till it pulled up outside and stopped.


    Soon the small side entrance door swung in and a lone figure stepped into the dark room.


    ¡°Kenneth?¡± Brian called out, ¡°Kenneth, are you going to play hide and seek or tell me just why in the hell I now have responsibility for two unconscious and kidnapped scientists on my hands.¡±


    Kenneth stayed in the shadows, ¡°Are you alone, Brian?¡± he asked deeply, forcing his voice to echo off the walls of the place making it hard to pinpoint the origin even to vampire hearing.


    ¡°For the love of¡­¡± Brain muttered softly to himself. Then with a sigh he called out in an exasperated monotone, ¡°Yes, I am alone and no, no one followed me, oh great and powerful Oz.¡±


    Kenneth stepped out of the shadows. Brian acknowledged him and stepped up to Kenneth shaking his hand.


    ¡°You did well,¡± Kenneth said. He looked toward the closed door that Brian just entered through. ¡°What has been going on?¡±


    ¡°Outside you mean?¡± Brian asked. He looked behind him as well and then scratched at his neck, ¡°One of House Brandt¡¯s warehouses got hit tonight.¡±


    ¡°The same as House Himura?¡± Kenneth asked.


    ¡°Yeah, seems that way. The reports are sketchy at best,¡± Brain replied off handedly. ¡°Well, I guess we can rule out House Brandt attacking House Himura now.¡±


    ¡°Or this was in retaliation for House Himura¡¯s losses,¡± Kenneth mused. ¡°Could this be someone inside House Dukart?¡± he asked suddenly.


    Brain shook his head, ¡°No way! Nobody moves in House Dukart without you or Alessandro knowing.¡± He shook his head, ¡°Why would Alessandro want to hit House Himura? He¡¯s allowed peace between the three Houses for decades, why break that peace now? What¡¯s in it for him?¡±


    ¡°It was just a thought,¡± he replied idly. ¡°Definitely makes things more interesting though, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Kenneth asked with a smile.


    ¡°If you say so, boss,¡± Brian answered nonchalantly. ¡°By the way, what do you want me to do with them, the scientists I mean?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Oh, them,¡± Kenneth said, ¡°They have information that I don¡¯t want anyone else knowing, not even them.¡±


    Brian looked at him quizzically, ¡°How far back are we talking here?¡± Brian asked.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    ¡°Not so far back that they lose their intelligence or skills, a few months should do.¡±


    ¡°Okay, then what?¡± Brian asked.


    ¡°Then, you can either keep them, or free them. I may have need of their scientific minds, so whatever you do don¡¯t take them to a place you can¡¯t lead them back from.¡±


    ¡°Please,¡± Brian retorted, ¡°I haven¡¯t forgotten what you taught me. I know the value of human minds.¡± He looked back at them, ¡°Might we turn them?¡± he asked suddenly. ¡°They may become useful assets to House Dukart.¡±


    Kenneth rubbed his chin in thought, ¡°I had considered one for that purpose,¡± he was quiet for a while, then, ¡°Maybe. I have planned everything perfectly and things are proceeding more or less as I had designed them to. I don¡¯t want to throw too many variables into the mix, not now when I¡¯m so close.¡±


    Brian looked at him skeptically, ¡°This,¡± he said gesturing to the store house, ¡°Is your idea of everything going according to plan?¡±


    ¡°It serves my needs at the moment,¡± Kenneth answered without skipping a beat.


    ¡°And why is that?¡± Brian asked, not letting it go.


    Kenneth grabbed Brian by the shoulder and held him rigidly in place, ¡°Suffice it to say,¡± Kenneth said evenly as his fingers exerted more and more pressure on Brain¡¯s shoulder, ¡°I wish to stay out of sight for the moment.¡± He maintained his grip till he heard a painful pop echo through the store house.


    ¡°You bastard!¡± Brian said backing away, holding his now dislocated shoulder. ¡°What the hell did you do that for?!¡±


    ¡°To remind you of your place, Brian. Oh, stop being a baby, come here!¡± Kenneth commanded.


    ¡°No thanks,¡± Brain said walking to a nearby steel girder and slammed his shoulder into it with enough force to bend the girder. He rotated his arm above his head and tested the reinserted joint.


    ¡°Brain, I¡¯m hungry,¡± Kenneth stated.


    ¡°Sure, back here?¡± Brian responded.


    ¡°No, not here, at the other place,¡± Kenneth said.


    ¡°Jesus Christ! Are we really going to play this ¡°cloak and dagger¡± game all over Los Angeles?¡± Brian asked in consternation. ¡°How long are we going to keep doing this?¡±


    ¡°Till I¡¯m satisfied that the game is well and truly over, with the last move only needed to be performed.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Brian asked, ¡°What game is that?¡±


    ¡°I will tell you when you need to know, no sooner,¡± Kenneth replied. ¡°I will tell you, don¡¯t play with those two, too long,¡± he said referring to the scientists, ¡°They will need to be seen soon. I can¡¯t afford to have police looking into a missing person¡¯s report with me being so close to them.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I said I would take care of it, didn¡¯t I? What are you going to do in the mean time?¡± he asked.


    Kenneth smiled, ¡°I am going to wait till after the baptism.¡±


    Brian smiled and shook his head, ¡°Whatever, boss. I¡¯ll be seeing you,¡± he said as he left the store house and let the door shut behind him.


    Kenneth stayed in the shadows till he couldn¡¯t hear the car engine anymore. Brian may well have been followed. He was good, but he sometimes thought his age and experience were enough to protect him for everything. He had to be reminded, every now and again, that age wasn¡¯t everything.


    He silently moved from the store house and keeping to the shadows made his way back to where Michael waited with his car. The ride was a quiet one. Kenneth needed to collect his thoughts.


    Learning of House Brandt being hit was unexpected. His plan was still intact that much was certain. The pieces were falling into place. He just needed to wait a little longer. He could no longer do anything. That he had to leave to the few people he trusted even these small tasks was infuriating, though.


    He was hungry and that was making him irritable. He wasn¡¯t thinking clearly. He would just have to wait to meet Brian at the other location. Soon these precautions wouldn¡¯t be necessary.


    *          *          *          *          *


    It had been a few days. Kenneth was still operating out of the Zoo and through Brian to take care of minor issues. Brian attested that no one in House Dukart was looking for Kenneth at all. He knew that had to be a mistake or Alessandro was being particularly cunning. No, there would come a time for him to act, but now was not that time.

 Book 5 Chapter 12e

    He was restless as well. He hadn¡¯t dared to contact Natalia or go anywhere near his home. He wasn¡¯t so naive to think that only after a few days his house and his mate would no longer be closely monitored. So, he had waited.


    Brian had done well. The scientists were seen at an airport coming back from a lovely month-long vacation in Tahiti. Brian had recorded his interview with the two of them and they had knowledge of Trevor and the lab and some project they had been working on, but the funding was cut and Trevor released them to go on a vacation. He had told Brian to keep a close eye on them in any case, just to make sure his implanted memories stuck.


    He looked out of the office window over the Zoo and his pet wolves. They had all fallen under his sway. Even the one who had repelled him a few days ago was now a docile dog who obeyed his commands without question. They were all in the same pen now, lined up like cars in a parking lot, ready to obey him. Some other time that sight might have brought a smile to his face.


    He couldn¡¯t get the thought of that damned mountain out of his head. There had to be some reason why it was so important, why it had repeated itself over and over in the memories of that wolf.


    He had heard people talk about it. His clubs were filled with people every night. When he would walk amongst the humans, he would pick out different conversations for fun. He could remember hearing once or twice about how Mount Shasta was a focal point for some Earth energy or other such nonsense. He had brushed off those two or three references as more drivel from morons and fools. Now, it looked like maybe there was something special about that place after all. Whatever it was, he was going to find out.


    The phone rang.


    Kenneth let it ring twice more before picking up the receiver. ¡°Waste management services,¡± he said in a high friendly voice.


    ¡°It¡¯s Mark,¡± came the reply from the other end.


    Kenneth dropped his public service act and responded in his normal voice, ¡°Tell me you have something, Mark.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Mark sighed heavily as he answered, ¡°No, I don¡¯t have anything, or at least I didn¡¯t as of a few minutes ago.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t play games with me, Mark,¡± Kenneth replied dangerously.


    ¡°Listen, I don¡¯t know what I have and I¡¯m still not sure I believe I have what I have in front of me, as I¡¯m looking at it.¡± Mark answered in a rush.


    Kenneth pinched his sinuses at the apparent incompetence of this Police inspector. ¡°Will you please start making sense; you¡¯re giving me a headache.¡±


    There was a brief pause then Mark continued, ¡°Okay, so you set me to start looking at Mount Shasta. I don¡¯t have any assets anywhere near that far north,¡± Mark replied. ¡°So, I started calling around and I just so happened to remember one of my buddies who transferred to the CIA two or three years ago.¡±The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Fascinating,¡± Kenneth replied dryly, seeing very little point in this conversation.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Mark continued unperturbed, ignoring Kenneth¡¯s remark entirely, ¡°So, I call him up and I tell him I have reason to believe that a fugitive wanted by Los Angeles County may have fled up north. That, and I have reason to believe that he may be somewhere near Mount Shasta. So, my buddy says let me see what I can do.¡±


    ¡°Is that it?¡± Kenneth asked quickly losing patience.


    ¡°No, yesterday he sends me a hard drive through express mail filled with satellite photos of Mount Shasta. I¡¯m talking massive amounts of data, thousands of high-resolution pictures at different times during the day, I¡¯m talking super high res that I can zoom all the way in to pick out shrubbery above the tree line on that mountain.¡±


    ¡°And the point is?¡± Kenneth asked.


    ¡°I have pictures in front of me of people with things that look like dogs walking on that mountain. It may be just people hiking, though.¡±


    ¡°Dogs?¡± Kenneth¡¯s interest was suddenly piqued. ¡°What time of day is it in these pictures?¡±


    ¡°All times of day, actually,¡± Mark replied. ¡°I have seen one or two at dusk and that was a little suspicious, but then others are during midday. It could be nothing, Sir.¡±


    ¡°Mark?¡± Kenneth asked quietly, ¡°Knowing what you know, knowing that these monsters are out there threatening our way of life and innocent people¡¯s lives, being a man who has sworn an oath to serve and protect those who can¡¯t protect themselves, having seen the darker side of human and animal behavior, you tell me, what does your gut tell you?¡±


    There was a long pause from the phone line. Nothing moved in Kenneth¡¯s office and no sound was heard from the phone except the almost inaudible breathing from the man on the other end. Kenneth didn¡¯t move; he didn¡¯t have to.


    ¡°That at least a few of these pictures show those bastard werewolves,¡± Mark said with venom in his voice.


    ¡°Why,¡± asked Kenneth. He had to be sure.


    ¡°I can believe some of these people are hikers,¡± Mark answered, ¡°but the majority of them, especially those in the dusk photos, they don¡¯t have back packs or any kind of anything that would lend itself to camping, or hiking in anyway.¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s time for me to go up to see this mountain,¡± Kenneth said.


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Mark asked suddenly. ¡°What do you mean go up to see the place? What are you planning now?¡±


    ¡°I am planning on visiting this mountain with my dogs. With any luck we will be in touch and let you know what we find.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s it then?¡± Mark asked, ¡°I¡¯m done?¡±


    ¡°Maybe, Mark. You¡¯ve done well. If this place is what I hope it is, you may have finally provided the last needed piece to a puzzle that I have been trying to solve for a few decades now, you have my thanks.¡±


    ¡°You think this mountain is where they live, don¡¯t you?¡± asked Mark quietly.


    ¡°Mark,¡± Kenneth replied simply, ¡°You have proven yourself to be a worthy and trusted agent. Don¡¯t make yourself a fool by being too curious about things you don¡¯t need to know.¡±


    ¡°I understand, Sir.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Kenneth hung up the phone.


    He pulled a prepaid cell phone from his pocket and dialed a number from memory, ¡°Michael, my dogs and I need to travel for a few days. Make the arrangements and get me in touch with Brian, I need to speak to him.¡±


    When he got an affirmative response, he hung up the phone. He stood up and looked at his pets. Yes, they would travel north. They would walk up and down that mountain for days, if necessary, till they found what they were looking for, if it was there to be found. CIA satellite photos were a good thing to place one¡¯s trust in, better that than a blind bet. Still, wolves¡¯ memories and satellite proof that at least people were walking around on the thing was good enough reason to follow up on.


    The next night Kenneth and five of his pets were in the back of a trailer, being driven north toward the dormant volcano.

 Book 5 Chapter 13a

    ¡°Brian has been to his house multiple times in the past few days,¡± Alexander was saying. ¡°What I can¡¯t figure out is why my guys can¡¯t seem to follow him when he leaves Kenneth¡¯s house.¡± He scrubbed his hair with his hands. ¡°It¡¯s like the dude just comes in says hi to whoever and then leaves but then two steps out the door he disappears!¡±


    Ansuya knew that vampires couldn¡¯t shift forms into smoke or bats, regardless of what Hollywood might say. The fact that Alexander¡¯s ¡®guys¡¯ couldn¡¯t keep track of him for more than a few hours was either due to Brian being really good, or Alexander¡¯s people being really bad at their job. It was probably a combination of the two, a very dangerous combination of the two.


    ¡°Baby, you need to make sure that your people know just how important Brian is and that they need to keep an eye on him,¡± Ansuya cooed.


    ¡°I have done that!¡± he said in exasperation, ¡°But every day I get the same thing, ¡®we couldn¡¯t follow him, or ¡®we lost him¡¯, or some other such bullshit!¡±


    ¡°Alexander,¡± Ansuya said voice harsh with command, ¡°Calm yourself, and sit down.¡±


    The vampire immediately obeyed and sat down on the couch.


    The sun would rise in a few hours, not that that mattered anymore. Alexander all but obeyed her every whim. Still, it was best not to rub that in his nose too hard. ¡°Give me the photos that your guys collected on Brian.¡±


    The vampire dug through his pants and handed over his phone.


    Ansuya grabbed the phone and took out the SIM card and put it in her pocket. She handed the phone back to him. She leaned in close to him and almost in a whisper, ¡°Go to sleep, baby.¡±


    The vampire¡¯s eye lids immediately grew heavy and his body visibly relaxed. It was like a cloud of warm relaxation passed over him and soon he was back to his dead state, his body cold and unmoving.


    Ansuya smiled and headed toward the front door.


    She had dared to go out in the early morning like this a few times. It was good to get out of Alexander¡¯s apartment, regardless of how nice the place was. She strode to the front door punched in the key code number and used the key that Alexander had so graciously given her a few days ago and left the condo.


    It was dangerous for her to be out like this though. If any of the vampire¡¯s eyes and ears saw her there was likely to be trouble. But Alexander had proven himself to be a powerful deterrent. What small group of his that he had somehow managed to earn their respect. She hadn¡¯t seen anything in him worth following but then, ¡°to each his own.¡±Stolen novel; please report.


    Keeping to shadows and moving as any other person this time of night would move, ambling in a general direction but with a few footfalls off center as if tired or fending off drunkenness. She made her way to the Police precinct where Jason, the fire scene investigator, worked out of.


    By the time she arrived the sun was coming up and the city around her had become fully awake and she had to try even harder to stay out of people¡¯s way and avoid people¡¯s notice. She thought for a moment that she may have been followed. She took a winding path through some back roads, after the second turn however the man turned in another direction.


    She strode up into the police station and asked the front receptionist, ¡°I¡¯m sorry I hate to bother you, Sir,¡± she began.


    The man behind the counter looked tired and extremely bored, ¡°Miss? What can I do for you?¡± His face said he was still bored but his voice was pleasant enough and his eyes looked a little less glassy than they had a moment ago.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m sorry to bother you,¡± she began again, ¡°My house was involved in a fire a few weeks ago and I was told to ask if anyone had found anything?¡± Ansuya had her eyes opened wide in a pleading gesture.


    The man behind the counter, sat up a little straighter, ¡°Well, Miss I wish I could help you, I just run the front desk and when I¡¯m not here I run the east side beat. But let me see if I can get someone to help you, ok?¡± The man seemed genuine enough, whether that was out of true concern or just the wish to be rid of her was anyone¡¯s guess.


    ¡°I think someone said the name Jason? I think I was supposed to ask for a Jason,¡± she replied shyly.


    The cop grabbed a phone and nodded, ¡°uh huh, yeah, I¡¯ll see if anyone is in over in the arson investigation office. Ummm...let¡¯s see,¡± he said slowly as he ran his finger down what Ansuya could only assume was a phone directory. ¡°Yeah, here it is,¡± he said with the most amount of life she had seen from the cop so far, ¡°I¡¯ll just give them a ring, hang on.¡±


    Ansuya could hear the phone being dialed and the ringing from the other end of the phone line. ¡°Yeah, hey how are you guys doing, busy? Bet it¡¯s a real fire storm up there!¡± He smiled at the corny joke; Ansuya managed a sympathetic grin that didn¡¯t reach her eyes.


    ¡°Yeah, hey do you guys have a Jason up there at all? I got a young lady down here¡­You do! Hey that¡¯s great! I¡¯m, going to send her up¡­what? Oh right, right¡­yeah ok¡­ sure no problem. Later¡± He hung up the phone nosily.


    ¡°Well you¡¯re in luck, Miss, they do have a Jason and he just so happens to have just walked in a few minutes ago. They said they would send him down to meet you.¡± He gestured to the chairs behind her, ¡°You¡¯re welcome to have a seat if you¡¯d like.¡±


    Ansuya graciously accepted the offered chair with a smile. The rising sun sent radiant yellow beams of light slanting through the high windows. The quiet was not long lived however; soon the small lobby was filled with various people clamoring for attention from the cop behind the desk. Everything from quiet people begging to see a son or significant other who had been wrongfully picked up, to people threatening violence against dirty cops because someone or other had been falsely accused of something. All the while Ansuya calmly waited for Jason to come to the lobby.

 Book 5 Chapter 13b

    Was this civilization? Is this how far humanity had sunk? She listened to the bluster of threats hurled at whoever was in the line of sight of a large angry man. He was upset and screaming about the injustice that people had suffered and how he would see justice served for every man who had been falsely thrown in here by the powers that upheld the rigid ways of the status quo. He repeated the same three sentences over and over again in various order and just scrambled how he said it. There would be no reasoning with such a man and the cop behind the desk, who had been joined by two other cops, didn¡¯t even seem to notice him after a while.


    The doors crashed open and two cops, one a rather short woman, wrestled a large white man in handcuffs through the lobby. The man was kicking at everything he could raise his feet to hit. The woman held his hands behind his back while the large cop to her left kept a tight hold on the prisoner¡¯s shoulder as they powered the man through the doors back into the heart of the police station.


    Was this law and order? Is this how humans had learned to behave? Like a disjointed group of rabid animals, where the strong tried to bully the weak, and the weak were left to fend for themselves? She hadn¡¯t been to this city much since she had been forced to move here from India. She watched the chaos around her and wondered what had gone wrong. This was not civilization; this was something else.


    These people acted more like insects, going from one topic to the next, shouting in agreement over one thing one moment, and then at each other¡¯s throats over another thing two minutes later. A young boy was shoved into her at one point. She steadied the boy, keeping him on his feet. The boy pushed back into the fray of shoving people without even a thank you.


    She had always wanted to help people, to show them the way to a better understanding of life, to push people to make themselves better, more productive. She had wanted her people to rise again as the proud strong people that had defeated and pushed back Alexander the Great. The strong people who had resisted British rule for a hundred years before finally coming under their sway. They had become lost and listless since then. She saw much of their failures in these desperate people around her. In India, people did starve in the street. These people, it seemed, fought because they had everything handed to them and had absolutely nothing to lose.


    Her musing was interrupted suddenly by a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see Jason¡¯s green eyes smiling down on her through a dense spattering of freckles. ¡°Ansuya, what is a lady of your caliber doing in a place like this?¡± His voice was deep with concern but low so only people extremely close to them could hear.


    ¡°I was waiting for a fire scene investigator to help me with the case of my burned house from a week or two ago,¡± Ansuya answered easily.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    The man flushed with embarrassment, ¡°If I had known it was you, I would have come down a lot sooner, I¡¯m sorry.¡± He lowered his eyes to the floor.


    Ansuya stood up, ¡°You mean to tell me you weren¡¯t working hard in your office trying to solve your presumed ¡®stack¡¯ of arson cases which I am sure have your desk in a perpetual state of being buried?¡± She smiled at the red-haired man, ¡°It¡¯s good to see you Jason and thank you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯LL KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU MOTHERFUCKERS!!! YOU DON¡¯T KNOW ME!!!!¡± A rather petite woman screamed at the cop behind the desk. Ansuya was impressed that such a small frame could even produce such a volume.


    Jason grabbed her arm gently, ¡°Come on,¡± he whispered, ¡°I¡¯m not armed and I¡¯m not going to have someone come down on me if you get injured right next to me.¡± Ansuya let herself get led through the doors into the heart of the precinct away from the escalating scene in the lobby.


    Jason seemed to breathe a sigh of relief as two cops exited past him into the lobby where they had just entered from. The woman would either calm down or get arrested and spend some time in the holding cell till she cooled off. Ansuya couldn¡¯t understand what could possibly have been so important that the woman thought intimidating tactics would get her anywhere, especially in a police station where everyone had a firearm as part of their uniform.


    ¡°Come on back to my office,¡± Jason said almost jovially as he led her through the various offices and cubicles through the main floor. The place was already busy with activity. The air was filled with the jarring sound of phones constantly ringing. The sound of shuffling paper being collected added to the cacophony of sound that assaulted her ears.


    Jason led her around the maelstrom of human activity and through a door. They entered an elevator and rode up one level. The doors opened on a scene of calm and quiet. After the chaos of downstairs, anything would seem calm by comparison. Here there were no phones ringing, no papers being shuffled, here was the calm of order and discipline.


    Jason led her to a large cubicle with a computer, a few notebooks, and a massive amount of books crammed into every available space. There were books on chemistry, architecture, art, and history. Ansuya was impressed at the amount of knowledge crammed into such a small space.


    ¡°You¡¯ve done well for yourself, Jason. Have you had a promotion?¡± Ansuya asked looking over the work space.


    ¡°Well,¡± he began, ¡°Not so much a promotion as just being handed more work to do.¡± He said sitting down, idly awakening his computer. ¡°So,¡± he said suddenly, ¡°What brings you here this fine, chaotic morning?¡± he asked with a smile.


    Ansuya did not return the smile, ¡°I have this,¡± she said holding up the phone sim card. ¡°I need for you to tell me everything you can about this man.¡±


    Jason took the sim card looking at it skeptically. He plugged it into his reader and pulled up the file folders on his computer. He dug around the sim card directories till he found the right pictures folder. He opened up the pictures.


    ¡°Who is this?¡± he asked studying the man¡¯s, face from different photos, some out of focus some not.


    ¡°I am told his name is Brian,¡± Ansuya answered also studying the man. She was certain that he was one of the vampires that had helped Kenneth assault her that long ago night on the rooftops. There was something in his eyes that she couldn¡¯t help but recognize.

 Book 5 Chapter 13c

    Jason pushed back from his desk and swung his chair around to face her. Realizing that he had forgotten himself for a moment, he jumped out of his chair and offered her a similar desk chair. Ansuya accepted it graciously.


    ¡°Who is he and why are you personally involved?¡± Jason asked very pointedly.


    Ansuya leveled her gaze at him, ¡°He is the only link I have to Kenneth Pacifico.¡±


    Jason whistled loudly and shook his head, ¡°Kenneth Pacifico? You mean, THE Kenneth Pacifico?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how many Kenneth Pacifico¡¯s there are in the city, Jason,¡± she replied calmly.


    ¡°Of course you would be talking about him,¡± Jason said with a sigh. He landed heavily in his chair and scrubbed his face. ¡°Do you know who you are talking about? What he is?¡±


    Ansuya nodded but that didn¡¯t seem to affect him in the slightest, ¡°No, I don¡¯t think you do. This guy, Kenneth, The Kenneth Pacifico is about as well connected as you can get in this city without being an A lister Hollywood star. He can go anywhere, do anything, and he has never seen the inside of a courtroom, much less even had charges leveled against him.¡± He shook his head again, ¡°You want to stay as far away from him as you can.¡±


    Ansuya looked at him with an intense expression, ¡°I was his ¡®guest¡¯ for over a year, Jason. I know what he is and how powerful he is, but he isn¡¯t the top is he?¡± she asked pointedly.


    He shook his head in bewilderment, ¡°You were his¡­ guest? For over a year? What do you mean? What happened?¡±


    Ansuya lowered her voice so only Jason could hear her, ¡°The Mountain needed to know what he knew and how. I pushed for the opportunity to find out who he was. I was,¡± she lowered her eyes, ¡°only partially successful.¡±


    Jason exploded, ¡°ARE YOU!¡­¡± realizing where he was, he immediately lowered his voice to a whisper, ¡°are you crazy?! You could have been killed!¡±


    Ansuya simply looked at him, ¡°I need to know where he is?¡±


    Jason scratched his head in consternation, ¡°Good luck with that,¡± he said in a normal voice, ¡°We know where he lives but he does find ways to slip past our surveillance, that and direct surveillance on a private citizen is illegal.¡±


    ¡°Has that stopped you before?¡± Ansuya asked.


    ¡°That isn¡¯t even my department, I just study fires,¡± Jason said turning back to the computer. ¡°This guy is close to Kenneth then?¡± he asked deftly changing the subject.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    Ansuya smiled at the attempt. ¡°Jason, look at me,¡± she commanded. Jason reluctantly turned away from the computer and faced the Shape shifter. ¡°This is important. I need to know where Kenneth is and what he is doing. He¡­let me go, and I am doing all I can from where I am, but I need help.¡±


    The man shook his head, ¡°I wish I could, Miss Das, I really do. I just study fires I could ask a few of my buddies and see what they have heard, if anything.¡± He leaned back in his chair, ¡°If you want my advice, stay as far away from Kenneth as possible, and go home.¡±


    Ansuya looked stunned, ¡°You would have me retreat back to my home, with a job unfinished?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a lot safer for you there than here,¡± he said jamming a finger on his desk.


    ¡°So, we stay safe under the Mountain while Kenneth and the rest of them run roughshod over humanity and the culture that these people¡¯s ancestors built¡­ with some help,¡± she said that last with a strange expression on her face.


    ¡°Look, I don¡¯t have a clue, what you are talking about, not really. But Kenneth is out of your league! He¡¯s too strong and too well connected,¡± Jason replied.


    ¡°That was a mistake,¡± Ansuya said, ¡°Through our wish to remain safe; we left these things to prey on the younger, softer generation, twisting everything that their world was built on.¡± She placed a hand on Jason¡¯s knee, ¡°If we are to be teachers again, if we are to truly help humanity find its way in the world again, then we must stop hiding and confront these parasites.¡± She paused and looked out the window.


    ¡°He¡¯s planning something, Jason. I don¡¯t know what, but he has been very careful in his dealings and machinations. I found two banking books in his office; the numbers were skewed in one. He has someone over him, someone he fears. Maybe we could use that to our advantage.¡± Ansuya didn¡¯t want Alessandro clouding the issue of finding Kenneth; if Jason didn¡¯t know then she didn¡¯t need to mention him.


    Jason looked pained as he listened to her, ¡°If there is anyone above him, I haven¡¯t heard even a whisper. In fact, you telling me that is the only thing I have heard about Kenneth having superiors.¡± He paused then and looked at her, ¡°Do you think this has anything to do with the fires that you asked me to take a closer look at?¡± he asked.


    She shook her head, ¡°I don¡¯t know. I know that there have been two other fires recently that are connected to the first though.¡±


    Jason shook his head, ¡°I can try, if we have this guy than maybe he can lead us to Kenneth. Although, if you were a guest of his, I doubt we would be able to find out anything useful that you didn¡¯t know already.¡±


    Ansuya stood up, ¡°I should be going,¡± she knelt down and kissed him on the cheek, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t done anything yet,¡± he stammered looking up at her.


    ¡°That was for everything you¡¯ve done and everything I know you will do, good bye, Jason.¡± With that she strode from the cubicle toward the elevators.


    Jason sat there for a long moment looking at the man on the screen and thinking about what Ansuya had said to him. He wasn¡¯t a crusader; he wasn¡¯t a zealot. Why had she chosen him to come to with this stuff? He couldn¡¯t do anything with this picture by himself. He thought about trashing the sim card and never thinking about it again.


    With a groan of resignation he stood, pulled the sim card from the reader, and strode towards the elevator. He couldn¡¯t do anything with these pictures, but he had a few friends downstairs that could, and even better wanted Kenneth Pacifico pretty badly, either for promotion or because of other reasons. He rode the elevator down. One thing was for sure; if there were two other fires connected with the first one, he had a lot of work to do and playing ¡®let¡¯s find a needle in a stack of needles¡¯ game was not his forte. It was, however, Zack¡¯s stock and trade.

 Book 5 Chapter 13d

    He walked up to a familiar cubicle with a solid cop sitting in a chair that looked too small for him. The aging man had black hair that was beginning to whiten in places. But his age had taken none of his strength or size; he was as big as he ever had been playing football at the University of San Diego. He was currently on the phone having a rather heated conversation with someone.


    ¡°I don¡¯t give a damn what they tell you! I need that damn court order and I needed it yesterday!¡± He slammed the phone down onto the cradle.


    He looked up at Jason, ¡°Hey, Sparky!¡± he said with a smile, ¡°What the hell brings you down to the quagmire that is ¡°Missing persons¡±?¡±


    Jason handed over the sim card, ¡°I need your help to find the guy on that sim card.¡±


    *          *          *          *          *


    Kenneth bore the uncomfortable ride being stuffed into the back of this trailer in silence.


    He had never been forced to travel this way, and he never would again if he could help it. It was necessary though, that he knew. House Dukart controlled too much of the city for him to avoid being noticed leaving the city. Nobody would ever expect one as high ranking in the Houses as him, to be crammed into the back of a family trailer, though. And so, he bore the discomfort willingly.


    He could feel the air around the camper getting colder, as they moved northward. There was no air conditioning or heat in the trailer. Although he could feel the air lower in temperature it didn¡¯t affect him at all. Being undead had its uses.


    He hadn¡¯t smelled anything but the wolves¡¯ fur for the last nine hours. He didn¡¯t think the drive north would have taken this long. He had been in here with these animals with nothing to do for all that time.


    He folded his arms across his chest and stared blankly at the back of the trailer as his pets slept soundly around him. Even though they were his, he cared as little for them as he did his students, these animals were tools, and he intended to use them.


    He finally felt the trailer slow down and make a turn. The ride became rougher but under his power the wolves stayed asleep. The trailer rocked and bounced over a gravel road. He would have to talk to Michael at some point, this was unacceptable.


    Soon after that though the trailer did pull to a stop and the back of the trailer opened onto a cool crisp mountain night. Kenneth left the wolves, sleeping as he stepped out of the trailer. The moon was a fat gibbous hanging in the sky; the stars were bright and alive so far away from the city. He had gotten used to the city and its sights and sounds of the night. Being under this wide-open night sky like this made him feel small, much smaller than he had felt in a long time. He hated this sky.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    He nodded to Michael who closed the trailer doors. The two men walked around the parking area surrounded by a dense forest. Kenneth let Michael lead him up to a wooden building within the woods. The guest house, Kuan-Yin Cottage, was part of the Flower Waters retreat, a rustic looking place but nice. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder how much the people were charging for the use of it, even though it was technically out of tourist season.


    Michael opened the front door and Kenneth walked in. Michael went right back out to the trailer and began moving luggage inside the building, deftly avoiding stepping on any of the sleeping wolves.


    Kenneth walked through the cottage to the back glass doors that looked out onto the balcony. He could see only a short distance into the dense trees beyond though. He told himself that he wasn¡¯t scared of the wide-open night that was above him, and he wasn¡¯t. Had it been so long since his youth growing up in Follonica Italy, those nights where he would look up and follow the brush strokes of stars against the blue-black canvas that was the night sky? He had always loved the night, even as a child.


    But here, after all those years in L.A. the night sky suddenly felt odd, almost like it was too open. It was as if his soul stood bare and naked to whatever it was that awaited him after death. He shivered, but not from the cold.


    Kenneth turned and watched Michael bring in the last of the luggage. ¡°Are they locked up for the day?¡± Kenneth asked.


    Michael nodded, ¡°Yes, the trailer is locked and all the luggage is here,¡± he said pointing to the pile of suit cases in the front room. ¡°Do you have a preference as to where you would like to stay?¡± He asked gesturing to either room off the main one.


    Kenneth shook his head, ¡°No, I don¡¯t care just so long as my needs are met.¡± He turned back toward the sliding glass doors. ¡°Why did you choose this place?¡±


    Michael looked up as he lifted two suitcases, ¡°It has the privacy of no one actively watching you or tracking how often you use room key cards,¡± he replied. ¡°It also has the added benefit of not being too far away from the Pacific Crest Trail. It won¡¯t take us up the mountain itself but it will get us close and it¡¯s pretty much a straight shot from here. I thought lodging close by the mountain would serve best as I figured you¡¯d want to spend as much time studying and searching the mountain as you could before you had to retreat before day break.¡±


    Kenneth nodded in place, maintaining his vigil on the forest outside the guest house. Good solid reasons, he expected nothing less from his students.


    The forest was quiet, but not asleep. This was when the forest was the most dangerous. He felt the quiet calm of the guest house and the serenity of the nature beyond, but under that veil was death. The predators of the night would be stalking their unsuspecting prey. As if in answer to his thoughts he heard the faint scream of a small animal nearby. If he wasn¡¯t a vampire he would have missed it entirely. This forest was alive and the predators within it, every predator, was hungry. He licked his lips idly.


    He moved back from the glass doors and moved around the house. It was cozy, not too small though nothing he could see himself living in for too long. It was early morning and soon the sun would rise.

 Book 5 Chapter 13e

    He heard Michael working in one of the bed rooms. His room would be ready before sunrise and that was all that mattered. He looked at a welcome package on the dining room table. He unfolded a tourist map and traced the line of the Pacific Crest Trail as it passed by the star that announced, ¡°You are here¡± with a ridiculous winking smiley face. He grimaced.


    The map was not detailed at all but it had some distances. As far as he could tell he was only about thirteen miles or so away from the mountain itself. Michael could use several different locations to park during the night. There were no places that were truly near the summit of the mountain though, he would have to do some walking, or running to get where he needed to be. His pets would get some exercise then.


    When Michael was finished preparing his room; he went in and slept against the rising sun.


    That evening he was back in the trailer with his pets, traveling south ward along the freeway toward their parking destination for the night. Michael had already confirmed that his vehicle wouldn¡¯t get towed by parking there and it was a favorite place for hikers and campers.


    When the trailer opened, Kenneth stepped out, this time with five dominated wolves by his side. He looked up at the towering mountain over him. There was a foreboding sense about the place. The mountain¡¯s snowcapped top jutted up into the sky, stabbing the heavens themselves. He inhaled deeply.


    The sky was still splashed with bright oranges and reds from the setting sun. He moved away from the trailer. ¡°I will be back an hour or so before sunrise.¡± He didn¡¯t need to say anything more. With a last look at the mountain itself he began to run with his wolf slaves.


    He pushed through onto a trail. The wolves loped next to him easily. He put more speed into his run and forced them to run faster. He didn¡¯t want them to be exhausted, but he didn¡¯t want them to be comfortable either.


    He ran along the trail in the early evening, he felt the temperature fall around him. He was forced to slow down several times as he caught sight of nearby hikers or just people out for a nature walk. He just wanted them to not be here. He pushed past several and kept running.


    He heard a few of them talk after he had passed about what ¡®lovely dogs¡¯ he had and how he must be really good in bed to be able to run like that. He shook his head and refocused on the mountain top.


    After an hour or so he finally passed above the tree line. The mountain gently sloped up and away from him into the deepening night sky. He could see why new age children worshipped at this mountain¡¯s alter. It was magnificent and being a volcano it was just as deadly as it was beautiful, if you were into worshipping nature and all things organic, like most of the fools who found their way into his clubs and farms.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    He turned back toward his slaves and through thought he communicated what he wanted. He formed images of wolves in his mind and forced that image into their consciousness. He twisted the wolf image into that of a werewolf and humans, both. The wolves sat, focused on his will, they internalized the images and sent back understanding. Kenneth threw out his arms from his sides and the wolves scattered.


    He watched his slaves move effortlessly over the ground, eating distance. His pets would track and hunt for the images he had implanted inside their consciousness. They would hunt for wolf, human, and werewolves alike. Their scent may be unfamiliar to them but they would bring him to them.


    Kenneth looked up at the snowcapped mountain towering over him. He could see faint circlets of clouds gather around the mountain¡¯s peak. There was power here; he could feel it, the source of which he couldn¡¯t quite tell though. Standing there looking up into the too wide-open night sky and the bright stars swathed across the heavens, he knew. They had to be here. He could feel it in his bones. He had looked long and hard for the wolves¡¯ den and now he knew that he stood so close to it he could feel it. He just had to find the entrance.


    Letting the flow of nature and fury fuel his legs he ran straight up the slope. He was a vampire first and foremost. He didn¡¯t breathe, except to taste the cold air around him. He didn¡¯t tire; his muscles were fueled by the dark forces that kept him among the living. His speed was beyond human comprehension and he was soon kicking up a cloud of snow powder behind him as he sped up the mountain.


    Within ten minutes he was at the summit. He turned around in all directions. This was how humans felt like gods, standing here on top of the world. He knew that Mount Shasta wasn¡¯t the highest, or even the most impressive peak even in North America, but the summit commanded this region.


    He looked in every direction. The night sky was close enough to touch. He looked away from it, not wanting to dwell on how exposed he felt here.


    He looked down the mountain and could see his five pets running up and along the mountain, with heads raised, tasting the air.


    He turned around and looked at the mountain itself. The conical depression of the cap, where he stood, was in place against the eventual eruption that would probably happen again at some point. Yes, this was a place of power. Why didn¡¯t he think of this before? Standing here, atop the dormant volcano he wondered how the werewolves had managed to have kept this place a secret from him for so long.


    A wolf howl broke out through the night.


    Kenneth twisted his body and darted down the mountain slope, sending up sheets of snow spray behind him.


    His pet was standing in a copse of trees off the slopes of the mountain; he couldn¡¯t see what was making it howl, or what had alerted it. He pushed himself to run faster.


    He reached his slave and knelt down next to it. He took the wolf¡¯s muzzle in his hand and stared deeply into its eyes.


    The images that came forth were a little hazy and seemed to blend together. The scents of things that had passed this way made hazy, dreamlike images in his mind. A few men and women had passed this way. They seemed to walk in a blend of two and four legs. There were wolves that had passed this way as well. But their images were much hazier. The people and wolves walked in the same place, they blended together in the images but never coalesced into what he had shown them to be what a werewolf was. The images left by the scents in the dirt and trees went off toward the mountain.

 Book 5 Chapter 13f

    Kenneth pushed back into the wolf¡¯s mind. He formed his images into a wolf following a visible scent trail up the mountain. Follow. The wolf took off at a run following the scent trail up the mountain. Kenneth followed behind watching the wolf sniff the air and change directions as the scent led him up the mountain deeper through the snow that covered the ground.


    Kenneth followed the wolf as it ran up the slope. It tracked the scent till it ended in a cave, and a solid rock wall that sealed it.


    It wasn¡¯t really a cave, so much as a deep hollow that reached back a half a dozen feet into the mountain itself. The wolf was pointing and sniffing all around the back wall of the cave. Kenneth walked around the small space inspecting every inch of it. The solid rock at the back of the cave was unremarkable in every way. The cave was the same as any other he might find on a mountain. A place in a very convenient location that had allowed years of water, air and perhaps small animals or an earthquake, to shape this hollow from the rock it was made from.


    But it was that very ordinariness of this place that made him sure there was something here.


    He looked over the cave again, this time running his fingers along the rock. He inhaled deeply. He couldn¡¯t smell anything, not even the faintest whiff of people or wolf. His pet still nudged at the back wall of the cave. This could be a front door. He didn¡¯t trust his wolf slaves, but he did trust his abilities and if the wolf had led him here, then there was something here.


    For the time being he withdrew. He called his pet to him and they left the cave as it was. He took a sharp turn outside the cave and left by a different route than how he had followed the wolf there.


    He walked along the snow covered ground and looked up into the night sky, the moon was less bloated than it was the night before. It would be half in less than a week. Not that it mattered to him. The moon would do as it always had. It hung in the sky slowly sinking into the western sky awaiting the chase by the unrisen sun.


    He turned back in the direction of where Michael had parked the trailer. He knelt down in front of his pet and projected the images of what he required. The wolf sat back on his haunches and howled deep and long into the night. He knew that the rest of his wolves would follow the howl. They would all get back to the trailer with plenty of time before sunrise.


    Kenneth rode with Michael in the truck that pulled the trailer behind them. The road was calm and the night still held sway over the land. The black was giving way to blue in the Eastern sky though.


    Kenneth didn¡¯t speak. He was too busy pondering the puzzle of that cave, the mountain and everything that had happened since he arrived. He knew that cave was part of the answer. He knew that the wolf had followed people and wolves¡¯ scents to it. It must lead somewhere. He didn¡¯t believe for a second that that cave was what it looked like, looks and surface impressions were always misleading.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    But he had been over every inch of the thing, twice. The rock was solid all the way around. There was no air, there was no smell, and there wasn¡¯t anything that pointed to what he was looking for.


    When they reached the guest house Kenneth turned to Michael, ¡°I want you to go back out to the mountain and watch at the point that the wolves will lead you to.¡±


    Michael nodded reluctantly, ¡°Of course, Instructor. Where will I be going?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll be going to a small cave, a depression, a hollow, in the side of the mountain. There you will sit and watch, from a distance. There is something about that particular hollow and I want to know what that is.¡±


    ¡°And the wolves will lead me there?¡± Michael asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Kenneth replied, ¡°I¡¯ll instruct them on what is to be done; all you have to do is sit and watch.¡±


    With that Kenneth walked back out to the trailer. He opened the back door and stared at them. They understood his instructions. He led three of the wolves out of the trailer and up into the house. He let them out on the back balcony.


    He turned to Michael, ¡°What are you waiting for?¡±


    Michael nodded his head jerkily and quickly ran out to the truck and started the engine.


    Kenneth watched as the truck pulled out of the parking lot and drove off beyond his line of sight through the trees. He turned toward the back glass doors. Mount Shasta was there, and the werewolves were there too, somewhere. He would find them and that small cave was the key.


    As the sky lightened, he retreated to his room and died the same as he died every morning.


    When the sun touched the western horizon, he awoke from his death sleep and punched a number into his phone. ¡°Has anything happened?¡± he asked.


    ¡°No, Instructor,¡± Michael replied calmly and quietly, ¡°The wolves have stayed alert and I have my binoculars. Nothing has approached the cave at all.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re watching the right cave, Michael?¡± Kenneth asked suddenly irritable.


    ¡°Yes, Instructor, one of the wolves ran into the cave when we first got here. I hunkered down a ways off, hiding in the tree line. I have a good view of the cave but I need my bino¡¯s to see it.¡±


    Kenneth sighed. He knew this was going to be a long, long game of patiently waiting to see what happened, if anything. He shook his head. ¡°Bring the wolves back. I will take over from here.¡±


    Without waiting for a response, he turned off his phone and set it down on the table. He opened the back glass doors. He looked at his pets and gave them instructions. They all lay back down and stayed where they had been. Kenneth immediately jumped over the wooden railing and took off running through the forest.


    He wasn¡¯t sure what kind of game the werewolves were playing. If their home was underground then a dormant volcano would make sense, it would be the last place anyone would look.


    If that cave was a doorway, then maybe there were more. Maybe, but he had to focus his attempts. He had searched long and hard for the wolves that plagued him and his business ventures, and his House as well. He could wait a few more days if necessary. He would find their secret. It was only a matter of time.

 Book 5 Chapter 14a

    ¡°What did you find, Alexander?¡± Ansuya asked staring at him as he strode through his front door.


    She had lost all pretense of posturing or being the submissive wife with the vampire. It had been several days since she had been to see Jason. Alexander had seemed to be working hard on finding Brian and Kenneth. She suspected that whatever support he had gathered was starting to wane.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t find anything. Those idiots have no idea what they¡¯re doing, or why they¡¯re doing it.¡± Alexander paced the room nervously full of pent-up anger and frustration. ¡°One more of my guys decided that he didn¡¯t want to watch an empty house anymore and walked off. He WALKED OFF!¡± Alexander screamed.


    ¡°Sit down,¡± Ansuya commanded softly. The vampire immediately obeyed and sat down quickly on the couch looking up at her. ¡°You are tired Alexander, go to sleep now.¡± Alexander closed his heavy eye lids and drifted off into his daily death state.


    She watched his body stiffen and cool itself in death. One day she would be able to send him to his true death, but he was still of some use, for now, or at least she hoped so.


    She walked into the office and dialed a number on the phone.


    After a few rings a male voice answered, ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Jason,¡± she replied warmly, ¡°Have you had any luck with what we talked about?¡±


    There was a shuffling noise from the other end of the phone, eventually the noise settled and a calm voice replied, ¡°Yes, Miss Das actually I have,¡± Jason replied happily.


    ¡°Yes?¡± she asked keeping the hope and excitement from her voice.


    ¡°I talked to one my buddy¡¯s downstairs Zack, I don¡¯t know if you met him or not, and I asked him to look into that guy, Brian. Once I told him he had connections with Kenneth Pacifico he was all about looking for this guy.¡±


    Ansuya smiled; Kenneth had made a few enemies from his time in Los Angeles. That was good to know, mutual animosity made for very powerful and loyal comrades. ¡°And what did he find?¡± she asked casually.


    ¡°Nothing, unfortunately,¡± Jason replied sounding a bit let down himself.


    Ansuya pursed her lips and looked at nothing for a moment, ¡°So what is the good news, Jason?¡±


    ¡°Taking your word, that two other fires were related to the one you had me look into,¡± he replied growing more excited. ¡°I looked through our files into what had been going on and I found two other warehouse, or storehouse fires. The fires were almost exactly the same, the buildings were empty and there was very little equipment in any of them.¡±The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°How does that help?¡± Ansuya asked.


    ¡°It lets me put together a dossier on the arsonist. I can maybe track him and find out what he may want to hit before he does it.¡±


    ¡°Ok, and does that help find Kenneth?¡±


    ¡°Well, no,¡± replied Jason, ¡°But for me it¡¯s great, I mean, fires are never great, but this might help me put a finger on this guy and be able to maybe stop him before he does any more damage.¡±


    ¡°Jason,¡± Ansuya said trying to not sound annoyed, ¡°I hope you do. If there is any information on Brain or Kenneth, please let me know.¡±


    ¡°Will do, Miss Das.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she said as she hung up the phone.


    This Brian, whoever he was, was good. She didn¡¯t know who Zack was but she would be sure to introduce herself to him in time. The Mountain always needed and was always looking for new allies. Then again, he may be working for the vampires already and Jason may not have seen it. It was a common thing to miss. To be misjudged, or underestimated, by friends was a great attribute the vampires looked for in all their compatriots.


    She sat down heavily in the office chair and stared at the wall. There was nothing else for her to do. She didn¡¯t let despair take her though, she hadn¡¯t survived Kenneth¡¯s basement for a year by giving into despair and hopelessness. Still, she felt so useless just sitting here.


    Perhaps it was time to leave Alexander.


    Had he served his purpose? Was there anything more she could learn from him? He was more junior than she had originally would have thought, which is precisely why Kenneth would have chosen him to pawn her off on.


    Kenneth had to know that she was strong enough to bend Alexander¡¯s will to her own eventually. Unless he really didn¡¯t believe that she was capable of doing that. That the year in his basement had broken her will and resolve. If Kenneth believed that, he was a greater fool than she gave him credit for.


    No, she knew she couldn¡¯t go back to the Mountain, not yet. She hadn¡¯t completed her task. She had to learn how the vampires knew when a new Shape shifter was going to be reborn before the Mountain did. She also needed to know how Kenneth and possibly the other two Houses knew who the City Elders were.


    Surely, they couldn¡¯t know about the City under the Mountain. The sloping peaks of the dormant volcano had kept their secret for centuries. No one had even hinted that the vampires might have come close to guessing where the city was.


    Still, the fact that Kenneth, and now Brian it seemed, had disappeared without a trace that not even Alexander¡¯s people had seen Brian visit Kenneth¡¯s house in the last few days was troubling.


    Could it be possible that Kenneth had left L.A.? Nothing was beyond the realms of possibility.


    She had regained much of her strength and she ate freely now. Alexander saw what she wanted him to see and for some reason forgot everything that she didn¡¯t want him to see, it was very strange how that happened.


    For now, she would wait and place her faith in this Zack person and Jason who she had known for almost five years, the man was dedicated and loyal. She couldn¡¯t trust Alexander¡¯s people to get anything done. Their incompetence was palpable. But what did she expect from a bunch of low level soldiers in one of the primary vampire Houses in North America.


    I expect competence if not intelligence, she thought bitterly. Kenneth must have seen this possible outcome. She couldn¡¯t go back to the mountain, but staying here was a waste of time. She would give her vampire host two more days then she would go back to the Mountain.


    The next night Ansuya was going through her dance forms and working out as best she could in the apartment. A thin layer of sweat covered her whole body and her muscles burned with a warm glow. She hadn¡¯t felt this good in a long time. Her muscles were growing and gaining strength every day. Soon it would be as if she had never been in Kenneth¡¯s basement, at least physically.

 Book 5 Chapter 14b

    The front door burst inward. Ansuya jumped up immediately and took a defensive stance, ready to shift to her werewolf form if needed.


    It wasn¡¯t.


    Alexander came bounding into the apartment, ¡°Ansuya? ANSUYA?!¡± he called her earnestly.


    She came out of the back room warily looking for signs of a trap. There was only Alexander smiling broadly at her from the sitting room. ¡°What is it, Alexander?¡±


    The vampire trotted towards her and took her hands, ¡°I have great news! I just heard about it!¡±


    Ansuya was very confused but before she could assert her will over the excited man, he whirled her around and let her go into the sitting room, letting her inertia force her to fall into a sitting position on the couch.


    Alexander was practically jumping for joy, ¡°I found him, Ansuya!¡±


    ¡°Did you?¡± she replied skeptically.


    He suddenly looked very awkward. He combed his hair with his hand nervously and looked down at the floor, ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t actually find him. He found me.¡±


    Ansuya sat up a little straighter, ¡°What do you mean, ¡®he found you¡¯?¡± she asked pointedly.


    Alexander didn¡¯t look her in the eye as he spoke, ¡°I was going over to meet with some of my guys when Brian just comes in out of nowhere. It¡¯s like he knew where we were and decided to drop in to say hi.¡±


    This probably wasn¡¯t too far from the truth. Alexander had proved himself to be rather incompetent. But that in and of itself made it difficult for her to move and plan. Kenneth had to know about Alexander, he would have counted on her overwhelming him. But for what purpose? Was this another of Kenneth¡¯s elaborate traps? Now it seemed that the game was proceeding as Kenneth devised.


    ¡°What did he have to say, Alexander?¡± she asked finally.


    ¡°Not much,¡± Alexander replied, ¡°He did say something about a meeting and that House Brandt should be there.¡±


    ¡°Kenneth will be hosting this meeting,¡± Ansuya mused.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I was thinking, if I can get to this meeting first, I could get the drop on him, surprise him, and kill him before anyone else got there!¡± he exclaimed excitedly.


    ¡°No,¡± Ansuya said, immediately cooling Alexander¡¯s excitement, ¡°No, there will be too many other vampires at this meeting. It will be too public and too dangerous.¡± And, she thought, Kenneth would know who put the idea into this soldier¡¯s head.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    Maybe that had been the trap he had set. She would have Alexander attack Kenneth and Kenneth would survive, of course just to uncover her in Alexander¡¯s care and apartment. All guilt would be removed from him and no one would ever suspect that he captured her and held her in his basement for over a year. That would be a clean break for Kenneth. Well, she wouldn¡¯t fall into that trap. But she couldn¡¯t be seen at this meeting either.


    She looked at the vampire, ¡°You will have to go to this meeting alone. I can¡¯t be there with you. You and I wouldn¡¯t make it out of the place alive. You will have to be my eyes and ears and you must come back to me and tell me what was said. This may give me some idea about what Kenneth is planning.¡±


    Alexander nodded his head.


    ¡°Will Wolfgang be there as well?¡± she asked suddenly.


    Alexander shrugged his shoulders, ¡°I have no idea. Brian didn¡¯t mention anything about my Head of House.¡±


    If all of House Brandt was at this meeting than maybe this was a time for her to make a play of her own. ¡°Alexander, when is this meeting? And where?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Tomorrow night at three o¡¯clock in the morning,¡± Alexander replied, ¡°in a warehouse held by House Dukart.¡±


    Ansuya smiled, ¡°Tell me where Wolfgang will be then, if he won¡¯t be at the meeting.¡±


    Alexander didn¡¯t say anything for long moments. He looked at the floor in front of him.


    ¡°Alexander,¡± Ansuya said sternly, ¡°Look at me.¡± The vampire raised his eyes to hers. She forced a blast of pheromones toward him. ¡°Tell me where Wolfgang will be at three o¡¯clock in the morning tomorrow.¡± Her eyes bored into his.


    ¡°He will be at his home, a mansion outside L.A., along the coast.¡± Alexander replied.


    ¡°Good,¡± she said with a smile, ¡°Then you can drop me off there before the meeting starts.¡±


    Alexander looked at her, ¡°Why do you want to go to Wolfgang¡¯s house?¡± he asked bewildered.


    Ansuya didn¡¯t respond. She was looking at the wall behind him, thinking about what had just happened and how she could use this to her advantage. If she could get Wolfgang alone without the bulk of his House to aid him, she might be able to take him. She wasn¡¯t as strong as she used to be but she had made strides this last week, and her strength was returning.


    Since Alexander had proven to be a wash, then maybe a Head of House would be able to answer her questions. If he proved to be uncooperative, she could persuade him.


    She shook her head absently. That would take too much time. She had never matched up against a vampire Head of House before. Was she strong enough to fight him? Could she escape if things got too rough? She would need to know where Wolfgang lived and plan her strategy based on the layout of the house.


    ¡°Alexander,¡± she said focusing her eyes on the vampire again, ¡°I need you to tell me Wolfgang¡¯s address and point out which house is his on the computer.¡±


    It was now around noon time of the following day. Alexander had given her the address and pointed out several images of the mansion that was his. She had ordered him to go to sleep after that. That had been after she had instructed him to forget everything that had happened after he had told her about the meeting Kenneth was holding of course.


    She studied the house from Google Earth and images. She pulled up what she could of the possible floor plans for mansions in that area. The size of the building would not work in her favor. Wolfgang would know it far better than she could just by studying pictures and floor plans. But there was also a lot of places for her to fall back to, to get separation from attacking vampires if need be.


    She hoped that this meeting that Kenneth had called would draw a lot of Wolfgang¡¯s protection as well, if Wolfgang wasn¡¯t going to be there himself. There were reasons why he would and wouldn¡¯t show. She just hoped that he would skip the meeting, trusting his subordinates to give him all the details. That made the most logical sense. Wolfgang would be home; he had to be.

 Book 5 Chapter 14c

    If not than it was a waste and she would have to wait for the meeting to be over before she found out what was actually going on. She could always wait till sunrise and surprise Wolfgang that way. Then she would be sure to have him alone, at least for a few minutes. She would make that decision tomorrow morning.


    For now she shut off the computer and went to her room to sleep.


    She awoke before sunrise and ate. She worked out and ate again, a light meal. She went over all the scenarios in her head, if Wolfgang was there, if he wasn¡¯t there, to wait till daylight or face him in the early morning. All these thoughts swirled around in her head as Alexander came into the kitchen and hugged her from behind.


    That had shocked her out of her chaotic contemplation.


    She looked at the vampire and he smiled at her and prepared his blood himself. She no longer made him his meals and when he was able, he made her meals for her.


    She couldn¡¯t think of anything other than this meeting and her confrontation with Brandt¡¯s Head of House. What would Kenneth say at this meeting? What was he planning? But even more troubling was why had he invited low level soldiers from House Brandt? He was about to do something, something that he had been planning for a long time by what she had seen in his house and felt through his dream world that she had commanded for a few brief seconds. She only hoped that she could put the pieces together before he had a chance to spring whatever plans he had conjured.


    Alexander didn¡¯t bother to go out tonight. He lounged around the house, watching some television at one point but mostly just looked bored sitting on the couch. She wished he would go find something to do. Why couldn¡¯t he like playing video games or something? Having a bored vampire just walk up and down the apartment did little for her concentration.


    She poured over all the information she could gather about Wolfgang¡¯s house. She had pinpointed two possible places for him to sleep. She rehearsed getting into the house mentally and how she would go about searching the place, room by room if necessary. The more she thought about it the better it seemed for her to wait till daybreak. The only thing was by then the meeting would be over.


    She could always find out about the meeting later from Alexander. She could wake him up in the middle of the day and have him answer her questions. She was pretty sure with Kenneth bringing in other House vampires this would just be some grand announcement, something to place fear into the other Houses or his own? That thought hadn¡¯t occurred to her till just then. This could all be to distract Alessandro from what Kenneth¡¯s real objective was.


    She needed help and she could always use the tenuous truce between the vampire Houses as her weapon. Wolfgang wasn¡¯t prone to anger or rash action, which was why he was what he was. But if she could convince him that Kenneth, the upstart, was threatening the carful balance between the Houses, then he might be inclined to act.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    At twelve thirty in the morning Alexander and Ansuya drove out of the condo parking garage and headed north toward the coast heading toward Wolfgang Hammerstein¡¯s, Head of House Brandt, mansion.


    They arrived about an hour later. Ansuya told him to drop her off a mile or so away. He had been reluctant to do that but didn¡¯t argue.


    Then Alexander drove off back toward the city and Kenneth¡¯s mysterious meeting. Ansuya turned north and began to make her way to the mansion.


    She was well dressed and walked along the sidewalk. She figured walking out in the open would be less conspicuous. That and if you walked out in the open the constantly patrolling police cars had little reason to suspect you were up to something if you were just walking down the street.


    She went over the floor plans of the house again and again in her mind as she walked. She tried to not look lost or too determined in her steps. She casually strolled, occasionally brushing her hair from her face as the ocean breeze gusted from time to time.


    Eventually she saw the mansion. She checked the address; this was the place.


    She walked past it, looking through the wrought iron gate that blocked a long driveway that led up the house as she did. The house was an off-white color with ground blue lights splashing a cool look all over it. It reminded her of a swimming pool with crystal clear water. The lights mounted on the house were a soft white that seemed to accent the blue lights from the ground. The Mansion met the driveway in a bulbous section that fused with the rest of the massive rectangle stacked upon rectangle shapes that made up the rest of the massive structure.


    She didn¡¯t stare and she didn¡¯t stop walking. A single woman walking past a house, regardless of how grand that house was, wouldn¡¯t need to be observed closely. She used that to her advantage. She looked out of the corner of eye at the house and the surrounding walls to spot where the security cameras were, where possible guards or security people might be, and any other security measures that were sure to be there.


    She didn¡¯t see any guard house that she could recognize from the street. She also didn¡¯t hear any dogs barking. She couldn¡¯t smell anything on the salty sea breeze either. Of course, her human nose was miserably inadequate for the task next to her werewolf nose. But then she couldn¡¯t exactly shift in the middle of the street either.


    When she had walked past the mansion and was out of sight on the other side, she ducked into the bushes around the wall that surrounded the mansion. When she was hidden from sight she quickly undressed and she shifted. She took in long sniffs of the air, testing for dogs or people. She couldn¡¯t smell anything.


    She looked up at the wall. There were no cameras that she could see. The information she could pull from her online resources were sparse in actual security measures. Where she was, the outer wall was surrounded by trees, so the likelihood that cameras would be placed there, just to be blocked by foliage, was unlikely.


    She shifted back and put on her clothes. She had decided to wait till sunrise. Alexander would wait and tell her about the meeting. She could also wait to see just what kind of security or house protection Wolfgang kept at his mansion.


    She sat down in the bushes, concealing herself from sight from the road and went over the floor plans for the hundredth time that night. She was only going to get one shot at the Head of House, she would be ready.

 Book 5 Chapter 14d

    Alexander entered into the warehouse where there was already an impressive gathering. He saw a few of his House mates there milling around eyeing the other side of the room. He looked over to see members of House Himura standing against the wall. What are they doing here? Kenneth had some nerve. Brian hadn¡¯t told him that they weren¡¯t the only ones invited to this gathering.


    Of course there was a sizable contingent of House Dukart there as well. What was Kenneth up to? What was going on? He walked over to his side of the place and stood with his House members.


    As he did so he heard, ¡°Is Kenneth going to let just any idiot walk in here off the street?¡± It was loud enough to be heard even if he wasn¡¯t a vampire.


    Alexander turned toward the House Himura vampires, ¡°You got something to say, slant eyes, say it to my face!¡±


    One slender male stepped out of the group. He was young looking, only mid-twenties or so. He walked up to Alexander and without a word his leg shot upward and caught his jaw squarely, knocking him to the ground.


    The slender man turned toward his house, and speaking in his native language said, ¡°I guess he couldn¡¯t handle what I had to say.¡± This earned him laughter from his side.


    Alexander pushed himself up and clubbed the young man while his back was turned. The smaller man recovered and shot his leg out behind him catching Alexander in the torso. Alexander screamed and charged him tackling him to the ground.


    This seemed to be some unspoken signal to the rest of them, because House Brandt and House Himura flowed into each other, punching, kicking and hurling themselves into each other in a massive brawl.


    Alexander flung the young man he was fighting into two others who were charging him. He was able to just dodge a high kick of another and grabbed at the leg. It was slender and much thinner than he expected. He looked down and saw a not unattractive woman connected to the leg he now held.


    Smiling viciously, he dragged the girl upward and slammed her into two more Himura vampires. He let the girl go and clothes lined two more. He was not as quick as the slender Japanese vampires but he was much stronger. Once he got close, he was able to throw them around like rag dolls.


    House Brandt pressed against House Himura. Alexander howled in joyous fury as he lunged back into the fray. He got caught in the back with a powerful kick and he fell forward. He was just able to roll out of the way as a foot stomped down where his head had been a split second ago.


    He tried to stand up but a leg slammed down on his back with crushing force. He moaned in deep pain as he tried to push himself up from the floor. He felt a heavy elbow land squarely between his shoulder blades. He slammed down onto the floor again.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    He gathered all his strength and pushed himself up throwing his legs underneath him as he did and stood up. He charged forward and grabbed the nearest guy by the waist and continued to push him. He slammed the Asian vampire against a metal girder with a satisfying crunch.


    He pulled his fist back to slam it into the dazed man¡¯s face¡­


    ¡°ENOUGH!¡±


    Alexander looked up toward the front of the warehouse as did all of House Brandt and House Himura. The vampire that he held shoved him away and moved away from the pillar, recovering from the crushing blow.


    There was no stage or lights, just a horseshoe gathering of House Dukart members framing Kenneth as he strode in between the other two Houses, both sides retreating to their respective sides against the newcomer and his followers.


    Kenneth looked back and forth between the two Houses. ¡°I get all three Houses together for the first time in decades and the first thing you want to do is rip each other¡¯s throats out.¡± He turned back toward his own House members, ¡°I hope this doesn¡¯t spark another Blood Feud between them.¡± He looked over to House Himura, ¡°Isn¡¯t that what you blame for the loss of L.A. and House Dukart being able to take over?¡±


    House Himura looked at him with anger in their eyes. They didn¡¯t acknowledge his words or the implication of it, they didn¡¯t need to. He knew full well that Fumiko held Wolfgang responsible for the Italians being able to supplant her power base, even with little Tokyo right in the heart of Los Angeles.


    Alexander took the opportunity to look around the ware house. There was about a hundred plus vampires, all told, but he didn¡¯t see either Fumiko, or Wolfgang, the Heads of House. He thought about Ansuya and what she had planned to do. If she planned to hit Wolfgang in his own house, at least there was a better than average chance that he was home at least.


    Kenneth continued, ¡°I brought you here for a very important reason. However, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t tell you what that is.¡± He looked past them all as the massive doors to the warehouse were being pulled open.


    Outside in the moonlight, there were several charter buses. Kenneth motioned to these buses and said, ¡°If you would all get inside the buses we are going for a short journey away from here to an undisclosed location where we will have better security.¡±


    ¡°Bull shit!¡± said one of the men from House Brandt, ¡°I came here just to hear what you had to say. I¡¯m not getting into any bus going to somewhere I don¡¯t know just because you say so, Kenneth!¡± he spat out his name like snake venom. ¡°I¡¯m outta here!¡±


    Before he got three steps, two House Dukart vampires closed in on either side. The man saw the two approach and tried to ready a defense. He didn¡¯t see the one come from behind. A single gunshot sounded and the vampire fell to his knees holding his chest as a wound gaped where his heart should have been. He fell over dead.


    ¡°You can¡¯t get out that way,¡± Kenneth stated loudly enough to be heard by everyone. ¡°The only way for you to leave now is on those busses.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t take all of us, Dukartian,¡± a young member of House Himura said from the crowd.


    ¡°It would definitely be fun seeing which House would come out on top in a fight like this, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± Kenneth asked off handedly. He looked over the three groups of vampires. ¡°You two might, and I stress might, be able to destroy me and the representatives from my House. However, we would take a large number of your Houses as well. That fight would only serve our mutual enemies. Besides,¡± he looked at both House Himura and House Brandt, ¡°you are all much too curious to see exactly what it is I have gathered you all here for. All you have to do is get on those buses out there and you will soon have your answers.¡±

 Book 5 Chapter 14e

    Kenneth gestured for the large group of collected vampires to exit the warehouse and board the charter buses. They moved slowly, like a herd of cattle. Kenneth stopped himself from shaking his head. Why was it so hard to get people to do what you wanted them to do?


    After a short bus ride, they were all let off the busses inside a massive aircraft hangar. There were three good sized planes that sat about fifty each. The vampires seemed to mill around waiting for their host to rejoin them. House Dukart sentinels watched the group. They were armed with assault rifles and long knives.


    A large black SUV rolled into the hanger and Kenneth stepped out of the vehicle smiling. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to keep you all waiting we got hung up on some traffic back there.¡± He walked among the group gesturing to the planes with his arms outstretched toward them. ¡°You will on board one of these planes and see how generous I am? Three planes for the three Houses, isn¡¯t that something?¡± He was still smiling, no one else in the hangar was.


    ¡°Kenneth!¡± barked Alexander, ¡°Just what in the hell is this all about? Why am I getting on a plane? Where is it going?¡±


    Kenneth¡¯s smile deepened, ¡°Alexander, my old friend. How is the package I sent you? I hope it hasn¡¯t been too much trouble?¡± Alexander snarled but didn¡¯t look away.


    Kenneth turned away from the Brandt soldier, ¡°As of right now I own all of you. You will answer directly to me and you will all obey my orders.¡±


    ¡°Like Hell!¡± a Brandt vampire yelled.


    ¡°I answer only to Lady Nakahara,¡± a Himuran yelled.


    Kenneth rolled his eyes and sighed, ¡°Why can¡¯t things ever be simple¡± he muttered to himself. He turned to a vampire behind him and was given two rolls of paper which he held up for all to see, ¡°By order of your respective Heads of House, I have been given full authority to use you as I see fit. Disobeying me will be a direct violation against your own House.¡± He paused looking around, ¡°I don¡¯t need to remind any of you what the penalty is for that, do I?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe it! Give me that!¡± Alexander said yanking the piece of paper out of Kenneth¡¯s hands. A representative from House Himura came up and took the other.


    Alexander melted back into the group of his House reading the piece of paper. It was signed and sealed in wax with Wolfgang¡¯s personal seal. Various House Brandt vampires looked over his shoulder reading the document.


    Alexander¡¯s eyes grew wider as he read. This couldn¡¯t be real? This, this was a lie! It had to be! And yet, the seal and signature were genuine as far as he could tell. Wolfgang had betrayed them all! Alexander looked up at Kenneth and then to House Himura. He saw his expression mirrored there. Why would his Head of House do this? His fingers went limp and he let go of the paper as it was passed back through the members of his House.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Kenneth stood in the middle of the group, watching with a bemused smile on his lips as the two pieces of paper were passed through all the vampires in attendance.


    There were no words, there was no arguing. House Himura and House Brandt had lost. There was nothing to say. Alexander was numb. He saw Kenneth motion towards the planes for people to board. He didn¡¯t even have the strength to ask where they were going. House Dukart had taken over the city and now his Head of House, Wolfgang Hammerstein, had betrayed them to this, this¡­smug bastard!


    But even those were hollow thoughts. He was on board the plane before he realized he had even started mounting the steps. What was there to fight for? His House was a lie, his eternal life was hollow. He had no soul and now no fire, no anger. What good was he to anyone? He had never felt so cold before, not even the Hamburg winters when he was a child had left him feeling like this. He sat down in a chair and stared numbly ahead, not seeing anything, not thinking anything, just wanting to die, and stay dead this time.


    * * * * *


    The sun was beginning to rise slowly, splashing the early morning sky with reds and bright yellows. Ansuya was ready for this moment. She undressed and shifted. She hurled herself up and over the wall, perching there for a few seconds.


    She surveyed the inner courtyard of the mansion inside the wall. In the growing daylight she couldn¡¯t see any new cameras at all, only the ones she had spotted the night before. Without a sound she dropped herself into the yard and shifted back to her human form. She quickly dressed herself and moved forward across the deep lush green lawn.


    The cameras were stationary which she found to be odd. She didn¡¯t waste time hurring up to the house. Ducking under a security camera pointing at the front porch steps leading to the front door, she slid along the wall of the mansion around to the back.


    The place was quiet as the dead. She carefully picked her way along the side of the building to the back windows. Again, she noticed that the security cameras were not moving. She couldn¡¯t see any red LED light on them. She was starting to get the feeling that they were either turned off, or they had never worked at all.


    That was possible but not likely. Even crime bosses had to be wary of street thugs and other gangs that wanted to make a quick name for themselves. The best way to do that was take out the head of a rival group, take over their territory, and recruit their people. So the cameras had to serve a practical purpose, not just be scarecrows.


    She was standing next to a large bay window that was obscured from the inside with drapes. She scanned the back yard. The pool gently rippled as the wind blew past its surface. This place was lovely, especially as the rising sun hit its white surface, lending the place a warm orange yellow hue. It was very peaceful. Something also told her that this place felt very wrong.


    If Wolfgang had set a trap for her, she could see no telltale signs though. It looked quiet, but there weren¡¯t even guards out. Everything about this place told her to leave, but she had to confront Wolfgang, she needed answers.


    She couldn¡¯t shake this feeling in the back of her mind. It was a low humming, an insect buzzing just beyond hearing. She was reminded of the White Plain and the unspoken dangers that rested there.

 Book 5 Chapter 14f

    She looked at the window. The best way to see a trap is to spring it. The only problem with that was you had to hope that your escape route was sound and that you could escape when the trap was sprung.


    She picked up a flower bed rock, about the size of her head, and threw it into the window, smashing it into a hundred shards that exploded inward with a musical sound of glass colliding with each other.


    Ansuya crouched down against the wall of the mansion. There was no alarm. There was no yelling of security guards. There could always be a silent alarm, which was very possible. The sunlight was on her side though, any vampires inside would be sleeping in their death state. If there was a silent alarm, then police would be here in minutes to check on the disturbance. She waited for the sound of sirens to fill the air¡­ they never did.


    She stayed down for a good ten minutes waiting for security, someone to answer the silent alarm, but there was nothing. It was like the house was completely empty. Her eyes opened wide in shock. No, no that wasn¡¯t possible. Alexander would not be able to defy her. He hadn¡¯t been lying when he gave her the address. Wolfgang was here, she was certain of it.


    She knocked the glass from the bottom of the window frame and stepped through into the luxurious mansion.


    Pictures and floor plans could not have prepared her for what she saw. This was opulence and excess incarnate. Persian rugs, crystal chandeliers, marble floors, plush crushed velvet covered couches, leather sofas and ottomans. Everything had a sheen of pure elegance and wealth. She was sure that the mirrors were gilded with real gold and silver. She didn¡¯t want to know how many people had suffered, how many people were bought and sold to be able to pay for this extravagance. The place sickened her and fueled a rage in her that she kept in check with some difficulty. Wolfgang would pay for this excess; she would make all of them pay.


    She crouched and moved through the house silently. The floor plans she had studied were not an exact replica, but the she hadn¡¯t expected them to be. She moved through the house, looking in every room as she went. This place was empty. It felt like no one lived there at all.


    She made her way up to the second floor and searched carefully there as well. She walked onto a very large loft area that over looked the spacious living room. The sunlight was streaming in brightly from the windows that hung high on the vaulted ceiling that went up past even the loft level giving a real sense of grand space to the already massive house. She crept across into the second part of the house, staying away from the ledge to avoid being seen by passersby downstairs, even though she was sure there was no one here. No point in getting sloppy.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    She took a left into a master bedroom with what looked like a hole in the ground with a huge bed that was one and half times bigger than a king sized bed at least. There were neat wooden stairs leading down into the pit and there was a comfortable space between the bed and the walls that made up the hole. She had to admit it was an interesting design choice. It was definitely something that she had never seen before.


    She turned away from the made bed and carefully glanced around a corner. A blond haired man stood with his hands behind his back in the smaller room. Ansuya jerked back with shock at seeing him.


    The man casually walked out of the small room keeping his hands behind his back, ¡°Is there something I can help you with, Miss Das?¡±


    Ansuya kept her stance loose, ready to attack or shift, whichever was needed. She leveled her glace at the taller man. She began pushing out subtle scents and pheromones towards the vampire.


    He stood much higher than she did at well over six feet. His crystal blue eyes were bright against his pale skin and light blond hair. She had to admit he was handsome by most people¡¯s reckoning.


    ¡°Yes, there is Wolfgang,¡± she replied keeping her voice even. ¡°Tell me what you know about Kenneth Pacifico.¡±


    ¡°That is a very vague request Miss Das,¡± Wolfgang replied, ¡°How about you tell me why you have decided to break into my house.¡±


    So, there was some kind of silent alarm. She must have lost her mind to think otherwise. Well, he knew she was here and that¡¯s what she had wanted in the first place. ¡°What do you know about House Dukart and wolves?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t keep tabs on House Dukart or wolves, Miss Das,¡± he replied easily. ¡°I am aware that they have decided to the let the beasts migrate here from Idaho though, if that¡¯s what you mean.¡±


    ¡°Odd, I didn¡¯t think House Dukart came from Idaho.¡±


    Wolfgang smiled, ¡°That¡¯s very good,¡± he chuckled at the joke, ¡°I¡¯ll have to remember that one.¡± He stepped down into the master bed pit and sat down on the bed looking up at her. ¡°I seem to have heard something about you werewolves dwindling in numbers over the past few years. Does this have something to do with that? Not enough dogs to keep away the vermin?¡±


    ¡°We do just fine with the vermin,¡± she replied, letting steel into her voice. ¡°Or haven¡¯t you noticed how many of your slave houses and drug dens you¡¯ve had to rebuild in the last year or so?¡± Her features were as smooth as a calm lake.


    Wolfgang¡¯s smile slid a little at the comment, ¡°I see.¡±


    They both stared at each other for long moments. Ansuya had to get this guy talking but he seemed to have much more control over his emotions than Alexander ever did. She had thought maybe that lack of control might be something that was shared through all of House Brandt.


    ¡°How have things been going with House Brandt? House Dukart not taking too much of your territory I trust?¡±


    ¡°We do just fine, Miss Das,¡± he said as he leaned back on the bed a few inches, ¡°We rebuild as needed, deal with our business here and there, trade with the other two Houses, business as usual for us.¡±


    ¡°And yet House Dukart is calling all the shots in the city. Surely that must gall you. I mean just because Alessandro is almost a hundred years older than you, he can¡¯t just get away with pushing you and House Brandt around, can he?¡±


    After some moments of him obviously stalling he finally replied, ¡°House Brandt has done just fine,¡± he said.


    ¡°And yet you play the sycophant to House Dukart, why?¡±

 Book 5 Chapter 14g

    Wolfgang glowered at her. His eyes held smoldering embers that wanted to burn her from existence where she stood. ¡°Why are you here?¡± he asked slinging daggers with his eyes, barely keeping his voice level above a growl.


    ¡°I¡¯m just chatting with you, Wolfgang,¡± she said and started walking around the room keeping a casual eye on the vampire seated on the bed. ¡°You really have done an amazing job of staying afloat though. You¡¯ve kept your House relevant in an entertainment ¡®last year¡¯ kind of way. I just wanted you to know that I admire how you managed to do it.¡±


    ¡°A last year, kind of way?¡± Wolfgang threw his head back and laughed. ¡°You have no idea, do you?¡±


    The unexpected laughter caught her off guard. Just what did he find so funny? ¡°Care to let me in on the joke, Wolfgang?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the joke!¡± he said in anger stabbing a finger at her. ¡°You and all your kind are a joke that¡¯s about to end!¡±


    Ansuya let a small smile crease her lips, ¡°Really? How are you going to manage that? We¡¯ve already gotten stronger and better at finding our pups before they are reborn better than you can. Our numbers are becoming very healthy again. Soon we may be able to do more than just burn down your drug dens or slave houses.¡±


    She hadn¡¯t had any contact with the Mountain for over a year. She could only bluff that the Mountain had improved the techniques she had helped to reawaken in Nicolas.


    ¡°You sound very confident of that,¡± Wolfgang replied very self-assuredly.


    Ansuya heard something in his voice, something that was a little too confident. ¡°Have you heard of Kenneth Pacifico?¡± she asked pointedly.


    ¡°I have,¡± he replied with a smile, ¡°Very nice young man when you get to know him. He is a true asset to his House.¡±


    ¡°Is he that praise worthy to receive compliments from you?¡± Ansuya asked keeping her features calm and unreadable.


    ¡°Miss Das, I give credit where credit is due. Kenneth is only around, what? seventy-two seventy-three years old? I wish he was one of mine.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡± Ansuya pressed.


    ¡°Because of his ambition.¡±


    She had experienced his ambition for over a year. She had resisted his attempts to break her and dominate her. Is that what Wolfgang was talking about? No, Kenneth had hidden her and seemed terrified that she might escape his hold over her when she almost broke free. If it wasn¡¯t that then?¡­


    ¡°Tell me what you know about wolves and a place called The Zoo?¡± Ansuya asked.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°We have several zoos here in Los Angeles, Miss Das. Which one might you be referring to?¡± he asked with a smile.


    ¡°The place where Kenneth trains new pets?¡± she answered carefully.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t under the impression that he kept pets, Miss Das,¡± he replied easily stepping out of the bed well onto the floor.


    There were no windows here. She would have to draw Wolfgang out of the room back onto the loft if she was going to let the sunlight be an advantage in a fight to her. Wolfgang knew something, she knew he did. He was stalling, of that she was sure, but for what?


    ¡°Are you telling me that you have allowed a rival vampire House to learn and exploit new abilities in your own city that you aren¡¯t aware of?¡± Ansuya asked in projected disbelief. ¡°I¡¯m shocked that one of the House Heads would allow himself to be so blind to what was going on in his own city to allow that to happen. Wolfgang, you need better informants.¡±


    The vampire¡¯s features turned to stone as he stared at her, ¡°You think I really don¡¯t know what Kenneth has been up to? I know better than even his own Head of House knows!¡± he said with a smile.


    ¡°And what might that be?¡± she asked quietly.


    The smile slid from his face. He had fallen into her trap and now she had him. He looked at her out of one eye as anger broiled there. He looked out into the loft area and saw the beautiful sunshine brightly fill the rooms beyond. He smiled wickedly at her, ¡°That he is going to end you, and your kind, for good.¡±


    Without another word Wolfgang lunged at Ansuya.


    She immediately shifted forms and blocked his swinging attacks. The shreds of her clothes falling off her form as she moved.


    The vampire attacked with careful grace and pinpoint attacks. His fists and legs jabbed and shot out in exacting careful maneuvers.


    Ansuya was hard pressed to keep up with him. She dodged and countered his blows as best she could. His left leg swung up toward her face, she blocked the kick and was met in her right side with a vicious jab. The wind was knocked from her and she danced back from him out of reach.


    Wolfgang didn¡¯t let up. He glided along the floor after her. His body was controlled as were his features. His legs and arms were a blur of motion and Ansuya, even though she had shifted into her werewolf form, couldn¡¯t keep track of every strike. Every barrage he threw at her always landed one or two hits against various parts of her body.


    Ansuya was losing and losing badly. He had been ready for her. As she desperately dodged and blocked his attacks she wondered at his strength and speed. He may have drunk extra blood before she had found him. It also could have been that she hadn¡¯t fully recovered from her year of bondage, maybe both. She refused to believe that any vampire, even a Head of House, could be this strong or this fast. Werewolves were not weaker than vampires.


    Wolfgang¡¯s foot caught her chin solidly and lifted her into the air to crash backwards, almost falling into the bed well. She rolled to the side and got up on one knee, breathing hard looking at the vampire.


    Wolfgang slid one of his feet slightly forward and seemed to be waiting for her. She couldn¡¯t win this fight. She hated to admit it, but right now, for whatever reason he was too fast and too strong. She glanced towards the doorway that she had entered by that let out onto the sunlight drenched loft and the living room below.


    Wolfgang followed her glance and smiled, ¡°You can¡¯t get out that way, dog.¡± He quickly glided across the floor with inhuman speed to block her only exit.


    She stood up from her crouch on the floor, then raised herself to her full height. The vampire was calm but unmoving. If he thought that she was an animal to be put down then she would give him what he thought he wanted. With a low growl in the back of her throat she charged.

 Book 5 Chapter 15a

    The planes landed in a little air field called McCloud. The three planes disgorged their occupants and moved off to refuel. The night sky was still a deep blue black without even a hint of the morning sunrise lightening the eastern sky.


    Alexander watched as Kenneth gathered them all and looked north towards the impressive peak of Mount Shasta. It stood only a little more than a dozen or so miles away by his guess. A large truck rolled up to them on the air strip. Kenneth smiled and waved the man forward, stopping him for just a moment as he spoke through the lowered driver¡¯s side window. The truck pulled off and headed directly toward the snow covered peak in the distance. Alexander could see that there were dogs sitting calmly in the bed of the truck. Why would Kenneth, or anybody else, need a dog, much less five?


    Kenneth turned away from the truck as it sped off and addressed the gathered group. There were about one hundred and forty or so vampires split pretty evenly across the Houses. Kenneth looked toward the mountain, ¡°That¡¯s where we¡¯re going.¡±


    Alexander was still numb from Wolfgang¡¯s betrayal. How could he have sold out his entire House to this weakling? He was supposed to fight for them and yet he had given them up for Kenneth¡¯s machinations. And now he just pointed to a mountain and said, ¡®go there.¡¯ His feet almost moved, almost.


    ¡°Why are we going there and what about the dawn?¡± Alexander asked quietly. He raised his eyes to meet Kenneth¡¯s, his voice giving his body and mind strength to resist again, to not let himself be led around like a stray puppy by him, not again.


    ¡°Alexander?¡± Kenneth asked in a mockingly sympathetic tone, ¡°Am I not here with you? Do you honestly think that I have any intention of allowing myself to burn in the warm embrace of sunlight?¡± He was openly smiling now, ¡°No, I have much more important things to do this night.¡± He opened his arms wide to the gathering around him. ¡°Your House Heads have not abandoned you, nor have they betrayed you.¡± He said that looking straight at Alexander. ¡°I need each and every one of you.¡±


    Kenneth turned around as two House Dukart vampires brought out a pretty good sized table looking platform that was covered with black squares all around it. The two vampires set the thing down on the ground. It stood up about two feet off the ground. It was about six feet by six feet.


    Kenneth smiled at the thing as he walked around behind it and again faced the gathering of vampires. ¡°This is the reason why we are here. Under that mountain,¡± he said pointing to snowcapped mountain in the distance, ¡°Is where the werewolves have been living. And this,¡± he gestured to the thing on the ground in front of him, ¡°Is the city that we will destroy tonight.¡±Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°The Shape Shifters built a city under a dormant volcano?¡± asked one of the Himurans.


    ¡°Yes,¡± answered Kenneth calmly. ¡°That was how they have remained hidden all these years, out of sight of satellites and our scouts. We never thought to look underground.¡± He looked over the group of vampires. ¡°This is why your House Heads signed those documents promising your service to me for a short while. That is why we had to fly here. Today, we bury a city and kill every last werewolf we find.¡±


    Alexander had to admit he was curious. He hated himself for other reasons. Kenneth had given him a sliver of hope when he was sure there hadn¡¯t been any to find. Hope that his whole life hadn¡¯t been a lie. Hope that his Head of House hadn¡¯t sold out his House for a pittance. Kenneth had used hope as a weapon against him once¡­twice before. He hated Kenneth for killing him inside then giving him that hope. He hated himself for so desperately clutching to it.


    Kenneth pointed to the model of the city. The city was arrayed in a circular pattern. The blocks, Alexander assumed they were supposed to be buildings, were short squat things that looked a little haphazard. There wasn¡¯t a whole lot of detail to the model, but there was a large square building right in the center that was almost twice as tall as any other structure.


    Kenneth pointed to the Himurans, ¡°Who is your most senior?¡±


    A young delicate looking woman stepped forward. Her features were soft and her eyes were deep brown pools that took in everything around her and there was no refection in them. Her black hair hung down to her waist freely. It moved like water as she walked.


    ¡°I am, Sayuri Hamasaki. I serve Fumiko Nakahara and House Himura. I lead my House here,¡± the woman strongly said.


    Even though she stood only five feet tall, maybe five feet one inch, the woman was full of confidence and inner strength, she was solid in ways he had rarely seen from men who would tower over her. It had been a good choice by Fumiko to send her.


    Kenneth smiled, nodded, and looked over to House Brandt, ¡°And you?¡±


    A tall man stepped forward. He had light brown hair, but striking blue eyes. He towered over them both. He must have been six and a half feet tall or so.


    ¡°I¡¯m Carlin Sommer.¡±


    Kenneth watched him approach, ¡°I¡¯m placing you in charge of your House forces. Can you handle that?¡± He asked, staring him straight in the eye, Carlin nodded.


    ¡°Good, now,¡± he pointed to the model in front of him, ¡°I know this model is crude. Please forgive the lack of detail. I didn¡¯t have time to reconnoiter the place as much as I would have liked to. That and the model was something Brian and I threw together in a matter of minutes but it¡¯ll get the job done.¡±


    Kenneth leaned over and began pointing out various things on the model. ¡°We will come in here on the eastern side of the city. Once there, you,¡± he said pointing to Sayuri, ¡°Will take your House forces on a sweeping maneuver around the south side of the city. Once you reach the far western side of the city you will then engage and move back eastward toward the center.¡±


    ¡°You, Carlin,¡± he said pointing out the northern side of the city, ¡°will take House Brandt up north along the eastern side of the city and move down south once you hit this point next to what can only be described as an indoor forest, if you can believe that.¡± Carlin nodded.

 Book 5 Chapter 15b

    ¡°Meanwhile I will take my forces along the south flanking Sayuri¡¯s forces. When we get here,¡± he pointed to the south eastern side of the city, ¡°Then we will begin to move toward the center of the city.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty simplistic,¡± Carlin said grunting.


    Kenneth looked annoyed. Pointing to the model at the three spots he had designated for the three Houses, ¡°Once you all hit your correct positions, we will begin to burn anything and everything we can. The buildings are made up of some kind of stone that looks like obsidian, it won¡¯t burn. But furniture and whatever else they will have in the city, will. We will torch everything we can.¡±


    ¡°And that will accomplish, what?¡± asked Sayuri. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be best for us to move silently and draw as little attention to ourselves as possible?¡±


    ¡°In a normal battle yes, stealth is never to be underestimated, but once inside it will be nearly impossible for us to maintain secrecy for long.¡± He looked up at both of them, ¡°Besides, one of the many weaknesses to having an underground city is there is no real way to ventilate the place properly.¡±


    ¡°We burn the indoor forests. The smoke from the forest fire will fill up the underground cavern and smother the Shape shifters,¡± Carlin said smiling.


    ¡°And while they¡¯re coughing and hacking away, we can kill them at our leisure, after all, who ever heard of a vampire that needed to breathe?¡± Kenneth asked smiling.


    ¡°What about weapons? Communications?¡± Sayuri asked.


    Kenneth turned toward the mountain, ¡°Our weapons are with the truck I sent ahead.¡±


    ¡°Hold on!¡± Alexander barked from the Brandt side, ¡°If this city is underground, how do we get in?¡± He folded his arms across his broad chest, ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯re thinking about having us drill and or dig our way down to it, are you?¡±


    Kenneth turned back to Alexander, looking at him out of the corner of his eye as he smiled viciously, ¡°Leave that to me, dear Alexander. I¡¯ve taken care of everything.¡±


    The black-haired vampire did not seem impressed, but he didn¡¯t say more.


    Turning back to the model Kenneth addressed the two House leaders, ¡°Make sure you stick to the roof tops. We have the advantage from there. The streets are built in very disorienting ways. The streets end in strange places and turns about at odd angles. Stay to the roof tops and avoid that. Don¡¯t let the Shape shifters pull you down to street level.¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    ¡°As far as communication, we can only assume that we won¡¯t have any when we get inside the mountain. Sayuri,¡± he said looking toward the short woman, ¡°You will have the farthest to travel. I will give you a flare gun. When you are in position, light it off.¡± He looked at Carlin, ¡°When she does, that will be the signal to torch the forests. Once the forests are lit then we move toward the center of the city, burning and killing as we go.¡±


    Kenneth looked up and addressed the gathered crowd as a whole, ¡°Once we get inside it will be difficult to stay together. We all know the werewolves travel in groups of six. Therefore, do not go off on your own in groups of less than twelve. Use your weapons, but ammo will be tight. Don¡¯t engage in hand-to-hand combat if you don¡¯t need to. That will only slow you down and will only serve the werewolves, giving some of them time to escape.¡±


    Looking back at the two commanders he said, ¡°Have your people spread out as much as possible. The Shape shifters will be seeking you out, but once the fires really get going, they will realize they have been routed and try to save as many lives as possible by getting them out of the city. I want to minimize how many of these¡­shifters escape. I would absolutely love it if none of them escape, but I¡¯m a realist. When we all get to the center, then we¡¯ll see how many people we have left, and I¡¯ll decide what to do then.¡±


    The two commanders nodded.


    Kenneth wasn¡¯t expecting any resistance, especially since their respective House Heads had already given him their blessing. They would serve him if for nothing else than to serve themselves by wiping out the Shape shifter threat.


    ¡°Are there any questions?¡± Kenneth looked back and forth between Sayuri and Carlin. They shook their heads. Kenneth nodded to Brian, who immediately put his foot through the model and ripped the pieces of wood to splinters in seconds, the blocks and various things making the model were in a little pile on the concrete of the small landing strip. Brian then lit a match and threw it into the pile. The dry plywood and paper caught immediately. The pile burned down to ash within minutes.


    ¡°Shall we dance?¡± Kenneth asked.


    The commanders turned towards their House members and upon a gesture from Kenneth, they all took off at a run. All except Alexander, he stood there staring at Kenneth doubtfully. Kenneth gestured to Alexander with a smile and this time the built, black-haired man did start moving toward the mountain. Alexander joined the group and was soon running across the snow powdered ground toward the white peak.


    It had been a long time since Alexander had been able to run like this for such a long distance. He had to admit that the speed and the wind against his body were refreshing. He allowed himself to smile as he ran.


    Within a few minutes they were passing the truck that had speed off earlier without them. The trees were making the truck slow down and maneuver carefully around their shadowy forms. Alexander smiled as he sped past the vehicle.


    All too soon though, the group of vampires reached the tree line surrounding the mountain. Kenneth called them to a halt with an upraised hand. He turned and waited.


    Alexander felt, more than knew, that he was waiting for not only the truck, but also the dogs that were in it. He asked himself again why Kenneth would need dogs anyway, why would any of them need dogs? Dogs were less than useless to a vampire. Their famed sense of smell was dwarfed by his own. His speed was far superior to anything living, whether it had two or four legs. On top of that, dogs needed to be fed, that cost time and money, neither of which he was ever keen on wasting on anything, much less a dog.

 Book 5 Chapter 15c

    The truck pulled up and killed its engine. Kenneth gestured to the dogs and they all jumped down onto the snow-covered ground and followed him as he walked away from the tree line.


    Brian lowered the tail gate. Alexander could see huge black plastic boxes filling the back of the truck. There was about five or six of them.


    Kenneth came back to the truck and stood up on the tailgate and threw the boxes to the vampires as they gathered around the truck. Kenneth emptied the truck of the boxes and motioned for the ones he had thrown them to, to open them.


    Once the boxes were opened Alexander saw that they were filled with guns and ammo. One was full of nothing but hand guns with the bottom lined completely with full ammo clips for them; in another were compact semi-automatic carbines. There were two that were filled with automatic pistols and enough clips to keep them firing for a good long while. The last two remained closed as Kenneth motioned vampires away from those.


    Kenneth stood atop the truck bed and looked toward the mountain. He closed his eyes letting the light breeze wash over him. With his eyes still closed he said, ¡°Take what you will from the boxes. All except the two I left closed.¡±


    There was hesitancy with everyone. Even though they had all seen the plan and listened to Kenneth walk them through what was going to happen, Alexander just couldn¡¯t bring himself to believe that this was what was actually going to happen? He didn¡¯t see any roads or mine shafts leading down into the mountain. Was this just another trap? Maybe there was poison on the gun handles? He had learned to never trust anything Kenneth did. He always had an angle that he was trying to work. He would not let that happen to him again.


    Without warning, Carlin stepped up to the box holding the hand guns. He looked at House Brandt. ¡°Wolfgang made his decision. I¡¯ll go along for the ride and see where it takes me.¡± With a smile he pulled out two pistols that looked like forty fives. He put them both in his pants and lined his belt with clips.


    That seemed to move them into action. Carlin was right though, Wolfgang had put them at Kenneth¡¯s disposal, which Alexander knew very well that it meant they were disposable. Kenneth wouldn¡¯t think twice to sacrifice every last vampire here if it meant reaching his goals. Alexander moved forward and grabbed an automatic pistol, a 9mm, and some ammo clips.


    When the boxes were empty, Kenneth opened his eyes and looked once more at the mountain. The night sky was still dark, but there was a subtle lightening from the east. In an hour or so the sun would rise and every last one of them would be dead, unless they found shelter. But shelter from the sun was not what he sought this day.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    He looked at the vampires arrayed around the truck. All three Houses from the area were in one place for the first time in decades. It was up to him to direct their anger and not let it turn toward old rivalries. He had them though. Looking into their eyes, if they didn¡¯t believe him, they soon would. Today the Shape shifters died.


    Kenneth smiled and jumped down from the truck bed. He nodded to two members of his own house to grab the two boxes that were still closed and he strode forward up the white snow covered slope of the mountain.


    They walked out in the open for several minutes. Kenneth seemed to be leading them to a small cave. Alexander could see all five dogs sitting around it. Kenneth walked up to the cave and stood next to the dogs.


    No, not dogs¡­ wolves! Alexander hadn¡¯t paid any attention to them before now. Those were wolves. And they were as tame and loyal as any retarded house dog. What had Kenneth done to them? What had he done? The implications of this could upset the balance between the three Houses in the city. That¡¯s why Wolfgang had allowed his house to be used by Kenneth! Wolfgang wanted his people to know what Kenneth knew or at least relay to him what Kenneth had been planning.


    Kenneth led one of the wolves towards the back of the cave. There he held the wolf¡¯s eyes in his gaze for long moments.


    Alexander knew then that these wolves were Kenneth¡¯s, just like that other person he had seen succumb to Kenneth¡¯s Domination abilities. Alexander had trusted that one. He was a good man and didn¡¯t mind taking risks. He was smart and capable and had proven himself to be Alexander¡¯s friend many times, going so far as to cover him during a botched smash and grab he had run. He hadn¡¯t thought about that man for a long time. The wolf responded just as Michael had when Kenneth turned those cold, dead eyes upon him. Michael answered everything that Kenneth had asked. His fall had been¡­embarrassing to say the least. After that night he had never trusted Kenneth again. He had assumed that Kenneth may have Dominated Michael before that night, when though, he had never figured out. The end would have been the same regardless. He had hoped that he wouldn¡¯t ever see that cold disgusting ability from Kenneth again. He should have known better.


    A howl shattered the silent night and split the early morning sky with an ear piercing noise. Alexander looked wide eyed at the stupid animal. Perhaps Kenneth didn¡¯t control them as he had feared, maybe it was some kind of trick? A distraction?


    Then just when he was sure that Kenneth would give up this little farce, a soft rumbling in the stone could be felt. Then a great scraping noise was heard, as if two giant boulders or blocks of stone were being rubbed together.


    Alexander looked toward the back of the cave and instead of a solid rock wall, there was a gaping hole that led into bleak darkness.


    *          *          *          *          *


    Wolfgang looked unsurprised by the sudden attack. Ansuya knew that he would have anticipated a desperate tackle attempt, so she didn¡¯t give it to him, stopping short of his form guarding the doorway. Instead, she flew into a wild and uncontrolled attack, throwing punches and kicks and claw swipes at him as fast as she could.

 Book 5 Chapter 15d

    This did seem to surprise him at least a little. The smile slid from his face as he worked hard and fast to keep her attacks away from him. Ansuya pressed him and he took a step backwards¡­then another¡­and another. He was gritting his teeth now against her attacks.


    Ansuya didn¡¯t let up. She knew her body couldn¡¯t take much more of this exertion. She had to get out now or he would kill her. She kicked high and ripped her claws low against his unprotected belly. Only to have both, kick and claw swipe, turned away just before impact. Wolfgang was smiling now.


    Ansuya was getting tired, any moment her attacks would slow and then she would be pressed back. She had to break free. She slammed both of her claws together towards Wolfgang¡¯s head. He blocked both claws with upraised forearms. Ansuya threw herself backwards and lifted her legs in a powerful flash kick that caught the vampire in the chest and chin, lifting him up and landing him on his back several paces away.


    Ansuya, breathing hard, sprinted to the loft and vaulted herself over the railing landing with a graceful thud on the hard marble below, bathed in sun light. She looked up as the vampire had gotten to his feet, edging toward the loft ledge carefully avoiding the direct sunlight.


    ¡°The sunlight might help you, Miss Das,¡± he said calmly, ¡°But it won¡¯t help your kind, and it won¡¯t hinder Kenneth, not where he¡¯s going.¡± He looked out the windows towards the ocean and the clear blue of the water. ¡°You can run now, Miss Das. But the sun will set on you eventually, as it already has done on your precious city.¡± With that Wolfgang disappeared back into the safety of his room with no windows.


    Ansuya stood frozen with what he had just told her. There was terror in her limbs, even though she told herself to move. Her mind refused to process what she had just heard. That wasn¡¯t possible, was it? The Mountain had kept the city safe for decades. It wasn¡¯t true.


    Yet she knew, somehow, she just knew. She forced her legs to move and she crashed through the big picture bay window that looked out onto the back yard and the impressive pool. She didn¡¯t have any clothes to change into, so she didn¡¯t bother shifting again.


    She had to get back. The city was in danger, it may already be too late. She clung to whatever shadows she could find, throwing herself forward on four legs. If anyone saw her, she would leave to hope and the inability for most people to accept what their eyes had seen, telling themselves later it was just an exaggeration of their mind because they had only caught a glimpse of whatever she was.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    She had to get back to the Mountain. She was needed there. She only hoped there was something left to fight for when she did.


    She raced along side streets, through gardens, and well-manicured lawns. She had to reach the nearest entrance to the Whyte Plain. It was miles away.


    As she ran the sun continued to rise in the east. Time was slipping away from her. She forced herself to run faster. Her claws gripped and threw large spouts of deep black soil behind her as she ran.


    The upscale part of Los Angeles gave way to smaller houses and apartment buildings. She caught glimpses of people moving around, walking, jogging, and getting into their cars for their daily commutes. She kept as close to the shadows as she could but she did not sacrifice her speed. Even if someone did manage to get video or snap off a picture with their phones, it would be blurry with no real detail. She grimly wondered what kind of urban beast story would rise out of her desperate run. Right then, she didn¡¯t care.


    Her steps faltered. She was already tired from her fight with Wolfgang. This run would be a long one and she had sprinted most of the way already. She should have eaten more. She blinked her eyes hard against her fatigue and her blurred vision. She dug down and kept running at her current speed, not allowing herself to slow down. She could be tired tomorrow.


    Soon, the suburbs gave way back to the city. There was very little shade or anything to hide behind. As soon as she could she vaulted herself between buildings till she gained the rooftops. There she ran and jumped her way across the city proper.


    Finally, after what had seemed like hours of running, she saw the familiar copse of trees that hid the entrance to the Whyte Plain. Not slowing down she threw herself off the final rooftop and crashed down through the trees to land heavily on the grass inside the small park.


    Without waiting to hear if anyone saw her or came to look for what had made that horrendous crashing noise, she slipped into the Whyte Plain.


    She carefully sniffed at the air and oriented herself. The mist of the place pooled around her paws as she slowly turned around, looking, and observing the place in all directions. She found the direction she needed to go and sprinted off toward the City under the Mountain. Even in the Whyte Plain it would still take time to get there though. She said another silent prayer, her tenth of the day that she wouldn¡¯t be too late.


    *          *          *          *          *


    Alexander didn¡¯t believe what his eyes were telling him. The seemingly solid back wall to the cave just wasn¡¯t there anymore. It had to be some kind of trick. Kenneth waved the group forward.


    Sayuri and Carlin motioned for their respective Houses to form two lines. Then the vampires quickly moved into the dark tunnel in a line two abreast about seventy deep. As Alexander passed Kenneth and the two commanders, he saw him pass an orange flare gun to Sayuri as he had promised.


    Sayuri ran to the front of the column and pulled the rest of her House with her as they silent flowed down the long corridor where they found themselves. Carlin took Alexander and the rest of House Brandt down the same corridor following closely behind House Himura. Alexander didn¡¯t need to look behind him to know that Kenneth had his House bringing up the rear.

 Book 5 Chapter 15e

    They hadn¡¯t gotten too far before House Himura had stopped. Alexander wondered what was going on and why had he almost plowed into the back of the guy he was running behind. There were sounds of fighting up ahead. Alexander couldn¡¯t see anything, and it wouldn¡¯t do him much good to break ranks and try to help.


    Within minutes the fighting was over and the columns of vampires were moving again. As Alexander passed the spot of the fighting, he saw three dead wolves and three dead people, two men and a woman, that had been kicked to the side of the cave. Sayuri¡¯s people hadn¡¯t fired a single shot. He would have.


    After a minute or two of moving at vampire speeds down the tunnel, it opened up into a massive cavern. Alexander stopped and had to admire how beautiful the place was. It was huge. The block like buildings from the model Kenneth had used were pretty accurate to the block buildings he was now looking at. At the center of the city was the black tower standing about twice as tall as any of the other buildings. It commanded the cityscape and the eye could not help but be drawn to it.


    The city sprawled out farther than even his vampire eyes could see. There were two of the indoor forests that Kenneth had talked about, one to his left and the farther one to his right in the north part of the cavern that his House was supposed to torch when they got the signal. The cavern ceiling was imbedded with thousands of what looked like diamonds, shining down with some kind of unnatural light. He almost jumped back into the cavern that led here. He looked down at his skin. It wasn¡¯t bubbling or cracking in anyway. Those diamonds might produce something that looked like sunlight, but it wasn¡¯t sunlight. He smiled at his own foolishness.


    House Himura didn¡¯t hesitate. They continued to run down to the left and around the southern side of the city. Alexander¡¯s column soon moved to the north to take up their positions. Alexander found himself admiring this place. It was beautiful, dark, and safe.


    Except that Kenneth had found out about it and how to get in. He wondered how he had been able to dominate those wolves. He didn¡¯t know much about House Dukart¡¯s Domination ability. But it had been centuries since any vampire had claimed to have the ability to dominate animals. Not since Gilles de Rais has that been a recorded ability. Kenneth had just shown himself to be a far greater threat to the other Houses than even Alexander knew him to be. He had to get out of here and tell Wolfgang about this, to warn him just how strong Kenneth might have become.


    House Brandt swept around the eastern side of the city, keeping out of the city proper but not taking to the rooftops just yet. There didn¡¯t seem to be any Shape Shifters this far out from the center of the city and that tower that commanded it. In fact, the place seemed empty on the outskirts. How many Shape Shifters could fit here? And how many were actually here now? Kenneth wouldn¡¯t have mounted an offensive unless he was sure to have an advantage. That was just the way Kenneth was wired. That meant that there was probably only a maximum of a hundred or so Shape Shifters in the city, maybe less, minus the six they had already killed.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    When they reached the northern forest, they halted. Carlin pointed out two other vampires and broke up the forty-three vampires that were there into two groups of fourteen with himself making the last group up of fifteen. Carlin set his group to gathering up wood and kindling, pulling dried branches and piling them up against one of the bigger trees.


    Alexander was in the group headed by Odette G¨¹nther. The woman was broad shouldered and tall, around six feet. She had long blonde hair tied in a braid and bright blue eyes. Even though she was tall and broad shouldered, she still had feminine curves and a nice chest. Her body was built for power though.


    He had heard a bit about this woman from his friends. She was ambitious and strong willed. People worked for her out of respect. She had lived during the early nineteen hundreds, so she was older than he was. He had heard that she had been turned during World War I sometime. She immediately took charge and broke the group down into squads of four and five. They would stick together and take orders from her but in case they were separated the chain of command wouldn¡¯t be broken. Alexander nodded; she did seem to know what she was doing.


    He looked behind himself at the indoor forest. He was amazed with how green it looked. He looked up at the crystals again. What kind of light was that?


    He didn¡¯t have time to ponder it any longer. At the far eastern side of the city a bright orange flare shot up into the cavern ceiling and bounced off it, tumbling back down to the ground. Alexander couldn¡¯t help but smile at the comical way that had just played out.


    Carlin grabbed a torch that he had made from some nearby wood and pine needles. He lit it with a lighter and cast it into the pile of wood that his group had piled up earlier. The pile of dried wood caught quickly. There was no wind and that would work against them. Alexander just hoped the fire would spread to the rest of the forest.


    Odette received a few words from Carlin as he pointed in two different directions. Alexander¡¯s group followed Odette as she took the easterly route. The vampires jumped to the top of the buildings and moved inward.


    Carlin sent two vampires from his group down to the street level, Odette did the same. Alexander was one chosen. He jumped down from the roof and stalked up the street with another vampire that he didn¡¯t recognize. He was supposed to burn everything inside the buildings as they went. That suited him just fine.


    Looking into an open building he saw things piled up and discarded. There was a decent amount of junk in there. There was some old but neatly stacked furniture in the corner. There was a sword hanging up on the wall. What the hell was that for?

 Book 5 Chapter 15f

    He walked inside and yanked open a drawer from one of the pieces of furniture. The drawer was empty. He threw it aside. He went through a desk-looking thing and then a small cupboard, they were all completely empty. But, pushed up against the wall behind all the furniture, was a mattress.


    Alexander yanked the mattress apart and started ripping it into shreds. The other vampire had gathered all the furniture into the center of the room and had smashed them into smaller pieces. Alexander took the shredded mattress and threw it among the pieces of wood and lit the fabric on fire with a lighter.


    The dried wood went up quick. Alexander wrapped a large piece of wood with some of the mattress fabric, making a torch. He didn¡¯t have any oil or lighter fluid so the torch would burn quickly. Leaving the building and going to the next one they demolished what they could and lit that room on fire as well. Soon every building on the street was belching gouts of flame, and smoke out into the street. It was pretty impressive.


    Alexander exited another building after setting it ablaze and was met with six Shape shifters charging down the street only a few dozen yards away. They were in their werewolf form and they were running hard. Alexander could see their eyes tearing up. He looked up and saw just how thick the smoke from the fires had gotten. It would start to sting his eyes as well pretty soon. But he didn¡¯t have to breathe in the smoke like the werewolves did.


    Alexander tossed his most recently made torch back into the flaming building he had just exited. He pulled his automatic pistol and his 9mm from his belt and started firing.


    The first blast of automatic fire sent the werewolves scattering to either side of the street. His partner pulled out his carbine and started shooting as well. The werewolves disappeared behind the smooth black corners of the buildings around them. Alexander moved as if to follow them.


    ¡°DON¡¯T!¡± Odette called from above.


    Alexander looked up. Odette signaled for both him and his partner to join the rest of the group on the rooftops. Alexander had half a mind to ignore her and go after the werewolves directly. But he knew that he didn¡¯t know this place nearly as well as they did. He reluctantly turned back from where the werewolves had disappeared and launched himself up in between two building to land on the roof tops.


    Looking over her group of fifteen vampires she said, ¡°This is what we came here to do. We can¡¯t let them get away. We¡¯ll shadow them from the rooftops. Then once we get them where we want them, we kill them.¡± She gazed back and forth between them as she spoke, ¡°Don¡¯t shoot unless you see them. They will probably try to make us waste ammo shooting at shadows. Stay up here and only shoot when you¡¯re sure. Understood?¡± Every vampire in the group nodded.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°You seven stay to this side of the street,¡± she said pointing. ¡°I¡¯ll take the other six and stay on that side. Move!¡± She moved quickly away from the group following where the werewolves had disappeared to. The other group of seven launched themselves across the street and landed at a run along the top of the buildings on the other side of the street.


    Alexander was with Odette. She moved quickly at vampire speed. The smoke wasn¡¯t too low just yet but it was getting thicker in the cavern around them. She spotted the werewolves quickly. They were moving back in and around the buildings, squeezing through small alleys and weaving in and out of the main streets.


    The group across the street had to jump back and forth over the street several times as the werewolves led them deeper into the city. Odette realized what was happening as soon as Alexander did. The only reason he knew that was because she jumped down to the street level and sped off after the werewolves closing the distance quickly. In one fluid motion she pulled out her hand gun and shot six times. Four out of the six found their mark.


    She pointed after the other two werewolves who were now on all fours running down the main street, trying to get away. There were a few shots fired and both werewolves stumbled and slowed dramatically. Odette stepped up to the four that she had downed, and as the werewolves were trying to get up and escape, she put a few bullets into the back of their respective skulls, another vampire but two bullets each into the werewolves that he had dropped with his carbine.


    Alexander turned to start burning the contents of the building next to him. He was stopped as a bullet ripped past his head, barely missing his ear. He dove behind a building returning a few shots of his own. His vampire reflex gave him a perfect sight picture, even as he moved to cover. His shots were true and he hit one of the werewolves down the street, if only in the leg and arm.


    Alexander landed hard on his side and skidded a good two feet along the ground. He didn¡¯t have time to look around as a hail of gunfire rang out and bullets tore down the street. Alexander was just able to get around the corner of one of the glossy black buildings before chunks of it were ripped off by the incoming bullets.


    Alexander looked back at the gunfire that was spewing down the street, blocking him in the narrow alleyway. He launched himself upwards towards the safety of the rooftops. Only to have a shower of gunfire meet him as he tried to land. The gunshots were high and wide, a good thing too, he was helpless hanging in midair.


    When his feet touched the obsidian of the building, he launched himself backwards, back down into the alleyway.


    So, they aren¡¯t all that stupid after all. Alexander was pinned inside the alley. He was facing at least twelve Shape shifters that he had been able to count. Across the street, Odette had gathered a few vampires to her and was holding cover against the constant barrage that they were getting from the main street.


    Alexander hadn¡¯t been put in charge but he knew that Odette had to know they were sitting ducks where they were. He looked back away from the street. The alleyway ended in a dead end. Who the hell designs a city like this? He knew the answer to that. Maybe the werewolves had never expected to be found here but they sure as hell built their city so they could defend it.

 Book 5 Chapter 16a

    William had just finished breakfast with the rest of his pack. He wanted to go see Huan Li later that day and see if the Elder Scout had any advice on if they could do more than just burn down a few vampire warehouses. He was worried about Ansuya and even though he could feel that what they done over the last few weeks and months had caused some chaos for the vampires. Whether that was enough to help Ansuya, only time could tell.


    Suddenly a bright orange flare shot out of the western side of the city. William watched it shoot up and bounce off the cavern ceiling. He hadn¡¯t ever seen anything like that in the city before and wondered what was going on.


    Nicolas turned to face his pack, ¡°What the hell does that mean? Is this some kind of drill?¡±


    Charles shook his head slowly while keeping his eyes on the spot that the flare had originated from, ¡°No, this feels wrong, very wrong.¡± He looked up at the buildings around them. He was thinking but William could already guess what his friend was going to say. ¡°We need to get up to the roof and see if we can get a better look.¡±


    ¡°What about Aceso?¡± Katherine asked.


    ¡°She¡¯ll know where to find us,¡± William answered.


    Katherine nodded and the four of them ran up the nearest building ramp to gain a better view of the city. As he gained the rooftop William looked out over the city. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Then he turned toward the north of the cavern. He saw bright orange tongues of flames lick up the trees there. Had that been what the flare was for? To warn about the forest fire? But that didn¡¯t make sense, they didn¡¯t have forest fires in the cavern, it was impossible.


    The Sages should be going in that direction to redirect the streams to fight the fires. How could that have even happened? William felt a tap on his shoulder and he turned around. He saw a similar fire burning in the south eastern indoor forest as well. He knew that something was, as his friend said earlier, very wrong. One fire could be an accident but two? Something was happening and he didn¡¯t like the thoughts that started swimming through his head.


    ¡°We have to get to Billy, now.¡± William said moving back to the ramp that led to the street level.


    ¡°What are you talking about Setford?¡± Nicolas scoffed, ¡°We should be going to see about fighting those fires, not visiting one of your friends.¡±


    ¡°If I¡¯m right, you¡¯re going to be much happier having a weapon in your hand instead of blindly going off to fight fires,¡± William replied over his shoulder as he descended the ramp.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Charles sped down the ramp after William with Katherine and Nicolas close behind. Charles said, ¡°This is bad. If it is what I think you are thinking of then we may already be too late.¡±


    William gave Charles a pained look and began running down the street. His friend followed closely behind.


    ¡°You guys don¡¯t think this is some kind of an attack, do you?¡± Katherine asked concerned as she ran.


    ¡°This city has been here for over hundreds, if not thousands, of years.¡± Nicolas said as he ran, ¡°Who could have possibly found out about it now? This is the dumbest idea you¡¯ve ever had Setford.¡± Nicolas said smiling.


    William and Charles glanced at each other. They knew. The two friends nodded and shifted into their werewolf form. They leaned forward on all four legs in one fluid motion and shot off down the street as fast as their four limbs could carry them.


    They had to get their weapons from Billy. He had to warn the city. He had to do something. He heard spurts of gunfire off in the distance. He skidded to a halt and listened. The gun fire rang out distantly a few more times. Then a few moments later a quick succession of two shots sounded.


    Katherine came up beside him as he listened. She had shifted as well and Nicolas wasn¡¯t smiling anymore. His dark sandy blonde fur was ruffled along his neck.


    ¡°Do you still think it¡¯s a dumb idea?¡± William asked Nicolas.


    ¡°No,¡± Nicolas replied simply.


    The four of them took off running at top speed. They needed weapons. If the city was going to stand, they would have to make the attackers fight for every inch of progress. He was going to give them all that they could handle. Whoever you are, you stumbled into the wrong place to pick a fight.


    *          *          *          *          *


    Ares and Physis were running through the forest chasing down a deer. Physis was flanking its right side and Ares had pulled off to its far left. Ares slowed down and let Physis pull ahead of the prey and force it into a left-hand turn. Her white fur flashed brilliantly through the deep green of the underbrush. She had no problem keeping up with the deer.


    As the deer made the turn Ares hastened his pace and launched himself into the air. He caught the deer in the neck and brought his back legs swinging into the deer¡¯s forelegs, snapping it¡¯s knees.


    The creature stumbled to the ground. With the force of the fall Ares was able to easily snap its neck and when he skidded to a halt let go of the dead animal¡¯s neck.


    Physis trotted up to her mate and nuzzled him in the deep fur of his neck. Then the two wolves buried their snouts into the hide of the deer and ripped into the meat below. The warm blood of the animal coated both their snouts and jaws.


    Suddenly Ares¡¯ head shot up and his ears were held erect and alert. Physis joined him a split second later. There was an unfamiliar smell in the air. Ares walked away from his kill and stalked his way through the forest, with Physis flanking him.


    He stopped every so often to taste the air in the cavern. The unexpected scent was growing stronger. Ares crept closer towards the city, his large golden eyes taking in every detail around him. He had lived here for many years. This forest was as familiar to him as his mate. He moved unseen through the underbrush and the foliage that carpeted the ground. His paws moved silently over the dead pine needles.

 Book 5 Chapter 16b

    In the distance, flowing around the city, coming straight toward the forest were a large group of vampires. Their speed belied their true identity and their smell was confirmation. His sharp eyes could make out forty-two, maybe forty-three, it was tough to be sure they were moving at vampire speeds.


    He felt Physis come up behind him, just as alert and aware of what she was looking at as he was. Simultaneously they turned and ran back through the forest, away from the large group of invading vampires.


    Ares and Physis had both been around a while and they knew that the first thing they needed to do was warn the city, without alerting their attackers. They would need to draw them into the city and then when they couldn¡¯t escape, they could use the city to trap them and kill them, whoever they were.


    Mid stride, both of the wolves shifted to their werewolf forms and threw themselves forward, urging each other to run faster.


    They crashed through the tree line and shot out into the city. Physis broke away from her mate and ran straight towards Huan Li¡¯s apartment.


    Ares ran headlong and directly toward Billy¡¯s place. He would need to get the city prepared and weapons would be needed. He skidded to a halt outside of the weapon smith¡¯s shop and looked inside. Thankfully, the short brown haired man was in the back working on, whatever it was the odd human was working on.


    Ares had had a very hard time with the concept of guns when he was first reborn. His wolf mind could not wrap itself around the fact that it was possible to kill something with a weapon that ¡®shot¡¯ out projectiles that he couldn¡¯t see. His teeth and claws had always been more than enough to kill his prey in his northern forests.


    Since then, he had learned to use guns and other weapons. His enemies didn¡¯t hold to what he knew as a wolf, and he had had to rethink many things after he was reborn. Sometimes he wondered if he was more human now than wolf.


    ¡°Billy!¡± Ares said as he stood up on his hind legs and stormed into the shop.


    Billy looked up from his work bench, large darkened goggles covered his eyes as the acetylene blow torch in his hand was pulled away from the piece of metal he had been working on. ¡°Jesus, Ares you scared the crap outta me!¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have time, Billy,¡± Ares said calming down. ¡°There are vampires in the northern forest.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? That can¡¯t be right. If there was, the scout pack would have reported something by now, you probably just saw¡­¡± The look of death in Ares¡¯ eyes stopped the weapon smith from saying more.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°I need to alert the rest of the city, Billy. You need to get as many of your weapons into the hands of our people as possible.¡± Ares turned to leave.


    ¡°Ares, wait!¡± Billy yelled before the werewolf could bolt out into the street. Ares turned back around to face him.


    Billy threw off his goggles and started rummaging through his pile of junk, throwing things all over the place. Ares had to duck as an errant tin can sailed next to his head. Billy pushed his way through his, ¡®equipment¡¯ stumbling a few times.


    ¡°Just wait a minute¡­I know I put it here somewhere¡­if now isn¡¯t the time I don¡¯t know what is,¡± Billy was half muttering, half calling out to nobody in particular. Ares watched him dig deeper and deeper into his storage area. ¡°Come on¡­come on! Where the hell did you go?!¡± Billy screamed in frustration. Ares folded his arms across his chest. Then he heard a loud pop and a clanging noise, off in the distance.


    Without a word he ran outside and just caught sight of what looked like a falling star, disappearing beneath the cityscape. ¡°Billy, I have to go, now.¡± Ares turned toward the Tower at the heart of the city.


    ¡°WAIT!!¡± Billy stumbled out of his shop, pointing to something that Ares couldn¡¯t quite make out, being half buried as it was by who knows what. ¡°I told you I¡¯d find it!¡± Billy beamed up at Ares, ¡°You might want to take that with you.¡±


    *          *          *          *          *


    Mr. Davis saw the flare go up in the western part of the city. He had felt Ares and Physis move at speed back into the city. He knew that he had to get the six members of his pack together. The city was being attacked. He knew this instinctively, even though it had never happened in his lifetime.


    He shifted and moved through the city picking up his pack members as he went. He went straight toward Physis and Huan Li¡¯s apartment. He led Hermes, Tyche, and Thoosa up the ramp toward the Elders¡¯ home.


    The four werewolves came in on Physis speaking, ¡°There were forty-three vampires headed toward the northern forest. What they plan to do, I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Did any of you see that flare in the west?¡± Mr. Davis asked the two.


    Huan Li turned toward the new comers and nodded, ¡°We have grown complacent thinking that this city would stay hidden forever,¡± he rubbed his chin in thought. ¡°Mr. Davis, you will take your pack and prepare our defenses. I will gather all the El¡­I will gather the Elders and direct our defenses. We would be foolish to think that there are only forty-three vampires attempting to besiege us.¡±


    He shifted to his werewolf form, his long silver fur almost shone in the soft light of the paper lanterns that hung inside the Elder¡¯s apartment. ¡°Set up teams of at least two packs each along the roof and position added defense on the streets. Vampires like having the high ground, we must force them down onto the street level. The city herself was built to disorient those not familiar to her. Use that advantage to separate them and destroy them.¡± Mr. Davis nodded and without another word he and the other four members of his pack ran out the door and bolted down the street.


    The first person Mr. Davis saw was the one he had most hoped to find. ¡°Efraim!¡± Mr. Davis called.


    The tall black-haired man pulled up short and turned toward the approaching werewolves. The Krav Maga instructor stood ready with a relaxed looking pose. His brown eyes darting away to look at the nearby rooftops as if trying to figure out some deep question he had been asked.

 Book 5 Chapter 16c

    ¡°Mr. Davis, you have orders for me?¡± He asked simply. He had served in the Israeli military before he had been reborn and stayed to finish his four year term before serving the City under the Sand. He knew what an attack felt like.


    That¡¯s why Mr. Davis had been so thankful to find him first. ¡°Efraim, collect your pack!¡± Mr. Davis said strongly. ¡°Get Billy to issue out his weapons to everyone who can fight inside the city. Then I need you to collect, as two more packs, the new recruits, Russell and Clotho are their respective Alphas. Then take them to the north of the city and intercept the group of vampires coming in from that direction.¡±


    Efraim nodded, ¡°What are you going to do?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to find Ares and, what the¡­?¡± Mr. Davis was looking towards the south east side of the cavern and he was now able to see the indoor forest in that section spewing a column of black smoke into the air. Mr. Davis looked back at the other Enforcer, ¡°I¡¯m going to go head off the second part of the vampire attack coming from there.¡±


    ¡°It may be better to consolidate our forces and take out the different groups one at a time, instead of fighting a multi front battle,¡± Efraim suggested.


    ¡°If we did that our backs would be exposed,¡± Mr. Davis said looking off into the distance. His eyes focused suddenly, ¡°You grab as many packs as you can, head north. I will take my pack to the south east and stall that group. Finish the vampires to the north and then join us to finish off my group in the south east. I¡¯ll hold them for as long as I can.¡±


    Efrain offered the larger black man his hand. Mr. Davis grabbed it tightly, ¡°Don¡¯t keep me waiting.¡± Efraim nodded and took off running down the street shifting as he went.


    Mr. Davis led his pack, at speed, to Billy¡¯s shop. Ares wasn¡¯t there but Billy was handing out weapons with the help of a few others. The gun racks were emptying rapidly as all the city¡¯s Shape shifters were grabbing what weapons they could, oversized handguns and rifles were being ripped from their racks as ammo was being pulled free by their boxes.


    ¡°Billy?!¡± Mr. Davis bellowed, ¡°Have you seen Ares?¡±


    The weapon smith ignored the question as he was talking to a young woman. It took him a moment to realize that he was handing Amanda Miller a rifle and giving her tips on how to hold and fire the oversized weapon.


    On normal circumstances he would have said that she was too young, she was still just a teenager, and hadn¡¯t even been reborn yet. But these were not normal circumstances and she was old enough to defend her home.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Amanda ran out of the shop with a pack of werewolves. Mr. Davis stopped them. ¡°Acharya! Where are you going?¡±


    The brown werewolf stopped and turned toward him. He stood up on his hind legs with his large rifle and a magazine belt around his waist. ¡°Mr. Davis, my pack and I were heading north.¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯re not,¡± Mr. Davis said calmly.


    ¡°Excuse me, what do you mean?¡± he asked clearly bewildered by the refusal of the senior Enforcer.


    Mr. Davis shook his head. This pack was young and inexperienced. But it was the best that he had, there were only a few other packs that were more senior than Acharya¡¯s. Besides they were Shape shifters, this was their home. Someone had to do it.


    ¡°I want the six of you to head west, find out what set off that flair. If I¡¯m right, you¡¯ll run right smack dab into another invading group of vampires.¡± Acharya nodded his jaw set and his eyes hardened. Mr. Davis stepped up to the young Sage. ¡°Listen to me, don¡¯t be reckless and don¡¯t be stupid. I only need you to stall them. Buy some time for Efraim to finish his duty in the north.¡± He looked over the six Shape shifters. He didn¡¯t see any fear or hesitation in their eyes, that was good. They would soon see what true battle was and that having a bit of fear was perfectly acceptable, even for werewolves.


    Mr. Davis continued, ¡°I¡¯ll take Amanda with me.¡±


    For once the young woman didn¡¯t talk back. Her eyes did show fear, but also that resolve that told him she would not be kept from this fight. Right now, the City needed every last person to fight to protect her.


    ¡°Remember, shoot and move, you¡¯re only trying to stall them, not trying to take them out by yourselves,¡± Mr. Davis reminded them. Acharya nodded and took off toward the west side of the city, his pack followed closely behind.


    He turned toward Amanda, ¡°Come on, we have work to do.¡± Amanda nodded quietly and followed behind Mr. Davis and his pack. He could feel Ares somewhere off to the west. He knew that Ares knew what he was doing. He turned toward the south east and began running, slow enough for Amanda to keep up though. He would not insult the young woman by offering to carry her. Today, she would learn what it meant to serve the City under the Mountain.


    *          *          *          *          *


    William found himself and his pack scooped up by his old instructor, Efraim Goldstein, and sent to help the defenders in the northern part of the city.


    He had tried to tell Efraim that there was a fire in the south eastern side of the cavern as well. The Krav Maga instructor just nodded and sent him north. Aceso had met them at Billy¡¯s place and they were all armed with oversized assault rifles. They each carried about ten magazines on a belt that wrapped around their waists.


    They heard shots in the distance and the group of about five packs surged forward. Efraim sent Aceso and her pack along the street level. William and Charles immediately began pulling whatever they could find from the surrounding buildings and piling it into the street, making a makeshift barricade. It wouldn¡¯t stop the vampires, he knew that they could easily jump to the top of the roofs of the buildings if they wanted to, but it would stop bullets. He knew that they would be armed as they invaded the city.

 Book 5 Chapter 16d

    He hunched down up against a solid wooden bed frame that had been leaned on its side. Peeking over the barricade he saw several forms run down the street. Without thinking and without any orders, he opened fire on the invaders. He hadn¡¯t had a good sight on them. The vampires speed was enough to cleanly avoid the second burst of gunfire and get them safely behind the nearby buildings. He kept firing to pin them around the corners.


    He looked back behind him and saw Efraim with his rifle, looking down the street. His black calico fur with white splotches was a good camouflage against the black obsidian buildings. ¡°Keep firing, keep them pinned down!¡± he called over the noise of the gunfire.


    He ran towards them jumping down from the rooftops, ¡°Aceso, keep your pack firing in alternating bursts. I¡¯m going to send some of our people up and around, see if we can flank them while they are inside those alleys they are taking cover in. They won¡¯t be able to maneuver in them.¡± Aceso nodded grimly and fired a short burst before allowing Nicolas to do the same after her and then William followed.


    Efraim ran and scaled the building again. Seconds later William heard a massive gout of gunfire spew forth a hail storm of bullets. William looked up towards the rooftops. There was a thin haze of gun smoke hanging in the air where the Shape shifters had taken up position. What had happened up there? William didn¡¯t think about it too long as he was concentrating on when it would be his turn to fire down the street, maintaining their suppressive fire.


    Efraim, forward of William, and Aceso¡¯s pack position, hadn¡¯t seen a vampire duck down so fast in his life. He was a little embarrassed that his shots had been as wide as they were. He should have killed that vampire. He didn¡¯t have time to worry about it now though.


    He grabbed two young werewolves that were with him, ¡°I need you two to jump across the street. You¡¯re going to make your way over to that alley,¡± he said pointing to the place where that vampire had just jumped up from and disappeared back down into, ¡°And take out as many vampires as you can. Don¡¯t stick your necks out too long, two or three long bursts into the alley, then get back here. Go.¡± The two young werewolves stood up and launched themselves across the street, landing neatly on the rooftops, and made their way around to the alleyway.


    Efraim had half a mind to try that flanking maneuver himself, but he was put in charge of this sector of the city and he was needed as a voice of command. In battle people needed to know that someone was in charge and that there was a plan. Even if the plan was one that was made up on the spot and was as simple as kill whatever you see move.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    He had seven packs with him, five of which were on the roofs around him. He had a few tripod mounted machine guns M240 and a few M209¡¯s. The rest of the packs were armed with assault rifles.


    He had his people arrayed out in a horseshoe shape along the whole of the roof, covering the north and wrapping around the west side of the rooftop and then coming back around south covering their blind side to counter any flanking maneuver that the vampires might try from any angle. On the rooftops across the street, he had two more packs arrayed in a similar configuration covering north, east, and south. Aceso and her pack were down on the street level with Billy and the rest of his own pack. Billy had been efficient in issuing the weapons to the residents of the city and was now getting ready to fight whatever came his way.


    Efraim¡¯s position could have been better, but with so little time to plan, this was the best he could do. They could hold here, but he couldn¡¯t just hold. He needed to go on the offensive.


    Two things then happened simultaneously. The two werewolves he had sent around to the east opened fire down into the alley, meanwhile the Shape shifters immediately to his left starting firing from the M240¡¯s.


    He dove for the sparse cover that the rooftops provided yelling, ¡°Maintain you¡¯re firing lanes, pick your targets and don¡¯t cross your left-right limits!¡± The Shape shifters that were with him were of all experience levels, but none of them had seen the kind of combat that he had. He knew that he had to keep them calm and walk them through the battle. He couldn¡¯t expect them to know what to do.


    He looked up toward the west. The tracer rounds from the crew serve weapons were firing swiftly and neatly over the rooftops. He saw a group of more than ten vampires coming at them at a wide angle. He guessed they were the flanking force.


    With the firing rate of the machine guns and the added coverage of the assault rifles his forces had managed to pin the vampires and stop the flanking maneuver. It was good, but not nearly good enough.


    Taking a knee, he took careful aim at a vampire that was peeking out from around the obsidian roof. He fired one shot and a very gratifying yell sounded loudly even over the gun fire. He wasn¡¯t sure if he had killed him, probably not. But knowing that one could be killed, took away the enemy¡¯s confidence and instilled fear. In battle, fear could kill just as surely as any bullet or knife.


    He jerked his head down as more gunfire ripped his way, buzzing over his head. ¡°Keep your heads down!¡± Efraim yelled over the renewed counter fire. ¡°Maintain your alternating fire! Keep the pressure on em! The only thing that will make them stop shooting is if you send more bullets flying back at them!¡±


    One of the M240¡¯s went silent.


    Efraim moved his head and glanced to see why the machine gun wasn¡¯t firing. Slumped over the weapon was a wolf.

 Book 5 Chapter 16e

    Her dead body was slack and heavy; her eyes were glass, her tongue rolled out of her slack jaw. He said a silent prayer for her then yelled out, ¡°Keva! Take that machine gun and keep the pressure on those vampires!¡±


    The reddish brown werewolf glanced back at the commander and nodded quickly. She slung her assault rifle on her back and crawled on her belly to take up the abandoned crew serve weapon. She had to yank the dead body off the weapon and away from her. She took the trigger and squeezed off a few rounds, getting a feel for the new position and weapon.


    Efraim slid back behind the firing line and grabbed the dead carcass. He tossed in front of the line. Some of the younger Shape shifters looked back at him with horror.


    Efraim answered the shocked stares with one of cold steel. ¡°We don¡¯t have much cover up here. She won¡¯t do any of us any good now. But her body can still absorb bullets. In death, she may help save one of your lives.¡±


    No one on that rooftop was going to argue with the senior Shape shafter. But some of them did look more ready to puke that to kill the vampires that were shooting at them.


    Efraim glanced up and began shooting more rapidly, taking as little time as he could before shooting. They were making progress but there were still a good number of vampires over there, not to mention the ones in the alley down below.


    On the street level, William heard the gunfire explode into the alley and he saw the ricochet bullets bouncing across the street. The alleyway disgorged about six vampires led by a very solid looking blonde woman. She was pushing them out of the alley back into the city.


    William immediately opened fire and slowly began to move forward around the barricade.


    He felt a hand on his shoulder, ¡°Don¡¯t go too fast, William. If you can¡¯t see where they are, they could be anywhere.¡± It was Lethe, Billy¡¯s and Efraim¡¯s pack Alpha.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± William muttered. He shuffled back behind the cover of the barricades and maintained his position there.


    The Alpha looked down the street, ¡°Ryan, you and I will go forward with Aceso and William. Billy, you and the rest of the two packs cover us from here. Fall back if you receive fire.¡± The two nodded and followed behind Aceso and William. They split up, moving into two groups, covering both sides of the street.


    Billy raised his rifle and shot a few rounds down the center of the street, ¡°Keep up your alternating fire, Nicolas and Katherine.¡± Billy said strongly, ¡°We want to make them keep their heads down. The only way to do that is keep them afraid of bullets flying their way.¡±This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    He looked down the alleyway with concern. The gunfire overhead was still heavy and constant. Meanwhile he was down here dealing with a good number of vampires on his own. Aceso¡¯s pack was good, a little raw, but pretty disciplined as Shape shifters their age went. But he really wanted to be up there, where it seemed the true fighting was going on. He shook his head. His job down here was just as important, when he took out the hostiles in his lane, then he could move up to the real threat. One thing at a time.


    Back on the rooftop, Efraim rolled to his side and popped up firing a perfect shot that imbedded a round right in the center of a vampire¡¯s forehead. He fell to the rooftop face first. Efraim smiled.


    The newest of the Shape shifters with him were young but they were learning. He would love if the vampires wanted to play this game of attrition all day. They had to be limited on ammo and the waiting game played to his advantage. He fired a few more shots and ducked down again, as a few answering rounds flew overhead.


    Something was nagging at him in the back of his mind. It was at once familiar, like he should know what it was, but when he tried concentrating on it, it danced out of his mental grasp. It was more of a feeling than any solid thought or memory. Like his instincts were trying to tell him something.


    ¡°KEVA! Get that machine gun pointed south! We need more fire power behind us!¡± he bellowed loudly, his voice thundering even over the gun fire.


    She looked over at the Enforcer. She didn¡¯t move right away.


    Efraim swung around to face south. A group of fifteen vampires was flowing toward them from the inner city. They opened fire. Efraim ducked down and tried to push Keva into the right direction to give them added cover.


    The Shape shifters pointed to the south opened answering fire. There was less cover for them on that side of the rooftop. The new group of fifteen vampires did not stop shooting. They ran perpendicular to their position, strafing the Shape shifters on the roof moving at vampire speeds.


    Even Efraim found it impossible to lead them with any kind of accuracy. The vampires shot as they moved, allowing their gunfire to have an organic feel as bullets ripped down their southern line.


    The new Shape shifters were too slow. He heard the sickening thump of bullets hitting flesh. Glancing behind him he saw three Shapes shifters, shift back to their human and wolf forms as they died quickly.


    This group wasn¡¯t interested in playing attrition, or using cover and fire tactics. If the Shape shifters couldn¡¯t pin them down, then they were outmatched. A few more bullets hit their mark. More guns fell silent.


    His mind shut down and his body acted on instinct. He grabbed the two nearest kneeling werewolves and threw them down off the roof. His legs pushed him forward and he tackled three more as more gun fire erupted from behind them. ¡°GET OFF THE ROOF!!¡± He bellowed, his voice being mostly drowned out by noise.


    He moved on his stomach, moving the younger werewolves toward the edges of the rooftop and pushing them off into the safety of the quiet street. Charles caught one and set him down as he looked up toward the suddenly unsafe rooftop.

 Book 5 Chapter 16f

    Efraim dropped down onto the ramp from the rooftop. He reached back up and starting pulling a young male werewolf towards him. Charles saw sheer terror in the male¡¯s eyes, then suddenly a gasping scream he couldn¡¯t hear, then nothing. His eyes were glassy and vacant and his body reverted back to that of a human. Efraim pulled the body down from the rooftop and laid him down inside the empty apartment on the third floor. Charles said a prayer for the dead, and appreciated the act of caring for the body by the veteran soldier.


    The remainder of the werewolves from the rooftops had joined Charles and Billy¡¯s pack behind their barricade. There were a lot of Shape shifters didn¡¯t make it down off the roof with Efraim. Charles shook his head and tried looking down the street and up above all at one time. Aceso and William hadn¡¯t come back from their scouting pursuit of the small group of vampires that they had chased down the street.


    Efraim jumped down behind the barricade, his snout turned down in a grim expression, ¡°We have to move back from this position. They have the rooftops now. We have a group coming up from the south. The best thing for us to do is to fall back to the north and try to retake the high ground, forcing them back down onto the streets.¡± He looked around him, ¡°We also need to get these vampires in one group in front of us. If we can do that, we have a chance.¡±


    Billy and Charles nodded their accent. Suddenly there was a crash from next to their barricade. Nicolas popped his head up and saw a werewolf with a bullet wound in his legs trying to get back around the barricade to safety, it was Lethe. His light brown fur along his leg was now almost black as blood flowed freely from the wound there.


    Without thinking Nicolas jumped over the barricade and grabbed the werewolf. He yanked him up onto his shoulders and jumped back over the barricade, barely clearing the obstacle just as gunfire rang out behind him, whizzing past his ears.


    ¡°That¡¯s just great!¡± Nicolas said kneeling behind the barricade, ¡°Who¡¯s idea was it to send away both healers at once!¡±


    ¡°Hysminai can heal him just as well as Aceso can, Nicolas¡± Keva said kneeling down next to the inured Scout. She nodded to the younger healer.


    He was small for a werewolf, under six and a half feet tall. He had brown and black striped fur going along his entire body. He kneeled and sniffed deeply at Lethe¡¯s wound. He bit down hard on his leg just above the wound.


    The rest of the group had taken up firing positions along the barricade and had begun to return fire when they could.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    Lethe¡¯s bleeding stopped and Hysminai, hunched over, made his way to where Efraim and Keva were shooting. ¡°I¡¯ve healed him, but he lost a lot of blood. He can move but he needs to eat. If he can stay conscious for a few hours I¡¯d be very impressed.¡±


    Gun fire suddenly erupted from the rooftops. ¡°Get back into the buildings!¡± Efraim called pushing a few Shape shifters back toward the building they had just got off of. There were some vampires on the street now, approaching from the south.


    ¡°Efraim!¡± called a familiar voice from the north.


    ¡°Alexiares! Where are you?¡± Efraim called back.


    ¡°I thought you could use a little help. Get your people over here!¡±


    Efraim didn¡¯t hesitate, ¡°Move! Over the barricade go, go!¡± He yelled and started physically moving the Shape shifters around him. He hunched down and grabbed Lethe as Charles, Nicolas, and Keva were returning fire as best they could from the other side of the barricade facing inward toward the center of the city, giving him much needed cover as he moved the wounded Shape shifter.


    Efraim took a round, grazing his arm leaving a small trail of blood dripping on Lethe as he helped support the Scout.


    Using cover fire from Alexiares and the rest of the group, they were able to pull back from the death trap into the northern outskirts of the city.


    When they stopped getting shot at, they set Lethe down and reorganized. Efraim saw that Alexiares was not alone on his timely rescue.


    ¡°Elder¡¯s,¡± Efraim said to both Alexiares and Jacob, ¡°Thank you, I am grateful for your timely intervention. But what are you doing here?¡±


    Alexiares answered, ¡°Are we not responsible for the welfare of the city and its citizens, Efraim? Where else should we be? Jacob and I were sent to oversee and help the northern effort. After we learned of Mr. Davis¡¯s plan, the Elder¡¯s split up as well. We swung around to the north to flank the incoming vampires. As we came in toward the center of the city, toward all the shooting, we met with Aceso and dealt with a few of your vampires.¡± His face darkened, ¡°A few managed to get away however. That trick of ours won¡¯t work twice.¡±


    Efraim nodded, ¡°Yes but we have bought ourselves some time. I need a head count.¡± He turned to Keva and Aceso, ¡°I need to know how many of us are left.¡± The two females nodded and started counting heads.


    Efrain turned back to the Elder Enforcer, ¡°By my count there was about forty of them give or take. They were split up into three groups. If almost one whole group of them was taken out, and I know I dropped at least three in another plus a few more than we are looking at anywhere from twenty to thirty vampires left in this sector.¡± He shot a look back over his shoulder, ¡°provided that they¡¯re not reinforced by more from another one of those groups either to the south east or the west.¡± The two Elders nodded gravely.


    ¡°Efraim,¡± Aceso began, ¡°with Lethe being unable to fight for a while, and the addition of the Elders we have thirty-three Shape shifters able to fight.¡±


    Efraim nodded slowly, ¡°Well, not as bad as it could have been,¡± he said slowly. Shaking his head, like he was fighting off a daze, he refocused his attention on the gathered group. ¡°We still have work to do. Resupply each other with the ammo that we have.¡±


    He turned to the Elder¡¯s, ¡°I would be grateful for any ideas that you may have.¡±

 Book 5 Chapter 17a

    Acharya led his pack into the west, toward where the flare had been fired. He didn¡¯t know what he would be facing or how many.


    Along the way they had picked up another pack led by the Alpha Enforcer Helios. They were a little older than him and his pack and only had one human born. It was ironic since his own pack had Asclepius as their sole wolf born.


    He had spread the two packs out with everyone remaining in each other¡¯s line of sight. They needed to cover as much ground as possible to spot whoever it was that had sent up the flare. But he didn¡¯t want his small force to be picked off one at a time either. He was running across the rooftops while Helios and his pack spread out down below along the streets.


    Mary raised her claw into the air in front of him. He immediately dropped to his stomach and slid along the top of the obsidian roof. Hopefully, the Shape shifters below saw her quick signal before she had dropped to cover.


    He crawled to her, staying as low as possible. ¡°What is it, Mary?¡±


    The female Scout looked back at her Alpha. ¡°There is a group of them, a large group.¡±


    ¡°How many?¡± Acharya asked.


    ¡°Thirty or so,¡± Mary replied.


    ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll pull back and start working on a plan. You stay here and keep an eye on them. Don¡¯t get careless. We can¡¯t afford to lose anyone. If you see them move pull back to our position, ok,¡± Acharya said calmly. Mary nodded. Acharya slid himself back along the roof the way he had come.


    He dropped off the rooftop and met with the rest of his pack and that of Helios. ¡°We have a pretty big group of vampires right in front of us,¡± Acharya said in a hushed voice. ¡°Mary saw about thirty of them, but they¡¯re not moving. That¡¯s the good news.¡± He looked back toward the center of the city and the Tower that was at its heart. If those vampires did decide to move what could the twelve of them do?


    He looked around the buildings. ¡°Helios, take your pack and spread them out along this divide. My pack with add to it. We will have to shoot and move backwards. We can¡¯t afford to get pinned down. If there is shooting, a few of us with close on that position and give support to whoever¡¯s in trouble. The outer flanks cannot bend inward too much. These vamps could encircle us with minimal effort if we aren¡¯t fast enough. Any questions?¡±


    ¡°I suggest that Asteria help with scouting,¡± Helios offered. ¡°If the group ahead of us is as large as your Scout says it is, then some may have already broken off from the main group, looking for us among the city while the main group plays dumb¡­ as bait.¡±This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    Acharya nodded. Helios made a signal to his Scout, Asteria. She nodded and scaled a nearby building disappearing from view.


    As he watched her go, Acharya caught the scent of vampire seconds before Helios shoved him backwards off his feet into the nearest building. Before he could pick himself up, gun fire suddenly rang out in the street where he had stood a few seconds ago.  He could see the sparks fly as ricocheting bullets bounced down the street past where he had been forced into cover.


    He looked around him. Helios had brought three other Shape shifters with him that Acharya was not familiar with. Mary and Asteria were still up on the roof. ¡°We have to get out of here,¡± Acharya said trying to keep his voice calm. He had never been in a situation like this. The Whyte Plain was a poor teacher for this kind of combat.


    Outside the bullets were still raining down. They were trapped. He looked at the four veteran Shape Shifters. He might be younger than they were, but he was in charge. Helios stood up quietly trying to peer out and up at the buildings around them while trying not to attract any more gunfire from above.


    ¡°Helios, I¡¯ll go.¡± Acharya stood up and walked to the Enforcer. ¡°I¡¯ll draw off as many as I can. You get them out of here and back to safety.¡±


    Helios scoffed, ¡°Alone? You¡¯ll only get yourself killed.¡±


    ¡°If I don¡¯t then we¡¯ll all be killed! There is no other solution.¡± The bullets stopped flying giving the street an eerie quite. ¡°Give me fifteen seconds, then get out of here and fall back deeper into the city.¡±


    Without turning away from the street Helios¡¯s claw shot out grabbing Acharya¡¯s shoulder and squeezing tightly enough to draw blood.


    ¡°As long as we have blood left to fight, then I won¡¯t let you throw your life away. If we fall back then what? We just give them the city?¡± For the first time Helios locked eyes with the younger Alpha, squeezing a little harder. ¡°You¡¯re not going out there without support and a plan.¡± He glanced across the street. ¡°And I think I just got one.¡±


    On the rooftops, Mary heard the gun fire behind her. Her first instinct was to move back and assist with the fire fight. But her job was to keep an eye on the group in front of her. If she went back now that would leave them blind to what this larger group was doing. Against her desperate want to help her pack and her friends, she made herself remain still, watching for any changes in the bigger group.


    The gunfire poured out constantly for a good minute or so, then it went silent. She didn¡¯t know what was worse, having the gun fire suddenly erupt behind her like that, or the now sudden silence. Her pack was still alive she could feel it through the pack bond. One was hurt though. Malikah, their Tracker, and she was hurt bad. She hoped that Helios¡¯s pack Healer had survived and he was nearby and could heal her.


    The group in front of her moved. It flowed as one cohesive unit. They were like a school of fish swimming through a pond. They flowed forward around the building and up onto the rooftops then down to street level again. She said a silent thank you as the vampires flowed down the street below her, seemingly ignoring her entirely, or they hadn¡¯t seen her. She crouched low and started following them inward through the city.


    As she followed them a Shape shifter exploded out from one of the buildings in front of her. He was gripping a machine gun and shooting east as another Shape shifter followed shooting west. They moved with speed across the street. The vampires answered with gunshots of their own. There was a vicious exchange, but miraculously, the Shape shifters evaded the cross fire and fled into one of the alley ways, disappearing from view.

 Book 5 Chapter 17b

    Then another pair of Shape shifters did the same thing. Mary could see where this was going and she decided to act. From behind the larger group, she opened fire with her assault rifle. She downed a few vampires before the large group turned and returned fire at her position from the roof.


    The diversion worked, and the pair also made it safely across the street into the alley. The vampires jumped to the roof and were engaging her with multiple firearms and machine guns. Mary dove for the nearest cover and screamed against the sudden noise of death that ripped above her. A bullet ripped through her shoulder and she screamed in pain.


    She knew that they would come for her. She was only one Shape shifter. She shouldn¡¯t have given away her position, but she had saved two other lives. Two for one was a pretty good exchange, right? She didn¡¯t want to die, not here, not like this.


    The bullets slowed and she heard voices over the noise, she didn¡¯t understand what they were saying. The voices grew louder and closer. If she was going to die, she would take at least one with her. She eased her rifle to her chest and hugged it, rested her finger in the trigger well.


    There was about a dozen, by the sound of their voices, all jabbering to each other in some kind of Asian language that she didn¡¯t recognize. She didn¡¯t care what they were saying.


    Suddenly she heard a high pitch whine. It was sudden and immediate. Then yells of pain as the whine became a scream and bullets ripped in off from the side somewhere. Vampires screamed and died. She kept her head down. She was too scared to move.


    The whine died down and went silent. She could here shouts and people running. A gout of gun fire in the distance. She didn¡¯t know what was going on. She raised her head cautiously. What had that whine been? What just happened?


    Walking toward her with a massive multi barrel gun slung over his shoulder was Ares, walking toward her with Huan Li and Eustace covering him. The massive eight-foot-tall brown furred Enforcer reached down and hauled her to her feet.


    ¡°How did you¡­know where to find me?¡± Mary¡¯s voice shook.


    Ares looked down on the Scout, ¡°A lucky guess, that and we have better noses than vampires do.¡± He looked over toward where the shooting was coming from. ¡°Can you move? The rest of your pack needs us.¡±


    Mary nodded but asked, ¡°What was¡­ is that?¡± she asked pointing to the massive gun on his shoulder.


    Ares nodded, ¡°This is a mini gun, from our weapon smith Billy. He said something about it being painless or some such. Sometimes I don¡¯t understand your human sense of humor even after all these years of being around your kind.¡±If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Mary smiled broadly and hugged him fiercely with tears streaming down her face, ¡°Thank you Ares, thank you so much.¡± She sobbed deeply against him.


    The Enforcer nodded and patted her head and shoulder, ¡°We still have work to do, Mary.¡± Ares gently disengaged the smaller female from him and ran off towards the gunshots in the distance. Mary watched him go, holding the mini gun like she did her assault rifle, with one claw.


    ¡°We should go see about the rest of your pack. Don¡¯t you agree Mary?¡± Eustace asked gently guiding the shaken Scout in the direction where Ares had just run off to.


    Mary let herself be guided. She didn¡¯t want to think about how close she had come to dying. She would have fought; she would have killed at least one. Wouldn¡¯t she have?


    But she couldn¡¯t be sure of herself, she had locked up. In all her times being in the Whyte Plain she had never felt terror like what she had felt on this rooftop moments ago. She had felt so helpless, like a rodent trapped in a maze being stalked by some unseen predator or gas. She set her jaw in place and moved forward with the Elders back into the fray.


    *          *          *          *          *


    The smoke was getting worse. It was getting harder and harder for Efraim to see clearly through the haze. His forces were coughing more and more. His eyes were watering. This is what the vampires wanted. He could have kicked himself for not seeing it sooner. The fires and the smoke filling the cavern would choke them out before they could defeat the vampires. He couldn¡¯t afford to wait any longer.


    ¡°Billy, Alexiares,¡± He yelled down into the street. ¡°We need to move now. Are you ready?¡±


    About as ready as we¡¯ll ever be, Billy thought. He replied instead, ¡°Whenever you are.¡±


    ¡°Alexiares, go!¡± Efraim signaled.


    Alexiares and the force that he now commanded poured into the street from the building they were hiding in. Howling mercilessly even amidst the fits of couching that could be heard, the seventeen Shape shifters with him speed forward away from the fire behind them and into the mass of vampires that were waiting for them deeper inside the city.


    ¡°Billy, go!¡± Efraim yelled.


    The seventeen of them on the roof moved forward. Efraim was running with them. They jumped from rooftop to rooftop. Keeping pace and distance from Alexiares¡¯ group. The two groups knew where the vampires would be.


    Efraim was proud to know that his people had taken care of themselves, but also their weapons. They had lost very little in their retreat. Even in the chaos of the sudden flanking of the vampires when he ordered his people down from the roof, they had remembered their weapons. These young Shape shifters may not be seasoned in war like himself or Jacob, but they had made him proud to stand with them.


    He heard gun fire and Alexiares¡¯ forces split, disappearing in front of a group of vampires down alley ways and streets off to either the left or right. Billy slowed his force on the roof.


    Efraim watched. The vampires seemed to be hesitant to follow the two groups that had turned to vapor in their grasp. Their advance was slow and become more cautious.


    Efraim kept a sharp eye from his vantage point. He couldn¡¯t see any enemies from where he was but he knew that they would have oversight on the group down in the street.


    Off to his right, Efraim heard gun fire. It was intense and immediate. He gave two quick barks. Billy took six werewolves with him to investigate what was going on over there. Efraim moved back and around to see for himself what was going on.


    Before he could move, gunfire whizzed past him and he was forced to dive for cover. ¡°Get down!¡± he yelled to no one in particular. A bullet grazed his shoulder and another caught him in the leg. Stifling the cry of pain that wanted to escape his lips he pulled himself to better cover.

 Book 5 Chapter 17c

    Gun fire suddenly sounded on the street level from his left. He tried to peak his head up over his cover only to be forced down again by gunfire that ricocheted off the building close to his face. He forced himself to breathe and not to concentrate on the pain that was enveloping his leg. He wouldn¡¯t be able to run on it. He had been shot before. Somehow this pain was not as sharp as it should have been. Looking down at his wound, blood was flowing freely from the hole in his thigh. The bullet had ripped through an artery. If he didn¡¯t get healing quickly, he was going to die from blood loss.


    He was alone and isolated on a roof with no real way for him to escape. His leg wound made it impossible for him to try to outrun a normal human, much less a vampire. He blinked his eyes hard and tried to focus.


    He clamped down on the hole with his claw and squeezed as tightly as he could. Meanwhile he grabbed his upper thigh and put as much pressure on his artery as he could. He couldn¡¯t fight like this. He couldn¡¯t run like this. Maybe he could hold on till a healer found him.


    He looked down at his weapon. It was a few feet from him. With his elbows and his good leg he positioned himself near the assault rifle. He wasn¡¯t dead yet. Help would come, or not. He wouldn¡¯t let himself die uselessly. He struggled mightily to put himself in a position that allowed himself to sit upright, with his rifle in his lap. If they were going to try and finish him, he would gladly show them their end before his time came.


    Back on the street level, having no real idea what was going on on the rooftops above, Alexiares split his forces in half down either side of the street as was the plan. The vampires would then be forced to split off and follow them. He was being covered from above by Billy and Efraim.


    He went left and led his group on a sprint down the alley with a series of short turns that cut back and forth through the city. He needed to get around and behind the group that had followed after him.


    After a few turns at speed, he slowed to a stop. There was no gunfire. There was no scent of vampire in the air around them. He looked back over the group that followed him.


    ¡°Charles? Do you smell anything?¡±


    The Tracker inhaled deeply and shook his head, ¡°I don¡¯t smell any vampires at all. The smoke is getting worse, that may have something to do with it.¡±


    Alexiares shook his head. Realizing the mistake he had fallen into, he turned and bounded up the nearest building. Aceso and the rest of the werewolves with him followed. The flowed up and over the obsidian building and bounded back in the direction they had come.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    Just as they had crested the building, they were welcomed with gunfire that ripped through their ranks. William grabbed Aceso and Katherine and pulled them down into cover. Nicolas and Charles were face down on the rooftop as well.


    ¡°That was a great plan,¡± Nicolas spat. ¡°Did we have a spy in the meeting with us when Jacob and Efraim hatched this crazy idea?¡±


    William had never even entertained the thought of a spy being among them. For the first time he began to wonder. The city had been infiltrated quickly and quietly. If it hadn¡¯t been for that flair in the west, they wouldn¡¯t have known about any of this. Could one of their own have sold out the City Under the Mountain? He didn¡¯t like the idea but it wouldn¡¯t go away.


    Alexiares was shouting over the gun fire. He wanted Aceso and her pack to move out and flank the attacking group of vampires. Aceso moved her pack to the south. William and Nicolas began firing almost blindly from behind cover just to put some pressure on the vampires.


    The tactic seemed to work. The vampires slowed their gun fire and the rest of the pack was able to move into position.


    William looked back as he loosed another random, almost blind, volley of bullets into the vampire¡¯s position. He saw a few people and wolves not moving. If he needed any proof of death the pools of blood that were rapidly collecting under the bodies was proof enough. He counted three, three more to be added to their dead. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for long moments. He let his rage grow and with it his body was flooded with adrenaline and endorphins. He felt no pain and any fatigue that he might have felt evaporated from him.


    He launched himself to the side coming up from a shoulder roll. Taking aim while he moved, he let go a burst of five shots, two found their mark. The vampires returned fire almost immediately. William finished his roll back behind cover. He howled in fury. His call was answered in the distance by three or four howls. He smiled as he shot blindly behind him during a lull.


    ¡°Aceso!¡± William called, ¡°Can you see anything? How many of them are there?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t see from where I¡¯m at,¡± she replied.


    ¡°I think I counted about seven or eight,¡± Katherine said, ¡°William knocked down two of them though. It¡¯s too tough to tell if they¡¯re dead or not.¡±


    ¡°I hope Jacob and Keva¡¯s group had better luck then we did,¡± Nicolas said dryly.


    *          *          *          *          *


    Jacob was running up through a building to get to the roof. There were no vampires on the street level. They were, however on the roof with a superior position firing down on them. He should have known better. The plan was a good one. The smoke was messing with their sense of smell and they couldn¡¯t detect the vampires at any real distance, not through any natural odors anyway.


    He stopped short and looked out over the street from and open doorway. He put out his arm to signal those that had followed him to stay back. After he was certain that it was safe he beckoned them forward.


    He grabbed Keva¡¯s shoulder and pointed out over the street to another building, ¡°See that crest right there?¡± The reddish brown werewolf nodded. ¡°I want you to get over to that position and set up an over watch for us. Put down covering fire until we can get up there and join you.¡±


    Keva nodded. She gripped her M240 tightly in her claws. She backed up a few steps and running forward launched herself across the street. Her landing was a little sloppy and she took a moment to regain her balance. Just as she was about to turn, gun fire forced her to disappear around the corner of the building.

 Book 5 Chapter 17d

    Smiling Jacob said, ¡°Now everyone up on the roof, go, go, go!¡± he shoved those that were still with him up onto the roof and quickly put them into position. Keva¡¯s distraction gave him all the time he needed.


    When everyone was in position he gave the order, ¡°Fire!¡±


    His werewolves opened fire with a gout of precision and focused fire. The six vampires that had been on the roof were dead within moments.


    When the shooting stopped Jacob wanted to smile but he couldn¡¯t. He could hear gunfire ring out all over the city. The smoke was getting worse and the whole city was starting to look more like London than anything else. He motioned for Keva to rejoin the rest of them on the rooftop.


    He turned the group around and ran back the way they had come. Jumping from rooftop to rooftop he was starting to get a little tired. It had been a while since he had fought any battles like this. It made him remember why he had been so grateful to leave the Royal Armed Forces in the first place. His pack bond was strong though and the fatigue was slight. But he knew that if he was feeling it, the younger Shape shifters, and especially those without a pack yet, would be feeling it much worse than he was and there was still so much left to do. He knew that this day was far from finished.


    *          *          *          *          *


    Billy moved forward toward the sound of fighting. He wanted to swing around and catch whoever it was is some kind of flanking maneuver, if at all possible. The smoke was making things difficult. The gun fire was still off in the distance when he heard more gunfire from behind him.


    Sending his troops diving for cover, he listened carefully to the gun shots. They were behind him, almost directly, as far as he could tell, where Efraim had been when he gave the signal for him to move out.


    Billy sent his forces back to the left of where Efraim¡¯s last location had been. He listened closely to the gun fire. He kept himself in a low crouch and moved along with his troops. Hearing was the only one of his senses that was working to its keenest capacity and he strained himself to hear the rhythm of the bullets.


    He moved along quickly, staying low. The group of six that he led followed closely. The rhythm of bullets was constant in quick burst here and there. The sound was moving. If he had to make a guess it was the sounds of a search party using suppressive fire to keep whatever they were looking for down, make them think twice about running.


    Suddenly there was a massive exchange. Billy heard one full auto fire in response to half a dozen other weapons that answered. Billy couldn¡¯t wait anymore. Without thinking he launched himself out of cover and threw himself across the street toward the gun fire.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    The smoke thinned as he approached and he saw a lone vampire take several bullets in the chest. He collapsed to the ground with his head bouncing off the obsidian roof with a sickening thud.


    He had a chance to look around and he saw five other vampires dead as well. They had been taken completely by surprise it looked like. Their faces were frozen in surprise or pain. He heard a rough but weak cough. He sprinted to where the sound had come from.


    Billy came up on the source of the cough. Efraim, his eyes barely open, blood seeping from a dozen bullet holes at least. His pack Enforcer was sitting with his back to a low wall on the roof, fighting for each breath.


    ¡°Ryan!¡± Billy called over his shoulder frantically. ¡°Ryan! Where are you?! Get your ass over here now, Efraim¡¯s down!¡± He knelt down by his friend not wanting to see what was in front of him. ¡°Goddamn it, Ryan! Where the hell are you?¡±


    Efraim reached a claw up weakly and gripped Billy¡¯s arm. ¡°I¡¯ve¡­too much¡­blood lost.¡± Every word was an effort for him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk, you stubborn nomad,¡± Billy said trying to sound convincing. ¡°Ryan¡¯ll be here soon. He¡¯ll patch you up, you¡¯ll see¡­just, just don¡¯t¡­.don¡¯t talk.¡± Billy¡¯s eyes were watering again, but it wasn¡¯t from the smoke.


    ¡°Look at me,¡± Efraim said calmly and clearly.


    Billy blinked away his tears and looked at his friend.


    Efraim swallowed hard and blinked hard. ¡°Billy, if¡­we die¡­we¡­lose everything.¡± He coughed weakly, causing blood to spatter onto Billy¡¯s fur. Efraim swallowed and said in a whisper, ¡°If the city is lost, we¡­we can¡­rebuild. This isn¡¯t Jerusalem¡­we¡­can fight...long as¡­.we¡­live¡­we can fight¡­the city¡­¡±


    ¡°Will you shut up, Efraim? Stop talking like that. We haven¡¯t lost anything and you took out six all by yourself. We¡¯re going to be ok,¡± Billy pleaded.


    Efraim pulled his friend closer, ¡°Don¡¯t, throw, lives, away, for, an, empty, shell.¡± There was anger in his voice now. ¡°You, have, to, make, sure¡­our, people¡­get out, of¡­here.¡± He let go of the Scout. ¡°We can fight¡­elsewhere.¡±


    Billy hunched down next to his friend. ¡°What do you mean fight elsewhere? This is our home? We can¡¯t just¡­Efraim? ¡­Efraim?!¡± he grabbed the Enforcer¡¯s shoulder and shook him violently. ¡°EFRAIM!!!!!¡±


    Efraim had slumped down, his chin rested on his assault rifle. As Billy watched the werewolf melted back into his human form.


    Billy still gripped the man¡¯s shoulder. He let his head fall forward as he mourned the death of his friend.


    *          *          *          *          *


    ¡°Aiman!¡± Acharya called to his Enforcer.


    ¡°Yes, Acharya?¡± He replied dryly.


    ¡°Can you see anything out there? Do you think they might have gotten bored yet?¡± Acharya asked.


    They were standing on either side of a doorway on the third level of a building on the western side of the city. He could feel his pack was ok, all except for Malikah who was still injured.


    After he had followed Helios and that insane plan to just blast their way out of a building he had heard gun fire and a strange whine and scream from some weapon that he didn¡¯t even know they had here in the City Under the Mountain. He had grabbed who he could but Malikah was not with that group and he didn¡¯t have time to go to her. The best he could do was draw the vamps away from her so he could go back for her when he could.


    Since then, he and Aiman had been cornered and now both packs were taking cover in the various buildings. The vampires had them surrounded, as best as he could tell, and they were effectively pinned down.


    He peeked out from around a corner. A bullet caught the door frame inches from his ears and he jerked back inside.

 Book 5 Chapter 17e

    He heard that strange whine and scream again, this time much closer. It lasted for a few seconds then stopped. Everything was silent.


    ¡°Go!¡± Acharya screamed at Aiman.


    The two Shape Shifters jumped out of the building and onto the rooftops. He felt Mary and ran toward her. There were no vampires in sight. Standing next to Mary was Ares and two Elders.


    ¡°Mary, are you alright?¡± Acharya asked.


    She nodded. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine, thanks to Ares. He took out twelve vampires by himself with that thing.¡± She nodded at the weapon Ares was carrying.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how many you killed this time around but you definitely saved us. We wouldn¡¯t have lasted too much longer.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, I think I may have only killed a few this time, three or four at most. They learn quickly and they all dove for the street as soon as I pressed the trigger,¡± Ares replied.


    ¡°Malikah. She¡¯s hurt. We have to go get her,¡± Mary said suddenly as if just remembering her pack, Tracker.


    ¡°Ares,¡± Huan Li said. ¡°Go and retrieve the injured Tracker. We will set up position here. We will fall back in an easterly route that will take us in the general direction of the Tower. Efraim will finish his work to the north and hopefully we can link up somewhere in the middle.¡±


    Ares nodded. He let Aiman and Mary lead him down onto the street level and toward their injured Tracker.


    ¡°Acharya, you have done well but there is still so much left to do.¡± Huan Li looked back east over the whole of the city and the black smoke that was slowly beginning to cover it. The fires that raged to the north and southeast were getting bigger. He could still make out bright orange and red flames lick up the trees even through the thick smoke. He stroked his chin in thought.


    ¡°Huan? What is it?¡± Eustace asked the aged Asian.


    The man had a faraway look in his eyes. He blinked and said, ¡°Acharya, we need to set up our retreat and some kind of defense as we do so. You need to gather the rest of your pack and I understand that Helios and his pack are with you as well?¡± Acharya nodded. ¡°Very well, Bring him back to this point. From there I want your pack to cover our left and Helios will cover our right, with Ares, myself, and Eustace in the middle.¡±


    Acharya masked his emotions well, just not well enough to fool the Elders.


    ¡°You don¡¯t like the idea of two old Shape Shifters in the middle of the formation, do you?¡± Huan Li asked with a smile.


    ¡°No Elder I would never suggest¡­¡±This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, maybe I am getting a little older than I want to admit. And that is partly the reason for it.¡±


    He regarded the Elder and nodded slowly, ¡°You are going to use yourselves as bait,¡± he stated matter of factly.


    ¡°Exactly, the vampires should know who we are. And if they don¡¯t, they have already been introduced to Ares and his weapon, that should be enough to draw their attention. Meanwhile you and Helios can harass them from the flanks, whittling down their forces.¡±


    Acharya nodded, ¡°It¡¯s a good plan, Elder. I¡¯ll go find Helios.¡±


    Huan Li quickly raised his rifle and popped out three rounds. Seconds later a crunching sound met his ears.


    The young Alpha hadn¡¯t even had time to duck. He looked back at the Elder as he lowered his weapon. ¡°I¡¯m not completely useless in my old age,¡± Huan Li said with a wink.


    Acharya bowed to the Elder and jumped off the building. He needed to find Helios and fast. He could feel that Mary was very close to Malikah. Hopefully she could be healed and be ready to fight again and soon. Ares may have surprised them with his mini gun but they wouldn¡¯t stay down forever. Soon, probably within minutes they would be just as hard pressed as they had been a few minutes ago.


    *          *          *          *          *


    Amanda Miller followed Mr. Davis toward the south east end of the cavern toward the forest.


    ¡°Amanda, I want you to stay close to me,¡± Mr. Davis said. ¡°These are vampires, they can move ten times faster than you, they have twenty times better eyesight then you, and they¡¯re ten times stronger than you.¡±


    ¡°Are you trying to scare me?¡± Amanda asked grimly.


    The large black werewolf shook his head, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, kid. I just need you to know what you¡¯re going up against. So, keep your head on a swivel and don¡¯t leave my side, not for anything. Do you understand?¡± Amanda nodded and they kept running down the street.


    Mr. Davis slowed down as Hermes jumped down from a building. The grey and brown calico werewolf was shorter than Mr. Davis and slenderer.


    He reported, ¡°I saw their group near the forest. That fire they started is already almost too big to fight. The forest is lost, even if we could get over there to fight it. It would take a massive amount of Sages to redirect the nearby streams.¡±


    Mr. Davis nodded, ¡°Ok, so what¡¯s the bad news?¡± he asked dryly.


    Hermes replied, ¡°The vampires don¡¯t seem to be moving, at all. It¡¯s like they¡¯re waiting for something.¡±


    ¡°How many?¡±


    ¡°Forty, exactly forty, I counted twice just to be sure,¡± Hermes answered quickly.


    ¡°Forty against the six of us? Maybe we should give them the chance to surrender?¡± Mr. Davis asked. He wasn¡¯t smiling. ¡°Physis, I want you and Thoosa to take up positions on our right, Tyche, you and Hermes move to my left, I¡¯ll keep Amanda with me at the center. Don¡¯t move too fast and don¡¯t think the rooftops are completely safe. Hermes, can you get a closer look at what they may be up to, weapons, formations, anything?¡±


    ¡°I may be able to move closer using the city for cover. They could spot me if I get too close,¡± the Scout replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s a risk we¡¯ll have to take.¡± He looked at the Shape shifters around him. ¡°Stay out of sight. If they aren¡¯t moving, then all we need to do is keep an eye on them. Efraim will take care of his part and Acharya will have some help as well.¡± Looking down at Amanda he added, ¡°With any luck you won¡¯t have to try to use that thing.¡± The black-haired girl nodded but she didn¡¯t look either relieved or afraid. The only thing Mr. Davis smelled from her was iron determination. She was indeed Jacob Miller¡¯s daughter.


    ¡°All right go, and stay close. If need be, we pull back here and move in toward the center of the city.¡± The other four Shape shifters nodded and then moved out to their positions, flanking Mr. Davis and Amanda as they moved farther out from the center of the city toward the south eastern forest, and the raging forest fire therein.

 Book 5 Chapter 17f

    Amanda was having trouble with the oversized weapon, she felt like she had been running for a long time, just trying to not slow the Shape shifters down.


    She was eighteen years old. She had been nervous about her rebirth. She thought about the pain that her first shifting would bring. She feared the madness that sometimes took Shape shifters and the quick death that they were given because of it. All these things had dominated her mind for the last few months.


    She had trained, ran, and worked out, preparing her body for the rigors of her rebirth as best she could, under the direction of various teachers throughout the Mountain. Now, with this cartoonishly massive rifle in her hands, all her fears and hesitation were gone. Right now, all she wanted was the strength to help defend her home, The City Under the Mountain, and she wanted to not feel so ridiculous holding this weapon that was designed for werewolf claws, not her eighteen-year-old human ones.


    Mr. Davis¡¯ pack moved cautiously through the city streets. Hermes was on point to his left and up front. He glided between the rooftops and in between buildings. He moved from level to level with a practiced grace that spoke of his speed and agility. He had earned his reputation as one of best Scout¡¯s in the city. Watching him, Amanda wondered what class of Shape shifter she would eventually be. She wondered if she would ever reach the level that these Shape shifters obviously were. Would she ever be named, The Best?


    Hermes stopped and melted down from the top level to the street. He moved forward cutting in and around buildings. Mr. Davis stopped and Amanda stayed two steps behind him.


    Physis was still near the rooftops to Amanda¡¯s right. The pure white of her fur was easily seen against the glossy black of the obsidian buildings. She jumped up and over the rooftop and disappeared from view.


    Mr. Davis moved forward again and Amanda moved with him. The farther toward the outskirts of the city they got, the thicker the smoke got. She tried to inhale as little as possible. And she had to stifle more than one cough. She was afraid of making any noise at all. She felt like a mouse trapped in a giant maze, surrounded by monsters, and escorted by giants. It would make for a great kid¡¯s movie one day, if it hadn¡¯t already been made into one.


    Suddenly Mr. Davis tensed. His ears twitched, then he was running. Amanda couldn¡¯t keep up with him, though she tried. The large black werewolf tore off through the streets and disappeared around a corner.


    When she got to the corner the Shape shifter was gone. She didn¡¯t know what to do. She heard a scraping noise and looked up as Physis, the pure white werewolf, stumbled down a building ramp. It looked like she could barely stand up.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    She half collapsed down the last part of the ramp and rested on the street. Amanda ran to her and saw that she had a wound in her side.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Amanda gasped as she looked at the Healer. It was bad. Blood was seeping through her claws, flowing through her brilliant fur coloring it deep crimson. Amanda wasn¡¯t any kind of doctor and she didn¡¯t want to think about the werewolf dying.


    Physis blinked and gripped Amanda¡¯s arm tightly, her eyes were unfocused and very far away. ¡°Run. Amanda, get out of here. Get away¡­as fast¡­you can¡­just¡­go.¡± She let go of the girl and bit down hard on her own arm.


    Amanda watched as her wound almost completely closed as she was watching. Physis¡¯ eyes fluttered and closed.


    Amanda couldn¡¯t move. She had no idea where anyone was. She hadn¡¯t been out to this section of the city before. Run where? If the vampires were coming then she wouldn¡¯t be able to out run them.


    Suddenly a powerful grip wrenched her from her kneeling position. Amanda had time enough to think about the rifle that was now lying uselessly by the side of the unconscious Shape shifter. She was spun around almost in midair and was now face to face with a familiar aged reddish brown furred werewolf.


    ¡°What is going on here, girl? Where is Mr. Davis?¡± Derceto demanded.


    Amanda was completely at a loss for words. She sputtered and managed to point to Physis on the ground. One of Derceto¡¯s grey wolf body guards was already kneeling down next to her.


    Derceto turned her attention to the human female. ¡°Amanda, I need to know what happened. Did you hear any gunfire, any sounds of fighting, anything?¡±


    Amanda tried to calm herself down and just breathe. She looked back to where Mr. Davis had disappeared. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I was standing with Mr. Davis and all of a sudden, his ears twitched and he just took off. He didn¡¯t tell me anything and when I tried to follow him, he disappeared down that alley.¡± She said pointing to the last place she had seen the Enforcer.


    Derceto looked around at the building surrounding them. She seemed to be listening to something far away. ¡°They¡¯re moving.¡± She turned to her three grey werewolf body guards. ¡°You three need to get Physis and Amanda out of here. Physis won¡¯t wake up anytime soon if she healed herself.¡±


    One of the grey¡¯s stood up. ¡°We won¡¯t leave you, Elder. You cared for and protected us when no other would. We will stand with you and give our lives for yours if necessary.¡±


    The Elder Sage raised herself up to her full height. Suddenly she was moving too fast for Amanda to see. A blur ripped out in a ring around her. Reddish brown and grey fur mixed in something that she couldn¡¯t describe.


    When it was all over Derceto was once again standing in the middle of the group and each of her grey¡¯s had several slashes on their chests, each of the deep lines oozed blood. Derceto¡¯s claws were tinged red with it.


    She stood very close to the one who had spoken. ¡°Every cub must leave the den at some point. I have indulged you three too long. It¡¯s time for you to become Alphas and seek out your own packs and territory to protect.¡± She gripped his snout tightly. She yanked his head down and she gently bit his ear. She walked to the other two and did the same thing. ¡°This fight is not for you. Now go, leave me to my task.¡±


    The three looked like they were going to refuse her order. But then one went and picked up Physis and the other gently nudged Amanda back toward the center of the city. Amanda glanced over her shoulder and saw the Elder Sage scale a nearby building and disappear from sight.

 Book 5 Chapter 18a

    Derceto watched her three cubs go with Physis and Amanda. She hated herself for doing it and yet she knew that their time of being the Omega wolves was over. They needed to develop on their own. They were destined for other fights, this fight was hers, and hers alone.


    She turned back toward the forest fire and the sounds of approaching vampires, masses of vampires. The smoke was making it hard for her to see, but her ears worked just fine. She wished she knew where Mr. Davis was. She would have to hope. This one time, she would put her faith in luck.


    She took a deep breath and kneeled down in place, stretching out her claws to the stone and the earth around her. She was the Elder Sage. Soon those vampires would learn why. She reached out through the stone and earth and heaved with every fiber of her being.


    The earth beneath her rent itself and burst upwards. The energies that Derceto poured into the earth around was almost too much for even her to bear. The building off in the distance that she targeted, violently ripped itself in two. She could hear screams of pain and yelps of surprise as the building swallowed a dozen or more vampires whole. Derceto reached forth again and forced the building to collapse in on itself crushing those she had trapped.


    She plunged her claw deep into the building again and attacked another building, and another, and another. The twisting of the earth beneath him ripped a rift into the pools of magma just below their feet. A geyser of red hot lava spewed up and out, filling the streets with red death.


    The Sage¡¯s vision blurred and she fell over. Her body was completely spent. Having everything last drop of her energy to the earth around her in her attacks. She couldn¡¯t move at all. She had put forth her entire energy supply to achieve the destruction that she had dealt. She only hoped that it would be enough. She also hoped that Mr. Davis was alright. She hoped that she had killed every last one of those vampires.


    *          *          *          *          *


    Mr. Davis sprinted ahead, ignoring everything that he knew was right. He had felt the sudden death of Hermes and Thoosa. They were dead. He needed to get to them to find out what happened.


    He scaled a building and dove right back down into an alleyway. A bullet grazed where he had just been. He hadn¡¯t heard that shot either. What was going on?


    He found Hermes body. The Scout had fallen and his body was splayed out on the street. The grey and brown wolf almost looked like he was sleeping, except for the twisted angle of his neck.


    Mr. Davis rolled the body over until he found the bullet hole. A large caliber weapon had taken him right through the neck. It was hard to get any specifics because of the ¡°death shift,¡± it would have distorted any real evidence that there was to be had. The only thing that he could think of that could do something like this was a high caliber sniper rifle. If that was the case, then they were outmatched here. He would have to take the fight to the vampires in the streets, where the buildings would give him cover and concealment, protecting him from long range sniper fire.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Hermes, the lithe, quick footed Scout who had saved his life many times and had guided them to safety more than once, destroyed by a sniper shot. He hadn¡¯t even had the chance to face his attacker, or defend himself. Mr. Davis closed his eyes as he laid the wolf down on the street. There would be a reckoning, he swore it. He would avenge his pack mate¡¯s death.


    He felt Tyche and where she was. He made his way to the female Sage. He found her squatting on a building ramp on the 2<sup>nd</sup> floor. He jumped up and knelt down beside her. The Sage was listening for something.


    ¡°Have you found anything?¡± Mr. Davis asked quietly.


    ¡°No,¡± she said in a soft whisper. Her eyes were closed and Mr. Davis agreed with her, the smoke was getting bad and it stung his eyes to keep them open for too long. Suddenly she tensed. ¡°We have to move, now.¡± Without another word she jumped down from the building and ran.


    Mr. Davis was a little surprised but he had long ago ceased to question the instincts of his Sage. She was far more in tuned with the earth than he ever could be and if she said run, he didn¡¯t hesitate.


    It took only moments before he realized why she had told him to move. The building they had occupied suddenly rent itself as a great crack sounded through the cavern. He watched as the obsidian building split down the middle. Then, almost as fast, the two sides of the building bent back inward and collapsed in on itself. He needed no further proof as he also caught sight of vampires moving with speed through the buildings now behind him.


    He put all his effort into moving faster. He heard another great cracking noise and another and another. It seemed as if the city was eating itself alive. Then he heard what can only be described as an explosion behind them. He stopped and looked as a huge column of red molten lava poured out of the earth.


    The lava flowed outward at an alarming rate. Mr. Davis and Tyche had no choice but to take to the building¡¯s rooftops. They would have to take their chances with a sniper or the surety of death by incineration.


    When they gained the roof, he crouched low and turned around to see where the vampires were. He couldn¡¯t see any of them right away. He scanned to his right and saw a pale glint of light and then his ears heard the impact of a bullet with flesh.


    He jerked around and saw Tyche fall over from her crouch. Her form started to melt back into her black and tan furred wolf form before she even hit the ground. He threw himself flat against the roof of the building. He looked into Tyche¡¯s dead eyes. Tyche, Thoosa, and Hermes, they were his pack, his responsibility. He had failed in his duty to protect them and they were dead now because of it. He looked at his own claws and felt his own heartbeat in his chest. He thought of all the things he could do, deaden pain, regulate his adrenaline levels, run at super human speeds for long distances. He could do all those things, but he hadn¡¯t been able to save Tyche. She had been so close to him, within a foot or two. Why hadn¡¯t the sniper chosen him?


    He smelled the vampire before he heard him.

 Book 5 Chapter 18b

    ¡°I have to wonder, are there any werewolves here that are actually worth fighting?¡± a condescending voice rose over the soft thunder of the lava eruptions, whose contents now flooded the streets.


    ¡°Put that piece of crap down and find out, chicken shit,¡± Mr. Davis spat.


    ¡°Oh,¡± said the voice mirthfully. ¡°I think we may have found one with a little backbone.¡± There was a clattering of metal on the obsidian, the sound of a long rifle being dropped. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s safe to come out of hiding, unless you¡¯re too much of a coward to even try to defend your dying home.¡±


    Mr. Davis raised his head for just a moment. He saw that the rifle was indeed nowhere to be found. He ducked down again. Shifting his body, he glanced back behind him. There was no one behind him. Slowly he raised himself up and stared down the vampire a few buildings away.


    ¡°You are a big one, aren¡¯t you,¡± mocked the vampire as he strode toward to the edge of his current rooftop. ¡°Are you what they call an Enforcer?¡± he asked with a smile.


    Mr. Davis flexed his muscles feeling the tightness and feeding adrenaline into his bloodstream. ¡°Yes,¡± he replied calmly.


    ¡°At least this¡¯ll be a challenge,¡± the vampire said as he jumped to the next building and charged at the werewolf. Mr. Davis answered by charging at the vampire. He launched himself over a lava filled street and crashed into the vampire in midair. The two clashed and ripped into each other even before falling back down to the center of the empty rooftop of a building in a dying city surrounded by red death.


    The vampire was quick and agile while Mr. Davis was all power. The two danced around each other for what seemed like hours. Mr. Davis countering punches and kicks with attacks of his own. His claws seemed to be moving on their own. The vampire was good. Every time Mr. Davis seemed to get an edge on the smaller vampire he would melt away and regroup.


    Mr. Davis knew something was wrong. No vampire, and he had fought some who boasted of being hundreds of years old, had been able to go toe to toe with him for longer than a few minutes. This guy, whoever he was, was something else.


    Mr. Davis kept pumping more and more adrenaline into his body. He had never gone so far as he did now. He felt like a god. He could go on like this forever. Eventually the vampire would need to feed and then he would crush him. Vampire¡¯s stamina only lasted so long.


    He thought of Tyche, her gentle attitude belied the fact that she was a fighter in heart, body, and soul. She had no problem ripping a vampire¡¯s throat out. Then she would stop and give her strength to a failing rose garden somewhere.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    As he fought the being who claimed to be a vampire, he couldn¡¯t help but think of Hermes, whose speed was always something to marvel at. He took to running more than a fish took to water. He didn¡¯t just run; he glided over the earth. He always took the lead and paced the rest of the pack.


    The vampire did a perfect back kick and caught Mr. Davis in the jaw. Mr. Davis didn¡¯t step back though. He pressed forward and punched the vampire in the gut as he came back around from his kick. The vampire grunted and skidded back a few feet.


    Mr. Davis pressed forward and pushed more adrenaline and endorphins into his body. He didn¡¯t feel pain, even though the vampire was landing the occasional punch or kick a little more often now.


    He was doing this for Thoosa. The idea of what she had become was always a little alien to her. She had never wanted to manipulate anyone. It had only taken her to witness what vampires did to people. She saw the aftermath of a Dukartian domination once. The act of the thing that had destroyed the person¡¯s free will was terrifying to her. She never wanted that to happen to anyone else. She trained harder than any of them to hone her abilities and to make sure that she used them for the good of her pack and for the City Under the Mountain. More than all the rest of the pack, she believed that what they were doing was just and right. Her abilities granted to her by the Lunar Mother were a ¡®curse of responsibility¡¯ she had said.


    Mr. Davis pressed forward, always forward, harder, and unrelenting at the vampire who fought him. The vampire was faster than he was, but he had power and stamina over any vampire.


    He grabbed at and caught the vampire¡¯s ill-timed punch and held the fist in his claws. ¡°Who are you?¡± Mr. Davis sneered.


    The vampire struggled against the iron grip. He smiled anyway and replied, ¡°I¡¯m Brian, nice to meet you, friend. And you are?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the one who¡¯s going to kill you,¡± Mr. Davis said. He simultaneously ripped Brian toward him and head butted him. The parasite struggled back against the crushing blow.


    Brian shook his head and threw himself backwards. The maneuver didn¡¯t free his hands from Mr. Davis¡¯s grip, but it did allow him to land a perfect flash kick at the werewolf¡¯s jaw. Mr. Davis¡¯s grip loosened and Brian was able to dance away once again.


    Brian gave the werewolf a half smile. ¡°As a wise man once said, get used to disappointment.¡±


    Suddenly fire erupted inside Mr. Davis¡¯s gut. He looked down as his claw touched his stomach and came away bloody. He felt more gun shots rip through him as he struggled toward the smiling vampire.


    His eye sight wavered, and everything became fuzzy. He was lightheaded. He tried to force endorphins into his body, to heal himself. At least take the pain away. He had to kill this one. He took another step toward Brian.


    A few more bullets ripped through him. One caught his lung. He couldn¡¯t catch his breath, no matter how hard he gasped. His vision blurred again and his head was so light he could barely stay awake. He had to kill this one. Just this one. He forced himself to take another step.


    More bullets ripped into him. One took out his leg and he was falling. He felt the impact of obsidian with his shoulder, but it was a faraway sensation, like it was happening in a dream. He couldn¡¯t really hear anything. All he could see was darkness and the only smell was rancid death mixed with smoke.


    A human face hovered into his field of vision. It wasn¡¯t human, he realized. His mind was so sluggish. He had a hard time remembering who this man was, smiling down on him like that. His brain fired a few neurons and he knew this was Brian and he struggled to force his arms to obey his command to crush the life from his throat.

 Book 5 Chapter 18c

    ¡°You fought well, for a dog,¡± Brian said. ¡°You may have beaten me, if it had been a fair fight.¡± He sounded almost sad. ¡°But then again, only a fool goes into a fight without an edge.¡± He leaned down close to the werewolf placing his foot on the beast¡¯s arm. He leaned in toward his large pointed ears. ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯re going to lose. That¡¯s why you always lose. We play to win. You seem to play to prove how strong you are.¡± He stood up and produced a large pistol.


    Mr. Davis couldn¡¯t move as the weapon was aimed at him. He looked down the barrel of the gun. The metal faded away quickly down into a deep spiraling darkness. A loud bang sounded, a sudden flash of light, then all was black.


    Brian stood up and put the gun away. He watched the large black werewolf melt back down into a rather impressively large man. He looked out over the city as lava still flowed between the buildings and smoke continued to fill the air. ¡°Hmm, I wonder where Kenneth got off to.¡±


    *          *          *          *          *


    Ansuya broke through the Whyte Plain without incident. She came crashing back into the City Under the Mountain and was stopped cold.


    The two forests that had fed their city were aflame with a raging fire that would consume every scrap of wood in the place. Black smoke hung over the city like a dense fog. Her ears could pick out noises and sounds of distant gun fire.


    How had this happened? She knew that Kenneth was behind this. With what Wolfgang had said it was the only possible choice. But how had Kenneth found out about their city? How had he managed to get in? Only wolves or Shape shifters could¡­ open¡­the doors in.


    An ice-cold chill ran down her spine. That¡¯s what Natalia had been talking about with the zoo and training wolves. Kenneth had somehow managed to relearn how to dominate wolves.


    This whole time, her in his basement, letting her out to corrupt House Brandt, somehow that had all been part of his plan. Did he want her to see this? Was this some kind of sick revenge for her resisting him for so long?


    She dug her claws into the stone of the street and threw herself in toward the heart of the city. She may have been a little late, but if there was still fighting to be done she would take her share of vampires down.


    *          *          *          *          *


    ¡°So, you¡¯re the one who caused us all that trouble back there?¡± Kenneth asked the reddish-brown werewolf that was lying helplessly in front of him.


    Derceto tried to move. She tried to make her muscles respond to her will. But her body had no energy left. She had given everything she had to cause the destruction of the city. She had hoped that she would have killed more of them. But as she looked around her, only able to move her eyes, she was surrounded by twenty five of them at least. She would not give in to fear though. She stared at the lead vampire defiantly.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    He kneeled down near her head with a large caliber pistol resting in between his legs. Speaking in a very casual voice he asked, ¡°Did you really think you would kill all of us with your little stunt back there?¡± he was smiling broadly at his victim¡¯s helplessness. ¡°I have to give it to you though, you made it much harder on us than I would have liked it to be. But then I assume you thought you would have some sort of back up? Some kind of reinforcement was supposed to come pick you up as you lay here unable to move even a finger?¡± He looked up at his house mates. ¡°Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase, ¡®all in,¡¯ doesn¡¯t it?¡± The vampires laughed cruelly at the Elder.


    ¡°We Shape shifters,¡± Derceto gasped out, ¡°are harder to kill than you might suppose.¡± Her body was exhausted beyond measure. Even talking was a huge effort but one that had to be made. ¡°Even if you do destroy the city, we will keep fighting you and yours,¡± she spat.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re right on one of those counts.¡± Kenneth stood up looking around the city and the destruction that this one Sage had managed to cause. He wondered what he could do with such power at his disposal.


    He crouched down and gazed into the Shape shifter¡¯s eyes. The golden eyes repelled his attack almost immediately. Kenneth tried again, and again the strong golden eyes were like an impenetrable wall against his Domination attempts. He sighed and shook his head, ¡°You would fight, even without this city wouldn¡¯t you?¡± Derceto met his eyes unflinching and unmoving. ¡°That¡¯s why we have to kill every last one of you.¡±


    Kenneth abruptly shot four rounds into Derceto¡¯s head. He took out both her eyes, sent one bullet in between them, and one was shot down her throat. Kenneth stood up as the werewolf melted back to her natural wolf form.


    Kenneth holstered his weapon and glancing around at the remainder of his house he asked, ¡°Shall we continue?¡±


    Some of his house mates smiled, others laughed. Kenneth led them deeper into the heart of the city, jumping from one building to the next, each time easily passing over the lava filled streets below.


    *          *          *          *          *


    Acharya had his hands full.


    Huan Li had ordered the twelve of the younger Shape shifters to cover his flanks. His pack had the left extreme flank. The vampires on this side of the city kept trying to get around him. Between running and jumping across the city, shooting at anything that got within eyesight, and trying not to fall or shoot one of his own, he didn¡¯t even have time to think.


    Ares was firing short controlled bursts, but even the mini gun wasn¡¯t much help to them now. They might as well be in full retreat with the speed at which they were falling back. He wasn¡¯t even trying to hit anything anymore, just conserve ammo and keep the vampires from out flanking him to the south of the cavern.


    ¡°Aiman,¡± he called out.


    ¡°Yes, Acharya,¡± the Enforcer called back dryly as he fired a few rounds before jumping to the building behind him.


    ¡°Where are we going? Where do you we make out stand?¡± He hadn¡¯t meant to ask those questions. He hadn¡¯t meant to voice those fears within earshot of anyone. They were private fears that he had kept hidden since this battle had started. He could not take them back, and the scent of his pack shifted ever so subtly. Apparently, he wasn¡¯t the only one who was thinking them.


    ¡°Huan Li knows where he is going. This is part of the Mr. Davis¡¯s plan, is it not?¡± Aiman was as solid a man as Acharya had ever known. The man somehow engendered resolution in his heart and mind.

 Book 5 Chapter 18d

    He set his jaw and turned back to his task. The vampires here weren¡¯t the fastest he had ever met. But they were very cunning. He hadn¡¯t seen some of the complex formations that these vampires ran in ever, by any group. They seemed to be testing his abilities as they went. They were ever attacking different parts of his sector and in different ways, sometimes sending two people, then seven, and then only one. They came up from the street, or stayed on the rooftops. With the smoke continuing to build the closer they got to the heart of the city, the harder it was to see them. He could only smell smoke in the air as it completely covered the vampire¡¯s scent of rancid decay and death.


    Suddenly he heard a loud crash and clinging noise to his right. He looked over and saw Ares without his mini gun. He thought he saw it on the ground. If Ares was discarding his primary weapon, it probably meant that the City¡¯s Enforcer had ran out of ammunition for it.


    Acharya¡¯s heart sank. That weapon had been their saving grace since Ares had arrived. It had saved Mary¡¯s life. Now he wondered if Ares had any weapon at all. He had known that mini guns ate through ammo, but he had hoped that it would have lasted a few more minutes. No, he had wanted it to last forever. Now reality came crashing down on him. This fight just got a whole lot harder.


    They kept falling back at speed. They had to shoot and move just to stay ahead of the advancing horde of vampires that continually tried to get around them. Acharya glanced behind him and he almost stopped running altogether.


    They were within a few hundred yards of the Tower.


    They had retreated so fast, that they had nowhere else to retreat to. They would be driven out of the city if they continued this way and the smoke had been getting progressively worse. They couldn¡¯t keep going in that direction. This was the end.


    Suddenly bullets ripped in from his right hand side. He saw a few vampires fall as a wave of Shape shifters came south around the Tower and took out the advancing vampires flanks. Acharya raised his snout in the air and howled joyously as the bullets flew and he counted five vampires fall. The rest melted back into the west of the city.


    Acharya kept an eye on where the vampires disappeared to. They could attack at any minute. For now, he was able to count ammunition and regroup with his pack.


    ¡°Aiman, see to it that everyone has resupplied on ammo. Asclepius,¡± he addressed the black maned Healer. ¡°I need you to help heal everyone. That group that came down from the north might need all the help they can get.¡±


    ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Tara asked.


    ¡°You already know, so why are you asking?¡± replied Acharya smiling.


    ¡°We all know this is worse than any of us expected. If we let ourselves get trapped here between two or three different groups of vampires there won¡¯t be much hope for any of us,¡± she said with flat sincerity.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°Then you know that I¡¯m going to see that we have the best possible chance of living to see tomorrow. I have to go talk with Huan Li and the Elders.¡± With that Acharya left the group.


    ¡°Why do you push him so hard?¡± Mary asked in a soft voice.


    ¡°I¡¯m just saying out loud what all of us are thinking.¡± Tara reloaded her weapon with a full magazine and looked out westward.


    *          *          *          *          *


    Ansuya heard a last final spurt of gunfire then an eerie quiet fall on the city. She turned northward toward the final gunshots.


    Staying just below rooftop level she moved in between buildings, jumping from ramp to ramp. She was getting very tired. She hadn¡¯t regained her strength entirely and she had pushed herself so hard just to get here.


    The Tower stood as a beacon to her tired senses. A dark cloud of smoke was slowing enveloping the city. The top of the Tower was obscured by it. She hoped that there was still a city left to save. No, she knew that the city couldn¡¯t be saved, but there were good people that could be. She ran towards the heart of the city and where she hoped to find her people.


    In the distance she did see various Shape shifters on the rooftops and streets. That was good. Through the haze of smoke, she could smell the overwhelming sense of dread and apprehension. Things had not gone well for them.


    She ran through the outer sentries that had been posted to watch for attacks. They raised their weapons to her in salute, which she returned. She then bolted down onto the street level. She ran toward where she could feel Huan Li and Alexiares, the rest of the pack was nearby except for Derceto. She had no sense of the Sage at all. Ansuya knew that meant that Derceto was dead. She didn¡¯t have the luxury to mourn her or anyone else right now though. There would be time to mourn their losses, but not yet.


    She ran up to the sizable gathering at the base of the Tower. She jumped up and remained upright as she took a few steps to join the group.


    ¡°Ansuya, good of you to join us,¡± Huan Li said without emotion.


    ¡°Yes, Huan I would have gotten here sooner but the traffic is killer this time of day,¡± Ansuya said in a dead pan.


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Nicolas barked. ¡°We thought you were dead! You¡¯ve been gone for over a year and the only thing you have to say is ¡®I got stuck in traffic¡¯?!¡±


    ¡°Nicolas,¡± Aceso said calmly, ¡°we have more important things to worry about right now. Elder we are all glad to see you back and safe.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Aceso,¡± she replied. She knew the Scout had a point and that her absence and subsequent return deserved an explanation but that explanation would just have to wait. ¡°Huan what is our situation here?¡±


    ¡°Bad, Ansuya,¡± Alexiares replied shortly. ¡°We have all gathered in one area, which is bad in any circumstance and by our last head count we have only thirty seven Shape shifters alive left in the city.¡±


    So few. Ansuya couldn¡¯t and didn¡¯t want to believe what it was that she had just heard. This couldn¡¯t be right. ¡°I know I¡¯ve been gone a while. Do we have the numbers of the vampires?¡± Ansuya asked instead. Better to be productive than to argue and question what was.


    ¡°At last best guess,¡± Huan Li replied grimly, ¡°There are still well over fifty vampires left in the city. No one has been able to get numbers for the group coming in from the south east though. So that is just a guess maybe more, maybe less.¡±


    ¡°Huan,¡± Eustace said gently, ¡°we need to start thinking about evacuation before we don¡¯t have any options left.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m with Elder Browning,¡± Billy said tiredly. ¡°I¡¯ve already lost one friend to these bastards. I don¡¯t want to sacrifice any more to a losing cause.¡±


    Huan Li nodded, ¡°Keva? As the Alpha of your pack, what do you have to say on this?¡±

 Book 5 Chapter 18e

    The pale tailed reddish furred Shape shifter suddenly looked very uncomfortable. ¡°Elder, I¡­I¡¯m not afraid of dying. But I don¡¯t want my death to go for nothing. The city is lost.¡±


    Her words hung on the air like a gunshot. Everyone there was thinking it but no one had, up to this point, the will to put those thoughts into words. Keva had.


    ¡°We have to get the wolves and the wolf cubs out,¡± Jacob said. ¡°Keva,¡± he said turning to her. ¡°Take you pack to the nursery and guide the wolves out of here.¡± Keva nodded.


    Turning toward the Elder Enforcer he said, ¡°Alexiares, get what people together that you can we need to get¡­¡± he never got a chance to finish the statement.


    Suddenly gunfire erupted from the outer sentries on the eastside. Jacob grabbed Aceso, ¡°Get your pack over there and see if you can flank around them!¡± The Healer nodded. William and Nicolas were running even before he consciously knew what was going on. He found himself and his pack mates following Aceso off to the right to flank the attackers.


    ¡°Alexiares,¡± Jacob yelled. ¡°We need to get over watch positions on the tower with the machine guns.¡± Alexiares was moving even before Jacob had stopped speaking.


    The hail of gunfire did not lighten at all. At this point, he didn¡¯t care who they were, he wanted them dead. ¡°Ansuya, I¡¯d love to hear about everything you¡¯ve been through but you don¡¯t even have a weapon. Go with Keva and get those cubs and wolves out of the city.¡± The Elder Tracker met the steel gaze of Jacob¡¯s eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t question me on this, Ansuya. I¡¯ve been through hell and back for you. Of all of the Shape shifters here in this city you are the most precious and the most valuable.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not made of glass, Jacob. Haven¡¯t I proven that time and again?¡± Ansuya asked.


    Jacob smiled, ¡°Yes you have. And you being here is proof enough of that.¡±


    Suddenly more gun fire sounded from the west. Jacob looked back and forth listening to the gun fire exchange from both sides. He smiled at the Tracker. ¡°We all know where to rendezvous. I¡¯ll meet you there shortly.¡± His smile turned into grim determination. ¡°Now go!¡±


    Ansuya moved off to the right following after Aceso and her pack. She melted into the side streets and tried to breathe through the smoke that was rapidly filling the space around them. Even with her substantially developed sense of Tracker smell, even she couldn¡¯t distinguish between smoke, Shape shifter, and the more distant odor of attacking vampires. It was maddening. She moved up to Aceso and William and Nicolas as the Scout was descending down from the rooftops.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    There¡¯s a group of about twenty to thirty of them coming this way. They¡¯re moving really casually, like they know they aren¡¯t going to run into any of us.¡±


    ¡°We need to change their minds. Charles and I will pop up here and try to slow them down. Aceso take Katherine and Nic and hit them from the sides.¡±


    ¡°With me here,¡± Ansuya spoke up, ¡°we could hit them from three sides instead of just two.¡±


    Aceso considered her options. She nodded towards the Elder, ¡°Elder, would you take Katherine and hit them from the left side, while Nicolas and I hit them from the right. William, I¡¯m trusting you to contain them when we start shooting. With any luck we can take all of them before they realize what¡¯s happening.¡±


    William nodded, he looked in Ansuya¡¯s eyes as he said, ¡°I won¡¯t let this opportunity go to waste. I¡¯ll give you guys two minutes, then Charles and I open fire. Don¡¯t stick your necks out to far or too long. We¡¯re not going to single handedly save the city, we just need to give Keva and everyone else time to get out.¡±


    The groups nodded and moved off silently to their positions. William and Charles looked at each other, and silently started counting down the two minutes.


    ¡°Did you ever think it would come to this?¡± Charles asked quietly.


    ¡°I had been searching for this place to call my home, and you guys as my pack to call a family for a long time.¡± Charles nodded. ¡°I knew I had found something worth fighting for when Aceso brought me here. And now I get to put my money where my mouth is and prove it.¡±


    Charles nodded, ¡°Knowing you will fight for something and actually fighting for something are sometimes very different things.¡± Charles offered his claw to William, ¡°It¡¯s been an honor knowing you and I couldn¡¯t think of anyone else I¡¯d feel more grateful to stand with in my final moments.¡±


    William looked down at the claw of his friend and grasped it firmly, ¡°Thank you for being here with me. But these aren¡¯t my final moments, and they aren¡¯t yours either. Lets show these invaders just who the fuck they decided to mess with.¡±


    With that William scaled up to the rooftops and taking a covered position started unloading rounds at the group of vampires coming towards them.


    William and Charles seemed to catch the vampires off guard as they immediately scattered to their left and right. And just as they broke to either side, gunfire erupted to either side of them. William howled in triumph as the vampires moved back even as a number of them fell. Within seconds the vampires were no where to be seen and the deadlay strewn about on the rooftops.


    When Charles and William took the rooftops they count only a dozen or so. If Nicolas had been right, then over half of them were able to get away. William glanced at Charles and even though he wanted nothing more than to chase after them, he knew that once their element of surprise was gone, chasing after them would probably only get them killed.


    ¡°Aceso, Ansuya? Is everyone alright?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, we¡¯re fine, Setford,¡± Nicolas scoffed, ¡°I never had any idea how you actually felt.¡±


    William ignored him and nodded to where the vampires had retreated. ¡°Aceso, we drove them back, but they have probably swung around and are on their way to the Tower. Let¡¯s get moving and hope we can¡¯t catch them and harass their flanks, maybe take a few more of them down before they get to the Tower.¡±

 Book 5 Chapter 18f

    Aceso nodded and Ansuya saw just how valuable this young man had become to his pack. His Alpha listened and accepted his words as sound guidance, without argument. She secretly hoped that he wouldn¡¯t have to prove that value to the city itself any time soon. Someone so young shouldn¡¯t have to have such burdens placed on their shoulders, then again, no one prevented her from having to take those same responsibilities that she bore at ages younger than William did. That and the city as they knew it was gone. They were just trying to lessen the damage and save as many people as possible now. Ansuya grabbed a weapon and some clips and ran after the young pack, back towards the center of the city.


    *          *          *          *          *


    Jacob hurried back to Alexiares. The hail of gunfire around them was not getting any lighter. ¡°Alexiares,¡± Jacob yelled. ¡°We need over watch positions covering our south and East sides!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re working on it,¡± The Enforcer replied. ¡°The vampires are taking a very keen interest in the Tower itself. They are laying down covering fire as best they can.¡±


    Out of the corner of his eye, Jacob saw a blazing streak of heat and light. The projectile screamed down and slammed into the base of the Tower itself. The corner where it hit, exploded into dust and obsidian shards.


    Shaking his head Jacob said, ¡°I see what you mean about them taking an interest in the Tower. And here I was hoping to not have to deal with RPG¡¯s.¡±


    Another RPG screamed down and another and another. They all hit the base of the Tower in unison. The Tower base exploded and crumbled down to the floor of the cavern. The whole Tower screamed as stone ground against stone. The top overbalanced and it tipped itself over. Jacob watched the Tower fall and careen into the buildings that were in its path. A noise that completely drowned out the surrounding gunfire filled the cavern.


    Jacob wasn¡¯t sure what to think or how to react. The Tower, the heart of the city, had fallen.


    He could only stare at the aftermath of what had just happened. He wasn¡¯t aware that Huan Li had stepped to his side till he heard him speak. ¡°It is time, old friend,¡± Huan Li said in a deeply emotional voice.


    Jacob just nodded. He raised his nose to the wind. It would be the last time he would ever do this in this cavern that had been his home for the last few decades. He inhaled air and smoke, and howled.Stolen novel; please report.


    His howl rang through the cavern. It was easily heard over the gun fire. The sound was pure and strong. The vampires hesitated on hearing it. But the Shape shifters who heard it, they all knew what it meant, and they all began to pull back to the north.


    *          *          *          *          *


    ¡°What are they doing?¡± Kenneth asked to no one in particular. He watched the Shape shifters suddenly pull back to the north. He could only assume they were trying to escape the vampire pincer maneuver.


    He was close enough to the Himurans that he was able to signal them. He signaled to follow them. He didn¡¯t have the manpower to try and envelop them again. What he could do was chase them down. The dogs couldn¡¯t outrun them. Once his army caught them, they would be forced to turn and fight. After that it was a pure numbers game. They still had the advantage and the werewolves would be slaughtered. He smiled as he jumped down to the street level. He chased the werewolves north. It was only a matter of time.


    *          *          *          *          *


    Mary ran up to Acharya. ¡°They are still chasing us back there. They are really close, but they are keeping a little distance and spreading out, maybe to cover any chances that we would try to get out around them.¡±


    Acharya nodded. He turned around and fired a short burst down the street and up towards the rooftops. ¡°Aiman, where are we going?¡±


    The Enforcer looked a little surprised by the question. ¡°We are heading to the rendezvous point.¡±


    ¡°With these guys on our asses?¡± Acharya asked. ¡°No way. The Elders have to have something else planned; they have to!¡±


    ¡°Maybe that plan is ahead of us,¡± Aiman commented dryly.


    Acharya turned around and found some hasty barricades erected in the middle of the street. He could see Shape shifters on the roof setting up bipod machine guns. The guns opened fire immediately.


    ¡°Have the Elders decided then? We make our stand here?¡± Aiman asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s better than what we¡¯ve been doing,¡± Acharya said as he vaulted over one of the barricades.


    It wasn¡¯t safe here, anymore than anywhere else had been safe in the city. But behind the barricade and being behind his own sides machine gun fire did lend itself to a quieter place to be in any case.


    He spread his pack out along the barricades and rooftops. He then leaned up against one of the barricades. He steadied his weapon on a protruding piece of wood. The barricade had been a dresser. He wondered if it would ever be used as a piece of furniture again.


    Then he had targets in front of him. He opened fire and the vampire group melted back in between the buildings.


    The smoke was worse here in the northern part of the city. It was down at the street level and pretty thick. He had to breathe carefully, otherwise the smoke would cause him to have a coughing fit, something that he couldn¡¯t afford. He kept his eyes open, though it stung to do so.


    Come on you bastards, where are you?


    He was rocked back and thrown into the air by a massive concussive force. The barricade he was hiding behind suddenly wasn¡¯t there anymore and he landed a dozen feet behind it on his shoulder.


    He shook his head to try to clear it. His ears rang and he couldn¡¯t hear anything else other than that high pitched ringing. He was moving sluggishly and he saw Shape shifters running. He felt his shoulder get yanked and suddenly he was on his feet. His legs couldn¡¯t hold his weight though and he fell. He didn¡¯t hit the ground, someone caught him.

 Book 5 Chapter 18g

    He looked around as he was lifted up in the air and carried. It was Helios. That much he knew, but everything else was happening so fast he couldn¡¯t grasp it all.


    He was set down on the street. His hearing slowly returned and he heard voices yelling.


    ¡°Aiman, get him and your pack out of here! We¡¯ll cover you!¡± It was Helios¡¯ voice.


    ¡°We¡¯re not going to leave you here to defend our retreat! It would be suicide!¡± Aceso¡¯s voice screamed above the explosions and gunfire.


    ¡°Listen to me, all of you,¡± Helios said sternly. ¡°You are going to get out of here with Acharya. He is in no condition to fight and even if you healed him, he would be out for an hour or two, and that¡¯s an hour or two we don¡¯t have. Now go!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not leaving,¡± Aiman said darkly.


    ¡°Yes, you will,¡± Alexiares said as he ran up to the group. ¡°Helios get your people up to the front line on the left side they could use your help.¡± He looked over the injured Acharya and the rest of his pack. ¡°The rest of you will go. Get to the rendezvous point. We¡¯ll all meet up there later. That¡¯s an order, pup!¡± Alexiares stood over them as they looked at him.


    There was defiance in their eyes but none of them would dare to question him. When they saw that he wasn¡¯t moving they all moved instead. Aiman threw Acharya over his shoulders and Mary led the way north out of the city.


    Acharya could only see behind them. Alexiares stood there with Helios and Ansuya as they watched them escape to the north. Then, he turned around and disappeared back into the smoke toward the gunfire.


    Aceso and Ansuya laid down more covering fire and spat more bullets down the street as William covered them from an elevated position. Ansuya looked and saw William steady as a bulwark, laying down controlled fire sweeping his rifle from one target to the next. He was focused and determined. If he, and others like Acharya and Aiman made it out of this alive, maybe the Mountain isn¡¯t as lost as she first thought.


    *          *          *          *          *


    Eustace took a round in the shoulder and then two in the head. Ares reacted. He fired a spray of bullets at the rooftops around him. He wasn¡¯t sure if he got any vampires but the gunfire paused for a short while.


    When he turned around the aging human female had already shifted back into her natural human form. He looked around. No one had any time to mourn the dead Elder. He would mourn her when the hunt was over. Right now, there was so much left to do.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    He caught a glimpse of movement from his right side. He launched himself up to the top of the nearby buildings and sprayed gunfire.


    He had to drop his magazine and reload. He was running low. He had knocked down a few but the rest melted back to the south as they dove for cover toward the street level.


    A bullet grazed his arm as gunfire opened behind him. He was able to dive for cover. The gunfire was whizzing over his head uncomfortably close. He knew that he couldn¡¯t hope for any help, not up here. It had been stupid for him to risk himself like that. But better he stopped a flanking movement then be surrounded.


    There was a pause in gunfire. He took advantage of the lull and threw himself down to street level. He landed on one leg but his knee from his other leg slammed down onto the obsidian street. He bit down against the pain. He grabbed at the building next to him and managed to stand up. He hobbled down the alleyway, trying to work feeling and motion back into his hurt leg.


    He poked his head out from the alley, only to quickly duck back away from gunfire that pitted the wall inches from where his head was. He lowered himself and leaned out quickly returning fire. He ducked back into the alley.


    This was a bad place to be. He looked up at the separation between the two buildings above him. He wouldn¡¯t be able to jump that height, not being hurt like he was.


    He leaned out and fired a few blind shots and ducked back. He could see down the street. He was facing where the rest of the Shape Shifters had set up their defenses. It was too far away to chance, even if he wasn¡¯t hurt.


    Suddenly four Shape Shifters ran forward of their lines, spraying the tops of the surrounding buildings with cover fire. Three took defensive positions around the alley shooting at anything that moved. The fourth came forward and helped Ares to his feet, it was Jacob. The Enforcer leaned on the Healer as he also recognized William and Aceso as the five of them drew back behind the defensive positions of the Shape shifters.


    ¡°Thank you, Elder Jacob,¡± Ares said gratefully.


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure you would¡¯ve done the same for me. Here let me look at you.¡± Jacob inhaled deeply. He bit down hard on his thigh.


    Ares immediately felt better.


    Jacob stood up and helped the Enforcer to his feet. ¡°Ares, I need you to get Keva and the rest of her pack to the Rendezvous point.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Ares replied flatly. ¡°I know what you are trying to do, Elder. Have you forgotten that I am the Defender of the Mountain? My place is here.¡±


    Jacob stepped closer to the Enforcer. ¡°Ares, the city is dead. You can¡¯t protect it anymore.¡±


    ¡°Then I have failed.¡±


    ¡°Goddamn it, Ares!¡± Jacob grabbed the Enforcer by his shoulders. ¡°This city can be rebuilt, it can be repaired. But you can¡¯t be so easily replaced. I need you to¡­¡± he cut off as he threw himself around the Enforcer and opened fire with his rifle. He held the trigger down as bullets poured out of the muzzle.


    His body jerked as his head snapped around. His legs seemed to not have any bones in it anymore. Jacob teetered for a moment, frozen in a perfect pirouette. Then he fell in a heap as more gunfire rained down on him from above.


    Ares couldn¡¯t do anything but dive back away from the bullets that relentlessly fell on the Elder. He was no coward. But this was a fight that he could not win. He knew that. He knew that even when Jacob was telling him to leave. He hadn¡¯t failed. He would only have truly failed if he quit, if he threw his life away needlessly. There would be a reckoning for what those vampires had done. He would repay them for the lives they had taken. He melted back and away from the gunfire.

 Book 5 Chapter 19a

    ¡°Huan,¡± Alexiares said calmly.


    The Elder Scout looked at the Enforcer out of the corner of his eye as he fired more rounds down the smoke shrouded street.


    ¡°It¡¯s time for you to leave,¡± Alexiares said flatly.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere. But you need to make sure as many of our people make it to the Rendezvous point as possible. I¡¯ll hold here.¡±


    The Elder Enforcer smiled, ¡°That¡¯s why it has to be you.¡± He leaned out and fired a few rounds down the street and ducked down as more return fire answered him. He looked over at the Scout who was also hunched down. ¡°The city and the pups that lived here will need your guidance.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s what you¡¯re worried about Alexiares, there¡¯s a much younger and more capable Tracker that can do all that.¡±


    Alexiares smiled, ¡°Ansuya is strong but for all her age she doesn¡¯t have your wisdom. She needs you more than she knows.¡±


    ¡°Alexiares, if you¡¯re trying to convince me of something you are doing a horrible job.¡± Huan leaned out from his hiding place and fired a few more rounds at the surrounding rooftops.


    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to convince you of anything. I¡¯m telling you!¡± With that Alexiares tackled Huan Li behind a corner of a building. Before the Elder Scout could really react Alexiares slammed his claw into the side of Huan Li¡¯s head. The Scout blacked out immediately.


    Alexiares walked out of the alley and dove behind the barricade. Ansuya looked at the unconscious Huan Li. Alexiares met the Trackers eyes and she nodded.


    Grabbing Huan and slinging him over her shoulder she turned and saw a large Shape shifter backing away from the street towards their location. ¡°Ares? What are you doing back here?¡± Alexiares asked when he almost ran into the Enforcer.


    ¡°Elder Jacob gave me one last order before he was taken, Elder Alexiares.¡±


    ¡°I bet I can guess what that was, good. I sent Aceso and her pack to the rendezvous only a minute or two ago, Huan and I am the last in the city. Help Ansuya, get Huan Li out of here. Do you understand?¡± Ares nodded, ¡°Are they still around? The ones that got Jacob?¡± Ares nodded again, taking the unconscious Shape shifter and putting him on his shoulders.


    ¡°Okay, give me your weapon,¡± Alexiares demanded. Ares handed over his rifle without complaint. ¡°Now, when I go you should have a few seconds. I can¡¯t guarantee you any more than that. Run as fast as you can and get as many of our people out as you can. I¡¯m trusting you to do this one last task for the City Under the Mountain.¡± Ares nodded slowly.


    ¡°Alex, you don¡¯t have to do this, we can all get out, the smoke will cover us,¡± Ansuya pleaded.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Alexiares grimly shook his head, ¡°That¡¯s not how this works, and if the vampires push forward, they¡¯ll outrun us and no one will make it to the rendezvous point.¡± Alexiares turned back to the incoming threat.


    ¡°It has been a great honor to be a part of your pack, Ansuya. I only regret that I won¡¯t get to see how you might have led the Mountain. Now go!¡±


    Alexiares gripped both rifles in his claws. He took a deep breath and burst out onto the street with both rifles blazing. He held one pointed up at the rooftops and the other held at street level.


    Ares, holding tightly to the unconscious Elder, took Ansuya¡¯s arm and ran off to the side, into a side alley, behind Alexiares. Ares ducked and weaved out of the street as fast as could with Ansuya trailing right behind. He was aware of the Elder on his shoulders but he refused to let that weight slow him down.


    The two urged each other to go faster and ate up distance as they got farther and farther away from Alexiares and the place where Jacob had died. Ares hadn¡¯t failed, he wouldn¡¯t let himself fail. He would get out of here, he had to. Aceso and Huan Li, Keva and whoever else had made it out of the city would need his help. He could sense his mate, Physis. She was up ahead but very far away. He hadn¡¯t let himself think about whether or not she had survived. He would make Alexiares¡¯ sacrifice an act of honor. He would fulfill his role. Instead of a protector he would become an avenger. He ran north out of harm¡¯s way toward his new beginning.


    *          *          *          *          *


    ¡°Cease fire!¡± Kenneth yelled as he leaped down off the building onto the street. He approached the werewolf that was writhing in pain in front of him.


    The beast had taken a few rounds to the legs, a couple to his arms, maybe a few to his gut, but he was still alive. The creature refused to make any noise though. Not a whine or whimper escaped his mouth. Kenneth walked up to his body and kicked away the useless weapons that lay on the ground next to him.


    He saw the pained looked in the werewolf¡¯s eyes. ¡°Alexiares?! Well well well, I am blessed!¡± He smiled down at him. ¡°Do you remember me at all? That first time we met at that strip club, what was it called?¡± He snapped his fingers trying to jog his memory, ¡°Oh come on it¡¯s right there on the tip of my tongue¡­Cat House? No, The Doll House? No, oh, well you remember right?¡± he asked the dying werewolf.


    Alexiares growled low in his throat.


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right it doesn¡¯t really matter.¡± Kenneth looked up at the surrounding buildings, at the fire in the distance, and the smoke that was filling the cavern. ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me where everyone else got off to.¡± It wasn¡¯t a question. ¡°I¡¯ll make it worth your while. I¡¯ll kill you quickly, ease your suffering. It¡¯s the least I can do, and it¡¯s what you deserve for so bravely defending your city the way you did.¡± Alexiares eyes hardened into a look of pure defiance.


    ¡°So it¡¯s like that, huh? Well,¡± Kenneth stood up shaking his head. ¡°I wish I had more time to play with you, I really do.¡± Kenneth shot Alexiares between the eyes. The werewolf shifted back to his natural wolf form.


    Kenneth waved with his gun to the vampires on the rooftops, ¡°Find them! Find them all!¡± the vampires that were with Kenneth disappeared down the streets or up and over the surrounding buildings.


    ¡°Alexander!¡± Kenneth yelled out into the city. ¡°I want to see you, Alexander! I know you¡¯re still alive. Get your ass down here!¡±


    Without waiting for a reply, he signaled to the rooftop once again and Natalia jumped down from her perch. Kenneth holstered his gun and held his hand out to his mate. He gently gripped her hand and turned to look at the fire burning in the distance. It had eaten up a lot of the forest that had been there, the flames towered towards the ceiling of the cavern and poured more smoke into the cavern.


    ¡°Natalia, my mate, just look at it.¡±

 Book 5 Chapter 19b

    He was smiling and the smile was reflected in his eyes. It was when he looked like this, truly happy that she was reminded what she had seen in him and why she had chosen to be turned to this life of undeath. Constantly feeding, constantly needing, but with Kenneth, when he was happy, with that look in his eyes, made it so much easier to live. When she was with him, and he was like this, her new life was a blessing, not the curse that some people had condemned.


    She stepped up to him and let him hold her close. His strong arms enveloped her and she was content to just watch the bright orange glow to the north. Being with him was wonderful. She hoped that she could make him this happy again and many more times in the future.


    ¡°My mate?¡± Kenneth asked softly


    She turned her head upwards to meet his eyes. ¡°Yes, Kenneth?¡± she replied.


    ¡°I wish I didn¡¯t have to do this.¡± He moved her away from him a few inches so she could look at him face to face. ¡°But, you let yourself be Dominated by someone besides me.¡±


    He didn¡¯t look angry or sad. His eyes held no emotion at all. His cool hands gripped her neck. She felt a crushing sensation against her throat and she tried to pry his hands away from her. His hands were vices and she couldn¡¯t pull them away. She opened her eyes wide with fear, silently pleading for him to stop.


    ¡°I can¡¯t have any loose ends or potential threats in my own House,¡± he said flatly. He twisted, a loud cracking pop was heard, and he dropped her lifeless body to the ground.


    ¡°Goodnight, my mate.¡± He hung his head for a moment or two then stepped away from the corpse.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± a voice asked from behind him.


    Kenneth turned with a smile on his face. ¡°Alexander! So good of you to have survived all this! I was hoping that you would have.¡± He started walking toward the larger vampire. ¡°Too bad I haven¡¯t seen too many other vampires from House Brandt. Have you?¡±


    ¡°We were mostly wiped out, thanks to you!¡± Alexander was flushed and his hands tightened into fists. ¡°You knew! Somehow you had to have known that the werewolves would send the bulk of their people up north to kill us.¡± Alexander closed the distance between the two of them. ¡°Give me one good reason why¡­¡±


    A loud gunshot rang out in the street.


    Alexander looked down at his gut. There was a large wound there and blood was pouring out of it. ¡°Wha?...why?...¡± Alexander slipped to his knees in the street.


    Kenneth walked up to him and yanked his head back by his black hair. ¡°For the same reason I just killed my mate. I can¡¯t have any loose ends. Ansuya got to you, didn¡¯t she?¡±The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Alexander couldn¡¯t speak. He was gasping in a reflexive manner, as if his mind knew he was dying and was trying to fight the inevitable by making his dead lungs inhale useless air.


    Kenneth scoffed, ¡°Pathetic.¡± He fired another round into the vampire¡¯s forehead at point blank range. The Brandtian vampire¡¯s head almost exploded.


    Kenneth threw the practically headless corpse down on the ground.


    ¡°Are you going to stay up there forever, Brian?¡± Kenneth asked not looking up.


    The younger light brown haired vampire jumped down off the roof and did a few flips before landing softly on the street. ¡°That was pretty brutal, even for you.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t afford loose ends Brian. This was only the first part. Have you forgotten?¡±


    Brian shook his head, ¡°No, I haven¡¯t. You want me to grab my team now? There may still be dogs out there to kill.¡±


    ¡°Yes, there probably are and I intend on killing every last one of them.¡± He turned to meet the younger vampire¡¯s eyes. ¡°I will kill them all, but you have another task. Get your team and start moving. You know what you have to do.¡±


    Brian smiled, ¡°Sure thing, Boss. Good thing we prepped before we left. This is gonna be fun.¡±


    ¡°Just do it,¡± Kenneth said darkly.


    Brian gave him a limp wristed salute. Then he disappeared as he jumped back to the rooftop level.


    Kenneth stared down the street. The dogs had been falling back northward. Did that mean anything specific? The dogs couldn¡¯t outrun them. If there was anyone else left in the city he would find them. But until then, they would burn and destroy this place building by building if he had to. This city and the werewolves living in it were well and truly dead. He was a man of his word, and he had werewolves to kill.


    * * * * *


    They ran quickly down the gentle slope of Mount Shasta. The shadows of the trees reaching up the slope were long as the late afternoon sun dipped lower on the horizon. Keva was moving with her pack, keeping the rescued wolves and their pups in front of them.


    They had been taught, a long time ago, that the fall back point from the city was on the north side of the mountain. They had found the exit and were moving the wolves to safety.


    She tried not to think about what was still happening in the city behind them. She still felt snubbed being sent to be a babysitter and escort when there was still fighting to be done, but this was her task and she would do it to the best of ability, every life from the Mountain was precious.


    The sun in the sky made her nervous too. She could smell it in her pack mates as well. Bad enough that they were in werewolf form outside of the city in the daylight, but the thought that the sun would retire soon as well, gave a new level of danger to what had just happened.


    What had just happened? She thought it was a normal day. Her pack had increased their training, preparing for another raid into the Whyte Plain. She had just finished breakfast and they were on their way to one of the training dojos. Then that flare shot up into the sky and their world had been put on its head.


    They reached the relative safety of the tree line. The wolves kept running north. They seemed to know where to go. Keva and her pack had done their job well. The wolves at least would be safe.


    The Alpha Enforcer led them deeper through the trees, around to a small clearing deep inside a dense piece of the forest. Keva could barely make out the volcano to the south of them through the branches. She leaned up against a nearby tree and let her eyes close for a moment.


    ¡°Would someone mind telling me what the hell that was all about?¡± Javier blurted out.


    Keva opened her eyes and pushed herself away from the tree she was leaning up against. She looked over at her pack Enforcer.


    ¡°Javier, you know what that was all about. So, please sit down, we¡¯ll figure this out. The Elders have to have a plan, don¡¯t they, Keva?¡± Michelle asked.

 Book 5 Chapter 19c

    ¡°Oh really? I do? Really? I should sit down?¡± Javier asked not letting it go. ¡°Then tell me, why did Elder Ansuya show up after the fighting started?¡± Javier asked with his voice dripping with venom.


    ¡°You¡¯re accusing an Elder, Javier,¡± Hysminai warned. The male brown wolf born Healer of Keva¡¯s pack had black stripes running down his body and his look darkened as he looked at the beta Enforcer. Javier squared his shoulders menacingly towards the smaller Healer.


    Keva interrupted both, ¡°We don¡¯t have time for this.¡± Javier immediately calmed down and turned away from Hysminai. Keva nodded towards the west, ¡°The sun is already well on its way to setting.¡±


    ¡°This is the rendezvous point, isn¡¯t it?¡± Michelle asked, her cream white fur shining in the late afternoon light.


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯re in the right spot,¡± Keva answered. ¡°We¡¯ll wait here for an hour or two but then, if nobody else shows up¡­ Then we have to move. The vampires will pursue us once night fall hits.¡±


    The group waited.


    As time slowly ticked by a pack would wonder into the clearing. Some scarred and bleeding, others coughing roughly trying to clear their lungs of the smoke they had inhaled during the fighting, every one of them though, looked tired and worn out. Their tails hung low and their ears drooped as they walked into the clearing. Most didn¡¯t stay standing for long. Deciding instead to lean against the trees, sit down on the pine needle strewn forest floor, or be alone on the outskirts of the clearing.


    Two hours later, the group had grown in size to almost eighteen Shape shifters.


    ¡°Keva, are you alright,¡± Aceso asked as she entered into the clearing.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m good. Just a little tired that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Whatcha been doing this whole time?¡± asked Nicolas as he came into the clearing. ¡°Been on your knees too long?¡±


    ¡°Our Alpha was sent to cover every corner of the fighting and back again,¡± said a young silver furred Shape shifter that had brown splotches all over his body. ¡°She was amazing and she saved our lives, and the lives of all these wolf pups and wolves! What did you do? Sit around and make yourself a target?¡± He sneered.


    ¡°Maybe if you could be trusted to do a job, you wouldn¡¯t have had to have been told what to do every five seconds,¡± Nicolas shot back.


    ¡°What did you say, human born!¡± The silver Shape shifter stood up and charged Nicolas. The silver collided with the sandy blond. They rolled around in the dirt, tearing at each other.


    William grabbed Nicolas and hauled him to his feet by the neck. The silver kicked himself to his feet and jumped after William.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t try that, Soter,¡± Keva warned. ¡°Setford may not look like much but he¡¯s pretty tough, and he was personally trained by Ares.¡±


    Soter stopped himself as William squared off against him. Soter was just an inch or two shorter than the Enforcer but thought better about fighting him. He glared at Nicolas. ¡°You¡¯re lucky you have your pack backing you up.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s weird how that keeps happening with us, isn¡¯t it?¡± Nicolas said with a broad smile.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°How the hell did they find us?¡± Billy suddenly asked. ¡°We have been safe under the mountain for hundreds of years, why now? Who the hell is responsible for all this?¡±


    The group of Shape shifters, especially Keva and Aceso looked at each other not knowing what the answer was or even where to begin. How had the vampires gotten into the Mountain?


    After a few moments Billy spoke into the quiet, ¡°Ok, this isn¡¯t getting us anywhere. What the hell are we supposed to do now? We can¡¯t stay here; we have to move. The sun¡¯s going down a little too fast for me. I want to get as far away from here as possible.¡±


    ¡°We have to wait a few more minutes,¡± Physis said sternly from the side of the clearing. ¡°My mate is coming. I can feel him. He¡¯ll be here soon.¡±


    The group waited and just as the white Shape shifter predicted, the eight foot tall brown Ares, broke through the outside of the clearing. He was tired and his golden eyes looked haunted. He gently laid a Shape shifter on the ground that had been thrown over his shoulders, followed by the Elder Tracker Ansuya. Ares went to his mate and nuzzled her neck. The white she werewolf returned the gesture and Ares bit her gently on her ear as he hugged her tightly in his arms.


    Aceso meanwhile went to the unconscious body on the ground. She inhaled and bit at his shoulder. The older Shape shifter eye¡¯s fluttered open but then shut again as he relaxed down into a restful sleep.


    ¡°Ok, Ansuya, you mind telling us what the hell you¡¯ve been up to this whole time? And why you conveniently showed up AFTER the vampires attacked after having somehow gotten into our home?¡± Nicolas held none of the vitriol he felt from his words that he spat at the Elder.


    ¡°I was with Kenneth, and later Alexander Grun from House Brandt. I was gathering information on our enemies,¡± Ansuya replied showing a little distaste for being questioned by anyone.


    ¡°And you expect us to believe that you had nothing to do with this invasion?¡± Nicolas sneered coldly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like your tone, Scout. Frankly, I don¡¯t give a damn what you think. The invasion was engineered by Kenneth,¡± Ansuya replied quietly. ¡°I was told that he may have rediscovered the old practice of Dominating wolves.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we found that out the hard way a few months ago,¡± Willaim said. ¡°We were ambushed in a construction yard where a group of vampuires had wolves attack us. We fought off the vampires but the wolves ran off with them.¡±


    ¡°Then Wolfgang wasn¡¯t lying. Is it any wonder the vampires have rediscovered an ability? Has Nicolas not also rediscovered the technique of our Scout Sight?¡± Ansuya asked.


    ¡°So, that¡¯s it then? It was Kenneth who was responsible for all this, and that¡¯s it?¡± William asked.


    ¡°It was confirmed by Wolfgang Hammerstein, the Head of House for House Brandt,¡± Ansuya explained. ¡°But this can wait till later. I can assure each and every one of you that I am still very much myself and am no traitor. And since Huan Li and I are the only Elders left, I am taking charge.¡±


    Nicolas shot a dirty look at the Elder but William shot a look of his own and thankfully, Nicolas knew to keep his mouth shut this time.


    Ansuya looked around at the group of Shape shifters. ¡°We have to move.¡±


    ¡°I wanted to wait to give others as much time to reach us as possible,¡± Keva replied looking around at the small number of survivors.


    ¡°There won¡¯t be any others,¡± Ares said coldly. ¡°I, Elder Huan Li, and Ansuya were the last to leave the city.¡±


    ¡°Pepromene, Katherine,¡± Ansuya said. ¡°We need to get to the Whyte Plain. Open the way for us, please?¡±


    ¡°So, we¡¯re just going to tuck our tails between our legs and run?¡± Nicolas scoffed.


    ¡°Elder?¡± Billy asked. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious? Are we just goin to¡­goin to let those bastards get away with burning our home?¡±


    Ansuya looked over to the younger Scout but answered Billy, ¡°Billy, we can¡¯t fight them with just the twenty or so of us here. We will get as far away from here as possible. We will give ourselves time to grieve, and to rest.¡± She turned around and faced the rest of the young Shape shifters in the clearing, including Amanda Miller who had by some divine providence survived the chaos of the last day. ¡°Then we will plan. I swear to you we¡¯re not through yet. This is not the ending, but a beginning. So long as we live, we choose how the story goes.¡±


    ¡°Amanda,¡± Ansuya said looking down at the young human. ¡°I would not do this except for the extreme circumstances that we find ourselves in. When we enter the Whyte Plain, I am demanding that you tell us of anything that is wrong or peculiar, even something as minute as a buzzing in your ears. Let nothing pass your mind without telling me about it. Am I understood?¡± The Elder held the young woman¡¯s gaze with intense focus. Amanda nodded.

 Book 5 Chapter 19d

    ¡°Pepromene, Katherine please let us pass into the Whyte Plain?¡± Ansuya asked looking at the pair of Sages.


    The two Sages nodded. They focused on the ground around them. Mentally they searched for that feeling that they both knew very well. They found that slim membrane between realities and pushed. The twenty or so Shape Shifters and one human girl suddenly disappeared from the forest clearing, leaving only the wind and the failing sunlight to remember their passing.


    *          *          *          *          *


    ¡°Marco, you¡¯re sure about this?¡± Simon asked cautiously.


    ¡°Yeah, brother as sure as can be,¡± the brown-haired man said looking over his computer screen. ¡°Look, I checked and double checked. Plus, with that warehouse we took down a few days ago there is absolutely no doubt about it. There are only two guys that could have put that crate, on that loading dock, at that time, and I¡¯m pretty sure Alexander Gr?n didn¡¯t move a crate from his own warehouse just to ship it right back.¡± He looked up at the taller black-haired man standing over him. ¡°Whatever was in that crate came from Kenneth Pacifico¡¯s house, there is no doubt about it.¡±


    Simon nodded slowly and exhaled loudly. ¡°Okay, I have to go tell Alessandro.¡±


    ¡°You could try a phone?¡± offered Silvia from a corner.


    ¡°I could, but news like this is better presented in person. Besides, I know Alessandro. Something like this will make him do something stupid. I can prevent that if I¡¯m there.¡±


    ¡°You sure you don¡¯t need some back up or something?¡± Sofia asked. ¡°You know I¡¯ve gotten your ass out of the fire more than a few times.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, but this isn¡¯t Kasserine. I¡¯ll be fine,¡± Simon said with a smile.


    ¡°At least let me drive you?¡± Noemi offered. ¡°You can¡¯t drive for shit anyway, and you know it.¡± She stood defiantly in front of the door leading out of their hotel suite.


    Simon smiled and almost laughed. ¡°You got me there, Noemi. Fine, you can drive. Let¡¯s do this. Of course, you guys know that this means we¡¯ll be staying here for a little while longer, right?¡±


    ¡°I kinda figured we would be, yeah,¡± Lorenzo said leaning back in his dining room chair. ¡°It¡¯s about time if you ask me. I¡¯ve been bored to death just flying over this miserable, smog filled town for the last few weeks. I might actually have something to do now.¡±


    ¡°More than we bargained for probably,¡± Simon muttered under his breath.


    Marco said, ¡°Are you going to leave or try to spread doom and gloom over a pretty productive month? If I do say so myself.¡± He beamed.


    ¡°You¡¯ve all done phenomenal jobs over the last month,¡± Simon said. ¡°Take the night off on me!¡± he said as he exited the apartment following Noemi.


    Simon¡¯s smile didn¡¯t last long though. There was something that just didn¡¯t feel right. An underling in a House betraying it¡¯s Head, that was not a new story and one he had seen even in his own House Ghatti. But something about this felt off.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    As he got into Noemi¡¯s black Lamborghini Diablo, he wondered if it had been a mistake not inviting Sofia along, just in case.


    *          *          *          *          *


    Kenneth ascended the tower in the familiar stainless steel elevator. He looked at his face reflected back at him in the steel walls. He looked confident, that wasn¡¯t right. He shook his shoulders and cracked his neck. He had to look at least as submissive as he always had when talking to his master and creator. He looked at himself again and nodded. The eager gleam was gone from his eyes and he looked appropriately apprehensive. After all he was interrupting Alessandro in his office without being invited. He still remembered the last time he was here. Alessandro had kicked his ass all over the place. His Head of House was formidable, whose wrath should not be incurred lightly.


    The elevator finally opened. Alessandro was sitting behind his desk. He looked up as Kenneth stepped into the room. ¡°Kenneth! What brings you here?¡± he pointedly looked at the clock hanging on the wall, ¡°It¡¯s late. Shouldn¡¯t you be getting back home? Sunrise will be upon us in less than hour.¡± He was smiling but the smile didn¡¯t reach his eyes.


    Kenneth walked into the room. His steps were awkward and unsure. ¡°I have something I need to talk to you about. Please forgive the late morning hour but this can¡¯t wait.¡±


    The fact that Alessandro hadn¡¯t attacked him on sight was unsettling for him. He knew that Alessandro knew he had been lying to him for years. The fact that Alessandro could still smile at him and remain relaxed was a testament to the old man¡¯s skill at the game of human pantomimes.


    ¡°This must be serious for you to be here so close to sunrise. Sit down.¡± Alessandro ordered, gesturing to a nearby chair.


    Kenneth remained standing. ¡°You know why I¡¯m here, Alessandro. Let¡¯s cut the crap.¡± His voice was even and strong. He felt anything but. He was unarmed facing a much stronger opponent than he was. His head of House could kill him very easily. Still, better to start the show than to wear himself out with anxiety.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Have you somehow forgotten who you¡¯re speaking to?¡± Alessandro stood up behind his desk. ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about, Kenneth. But if you need another lesson in manners¡­¡±


    The older vampire leapt over the desk, clearing the structure in the merest fraction of a second. Kenneth had been tensed and ready for the fight. He dove to the side and flung a chair behind him. Alessandro ducked and moved under the flying obstacle, closing the distance with Kenneth.


    Seconds stretched on for minutes, and the minutes went on into the darkness of eternity.


    Kenneth had not been idle this past year. He had spent hours training and practicing. He had always hated feeling powerless and the last beating he took at the hands of his master had proven just how far he still needed to go.


    This time they were more evenly matched. Alessandro still possessed more speed, more experience, and a multitude of techniques that Kenneth had never seen before. But Kenneth had become stronger in the past year. He was still slower than Alessandro, as the bruises that appeared and quickly disappeared would have attested to. But he wasn¡¯t being thrown around the room like a rag doll, that was something.


    He felt his hand get grabbed and he was yanked into the air. He crashed into the far side window wall. The window shuddered at the impact. Kenneth was on his feet again and charging back at Alessandro before a full second ticked by on the clock.


    His charge ended with a perfect kick to his master¡¯s chest, sending the older vampire skidding backward along the smooth marble floor.


    Alessandro didn¡¯t return the attack and Kenneth didn¡¯t press his advantage. The House head smiled, standing up straight. ¡°I see you¡¯ve grown since the last time we saw each other. Why don¡¯t you tell me what this is all about?¡±


    Kenneth didn¡¯t answer but circled around his master. ¡°Okay, even though you already know, I¡¯ll humor you.¡± If he could keep him talking maybe he could circle around to Alessandro¡¯s desk. He had to unlock the office elevator.


    ¡°Do you remember when you brought us all here? Do you remember when you founded House Dukart and what you promised all of us stupid enough to come with you?¡± Kenneth asked.

 Book 5 Chapter 19e

    ¡°Have I not repaid every promise that I made ten times over?¡± Alessandro replied easily. ¡°We live here as we wish. We have all the resources we want, all the food we could possibly need. House Dukart is feared by the black and open markets. We have political and crime based power enough for every member of my House.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what you promised us,¡± Kenneth said quietly.


    ¡°I gave you everything!¡± Alessandro charged at his subordinate.


    Kenneth was once again locked with his old master. He moved and attacked, feigned and defended. He shifted and moved. Sometimes letting Alessandro press him, other times fighting with everything he had to gain an inch, or gain nothing. He tried to keep his back to Alessandro¡¯s desk. The keypad lock for the elevator was there. He had to punch in the code.


    Alessandro caught him with an inside uppercut and Kenneth was thrown into the air. He landed hard on the steel desk that Alessandro was sitting behind when he first stepped into the office. He blinked away the pain. Groaning he slid off the desk, but not before he punched the elevator code into the key pad mechanism.


    Kneeling on the floor holding his jaw with one hand, propping himself up with the other, he looked up at his master through his eye lashes. ¡°You promised us freedom, Alessandro. Where is it? All I do is what you tell me to do. I could have stayed in the old country under the Duces!¡± He heaved himself to his feet. ¡°But I believed in the garbage that you spewed daily. Follow me to America, you said, the land of opportunity and the freedom that we would find there would be so much better than here in Italy, you said. It was bullshit! All of it!¡±


    Alessandro squinted at his subordinate. ¡°What is this really all about Kenneth?¡±


    Kenneth raised two fingers.


    Suddenly a rupture appeared in the bullet proof glass pane behind Alessandro. The Head of House was rocked forward. Kenneth clenched his hand into a fist in triumph.


    Alessandro looked down at his abdomen and smiled. ¡°A worthy effort Kenneth. Trying to kill me with guns and bullets?¡± He looked questioningly at the glass behind him.


    ¡°Guess it wasn¡¯t made in America,¡± Kenneth scoffed. ¡°Or it wasn¡¯t rated against a fifty caliber sniper rifle, two actually.¡±


    ¡°Kenneth, haven¡¯t you learned anything.¡± The Head of House stepped towards Kenneth. ¡°After about a hundred and fifty years we vampires become almost impervious to gunfire anyway. Why do you think I¡¯m still alive?¡± He smiled.


    Kenneth returned the smile with one of his own. Alessandro hesitated and looked down at his gut. Blood was still pouring from the wound.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter Alessandro?¡± Kenneth asked with mock concern. ¡°Having trouble? Wondering why you aren¡¯t healing yet?¡±


    Alessandro took another step towards Kenneth. ¡°What¡¯s¡­ happening to me? What have you done?!¡± The Head of House stumbled but kept his balance.


    Kenneth kept smiling. Trevor¡¯s gaseous form of his compound had worked perfectly. Brian¡¯s preparations the day prior had done its job. He had wondered if there would be a wearing off of the gas. Apparently his fear was unnecessary.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Alessandro held his gut with his hand. His face held a frozen expression of shocked disbelief.


    Kenneth walked to his old master. ¡°It¡¯s been a rough day, Alessandro. Why don¡¯t you take a seat!¡± he shoved the older vampire to the ground. He moved back around the metal desk and looked at the security feed for the elevator. Brian was there with Rachel but there was also Tyler and John, and another taller man with them. He was built with black hair. The three men were holding him and Rachel had a gun trained on him as well. Now, who might that be?


    ¡°Are you expecting anyone?¡± Kenneth asked.


    Alessandro was gasping for air and struggling to get to the elevator, crawling on his belly like a worm.


    Kenneth laughed. ¡°How the mighty have fallen.¡± He walked over to the Head of House and kicked him in the gut for good measure. ¡°Now we¡¯re even,¡± he sneered.


    Soon the elevator doors opened. The three guys muscled the larger figure, which Kenneth could see was a vampire, into the office.


    Simon took in the scene before him, the damaged window wall, Alessandro on the floor, Kenneth standing over him, and the trail of blood left by Alessandro on the floor. He caught the pleading eyes of his friend.


    Suddenly his knees bent under him and an irresistible pressure forced him down to his knees.


    ¡°Do you want to introduce me to your friend?¡± Kenneth asked the man on the floor.


    ¡°He drove up in a sweet looking black car,¡± Brain said. ¡°He got out and the car sped off before we could do anything about it. We stopped him though. Said he was here to see Alessandro. I thought it best to bring him up ourselves.¡±


    Kenneth nodded. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Simon didn¡¯t say anything. He struggled against the three men holding him though. They held him tightly.


    ¡°I know you¡¯re not with House Dukart. How much could it hurt by just giving me a name?¡± Kenneth asked.


    When Simon again said nothing, Kenneth grabbed Alessandro¡¯s hair and yanked his head up. ¡°You might want to say goodbye to your little fuck buddy, Alessandro.¡±


    Rachel tossed her gun to Kenneth who caught it with one hand. He put the muzzle to Alessandro¡¯s temple and pulled the trigger. He dropped the smoking skull back onto the floor.


    Simon struggled against the three men and almost got one of his legs under him before his was kneed in the face and his leg was ripped back behind him again.


    Kenneth pulled up a chair and looked at the black-haired vampire. ¡°You know, we could be friends. Whatever he was paying you, I¡¯ll double it. I do own House Dukart and with it, all of Los Angeles. You can have anything you want. All you need to do is swear to me. It¡¯s not that hard, is it? Standard vampire oath of fealty. You¡¯ll find I can be very generous when I want to be.¡±


    Simon stared up at Kenneth with pure rage and defiance. He spit on the floor at Kenneth¡¯s feet.


    ¡°Hmmm,¡± Kenneth sighed. ¡°Well, I have ways of dealing with that too.¡±


    Kenneth stood up and starting walking toward Simon. Simon gripped one of the wrists behind him with his bound hands. He lurched his way to his feet and he was able to throw off one vampire. With his free hand he punched the other guy in the face driving him to the ground, and threw his head back solidly connecting to the one behind him.


    He dove over Alessandro and charged at vampire speeds towards the fractured window. He launched himself through the translucent pane. It shattered in a shower of glass and plastic upon impact. A normal man wouldn¡¯t have made it. He fell down the multitude of stories toward the base of the tower.


    Kenneth ran to the edge of the now broken window wall. He glared back at Brian. ¡°What the hell was that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. He just broke my grip somehow,¡± Tyler explained.


    Brian wiped his hands on his pants. ¡°Oh, come on. It¡¯s not really going to matter. He probably won¡¯t survive the fall from this height, anyway.¡±


    Kenneth turned back to the brightening sky as dawn rapidly approached. ¡°Would you?¡± he asked quietly. Not turning around, he said calmly, ¡°Find him, Brian. And kill him.¡±


    Brian nodded behind him. ¡°Whatever you say, Kenneth Pacifico, Head of House Dukart.¡± Brian and the rest of his team piled into the elevator. The stainless-steel doors closed leaving Kenneth alone with a rapidly decaying corpse, and a night sky that was ready to give way to another dawn.


    He muttered softly into the predawn breeze, ¡°No loose ends.¡±

 Book 6 Prologue-a

    The door slammed open suddenly and completely without warning.


    Marco¡¯s body was in motion before his mind could completely process what might be happening. He came out of his role with weapon drawn as his eyes scanned the room in a split second trying to locate the intruder or what danger he might be in. Behind him Valentina gasped in shock and he finally allowed his reflexes to relax as he too saw what was in the doorway.


    Two figures were roughly silhouetted inside the door frame, one was considerably shorter than the other but in their present position it was impossible to tell one from the other.


    ¡°Jesus Christ,¡± breathed Lorenzo.


    The two figures made their way into the room. Marco recognized Noemi¡¯s short brown hair. It was the bag of limp flesh that she was carrying that he couldn¡¯t identify at first.


    Without a word Noemi laid the broken and pulpy flesh that used to be Simon on the couch. Valentina moved to the kitchen with her usual vampire grace but with a speed that might be considered unnecessary. She ripped a few blood bags from the refrigerator and threw them at Noemi.


    The short haired brunette caught them all and tore one open. She slowly began feeding Simon from it.


    His broken, glass shard filled face barely moved. His throat swallowed reflexively.


    Marco, his weapon holstered, came to stand over Noemi and the broken form that used to be their commander.


    Simon was a mess. His face was filled with shards of glass. His jaw was busted up real good, broken in at least two places. He couldn¡¯t tell for sure, but by the way he was drinking and his unconscious face was contorting with every sip he was pretty sure several of his ribs were broken, with possibly punctured lungs. Lungs didn¡¯t mean anything to a vampire, but the internal bleeding would take time to heal, even for an undead. One leg was more powder than bone and the other was flopped down in such a way that if it was in any better shape than the other it was broken in at least four or five places. On the battlefield he would have called this guy a lost cause. But Simon wasn¡¯t just any soldier on a nameless field. He was a vampire and he would heal. But other than that he was his friend.


    ¡°What happened, Noemi?¡± Marco asked quietly in the dead silent shock of the room.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    The woman looked up at the taller man and then at the rest of her friends as they gathered around her and the injured man on the couch.


    Noemi was hesitant and began carefully. ¡°We left here and drove to Alessandro¡¯s tower just as Simon said we were going to. I should have known something was up because Simon was unusually quiet the whole drive, even for him, I mean he didn¡¯t even breathe.¡±


    Marco was surprised at hearing this. Even though vampires didn¡¯t need to breathe it was an unconscious act that most vampires did out of habit from when they we¡¯re alive. Noemi wasn¡¯t stupid, but for Simon to be noticeably unnerved by something enough not to breathe and seeing the man on the couch now, Simon had had good reason to be apprehensive it seemed. What had he sensed tonight that made him so uncomfortable and what loyalties did he hold that made him go through with meeting Alessandro?


    Noemi continued a bit quicker, ¡°I dropped Simon off in the underground garage and I took off just like Simon and I have worked out and done a dozen times. I didn¡¯t know what happened in the tower. I drove around made various stops, looping back in and out of traffic, my usual stuff.¡±


    Marco nodded. Noemi was a great driver and a better spotter. Her urban movement techniques were among the best that Marco had ever experienced. If she said that she avoided a tail and predictable surveillance than he believed her.


    ¡°So what happened?¡± Sofia asked. Her wavy black hair framed her face in such a way that immediately drew attention to her deep brown eyes that right now held a mixture of concern and a smoldering anger that was looking for something to lash out at.


    ¡°It was lucky that I was on the side of the building that I was,¡± Noemi said. ¡°I was a block away across from the building on the other side of a nice little urban park. I looked up and suddenly one of the windows exploded outward. I recognized that it was Simon flying through the air and I slammed on the gas. I tore through the park and reached the side of the building just as Simon plowed down into the pavement.¡±


    ¡°Jesus,¡± Lorenzo said. ¡°Sounds like something out of a Roadrunner and While E. Coyote cartoon.¡±


    Noemi continued, ¡°I scraped him up off the pavement and threw him in the car. Then I gunned it and got the hell out of there. He hasn¡¯t woken up or said anything.¡±


    ¡°So you have no idea who did this?¡± Sofia asked.


    ¡°Yes we do,¡± Marco replied. ¡°It was Kenneth.¡±


    ¡°Whoa, wait a minute,¡± Lorenzo said. ¡°Why would Kenneth even know about us and why would he throw Simon out of a window? Vampires know our kind when we meet. He would have known that the fall wouldn¡¯t kill him.¡±


    Marco replied, ¡°It could be that he wanted to send a message. If Noemi got there that quickly we don¡¯t know if he was sending guys to finish the job, which he probably was. A suicide is a lot easier to clean up than a murder.¡±


    ¡°So Alessandro is dead,¡± Silvia said.


    ¡°That¡¯d be my guess,¡± Lorenzo commented.


    ¡°So what happens now?¡± Sophia asked.


    ¡°We¡­stay¡­and deal¡­.with..tha¡­¡±


    Noemi turned back to the injured man on the couch. ¡°Simon don¡¯t talk!¡± She gently patted his forehead and caressed his glass filled face. ¡°It¡¯s ok we have time. Just rest now. We¡¯re not going to do anything right now. We came here for you and we¡¯re not going anywhere. Rest now.¡±

 Book 6 Prologue-b

    Simon¡¯s eyes never really opened but his struggling muscles relaxed and he sank down a bit into the couch.


    The blood bag was drained and Noemi threw it back towards the kitchen. ¡°I guess all we can do is wait till nightfall and see if Simon is healed up enough to talk.¡±


    Marco smiled a small wry grin. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about him, kid. I¡¯ve been through the grinder and back with Simon. I doubt these little injuries will keep him down for long. Hell, if he was still human I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he was up and walking around in a month.¡± He patted Noemi on the shoulder comfortingly. ¡°He¡¯ll be fine, you did good. Don¡¯t beat yourself up over it.¡±


    Noemi reached up and squeezed the offered arm of the older man.


    ¡°Now as for the rest of us we should all get some rest,¡± Marco said to the room. ¡°The sun is already up.¡±


    Noemi was shocked to hear that. She could feel the exhaustion in her undead body but they had carefully blacked out the rooms they were staying in so to her sight it was still deep night. She gratefully followed Marco¡¯s instructions and made her way to her bed. Simon had one hell of a story to tell and she wasn¡¯t going to miss it.


    Noemi arose from her bed with the final sinking of the sun outside. Her vampire senses knew it was safe for her and her kind now wrapped in the protection of night. It was instinctual, with the setting of the sun she could finally be about the dark business of her kind. The predator was awake, but her prey was as yet unknown. Hopefully Simon could shed some light on that subject.


    She found him still laying on the couch where she had left him that morning. His eyes were open and alert and the rest of the team was already gathered around their injured team leader.


    ¡°We were right about Kenneth,¡± Simon spoke gruffly and harshly every word caused him pain. Vampire though he was, his injuries could have killed him. It would take several days for him to recover fully.


    ¡°It¡¯s a lot worse than we imagined. Kenneth killed Alessandro and has taken over House Dukart.¡±


    Marco glanced over at Noemi and Lorenzo. Sofia was silent and her eyes were focused. ¡°So we¡¯re going after Kenneth.¡± The raven haired woman spoke with a deadly quiet belying her roots as a silent killer.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    Simon nodded. ¡°I can¡¯t ask any of you to stay. This isn¡¯t what you came here for.¡±


    Noemi scoffed, ¡°Oh please, I watched you get thrown out of a tower window! I¡¯ll be damned if I¡¯m not going to see this thing through.¡±


    Simon smiled through his pain. ¡°Actually I jumped.¡±


    ¡°And people say I have a death wish,¡± muttered Lorenzo.


    Marco looked at everyone in the room. ¡°Simon,¡± he said. ¡°We have been through some shit together and this is no different. Don¡¯t try to play the hero with us. We¡¯re in this till it¡¯s done, all of us.¡±


    Simon¡¯s eyes closed and he slowly nodded his head.


    ¡°Now that that¡¯s taken care of,¡± Valentina said, ¡°how are the six of us going to take on a whole House? Whose new Head will be watching and probably out looking for you, the guy who got away.¡±


    The room got very quiet. They were all thinking the same thing. None of them were cowards and they had been in hostile territory before. But six people trying to take on a whole House in a city where they had no allies and no support? The only sound in the room was the cheap clock that ticked loudly as each second was counted and slipped away into the oblivion of wasted potential.


    *          *          *          *          *


    It had been a month since she had led the small surviving group of refugees from the City Under the Mountain to the relative safety and sanctuary of the City Under the Sand.


    It had not been a pleasant welcome. The Elders of the City Under the Sand seemed to want to blame her for not only the loss of their city, but also for the loss of Efraim who had died in the surprise vampire attack.


    Huan Li had woken up not long after they had arrived and it was his word that ultimately allowed their group to stay. Ansuya had experienced this kind of thing of before. The blatant sexism that was rampant in this part of the world had infected even the werewolf city here. But they had been allowed to stay and that¡¯s ultimately what mattered. If she had to play the meek woman to keep them all here and safe, she would. Soon she would leave and begin the task of retaking her home Under the Mountain, with or without the help of the City Under the Sand.


    As she walked through the streets of the city she found that it was all very familiar. The buildings were of the same two or three level design that the Mountain had, except here the building were made from sand stone and thick smoked glass made from the desert sands that hid this place. The city was buried deep underground and the ceiling was solid stone lit by crystals just as the City Under the Mountain was. The city held at least two nature areas much like the Mountain did except they were born of the desert; there were no pine trees or greenery of any kind that she could see over the city buildings. The areas, she knew, were desert terrain and filled with the flora and fauna of the region. This city was naturally cooler than the mountain which was a bit surprising considering where in the world it was. But where the City Under the Mountain was powered by the geothermal energy of the volcano that helped to conceal it, this city was powered by a combination of solar, oil, and natural gas. This city was beautiful, in its own way.

 Book 6 prologue-c

    This place was a woven tapestry of tan stone and smoky darkened glass, giving it a texture and flowing color that the shiny black obsidian of the City Under the Mountain just didn¡¯t have. Even so, she missed her home and was ready to take it back. She only hoped the meeting that Huan Li had asked her to attend went as well as they hoped.


    She met the only other surviving Elder from her home in the middle of the street. Huan Li looked tired. He had had meetings like this one every day with two or three groups of different people a day. To her, it seemed more like interrogation sessions than meetings, interrogation sessions that she wasn¡¯t invited to.


    ¡°Good morning, Ansuya,¡± The aged man said with a smile, ¡°Did you sleep well?¡±


    She smiled in response, ¡°Yes, Huan I did, thank you.¡±


    She pointedly looked over at this city¡¯s version of the tower. It was only a little taller than the surrounding buildings, but at the crest of it shone a golden dome than gleamed brightly, catching and reflecting every bit of light from the ceiling crystals making it seem to glow with an inner light, the shining beacon of the heart of the city. She had to admit it was impressive.


    ¡°Have they stated when they want us?¡± she asked quietly.


    Huan Li shook his head. He pressed his hands together as he looked at the much younger looking woman. ¡°The Elders of this city don¡¯t like us being here. There is a sense that because we were targeted and our city found, then we endanger them by being here. They are not cowards and would fight just as we have to defend their home, but there is a growing unease with our presence here.¡±


    Ansuya nodded. ¡°I have sensed the same quiet animosity towards our people. Huan, we can¡¯t stay here.¡±


    The old man nodded his head. ¡°When the time comes, we can expect support from the people here, but they won¡¯t fight our battle for us. At the most I¡¯d say they¡¯d commit no more than three or four packs.¡±


    ¡°Three or four?!¡± Ansuya hissed sharply, ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous!¡±


    Huan Li¡¯s brow darkened, ¡°Yes I know, with so many of our people lost we can¡¯t hope to be strong enough to take on the three Houses that attacked us. But they have their enemies here as well and with the constant destabilization that goes on above our heads they can¡¯t afford to allow themselves to weaken too much either. It¡¯s a perilous slope that they must tread carefully.¡±This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    A man appeared quietly before them. His skin was a rich brown, like most of the people here, but his eyes were a very striking light blue. He silently ushered the two of them into the building. Huan Li and Ansuya made it a point to walk side by side as they entered. Huan wasn¡¯t any happier with the sexist views of their hosts than she was. But they were guests here, their silent protests and Huan Li appearing as much an equal to his female counterpart as possible was about as far as either of them were willing to protest the culture here.


    After climbing two sets of stairs they both came forward into a circular room with the dome arching overhead. The Elders were arrayed in a half circle in front of them. Much like they themselves, where the human born were in their human form but the three wolf born Elders were in their werewolf form sitting with backs arrow straight in cushioned chairs.


    Huan Li and Ansuya both bowed to the gathered assembly. Ansuya allowed Huan Li to speak first, this was not the time to ruffle feathers.


    ¡°As-salaam ''alaykum Elders,¡± Huan Li began, ¡°we thank you for your hospitality and aid in these dark times.¡± A single raised hand from the central sitting Elder silenced Huan Li.


    ¡°MarHaban, elder Huan Li. We have provided you aid and shelter and yet we have received nothing from you. How is our hospitality repaid?¡±


    In her mind Ansuya had envisioned this meeting going a little differently but the hostile tone and the casual response to Huan Li¡¯s formal greeting in Arabic was as blatantly disrespectful as receiving a slap in the face in public. This would not go well.


    Huan Li opened his palms towards his hosts and tried to speak but was silenced before he began. ¡°We have graciously hosted you without warning and without any promise of repay,¡± the Elder continued, ¡°yet you come before us almost daily, demanding our help in what is clearly a struggle for you and your city. I don¡¯t see how any of our spent resources or people will benefit us in any way. However, the loss of those people and resources would cost us dearly. Why should we continue to spend resources and our time on a group of people who don¡¯t seem to appreciate our position in this?¡±


    Ansuya spoke quickly, ¡°If our appreciation has not been made plain for your aid and hospitability these past few weeks than let me reiterate that we are most grateful and humbled by the aid provided to us by our brothers and sisters here in the City Under the Sand.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how things are done under the mountain,¡± the werewolf sitting to the far right said quietly, ¡°but here, you do not speak to an Elder unless you have been asked to speak.¡±


    Ansuya felt her cheeks flush and her eyes flashed anger and rage at the humiliation of being talked to like a child. But she was an Elder and she was older than most, if not all, the men sitting in front of her and she would show her quality by keeping silent, even though that act in itself would give them the satisfaction of thinking her cowed.


    The lead Elder looked back at Huan Li. ¡°We will allow time for you to gather you people. We need to be about our business and the constant struggle that we engage in both here and topside among the world of humans. Things are strained as I¡¯m sure you have gathered from your short time here, and we must look to the safety of our own people first.¡±

 Book 6 prologue-d

    ¡°So we are being evicted?¡± Huan Li asked icily.


    ¡°Of course not, our home is yours. But we do have business that your people are interfering with and can¡¯t possibly understand.¡±


    Ansuya nodded quickly and curtly, the message was understood loud and clear, ¡®get out.¡¯


    Huan Li spread his hands palms upward towards the Elders and bowed again, Ansuya followed his lead. ¡°Thank you for your time and consideration, Elders. We leave you in peace. Maa Salama.¡±


    The Elder nodded and muttered, ¡°Salama.¡±


    Huan Li and Ansuya quietly exited the room and then the building. By the time they made it back onto the street Ansuya was fuming. The culture here was just one slap in the face after another. Now in, probably the politest way she had ever heard before, she and her people had just been told to get out. And the fact that respect was not returned in kind from one Elder to another, forget that she was also an Elder, the way he dismissed Huan was infuriating.


    Huan Li placed a comforting hand on the young-looking woman¡¯s shoulder, ¡°It¡¯s alright, Ansuya. I have been treated worse in other meetings. It¡¯s their way. I don¡¯t like it anymore than you do, but we are guests in their house.¡±


    Ansuya shook her head, ¡°A pox upon their house if this is the way they treat you¡­ us.¡±


    Huan smiled at the retort. ¡°Ansuya, we knew that our time here was going to be short. Our only goal right now should be to gather other allies. Have you been to any of the other Cities?¡±


    Ansuya nodded, ¡°Yes, the City Under the Rock and the City Under the Snow have both pledged to help us. The residing Elders of both were about as vague as a love song when it came to actual numbers but I expect, like here they would be willing to commit anywhere from four up to maybe seven or eight packs from the City Under the Rock, the City Under the Snow was a little less enthusiastic.¡±


    Huan Li nodded smiling, ¡°well that¡¯s some good news at least.¡±


    ¡°Huan,¡± Ansuya began, ¡°We still don¡¯t have enough Shape shifters, even with the help of the three other cities. We need more help.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    The two began walking down the street in a quiet repose. Huan Li was troubled by everything that had happened in the past month. Ansuya was thinking about tactics and how to get back into the City Under the Mountain. They both knew that they would have to find a new home. They couldn¡¯t go back to the mountain. They couldn¡¯t just leave it either. The vampire Houses had struck a blow against the Shape shifters that needed to be rectified, and returned in kind. For the first time since she could remember as a little girl, she was once again in a full scale war. Only this time, she wasn¡¯t an innocent naive little girl, she was a werewolf and she would take back what was hers, or die trying.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    ¡°We mustn¡¯t be so quick to throw our lives away,¡± Huan commented in the silence.


    Ansuya should not have been shocked at his comment seemingly directed at her own private thoughts, but she was. Sometimes she was certain the older man walking beside her could read people¡¯s hearts and emotions.


    ¡°I have no intention of throwing mine or anyone else¡¯s life away. But I will not hesitate to kill to get our home back,¡± Ansuya replied evenly.


    ¡°Yes, I and everyone else from the Mountain know this, but we are better and stronger than that. If we cannot find the support we need here, or in the other Cities, then perhaps we need to look for allies elsewhere.¡±


    Ansuya smirked, ¡°You¡¯re talking about legends now Huan.¡±


    He shrugged his shoulders at her comment, ¡°Are we not still spoken of in hushed whispers in darkened rooms? Have we not ourselves benefited from the obscurities of lore and legend?¡±


    Ansuya nodded at the logic and wisdom of her friend¡¯s words. ¡°We have not sensed or encountered anything like what you speak of. What if we do as you suggest and find nothing?¡±


    ¡°What if we find people like us, only stronger, faster, and more resilient?¡± Huan asked calmly.


    Ansuya wanted to say something, anything. She wanted to fight against chasing shadows out of desperation. But there was a part of her, that sliver of innocence from her childhood that she had never let go of, that told her what he was proposing wasn¡¯t just some fool¡¯s errand. That even now she felt a shiver of fear run down her back, as it had when she was little, thinking of the wondrous and terrible possibilities that the world held in secret.


    She shook the thought away and with it her remembered fear. ¡°We have to get our people to a safe place first. We can¡¯t stay here, that¡¯s obvious. We could move our people to Agra, perhaps or Singapore, maybe Hong Kong.¡±


    Huan Li nodded, ¡°You sound as if you¡¯ve been thinking of this for a while.¡±


    Ansuya smiled her lips curved upwards just slightly at the compliment. ¡°You have been busy with this City and her politics. That left me with time to care for our people.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have to guess which of the three you would choose,¡± Huan replied. ¡°I have to say I have always meant to visit the home of my grandparents. But the tourism of the Taj Mahal and rampant corruption in your country would serve us better, I think. It would be easier for us to stay hidden from discerning eyes.¡±


    Ansuya looked out over the sand tan city as they walked. Agra, it was deep in the heart of her home country of India. She could still remember the rank smell of humanity from the streets where she grew up. That, covered with the sharp spices of the various street food, masala pav with fresh roti or naan, and dark colored kala Jamun, all spoke to the inner child that wanted to go home more than she had realized before that moment.

 Book 6 prologue-e

    Remembering food brought back thoughts of other things. She hadn¡¯t been allowed to go back for her mother¡¯s cremation ceremony. She knew that her mother¡¯s friends and male relatives would have looked after those things. But she wasn¡¯t there for it. There was nothing to go back to. Only the Ganges River at dawn, her mother¡¯s ashes would have been scattered long ago. Looking around at the deep tans and cloudy greys of the city around her, she thought of her home. She had been driven away twice now. She would return to one soon; after that, not even God would be able to stop her from returning to the second. She promised that to herself and her mother and to all the Das line before her.


    *          *          *          *          *


    Kenneth sat in the recently repaired glass clad office that at one point belonged to his late master, Alessandro. He folded his fingers in front of his face as a smile slowly crept across it. It was night, his House was strong and slowly encroaching upon territory that it should have held for a long time now. House Brandt couldn¡¯t do anything about it either. He couldn¡¯t really have foreseen how the werewolves would have defended their city, but throwing everything they had against House Brandt, completely decimating the forces of that old fool Wolfgang Hammerstein? That couldn¡¯t have worked out better for him if he had been telling the wolves what to do.


    He slowly rotated around in his chair. The night was in her full beauty. He could feel the safety and power of the shroud of darkness around him. He was in complete control and his House was stronger than ever. He had the complete loyalty of everyone in House Dukart, and why not? He had let his people have more freedom and allowed them to roam the streets freely. He kept the cops and city Hall, such that it was, in check. His people had never been happier and the last of the destroyed farms that the wolves had devastated were being replaced and new ¡®volunteers¡¯ were coming in almost daily.


    And yet there was a strange nagging sense that tugged at his mind, something that he couldn¡¯t quite get rid of. It was like that damned stain on the floor where Alessandro had died. His eyes rested on that spot. He had had the floor cleaned and recleaned. Those idiot contract cleaning people said that there was no spot there, that they had used every combination of cleaner, detergent, and club soda they had ever used on carpet or rug and there simply wasn¡¯t a stain there. Maybe that was just another problem with human eyes, he could see the stain.


    He forced himself to calm down. There was no point in worrying about it. He could always throw away the rug if he wanted. But he knew that if he did, somehow that would be him admitting that he couldn¡¯t handle the memory of his predecessor. He wouldn¡¯t give Alessandro the satisfaction. That bastard was rotting in hell and good riddance to him and his bullshit ideas of how things should be done. House Dukart would be the sole power on the west coast before too long and from there he would move east till House Dukart controlled all of America. His people would survive and there were no wolves to stop him.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    He had to move carefully though. House Himura was still very powerful and that bitch, Fumiko Nakahara, had strong ties with her home country. If she perceived a threat from him or that House Dukart was becoming too powerful, he knew that she would stop at nothing to see her enemy cut down in front of her.


    And still there was something else deeper down in his still human brain that he had never been able to shake. It was a nagging feeling of needing to prove himself and with that, the feeling that there was someone or something higher than him, better than him, which he needed to prove himself to. It had taken forty-five years for him to prove to his former master that he was not to be underestimated. Now that he sat atop this tower, sitting in this office, as a symbol of his victory, he felt empty somehow. Humans professed that their kind was nothing without struggles and challenges to overcome. His challenge had consumed him for forty-five years, now that it was over he felt¡­ uneasy.


    He remembered his promise to himself. There were still loose ends to take care of. The vampire that had come here, defied him, and escaped. The fall might have killed him, but it would have been a slow and painful death. Brian had found nothing downstairs, just a small impact crater in the pavement as proof that the vampire had been there at all. But where had he gone? What help the man might have had was still a mystery that he needed to solve.


    What remained of the inhabitants of that mountain city was still a mystery as well and not himself, his House, or his wolves had seen or found any trace of the werewolves that had escaped. His wolves had picked up a weak trail just outside the city and followed it down the side of the mountain into a small glade in the forest below the tree line. But once there, the trail vanished. He wasn¡¯t paranoid, things don¡¯t just vanish. But after three weeks neither he, nor his wolves, could explain or discover what might have happened there.


    If there were survivors from his attack, then he was reasonably positive that they would be back. But would they come back in force and openly attack him and possibly House Himura as well? Or would they simply find another hole to slink into and restart their campaign of guerilla tactics and making a general nuisance of themselves, hindering him and his plans?


    Whichever plan they chose to follow he would make sure that House Dukart was ready for them. Maybe even as the sole House remaining of the three.

 Book 6 Chapter 1a

    The sun was bright but gave off no real heat. The air was thin, even though his body was in great shape, the lack of oxygen was getting to him. Of all the people to send he was given this place to go to. The clouds below him drifted through the crags and valleys of the daunting mountain range around him. He turned his attention up and moved up, higher into the heavens.


    He was reminded of an ant climbing up a large rock. Was the ant aware of the true size of the boulder he was crawling on? Relatively, the boulder would be just as daunting to the ant, as the Himalayas was to him. Was he just an ant crawling up a boulder in a field? Looking around him it was easy to lose one¡¯s self in such thoughts. He really didn¡¯t know where he was going, or how to find what he was looking for. The ruins of an abandoned city that had been nothing but legend and ruble for over a thousand years. What was Ansuya expecting him to find?


    He had been doing this for the better part of two weeks now and the sprawling crags of the Himalayas had yet to reveal any of her secrets to him. Maybe he had been going about this all wrong.


    He looked up into the heavens and to no God in particular asked out loud, ¡°I¡¯d really appreciate a little help here. Once I find the ruins I¡¯m looking for, I promise I¡¯ll never bother you again.¡± His plea was met with silence. He hadn¡¯t really expected an answer anyway, but something would have been nice, anything. ¡°Yeah, thanks for the help.¡±


    He spent the better part of the rest of the day scrambling up a particularly nasty climb, half of which was almost shear vertical crags. He hadn¡¯t been climbing in a while and even though he had gotten some practice in his valley, the dizzying heights he found himself now made him acutely aware of the elemental force that some people called, ¡®gravity¡¯.


    As he finally pulled himself to the top of the rise, exhausted he rolled onto his back and stared up at the quickly darkening sky. His lungs tried to fill with air but there was no oxygen to be had. He gasped and tried to breathe slowly. He was just able to pull his pack toward him and open a small oxygen tank and breathe in the sweet contents.


    As he breathed deeply, he realized that the climb had bloodied his knuckles and ripped his pants in several places. The climb had taken more out of him than he wanted to admit and all he could do or care about at that moment was breathe oxygen from the small tank. When he had finally caught his breath, he was able to look around at the nearby landscape, studying what his effort had borne him.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    This part of the mountain range was pretty flat and stretched on for what seemed like miles. For the first time in a long time, he was able to walk on flat ground where his altitude didn¡¯t raise with every step.


    The sky was giving way to black as the bright oranges and reds of the sunset were being chased away by the coming night. His eyes accustomed themselves quickly to the deepening darkness around him. It was usually at this time where he had been unable to continue his search amidst the sharp climbs of the mountains and had been forced to slip back into the Whyte Plain and go back to the place in Agra where the rest of the Mountain refugees had taken shelter among Ansuya¡¯s people and country of India.


    But tonight he had good solid level ground under his feet, and he was reasonably comfortable with his surroundings so he stayed and continued deeper into the strangely flat space in which he found himself.


    He walked for long minutes, the bright stars giving him light enough to see by. He had gone only a half mile or so before a radiant full moon began to rise above the peaks to the east. He had never seen the moon so full, or so close before. He had learned so much since he had foolishly worshipped her as his mother. But for some reason he found himself kneeling before her soft white glory and lowering his head. Her power did not hold sway over his form as she once had, but he had to admit the urge to change into his more naturally accepted form was too great and he shifted.


    The world exploded in sight and sounds that even his attuned human side to his Shape shifter senses just could not hope to perceive. His werewolf eyes and ears allowed him to see such detail, his ears picked up those minute variances in wind sound pitch and speed as it passed through the peaks and valleys around him, allowing him to listen to nature¡¯s most beautiful and rare symphony, with music that sang of time, space, but also history. The wind told the story of the mountains around him and he had a front row seat to the awesome opera around him.


    His sight, aided by the full power of the moon herself, he was able to run. His eyes now picked up details that his human eyes would have missed. There were chips in the stones, animal like in their presence, but his werewolf eyes told a story of tools, primitive but strong, and the decades of time, wind, and rain had worn down the traces of those left that had come long before him.


    He followed the clues. The wind sang to him as he searched and ran and sniffed. His werewolf form was most comfortable at night and this was all very familiar to him. It brought up memories of the Old Grey and his pack back in his valley and he thought, not for the first time, about the pack he had been forced to leave. His family he had abandoned, had they survived? Were they alright? Had they moved on from his valley, or had they been hunted?

 Book 6 Chapter 1b

    The images from his nightmare swam before his eyes, images of blood, death, and decay, of misery and suffering. The whines of his injured and dying pack filled his ears. He howled and shut his eyes tight, not wanting his mind to conjure those horrible images.


    He had to leave, Aceso hadn¡¯t given him a choice, and it wasn¡¯t her fault either. Those people that Kenneth must have sent to his valley were to blame. They were the invaders and it was them that had chased him out of his home and away from his pack.


    They were fine, his pack was alive even though wolves were never truly safe. They hunted prey that could easily kill them, deer, antelope, and moose even. They sustained life shortening injuries and of course people would hunt and kill them for no more substantial reason than, ¡°wolves kill our livestock and lower the value of the land.¡± Humans never did understand predators, and that included themselves in many ways. He was a glaring example of this. He hadn¡¯t understood even a basic truth about himself. That realization had come almost too late.


    As his panic subsided and his breathing slowed down into a more relaxed rhythm, he was able to open his eyes once again. The images of his nightmares had been even more vivid since the attack on his home under the mountain. The images could assault him at any time and they were so real. He fought with himself to steal himself against what he desperately hoped were false images. But there was a part of him, a seemingly growing part of himself that held himself more and more responsible for what had happed in his valley. He hadn¡¯t returned and he was growing more and more anxious about what had happened to his first pack.


    He took full measure of his surroundings now. The rocks around him were not even trying to feign being naturally formed. The rocks and formations around him were indeed man made and the stones that he could see, were laid with a definite pattern. After weeks of searching this maze of mountainous terrain, he may have finally found what he had sought all along.


    He spent hours searching. He would trace a small outcropping of a boulder with his claws and move around following the lines rebuilding, in his mind at least, this place where people of some kind had lived and worked. The buildings were spaced out evenly and the rows in between them were straight, that ran perfectly along north south, and east west lines. So far, however he had only found some rubble and the ruined walls of some huts. He had a feel for the place, it was pretty sizable and it went on for who knows how much farther into the mountains. It was grand in size and scope and the people who had built it, had built it to last.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    He searched and traced and followed the remains of things left behind as best he could. He wasn¡¯t an archeologist and he had no idea what he was doing. But he searched through the night.


    He was engrossed in the ground and the rocks therein; he hadn¡¯t noticed that the peaks around him had started to lighten with the dawn of the new day. His entire will was bent on his nose and the scents that it was receiving as he sniffed the various minerals that he had no idea what they were or even what his nose could tell him. So deeply focused on his search that the warming temperature around him was completely lost to him.


    The sunlight finally peaked over the mountain range, shining off the magnificently snowcapped peaks. The sun bathed the plateau that William had so diligently searched and all at once he was able to see the whole of the rock strew flat plain that he had searched. He stared in disbelief at the place, the rocks and boulders, and the peaks around him as they enjoyed the cold, golden bath of light from the life-giving orb high in the sky.


    His frustration got the better of him and he slumped down against a large boulder. There was nothing here. If this was the great City Under the Clouds that he had been sent to find he had been sent in vain. He put his face in his giant clawed hands and heaved a heavy weary sigh. There was nothing here and he was bone tired.


    So tired in fact he hadn¡¯t noticed that he had spent the entire night in a fevered search and only after the bright morning sun peeked over the mountains had he realized just how long he had spent. He looked around him and saw nothing but rocks, clumps of stone here and there. Under the sunlight, the lost city he thought he had found looked like nothing but a strange flat space amidst the mountain range. And the stone formations he thought were the remains of buildings and walls were just random various outcroppings and stones littering the ground around him.


    Had he really just spent the entire night searching and tracing clumps of stones and rocks? He had to laugh. His Lunar Mother had played a giant practical joke at his expense. He covered his wolf face in his claws and almost screamed into them. He had searched all night, and under the guiding light of the moon he had found what he wanted to find, a lost city in the Himalayas. Only to have that image and place reduced to rocks and perfectly natural stone formations in the light of the sun. He could do nothing but regret his missed night of sleep and wonder, Will this search ever end?


    Standing up he looked around himself, marking the area as best he could in his mind, where the mountains around him were, the plateau he stood on and how the place felt. He would continue his search from this place when he returned in a day or two. For now, it was time to get back, take a well-deserved shower, and get some sleep.

 Book 6 Chapter 1c

    Heaving another heavy sigh, he closed his eyes and felt that thin membrane that separated this physical place from the Whyte Plain. He was not nearly as good at this as Katherine was but he was getting better all the time. At least that¡¯s what he told himself. Taking a deep breath, he pushed against the membrane and the sun and the rocks and the wind that had picked up and had started to move through the mountains over the plateau was gone, replaced by the deathly stillness of the Whyte Plain.


    He was always cautious of this place. He remembered well his previous visits and they always brought back memories of his first trip here. The time where he had followed that warm, comforting voice and the joy that it promised. How whatever it was had tried to claim him and if it hadn¡¯t been for Aceso he would now be one of the shadows that roamed this still, dead place.


    He reached down subconsciously and felt where the scar that her bite should have left would have been. Her teeth had ripped into him and it was only after that sharp pain exploded from his side, that he was he brought back to his senses. She had risked her life for him and he would always be grateful. After seeing what had happened to Achelois and what had almost happened to Charles, this place was never to be taken lightly.


    He kept his senses sharp and he slowly inhaled the air around him. There was no wind here and there was no chill, or warmth. The mist that perpetually covered the ground he walked on hugged his legs up to his werewolf calves. His eyes were as sharp as ever but even his enhanced sight could only penetrate this place so far. The Plain stretched out in all directions, lit by some unknown means, but then faded into an oppressive black only a few dozen yards away from him.


    His movements were liquid and his eyes and ears rotated taking in all areas of the place around him. He strained himself to hear everything, to see everything, and to feel even the slightest changes around him. The only thing that moved here was him, his heartbeat, and the mist that clung to him as if trying to slow his progress.


    He stopped short and looked around in all directions, slowly turning around in place. He closed his eyes and found the familiar membrane between the spaces and pushed.


    The smell that assailed his nose was enough to make him want to puke. He opened his eyes and almost gagged as he shifted back to his human form. He coughed violently for a few moments, as if he was trying to get rid of a lungful of water that he had aspirated by accident. Bending over and placing his hands on his knees, he forced his lungs to take in oxygen slowly, while trying to keep his nose from inhaling too deeply the stench that had assailed him. After he was calm, he opened his eyes and looked around his new surroundings.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    The cramped apartment that his pack was sharing was just that, cramped. They had practiced for a full day marking this place specifically and going in between here and the Whyte Plain so they would come back to this exact spot. The room was dirty, and no matter how often they cleaned and disinfected the place, it still smelled. The sounds from outside invaded the room, no matter how tightly they tried to close the windows and stuff the cracks in the wall with clothes as they waited for proper materials to fix the place up. The walls were covered in yellowed, aged wallpaper that once was magnificent with bright orange and purples and red, now all faded and torn. The smell that had assailed him in his werewolf form was from outside and inside. Even now, in his human form he could still smell the human filth from outside, that, mixed with the rich spices of the street food from one street over made a unique smell that must have been what the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles smelled and lived with every day in their sewer home in New York. Except this was much, much worse, and by the sharpness of it, he suspected someone had shit outside their building again.


    He shook his head and wondered how anyone could actually live here. He had heard stories, seen documentaries, and read books about the culturally rich, dynamic, and diverse India. He wondered why nobody had ever mentioned that the amount of human filth and literal shit that lined the streets here made a smell that really could not be described in any way and give it true justice. Of all the places they had to go, Ansuya and Huan Li had chosen this place.


    Tiredly walking into the main room of the apartment he saw Charles was sitting at a computer, and Katherine was reading a book, looked like something on tourism or sightseeing locations. Nicolas was playing a console game on the twenty inch barely color TV in the far corner of the room, something that was particularly violent with cars running over people and cops chasing him as four bright large yellow stars were lit up in the upper right-hand corner. And Aceso was nowhere to be seen.


    He turned back to Charles and Katherine, ¡°Where is Aceso?¡±


    Katherine looked up from her book, ¡°She and Ares were taken out with Huan Li and Ansuya earlier this morning.¡±


    ¡°Where did they go?¡±


    ¡°They didn¡¯t say, they did however tell us not to leave and to tell you to stay put when you got back.¡± Katherine arched and eyebrow at him. ¡°Speaking of, where have you been?¡±


    William gave an awkward smile and scratched at the back of his skull. ¡°I was up in the Himalayas, looking for the City Under the Clouds?¡±


    ¡°All night? That¡¯s not like you, my friend¡± replied Charles who had turned away from his computer screen to face him, ¡°Did you find anything?¡±

 Book 6 Chapter 1d

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a good question and I¡¯m glad you asked.¡± William turned away and started walking towards the small bathroom.


    ¡°And that¡¯s William¡¯s que to leave, I guess,¡± Katherine replied to his retreating back.


    William stopped and heaved a weary sigh as his face scrunched up in a grimace as he knew that Nicolas, at least, would never let this go. Turning back around to his friends and pack mates he came clean, ¡°I spent the entire night searching a really cool plateau in the middle of the mountains thinking that I had found the city. When the sun came up, I was shown just what a retard I had been and that there was nothing there except rocks, some gangly brush grass, God only knows how it grows up there, and¡­oh yeah, more rocks.¡±


    Katherine arched an eyebrow at him as a small smile played across her lips while Charles looked bemused.


    ¡°Guess no one ever told you to not look for something with your eyes closed, eh Will?¡± A rough slap impacted William¡¯s shoulder blade from behind, ¡°Or in the dark? You really are stupid, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Nicolas, why don¡¯t you go back to playing your dumb video game? I don¡¯t see you out there searching for anything like the rest of us, you worthless piece of crap!¡± William snapped back at Nicolas as he turned to face the smaller blond-haired man.


    ¡°First of all, I am doing exactly what I was told to do, which is to stay here just in case somebody needs something or needs me to do anything, as you very well know.¡±


    William did know, Nic had complained endlessly for the first few days we were here about how he had to sit and rot in this apartment and how unfair it was that everyone else got to go out and explore and do something useful while he just sat on his ass. At the time he had felt a little sorry for him, but right now, he was tired and not in the mood for Nicolas¡¯ crap.


    ¡°Yeah, I do know and why do you think that was Nic? It¡¯s because you¡¯re an asshole and Huan Li doesn¡¯t want to have to flee the country because a white guy, who thinks he¡¯s a bad ass, got into a fight with a native and somehow managed to kill someone!¡±


    This stopped Nicolas dead and the smaller man¡¯s face got stone rigid as it very quickly took on a very pink hue. He looked William up and down, and with a cold smile said, ¡°You know what Setford? F you, F you right up the B.¡± With that Nicolas turned around and went back to his video game, but not before turning up the volume on the TV to an obnoxiously loud level.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    Katherine shook her head, ¡°What is it with you two? Can you guys not be civil with each other for even one day?¡± Katherine asked for what seemed like the millionth time since meeting the two men all those many, many months ago. William looked at Katherine and didn¡¯t see even a hint of bemusement or sarcasm within her eye¡¯s bright green depths.


    Charles too, did not seem sympathetic towards William either. ¡°My friend, you and I have been through a lot since we met each other almost two years ago, but you need to find a way to control yourself around Nicolas. He seems to be the one in your dynamic who is trying between the two of you. You should take that into consideration before insulting our pack mate again without provocation.¡± With that, the quiet dark-skinned man turned back to his computer screen.


    Well, shit. Now I feel like shit, as well as being tired, dirty, and a little rank as well.


    He decided to not push the subject with any of them at that juncture and went into the bathroom to clean himself up.


    *          *          *          *          *


    He awoke slowly in the late afternoon. The smell outside had not gotten any better, not that he had expected it to. He rolled off the couch that served as his bed and went to the bathroom to clean himself up.


    He immerged and walked over to his pack mates who were watching the TV, some kind of soap opera or some such if the quality of the cinematography was anything to go by. An elderly, somewhat large woman, with a gold nose ring attached by a chain to her earrings was yelling at a much younger, far more fit woman whose black hair draped down her back past her hips and her red sash like thing wrapped around the lower part of her two piece sari. Yup, definitely a soap opera. Not that he could tell, there weren¡¯t any subtitles and he didn¡¯t understand a word of Hindi aside from ¡®Namaste¡¯.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on guys?¡± he asked the room casually.


    ¡°The mother-in-law is yelling at her new daughter-in-law about how she doesn¡¯t know how to serve tea in the proper fashion, not showing her new husband¡¯s mother the proper amount of respect, and her curry is too sweet and she doesn¡¯t know how to use spices properly,¡± answered Charles dryly.


    William arched a questioning eyebrow, ¡°Charles, I didn¡¯t know you knew Hindi.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± he replied, ¡°but I understand mothers-in-law and it¡¯s pretty easy to follow.¡±


    William nodded with a small smile to himself. ¡°Has Aceso come back, or anything?¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± Nicolas answered a little too loudly.


    William, ignoring the comment, asked the group, ¡°Do we have a flashlight or anything around that I could use?¡±


    Charles looked over at him, ¡°You aren¡¯t thinking of going back up into the mountains at this time of day? You only have three hours of daylight left.¡± The concern in his voice was audible.


    William smiled wryly at his friend, ¡°Charles I¡¯ll be fine, beside I told you, I found a plateau that I really want to finish exploring. I won¡¯t stay out all night this time I promise.¡±


    ¡°You going to remember to bring back your oxygen tanks and pack this time?¡± Nicolas asked harshly while still watching the TV.

 Book 6 Chapter 1e

    ¡°Yes, Nic, I will bring back the oxygen tanks. Thank you for reminding me.¡± This earned him an idle hand wave from Nicolas. Maybe Charles was right, Nicolas could be a real pain in the ass sometimes but he didn¡¯t go out of his way to be an asshole, at least not all the time. Maybe it was William¡¯s turn to put forth the effort to be civil.


    Katherine seemed to see the internal conversation he was having with himself and smiled, ¡°There is a flashlight in the kitchen area, under the sink.¡±


    William nodded his thanks and went to go get it. When he came back Katherine and Charles were standing up facing him. ¡°You don¡¯t need to go back up there this late in the day, William. It can wait till tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Katherine, I¡¯ll be fine. I won¡¯t stay too long today I promise. Besides, I have to get our stuff back. That stuff was pretty expensive. I can¡¯t believe that I left it up there.¡±


    With that William went into the far corner of the apartment. Closing his eyes he found the familiar membrane and pushed.


    He reached the spot of the plateau through the Whyte Plain without incident. Looking around he noticed that Charles had been right. The sun was only just over the peaks around him. It would be dark within the hour. Well, I guess I¡¯d better get started, then. He wasn¡¯t going to spend another night searching around in the dark again.


    He backtracked toward the steep incline he had traversed yesterday and found his pack sitting exactly as he had left it. He picked it up and slung it onto his back. It slammed against his lower back with a thud, causing him to grunt painfully.


    Shrugging off the pain he walked back deeper onto the plateau. Even though it was fairly flat it was still rough going. The rocks and uneven ground was not exactly treacherous but he really didn¡¯t want to break an ankle by being careless. He walked for some time, scanning to his right and left looking at the mountain ranges along the plateau.


    The place was eerily quiet, all except for the wind that passed up over the terrain and the crags around him making a mournful sound that sounded like something in between crying and soft sighing. It was unnerving whatever it was.


    The sunlight dimmed around him, as the golden orb finally sunk down past the peaks in the west. He stopped and studied his surroundings. The wind was getting colder, and his breathing was getting a little labored, even on the flat terrain the air was still super thin and his lungs burned, not enough to need any oxygen just yet, but soon.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Looking over his left shoulder he saw a darkness along the far side of the plateau as it met with a sheer cliff face. He decided to go check it out. He would leave soon anyway, might as well not leave with his curiosity unsated.


    He made his way to the dark patch along the mountain wall, as the shadows around him grew longer and longer. Soon he would need the flashlight, or shift into werewolf form. As he approached the patch of darkness, he realized that the darkness had depth. It was a cave of sorts, at least that¡¯s what he hoped it was.


    He stopped just outside the strange opening into the mountain face, and turned on the flashlight. A beam of light shot out from the cold metal and illuminated the cave to reveal it was a lot deeper than he has first supposed. Arching an eyebrow at the strangeness of it all he cautiously entered the cave.


    The cave was loud with the sound of the wind sweeping past its mouth. The sound echoed inside the cave loudly, like a high-pitched whistling that just wouldn¡¯t stop. So, this is what a wind tunnel sounds like. The beam from the flashlight bounced off the rock around him as he climbed deeper into the cave. The deeper he went, the tighter the space around him got. Yeah, that¡¯s not frightening or anything. I wonder if there are Mynocks in here, or giant vampire bats.


    He climbed over the strange rock formations that littered the ground around him, what were they called stalactites? Stalagmites? He could never remember which one was ground based and which one was for the ceiling.


    There was something strange about this cave though. He couldn¡¯t put his finger on it. The place seemed¡­ odd. He wanted to leave, but something kept him going. He wouldn¡¯t be satisfied until he got to the end. Of course with caves there could be no end. He could have happened along a spelunker¡¯s vein that could wind endlessly through the mountains, if he was willing to crawl along on his belly and climb in the dark for days. Hadn¡¯t there been a horror movie about something like that?


    He just happened to shine his flashlight up along the ceiling of the cave and what he saw stopped him dead in his tracks.


    The ceiling of the cave was covered in pictures, strange symbols which could have been writing, and other things that he couldn¡¯t hope to identify. He scrambled back the way he had come. The flashlight switching from the ceiling to the ground as he followed the strange pictures that were all around him.


    He looked as the walls and ceiling above him told a story, a story that he couldn¡¯t possibly hope to fully understand. He saw tall two-legged beings, depicted under a bright moon. Their skin was pale white and their ears were elongated. They were numerous but always drawn in tight groups, outsiders, maybe?


    There was another group painted next to them holding their fists in defiance of them. The two groups were drawn in battle. The bodies of both sides littered the ground then a red sun was depicted rising and its red light bathed mountains to the west.


    It must have been some kind of omen, or sign, because the next picture showed a scene of holy men or priests, some sort of emissaries from both sides sitting beneath the full moon again looking towards the east.

 Book 6 Chapter 1f

    The long-eared people of the moon, and the people of the earth, looked towards the east as giants with flames for hair, came towards them. A great war raged between both the moon people and the earth people fighting against the flame haired giants. The three groups fought many battles, (he knew this because the pictures were separated and drawn in different ways multiple times).


    With the moon people¡¯s help, the earth people were able to drive the fire haired giants back into the ocean from which they had come from. Then the moon people seemed to disappear, they weren¡¯t drawn anymore. But something much more terrifying met William¡¯s eyes.


    The scene changed. A full moon was depicted and under the light of that moon a single group of three robed figures looked to be sacrificing a small child on an altar of grass and stone. The blood from the ritual covered the three and twisted their forms. They became something not human, and the walls of the cave only showed shadows where they had stood in the previous picture.


    William¡¯s throat was suddenly very dry and he could feel the evil and fear from those figures. He didn¡¯t want to even look at their painted visages, let alone touch them or stay here for much longer. He followed the pictures along the wall a little deeper.


    The shadow men were twisted and evil but they seemed to need to feed and whenever they were drawn on the wall, dead bodies always followed. Then a single holy man with a black bird on his shoulder walked out into the desert. The man walked far from everyone till he came to the mountains in the west. There in the forest, next to a mighty river he was confronted by a great wolf. The wolf was grey in color and stood shoulder to shoulder with the mountains around him. The wise man knelt and sliced his chest open with his knife. The wolf howled towards the full moon and then attacked the man. The two struggled for days, until only the man was shown walking out of the forest with the setting sun on his back. Then that night, under the bright clear full moon, only the great grey wolf was shown howling into the heavens.


    The last picture that William saw in the cave, was of a single wolf, a great protector, as large as the mountains from which he came, facing down three shadows which reached towards the heavens to blot out the light of the moon itself.


    William shown his flashlight ahead of himself. He took a few steps deeper into the cave. He shown the flashlight all over the place. There had to be more, there had to be. What had happened? He searched for a long time, maybe an hour or so, looking deeper and deeper into the cave, retracing his steps, following the story again to see if he missed anything. But there was nothing more, only the great wolf facing down the three shadows.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    He sat down heavily and heaved a weary sigh. He hadn¡¯t found the City Under the Clouds but he had found something that might be more valuable and interesting. He wanted to know what had happened. Where had the moon people gone? Why had they helped the people of the earth? Who were the fire haired giants? His head swam with so many questions but he was tired. He needed to get back and tell the others what he had found.


    He backtracked to the mouth of the cave and stepping outside, looked up into the darkness, as a new moon shrouded in the night sky was drowned by the billions of stars that draped the night sky. He reached out and touched the side of the cave. Closing his eyes he pushed the membrane and slipped into the Whyte Plain.


    It was only a short trip but even as he took his first step, he knew something was wrong. The darkness pushed in on him oppressively and he reflexively dropped his pack and shifted into werewolf form.


    He looked around straining to see in all directions, but not even his enhanced wolf sight could penetrate the shadows and darkness that pressed around him. He inhaled deeply but he couldn¡¯t smell anything either. Then the coldness came and his claws swiped out reflexively at the attacking Shadow.


    It swirled around his claws and wrapped around him. William twisted his body and flung his claws out in a vicious arc. The formless shade seemed to smile at his attack and came in again, slipping under and around William¡¯s defenses. The chill from the formless foe was seeping deep into his body. He had felt it before, but he had been much younger then.


    Growling deep in his throat he dove backwards and rolled onto the ground landing in a crouch. The maneuver gave him some separation but the Shadow wasn¡¯t about to give up its advantage so easily. It seemed to grow then pulse towards him with impossible speed. William smiled and dove towards the thing head first with claws outstretched and pierced the center of the shapeless mass. He then ripped his claws outward violently, spreading the shadow like smoke.


    The shade was injured. It pulled back as a piercing inhuman wail met William¡¯s ears. William knew that the wail was one of pain but also a call for reinforcements. He had been traveling this short distance of the Whyte Plain for about two weeks now. He should have known that his passing wouldn¡¯t go unnoticed forever.


    Turning quickly, he ran and, grabbing his backpack in his claws, sprinted for the spot that would let him immerge back in their pack¡¯s apartment. The shadow must have suspected something because as he ran he felt the shade reach out and wrap itself around his legs, or at least try to.


    William growled and sprinted faster as he pivoted and slashed out with his claws driving the shadow back momentarily. This wasn¡¯t a fight to the death, but one of attrition. William wasn¡¯t interested in winning today. And there was no telling when this thing¡¯s friends would show up. He had to get out.


    Turning back around, he opened his stride and pushed himself at full speed towards the spot that symbolized safety and the outside world. He got there and pushing at the membrane¡­ stumbled forward, and crashed hard into the back wall of the apartment.

 Book 6 Chapter 2a

    ¡°What the hell?!¡± Nicolas asked jumping up from his seat on a chair.


    Katherine and Charles were right behind him, ¡°Will?¡± They both asked in unison, concern apparent in both their voices.


    Katherine continued, ¡°Are you alright? What happened?¡±


    William, steadied himself as he dropped the back pack on the floor. ¡°Um, sorry guys. I lost the flashlight.¡±


    ¡°It was the Shadows, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Charles asked evenly.


    William nodded, ¡°Look, we knew that eventually they would key off me using the Whyte Plain so much in the same area over and over again. It was just a matter of time.¡±


    ¡°So, what do we do now? It¡¯s going to be too dangerous for you to use the Whyte Plain to explore the mountains anymore, at least for a while,¡± Nicolas said. ¡°Did you find anything useful?¡±


    The last may have been a bit harsher than William would have liked, as if the shorter man was accusing him of something. That somehow this was his fault. But that could just be him reading too much into it. ¡°Actually, yeah I did.¡±


    William sat down and told them everything he had seen. He described the paintings in as much detail as he could, and what he thought they meant. He told the story that he had pieced together from the paintings, the moon people, the flame haired giants, the shadows that killed, and the holy man who changed into a giant wolf under the light of the full moon.


    After he finished, his pack mates sat in silence not sure what to make of the story William had just related back to them.


    ¡°It may have helped if I could see those symbols and writing that you described,¡± Katherine said. ¡°It might be in a language that we may at the very least, be able to identify, if not necessarily able to translate or read. The writing could tell us who made the paintings you described or what civilization or what time era they belonged to.¡±


    ¡°If what you are saying is accurate, and I¡¯m not saying that it isn¡¯t, my friend,¡± Charles said thoughtfully, ¡°the only place that I can think of offhand, that has a desert to the east of a mountain range, would be the southwest region of the United States.¡±


    Nicolas spoke up, ¡°New Mexico is the place that has that, um¡­ you know? The um, those big spires out in the middle of nowhere? You know the place that is in just about every western? They come out of the ground but they¡¯re not part of a mountain range, right?¡±


    William looked questioningly at him, ¡°What do you mean, ¡®coming out of the ground?¡±Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    Nicolas shot him a look, ¡°Come on you guys, you know? The big spires that come out of the ground like big rocks, they¡¯re hundreds of feet high? There¡¯s a few of them out there? They¡¯re in every western, just about?¡± He looked helplessly at his pack mates. He knew what he was talking about but he didn¡¯t know what the place was called or how else to describe them.


    ¡°Do you mean Monument Valley?¡± Charles asked.


    Nicolas looked relieved and smiled, ¡°Yes! That¡¯s the place out in New Mexico, right?¡±


    Charles nodded, ¡°yes Monument Valley is in New Mexico, and that would be a desert region, but I don¡¯t think you can see the Sierra Nevada mountain range from there.¡±


    ¡°No, you can¡¯t, but remember Charles,¡± Katherine said patiently, ¡°cave paintings are just as much about symbolism as they are about how things that actually happened. Maybe they didn¡¯t live in Monument Valley, but if they did live in the southwest region of the US, then they would have been aware of the mountains, which were many days ride from where they lived. And if we are talking about the southwest then we might also assume that whoever made those paintings were either from there or knew a great deal about the people that did. Which means, the paintings may have a very strong relation to the Native Americans who lived in that region, the Navajo and Hopi nations.¡±


    ¡°I aint never heard of the Hoppies,¡± Nicolas scoffed, ¡°Who the hell are they?¡±


    ¡°I have to agree with Nic on this,¡± William said, ¡°Who are they and what do they have to do with the Himalayas?¡±


    Katherine smiled and shook her head, ¡°You boys never studied much, did you?¡± she asked playfully. ¡°Unfortunately, I don¡¯t know much myself except for the name. I know that they, like most of the other nations have a pretty rich and very interesting mythology about a lot of things, but specifics I can¡¯t really remember, and I doubt that we could really look up anything terribly useful about Native American tribes here in India, aside from what we can pull up online.¡±


    She stood up and stretched a little. ¡°As for what they have to do with the Himalayas, don¡¯t you guys know that all Native American tribes came from a mixture of two different Asian cultures? And then they crossed the Bearing Straight when it was frozen over in an ice age to get to America in the first place?¡±


    ¡°Well yeah,¡± Nicolas replied defensively, ¡°everyone in the US knows that. I did pay attention in school¡­sometimes,¡± he added with a goofy half smile. ¡°Ok, so that¡¯s all well and good. We have a couple of wall paintings that William found, which may or may not have something to do with Native Americans. So, how does that help us again?¡±


    The pack members looked around at each other, ¡°It means that one of us at least,¡± Charles said slowly, ¡°is going to go to the American Southwest and get in touch with some of these Hopi, or Navajo tribesmen and see if they have any connections to Shape shifters at all. And if so, then try to track them down and ask if they would help us with our cause and our fight against Kenneth and his vampire House.¡±


    Nicolas piped up with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ll go! Anything to get me out of this shit hole.¡±


    William almost responded when the front door opened and Ansuya led Aceso inside the apartment. As she tightly shut the door behind her, Aceso shifted into her werewolf form and crossed her arms over her chest. She was not taking the indignity of being treated by a dog any better now then she had when Ansuya had first taken the pack outside the mountain so long ago.


    Ansuya sat down calmly and looked up at the group around her. ¡°What was Nicolas saying about this place being a ¡®shit hole¡¯? I believe is the term you used Nicolas?¡±

 Book 6 Chapter 2b

    The brown eyed man reached up and ran his hands through his short blond hair. He had acted very cautiously around Ansuya, ever since he had found Chelsea. There was a respect or a fear of what Ansuya was capable of and he always seemed nervous around her. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean anything by it I was just saying that it would be nice for me to get out for a bit like everyone else.¡±


    Ansuya arched an eyebrow, ¡°And why would you need to go anywhere? Haven¡¯t we discussed your role here numerous times? Do I need to explain to you again as to why you are needed here and not out with the others?¡±


    ¡°Well yeah, no I get that,¡± Nicolas stammered a bit, ¡°but see, Will found these cave paintings up in the mountains and Charles and Katherine thinks that there might be a connection between the paintings and some Native Americans. So, if Setford and everybody needs to keep searching here than maybe I can go back to America and check that out.¡±


    Ansuya¡¯s eyebrows raised in surprise, ¡°Cave paintings? Tell me what you found, William.¡± So for the second time William relayed all the information that had gleaned from the cave paintings.


    ¡°He also had a run in with Shadows,¡± Nicolas mentioned offhandedly as William finished.


    Ansuya didn¡¯t seem surprised by that at all. She just calmly nodded. ¡°That¡¯s not unexpected. Huan Li and I had hoped that our luck would hold for a while longer, we will just have to deal with them, as we always have.¡± She paused looking off into the distance. Gently pinching her lip, she muttered something under her breath. Aceso caught her mention something about the, ¡°trail of myth and legends.¡±


    She brought herself out of her reverie and looked at the group. ¡°I must go discuss this with Huan. For now, keep doing as you were, except for you William, I want you to stay out of the Whyte Plain for the time being.¡± William nodded. With that Ansuya rose from the couch, as graceful as a dancer, and left the pack alone in the apartment.


    ¡°What the hell was all that about?¡± Nicolas spat. ¡°What the hell was she muttering to herself? Something about legends? Is that why we¡¯re here? Chasing down rumors and myths?¡± He threw his arms up into the air and turned around in place in frustration. ¡°That¡¯s great, I mean that¡¯s just great! Hey you, boy! Go find me a leprechaun next, or maybe go hunt down me lucky charms!¡±


    ¡°You can be so insufferable some times,¡± Aceso barked, instantly silencing the Scout. ¡°Why do you think we¡¯re here, in India?¡±


    ¡°Looking for other forms or species of were-animals, and to recruit them to our cause,¡± said Charles matter-of-factly.


    Nicolas scratched his head, ¡°Did I miss a meeting or something?¡±Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    ¡°No, you just never pay attention,¡± Katherine said harshly, ¡°Why do you think we¡¯ve been going out all the time? Why do you think Will has been up in those mountains?¡±


    ¡°You know,¡± Nicolas said noticeably more calm than he had been a few moments ago, ¡°A few years ago I would have said werewolves were a myth. Guess anything¡¯s possible. So, what have you guys been doing? Found anything interesting? Any leads? Rumors? Any rainbows leading you to a pot of gold? I mean I¡¯m real, why can¡¯t Lucky and his pot of gold be real?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous, Nicolas,¡± Aceso said with a sneer. ¡°Leprechauns aren¡¯t real, any more than unicorns and the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. But there are stories, tales passed down by us wolf born of the cousins that were wiped out or disappeared a thousand years ago, or more. That¡¯s where I¡¯ve been, explaining to our two remaining Elders everything I, and the other remaining wolf born, know about those tales and the possible clues that might lead us to other Shape shifters, both animal and humans alike.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Katherine began, ¡°all me and Charles have been able to find are some stories and some old books and some old English newspapers claiming children were kidnapped by animals in the night.¡± Katherine shot a glare at Nicolas, ¡°And if you make a ¡®dingo ate my baby¡¯ joke Nicolas, I swear I¡¯m going to punch you.¡± The Scout just smiled and shook his head looking back at her with a ¡®who me?¡¯ look. Katherine scoffed audibly and continued, ¡°Weretigers are still spoken about openly here in India but nothing beyond stories to scare children it seems like.¡±


    ¡°It sucks that we don¡¯t have anyone in our group who speaks Hindu,¡± William said. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Charles responded, ¡°I think you mean ¡®Hindi¡¯, Hindu is the locak Pagen religion, Hindi is the language.¡±


    William sat down heavily and looked over at Charles. Instead of responding to being corrected he asked, ¡°What have you found on that slow-as-hell brick we are calling a computer?¡±


    ¡°Honestly? Not a whole lot,¡± the dark-skinned man replied. ¡°There seems to be a very healthy source of lore and legends and even some recent stories surrounding the werehyenas in Africa, weretigers here in India, werewolves all over the place, and a few mentioning of werebears in Scandinavia, though I have found more information from some video game than anything else. Of course, there is the men who were changed into pigs in ancient Greece by the Goddess Circe, but there aren¡¯t any other real examples of shapeshifting pigs.¡±


    ¡°Lot of help they¡¯d be in a fight anyway.¡± Nicolas snorted, ¡°What would they do, just roll around in their sty? Trying to snort Kenneth to death?¡±


    Charles continued with a mild head shake, ¡°Other than that though, the stories and legends to be found online are fairly slim.¡±


    ¡°All the information of the world at your fingertips,¡± mused William, ¡°and all the crap that goes with it.¡±


    ¡°Well all we have to do now is find some of these Indian weretigers and ask if they want to come with us back to California and kick some vampire ass,¡± Nicolas said sarcastically, all except for that last part. ¡°I want a piece of whoever thought they could attack me and just get away with it.¡±


    ¡°By now,¡± Charles said, ¡°Kenneth would have gained a firm grip over his House. He will not be unseated easily. Not to mention that the other Houses, no matter how much they hate each other, will come to his aid against any open attack by us. We need more allies and we don¡¯t know just how badly, if at all, we hurt the vampires on our way out.¡±

 Book 6 Chapter 2c

    This slid a blanket of quiet over the group. They all remembered what had happened the last time they had been in their city. The fighting, the smoke, the fires, and the blood of the dead. It was the first time William had seen anything like it. He had killed before and he wasn¡¯t a coward, but that nightmare was something that he would give anything to not have had to experience. But it had happened, and there was nothing he could do about that. Looking around the room the rest of his pack were remembering similar things. Their comrades, those who had given their lives for the protection of the City Under the Mountain would be avenged. There was no doubt in his mind about that.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m going to get some sleep, goodnight¡± William said as he turned to go back to his couch.


    ¡°Wait, what do you mean, ¡®goodnight¡¯?¡± asked Katherine. ¡°How can you sleep?¡±


    ¡°Very easily,¡± replied William, ¡°Besides I have an early morning tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Why,¡± asked Nicolas, ¡°Did you get a job that the rest of us don¡¯t know about?¡±


    ¡°No, I have some things to do tomorrow is all.¡±


    ¡°Like what?¡± asked Nicolas.


    William smiled casually, ¡°Well that is a question isn¡¯t it?¡± With that he turned and collapsed on his couch.


    The rest of the pack stared at each other for a moment. ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s it,¡± Nicolas said. ¡°I¡¯m going to go to sleep too, then.¡± And with that the rest of the pack slipped off to their various spots to sleep for the night.


    That night, several hours before the sun rose, William found his eyes opening. He quietly rose and gathered his stuff in his pack. He couldn¡¯t stay here anymore; he had to do something and if those cave paintings were some artifact from the City Under the Clouds then he would take it upon himself to go to America and see what he could learn from these Native tribes and possibly find the ally that they were seeking.


    He didn¡¯t begrudge what Katherine and Charles were doing. It was very possible that Katherine could find one or two weretigers, or whatever thye would call themselves, and maybe what Charles was saying was also right, although the idea of a werebear was pretty ridiculous, still werehyenas might exist.


    He crept out of the apartment and closing the door silently behind him he turned to leave and ran right smack dab into Ansuya.


    ¡°Going somewhere, William,¡± she asked.


    ¡°Uh¡­no, no, not at all. I mean what would give you that idea,¡± William responded awkwardly.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ¡°It¡¯s before daylight for one, and the packed bag on your shoulder is a pretty big clue as well.¡± She looked sideways at him. ¡°Awaken your pack, we have plans to discuss.¡± Without another word Ansuya glided down the staircase.


    William watched her leave for a few moments, just standing there. And not for the first time since meeting the brown skinned woman he seriously wondered if, along with all her other talents, she really could read people¡¯s minds.


    William walked back into his apartment and turned on the small light in the bathroom.


    ¡°Hey, turn the damn light off!¡± Nicolas tiredly yelled toward the light, ¡°Some of us are trying to sleep¡±


    William shook his head apologetically, ¡°I¡¯m sorry Nic, but we¡¯ve been summoned, all of us.¡±


    ¡°Summoned?¡± Charles asked, ¡°Then the Elders have decided.¡±


    ¡°Decided what?¡± Nicolas spat, ¡°All the old man and Ansuya do is sit, drink chai, and talk. I don¡¯t know if they are even capable of making a decision that wasn¡¯t the worst fucking decision of all time.¡± He pushed himself up onto his elbow. ¡°And why can¡¯t this wait till morning, at least?¡±


    The rest of the pack ignored him and got themselves ready. With grumbling that was endless, Nicolas got up and followed suit.


    When they were ready, they walked outside into the sticky warmth of the humid Indian air. It clung to them like a fine film, and it never came off. It was worse in the early morning or evening. When it was supposed to be cool, the oppressive heat clung to them and made their clothes stick to their bodies. As they made their way to the ground floor all of them were slick with a fine layer of sweat.


    ¡°Say what you want, I never felt this grungy in the Mountain,¡± Katherine commented dryly.


    William and Charles nodded. It was miserable here. It was early enough, that the new moon still hung in the sky, not that it mattered. The street lights drown out most of the stars anyway. Still, dawn was several hours away.


    They entered the large walled in meeting area. It was a simple courtyard of a neighboring house that they had ¡®borrowed¡¯ from time to time. The owner of the house didn¡¯t seem to mind having a large group of people and their dogs in there in the early morning. William wondered if Ansuya, being Indian herself, might have had something to do with that. Or if it was more of a Tracker thing.


    The other packs, what was left of them, were also gathering, ¡°It¡¯s nice not being the last ones to show up every once in a while,¡± William said to Charles with a half-smile. William was a little nervous about this sudden meeting. This had to have something to do with the cave paintings he found in the mountains.


    The other packs crowded tightly into the courtyard. The wolf born silently stalked in and sat on their haunches near their respective packs. None of them looked particularly happy about it. Aceso was not unique in her displeasure of being paraded around as a dog, unable to shift into werewolf form.


    Physis and Ares were silently sitting near the center of the group near Ansuya. As the only survivors of their pack, it would fall to them to either seek acceptance into another group not yet a full pack, or form a new pack themselves. That would probably mean that they would have to wait till four new recruits were placed together in a pack they could join. Or Ares or Physis would take on the role of Alpha and be given new recruits or other survivors to create an all new pack. William remembered what Ares had told William on that subject. Ares had never wanted to be alpha. But right now, they needed leaders and alphas to reconstitute their lost numbers. Ares may be forced to take on the responsibility of alpha, whether he wanted to or not.

 Book 6 Chapter 2d

    William was brought out of his mental wanderings when he actually looked at the brown skinned woman standing next to them. He couldn¡¯t help but be a bit stunned at the sight of her. She was wearing a deep green saree that covered her body from neck to foot. A long piece of cloth that hung off the saree was slung over her left arm. The pattern was of some leaved branches going down her front left side. The whole of the outfit was trimmed with crimson red. The texture of the pattern was intricate but simple as well. She was wearing earrings that hung maybe an inch and half to two inches down from her earlobes and they were made of rounded pieces of green stone, probably jade. Her long black hair was tied loosely behind her in a single braid that she had slung over her right shoulder. Her face was serene but her eyes were focused and intense. And it looked as if the heat didn¡¯t touch her at all, she looked as cool as if they were all still in the cool underground of their City. Not for the first time, William couldn¡¯t help but acknowledge just how beautiful the older woman was.


    Huan Li spoke quietly into the gathered crowd which was silenced instantly by his softly spoken words, ¡°My friends,¡± he began. Then looking down at the pavement said in an even softer voice, ¡°My family.¡± Looking back up he continued, ¡°We have recently been informed of a significant discovery made in the mountains by William.¡± Huan Li nodded in William¡¯s direction as others turned their eyes on him.


    ¡°This discovery has opened more mysteries than answers, but in those mysteries may in-lie the answers to the riddle in which you have all been so diligently chasing these past few weeks.¡±


    ¡°What have we been looking for? Old wives tales and legends?¡± Aiman asked quietly. ¡°We have known allies to call upon, Elder Huan. We don¡¯t need the false hope of myths when we have flesh and blood ready to aid us.¡±


    In his wolf form Ares couldn¡¯t speak, but he bared his teeth silently at the younger man. The fallacies of youth and the cynicism of the human born. Have they learned nothing from the past few months? He knew what the fall of the Mountain really meant. It could have been, and may still be the beginning of the end of everything. We lost too many people. It will take decades, and maybe even a century or two, to completely rebuild what we lost in a single day. ¡®Legends and Lore¡¯ is how Huan Li spoke of it, and it may be their only hope.


    Ansuya gently placed one calm hand softly on Ares head between his ears. The wolf calmed himself and regained his composure.


    ¡°Our friends from the City Under the Sand, and the City Under the Rock will aid us, Aiman,¡± Ansuya said. ¡°But not even their aid, such that it is promised, will be enough to retake what we have lost. We can never again return to our mountain. It¡¯s too dangerous there and the war that we must now wage against the vampires will be far more perilous than any of you yet know.¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°Wait? What do you mean by that, Ansuya?¡± Keva asked with a sideways glance.


    ¡°What she means is that the vampires, a few at least, have rediscovered the technique of dominating wolves and bringing them under their complete control,¡± replied Charles calmly. ¡°Aceso, William, Katherine, Nicolas, and I were engaged by a group of vampires several months before the attack and they had wolf allies with them that attacked us on sight. Not even Aceso could calm them, and as we all know, wolves cannot be trained.¡±


    This caused a bit of a stir among the group.


    ¡°Why is this the first time we are hearing about this?¡± Billy asked suddenly.


    The gunsmith was wearing his usual jeans and t-shirt. He had let his brown hair grow out a bit since the last time William really interacted with the man. His usual sense of humor, while strange, was always apparent and a smile came easily to the man¡¯s lips. However, the serious man who asked the question was a stark contrast to the man who had startled William in the bathroom, sitting on the toilet in werewolf form so long ago.


    ¡°Because they didn¡¯t feel it was necessary to tell us,¡± Keva spat.


    The green eyed woman stood defiantly with her pale arms crossed beneath her breasts. Her red hair was tied behind her in a high pony tail. She was sweating just as much as the rest of them. Her stance reminded William very much of what she looked like just before she had shifted and attacked him. William found himself clenching his jaw. He was suddenly very sure that soon the courtyard would be filled with werewolves trying to tear each other apart. The following comments did nothing to alleviate his apprehension.


    ¡°I mean, it¡¯s only something that at least the wolf born should know. But who are we? We¡¯re only here to serve the Elders and die for them. We¡¯re the ones who fucking bleed and they get to tell us what to do. It¡¯s a great arrangement for them. Talk about social equality.¡±


    ¡°That is enough!¡± Acharya said suddenly and sternly.


    The Alpha of his pack left no room for any rebuttal in his tone. The man¡¯s stature was average at best, five foot ten, five foot eleven or so William guessed. But the man had a way of seeming to be much taller than that. His black eyes were once kind and always ready to smile. But just like with Billy, the man¡¯s eyes had become hard, almost cold, since the attack. He wore a loose light shirt, very similar to what he had seen many men wear throughout the city. His slacks were well fitted. And, like Ansuya, his brown skin seemed to not be sweating, even in this oppressive heat.


    Keva looked over at the man with raised eyebrows. A smile turned up the corners of her mouth, ¡°Trying to get some brownie points there, Acharya?¡±


    ¡°The only one grandstanding here is you, Keva,¡± Mary Johansson said coldly.


    The relatively tall black skinned woman was standing in a very uncharacteristic aggressive stance. Her hair was cut a lot shorter than he remembered it. It hung straight down well above her shoulders. William supposed that it was the heat that may have made her change her style. Then again, he hadn¡¯t seen much of Acharya¡¯s pack, she may have changed it months ago and he had just never noticed. The black woman was a Scout but she looked like she would have no problem attacking the shorter redheaded woman if she said another word.


    ¡°Enough, all of you!¡± Ansuya said in a curt voice that brought everyone¡¯s attention to her immediately. ¡°We don¡¯t have time for this.¡± Her deep brown eyes burned as she stared down the red-haired woman, daring her to say anything.

 Book 6 Chapter 2e

    Keva, for once in her life, took the hint and remained silent. William, not for the first time, marveled at how she had been able to gain the loyalty of her pack and become alpha. Keva was capable, he had never doubted that. But she was a hot head, more apt to throw a punch then stop and think about what she was doing. He couldn¡¯t help but remember that other night, in his room, when she had tried to seduce him. If it hadn¡¯t been for Aceso intervening, she would have succeeded. He could really do without the woman and her bullshit. Her pack knew her and trusted her, but he never would.


    Huan Li spoke, taking control of the gathering instantly, ¡°It is true, the vampires have not been idle in their time.¡±


    The old Chinese man looked very tired all of a sudden. As of the weight of everything that had happened had suddenly crashed down on his shoulders. To William¡¯s eyes, he looked frail and brittle, like a strong wind could knock him down. He had lost a bit of weight as well, his once well-fitting slacks and button up shirt hung off of his shoulders and hips raggedly. His bald head was shiny with sweat. He took a deep breath and the frail fa?ade fell away. Huan Li stood up straight and it seemed as if the man¡¯s strength had returned. Gone was the feeling of the brittle, fragile old man.


    He continued in a much stronger voice commanding those around him as he had done under the Mountain. ¡°The vampires have ambition and a leader who is hungry for our destruction. There is no telling what Kenneth has his House bent upon as he prepares for our return.¡±


    Huan Li looked around the group, sizing up each and every Shape shifter standing around him. ¡°But we have used our time to our advantage as well. Have our Scouts not regained a better control of their ancient and thought to be lost abilities of prognostication?¡±


    The group nodded as an infectious confidence seemed to ripple through them. Even Keva nodded in agreement.


    ¡°The new information that we have discovered has given us new leads. We will all soon leave this place and when we do, you will take your packs and travel to locations around the world. Each pack will have a very specific task.¡±


    This caused a bit of a stir and a rumbling from the gathered crowd.


    ¡°How long will each pack be on their own?¡± Ryan Yamamoto asked. The somewhat shorter black haired Asian man stood silently next to Billy. His brown eyes were serious as always.


    ¡°I do not know,¡± Huan Li answered frankly. ¡°If we fail in our mission we may never come together as one whole again.¡±


    This was answered by a few shocked gasps. But no one spoke. Everyone seemed to be waiting for something.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    ¡°What about me?¡±


    William turned to see the owner of the voice. Amanda Miller stood there quietly waiting for an answer to her question. He father, Elder Jacob Miller, had been killed in the attack on the Mountain and Amanda hadn¡¯t mentioned her mother much. Her long black hair was very indicative of her Native American heritage though. When he had first met her she seemed to be a very fiery, head strong teenager. Looking at her now, she had matured in the year or two since she had cared for William when he first came to the Mountain. She had come into her own and now she was demanding answers from the two remaining Elders.


    Huan Li didn¡¯t answer her question as a strange expression crossed his face. He turned to Ansuya quickly and whispered something to her.


    ¡°Ryan, we need you now.¡± She said sternly brokering no arguments. The Asian Healer nodded looking around wondering what had just happened.


    Huan Li offered his hand to the young woman, ¡°Amanda come with us, please.¡±


    The two elders and the Healer flanked Amanda, and left the courtyard quickly.


    William stood there. The rest of the group shifted from foot to foot. No one had any idea what had just happened. They were in the middle of a meeting then Huan Li just grabs the girl for asking a question? That was crazy. Obviously Huan Li wasn¡¯t a Gestapo and Ansuya wouldn¡¯t condone anything like that anyway. Still, it was just plain weird.


    ¡°OK, so now what?¡± Nicolas asked to no one in particular.


    Keva shrugged her shoulders, ¡°I don¡¯t know. Acharya? You got any bright ideas?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t the Sage, Alpha of his pack, that answered her, it was his Tracker Malikah Samadi who responded. ¡°We wait for the Elders to return. Huan Li hasn¡¯t let us down or abandoned us before and I don¡¯t believe that he will do so now.¡±


    The tall woman had let her highlights grow out, letting her natural brown hair remain. Her fake breasts still stuck out from her chest, but she seemed to be more comfortable with herself. William had expected the Persian woman to start wearing makeup and lipstick again, and maybe she had, but tonight she went without it. The Tracker seemed to be much more confident now than at any other time he had seen her. No one seemed to want to protest or contradict her.


    The courtyard was filled with soft murmurs and some shifting feet as the packs quietly commented to themselves on what had just happened.


    Aceso was staring right at Ares and Physis across the small courtyard. The almost all brown furred wolf seemed to nod toward Aceso. Physis looked up into the sky and nudged her mate.


    William looked up into the still dark night sky. He could see almost no stars, let alone the new moon that he knew was there.


    ¡°How old is Amanda? Does anyone know?¡± Tara Kitcheyan asked.


    The Apache native woman was wearing a saree she had picked up. It wasn¡¯t as intricate as what Ansuya had been wearing. It was a simple design of solid light purple with gold trim. Her long chestnut brown hair hung loosely down her back to her waist.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, around twenty or so I guess,¡± Acharya answered off handedly.


    The answer to their questions dawned on William only a moment or two before the rest of the group seemed to have the same understanding. The reason Huan Li had looked at her with almost shock was because Amanda was twenty years old, roughly. William looked up into the night sky reflexively, even though he knew he couldn¡¯t see the moon. He knew that a new Shape shifter was to be born this night. She would be a Healer, reborn under the new moon.


    William looked down at Aceso. Their alpha was a Healer, as was Achelois. It seemed too impossible to be just simple coincidence.

 Book 6 Chapter 2f

    A sudden scream of pain and fear ripped out from somewhere nearby. The shriek startled William and he jumped a bit. Nicolas didn¡¯t seem to notice or laugh at him as he was scanning the nearby roofs trying to locate where the scream had come from.


    Aceso cocked her head to the side listening. Her wolf ears, as well as all the other wolf born there, could hear the frantic pained breathing and gasps of the woman who was going through the pain and fire of rebirth that they had all experienced.


    That¡¯s why Ansuya had asked for Ryan to accompany them. William had been very lucky and had survived his rebirth without the help of any Healers. Ares had mentioned it was rare that anyone survived that without the aid of a Healer. He remembered Ares story of the night he had been reborn. His wolf mind terrified and in such pain it made death a wanted release.


    William looked over at his former teacher. The brown wolf nuzzled his mate. He couldn¡¯t fully understand what his wolf mind must have been going through. He couldn¡¯t have been made to understand what was happening to him. Amanda at least had been preparing for this eventuality for a while. She knew what was happening, not that that made the pain of this first transformation any easier to bare. After all William had seen, his own survival was something that he thanked the gods for constantly.


    Another pain filled cry ripped through the night. This one was answered by some activity from the surrounding buildings. William and company was suddenly very nervous about being outside and in such a large group. But running for their apartments would be even more suspicious. They would just have to sit and wait.


    After another few minutes and one more exhausted gasping scream, the night returned to silence.


    The wolves around them seemed to calm down. Physis laid down on the ground and Ares followed suit laying his head over his mate¡¯s neck. William breathed a little easier as the rest of the humans seemed to relax as well.


    The activity that they had heard when Amanda had screamed seemed to cease as well. Well, if I ever get raped here it¡¯s nice to know no one will give a damn about it.


    Maybe that wasn¡¯t fair. In this particular case, no one coming to investigate the screams of a young woman was advantageous for them. But is that really how people were? Someone screams and everyone around within hearing distance does their damndest to ignore that anything wrong is happening at all? He had always known that going off to his forest was the best thing that he could have done. The more time he spent around humanity and civilization the more he was proven right to have wanted to isolate himself from other people.


    It wasn¡¯t long before Ansuya and Ryan came back into the courtyard. Huan Li and Amanda was nowhere to be seen however. Ryan rejoined his pack and Ansuya addressed the group.


    ¡°Amanda is alright and we have another Shape shifter to add to our numbers.¡± She looked directly at Aceso, ¡°Aceso bring your pack.¡± Looking up at the rest of the gathered people she said, ¡°The rest of you, go back to your rooms. Later today you will know what your tasks will be and where you will be expected to go. If this is the last time, we see each other as a whole remember the bond we all share, and know that so long as even one of us remains alive, the Mountain will be avenged. You¡¯re dismissed.¡± With that she silently motioned to Aceso to follow her as she disappeared the way she had come.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    William looked at Charles and Katherine and followed their alpha and the Elder. His mind was spinning with what he had just heard. The possibility of death for the rest of the remaining group was something that he didn¡¯t even want to think about, let alone admit that it was a possibility. From how Huan Li and Ansuya were talking, not only was it a possibility, but it was likely that a lot of their remaining number would die before this was all settled.


    He felt numb and a little hollow as he followed Ansuya and Aceso. He didn¡¯t want to speak and no one else seemed to be in a talking mood either. Even Nicolas¡¯ eyes were focused on the ground in front of him. The question of why they were picked out of the few remaining packs to follow Ansuya didn¡¯t even enter his mind.


    They were brought to a spacious apartment. The furniture was comfortable looking and it was a fair sight cleaner and smelled better than the apartment that his pack was sharing.


    A werewolf was standing against the far wall, looking out into the night. She was pretty tall, almost seven feet in fact if he guessed right. Her whole body was covered in dark brown fur with streaks of silver running vertically along her body. Her ears were pointed straight up and swiveled back as the group entered the room. She turned towards them slowly as her golden eyes looked first at Aceso, then at William.


    ¡°Come in, please sit down all of you,¡± Huan Li said gesturing towards the various seats and couches in the apartment.


    The group did as they were asked, even Amanda moved away from the wall and gingerly sat down in a very sturdy looking leather chair that was close to her.


    ¡°Amanda is to join our pack, isn¡¯t she?¡± Charles asked quietly.


    Amanda looked at him and shrugged her shoulders.


    ¡°Yes, that is exactly why you are here,¡± answered Huan Li. ¡°Amanda will join you.¡± He turned toward Amanda, ¡°Amanda, you will follow Aceso¡¯s lead and take orders from her.¡± Amanda simply nodded.


    ¡°You could have told her all this by herself,¡± Nicolas said. ¡°We were never brought together like this. We were just kind of thrown in together. What¡¯s the big deal?¡±


    ¡°The big deal,¡± Ansuya answered, ¡°is that you will all have to train Amanda on your travels. All of you were given the opportunity to learn with your various instructors for a given time.¡± She paused before continuing, ¡°We haven¡¯t given a pack an untrained Shape shifter since before even I was reborn.¡± She took in the whole room looking at each and every one of them with her dark brown eyes.


    William felt a familiar weight when she looked at him. He had felt that weight when he first came to the mountain. Every Shape shifter¡¯s gaze brought a pressure when he looked into their eyes, a weight that could be felt in his very being. Now that weight was leveled at him again. He felt it, but it wasn¡¯t crushing him the way it had. Another sign of just how much he had learned and changed since coming to the Mountain.


    Ansuya continued, ¡°You will all have to look out for each other, now more than ever. You are still very young but Amanda, being a Healer, will complete your pack.¡± She pointedly looked at Nicolas. ¡°I suggest you stay here and train her to shift between forms. If the five of you can¡¯t manage that, then you have a better chance of opening up a spice store down the street.¡± With that Ansuya turned and exited the apartment with Huan following after.

 Book 6 Chapter 3

    William woke up slowly. His whole body felt sore for some reason and his arms and legs ached as he moved them. He rolled off his couch and crouching on the floor on all fours slowly stood up.


    Yesterday was still a blur to him. He had woken up early with every intention to go to America and try to track down some Navajo or Hopi Natives and see what they would be willing to tell him about Shape shifters, werewolves, or maybe something darker, something that he didn¡¯t fully understand and was pretty scared to even ask about actually. But instead of doing any of that, he had been steamrolled by Ansuya and they had had that meeting in the courtyard and oh yeah, Amanda Miller was now a part of their pack.


    They had just been given the task to train this young woman with no warning or anything. They had to train her to shift forms. It had taken him days to figure out how to shift between forms and he nearly killed himself doing it by starving to death. Everyone had their own tricks and tips. Turns out Amanda had been better prepared than any of them really knew and she had very little trouble shifting between forms. Getting her clothes attuned to her so she could shift back and forth without being naked, or ripping them to shreds, was also easier than he suspected.


    Come to think of it, everything had gone pretty smoothly. So why did he feel like he had done some serious exercise yesterday? He shook his head to clear it a bit and went to the bathroom. Finishing up and coming back out, the place was just starting to get up and start moving.


    ¡°So, when do we leave, fearless leader?¡± Nicolas asked.


    Aceso, in her werewolf form, answered, ¡°As soon as we¡¯re ready.¡±


    William remembered the meeting they had had late last night with Ansuya. The Elder had walked in and told them that she would be accompanying them to the American Southwest. Huan Li would be going with Keva¡¯s pack to Scandinavia.


    William was a little surprised by that. Why had Ansuya wanted to go with them? Did she not trust the six of them? Was it because of Amanda?


    William looked over at her. She had been very quiet since yesterday. And now she was still sitting quietly, not wanting to speak, and making no effort to engage those around her.


    He could relate to that. Or maybe he couldn¡¯t. She had been preparing for this eventuality for a long time. But preparing for something and having it actually happen were two very different things. Her whole life had changed. She wasn¡¯t unique in that, they all had to deal with being different and finding out that they could never go back to being ¡®normal¡¯. He figured she just needed some time.


    ¡°Where is Ansuya?¡± Katherine asked looking around. Amanda just shrugged her shoulders and William shook his head.


    ¡°Regardless,¡± Aceso said, ¡°we should be ready to go by the time she gets here.¡± Aceso stood there and said very somberly, ¡°Everyone, I have something to say.¡± The activity in the apartment stopped. Even Nicolas respectfully stopped shoving things into his pack. ¡°When we leave, the shadows will be waiting for us. We won¡¯t know how many of them will be there.¡± The group nodded, Aceso continued, ¡°I have not said this but I feel I need to. You have been everything that I have expected a pack to be and so much more. I am so proud to be your Alpha.¡±Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    William waited for more to follow, but Aceso just smiled and went back to filling the pack with some canned food and water. Aceso had never been one for long speeches. It was an endearing quality that she had. She was a strong individual, a strong leader, of few words. He had thanked her for everything she had done for him personally. She had saved his life on more than one occasion. When he looked at the six foot ten-inch height of pure killing machine that was Aceso, all he saw was a good friend and someone who he couldn¡¯t do enough to repay for everything she had done for him. He looked around at the others. He owed everyone in this room something, even Amanda and Nicolas had done something for him at some point. He wouldn¡¯t let them down. He would break himself before he allowed himself to fail them in any way.


    A short time later a knock came from the front door. Aceso was already shifting to her wolf form by the time the second knock sounded. William opened the door to find Ansuya standing there wearing loose fitting pants and a pull over top. She walked into the room carrying her backpack.


    ¡°Is everyone ready to leave?¡± Ansuya asked the room. She was answered with nods as everyone stood up after closing their packs and making final preparations. Ansuya nodded, ¡°Very well, the room has already been paid for and Huan Li and I explained that we would vacate our rooms sometime tonight. But since you are all ready to go then we should get going.¡± She stopped and looked around at the other six Shape shifters. ¡°Are you all ready? Amanda? Are you prepared?¡±


    Amanda¡¯s brown eyes leveled at Ansuya. Yes, I¡¯m ready. I know I¡¯m new to all this but I¡¯m not really new. I know what¡¯s at stake and I have been around death and the Whyte Plain for a long time. She wanted to scream her thoughts at the much older woman, but that wouldn¡¯t do anyone any good. Besides, if her dad had taught her anything, it was to always be a little cautious around the Indian woman. Even though Healers and Trackers was pretty evenly matched as far as physicality went, Ansuya was over sixty years old. If she fought the older woman, even in werewolf form, she would lose. Instead, she nodded and picked up her pack and slung it over her shoulder onto her back.


    Ansuya nodded toward Katherine. The Sage slowed her breathing and closed her eyes. William readied himself, his muscles tensed and his shoulders shrugged. He was prepared to drop his pack in an instant and took a very solid fighting stance. It always took Katherine a second or two to bring the whole pack into the Whyte Plain. In the span of a few heartbeats the apartment disappeared around them and they found themselves in the perpetual dusk of the Whyte Plain.


    William, whirled around in place. He shifted immediately and inhaled the air, as his ears tried to detect any noise, as his eyes tried to pierce the total darkness only a few yards away from them. When he had expected to find a whole group of Shadows waiting for him, he found only the disturbing stillness and complete silence of the Whyte Plain. The only sound his wolf ears heard was the creaking of back pack frames and the tense breathing of his pack mates.


    The group looked at each other. Ansuya gave a small untrusting head nod as she scanned the Whyte Plain around them. The Shadows usually swarmed an area that they had used multiple times in the past. This place was as quiet now as it had been when he first used it to get to the foothills of the Himalayas. Nicolas caught his eye as silent words were shared between the two of them. This isn¡¯t what they expected and they would keep their guard up.

 Book 6 Chapter 3b

    The rest of the pack followed William¡¯s lead and shifted into werewolf form, even Ansuya didn¡¯t want to temp the fates of this place and shifted as well.


    They traveled east. It was a shorter journey to the Southwest of America by traveling east and traversing the area that would have dumped them out into the Pacific Ocean. With the other packs using the Whyte Plain to travel west toward their destinations it was wise to spread their numbers out as far as possible.


    Ansuya seemed content to let William lead the pack, he was the only Enforcer in their numbers and no one had a better chance of shrugging off a first surprise attack than he did.


    The air didn¡¯t move here, it was the one thing that William never got used to. He could feel air move around him in every other environment he had been to in werewolf form. But here, the dreamy stillness was something that still unnerved him even after all this time. The mist moved around his feet but not the air around it. It made it hard for him to pick up any scents at all, and that always made him nervous.


    They moved as rapidly as they dared. Ansuya was pulling up the rear and William urged them to move faster by his example.


    Amanda was still a bit shocked by everything that had happened. My father trained me for this. I was expecting this. But nothing could have prepared her for the pure joy that she felt now, as a werewolf and being able to see, and smell, and hear everything around her with a clarity that made her want to laugh with pure joy. A strange sensation; that pure joy mixed with the dread and fear that the Whyte Plain was stirring inside her. Joy and fear the best of everything, or the worst?


    She found her back pack was as light as a feather and wished that she had packed a few more supplies. She felt amazing but also very, very hungry. She hadn¡¯t wanted to eat anything this morning, or last night. She would admit to herself that she had been a bit emo last night and this morning. She was truly a freak now, and her life would never be her own again, not that the last few years had been any different at all. Still, she didn¡¯t want to be a burden on anyone and with Ansuya moving just behind her, she didn¡¯t want to show any weakness either. If her dad had been truthful about traveling the Whyte Plain, they would reach their destination in a day, maybe less. Of course, a day was a very long time and anything could happen.


    She felt it in her fur before she heard or smelled anything.


    Amanda was suddenly gripped with an icy cold that wrapped around her throat. She couldn¡¯t cry out; her throat was closed tight and it was a struggle just to breathe. Her steps slowed and soon it was all she could do just to stand.


    Her eyes began to tear up and her vision blurred. She saw the rest of Aceso and William¡¯s pack move ahead of her. She reached out, grasping at their quickly fading backs. She had never felt so alone. Somewhere in the back of her mind she thought about how Ansuya was supposed to be behind her, but she couldn¡¯t move to see. Everything around her was getting even darker, if that was possible. She could feel her body start to go limp. It had happened so fast. She was going to die here. Her legs went numb and she felt her body collapse to the ground of this place, but her body didn¡¯t make a sound. Tears slowly trickled down her snout. The mist seemed to rise up like a blanket and the last thing she saw was that thick white mist closing in around her, darkening to the jet black of oblivion.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    *          *          *          *          *


    Charles reached a clawed hand up and grabbed William by the shoulder.


    The Enforcer stopped running suddenly and turned around. Charles¡¯ nose was to the air sniffing deeply. Charles looked back and saw no trace of Ansuya or Amanda. How long had they been running? When did those two fall behind? And how had an Elder been taken completely by surprise without giving any warning? As he was trying to figure out the next move, William took off running back past his other pack mates the way they had come.


    Charles knew that thinking about it wasn¡¯t going to help and followed after William. The rest of the pack trailed behind. This was not the time to point fingers at anyone, he should have known that one of the true pack members should have brought up the rear. He kicked himself for being so stupid.


    William ran at a full out sprint, Rash, my friend, too rash. The only one of them that could keep up with their Enforcer at full speed was Aceso. Even though both Charles and Katherine had pledged their loyalty to Aceso, not even the pack bond gave them speed that matched their Alpha and Enforcer. Almost as if Aceso was reading his thoughts she too ran ahead of them to join William.


    Charles focused on a point far in the distant dark. As far as he could tell, they had been running in a straight line, so if they backtracked properly, and if the Shadows hadn¡¯t moved their newest member and the Elder, than they should be able to find them. All he had to go on was his instinct. This place wreaked havoc on his sense of direction. The mist moved and shifted like sand. This place was a death trap and they had just fallen into it. Being separated here was the worst thing that could have happened.


    He saw William dive into the darkness and he breathed a heavy sigh. William had found them and soon he saw the two women, unconscious on the ground being swarmed by the vile Shadows. In four strides he was dive tackling a group of Shadows that had swarmed over Ansuya with Nicolas right behind him.


    He wasn¡¯t as good a fighter as William but he had learned a thing or two from Efraim as well. He fought viciously side by side with Nicolas. The Scout had actually become pretty competent as well. The two were able to double team the Shadows and drive them away from the Elder. There claws ripped and shredded at the shapeless forms, sometimes swiping through them, sometimes tearing into their forms. It was exhausting fighting them.


    He was openly sweating as he fought. They had to keep doubling back on each other¡¯s flanks as the Shadows tried to find a weakness in the two¡¯s defenses. Charles felt a strange warmth come over him. Through the chaos of the fight, he hadn¡¯t noticed it before. But now he felt it. It wasn¡¯t the exertion of the fight; it was something much more calming and comfortable.

 Book 6 Chapter 3c

    It felt like a warm blanket. He began to feel almost happy. It wasn¡¯t the fighting that brought it about. It was something deeper, like warm sunlight on his cool skin. He found it hard to concentrate on the fight. Something was making him slow down, but somehow that didn¡¯t really matter.


    Nicolas swept his leg out in a vicious arc just above Ansuya¡¯s unconscious body. When he turned around, he saw Charles was smiling. Nicolas thought it was the adrenaline of the fight that was making the all black werewolf smile. He turned around and whipped his claws into the heart of a billowing shadow and ripped his claws outward, causing a shriek of pain in the Shadow, forcing it to withdraw momentarily.


    Nicolas looked back over his shoulder and Charles arms were lowered and relaxed. Charles was slowly walking away from the fight. ¡°CHARLES!!!!¡± Nicolas shrieked in anger and frustration, ¡°What the hell are you doing?!¡± He saw William and Katherine look over but they had their hands full trying to get to Aceso who had been cornered by a swarm of the Shadows. He called out to him again, but Charles acted like he either didn¡¯t hear him or didn¡¯t care. Either way, Charles was walking away from them, deeper into the Whyte Plain, into the waiting arms of the Shadows.


    Let the asshole die then! If he¡¯s stupid enough to be taken in by these demons then he deserves what he gets. The Mountain should have killed him when they had the chance. He pin wheeled around and slashed an uppercut into a Shadow that had come up close to him. He dove forward into a roll and crouched before sweeping his legs out to give him a bit of much needed space.


    Nicolas looked over and Charles was almost completely out of sight, his black fur was allowing him to camouflage perfectly with their surroundings. If he lost sight of him now, they would never see Charles again, except as one of these Shadows. Nicolas grimaced and grunted, taking another swipe at a Shadow that swooped towards him.


    Punching the ground and growling loudly he exploded up from the ground as he lunged after their Tracker. Sprinting faster than he ever had before, he caught up to Charles and plowed into him hard from behind. The impact whipped Charles¡¯ head back on his neck and the two crashed down hard to the ground.


    Charles acted like he was possessed and started flailing and clawing at Nicolas as if the man didn¡¯t recognize him. Nicolas was prepared for it however and, dodging the startled flailing of the bigger werewolf, he sunk his teeth down hard into the man¡¯s side. His jaws squeezed down hard till the taste of blood flooded his mouth.


    Charles stopped struggling and screamed in deep pain. Nicolas got up and flung his claws out at some approaching Shadows. He accidentally missed and managed to swipe a claw deeply up Charles¡¯ face, leaving behind three red trails along his snout. Oops.


    Charles kicked out around him and threw himself up off the ground. Putting his back to the Scout he breathed raggedly through the pain of his new injuries.


    ¡°Welcome back, Tracker,¡± Nicolas sneered through gritted teeth as he held off another attacking Shadow. ¡°You ready to join us now? Or is there a field trip you were headed off to that you neglected to invite the rest of us?¡±A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Charles shook his head and fighting off a Shadow of his own said, ¡°I owe you.¡±


    Nicolas just nodded and kept fighting. ¡°We don¡¯t stand a chance on our island out here; we have to get back to the others.¡±


    The two men starting moving back the way they had come. The fight was hard but moving in the direction they wanted to was even harder. The Shadows were herding them, it seemed like. It was like fighting against a tide that kept trying to slide them to either side of the direction that they wanted to move.


    It seemed like forever but they finally made their way back to their pack mates, guided by the sounds of fighting that was still raging just as hard as when Nicolas had left. This might be their end. The Shadows were everywhere, and they hadn¡¯t made a dent in their number. It was like every one they injured just pulled back till it healed, covered by two other fresh Shadows.


    William, Katherine, and Aceso were holding their own though. They had managed to clear a space around Amanda at least. Charles and Nicolas were able to get to Ansuya and keep the Shadows off her.


    ¡°Aceso! We can¡¯t keep this up! We have to get out of here!¡± Nicolas called in desperation. He heard William grunt in what could have been agreement, it was tough to tell with that guy sometimes.


    Aceso called out, ¡°Agreed! Nicolas can you two get to Ansuya? We¡¯ll take care of Amanda!¡±


    Nicolas nodded and with an exertion that he didn¡¯t think he was capable of, he fought harder than he ever had before, forcing himself to move faster, longer than he thought possible. He managed to get to the Elder and scooping up her body he slung her lifeless form over his shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ve got her!¡± he called, sprinting over towards Aceso, with Charles right behind him.


    Aceso cried out, ¡°Katherine, get us out of here!¡±


    The Sage nodded and the dark stillness of the Whyte Plain disappeared around them and cold salty water rushed in from all sides, covering their heads, as they all slipped beneath the ocean waves somewhere in or around the Pacific Ocean.


    Nicolas coughed and sputtered as he found his legs under him and propelled himself back toward the surface. Breaking the waves with his head he inhaled deeply the clean air of the ocean. For his troubles he got a mouth full of salt water, as a wave sloshed over him, causing another fit of coughing and hacking as he gingerly placed Ansuya on her back, keeping her face and snout dry. Looking around he saw that William had done the same with Amanda. Miraculously, they all seemed to be ok.


    Aceso scanned her surroundings with a sinking feeling in her gut. She had led her pack to this. There was nothing but ocean on all sides of them. With Ansuya and Amanda knocked out they were lucky they were in the middle of nowhere. She shook her head glumly. They couldn¡¯t approach any civilization with the two of them locked in their werewolf form anyway. But how long would the five of them be able to stay afloat, especially since they had two other bodies that they had to keep on the surface as well.


    They had been traveling east, by northeast. Since they were in water and not on a landmass somewhere, she could only assume that they were in the Pacific Ocean. By that reckoning the nearest landmass would be Taiwan Island, or China to the west, just depending on which one they came to first. Which meant that they had a very long swim ahead of them.


    ¡°So what do we do with these two?¡± Nicolas asked calmly. ¡°The Shadows had them for who knows how long before we doubled back. There¡¯s no telling when they¡¯ll wake up, and even then, we don¡¯t know if what happened to¡­you know.¡± Nicolas got very un-characteristically quiet.


    ¡°I have to believe that if I made it back, then the Elder and Amanda can as well,¡± Charles said defensively.


    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s talk about that for a second,¡± Nicolas growled harshly. ¡°You almost got us killed with that little stunt you pulled back there. Are you sure you¡¯re all there Charles?¡±


    ¡°Hey, now is not the time for this,¡± Katherine interjected.

 Book 6 Chapter 3d

    ¡°No! This is the perfect time!¡± Nicolas raised himself out of the water and jutted a pointed claw at the Tracker. ¡°You¡¯re tainted Charles! The Shadows have marked you. There¡¯s no telling when you¡¯ll go all ¡®zombie mode¡¯ on us and just walk off in the middle of a fight again.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough Nicolas,¡± William said calmly.


    Charles had his head lowered, his snout dipping into the ocean water. ¡°No, he¡¯s right William. I don¡¯t know what happened back there. I really don¡¯t. Maybe I am ¡®tainted.¡¯ I can¡¯t jeopardize my pack again. I thought I was cured and that I was ok, but today just proved how strong the taint of the Shadows really is. I am a danger to you and myself.¡± He looked at Aceso, ¡°Leave me here. As my Alpha, you¡¯re the only one who can release me from the pack.¡±


    Aceso leveled her eyes at her Tracker, ¡°No.¡±


    Nicolas exploded, ¡°Oh, you¡¯re crazy! You¡¯re absolutely nuts! I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m listening to this. If Charles wants to kill himself out here then let him! Better we know who we can rely on then waiting for the knife to sink into our backs!¡±


    Aceso eyes hardened on the Scout and moved slowly towards him. Nicolas eyes met hers with a fierceness that William had seen only a few times before. Aceso moved toward him and, raising herself out of the water much like Nicolas had a moment ago, she struck out at him with a lightning-fast claw swipe that ripped into Nicolas¡¯ snout and jaw.


    She turned to look at the rest of the pack. ¡°I would sooner cut off my own arm before losing any of my pack, this includes you, Nicolas.¡± She glanced down at Ansuya¡¯s unconscious body, then turned back toward the rest of her pack. ¡°I won¡¯t hear any more of this! Do I make myself clear?¡± The rest of her pack nodded like a bunch of chastised children.


    In a much calmer tone she nodded toward the west and the sun that was drifting down on its afternoon curve toward the far horizon, ¡°We have a long swim ahead of us. What supplies do we have?¡±


    Nicolas shrugged, ¡°I didn¡¯t see Ansuya¡¯s back pack when we got to her.¡±


    Katherine lifted a backpack out of the water, ¡°I was able to grab one of their back packs.¡± She laid it on the ocean surface as Charles helped her keep it afloat as she carefully opened it and rummaged through the contents.


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s some canned food, and about 10 bottles of water, some rope and a change of clothes, some soap, not that we¡¯re going to need that,¡± she added under her breath. ¡°Some waterproof matches, tender, and some solid fire fuel still in its baggy so they¡¯re still dry.¡± She looked up at the group. ¡°That¡¯s about it though.¡±


    Aceso nodded, it could have been worse, they could have had no packs but right now the rope was a gift from heaven. ¡°Katherine get some of the rope and tie Amanda to William¡¯s back. Make sure that her head will stay above the water.¡± Katherine nodded and took the rope out as Charles carefully retied the pack making sure that its precious contents were secured and put the back pack on his back.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    ¡°When you get done, I¡¯ll need your help with Ansuya, I¡¯ll carry her first,¡± Aceso said as she took Ansuya from Nicolas. But not before she bit him on the ear. Nicolas hissed quietly at the sudden pain but it disappeared quickly, just as the pain he felt from the battle, and the claw swipe she had given him, disappeared quickly as well.


    Aceso moved the unconscious Elder towards the rest of the pack, healing her pack members as she went. She gently bit Ansuya¡¯s and Amanda¡¯s ears as well. She didn¡¯t really understand what the Shadows had done to them. No one really did. But her healing abilities seemed to help them breathe easier at least. Katherine lashed Ansuya to Aceso¡¯s back and they all headed back west.


    The tides were calm and the water was smooth for the most part. The salinized water made them all more buoyant than normal, but the going was a lot slower than she would have liked. She struggled at first to find a rhythm. She wasn¡¯t used to swimming at all. Plus, the added bulk of the unconscious Elder on her back made her very conscious of the water that lapped up and over her shoulders.


    Soon she was able to find a workable technique, pull with her arms then kick out with her legs and bring them back together, pull, kick, pull, pull, kick. It was a lot harder than she had imagined. She would never make fun of the humans who found this fun as an exercise ever again.


    Her werewolf body kept her strong for the long hours of fighting the water and the distance that they still had to travel. It was her mind that was starting to despair. She looked around her. Her pack, her responsibility, they were all struggling with their own thoughts and the water all around them.


    William¡¯s face was locked in determination as she had expected. As an Enforcer he was the strongest of all of them and his human will power was something that she had come to rely upon since they met. He carried Amanda with a solid stroke. She wasn¡¯t sure if he had ever swam before, but he wasn¡¯t going to complain about it even if it was. She would have to watch him and make him switch out with someone at some point. He would never admit that he was getting tired.


    Nicolas was not a bad swimmer, all things considered. He had every right to be angry at Charles. She almost agreed with him. She hadn¡¯t seen what Nicolas had been talking about with what happened with Charles, but the Tracker didn¡¯t deny it either. It was troubling. And something that they would have to talk about later, when they were out of immediate danger.


    Katherine was gliding through the water easily. She looked like she had done this all her life. She was a little envious of the Sage. But she had a responsibility and she tried to copy the other female¡¯s movements. It was a little easier to do it this way, but the body on her back prevented her from slipping through the water the way Katherine did.


    Charles¡¯ face was twisted with sorrow and shame. He bore the weight of the back pack like a man carrying a cross, was that the term Ryan had used? Her teacher and mentor Ryan Yamamoto had taught her many saying that sounded odd to her. He had explained that during the period of ancient Rome, the accused would be forced to drag their own cross through the streets, till they were outside the city. Once there, soldiers would crucify them to the cross that they themselves had dragged through the streets. Charles face bore an expression that she imagined someone in that circumstance would have had.


    He hadn¡¯t been himself in the fight. But she hadn¡¯t seen it either. All she had to go on was Nicolas¡¯ word and Charles¡¯ confession. She wanted to scream. Of all the problems that she had anticipated on the long dangerous trip through the Whyte Plain back to America, this wasn¡¯t even on the list.


    She looked up ahead. The sun was already close to dipping into the ocean in front of them. All they had to do was follow the sun. How many days that would take? She didn¡¯t know. She only hoped that they reached land before exhaustion, or sharks, or both, claimed them and made this ocean their final resting place.

 Book 6 Chapter 4a

    Egaiarasu Acharya led his pack through the disquiet of the Whyte Plain. The one good thing that the long journey through this hell provided him was a chance to think. He had been born to Indian parents in Suriname, South America. He had to smile at that. Most people had never heard of the place, let alone be able to find it on a map. He had become very adept at explaining that even though he was born in South America he was not, contrary to popular belief, a ¡®West Indian¡¯.


    The long-convoluted path that brought him to America had been a painful one. He left his home when he was nine and his first stop was Miami, Florida. From there, eventually and a few odd jobs here and there that his parents had, he was brought to New York.


    It was during his early college years while attending The City College of New York in upper Manhattan, that he first met Eustace Browning. He had thought that she was a professor at first. She was kind, but had a hard edge to her just below the surface that even back then he was able to feel. She was not a woman to be trifled with. It was she that brought him to the Mountain and had introduced him to Pepromene the Sage wolf born who was to be his instructor. Looking around at his pack as they moved quickly and silently, he marveled at all that had happened to him since those early days.


    His Enforcer Aiman Bashara, was taking point as always. His brown fur stood out pretty well against the black, mist shrouded ground, of their surroundings. His silver stripes almost seemed incandescent against the mist that always covered the ground here. His white tipped tail was raised, betraying the man¡¯s sense of alertness. They all knew well the dangers of this place. To be honest, he wasn¡¯t entirely sure why they hadn¡¯t run into any Shadows yet. If they were unaware of their presence, that wouldn¡¯t be the case for long.


    His pack had been together for a few years now. They worked well together and had enjoyed many successes. Losing the Mountain was something that still bothered all of them, he knew, because it bothered him. Especially since his whole pack had made it out alive. He knew that they had fought just as hard as anyone else. It was just a little hard to fathom that all but two Elders died and so many others.


    They had a job to do now though. Huan Li had sent them to Africa, the country of Chad to be exact. He was charged with hunting down the rumors and stories of Werehyenas based on the current population of Spotted Hyenas in the area. And also because of the legends of Werehyenas in and around the Lake Chad region and the fabled lost village of Kabultiloa.


    He had to shake his head a little. Searching for possible Shape shifters based on the current population of hyenas in the area he could understand, but searching for lost cities was something that he just couldn¡¯t wrap his head around. But even the smallest hope was better than no hope. That and the prominent amount of legends that pointed to Werehyenas in the region was just too good of a possibility to pass up.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    Hyenas are distant cousins of the Grey Wolf, belonging to the Suborder of Feli Formia, while the Grey Wolf belonged to the Suborder of Cani Formia. According to the wolf born stories, passed down by their kind, the Werehyena was the last Shape shifter group to go silent only three or four hundred years ago.


    Aiman thought that this was nothing more than busy work and a ¡®fool¡¯s errand¡¯ he had said. He, however agreed with Mary Johansson, his Scout. She seemed absolutely convinced that these other races of Shape shifters did exist and they had gone to ground, much as the Werewolf had to do. All of our cities were underground, in some form or another, after all.


    A whisper met his ears as Mary stopped them, ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±


    Acharya stopped running. Had they really been here that long? With no sign of any Shadows at all? That was surprising, but even more so was that he had lost himself in his musings so much that he had completely lost track of time and the distance that they had run.


    He turned towards the other Sage in his pack, ¡°Tara? Would¡­¡±?


    ¡°I do the honors, Acharya?¡± Tara interrupted with a wink. Acharya had to smile at the woman¡¯s uncanny ability to anticipate others thoughts and words.


    Tara stood at just under seven feet tall. Her fur was a splotchy, mostly black mixed with brown and a few white spots here and there. She smiled and the group was suddenly standing on solid ground with a warm breeze that passed through their fur. The group, almost as one, shifted back to their human forms as they all looked around taking in their new environment.


    Looking out they saw that they were on a bit of a hill overlooking a broad, calm looking river. In the distance, north of them, nestled right next to the river was a very impressive city. The tallest buildings reached up to fifty or sixty stories at least. He had seen other cities that were more impressive, but not many. And buried deep in the heart of Africa made it that much more impressive. He looked up into the warm sun light and inhaling the clean breeze as it passed over the nearby river he was filled with a sense of joy. After the stench of Agra, and the oppressive dark of the Whyte Plain this place was civilization, with all its spender, and squalor, and humanity included. He couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    ¡°That¡¯s N¡¯Djamena,¡± Malikah said.


    The woman was very tall, standing at five foot eight inches or so. She had let her blonde highlights go a while ago much to everyone¡¯s relief. Her green eyes had taken on a very self-assured gaze over the last year or so. She still wasn¡¯t quite ready to get rid of her breast implants which stuck out from her chest noticeably. However, she was finally starting to see worth in who and what she was, aside from surgical augmentations.


    A small growl met Acharya¡¯s ears. He glanced down to see the only wolf born in his pack, Asclepius, a male Maned Wolf. His reddish-brown fur shone in the sunlight. His black mane at the nape of his neck was visible as the wolf looked towards the city. He, like all the wolf born, had not been happy being paraded around as dogs in Agra, and it looked like, at least for the time being, he would have to pass as a dog again. Thus, his angry growl.


    Acharya felt for him, he really did. But since N¡¯Djamena was the capitol, and also the largest city in Chad, this was where they had been directed to start their search and move eastward as necessary. So, much as he hated it for him, Asclepius was just going to have to deal with it.

 Book 6 Chapter 4b

    The group moved off as one towards the outskirts of the city. Since N¡¯Djamena bordered the Chari River, you could technically classify it as a coastal city. The clean breeze coming off the river was currently moving, which was a relief after the stagnant air of Agra and the oppressive stillness of the Whyte Plain. They didn¡¯t have a lot of money so they wouldn¡¯t be able to stay inside the city proper, they would have to make do with camping outside of it.


    He still didn¡¯t have any real idea of how they were supposed to find anything here. It was better than trying to research things from afar. He would have to trust Mary¡¯s new found Scout abilities and hope that they got lucky. Asclepius would definitely help when they moved out and tried to track down wild cackles of hyenas. They would just have to stay put and see what happened. Who knows? They might find some Werewolves here as well. It was worth the effort, and the risk, at least he hoped so.


    Malikah moved ahead of the group and slid her arm into the river. Asclepius followed her and buried his snout into the soft waves as they lapped up gently on the shore. The wolf raised his jaws to the air after a long drink and shook his face dry.


    ¡°Even though the Yamuna wasn¡¯t far from where we were staying in Agra,¡± Malikah said thoughtfully, ¡°It has been ages since I¡¯ve been next to a river that I felt wouldn¡¯t kill me if I got wet from it.¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t reach the city till nightfall,¡± Aiman observed quietly.


    ¡°We can¡¯t stay in the city anyway,¡± Mary interjected. ¡°Perhaps it would be best if we just camped here somewhere. We have been running non-stop since we left Agra this morning.¡±


    Asclepius whined lowly as he laid down in the dirt looking up at them with a very bored expression on his face.


    ¡°Are we all saying that we¡¯re hungry and tired?¡± asked Acharya. The group all nodded and smiled, except for Aiman, but then again that man never smiled for anything.


    ¡°The committee has spoken,¡± Acharya said with a smile, ¡°Let¡¯s break out the supplies and get a fire going,¡± he said. ¡°Mary, you and Malikah are on water detail.¡± The two women nodded and dropping their packs rummaged through to get a pot and water purification tablets.


    Acharya continued, ¡°Aiman and I will get a fire going. Tara,¡± he said looking over at the black haired Sage, ¡°you and Asclepius go scout out the area. I want to know if we are really alone out here. I what to know what kind of animal life we have to contend with, namely poisonous insects, spiders, snakes, and any predators.¡± The woman and the wolf nodded and ran east.


    The area surrounding the river was flat with sparse vegetation. Tara was able to see for some distance. As she scanned the horizon looking for any signs of humanity or animals, Asclepius has his nose in the dirt. The dirt and air here had a smell that was unique, it was something that he had never smelled before. There was an age here, something that he couldn¡¯t quite put an image or description to. He caught the faintest whiffs of a large animal that he was unfamiliar with. He ran off following the scent.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Tara didn¡¯t need any prompting from the wolf and ran after him. The sun was warm and joyous on her back as she ran. It was always a relief to be out of the Whyte Plain. That place was dark and the home of devils.


    She had been brought up on stories from her Apache mother about various monsters. How the brave and strong warrior, Spider, had defeated such a monster to save a girl which he had hidden in his hair. Only to have that same girl tricked into using a sabotaged swing created by Spider¡¯s jealous wife, and when the girl fell into the magic river the girl was turned into a frog.


    She had learned long ago that there was no strong Spider to protect her from the monsters in the dark. The Shadows in the Whyte Plain was every monster that she had been told stories about. Sometimes, she and her pack was the wise Spider, other times they were the frightened girl, running for their lives in the dark. Even now, under the warm sunlight, the Shadow¡¯s icy touch was a vivid memory and very real.


    Asclepius stopped and tasted the air with his nose raised high in the air. He changed direction and ran south with Tara following close behind. It wasn¡¯t very long before the two found what it was that Asclepius had smelled. A moderate herd of Hippopotami were laying down in the soft mud of the river.


    Tara smiled as one opened his huge mouth incredibly wide making a sound that grated on her ears. Asclepius looked up at her and cocked his head to the side.


    She nodded to the large animals, ¡°They¡¯re called Hippopotami or a Hippopotamus. They dwell around rivers and other places with a lot of mud. They are incredibly powerful swimmers and pretty dangerous. They can run pretty fast too, if I remember right. Maybe even faster than you,¡± she said with a wink.


    Asclepius answered with a whine and small growl letting her know exactly how he felt about that comparison. Tara gave a small laugh and scratched the wolf¡¯s head between his ears. This earned her a growl and a head shake. Tara knew that the wolf, like all his kind most likely, did not like to be petted without permission. They held a deep contempt for domestic dogs and hated every form of affection that humans bestowed upon their ¡®lesser intelligent¡¯ cousins.


    She stood up with a bemused smile on her face and looked around. Trees dotted the river bank back toward the west. The place was open but not really flat, there was small hills and knolls all around them. She didn¡¯t know if the hills were tall enough to really hide anyone if they tried to sneak up on them.


    She sat down heavily, watching the hippos play and throw water onto each other. They looked so happy. She couldn¡¯t help but smile at the bulbous creatures. Their girth was misleading, she knew how dangerous they were. If she got any closer and they took offense to it, they could kill both her and Asclepius with very little effort. She wasn¡¯t sure that even their Werewolf forms would be much help against them. She had seen nature documentaries, chronicling these animals and what their diet and daily life was all about. She never thought that she would actually see them in their natural environment like this. She wished her mother could be here. But that wasn¡¯t possible anymore and no amount of logic or reasoning was ever enough at times like this and her eyes filled with unbidden tears anyway.


    The wolf nuzzled her gently on her shoulder. She looked over at the wolf, blinking away her tears and smiling. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Asclepius, I¡¯m alright. I¡¯m just being silly I¡¯m okay.¡±


    The wolf didn¡¯t buy it and gently pulled her sleeve with his jaws. She knew what he wanted she just didn¡¯t know if she wanted to give him what he wanted. She hadn¡¯t talked about it with anyone, it still hurt so much.

 Book 6 Chapter 4c

    ¡°Asclepius, I¡¯m fine, really. Now let go of my shirt.¡± She said tugging her shirt out of the wolf¡¯s jaws and wiping away her tears with the back of her arm. ¡°Come on,¡± she said standing up, ¡°We have to get back to the others.¡±


    The two took off running. The closer they got to the rest of their pack, the slower they moved. Asclepius kept his nose to the ground searching for snakes and other predators, while Tara kept her eyes up and constantly scanning their surroundings for any sign of insects, or spiders, or anything else that might pose a threat to them in the night. They came back to their pack having run into nothing more serious than some flies. Of course, when the sun went down, they might be swarmed by mosquitos, but that couldn¡¯t be helped. They did bring some nets that they could hang from some of the nearby trees.


    Acharya and Aiman had a happy fire going as Tara and Asclepius approached. Wolves, in the wild, have a huge aversion to fire. If a wolf runs towards fire, they usually have a disease, rabies being the most common. However, wolf born Shape shifters learn, among many other things, to tolerate fire as a tool of civilization and their human born companions. Asclepius was no exception. The wolf sat down amidst his pack next to the flames as if it was the most natural thing for him to do.


    Mary and Malikah already had water boiling over the fire and they were getting the backpacking food they had brought with them prepared. Mary smiled and tossed a can of meat to Tara. ¡°Can you open that for Asclepius?¡± She asked.


    Tara shrugged and opening the tab on the can, emptied the contents onto a flat rock nearby. Asclepius looked up at her with a dirty look and a low growl in his throat, but lowered his head to the food and ate it hungrily. Tara smiled and shook her head. She knew he found this whole act to be undignified. But it wasn¡¯t like they could risk him shifting into werewolf form and eating like the rest of them. Besides, she also knew that his indignation was partly an act. He had no problem eating like this when they were in the wooded areas under the Mountain when they were training and when he hunted. The fact that the food came from a can was what he had a major problem with.


    Tara moved back next to the fire and reached her hands out towards the flame. The sun was sinking in the west, and as its light grew dimmer, the temperature dropped. ¡°That smells so good you two, when do we eat?¡± she asked the other two girls.


    Mary smiled, ¡°Yeah cuz, rehydrated backpacking food is sooo good.¡±


    ¡°When you¡¯re as hungry as I am,¡± Acharya said, ¡°everything looks gourmet. Let¡¯s eat.¡±


    The group tore into their individual pouches of rehydrated food. Tara got beef stew while Aiman and Acharya ate chicken fettuccini. The food was hot and there was a surprising amount of food stuffed into the pouches. By the time they finished their meal all of them were satisfied and lounged back looking into the fire.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    While to the north, the city of N¡¯Djamena was lit up like a Christmas tree. The city¡¯s lights were bright and colorful and served as a beacon for miles around. The halo of light surrounding the city ate up the stars in the night sky around it making an eerie halo of artificial light around the whole place.


    Mary slapped at her arm as the mosquitos were already making a meal of her. Luckily, they had brought some insect repellent and mosquito nets. Unfortunately, even the best bug spray wasn¡¯t one hundred percent effective against every mosquito.


    Tara looked up into the night sky as Mary applied another coat of bug spray to her arms. The night sky here was impressive. It reminded her of what the sky had looked like when she was growing up with her mother on the reservation. She could see the river of dense stars, which she had always been taught was called The Scattered Stars, most people called it the Milky Way. The river was broad here and so dense filled with stars, she could almost see the current as it flowed across the night sky. It brought a smile to her face.


    Acharya broke the silence between them, ¡°Mary, have you felt anything, or gotten any sort of feeling about anything?¡±


    The black girl looked at him with a smirk, ¡°You mean like, have the planets properly aligned and the chicken bones foretold to me our destiny?¡± This drew a snort of laughter from Malikah.


    ¡°This is no time for games,¡± Aiman said. ¡°We have a job to do and you are the best way for us to accomplish it.¡±


    Mary shook her head with an exasperated sigh. ¡°Guys, look, that¡¯s not how it works. I can¡¯t just look up in the sky and I¡¯ll be shown where to find the next Shape shifter. It¡¯s more delicate and complicated than that. If it was that easy, then the Mountain would have had¡­¡± she trailed off at the painful memories of their lost home.


    ¡°Is there any way for us to help?¡± Tara asked quietly.


    Mary shook her head, ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I have been trying, believe it or not. I don¡¯t even know what a Were hyena would feel like. The abilities that Nicolas, Ansuya, and Huan Li helped to open back up to us Scouts isn¡¯t really understood. We¡¯re all newbie¡¯s at this. I just have to believe that there is something out there to find. After that, it¡¯s anybody¡¯s guess.¡±


    Aiman gave her a sideways glance. Acharya gave a supportive smile and nodded, ¡°Well if any Scout out there can do it, I know that our Scout is the best, and that you won¡¯t let us down.¡±


    He turned around and rummaging in his pack, pulled out his mosquito net, ¡°Well, we¡¯ve had a pretty hard day. I say we all turn in and get some sleep. Tomorrow, we¡¯ll head towards N¡¯Djamena. And all the wonders that the modern age has to offer.¡±


    The group looked at their Alpha with smirks and sideways glances. He did, on occasion, have a tendency to be overly optimistic about things, probably why Tara liked him so much.


    She had spent a lot of her life around people who were content to stay as they were. No, it was worse than that. The people she grew up with were not only content to stay the way they were, but also to actively discourage anyone else from trying to be better than they were. It wasn¡¯t enough that they had given up on themselves, they made sure that everyone around them gave up on themselves too. It was nice to be around someone who was optimistic about the future. Someone who actually believed in the best from those around him, not the worst. Her mother had tried to shield her from all the negative attitudes on the Res, but she could only do so much.


    That night, Tara dreamed of herself as a little girl running toward a great light in the sky. It filled her with hope and warmth, but it was so far away. Monsters nipped at her heels as she was chased across a great vast plain with no help in sight, and the great light kept moving farther and farther away.

 Book 6 Chapter 5a

    The next morning, they all woke up leisurely. Tara wiped away the fading nightmares of the night before. She had not slept well and her body ached, but the warm sunlight from the east did wonders for her attitude and soon she was up and stuffing her mosquito net back into her pack.


    ¡°We¡¯re heading to the city today.¡± Aiman stated.


    Acharya nodded, ¡°Yeah, unless,¡± he turned towards Mary, ¡°our Scout has gleaned anything from the heavens and the great unknown to show us the way to some Shape shifters?¡±


    Mary slapped him playfully on the shoulder with a wide smile across her face, ¡°I told you that¡¯s not how it works.¡± She looked towards the city and sighed. ¡°And, no I didn¡¯t glean anything last night, no dreams, omens, or portents, in case you wanted to know.¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess we do this the old-fashioned way,¡± Malikah stated. ¡°We¡¯re just going to have to wait and watch, and if all else fails, hope we get very lucky.¡±


    ¡°Never give up, and good luck will find you, is that it?¡± Mary asked.


    ¡°Is that from The Neverending Story?¡± Acharya asked.


    ¡°Yes it is,¡± Mary said with a smile. ¡°Unfortunately, I¡¯m pretty sure we¡¯re going to need a bit more than luck to find what we¡¯re looking for. It¡¯ll be like looking for a needle in a stack of needles.¡±


    ¡°Well before we defeat ourselves before we¡¯ve even started,¡± Acharya said cheerfully, ¡°let¡¯s find out about the local population of Hyenas, where they are most concentrated. From there I guess we could always look up every blacksmith or metal worker in the city.¡±


    ¡°Do you want me to look for and question every Jewish family in the city as well?¡± Aiman asked dryly.


    ¡°Why Aiman, I do believe that you just told a joke,¡± Acharya said with a smile.


    ¡°I was being completely serious,¡± Aiman stated matter of factly.


    Acharya heaved a heavy sigh and shook his head, ¡°of course you were. And no, we don¡¯t need you to question every Jewish family in the city.¡± Aiman nodded quietly. Acharya bent down and slung his back pack onto his shoulders. ¡°Well, kids let¡¯s get cracking.¡± The rest of his pack picked up their back packs and headed north, towards the city and whatever awaited them there.


    They hiked just on the other side of the slight rise that bordered the river. It wasn¡¯t high enough to hide them from the river, but it gave them a little bit of cover and having something between you and a possible attack was better than nothing.


    As they walked, they saw a few fisherman on the river in their burned out canoes. They waved if the fishermen acknowledged them in any way, otherwise they kept their head down. They didn¡¯t really know the customs here and Acharya was afraid that something as innocuous as a friendly hand wave, might be seen as a threat, or an insult.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    The sun was hot here. Before the sun reached its zenith he was openly sweating. But it was better than Agra had been. He soon was walking with his shirt hung over his pack and head as a sort of sun shade. He might look ridiculous but then he could always sight his amazing prophetic fashion sense. I mean if everyone wasn¡¯t wearing things like this, they soon would be. Besides, it kept him cool.


    The day passed slowly. Their back packs started to weigh heavily on all of them. They were all in shape, but hiking for ten or twelve hours straight with forty to fifty pounds of gear on their backs would wear down anyone. The city grew steadily on the horizon as they made their way north. The sounds became louder and the buildings just got more detailed and more impressive. Aiman had been right, just as the sun touched the far western horizon, they decided to stop and camp for the night, just a mile or two outside the city limits.


    They had to walk a bit to find anyplace suitable. They wanted to stay away from the river and all the traffic and commerce that came to the city from that impressive waterway. They also wanted to be far away from any roads. They wanted to avoid being noticed at all if that was possible. Soon enough they would be in the city and for the right eyes and ears, their investigation and searching would attract attention.


    To that end they didn¡¯t light a fire. They had to contend themselves with cold canned food, which no one was particularly happy about. They slept under the stars again that night. There wasn¡¯t any trees anywhere nearby, so they propped up their mosquito nets using pieces of wood they had picked up along the way.


    The next morning, they woke quickly and gathered their gear. Their packs were on their backs and they were walking towards the city within ten minutes. The plan was they were going to pose as just a group of American college kids that had talked their parents into letting them back pack through Africa and they were passing through on their way to Egypt. They came here because they wanted to see Lake Chad before global warming completely dried it up and it was lost forever.


    Mary found them a path that wound around and away from the major roads and let them walk into the city. The place was just as impressive inside as it was from the outside. The place had beautiful large parks and low level buildings in the outskirts of the city. It was like walking through any city back home, aside from the huge groups of people riding bicycles and women carrying jars and baskets on their head as they prepared for an outdoors market. The impressive skyline loomed in the distance.


    The different people that congregated here was an impressive mix of several different tribes and peoples. Tara was pretty good with languages and she could identify at least three or four completely different languages that people spoke among themselves, and not just dialects, completely different languages. People spoke in French and Arabic and several other languages that she couldn¡¯t identify, African tribal languages maybe?


    It was hard to admit, but she found that she had been a little biased toward Africa in general and had no idea just how diverse the place was. As a Native American growing up on the Res and being mistaken for, and asked questions about, tribes that she in no way belonged to, had always irritated her that people would make those assumptions about her. She was Apache, and no, she didn¡¯t know anything about the Cherokee Nation. Finding that same bias inside her, made her a little ashamed for her own short sightedness.


    The group made their way deeper towards the heart of the city. They needed information and the best way to find that, would be the library. Hopefully they could find anything that was published in English or be able to get some things translated. Lucky for them, Aiman was fluent in Arabic, so that was something they hoped to rely upon.

 Book 6 Chapter 5b

    The sprawling grassy areas and the broad pools and ponds just made this place beautiful and amazing. Acharya had no idea that any place like this existed. He had grown up in a place that most people couldn¡¯t find on a map, and here he was, right smack dab in the middle of a true gem of the human experience and he hadn¡¯t even been bothered to learn it existed at all. He felt bad about that. How much else in the world was he simply not aware of? How much existed that he couldn¡¯t be bothered to even learn that it existed? You don¡¯t know what you don¡¯t know, he had been told some time ago. That was fine, except here was proof that not only were there things he didn¡¯t know, but also things that he hadn¡¯t cared about. And that didn¡¯t sit well with him at all.


    Aiman was able to ask for directions, as Arabic seemed to be spoken prevalently here, and they were directed to a library, whether it was going to be large enough to have anything that they were hoping to find was another question altogether. After another hour or so of walking they found the place they were looking for.


    The National Library of Chad was parked inside a very nicely cared for piece of land but the buildings themselves were a little smaller than they had imagined for a National Library. The library itself was two, three story buildings placed close to each other connected by a walkway. They were sturdy little brick buildings that were well cared for and clean. They found some signs written in English, as well as some other unknown languages.


    Unfortunately, one of the signs very clearly illustrated that dogs were not allowed inside the library. Asclepius growled low in his throat and Acharya shook his head. Tara volunteered to stay with the wolf outside. Acharya nodded and left the pair there as the rest of the pack went into the building.


    Walking into the library they were greeted by cool air and the familiar scent of paper and ink. The first thing they noticed was that the library was sectioned off into different themes, archaeological collections, paleontological, traditional costumes, handicrafts, as well as others.


    They were greeted by a very nice elderly man who was a librarian, they assumed. ¡°Hello¡± was all they understood before he started speaking in Arabic.


    Acharya let Aiman take over the conversation. The two spoke in short quick sentences. After a short amount of time Aiman turned to the rest of his pack, ¡°he¡¯ll show us where we need to start looking, follow me.¡±


    Acharya and the rest of the pack followed Aiman and the eager man deeper into the library towards the back. The man showed them an area that was specifically for anthropological studies. They thanked the man and started searching the books.


    The selection of English books was, as they feared, pretty limited. Most of the books reflected the spoken languages, Arabic and French. Mary had taken some French in high school but she remembered only enough to get herself in serious trouble in a conversation, not enough to read and actually get anything out of those books.


    Aiman, on the other hand, was able to navigate the broad selection of Arabic works very easily. He pulled serval books off the shelf and immediately began reading the texts.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Since there was nothing else that any of the rest of them could do, they went back outside and rejoined Tara and Asclepius. The sun was hot in the late afternoon. Soon it would be getting dark. They would have to find a place to stay for the night. But with the limited funds that they had, that was going to be problematic.


    ¡°Any idea on how long Aiman will take before he finds anything useful?¡± Malikah asked to no one in particular.


    ¡°Since he¡¯s the only one that can read the books here, it might take him a long time,¡± Acharya said. ¡°We do need to find a place to stay though and if we are going to give Aiman any time at all in there, we should find someplace a little closer to the library.¡±


    ¡°There are plenty of hotels not far from here, we passed a few places that looked pretty nice,¡± Mary said.


    Tara nodded, ¡°with emphasis on ¡®nice.¡¯ We couldn¡¯t afford to stay in one of those places.¡± She looked over at her Alpha. ¡°Acharya, how much money do we have anyway?¡±


    Acharya looked at all of them, ¡°Honestly, we have about thirty two thousand rupees. Now what that means here, I don¡¯t know. Did anyone see a bank or anything?¡± They all shook their heads. ¡°Well, if we want to do anything with the money we do have, we need to get it exchanged. After that we¡¯ll see what happens.¡±


    Thirty two thousand rupees didn¡¯t seem like a lot of money, and they all knew that once that money was gone, it was gone. It would be better if they saved as much money as possible, using it only for food, the cheapest food they could find, not restaurants. They all knew this wasn¡¯t a sightseeing tour.


    It was getting dark before Aiman emerged from the library. He looked tired.


    ¡°Did you find anything?¡± Mary asked kindly.


    Aiman looked at her with heavy eye lids, ¡°Yes.¡± He said simply. ¡°Much of which was unhelpful and there is much more to go through.¡± He sat down heavily on a stone bench rubbing the bridge of his nose. ¡°I will begin again tomorrow.¡± The group all nodded, even Asclepius looked sympathetic towards him.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing more we can do here today,¡± Tara said. ¡°Shall we go try to find a place to crash for the night?¡±


    Acharya arched an eyebrow, ¡°Crash? That might be exactly what we end up doing.¡±


    They all got up from where they had been sitting and walked off the library grounds. They walked around for a while, looking for anyplace that might give them some semblance of privacy and protection. They found some people staking out areas in alleys and around the various parks. He couldn¡¯t say that there was a homeless problem in N''Djamena, but there were several people that they came across that seemed to have no place else to go except the piece of concrete or dirt that they were lying on.


    Finding a somewhat hidden place back behind two close buildings next to a wall, they built a small fire and made their camp for the night. Asclepius kept watch down the alley between the two buildings leading out onto the street. The group ate in weary silence. The night sky had darkened significantly since they left the library.


    Tara could see only a handful of the brightest stars in the sky as she ate quietly. All of them were lost in their own thoughts.


    Acharya felt a weight on his shoulders, looking at his pack. Their safety and well-being was his responsibility. Ultimately it was his job to complete this mission, if it even could be completed. He had been sent out with a job to do, with very little help, and even less advice. They were truly alone, something that they had never been before. They were on their own. And their lives were his responsibility. For the first time he felt a weight that threatened to crush him underneath it. The weight of responsibility was something he thought he knew how to handle. He was their Alpha. But he wouldn¡¯t fail them, even if he died doing it. They wouldn¡¯t fail, they couldn¡¯t.

 Book 6 Chapter 5c

    ¡°We¡¯ll set up a two hour watch for each of us, sans Aiman, agreed?¡± Acharya asked the group. He received questioning glances from Mary and Malikah. He explained, ¡°We¡¯re strangers in a strange land, no telling who might come along and try to steal our gear and food. We can¡¯t risk letting our guard down, and we can¡¯t risk losing what little supplies we do have.¡±


    People in cities were from all spectrums of life, the rich, the poor, the comfortable, and the desperate. Right now, they fell in with the desperate. They needed to act like their lives depended on what meager supplies they had, which it did.


    Asclepius gave a short quick bark. Acharya nodded, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll take second watch, then Malikah and Mary.¡± The two women nodded. ¡°Mary, if it¡¯s still dark by the time you¡¯re done, then I¡¯ll take over and finish out the night.¡± She made to shake her head but he held up a hand to stop her before she began, ¡°no arguments. I mean it. Now, let¡¯s get some sleep.¡±


    The group settled down into their sleeping bags with their mosquito nets flung over themselves propped up by the sticks they used the previous night. Acharya wasn¡¯t expecting to get much sleep tonight. He stared up at the night sky, trying to find the stars. Only the brightest stars were visible to him, which was expected. He stared up into space thinking about what it was they had to do.


    The night passed by uneventfully. Acharya woke up slowly with a sore back from sleeping on concrete. Mary hadn¡¯t woken him up and he was pretty sure she had stayed on watch for more than two hours. He silently thanked her for that though, he felt like he hadn¡¯t gotten any sleep at all.


    There wasn¡¯t any time for breakfast as they had to pack up their gear and get moving. They weren¡¯t too sure about the local laws but they didn¡¯t want to become targets of the local law enforcement as vagrants. Several minutes later they were cleaned up, packed up, and moving. They dropped Aiman off at the library as the rest of them decided to go to the museum.


    They found a bank and was able to exchange their rupees for the national currency, the Communaute Financiere Africaine franc, or the CFA franc. For their 32,000 Indian rupees they got in return 280,000 CFA francs. Not a bad little raise, of course what that actually meant here was anyone¡¯s guess.


    They made their way to the museum. Once again, no dogs were allowed. This time it was Acharya who stayed outside, while the three girls went in to look around.


    Malikah wasn¡¯t impressed by anything the place had to offer. The front fa?ade of the building was done in something that gave off the impression of California pueblos. She had been introduced to them when she had first arrived on the American west coast. The place was underwhelming, but it did have a nice courtyard. It had a few skeletons and the history of the place was interesting. It seemed that the only things this place did have were mostly concerned with archeology, Stone Age tools and apparently the oldest human skull ever recovered. The place was pretty bare otherwise, and they kind of regretted spending the money to get into the place.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    With nothing else to do they wondered around the city. Malikah knew that, she at least, stood out like a sore thumb. He pale skin was in sharp contrast to the rest of her pack mates. And being that they were in a city almost entirely populated by some form of black person, it made her pale skin stand out even more. Tara¡¯s darkly tanned skin blended in better than hers.


    The sun was past its zenith and she was getting hungry. They all seemed to be talking about food, in some form or another. The open markets, eating fresh food again, what they had eaten growing up with their families. It was small talk to take their minds off the problem at hand, they were tracking down Shape shifters and had no real idea of how to go about doing it.


    They made their way back to the library and picked up Aiman as the cooler air of the evening was moving through the city. He was smiling as they came up to him on the grounds.


    ¡°You found something,¡± Acharya said with a bit of a sideways glance.


    ¡°Yes, it could be nothing, but then again¡­¡± his smile broadened.


    ¡°What did you find?¡± Malikah asked.


    ¡°A possible location for the village of Werehyenas, Kabultiloa.¡±


    ¡°Where is it?¡± Mary asked excitedly.


    Aiman then outlined the text that he had found. It had all started when lions and hyenas were the lone predators in Africa. The hyena was smaller than the lion so the lion took control of the savannah and all the good hunting lands. This caused the hyena to become subsistence hunters, eating whatever the lions left behind. The night sky witnessed this injustice but was powerless to do anything about it.


    Then one day word reached the hyenas that the soft fleshed animals called man had discovered a great new weapon, harder than their claws and sharper than their teeth. The hyenas grew curious of this new weapon and came to the man village to see what it was. There the hyenas learned of iron and steel, and the men who formed it, the blacksmiths.


    The hyenas created a plan to make use of this new weapon to give them an advantage over the lions and take back some of the hunting ground that had been stolen from them so long ago.


    After years and years of trial and error, the night sky smiled on them and blessed them. Under the light of the stars and moon they were able to put on the skin of the man beasts and walk among them. They learned about this new weapon of iron and steel. They became great masters of working with it.


    However, no matter how hard they tried, they couldn¡¯t make the weapon work for themselves when they took off the skins of the man beasts. Disheartened they threw away the new weapons and returned to their own kind.


    It wasn¡¯t until much later that word reached the ears of the hyenas of the great metalworkers that had disappeared. The man beasts would pay money to learn from these lost masters if anyone knew where they had gone.


    It was then that the hyenas decided that if they couldn¡¯t make the iron weapons work for them, then they would take what the man beasts offered as payment. They could exchange the iron weapons for meat and skins. They would make the man beasts hunt for them. They would then be the rightful kings of the hunting lands. So what if it was the man beasts that actually did the hunting. Better they be put in danger than any of them.


    So, they put on the man beast skins and created the village of Kabultiloa. No man beast knew that the skins and game meat that they exchanged for the great works of iron and steel craftsmanship actually came from Werehyenas.

 Book 6 Chapter 5d

    ¡°So, that¡¯s why metal workers and blacksmiths are thought and suspected of being Werehyenas in the region,¡± Malikah said thoughtfully.


    Aiman nodded, ¡°Yes, if of course, the text I was reading is reliable. The Arabic it was written in is old and I needed some help translating, fortunately the librarian was most helpful.¡±


    ¡°How old was the book?¡± Mary asked.


    Aiman shrugged, ¡°The librarian mentioned something about the texts it was written from being close to a thousand years old or so. But I have no way to verify that.¡±


    The group was quiet for a time then Acharya said, ¡°You never said where the village actually was.¡±


    Aiman responded, ¡°That¡¯s because the text wasn¡¯t specific. It pointed to an area north of us, somewhere near Lake Chad, maybe on one of the islands therein. I asked the librarian about the local wildlife and for a map of the region. I asked him about the village of Kabultiloa. He hesitated for a moment then laughed and confirmed the area where I thought it might be, saying it was thought to be near the lake. Other than that, I have nothing more to tell you.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s where we¡¯re headed then,¡± Tara said.


    ¡°We¡¯re not going anywhere at this time of night,¡± Acharya interjected. ¡°Let¡¯s find a place to ¡®crash¡¯,¡± he said looking pointedly at Tara as he said it. ¡°In the morning we¡¯ll head out of the city and go see the lake. It¡¯s one of the big tourist attractions in the area, I hear,¡± he added with a smile.


    The group moved away from the library. The sun would set soon and they decided to not stay in the place they had found the night prior.


    It took some time but they found a similar alleyway to camp in. It was deeply set back from the main street; the only problem was the only thing that was between them and anyone just walking down the street and looking into the alley to discover them was a dumpster. They decided to not make a fire that night. They ate cold food and slept uncomfortably huddled against the cold building. The next morning, they headed north.


    They snuck out of the city and traveled north. They followed the Chari River as they traveled. The back packs they carried were not terribly heavy but they were a burden and they slowed their progress. They knew they had about sixty miles in between the city and the lake, not to mention all the small towns and villages that would undoubtedly dot the river bank. It would take them at least two days to reach the shores of the lake.


    They walked in silence in single file. Asclepius refused to wear a collar and growled at anyone who approached him. He walked with his head up and alert swinging back and forth. His nose rose, every so often, to sample the air for any scents that would warn them of danger.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    The land around them was an arid, wind blasted landscape. They could hear the river to their left, but their immediate surrounding was like something out of a post-apocalyptic science fiction story. The only thing that kept them firmly grounded in reality was that there were trees dotting the landscape. Every so often they would come across a small green belt filled with 50 trees or more. If it wasn¡¯t for the occasional green from the trees, it would be very easy to assume that they were on some alien planet.


    The towns were a bigger problem and they gave them a wide berth. Adding hours to their journey. However, the last thing they wanted to happen was to get pinned down in the narrow streets of a village filled with desperate humanity who only saw them as things with food. Things that could be killed to get the food they carried.


    The people here were not savages and the river did seem to support them well enough. But it didn¡¯t take an Anthropologist to tell just how poor the buildings were. People were people, when pushed hard enough, and if desperate enough, they would tear each other apart. And outsiders were all the more easily disposed of with no real moral compunctions to the contrary. Why should one care about an ¡®animal¡¯ they had never met?


    So, they walked around the various towns and clusters of buildings. Sticking to the sparse foliage around them they moved swiftly around the small pockets of civilization. All the while getting closer and closer to the lake.


    As the sun started to slide down toward setting in the west, the wind seemed to kick up and sand started to become a hindrance as well. They tied scarfs and pieces of cloth around their mouth and faces to help protect them from the assault.


    They reached a small greenbelt and decided to camp there for the night. They hadn¡¯t noticed anyone following them and they hadn¡¯t attracted any attention as far as any of them could tell. Asclepius made a slow circuit around the greenbelt of trees. He returned several minutes later without having smelled or detected anything resembling danger.


    The trees protected them from the wind and sand to a certain extent but as the sun set the wind seemed to die down as well. They decided to make a small tactical fire by digging a hole and building a small fire in the bottom. They then covered half the hole with a large somewhat flat rock, this would hide the majority of the light while trapping some of the heat.


    They cooked their food and ate in weary silence.


    Tara found that even though she was hungry and her appetite was normal, the food, didn¡¯t have much taste. She finished her meal and drank a bottle of water.


    Her gaze drifted to the north. Somewhere in that direction, at some unknown distance, was the remains of the village of Kabultiloa. The echoes of a proud people, that had enlisted the aid of the night sky to help them correct an injustice from eons past, still stirred ahead of them. She could feel it. She knew what that hurt was, and what living in the aftermath of it could do to a people.


    Her eyes drifted down to the small fire. The embers danced and rose out of the flames, only to bounce off the rock overhead and fall back down to the coals and small burning pieces of wood at the bottom of the pit. The sprites forced to fall back down to earth, never to fly, never to know freedom. A tear escaped her eye at that thought. All creatures wanted to know comfort, all creatures wanted security, but every once in a while it was the creatures prerogative to give up security and comfort and know freedom.


    Sometimes freedom was worth the risk of death. Sometimes justice was worth more than life. And sometimes an entire people needed to be woken from their collective sleep and be shown that freedom and justice were worth more than the scraps that they had settled for in order to secure comfort and security. That way was the road to tyranny and enslavement.

 Book 6 Chapter 5e

    She gazed up at the stars and saw The Scattered Stars overhead. She wondered what she might say if they found any of these lost Shape shifters. If they still lived, they most certainly didn¡¯t want to be found. Why should they help their distant cousins, the *proud* Werewolves? What had wolves ever done for hyenas? And what would their aid cost them? What if the asking price was too high? Would she give up her freedom for justice and revenge? The question lingered, echoing through her mind, as an endless wheel of pain and suffering until the blissful darkness of sleep finally took her.


    The next morning, they erased all traces of their campsite. They buried the coals from the fire and moved the rock over the pit. They scattered the dirt where they slept carefully sculpting the dirt and fallen twigs from the tress to look as if wind blew it. Asclepius raised a leg next to a tree and commenced to water it. Aiman arched an eyebrow but said nothing. He knew that fresh animal piss would tell a tracker that humans would not have been able to use this particular place as a camp site, at least not recently.


    Quietly they left their sterilized campsite in the predawn morning. They had to rely on Asclepius to guide them in the dark. The last thing they wanted was for one of them to twist an ankle or worse. Asclepius could heal them, the injury wasn¡¯t the primary concern. It was the shocked cry of surprise and pain that even Aiman would utter into the quiet night air that would attract all the wrong kinds of attention. Soon however the light heralding the new dawn was enough to see by.


    They trekked over a small rise as the sun finally rose over the horizon. The warmth from the sun immediately raised their spirits and they picked up their pace collectively. They didn¡¯t really have any idea how far they had traveled the day prior, but they were sure they had a ways to go.


    This day passed much as the previous one had. Walking around towns and villages as they came across them. Avoiding all notice if possible, if not smiling and waving like dumb American college students. They didn¡¯t stand out as much as Acharya feared that they would, but he would not let them grow lax in their caution.


    They camped in a similar copse of trees as they had the night before and like the night before they ate hot food from a tactical fire pit.


    Malikah noticed how quiet everyone was. She was grateful for the silence. She watched the fire dance and whisper to her. Her people, the Persians, knew that the heart of fire was sustained by spirits, spirits that could mesmerize and sooth you into falling into the fire with them. It was relaxing and very calming to watch them dance.


    Her green eyes reflected the fires dance and she hugged her knees to her chest. She looked down at herself. Once, in another lifetime, she had been so proud of the fake mounds that now hung there. Her family had come from Iran but somehow, they had become citizens in America and she had been born in Arizona of all places. The desert there was very much like home in many ways, at least that¡¯s what her parents had told her, over and over again. She had grown so sick of hearing about ¡®home¡¯ and how great Iran was compared to America.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    She had been eighteen years old.


    ¡°Okay my lovely, kabutar¡± Malikah¡¯s mother said, pulling her suitcase behind her and leaning it up against the hallway near the front door, ¡°This is the last of your luggage. Are you sure you have enough? I can always ship you anything if you forgot something.¡± She smiled sweetly with love and adoration in her eyes.


    Malikah smirked at her mother¡¯s concern. ¡°Maman, I am just going to college, you know the place that is only like three hours away. I¡¯m not going into a war zone.¡±


    Her mother hugger her tightly. ¡°I know, let me worry a bit. You¡¯re my precious bacce, let me worry over you for a few more years.¡±


    Malikah ended the hug and for the first time in a long time she really looked at her mother. Her pale skin was worn and there were noticeable wrinkles around her eyes. Her once vibrant smile and smooth lips now had wrinkles at the edges of her mouth. When had her mother become so old? Malikah had her mother¡¯s vibrant green eyes, but now those green orbs were not as sharp and clear as she remembered them. Looking at her mother as an aging middle aged woman made her pull back a little, at least mentally, in shock and horror. Malikah could think of no worse fate than getting old.


    ¡°I just wish you didn¡¯t have to go,¡± her mother said. Tears welled up in her eyes but her lips curved upward into a smile. ¡°Back home we had a college in the same city that your father and I lived in. If we lived there now, you wouldn¡¯t have to leave home to finish your education.¡± She shook her head, ¡°Things were just better back in Iran, I guess.¡±


    Malikah¡¯s temper flared and she barked out, ¡°You know mom, if Iran is so great why don¡¯t you go back there and leave me to fend for myself. If Iran was so great, why did you come to America in the first place?! I¡¯m sorry I was born here. I must be such a disappointment to you and Baba! Sometimes I think it would have been better for you both if I had never been born! Then you would be free to go back to whatever hell hole the you crawled out of, to con your way into the country that has only let us live outside the rule of dictators and misogamy. But then again you always thought I was too ¡®liberal¡¯ didn¡¯t you? I mean a girl wanting to think for herself without obeying the men in her life, how scandalous!¡±


    Malikah¡¯s mother stood still in shock as a pair of tears streamed down her face towards both corners of her lips.


    Malikah immediately regretted saying that, especially the timing. But she wasn¡¯t sorry for the sentiment and her mother deserved to hear it, and had deserved it for a long time.


    ¡°I have to go, mother. See you.¡± She hugged her mother one more time. Her mother barely lifted her arms to return the hug before she broke away from her mother. Then, without turning around, she grabbed her luggage and pulled it down the walkway towards the shuttle that would take her to her new life of excitement and freedom without the hovering guardianship of her parents.


    Looking into the fire and seeing the embers rise, hit the rock overhead, and fall back down to the fire below all she could think of were those last two words she had said to her mother, ¡°see you.¡± She didn¡¯t sleep well that night. In truth her eyes never closed.


    Early the next morning they packed their gear, sterilized the campsite, and headed north.


    The sun rose as they traveled and soon, they climbed above a small ridge and looked out over the pristine calm waters of Lake Chad.

 Book 6 Chapter 6a

    Lake Chad is a shallow fresh water lake northwest of N¡¯Djamena. The water level had lowered substantially in previous years. The islands of the lake were still there but not as numerous as they once were. The receding waterline had left many high places, which were once islands in the lake, as just another hill in the strangely textured and bumpy landscape surrounding the lake. It was said that the lake might disappear entirely due to climate change. As the group looked over the calm waters and down to the bottom of the lake, they could all believe that the claims were not too far exaggerated, if at all.


    The sandy beaches that they approached had several people there, fishermen preparing their boats, camels and their caravans resting in the cool hours of the morning. The lake was surrounded by, and supported, life in all forms. Standing from their vantage point on the eastern shore of the Chari River as it fed directly into the lake, they could all see just how precious and important this particular body of water would be to the surrounding desert areas.


    Looking over the lake for as far as they could see was water, and the surrounding areas. And in all that space, very view buildings were visible to them.


    ¡°Where do you want to start looking?¡± Malikah asked quietly.


    Aiman was trying to study the map he had received from the librarian as non-chalantly as possible. He had the map folded into a small square that he was now reading from his hand.


    Nodding he pointed northeast of them. ¡°The majority of the towns surrounding the lake are on the northeast side of this lower section of the lake. If we are to search here, then we had best make our way around the lake towards one of those villages.¡±


    Mary couldn¡¯t help the heavy sigh that escaped her lips. ¡°Oh, joy¡­more walking.¡±


    ¡°Look at it this way,¡± Tara said with a wicked smile, ¡°all this cardio will help you keep your girlish figure.¡±


    This earned her a sideways glance from the black woman, ¡°Since when have you ever heard me complain about my ¡®girlish¡¯ figure?¡± Mary asked sweetly. ¡°Any man who wants this,¡± she emphasized this by gently slapping her hips with both hands, ¡°is going to have to be ok with me being ok with who I am *and* how I look. And that goes for the rest of y¡¯all too.¡±


    Acharya gave a bit of a shocked smile at the sudden proclamation and the group as a whole laughed congenially at the joke, from both parties. With elevated spirits and still wearing smiles they headed east to walk around the bend of the large lake.


    The local flavor of guests that the lake was entertaining was varied. A camel grunted loudly at them while they passed. Acharya smiled back to Aiman, ¡°Maybe we got a little too close to his rock, that looks like every other rock here.¡±Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    The sand underfoot was a little deeper and looser than what they had trekked on for the past two days. Their feet sank into it with every step. If it wasn¡¯t for the camels and the already hot temperatures, Acharya would have sworn that they were back in America on the sandy beach of any other lake.


    The sun had passed its zenith by the time they finally saw a village on top of one of the rises in the landscape. The group smiled and nodded. ¡°It¡¯s about time,¡± Malikah commented.


    The group rested for a bit in a depression in between two hills. ¡°Ok, so what do we do?¡± Mary asked. ¡°I mean we can¡¯t just walk up to these people like tourists and expect them to respond or even to talk to us. We need information from these people, not their fear and avoidance.¡±


    Aiman nodded, ¡°I will go.¡±


    ¡°By yourself?¡± Malikah asked. ¡°No way, you are not going into a native village outnumbered 100 or more to one without some help.¡±


    ¡°I will be fine. I speak a language that they should at least recognize. And besides, I am of a native ethnicity, something of which I am unique in my present company.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t let him go by himself, Acharya,¡± Tara said. ¡°Maybe you could go too?¡±


    Aiman shook his head. ¡°The people here are not stupid. They will know him for an outsider which will only undermine my attempts to gather information peacefully.¡± He looked calmly at his pack, ¡°The solution which offers the best chance of success is for me to go alone.¡±


    ¡°In those clothes?¡± Mary asked.


    Aiman looked down at his garb. He was wearing clothes that shouted to the heavens, westerner. ¡°I have nothing to barter a change of clothes with. And the robes that the local desert Muslims wear are specific to each wandering group. I could unknowingly put on robes that the villagers see as evil or from a hostile clan. My clothes will have to be worn as is. I must be as genuine as possible with these people. Only through trust and truth will we hope to find out anything that will help us accomplish our goals.¡±


    ¡°Aiman¡¯s right everyone,¡± Acharya said suddenly. ¡°There is nothing that can be done except to trust our Enforcer to get the job done.¡± He turned to Aiman, ¡°and if you *do* get into trouble you will yell your head off till we come running. Agreed?¡±


    Aiman smiled and nodded, ¡°though such precautions won¡¯t be necessary. I will be back.¡±


    The dark brown skinned man rose from his seat and brushed off his pants and shirt. He climbed the hill and approached the village.


    The village was by and large made up of wood structures, mostly bundles of vertical sticks tied together to make the walls of the various huts. There were some adobe brick buildings towards the center of the village that he could see. Those buildings were much bigger than the rest. The various huts and smaller building were covered with light pale and tan colored cloth fabric that softly billowed in the gentle afternoon breeze, making the whole village give the appearance of a great organism breathing deeply in the afternoon sun light. And he was walking straight into that organism¡¯s mouth.


    He did not fear the organism however. He had never known fear in his life, only obstacles to be overcome or enemies to be defeated. There was something strangely familiar about this place.


    As he came closer to the village, he began to see people and children. The women of the village wore light colorful dresses that covered their bodies from neck to foot. The children wore similar dresses for the girls and the boys wore breathable tops and loose-fitting pants.

 Book 6 Chapter 6b

    As he walked towards the entrance to the village, he caught the eye of a woman in a patterned green dress leading a group of four small children. He guessed their ages from two to twelve years old, dressed very much like the other children he had spotted before. The woman stopped cold and eyed him suspiciously. She then turned to her children and hurried them into a nearby hut and the door quickly closed behind them.


    He could have forced the door open; it was nothing more than a bundle of sticks. The images of the Big Bad Wolf came to mind. He shook his head at the thought. He could be a wolf in more ways than one. This was a situation where force would only turn the people against him and he needed answers. He walked past the barred door of the hut and continued deeper into the village.


    He met similar reactions from other women and men. As soon as they made eye contact with him, they hurried inside their huts and small houses and closed and barred the door against him.


    He made his way into the heart of the village. He now stood in front of one of the adobe brick buildings, about the size of a large family house back in the States. There, one old man sat quietly in a chair in front of the building door. He rested a wooden staff against his shoulder as he quietly studied the man standing before him.


    He was wearing a Fulani style hat that was sun-bleached but still very study looking and serviceable for not only sunlight but also rain. He wore a brown and green shirt and loose-fitting brown pants that flared around his thighs. The man had on only straw sandals for his feet and a pipe was held loosely in his left hand. The old man looked up at him from under his Fulani, his brown eyes were sharp and Aiman could see the intelligence behind them.


    Aiman bowed formally in greeting. ¡°A Salaam Alaikum¡± Aiman began formally.


    ¡°Wa-Alaikum-Salaam,¡± The old man replied. ¡°What do you want, traveler?¡± The old man continued in Arabic. ¡°We are a simple village and have nothing for tribute except our meager stores and the people who tend to them.¡± The old man must have realized what he said and its meaning, but he kept an even gaze on the newcomer.


    Aiman replied in Arabic, ¡°We have no wish to ask you or your village for physical tribute. I do however ask for the gift of knowledge, once freely given in this region.¡±


    ¡°You know of our ways and customs,¡± the old man said with a small wry smile. ¡°Who are you stranger and what knowledge do you seek, so that we may part as friends, instead of as enemies.¡±


    Aiman pointedly paused and looked around at the small gathering of people that the two men had attracted. ¡°Might I humbly ask for a cup of tea, perhaps? Better, so that we may speak at our leisure?¡±Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    The old man did not smile, instead he nodded and rose from his chair, gesturing into the adobe brick building, ¡°Please, this way stranger.¡±


    Aiman preceded the old man into the building. The temperature dropped at least five degrees from the hot air outside. He was careful to step aside for the old man and see if he removed his shoes or not. The old man did not and Aiman followed him into his house proper.


    The old man gestured to a rug covered room and Aiman sat down, careful to keep the bottoms of his feet pointed away from the old man, as he carefully tucked his feet under him and sat down crossed legged, waiting for his host to serve him.


    The old man sat down and called towards the back of the house. Several quiet moments later, an aged woman wearing the garb of the village, walked in carrying a tray filled with a tea pot and two cups. The older woman served the two men and quietly left them alone to drink.


    After serval polite sips of the bitter tasting tea, he looked at the old man and decided to be as straight forward as possible. ¡°I am part of a group of people who are looking for the remains of the village of Kabultiloa. And whatever remains that the residents therein may have left behind.¡±


    The old man regarded the stranger with a calm silence. ¡°And what interest do you have in the Bultungin?¡±


    Aiman knew that Bultungin translated roughly to ¡®I change myself into a hyena.¡¯ So, these people at least knew of the legends of the Shape shifters of the region, which was a good sign. Whether the old man knew anything beyond that was yet to be seen.


    ¡°We seek only knowledge of the Bultungin. Perhaps learn more of the stories and legends that surround them.¡±


    ¡°You seek to unearth the knowledge of what it is to be a Bultungin. How to become one!¡± The old man¡¯s voice raised as he said this last part. ¡°Leave this house now, stranger. We have no knowledge to share with you.¡±


    Aiman tried to repair the damage, ¡°But we only seek knowledge of the legends. We¡¯re scholars of sorts.¡±


    ¡°Many scholars have come, the knowledge is lost and forbidden, now leave.¡± The old man turned away from Aiman and disappeared into the deeper recesses of the house. Aiman had no choice but to slowly get to his feet and leave the house.


    As he exited the house and began walking back the way he had come to exit the village, the villagers he could see pointedly avoided him. They scrambled away from him like scared rodents. The streets emptied quickly and he was left alone with his thoughts as he quickly walked down the now empty streets.


    He left the village and made his way back to his pack. The pack had moved to a small tree for the shade it offered. Asclepius was laying down panting. The group looked up at his approach but didn¡¯t get up.


    ¡°What did they say?¡± Mary asked.


    ¡°The village elder or chief¡¯s answer was emphatic, his reasons were erratic, and his demeanor become hostile very quickly. But that doesn¡¯t mean I didn¡¯t get a kind of an answer.¡± Aiman answered calmly.


    Acharya lifted a questioning eyebrow, ¡°The what, now?¡±


    ¡°He told him no,¡± Malikah answered flatly.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Aiman responded, ¡°But it was the way he said no that leads me to believe that we are at least closer to our goal than we were.¡±

 Book 6 Chapter 6c

    ¡°Ok, enough riddles,¡± Tara said impatiently. ¡°I¡¯m hot and not really in the mood for your stoic routine, Aiman. Just tell us what the hell happened.¡±


    Aiman nodded, ¡°When my inquiry was rebuffed by the village chief, he said that ¡®scholars had come before¡¯ and that the knowledge of Werehyenas had been lost and it was forbidden.¡±


    ¡°I seriously doubt he said that,¡± Malikah said with a scoff.


    ¡°You are correct, his exact words were ¡®the knowledge of the Bultungin is lost and forbidden,¡¯¡± Aiman replied.


    ¡°Bultungin?¡± Mary asked.


    Aiman nodded, ¡°It means, I change myself into a hyena.¡±


    ¡°So, they know about Shape shifters here,¡± Acharya commented. ¡°It would have been nice to get a little more information than that. But at least we know we¡¯re close, sort of.¡± He added the last with a sigh and shrug. ¡°We should find a place to camp tonight. Preferably somewhere a bit farther away from the village than here.¡±


    The group made a collective groan.


    ¡°It¡¯s so hot,¡± Tara complained, ¡°Can¡¯t we just hang out here for a bit? Please?¡±


    Acharya shook his head as he slung his back pack onto his shoulders. ¡°No, we need to move. The sooner we get away from here the better. I don¡¯t want to be mobbed by an angry village worth of people who think we are dark sorcerers or witches, here to dig up their dead or cast evil spells on them and their family, or something equally ridiculous but will more than likely end up with us being hunted and killed if they have anything to say about it.¡±


    ¡°Good point,¡± Tara said as she stood up and put on her back pack.


    The pack moved out towards the west. They didn¡¯t want to give away a possible direction for the villagers to follow, or point out to others. They didn¡¯t need a whole countryside knowing what they had planned on doing or where they really wanted to go. Once they were out of eyesight of the village they turned to the south.


    As they walked, they took turns doubling back on their tracks and creating false trails with Asclepius running back and forth, retracing trails and smudging his pack mate¡¯s footsteps. Malikah, using her tracker abilities, created false scent trails along some of the trails but not others. She masked her packs scent along their true path as much as she could.


    When the sun dipped below the horizon they finally stopped in a small copse of trees. The wind had picked up a bit from the day and the temperature dropped rapidly and substantially. They built a tactical fire, even though Aiman didn¡¯t think it was prudent to do so. Once the fire was lit everyone¡¯s spirits rose a bit and they cooked their food.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    As the night deepened the temperature dropped a bit more and even though it was relatively early, they all huddled in their sleeping bags to preserve their body heat against the rapidly cooling night air.


    ¡°Do you really think that there are people out there trying to find us, hunting us?¡± Malikah asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s always better to be cautious in a hostile environment,¡± Aiman replied.


    ¡°I think what she¡¯s asking, Aiman,¡± Mary interjected, ¡°Is, would people really come hunting a group of outsiders just because they asked, from what you told us, some pretty unpopular questions?¡±


    Acharya raised his head and looked at them, ¡°I think that we are here in Africa, and if I know anything about Africa, it¡¯s that there are still a lot of superstitions that people think are as real as Asclepius and more dangerous than the native species of cobra.¡± He rolled over and looked up into the night sky. ¡°I won¡¯t take anything for granted, and neither should you. Assume everyone we meet is dangerous, and always assume they want more from you than you are willing to part with.¡± He glanced towards Malikah and winked with a smile, ¡°as long as we do that, we should be fine.¡±


    The next morning, they awoke before sunrise and continued their journey heading east. When the sun finally rose in front of them, they turned back north. They continued their trail masking tactics from the day before. They really didn¡¯t want anyone following them. They could handle a half a dozen men if need be. Hell, Acharya knew that they could handle three dozen men from any village or city. But the kind of attention that a group of wolflike monsters from legend ripping into and almost killing a bunch of ¡®innocent¡¯ people was not the kind of publicity or attention that he wanted following them through Africa.


    From what Aiman had gathered from the village yesterday, they knew that the fabled village of Kabultiloa would be somewhere in the region, otherwise the village elder or chief or whoever he had been, wouldn¡¯t have had such a visceral reaction to it. Aiman¡¯s questions may have been enough to get the attention of the right people. It¡¯s possible that if Werehyenas were still in the region, they may find them first. And since this was their home turf, that might not be such a friendly meeting between them.


    Aiman led the group north towards another village on his map. The landscape became jutted and more wrinkled. The hills rolled and folded upon themselves violently in some places. The crevices between the hills became sharp and steep, almost impossible to walk out of vertically.


    Aiman left the group and headed towards the village.


    It was eerily similar to the village he had entered the day before. Except there were more adobe brick structures in this village and it wasn¡¯t as big. He could only see about three dozen or so buildings total and they were arrayed as two, sometimes three long rows, along the crest of the hill it rested on. Of course, this hill would have been an island as little as fifty years ago or so. The buildings were arrayed like this to show where the water line used to be. The buildings were only on the highest points, showing just how much the lake to the west had receded.


    He walked openly directly down the center street of the village. There was no apparent center to the village but he did stop and ask people some questions about who was in charge. The first few people were just as suspicious of him as the villagers had been yesterday. Finally, however, he did find someone who actually spoke to him and he was pointed to the far end of the village.

 Book 6 Chapter 6d

    At the most western point of the village, he found a building that was separated from the rest of the village by a large yard, which was green with plants and some vegetables growing in it. The whole place was surrounded by a handsome looking wooden fence that was only about three feet high. Aiman nodded towards the ¡°rich¡± man¡¯s house and walked slowly onto the covered front porch area.


    The front door was hanging open, so he knocked smartly on the wall. He stepped backwards out of the shade of the covered porch and waited in the street.


    He glanced up just in time to a see a woman quickly sidestep out of sight around the wall. He fought the urge to call out to her and waited patiently. It was not proper for a man, especially a visitor, to speak to a woman without first speaking to the man of the house. From what he saw from yesterday, some of the customs here were of Islam but there were differences. So, he would stick to the strict laws of Islam as he knew them to be. If he could be more lax in them, then he would learn from the people here. He wouldn¡¯t assume liberal views till he saw proof of them. Insulting these people would be counterproductive.


    He waited for long quiet moments. In the early afternoon heat, all the animals knew to find shelter and conserve their energy. He shook his head, ¡®only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the noonday sun.¡¯ He was neither, and yet here he was standing under the full brunt of the sun, sweating openly, on the hopes of getting some information.


    A gravelly voice suddenly spoke from just inside the house.


    Aiman couldn¡¯t understand the language. It was completely unknown to him. He turned slowly towards the house but couldn¡¯t see the speaker himself.


    ¡°A Salaam Alaikum,¡± he called out formally.


    There was a long pause. Then the disembodied voice responded in Arabic, ¡°What do you want, stranger? Why are you here?¡±


    Aiman took a slow step towards the house continuing in Arabic, ¡°I¡¯m here to ask about the village of Kabultiloa.¡±


    ¡°What interest does a western Muslim have in that place?¡±


    Aiman breathed a mental sigh of relief, at least the old man was willing to speak about the place. He would have to proceed with caution though. ¡°I want to know the location of where it might have been. My team and I are interested in proving the village¡¯s existence.¡±


    There was an audible scoff from inside the house. ¡°With all the treasures of Africa to be found, no one comes to find ruins.¡± A man hunched over from age appeared in the doorway of the house. The old man was bald with deep black skin. His slender shoulders were bare, showing the deeply set bones and the aged skin that hung from them. The man was wearing nothing put a pair of baggy pants that were held up by a length of rope.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Aiman replied truthfully, ¡°We seek only knowledge and proof, not treasure. We don¡¯t want to disturb your life here, or anyone else¡¯s. Will you help me to find what we seek?¡±


    The old man looked at him sideways and spit in the dirt next to the house. ¡°How do I know you only seek what you say, and not other, darker knowledge?¡±


    Aiman bowed and covered his heart with his right hand, ¡°I give you my word in the sight of Allah that we only seek to know the location of the village of Kabultiloa, nothing more.¡±


    The old man gazed long and hard at the brown man standing in front of him in the noon day sun. ¡°Come inside, stranger.¡±


    Aiman stifled a smile and, silently thanking Allah, he followed the old man into his house.


    The house was much cooler than it was in the sun and he was led to a large front room where he was offered a seat on the rug. The old man sat on a small stool, his bones and joints audibly creaked as he sat down. The two men sat and looked at each other in silence.


    A young woman brought tea into the room and Aiman and the old man drank the hot liquid. Aiman held the cup in his hand. When the woman reappeared, he gently covered the mug with his hand. The woman nodded and silently left the two men alone.


    ¡°Why do you want to become Bultungin?¡± The old man asked suddenly.


    Aiman took a moment to recover. The village chief had thrown him out of his house immediately when he even suspected that was Aiman¡¯s true goals yesterday. Today he was still sitting in a village elder¡¯s house after the old man suspected he wanted more than the location of the lost village.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to become Bultungin. I meant what I said, my group and I are scholars and we are simply seeking to prove the existence of such a place or at least that it once existed.¡±


    The old man regarded him levelly over his mug, the steam from the liquid gently rising to blur his features subtly. ¡°No one come to Africa, dressed like that,¡± he said motioning towards Aiman¡¯s clothes, ¡°only asking to see if ruins of some fabled place existed. Do you take me for a fool?¡±


    Aiman wasn¡¯t sure where the old man was going. His tone was not hostile but his words were pushing that way. He seemed to be implying that Aiman was lying, or that he had some nefarious reason for looking for the lost village. He probably had surmised that he and his group, whoever they were, actually wanted to become Werehyenas. The idea was flawed, but he couldn¡¯t fault the villager¡¯s, from both yesterday and today, logic or suspicion.


    ¡°Is there no way to convince you of my sincerity?¡± Aiman asked calmly.


    The old man stared at him hard and replied quietly, ¡°Swear on your mother¡¯s and your friend¡¯s lives.¡± He pointed to the floor. ¡°Do that, and I will tell you what has been passed down through the generations to me.¡±


    Aiman looked up sharply at this demand. ¡°I cannot swear on anyone or anything other than Allah. How could you possibly ask this of me?¡±


    ¡°I ask this because I know the laws of the Quran.¡± The old man leaned forward. ¡°And if you want what I know you will forsake your laws.¡±


    Aiman stared emptily ahead. He found himself shaking his head. ¡°I will not. I can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°You will or you will wander this desert for an eternity and never find what you seek. Now do as I say, swear on your friends and your mother, now!¡±

 Book 6 Chapter 6e

    Aiman shook his head, ¡°Whatever knowledge you have it will remain with you.¡± Slowly, numbly Aiman rose from his spot on the floor. He turned and began walking out of the house.


    ¡°Why in such a hurry young scholar? This is the only way. You won¡¯t find anyone else who will give you the information you seek, whether you are a scholar or not. Allah is just another name for the God of Abraham, is he not? All I ask is for you to swear on something solid, real, substantial, and that which you care about. Why do you refuse? It would be a simple thing, an oath for knowledge. What could be simpler?¡±


    ¡°I will walk in the sight of my God for as long as I can, without shame. I will be true to myself and to his laws as set down in the Quran.¡±


    ¡°Then you¡¯ll die here, never knowing that which you seek. And for what? Your god is the same as the Christians, they swear upon all sorts of things. Why should you be so strict in your beliefs? Why should Muslims wear their burdens like martyrs? Swear on your mother like every other Christian and you shall have what you need.¡± the old man spat out.


    Aiman said through numb lips, ¡°My God does not allow what you ask. We have nothing further to discuss.¡± He took a few more steps.


    ¡°The laws you follow were written by a man, flesh and blood like you and me. Why should your laws be stricter when praising the same God as the Christians and the Jews?¡±


    Aiman knew there was truth to what the old man was saying. His words twisted and wormed their way deep into his brain. He knew them to be half-truths, meant to confuse him. He knew who he was. He wouldn¡¯t let this old man deceive him. But there was truth in his words, Muhammad was a man, a holy man and a great prophet, but a man all the same. It was blasphemy to even speak his name. The old man spoke at least a partial truth.


    His legs felt like lead as he forced himself to continue to walk towards the exit, before he heard a loud tired sigh behind him.


    ¡°If you truly seek only the location of the village, then Allah be with you.¡±


    Aiman turned slowly, he was still numb from the impossible demands made upon him. He saw the old man looking at him calmly. There was no mirth in his eyes, but there was no malice or hatred either. Aiman replied slowly, ¡°Speak your mind, if you¡¯ve a will to.¡±


    The old man pointed a bony finger towards the north east. ¡°The village was said to be there. On an Island somewhere on the east side of the lake. If there is more to know, it is beyond what I was given. It is good to see one from the west hold the teachings as sacred truths, and our laws unbreakable.¡± The old man added the last with a small smile.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Aiman nodded his thanks, ¡°Thank you. May Allah watch over you. Ma''aasalaama.¡±


    Aiman did not wait for a reply. He suddenly felt the need to be very far away from this old man and his village. When he exited, he found his steps hurried. Walking down the street he felt like everyone in the village was watching him. He felt exposed and vulnerable.


    He made it to the edge of the village. Glancing behind him he saw several villagers watch after him. Their eyes followed his movements and he felt real danger for the first time. He moved with practiced calm towards his friends.


    When he reached them, he didn¡¯t stop but walked by them slowly, ¡°We are being watched. Take up our equipment and supplies and move with me, but do not panic, act calm.¡±


    Tara looked up as if to protest but Acharya silenced her with a glance. In hushed tones he said, ¡°we move.¡±


    The group walked slowly away from the village. They used the hills as much as they could. The villagers probably knew exactly where they would be heading. And there was no telling who would come for them. Their steps slowly increased in speed as the made their way back south.


    ¡°If they mean to hunt and kill us,¡± Aiman said when there was no one within eyeshot, ¡°they will come when darkness falls.¡±


    ¡°Then we will have a nice surprise waiting for them,¡± Acharya said with a smile. ¡°After all we are who we are, and the night gives us a special advantage.¡±


    ¡°That is not an option,¡± Aiman said coldly.


    ¡°I know Aiman,¡± Acharya said. ¡°I¡¯m not looking forward to having to kill people to defend ourselves. But *if* it comes to that then they¡¯ll find their throats ripped out and they can bleed out.¡±


    Aiman nodded. He knew that his alpha was right. A true warrior entered the arena knowing himself and having all his weapons at the ready. If they were threatened then the people that did it would find a fight on their hands that they couldn¡¯t win.


    For the entire rest of the day, they traveled. Putting distance between themselves and the village. Mary watched Aiman carefully. Something had happened in that village. Their Enforcer was bent forward in a stoic silent determination, which was usual for him. But his shoulders slumped forward, making him look tired and worn. He kept looking up into the sunlight multiple times, staring up into the hot golden orb. She could have sworn that she saw him mutter to himself as well. Was he praying? Whatever had happened to him, whatever was said must have really shaken him.


    The group stopped among some trees. Acharya told them all to rest. Tonight, they would move by moonlight, with Asclepius leading them through the darkness. None of them were able to sleep, even with the shade of the trees, the temperature was just too hot. That and how Aiman had been eerily quiet and the concern in Acharya¡¯s manner. They were being hunted, this much was almost a certainty now.


    When the sunlight drained from the horizon, they all packed up their gear. Before Aiman or Asclepius could leave, Acharya stopped them with a whisper, ¡°Wait.¡± He looked at each pack member and nodded. ¡°We¡¯re going into the Whyte Plain.¡±


    This didn¡¯t seem to faze them. ¡°We¡¯ll use it to hopscotch our way back north and then east towards the Kabultiloa ruins. We won¡¯t stay in the Whyte Plain for long, a couple dozen yards at a time. We don¡¯t want to over shoot our goal.¡± He paused and looked up into the night sky. ¡°Stay sharp everyone, ready?¡± They all nodded and replied in the affirmative. Acharya took a deep breath and feeling for the membrane between the two planes, he pushed.

 Book 6 Chapter 7a

    They were inside the Whyte Plain and Aiman and Asclepius were already running. Acharya led the rest of the pack as they silently stalked north in the unnatural quiet of the Whyte Plain. They were only there for a minute or two before Acharya stopped them and pulled them all back out again.


    They found themselves back in the cool night air of the African desert. There was no wind and everything was just as they left it. Except that now they had no real idea of where they were.


    Acharya looked to Asclepius to lead them. The wolf snorted as he put his nose to the ground, and then into the air, and then back to the ground again. He moved slowly around in a tight circle around the pack. His head jerked up suddenly as he took off at a trot in a straight line. The rest of the pack followed.


    There were no lights here in the desert. They could however see the light from bon fires in the distance. The soft orange light they gave off made visible domes of light on the distant horizons. Acharya stopped all of them with a hand upon Aiman¡¯s shoulder and the soft puff of a bark to Asclepius.


    Having gotten the general direction again from Asclepius, Acharya was confident that they could make another Whyte Plain ¡®jump.¡¯ He moved into the center of them as they gathered and he found the membrane and pushed.


    Aiman led the group this time. Asclepius growled low in his throat and he shifted into werewolf form. Aiman dropped his back pack and shifted as well. Acharya also shifted but kept his pack in hand. ¡°Everyone, pick up your gear.¡±


    The darkness around them swirled and began coalescing around them. Aiman was facing outward watching the shadows move just outside of being able to be seen clearly. Acharya said it again as he too was focused on what the Shadows were up to, ¡°pick up your gear,¡± he said slowly and deliberately.


    Aiman knelt slowly while keeping the majority of his focus outward from the pack. He grasped his pack in one huge werewolf claw. Acharya looked and saw that the entire pack had shifted but they had their back packs with them. He slowly moved north of them and said in a harsh quick whisper, ¡°Run!¡±


    The pack moved as one cohesive group; they pushed north. Asclepius made first contact with a wide claw swipe that forced the Shadow in their path to back away. Aiman pushed out to the left of the group as they moved. They were in a full-on sprint. A shadow billowed out of the darkness and just as Aiman was about to rake a claw through its gaseous form, they were back in the African desert.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    Aiman recovered quickly from his shock and dropping his back pack he shifted back into human form, as did the rest of the pack.


    ¡°Well, I was hoping to get a little farther along than that,¡± Acharya said calmly. ¡°We have to walk from here.¡± Asclepius, back in his natural wolf form, found their previous trail and led the group back north.


    They moved quietly through the night. They bypassed any village they came across and they didn¡¯t see any other signs of humanity. As the night wore on the air around them grew colder and the light from the distant fires dimmed as they burned themselves out.


    The horizon brightened in the east as they continued. When the sun finally rose, they took shelter near the lake shore. They scurried their way into a deep crevice between two hills. They covered themselves with mosquito nets for some form of protection and camouflage and some shade.


    The group had made some progress. As far as they could tell they were well north of the village from yesterday. And they would soon be on the north side of the lake. They had to be cautious. But they couldn¡¯t do anything if they were exhausted. As the sun slowly rose in the sky, they rested. The uneasy rest of the hunted, as they took turns watching over each other as they slept.


    That night they moved again. Using the moonlight and Asclepius to guide them. They used the hills to their advantage, using the natural cover of the landscape as best they could. Since the Whyte Plain was not an option, they used their double back techniques to cover their trails and create false ones. Malikah was laying down false scents and covering their own as they traveled.


    Acharya found himself looking up into the night sky. It was on a night very much like this one actually. The stars may be in different locations, but it was the moon that he was focused on. The quarter moon hung in the sky like the smile of the Cheshire cat, almost foreboding in this hostile environment. But it was under this moon that he had first changed. The blinding pain of the transformation. He felt like his body would rip itself apart and without the help of the Elder Jacob healing him as he changed, he may have died. He felt every part of himself on fire. And afterwards, when he finally awoke and could breathe again, he was another being. He didn¡¯t quite understand the full weight of what had happened, but Egaiarasu Acharya had died that day and he had become something else entirely.


    As he looked up, he wondered what he would be doing if he wasn¡¯t here risking his life. Would he have become a lawyer as his family so desperately wanted him to become? Would he be just another aimless college kid, saddled with debt and no real purpose? He had purpose here. His pack looked to him to guide them and he would not fail them. The lives of six, depended on his decisions. He looked up into the moon and asked Shiva silently if what he was doing was the right thing, and to give him the wisdom to continue on the path they traveled if it was.


    Through the night they traced the east, north east, and finally the north shore of the lake. The going was slow and arduous. They climbed more vertically than they traveled laterally. But they kept going throughout the night.

 Book 6 Chapter 7b

    When the sun finally rose and they found a suitable hiding place to bed down for the day they found that they had traveled a pretty good distance. Now all they needed to do was stay hidden and find a way to look for these ruins that some old man gave a very vague point to and a general direction from where they were two days ago.


    They rested for a time and Acharya and Aiman, along with Asclepius, began looking around and scouting the area around themselves for anything that might look like the ruins of a village. Of course, if it was anything like the villages of today, the wood would have rotted long ago, and the adobe brick, if there even was such a thing back a few hundred years ago, would be ground down to rubble, completely unfamiliar to their eyes. They weren¡¯t Archeologists. But they had to try.


    Asclepius moved over the hills with ease, while Acharya and Aiman, were tired and took their steps cautiously around the rocks and crevices, and everything else that could twist or break their ankles.


    They moved out maybe a mile or two away from the rest of the pack and studied the hill tops as best they could. They didn¡¯t see anything worth noting. Acharya¡¯s back was getting sore, from hunching over and climbing all this time. Aiman was silent and endured his pain with his usual quiet determination. They marked the hills that they had searched as best they could on Aiman¡¯s map. After studying four different hills they went back to the pack.


    Acharya was just climbing up through a crevice when he stopped cold. Aiman pulled himself up next to him and saw what his Alpha stopped for. There, calmly squatting in the middle of the hill they now clung to the side of was a hyena.


    There was nothing terribly special about the animal. Except that hyenas were pack animals and if there was one there were others nearby. Asclepius might be able to take it by himself, but if the thing got his jaws locked around him in anyway, their Healer would probably die unless one of them shifted into werewolf form, but in broad daylight, that was not the best solution. They decided to move sideways and try to get around the animal.


    As they slowly tried moving along the side of hill to sidestep the animal, the hyena got up and moved to stay in front of them. He sat down again when the two humans stopped moving. Asclepius was on top of the hill. He moved the opposite way away from where the two humans had been travelling, off to their right, but the hyena didn¡¯t seem interested in the maned wolf at all.


    Aiman raised himself up onto the hill and moved sideways to his left, keeping a very close eye on the hyena. Acharya watched the Enforcer move slowly, methodically. At first the hyena didn¡¯t seem to want to follow just Aiman. But after the Enforcer took a few steps to his left, the hyena left Acharya and moved with Aiman. Acharya took the opportunity to get up onto the hill and moved to the right towards Asclepius.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    The three had managed to split and surround the hyena. They didn¡¯t want to hurt it; all they wanted to do was get away from it. The hyena sat down in front of Aiman calmly and made a very characteristic cackling noise as it raised its hind leg behind its head and began licking itself.


    Asclepius didn¡¯t mask his disgust at the vulgarity of the animal in front of them. And Aiman took the opening to move a few more slow steps to his left. Acharya stayed where he was, watching the animal in front of them.


    Asclepius moved around the curvature of the hill, soon he was directly behind the hyena, then he was on the far side of the hill. Acharya moved along that side as Aiman was stationary, holding the animal¡¯s attention.


    The hyena yawned; his teeth filled maw opening to a size bigger than any of their heads. Its jaws opened to an impossible angle. The animal slumped down onto his belly as he laid down, still looking at Aiman.


    Acharya moved to his right following Asclepius. While Aiman began moving again to his left. At his movement the hyena¡¯s ears picked up and he lifted his head from his paws. Aiman stopped. The hyena looked around himself letting his eyes linger on Asclepius and Acharya before turning his attention back to Aiman. Acharya moved quickly to join Asclepius and they moved toward the far side of the hill.


    Acharya wanted to draw the attention of the hyena away from their Enforcer. He realized the best way to do that was to get the animal¡¯s attention and have it chase them. If they got a big enough head start then it would allow Aiman to get away. Maybe they could lose the animal in the crevices of the hill side. And if nothing else they could try to escape into the lake. Hyenas could swim as well as any dog but maybe it would get tired and leave them alone if they stayed in the water long enough. It was risky but it was better than doing nothing.


    Acharya yelled, ¡°Hey you! Slobbering mangy mutt! Come and get me!¡± Without waiting for a response from the beast he and Asclepius part jumped, part ran, part slid down the east side of the hill. They skidded and stuttered and hopped their way down, barely avoiding seriously injuring themselves.


    When the two reached the bottom, they looked up thinking they would see the hyena charge down the hillslope after them. But it was quiet and there was no sign of the beast in pursuit of them. Acharya looked down as Asclepius, who returned the look with a cock of his head. He nodded to the wolf and together the two sheepishly climbed back up the hill. They wouldn¡¯t leave Aiman to fend for himself.


    When the two topped the hill, they saw their Enforcer sitting calmly on the ground, right where they had seen him last. They saw no trace of the hyena. What they did see was an aged man sitting calmly, facing Aiman. He was dressed fairly well and Acharya had a fleeting thought, where did he come from?


    ¡°I could smell you before I could see you, young ones.¡± The man said without turning his head. ¡°I would very much like for you to join us before you hurl anymore undeserved insults at people you have never met before.¡± Acharya looked to Aiman who only nodded calmly.

 Book 6 Chapter 7c

    The Alpha and the Healer moved cautiously towards the old man. There was only one explanation for this. This man had to be the hyena. But if that was the case, why did he toy with them? He acted like he was daring them to act, to see what they would do? If it was true, had the old man wanted them to attack? All these questions raced through his head, those thoughts mixed with the strategy they could use to overpower the old man and get away safely. He looked to Aiman who seemed perfectly at ease and didn¡¯t give away even the slightest hint of danger. It was possible there was no danger. But as Alpha, he had to accept and prepare for all eventualities.


    ¡°Come, come, young man, I don¡¯t bite, well, at least not in this form I don¡¯t bite¡­usually.¡± He said this as he half turned in his seat to watch the two approach them.


    Acharya and Asclepius walked to either side of the old man and sat down next to Aiman. Acharya didn¡¯t take his eyes off him, ¡°Aiman, is everything alright?¡±


    ¡°Yes, perfectly.¡± He looked directly at Acharya, ¡°Our host however, is incensed at what you called him before you made your diving escape down the hillside.¡±


    Acharya looked at the old man and nodded his head, ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I insulted you in any way. I was simply trying to distract an animal from attacking my friend.¡±


    The old man raised an eyebrow, ¡°You called me a ¡®slobbering, mangy mutt¡¯.¡± He leaned forward with a sneer upon his lips. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know that hyenas are not mangy or slobbering. Our jaws, in hyena form, could crush your bones in under two seconds.¡± There was a darkness to the man¡¯s eyes as he spoke. ¡°Aiman and I were just talking about why you are here.¡± He pointed to the man sitting across from him. ¡°Did my map help you find the place?¡±


    Aiman replied, ¡°The map was adequate for the region, but did little to help us find anything, as you can see.¡±


    ¡°Wait, Aiman, why does this guy act like you two have met before? Have you ever seen this guy?¡± Acharya asked.


    The old man silently nodded to Aiman, who answered, ¡°This is the librarian I met in N¡¯Djamena national library. He was the man who helped me translate the texts and gave me the map I used to guide us here.¡±


    Acharya arched an eyebrow, ¡°You spoke English the whole time?¡± Acharya asked incredulously.


    The old man scoffed, ¡°Of course. What? You think we poor black people from this backwards continent of Africa only speak in clicks and throat noises, like that ridiculous film, ¡°The Gods Must be Crazy?¡± He made a derisive hand wave. ¡°We, in Africa speak many languages and English is among one of those we speak. Though it may not be prevalent here in Chad, we do know about the outside world and even, dare I say¡­technology.¡± He said this last with an exaggerated gasp and wry smile.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Acharya looked back and forth between the librarian and his Enforcer. He looked at Asclepius and then back to the old man. ¡°What have you told him, Aiman?¡± he asked.


    Before Aiman could respond the old man answered, ¡°He hasn¡¯t told me anything that I couldn¡¯t piece together for myself. You¡¯re looking for my people.¡± He shot a glance back at Aiman before turning his full attention towards Acharya. ¡°And since you are looking for my people, I have a few questions for you. If you lie to me, and I¡¯ll know if you are, I leave. If you are looking to become one of us, you¡¯re wasting your time, and I leave. If you come in conquest, or to start a war, I leave.¡± He paused, letting what he said sink in to the minds of his audience.


    ¡°If I leave,¡± he continued, ¡°you will never find what you seek. The village is just ruins and even if you did find it, there would be nothing for you there. Do I make myself clear, young man?¡±


    Acharya looked to Aiman and Asclepius then back to the old man and looking directly into his eyes he nodded solemnly.


    The old man smiled and rocked back a bit as he sat on the hard ground, ¡°Excellent, Now I will begin my questions. Remember,¡± he held up a finger for emphasis, ¡°I will know if you are lying and if that proves to be true, I walk and you will be forever without what you seek. Now, why are you looking for the lost village of Kabultiloa?¡±


    Acharya took a deep breath before answering. He had no idea if the old man was bluffing or not, but they had come so far. It was up to him to not blow this possibly one chance to succeed in their impossible task.


    ¡°We are looking for Werehyenas,¡± Acharya answered.


    The old man smiled ironically, ¡°If that¡¯s the case I¡¯d say you were pretty successful in finding some.¡± He smiled widely. ¡°Why would you be looking for some old ruins, though? Is this because of that story I helped Aiman translate back in the library?¡± He raised a questioning eyebrow at Aiman.


    ¡°We had very little information to go on. Since we knew of this fabled village of Kabultiloa, it seemed the most rational place to begin our search,¡± replied Aiman.


    The old man nodded to himself, muttering under his breath, ¡°Well, what do you expect? You send half blind children to go find someone who doesn¡¯t want to be found. Where exactly should they start looking? I mean it¡¯s not like we advertise where we live or that we even exist.¡± He continued to mutter to himself almost too quietly to hear.


    This went on for several minutes. Even though the three of them couldn¡¯t hear what he was saying clearly, the gist of it seemed to be the old man arguing with himself. Eventually he stopped muttering and looked up at the trio.


    The librarian refocused on the men in front of himself. ¡°Why would you want to find, or even look for the Bultungin? We haven¡¯t attacked anyone. We have minded our own business for centuries.¡±


    Acharya blurted out, ¡°Why did your kind disappear? Why did you leave?¡±

 Book 6 Chapter 7d

    The old man blinked at the sudden bluntly asked question. He stretched and straightened his back. ¡°We left because we didn¡¯t want to fight anymore. We have had to kill any number of people just to survive. We are tired of trying to live in the world of man. The animal kingdom accepts us as what we are: necessary.¡± He rolled his tongue in his mouth as he paused. ¡°We are vicious predators, to be sure, but necessary predators. Nature understands what mankind never will.¡±


    ¡°So you just left?¡± Acharya asked harshly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have to answer to you, young one. We¡¯re done.¡± The old man stood up and putting his hands on his hips, stretched looking up into the early afternoon sky.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Aiman said looking up at the old man, ¡°We need your help.¡±


    The old man looked down at them from the side of his face. ¡°Go to the police, young one. We aren¡¯t in the business of rescue or charity.¡±


    ¡°What about self-preservation?¡± Acharya asked quickly.


    The old man slowly turned and looked back at the young man with a quizzical look. ¡°We have always been in the business of self-preservation. If I hadn¡¯t shown up here, you would have wandered this desert aimlessly till you died of exposure. What could you possibly offer us that we don¡¯t already provide for ourselves?¡±


    Acharya shook his head, ¡°We came here looking for your help.¡±


    ¡°Like I said,¡± The old man replied impatiently, ¡°Go to the police.¡±


    ¡°We would if we could, but we can¡¯t¡± Acharya replied.


    The old man smiled slowly before squatting down on the balls of his feet. ¡°And why is that?¡±


    Acharya looked up with anger in his eyes, ¡°Because the police don¡¯t exactly believe in vampires or offer to help monsters.¡±


    The old man¡¯s eyebrows rose on his forehead, ¡°Monsters? You¡¯re Werewolves, aren¡¯t you? All of you?¡±


    Acharya nodded curtly, ¡°Yeah, yeah, we are. Probably why you couldn¡¯t mesmerize us when you faced off against us when we first climbed the hill. Or didn¡¯t you find it interesting that your eyes didn¡¯t freeze us in place.¡±


    The old man smiled, ¡°I had wondered, but don¡¯t flatter yourself, I only saw you as a mild curiosity.¡± He slowly rubbed his chin as he looked up into the sky. ¡°You mentioned vampires, has the scales of the war between you two finally tipped in their favor?¡±


    ¡°We were attacked and lost our home,¡± replied Aiman emotionlessly. ¡°In the process we Shape shifters have lost one of the few remaining cities that our people had built.¡±


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    ¡°Oh, too bad. Why should I care?¡± The old man spat.


    ¡°Because if the vampires win, then they will spread and take over the whole of the human race.¡±


    ¡°Please,¡± the old man said, ¡°What use have we ever had for the human race? I don¡¯t care if they all die tomorrow. What have they ever done for us? Oh, that¡¯s right, they¡¯ve hunted us, demonized us, killed us wherever they could, and chased us from every permanent place that we set up for ourselves, including Kabultiloa.¡±


    ¡°We understand your indifference,¡± Aiman said calmly. ¡°But it is folly to assume that you will be able to hide in a world run by vampires. It may take a generation or two, but if we Werewolves die, the vampires will rise to power. And if they go unchecked, a generation, maybe two, they will be here. And then you won¡¯t be able to hide. You won¡¯t be able to masquerade as a vampire slave, and if the vampires can¡¯t use you, they¡¯ll kill you, as surely as they would have killed us.¡±


    The old man regarded the three closely and squinted his eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s say for just a moment I believe any of this. What would you do for us? What boon would we be granted for helping you?¡±


    Acharya thought very carefully then said slowly, ¡°That would be up to our Elders. I can¡¯t give you any promises.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you here if you are not prepared to deal honestly with us?¡± The old man asked.


    Aiman asked quietly, ¡°Why are you here? Hyenas are pack animals, as are wolves.¡± He nodded towards Asclepius. ¡°Hyenas are also matriarchal. You aren¡¯t fully able to negotiate on behalf of your people either. Where is your matriarch?¡±


    The old man smiled. ¡°Well done, well done indeed.¡± The old man stood up with a laugh and stretched again, bending his back dramatically to an almost ninety degree angle from his legs. He slowly straightened back up. ¡°My matriarch is safe. She would never have shown herself to you, even if you were in the right place, which you aren¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Acharya asked.


    The old man smiled, ¡°She¡¯s a couple hundred miles away, in Ethiopia,¡± he said with a vague point eastward. ¡°But you¡¯re not going to be able to get there, even if you wanted to.¡±


    ¡°Explain yourself old man,¡± Acharya said quietly with a dark look in his eyes.


    The old man smiled warmly and squatted back down on the balls of his feet facing the three of them levelly, ¡°You can¡¯t get there because on the eastern Chad, Sudan border there is a civil war going on. No one is getting out of here on foot or on the ground at all. So, unless I have seriously underestimated how much money your group has, there is no way you are going to be able to afford a plane ticket to get to Addis Ababa. So, you can¡¯t get there.¡± The old man stood up. ¡°It was nice meeting you.¡±


    He started walking away from them before saying over his shoulder, ¡°It¡¯s good to know that the high and mighty Werewolves still feel the need to slum it with us lowly Bultungin from time to time.¡± The old man leaned forward and as he fell, his body shifted in a vibrant flash into the four legged hyena that they had seen when they first got to the top of the hill. The hyena looked back at the three males and cackled loudly. The laugh sounded more human than it had when they first saw it. The hyena ducked his head to the ground then took off running till it disappeared down the far side of the hill.


    Acharya looked at Aiman. ¡°Well, that was¡­helpful.¡±


    Aiman turned to face his Alpha. ¡°We have a location and the next step in our journey. That will have to suffice for now.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Acharya sighed, ¡°we do have our next step. And who knows?¡± He said smiling suddenly, ¡°maybe trying to go through a war zone might be fun. I mean we might get shot at again, that¡¯d be fun, right?¡± Aiman looked at his Alpha questioningly. Acharya just smiled, ¡°I¡¯m kidding Aiman. But you have to admit, it will definitely keep us on our toes.¡±

 Book 6 Chapter 8a

    ¡°Keva!¡± Soter yelled, ¡°We can¡¯t keep this up for too much longer!¡±


    The pack was running blindly northward, deeper into the Whyte Plain but the Shadows pressed them from all sides. Keva knew that they had to get as far north as possible and had elected to run instead of getting out of the Whyte Plain sooner. They had been able to hold off the flowing forms, but they had been running for a long time. The Shadows nipped at their heels and they pressed in from the east and west.


    Huan Li had silently accepted the Alpha¡¯s decision to stay in the Whyte Plain. Keva was beginning to wonder if they shouldn¡¯t get out now. They had long ago shifted into werewolf form and being weighed down by their packs, they were a half step slower than they would have been. It was a dangerous game of chicken that she was playing.


    Her leg stopped moving and she almost fell to the ground. Without looking she knew that a Shadow had grabbed her. She cursed and swiped at the tendril that held her. Her claws passed through the gaseous form and her leg was free once more. She ran in a full sprint to make up for the lost seconds.


    ¡°Soter,¡± Keva called out, ¡°How far away are we? Are we close?¡±


    The mostly silver furred Scout called back over his shoulder, ¡°I can¡¯t really tell at the moment.¡± As he flung his free arm out to his side, slashing out at a Shadow that was trying to attack him. ¡°Being that we don¡¯t really know exactly where we¡¯re going. It¡¯s hard to tell.¡±


    Keva kicked out at another Shadow that was trying to grab her foot. ¡°That¡¯s not helpful Soter! Like, at all! I need an answer now!¡±


    Soter called back as he nimbly jumped over a Shadow as it tried to trip him. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure we¡¯re in Sweden right about now. Or we might be a mile or so away. So, we could risk it and maybe have to take a swim.¡±


    Keva closed her eyes in silent thanks, ¡°Michelle! Get us out of here!¡±


    The almost pure cream furred werewolf called back, ¡°It¡¯s about time!¡± She skidded to a stop and closed her eyes. Suddenly the whole pack found themselves in three feet of ice-cold water. The shock took Keva¡¯s breath away before she realized what had happened and where she was. She quickly shifted into human form while trying to stumble forward to get out of the frigid water.


    Waves licked up their legs as they struggled in the soft sand of the surf. They kicked salt water up onto their chests and hair as they rushed forward against the surf.


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    Keva finally made it to mostly dry packed sand and was able to look around. The beach that they arrived on was covered in large rocks and small boulders. There was no one to be seen which was good. It would have been pretty hard to explain a bunch of monsters coming out of the water and suddenly becoming human again.


    She looked to her left. She saw her three wolf born pack mates, Hysminai, Soter, and Erato. They had shifted into their wolf forms and were struggling to drag their back packs up onto the beach in the rough surf. She went over and grabbed two of them as Huan Li had already grabbed Soter¡¯s back pack and carried them out of the water.


    Throwing the backpacks down onto the rocks the pack grouped themselves against a large boulder and rested for a bit. The sun shined, but its light gave off very little heat and the ocean breeze was chilling their wet clothes. They needed to get warm before hypothermia set in. But right then all she wanted to do was rest. They had been running from the Shadows trying to get here, wherever here was.


    ¡°Michelle?¡± Keva asked.


    The four foot, eleven-inch blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman looked over at her Alpha as her teeth chattered from the wind and cold wet clothes that clung to her body from her breasts down. ¡°Y, yes Ke..eva?¡±


    ¡°Ok, you¡¯ve answered my question, you¡¯re doing worse than I am.¡± She looked to her Enforcer. ¡°Javier, we need to get out of this wind and get out of these wet clothes, before we freeze. Michelle isn¡¯t doing too well, and neither will I before too much longer.¡± She looked to the east up the beach. ¡°Do you see anything or anywhere we might go?¡±


    The six foot two, brown eyed Hispanic scanned their surroundings. He shook his head, ¡°I can¡¯t see anything from down here. We need to move up the beach maybe there¡¯s some buildings around or at the very least some natural shelter.¡±


    Keva nodded and looked to Huan Li who was leaning heavily against one of the boulders, resting. He acknowledged Keva¡¯s glance but wasn¡¯t in any rush to add his counsel to what they had planned. Not that Keva needed his approval, but it was nice to be allowed to lead her pack when, as an Elder, he could have taken charge at any time. He seemed content to let her lead. Maybe the old man wasn¡¯t such a stuck-up bastard after all.


    The group moved up off the beach. Michelle¡¯s teeth were chattering loud enough for Keva to hear them and the short woman was clutching at her body to preserve warmth. The sudden exit from the Whyte Plain into the bitter cold ocean water was bad enough. But the wind from the ocean wasn¡¯t just cold, it was freezing. That coupled with their wet clothes, made the wind slice through their bodies like cold steel, robbing their bodies of much needed warmth.


    Keva and Javier were carrying two back packs each, while Huan Li carried two as well. Michelle showed a little improvement as she walked with them up the beach but her lips were turning blue, almost before Keva¡¯s eyes, and the only thing she could think of was that the woman needed dry clothes and warmth, now.


    They moved slowly up the beach. They passed a roadway that ran perpendicular to their path. There was hardly any traffic so crossing the road was easy. On the other side, was a dense wooded area. Keva thanked whatever Gods looked out for them and led them into the forest.

 Book 6 Chapter 8b

    Once they were deep enough into the woods, she had Javier gather wood and she set about getting a suitable shelter built. She was able to find a felled log that provided good protection from the wind. The wind in the woods was a lot less pronounced than it had been on the beach, but it was still there. She cleared the area of rocks and sticks and sat Michelle down next to the log.


    Michelle had managed to keep her pack mostly dry and she was able to change into dry clothes. Meanwhile Javier had gathered enough wood and dry kindling to start a fire. Between himself and Huan Li the two men had a pleasant fire going in a short time.


    Keva moved Michelle closer to the fire and hugged the woman. Her teeth had stopped chattering but her lips were still blue and she was sluggish in her responses. That could be because she was tired, or it could be early warning signs of hypothermia. Either way, they had all changed into dry clothes and the fire did wonders to warm them all up.


    Keva wasted no time in preparing food for them all. Michelle ate first. It was enough that the woman ate something before drifting off to sleep in her sleeping bag. Her lips were no longer blue and she wasn¡¯t shivering, so Keva allowed the woman to sleep. After Michelle was taken care of the other six of them ate and settled down, three in their sleeping bags, while the wolves made the best out of the dry forest floor.


    The red-haired Alpha looked over at the aging Elder. ¡°Well?¡±


    The Asian man raised his eyebrows in surprise. ¡°Well, what?¡±


    ¡°Oh, come off it, Elder Li,¡± Keva placed special emphasis on ¡®elder¡¯. ¡°I know that you are just brimming to tell me all the things I did wrong, how I could do better, how I deserve to be better for my pack. Or any other of a thousand platitudes that you gave me while I was training and even after my pack chose me as Alpha. You have always had something to say, either about me specifically, or what I was doing.¡±


    The onslaught of accusations didn¡¯t seem to faze or surprise Huan Li at all. The older man calmly regarded the young woman. ¡°You have made decisions, you have shown you care for your pack mates, and you have shown a dogged determination which will serve you well in these cold northern regions. We hunt those which are more dangerous than perhaps even I imagine. I am here only because of my experience and my age gives me an advantage, one that may prove inadequate for the task at hand, I¡¯m afraid.¡± He sighed softly and looked at the red-haired woman, ¡°To you specifically I will only say this.¡±


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    Keva awaited the final verdict with pursed lips and a scornful glare.


    ¡°Continue to care for your pack and follow what you know to be right. Your pack mates will be your judge. Whether or not they live or die, they will be your judge and jury. And it is their verdict that you must abide by, not mine.¡± With that Huan Li laid down in his sleeping bag and closed his eyes to sleep.


    Huan Li¡¯s words kept repeating themselves inside her head, unbidden and unwanted. Her pack would be her judge and jury, whether they live or die, it was they who would judge her. She knew that Huan Li spoke truth in that assessment. She just wished that she didn¡¯t feel so unsure of herself. She laid down to sleep, but sleep was a long time coming.


    The next morning Michelle said she felt a lot better and she had no lingering effects from the previous day. Thankfully it hadn¡¯t rained and the morning in the forest wasn¡¯t too terribly cold. It was very brisk and Javier couldn¡¯t get a fire going fast enough. It was one of those mornings where you just didn¡¯t want to get out of bed, or the sleeping bag in this case.


    But eventually they had to get up and repack their bags. The wet back packs hadn¡¯t fully dried out overnight but they had dried substantially. It was enough that the extra back packs could be carried by the rest of the pack. They cleaned up and sanitized their campsite before heading out, east through the forest, then they would turn north and continue in their search for the bear men.


    The more north they traveled the colder it got. They had brought winter clothes but the weather had taken a turn for the worse. It had starting snowing on their second day there. By the end of the first week, they were trudging through more than a foot of snow. Soon, it would be impossible for them to travel on foot, at least without skies or some sort of snow shoes.


    Keva kept the group together. As they huddled inside their clothes for warmth they continued to walk north. The weather got worse and traveling became slower and more arduous.  There were times that the flurries got so bad they found themselves in ¡®white out¡¯ conditions and had to stop, sometimes for a day or more before they could continue.


    For the first week or so, they passed by hamlets and small villages of houses and buildings. They made use of the warmth of civilization but they couldn¡¯t stay long, if at all. Mostly just to get out of the cold for a small warm meal. Their lack of money was something they couldn¡¯t overcome. Although they were able to buy pairs of used snow shoes for the humans.


    The real concern was the uncertainty of their journey. They could travel as far north as they wanted, but when would they have traveled far enough? Was there anything worth finding in the frozen wastelands that they were so doggedly trudging towards? The deep forests of Scandinavia was their only lead and they were slowly making their way closer to them, at least that¡¯s what Keva hoped.


    Eventually they left all islands of civilization behind. They were now traveling in deep forest. They had been going this way for at least a week without having seen another person or building in the dense forest. They had become very good at making snow shelters and for every three days of travel, they took a full day to rest.

 Book 6 Chapter 8c

    It was on one of these days of rest that Keva found herself waiting for Javier and Huan Li to prepare their food in the early afternoon. They were all sitting outside, bundled up against the artic wind, and snow. The sunlight went away very early and it seemed like night was coming earlier every day. Keva found herself looking up into the dark cloudy sky.


    The snow fell softly today. In the woods surrounding them, it made deep drifts up against the trees several feet deep in some places. The trunks of the trees were long ago buried and all that shown above the pure white of the snow was the green boughs of the evergreens that surrounded them.


    Suddenly one of the wolves growled low in his throat. Keva jerked her eyes over to see Hysminai growling with his tail erect looking off into the dark woods. He wasn¡¯t alone for long. Soter and Erato were soon up on their feet facing in the same direction as Hysminai. The humans looked in the direction the wolves were facing into the dark woods.


    Keva heard it first. A terrible thrashing off in the distance. Tree branches splintered and cracked as something big moved, unseen in the distance. Michelle felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise. Javier said something under his breath, it sounded like a prayer.


    The crashing grew louder and more intense as the rumbling grew closer. Keva was studying the trees and watching the snow being shaken from their places on top of the evergreen boughs overhead as the rumbling finally crashed into their view. Keva took an involuntary step backwards as the source of the disturbance charged toward them.


    The pack faced a massive brown bear. The bear¡¯s head was full of long and intimidating teeth, even for a werewolf. He was covered in thick brown fur that was peppered with snow. He stopped running and snarled at the group as it stood up on its hind legs and roared a challenge at them all. The bear stood well over eight feet tall and was incredibly intimidating.


    The wolves had already shifted into werewolf form, the humans followed suit. The pack lurched in to attack. The bear roared at Keva who had taken point. Even at her six-foot ten-inch werewolf height she was dwarfed by the bear. Keva launched a full assault with her claws at the bear. The deep snow made her movements sluggish but her arms were still powerful and her claws raked the beast¡¯s chest. This earned her a swipe with the bear¡¯s powerful right claw across her face, which sent her careening into the snow, face first.


    Soter and Erato moved in on the bears left side while Michelle and Javier moved in from the right. The two prongs got to the bear simultaneously and attacked in perfect coordination. The bear roared and, landing back on its four legs, it swiped back and forth at both groups. Its flailing claws were erratic and desperate as it tried to ward off the multiple claw swipes from the four different attackers.


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    The bear backed away as Huan Li and Hysminai moved towards it from the front after picking up Keva. The bear rose up on its hind legs one last time and roared into the forest before turning around and ran at full speed back the way it had come.


    The pack didn¡¯t pursue the animal. They only wanted to drive it away, not kill it. Now that it was gone, they all shifted back to their normal form.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anything so big,¡± Javier commented.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± replied Keva. ¡°That thing has got one hell of a right hook,¡± she said massaging her jaw, which had taken on a very reddish hue as drops of blood splattered the snow around her.


    Hysminai trotted over to her through the snow and bit her hand. Keva sucked in air in pain, but the pain subsided quickly and her wounds sealed themselves just as fast. After a minute or two, the gash across her jaw from the bear claw was completely gone, without even a scar to remind them that it even happened.


    ¡°I understand now what you were talking about, Elder Huan Li,¡± Michelle said. ¡°A beast as powerful as that would make an incredibly dangerous Shape shifter.¡±


    The older man nodded. ¡°Yes, and if they could be convinced to help us, they could be very powerful allies. But we have tarried here long enough.¡± The old man quickly gave out what small amount of food had been prepared. The pack ate the meager portions of warm food quickly and just as quickly cleaned up their campsite and packed their gear to move. Huan Li finished sanitizing the kitchen area before he picked up his pack and waited for the rest of them to follow suit. Keva and the rest of her pack shouldered their gear and moved farther north.


    They were running low on food. The days stretched out in front of them, turning into weeks, as did the snow-covered miles of endless forest. They had been walking for so long. All of them were tired. The snow fell relentlessly and even in the dead of night when they dared to shift into werewolf form, their energy didn¡¯t last long. There was nothing to hunt but very small game that gave little comfort to them as a group. Every time they shifted, they used up more energy and the food that they were able to kill and eat wasn¡¯t enough even to regain their strength from shifting in the first place. It wasn¡¯t long before the humans couldn¡¯t shift at all from pure hunger. The wolf born could still hunt but their strength was waning as well.


    Keva wasn¡¯t ready to split them up. What if they encountered another bear? She felt her stomach rumble and every few steps one of their stomachs growled angrily at them. The wolves weren¡¯t doing much better. They were showing their ribcages and as they moved through the snow, their tails dropped onto the ground behind them.


    They had been traveling for over a month, maybe two? It was hard for Keva to focus or remember when they had got here. It didn¡¯t matter anyway. All she could do was focus on putting one foot in front of the other. One foot in front of the other; that rhythm was the only thing keeping her upright. It had become her entire being, one foot in front of the other. Her arms were folded in front of her trying to keep warm against the bitter cold that continually beat against them.

 Book 6 Chapter 8d

    They rested more and more, making less and less progress. The cold was sapping their strength and will. Even Huan Li wasn¡¯t immune to it. He even complained a little, which coming from him was like the incessant crying from a colicky baby. They were all tired and hungry. They found themselves sleeping more every day. Days became shorter and shorter, giving them an excuse to stop more frequently.


    Michelle was the first to fall. The blonde woman was walking next to Keva. The redhead was focused on moving against the wind. One minute Michelle was walking in stride with her, then she wasn¡¯t.


    Keva numbly looked back over her shoulder to find the other woman lying face down in the snow. At first Keva¡¯s numb mind didn¡¯t register that the woman lying face down in the snow was someone she knew. Keva watched as Javier tried to help her to her feet, but she wouldn¡¯t move. Michelle was exhausted, her strength completely spent. No amount of shaking from the larger hispanic man would force her eyes to open. Javier picked up the smaller woman and slung her across his shoulders. Keva took his back pack and Huan Li carried Michelle¡¯s.


    After only a few hours Keva¡¯s sight started to blur. She couldn¡¯t tell where the trees in front of her was, they kept dodging and weaving in front of her, taunting her. She swiped at the trees to make them stop moving. But the swipe only caused her to over balance and fall into a deep snow drift. The snow felt warm and comfortable. She had never felt anything this good and all she wanted to do was curl up in the amazingly wonderful warmth and go to sleep. She let her eyes close as a smile spread across her face.


    Javier sat Michelle down next to a tree and tried to wake his Alpha but Keva was out just as badly as Michelle was. He couldn¡¯t carry both of them. He had to wake them up and get them moving. He knew they would die if they stayed in the snow. He looked to the heavens and said a silent prayer for himself and all of them. ¡°Hail Mary full of Grace the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus. Please help us.¡± He looked to Huan Li who had taken the opportunity to rest as well. The old man¡¯s eyes were closed and he was leaning against a tree. Only his legs were touching the snow but Javier knew that if he was left like that hypothermia would set in.


    He tried to move over to Huan Li but his legs caught in the deep snow, causing him to stumble. He fell to his knees. The three wolves laid down together under a tree. Their eyes shut and they breathed raggedly in their sleep. Javier looked up into the sky. Asking one last for from the only person who could give him any, ¡°Almighty God, give me strength.¡± He tried to get up but the snow weighed him down and he found that he couldn¡¯t stand up. He tried to force his body to move, to stand up. But all the movement did was cause him to fall face first into the snow. He couldn¡¯t move, but the snow felt really soft and comfortable. He didn¡¯t really want to move. His eyelids were so heavy and he was so tired, too tired to move. His eyelids fluttered and shut.


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    *          *          *


    The first thing Javier felt was warmth. He stretched out his arms and expected to find wetness from the snow, or some ethereal clouds because he was now dead. But his fingers stretched out and found soft warm dirt underneath him. This came as a bit of a shock but his eyes were slow to open.


    When they did finally obey him and flicker open his vison was blurry. From what he could make out he was in a dark space. It was sparsely furnished. The walls were bare and they curved around strangely. He slowly lifted his head and blinked his eyes.


    His stomach rumbled loudly as he propped himself up on his elbow. His eyes slowly focused and he saw that the walls were made of a combination of stone and wood. Two candles flickered happily next to him on a small shelf. Looking back, he saw that Huan Li was sleeping easily next to him in the dirt. Scanning the rest of the small room he could see no sign of anyone else.


    He startled as he fully realized what this meant. Huan Li slept soundly next to him as he slowly, gingerly pushed himself up to his feet. He was barefoot and was wearing no shirt. He stumbled forward out of the small room, clinging to the wall for support.


    He was only able to take a few steps before he felt a strong hand stop him. ¡°You¡¯ll only hurt yourself if you don¡¯t calm down. You¡¯re safe for the moment.¡±


    Javier turned around and saw a tall, rather broad shouldered, blonde woman gently but firmly hold him in place. She was just as tall as he was and in his current condition, she was much stronger than he was.


    ¡°Please,¡± Javier said trying to pull away from the woman, ¡°I have to find my friends.¡±


    ¡°The only one I found with you out there was the elderly man who is in the room with you right now.¡± Her accent was thick and some of her words were a little hard to understand but the main gist of what she was saying was perfectly understandable to him.


    His brain wasn¡¯t functioning too well and he knew he was not understanding things as fast as he usually was. ¡°There were, there were two women with us, and three wolves.¡± He shook his head trying to clear it, to make sense of what it was he was being told. ¡°You have to take me back to where you found me.¡±


    ¡°Listen, I don¡¯t have to do anything.¡± She gently, but with surprising strength, guided him back to the room he just stumbled out of.


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t understand,¡± Javier struggled against her grip, which quickly tightened into something akin to pure iron. ¡°I have to find my friends. They¡¯re still out there.¡± He struggled weakly against the much stronger woman.


    ¡°I told you, there was no one in that forest with you but that elderly man in here with you. I didn¡¯t see anyone else.¡±

 Book 6 Chapter 8e

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not possible.¡± He looked back over his shoulder at the older man, who was blinking slowly as he woke up. ¡°Huan, please, tell her about my pack mates. They¡¯re still out there we have to go look for them!¡±


    Huan Li shook his head. His eyes only showed confusion and bewilderment at his current surroundings.


    Javier tried in vain as he struggled against the woman. ¡°You have to listen to me. My friends are still out there, please!¡±


    The woman easily guided the young man to the soft floor where he had woken up. ¡°I understand you¡¯ve been through quite a bit. If I hadn¡¯t come upon you when I did, the storm would have buried you.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­storm?¡± Javier asked. ¡°What storm?!¡± His voice was shot through with panic and desperation.


    ¡°Even if you were strong enough to leave, which you aren¡¯t. I wouldn¡¯t let you leave in this. You¡¯ll just have to wait for the storm to pass.¡±


    ¡°But my friends?¡± Javier asked desperately. ¡°Please there were three wolves with us. Did you see any wolves?¡±


    The woman stopped and slowly stood up. She looked down at the tan-skinned man with a sudden darkness. ¡°What do you mean, wolves?¡± she asked with a voice dripping with malice. ¡°There haven¡¯t been any wolves in these woods for hundreds of years, and good riddance to all of them.¡± She looked very hard into Javier¡¯s eyes. ¡°Are you one of those American scientists? Trying to reseed these lands with those horrible, abominable creatures?!¡± Her voice took on a hard and almost hysterical edge.


    ¡°Wha¡­? No, no I¡¯m not a scientist. I, uh, we are travelling with three wolves. They¡¯re our pets, we uh¡­we were camping¡­sort of.¡± Javier said suddenly a bit afraid of who it was that had pulled him and Huan Li out of the forest.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t see any of those horrible monsters,¡± the woman spat, ¡°and if I had I would have killed them.¡±


    ¡°Please,¡± Javier pleaded, ¡°they are part of our family, don¡¯t hurt them. I just have to know where they are.¡±


    The woman¡¯s face didn¡¯t soften at all. ¡°I told you, I didn¡¯t see anyone or any *thing* near you where I found you in the woods.¡± She said nothing else but left the two men in the strange stone and wood room. Javier heard the woman climb some wooden stairs and a door opened and close swiftly.


    ¡°Where are we?¡± Huan Li asked cautiously.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t get around to asking that,¡± Javier responded. ¡°Who cares where we are. We have to get out of here and find the rest of my pack.¡±


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    Huan Li looked around their surroundings. The small room they were both in was more like and alcove of a bigger area. It wasn¡¯t much bigger than the alcove where they slept, but it was bigger. The walls were made of stone and wood. But it wasn¡¯t made like anything Huan had ever seen¡­above ground.


    Huan Li nodded to himself. ¡°We¡¯re underground. In some sort of a fruit or storm cellar.¡±


    Javier nodded. ¡°Yeah, looks that way. Come on we have to get out of here.¡±


    Huan Li regarded him calmly. ¡°I want to continue our journey as much as you do. But what if she was telling the truth and there is a storm happening outside.¡±


    ¡°And what if there isn¡¯t?!¡± Javier sked in defiance. ¡°What if she¡¯s just a crazy woman who likes kidnapping back packers?¡± Javier got up and started to make his way to where the woman had disappeared.


    ¡°I understand you need for urgency,¡± Huan said, ¡°But if we rush head first into danger without knowing what¡¯s really going on, we might end up worse off than we were starving and freezing in the snow.¡±


    Javier nodded reluctantly, ¡°I hear you, Elder.¡± He looked up the stairs on the far side of the cellar. ¡°But I have to do this.¡± Javier climbed the stairs quickly and quietly. When he reached the top of the stairs he tried the door knob. It was locked.


    He could do one of two things, he could break the door down and take his chances, or he could follow Huan Li¡¯s advice and see where things went. He was never one for waiting, so he tried bashing into the door. The door held solidly. Javier shoulder ached in pain from the impact. He pounded on the door with his fists trying to make as much noise as possible. After a few minutes his hands were starting to ache and bleed. Javier couldn¡¯t shift into werewolf form because of how weak and hungry he was. He was already starving, shifting into werewolf form would only quicken that eventuality. He walked heavily down the stairs.


    ¡°I guess we¡¯ll try it your way,¡± Javier said dejectedly. But whispered under his breath, ¡°for now.¡±


    Javier¡¯s feet felt like lead weights as he carried himself across the small room into their alcove. He collapsed heavily on the floor and breathed deeply. He was at the end of his strength. He had never felt like this before. His body wouldn¡¯t move when he commanded it to. His mind was fuzzy and thoughts came slowly, like light through syrup.


    Huan laid down on his back. His eyes were closed and he breathed deeply. Javier shot him a scornful look. How can you sleep when my pack is out there somewhere? They may be in danger and I¡¯m the only one who can help them. He felt them, through their shared pack bond. They were alive at least, that much he knew, but they were a long ways off, maybe a day or two hike from where he was, that did nothing to calm his anxiety.


    But right then he was in no condition to even fight one woman, let alone brave the relentless forces of nature that they had been fighting the losing battle against for the last¡­ was it a month? Two months? Time had passed so strangely for him since they got to this frozen north land. And starving wasn¡¯t making anything make any more sense. His stomach growled and he winced in pain. He shut his eyes against it. Thankfully the blackness of sleep finally overtook him and he was relieved of his pain.


    White walls towered well over his head all around him. The bright sunlight reflected off the perfect whiteness of the walls and he was warm and happy. He knew where he was. He was at the California State Fair. He had just turned twelve and his family had relented and let him go into the white walled labyrinth.

 Book 6 Chapter 8f

    His older brother had long ago abandoned him, but that didn¡¯t matter. He preferred to solve the maze himself. He laughed as he ran forward and followed a left turn. The sun was warm on his skin. He turned right and then left only to face a dead end. He punched the solid wall in front of him playfully as he turned around and turned right then left. He followed the walls around turn after turn. He had to backtrack several times but he was going to solve the maze.


    It was getting dark and he still hadn¡¯t made it out of the maze. He was starting to get cold and hungry. He knew that he had been in this spot before because there was a Nike sneaker foot print on the wall. He knew that he had tried every possible way, but the maze stayed closed to him. He knew that his family would come looking for him eventually but that should have been hours ago. Had they forgotten about him? Had they left him? His mother wasn¡¯t too happy about letting him go in the maze in the first place.


    ¡°OK mama, Lo siento, tengo hombre, Mama! Por favor, tengo hombre.¡± There was no answer to his pleas. ¡°Lo siento, Mama.¡±


    He looked up at the quickly darkening sky. The sunlight was giving way to night, and with it he found himself getting very cold. He hugged himself. His shorts and short sleeves offered no protection from the sudden drop in temperature. He cried out again for his parents, for anyone. But only silence answered him.


    His eyes began filling with tears. No, he was not a little kid anymore. He was twelve and he was big. He shut his eyes against the tears and ran forward, following the maze around, turning left and right, randomly and wildly. He almost ran head first into a dead end. He gritted his teeth and punched the wall hard. Pain exploded in his knuckles as the wall felt like solid brick. He bit back tears of pain ad he held his hurt hand.


    ¡°MAMA!!!!¡± He screamed into the heavens. He knew that God would never leave him alone like this. He had been good and had said all his prayers. God would help him. He turned around and ran back the way he had come, turning left into another dead end. He turned around right into another dead end.


    This stopped him as he turned around only to find another dead end. He was sitting in a solid square of white walls around him. He beat frantically against the walls with his hurt fists and feet, kicking and punching wildly. He screamed at the top of his lungs, cursing his parents, and cursing God for leaving him here all alone.


    He stopped hitting the impenetrable walls and sunk down to his butt, burying his face in his arms as he tucked his knees against his chest. He cried openly. He wanted his family. He wanted to go home. He didn¡¯t want to be here anymore.


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    His cries became ice in his throat as he heard a loud growl coming from behind him. He shut his eyes tight against the fear that robbed him of his breathing. He was frozen in place. The growls grew louder and more menacing. He couldn¡¯t turn to look, he was too scared to move.


    He felt a hot, wet puff of air against the back of his neck. The puff of air came again and again, in perfect rhythm. Something was breathing on him, something very big and very scary. He didn¡¯t want to look, he couldn¡¯t; he was too scared. Then a sharp pain exploded in his back. Javier screamed in pain as he hopped to his feet and ran, slamming into the solid wall in front of him.


    He was laying down on the cold ground looking up into an icy star filled sky. A large brown furry face came into his field of vision. His brown eyes looked into the creatures¡¯ cold black eyes. There was no soul there. Javier had never seen anything so big, or lifeless. He was too weak to move. His brain wouldn¡¯t think. All he could do was look into the thing¡¯s beady black eyes. Suddenly the thing roared into his face. He was blasted with hot breath that smelled like raw meat. He screamed into the things dark mouth.


    Javier jerked awake yelling loudly as he sat bolt upright next to Huan Li. The old man¡¯s eyes were slow to open, and even slower to recognize what had happened.


    ¡°Did you dream?¡± Huan asked him.


    Javier didn¡¯t trust himself to speak, so he nodded once.


    Huan didn¡¯t press the younger man. He simply said, ¡°Remember your dream. When we Shape shifters dream it may hold portents to the future or maybe insights into the past. But it is done now.¡± He rolled onto his back, his stomach rumbled loudly. The old man looked almost ashamed.


    Javier found the sudden impromptu interruption to be amazingly appropriate and laughed out loud. Huan groaned, but soon he was laughing too. It had been so long since Javier had laughed. It felt good. The two men laughed themselves to tears. They laughed so hard that soon both were clutching their stomachs as they started to cramp. They laughed so hard that they didn¡¯t even notice the visitor that had joined them.


    ¡°Was it a good joke?¡± The broad-shouldered blonde woman from before asked them.


    Javier and Huan Li immediately sobered and both looked over at their host. ¡°Not so much a joke as a funny thing that happened,¡± Huan Li responded evenly.


    ¡°Ah like falling down stairs, this is funny, yes?¡± The woman asked with wide blue eyes.


    Javier shot a sideways glance at Huan who responded, ¡°Something similar you could say, yes.¡±


    The woman smiled. ¡°Yes, I watch many American films, Chevy Chase is very, very funny.¡±


    Javier nodded. He wasn¡¯t too familiar with what she was talking about, but he knew the man¡¯s name at least.


    ¡°I have prepared supper for you both. You must be very hungry.¡± She didn¡¯t wait for a reply before turning around and grabbing a very heavily laden tray and placed it in front of the two men.

 Book 6 Chapter 8g

    Javier¡¯s mouth immediately started watering. There were two massive bowls of a very hearty stew with chunks of meat and big vegetables. There were two whole loaves of bread and a tub or butter and jam.


    Javier barely stopped himself before looking up at their host. The blonde woman smiled and nodded. Javier and Huan Li took their bowls and started eating the steaming stew and tearing into the bread after dipping it into the rich broth.


    The woman smiled as they tore into their meal. She sat down on a chair that she grabbed from the adjoining room and sat down with them. ¡°My name is Yrsa Magnusson.¡± The men on the floor were able to get out their names before continuing to eat the yummy stew.


    The woman smiled warmly. ¡°I¡¯m glad you are enjoying your meal. You were so light when I carried you here you must have been close to starvation.¡±


    Javier stopped as warm broth dripped down his chin. He looked up at the woman. He had felt how strong she was but¡­? ¡°Miss, you carried both of us here? At the same time? And you think that we were light?¡±


    Yrsa smiled, ¡°Oh yes, I often carry heavy loads. I have carried whole trees away from my house if it¡¯s close to falling over from age or from the weather. You two were much lighter than I thought you would be.¡±


    Huan Li raised his eyebrows upon hearing this. ¡°You can carry whole trees?¡±


    Yrsa smiled as she blushed. Her face became a very warm rose color and she suddenly tried to hide her face with her hair and hands. ¡°Yes, I¡­ I¡¯m not as strong as my father, but I am almost as strong as my brothers. My mother always said I could be just as strong as they were, all I had to do was try hard.¡±


    ¡°I see¡± Huan responded quietly.


    Javier let the curiosity of her unnatural strength go for a moment. ¡°Yrsa, please, when you carried me and my friend here from where you found us, are you sure that there was no one else there? I had two¡­uh, sisters hiking with me and my three wolves. I mean¡­ uh, wolf dogs with us. Please if you remember anything at all. I have to find them, Yrsa.¡± He could feel them off their general direction, he knew they were out there, but he figured keeping that little detail to himself for now was the wisest choice.


    The blonde woman shook her head sadly, ¡°No, I¡¯m sorry you two were the only ones in the forest when I carried you here.¡± She looked over both the men sitting across the room from her. ¡°Why do you now call them, wolf dogs?¡± she asked quietly. ¡°Before you called them wolves.¡±


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    Javier had no answer. Instead, he placed the remainder of the loaf of bread back onto the tray and looked up in the woman¡¯s cool blue eyes. ¡°They are wolves.¡± He stated simply, not asking for forgiveness or offering any explanation. ¡°The two women are my friends, and the wolves are our companions.¡±


    Yrsa didn¡¯t move, nor did she speak, she simply returned the darker skinned man¡¯s gaze evenly.


    ¡°I can feel them off in the distance. I know they¡¯re alive and I know what direction they can be found in, please.¡± He folded his hands together in front of him in a pleading gesture. ¡°Please, you must help us if you can.¡±


    Yrsa didn¡¯t move for long moments. The time passed between them slowly. Javier tried to figure out what the woman must think of them. Did she see them as invaders, sent to ruin and uproot her way of life and culture? Did she them as a threat to be disposed of? He didn¡¯t know and right now the blonde woman had all the bargaining power. Even now, after the mostly completed large meal, Javier wasn¡¯t sure he could shift, even if his life depended on it.


    ¡°Why do you call those horrible monsters, companions?¡± Yrsa asked suddenly. ¡°Everyone knows that wolves kill animals, and people if they ever get the chance.¡± She looked hard at both men with suspicious eyes, ¡°And everyone knows that wolves can¡¯t be trained or tamed. They should all be killed as the wild, unfeeling, beasts that they are. Why call them companions?¡±


    Huan Li responded, ¡°Because they are part of us, as we are part of them.¡± The old man pushed the remainder of his food away. He stood up slowly and somewhat painfully.


    Yrsa eyes widened a little as she too stood up. ¡°What are you doing?¡± she asked a little startled.


    Huan Li smiled weakly and shifted.


    Javier looked up at the elder smiling in spite of himself. Huan Li was an elder for a reason. The old man must have reserves of strength that he hadn¡¯t even guessed to be able to shift so easily after what they had been through, and after how hungry they both had been less than an hour ago. Yrsa¡¯s reaction was more dramatic.


    After a moment or two of wrestling with the reality of what she was seeing she let out a piercing scream that echoed deep in the enclosed space. Javier half raised his hands to his ears to dull the sudden intense noise. She backed away stumbling into the wall and then turning she tried to bolt from the basement but tripped over the chair that she had just gotten up from.


    Huan Li didn¡¯t move, but Javier moved across the room with speed to help the woman get to her feet. As he reached for her, she swatted away his hands, almost clawing at him as she snarled like a wild animal. ¡°Get away from me!¡± She cried as she picked herself up and ran for the stairs.


    Huan Li spoke, ¡°Please calm down Yrsa. We are not here to hurt you or to cause you or your land any harm.¡± His gruff werewolf voice grated but somehow had a touch of his normal human soothing quality to it. At the very least it did cause Yrsa to hesitate on the stair case, a few steps from the door that had kept them locked in the basement.


    Javier stayed where he was. Huan Li hadn¡¯t moved from his original position but continued to speak. ¡°We are the last survivors of our home, the City Under the Mountain. We are here seeking help from your kind.¡±


    Yrsa scoffed, ¡°Why would I want to help monsters and freaks like you?¡±


    ¡°Because we were the first to fall, but we won¡¯t be the last. Soon Grendel will be at your door and there will be no fabled warrior coming to save you. All those who would be your allies in the coming fight will be dead.¡±

 Book 6 Chapter 8h

    Javier could see the woman at the top of the stairs. Her body slowly turned as she took one hesitant step down back into the basement. ¡°What are you talking about? Grendel is a story, a legend.¡±


    ¡°And all legends have their basis in fact,¡± Huan Li replied evenly. ¡°The monsters who will be coming for you are far worse than how the tale describes Grendel. They are cunning, powerful, and have absolute contempt for all those not like themselves, with us Shape shifters hated among them most of all.¡±


    ¡°I am nothing like you!¡± Yrsa almost spat as she turned back towards the head of the stairs.


    ¡°Does every woman in this country have the ability to lift whole trees in their bare hands?¡± Huan Li asked quietly.


    ¡°What does that have to do with anything?¡± Yrsa asked. ¡°I was just born strong like the rest of my family.¡±


    ¡°You are a Berserker, Yrsa, at the very least you are part of the fabled bear clan.¡± Huan Li said with a touch of steel in his voice. ¡°You are not a child anymore and you must take responsibility for what you are. You, like the legends of old, have the strength of the bear coursing through your body and soul.¡±


    From his spot on the floor Javier saw the girl listen with a soft scoff as Huan Li spoke to her. Her cool blue eyes grew hard, as a sneer twisted her lips.


    ¡°And what if I am. My father passed down his strength and wisdom to all his children. What? You think only men wield the abilities of our clan?¡±


    Huan Li shook his head, ¡°No, but I expect you, of all people, to understand that the force of nature, of whatever will of the universe that has blessed us with our abilities, also imbues you with similar abilities and traits. We are the universe¡¯s answer to the question of nature vs society, human vs animal. We are the same.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she whispered just loud enough for him to hear. ¡°I am NOTHING like you!¡± She yelled hoarsely.


    Huan Li stepped around the corner blocking Javier¡¯s view of the girl. Her hard, hate filled, and unblinking eyes didn¡¯t see Huan Li at all. Javier slowly stood up and moved to the side of the elder.


    ¡°It¡¯s true Yrsa,¡± Huan Li said coldly. ¡°You are very much like us and come from the same magic, the same source, the same Gods if you will, though I suspect you can¡¯t actually shift forms the way we Shape shifters do. You were blessed with the gift of bear like strength and we need your help.¡±


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    She met Huan Li¡¯s animalistic gold eyes with her cool blue human ones.


    Huan Li looked up at the woman as she stood defiant on the staircase. ¡°You know that what I¡¯m saying is true, don¡¯t you.¡±


    The woman didn¡¯t answer.


    Huan Li continued, ¡°Our pack mates are missing and we need to find them. They may be in great danger, especially if they had been moved when you happened to come upon us. Yrsa, we need your help. Please, help us to save our people.¡±


    The woman whispered through rigid lips, ¡°Will you leave if I do?¡±


    Huan Li nodded, ¡°Yes, after we find our companions, we will leave you in peace to live out your life as your wish. Do I have your word that you will help us?¡±


    The girl nodded her head slowly. With that Huan Li smiled and nodded towards Javier. He shifted back into human form. The old man heaved a heavy sigh. His eyelids fluttered and he collapsed backwards from where he stood.


    If Javier hadn¡¯t been standing close to him, Huan Li would have crashed backwards onto the earthen floor. As it was, he was able to catch the old man by the shoulders. He grunted with the sudden weight and pulled him back to where they had slept. He laid Huan Li down and the old man rested easily.


    Javier turned around and saw Yrsa slowly making her way off the stairs and walking towards him. ¡°Are you like him too?¡± she asked with untrusting eyes.


    Javier nodded, ¡°I¡¯m a Shape shifter, if that¡¯s what you mean. But like him?¡± He glanced behind him at the old man and smiled, ¡°No. He¡¯s an Elder of our city and he¡¯s in a league almost completely of his own.¡±


    He felt the woman behind him. She stepped past him and looked fiercely at the sleeping form. ¡°I should kill both of you while I can.¡± She murmured. ¡°I should do it and erase my conscious of any wrong doings.¡± She stared harshly at the evenly tall Hispanic man standing next to her. ¡°Monsters deserve to be killed, regardless of what form they take.¡±


    Javier felt a sudden rage at the woman¡¯s words, ¡°Do you really think we¡¯re monsters?¡± He asked loudly. He grabbed her hands and held them in his. ¡°Is this the hand of a monster? Would you kill us in cold blood?¡±


    ¡°If a predator is hunting your family, you have the right to defend your land and livestock.¡± Her lips twisted in a very ugly smirk, ¡°I¡¯ve killed quite a few beasts in my time. You¡¯re no different.¡±


    Javier shook his head and scoffed as he ran his fingers through his hair. ¡°Fine, fine I¡¯m a monster. I¡¯m an ignorant beast just out to take what others have built.¡± He shot her a hate filled glance, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t be the first time I¡¯ve been accused of that.¡± He slapped his arm with an open palm. ¡°This skin hasn¡¯t been easy to live in some times.¡± He threw himself on the floor and stared up at the woman.


    ¡°You gave your word you¡¯d help us. I don¡¯t expect you to keep it though, why would you keep the word given to a pair of monsters.¡±


    Yrsa glared hard at the sitting man. ¡°I HATE everything you stand for and everything you represent. I wish I had left you two to die out there in the snow, but I didn¡¯t. I will keep my word,¡± she spat. ¡°Even to monsters like you.¡±


    With that she spun on her heel and left the two creatures. Javier listened to her quickly climb the staircase and then heard the heavy wooden door slam shut and the familiar slide and rustle of metal as the heavy door was locked securely. The two men were once again prisoners in the basement.

 Book 6 Chapter 9a

    The first thing he knew was pain. His eyes were held shut tightly and everything hurt. He didn¡¯t want to open his eyes, but he knew that he must. The quiet whisper of sleep and comfort was gently tugging at him, but he was injured, this much he knew. There was no quicker way to die then to let sleep take you while you were injured. He had to move.


    His senses erupted as he tried to stand up. His nose stung with the scent of rot and decay. He was familiar with the smell of neglect and death, but never had he encountered it in such a concentrated form. He raised his nose to the sky only to find that the wind itself carried undertones of the same smell giving him no respite from the revulsion that the scent caused in his gut and mind.


    His legs felt odd somehow and his arms were moving oddly. He let out a soft whine as he tried to move. He forced his heavy eyelids to open wide and blinked as his sight came into focus. He didn¡¯t know where he was. The ground here was hard and cold, much like the way it was in the place where he had come from. His head hurt in ways that he had never felt before as memories flooded back to him, the man who called himself Tony, the hard cold cage which kept him from roaming. The cold dead meat that he was given to eat that somehow didn¡¯t taste right. The other strange man who he could feel inside his mind from time to time. All those memories came back and then Tony holding that strange thing in his hand, the dark part in the middle, the sudden flash of light and exploding sound, then nothing.


    His claws gripped his head as something painful pounded inside him trying to escape. He stopped and looked around. He focused on his arms, how they had gripped his snout. He expected to have two forelegs and paws. What was held in front of his face now was something that resembled what Tony looked like. His claws were more defined and he could move them in ways that his paws never would have been able to match. He was able to open his claws fully and close them in a round shape that he had never thought about doing before.


    He looked up half expecting the sky to be the color of blood and deer flying through the air in imitation of the winged ones who gave the signs of the seasons changing. He saw the great silver ball and the stars in the sky. The silver ball was full and bloated hanging low in the sky, the night had only begun a short time ago. The stars were familiar to him and their positions in the sky told him that it was close to the hottest times of the years. Hunting would be good at this time, if he could find his hunting grounds again.


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    He tried to stand up and he was able to get up on all fours, though it felt¡­odd. He took a few steps he could walk like this but his hind legs seemed to be too high to do it comfortably. Remembering how Tony and the other humans walked, he stood up on his hind legs. He had stood on his hind legs before, but this was also very different. It was like his body was actually meant to stand like this. He felt more in balance and more at peace with his physical form standing like this. He didn¡¯t understand it, nor did he really want to think about it too much. This was alien to him; perhaps this was a curse that the natural order had damned him with. He would find a way to go back, he had to.


    Suddenly a pain racked his belly. He had to breathe deeply and gripped his midsection, also in a very alien way, but it felt natural for him to make those movements. The pain ebbed slowly but didn¡¯t go away fully. He was hungry and would have to eat.


    For the first time he took a good look at his surroundings. He was standing on the hard stone that reminded him of the small cage Tony had kept him in. It smelled of death and disease. The hard stone was smoother than anything he had encountered when he was young, but his outstretched claw felt the rough texture of it. The stone inclined sharply over his head and stretched out away from him in the other direction to raise steeply again. It reminded him of the way two mountains would cradle a fertile valley of trees and prey in between their sharp peeks, stabbing high into the sky above. This stone only reached two or three time higher than he stood now, he could scale them easily. In between the two sharp rises, there was standing water in shallow pools. He would have drank from them, he was thirsty. But the smell of the putrid water told him only of death and he knew to stay away from them.


    He pushed upon his hind legs and quickly ran up the sharp incline above him. His claws gripped the stone but found no real purchase. It was only with the help of his forepaws that he was able to grip the stone enough to climb over the sharp rise and place his paws on level ground again.


    The sight that met him was one of brilliant starlight and dazzling images. The stars were so close to the earth it was impossible to believe that he was alive and not dead already. His ears could hear distant thunder and high-pitched whines and noises, sounds of humans and their machines. He had heard these things from his cage where Tony had cared for him but never like this. It was night but the starlight all around him made it look as if it was day.

 Book 6 Chapter 9b

    He instinctively ran. His body was unfamiliar to him and he stumbled forward. Back on all fours he was able to push himself forward with speed that felt more natural. He was moving faster than he had been able to move before. It was exhilarating. His tail helped maintain his balance as he shot through the night as the predator that he always had been.


    There were very few trees in this strange place. The sounds all around him were louder than anything he had encountered before in his hunting grounds. What made this place so strange was the feel of it, the wind against him felt thick, almost like a kind of water. He felt the air itself stick to him and soon he was coated in the stink of this place. He would have to bathe and for that, a river would have to be found.


    He ran through the night. He stayed as close to the deep shadows as possible. There were strange things here. Giant slabs of stone with starlight embedded into them jutted into the night sky. He could hear a river nearby. It wasn¡¯t a river of water, but a concentration of swiftly moving machines, their parts moving and grating on each other made a noise that he didn¡¯t like.


    He could smell something that wasn¡¯t part of the overall neglect. It wasn¡¯t prey, but it may well have been. It was a smell he had encountered only twice before. The smell of burning flesh was not something he was likely to forget. The scent he had caught was something akin to that. His stomach rumbled loudly, reminding him of his hunger and need to eat. He changed direction and followed the scent.


    The night was no longer his ally. The starlight was so close to the ground he could find little place to hide. It didn¡¯t help that he was so much bigger now than he had been before. He tried to make himself as small as he could. He hugged the ground as he ran forcing his legs to bend almost unnaturally as he tried to remain hidden from the eyes of those who might find him.


    He found a thing in his way. It was metal with lots of holes through it. Honestly, the thing was more holes than metal. He reached out and gripped it, it clanged and jangled loudly as he easily pushed and pulled it, but it would not come down. It wasn¡¯t much taller than he was so he jumped up and quickly climbed over the strange metal thing. Not stopping to wonder what it was supposed to do or be, he hurried on towards the smell of burning flesh.


    He found himself hiding in between two stone blocks. One block was a reddish color, almost of blood, while the other was of white stone. The smell of flesh was coming from a metal object that was being watched over by two humans. He could hear the humans chattering and communicating to each other. He didn¡¯t understand what they were saying but he heard what sounded like two completely different sets of languages.


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    It was odd to hear something so different from the same species. He could not speak the words of the beasts that rode the wind, nor could he speak what little he had heard of his prey in the forest, but he never encountered a wolf who could not communicate with him. Hearing such different sounds from the humans was troubling and a little scary.


    His stomach rumbled and he gripped his midsection trying to quiet his traitorous new body. The two humans that stood at the metal object were laughing. The metal object was on fire, though he could not see where the fire was coming from. He could however see the pillar of smoke that emanated from it.  His mouth watered at the smell that wafted to him from the object. He had never eaten flesh caught in a fire and if such a thing had been offered to him, he would have refused to eat it. But now all he could think of was how hungry he was.


    The two humans finally left the metal object and went back inside the red stone object. He jumped to his feet and ran forward towards the metal object. His tongue hung from his open mouth in anticipation. He cut a very undignified figure but he didn¡¯t care. He had to eat.


    He reached out his hand toward the metal object and grabbed at it. He almost howled in pain. The metal object itself gave off a heat like nothing he had ever felt before. He kept his head and didn¡¯t howl, though he wanted to. He quickly studied the object and pulled on the piece of wood that was attached to the thing. With a sigh of relief he found that the wood was not as hot as the metal, though it was still unnaturally warm.


    He yanked on the piece of wood and the metal opened itself up and his face was slammed with billows of smoke. He couldn¡¯t help but cough and gag on the smoke as he inhaled and tried to look through the black gaseous mass that surrounded him.


    He heard angry shouts from behind him. He couldn¡¯t smell anything but the smoke. His eyes were watery and couldn¡¯t focus. He had to get away. Without thinking he plunged his claws into the metal object and thankfully he found a solid piece of meat. It was big, but also very, very hot. He was grateful that he hadn¡¯t grabbed the fire that must be somewhere in the metal object by mistake. But his mind reeled at the pain as his claws screamed in agony at the heat that pushed onto his flesh from the piece of meat that he ripped from the metal object.


    Without turning around or hesitating he gripped his meal in his claws and ran. He ran back the way he had come and diving into the shadows hurled his body over the strange, more hole than solid, metal thing.

 Book 6 Chapter 9c

    He ran till he couldn¡¯t hear the angry screams of the two humans. He ran till he found a dark place to sit and hide.


    Here the darkness draped over him like a blanket. Dropping the piece of flesh onto the ground he sucked and licked his claws. He had hurt himself quite badly and he wondered if this pain would ever go away. He allowed himself a moment of pity and whined to the moon and the stars in the sky. Why had this happened to him? What had he done? Was this a dream walk? A horrible dream walk that he would soon wake up from and come back to the waking world? Tears slowly slid down his snout and he hid his face from the world in his long legs and arms.


    He did not despair for long. His stomach rumbled loudly and the smell of the flesh at his feet was too much to try to resist. He lowered his snout and bit into the warm flesh. He had never eaten flesh like this. The outside was crispy, like pine needles that cracked in his jaws. But just under that the flesh was soft, juicy, and tender. He hadn¡¯t eaten anything like it. There was something else though, something that made him a little nervous. There was a flavoring that he had never encountered before. He couldn¡¯t describe it in any real way. Somehow it seemed as if this place itself has permeated the piece of flesh he was eating. He knew that the meat wasn¡¯t bad, decayed, or rotten, not like the smell of the wind here. It wasn¡¯t all together unpleasant but it wasn¡¯t anything he was used to. If it wasn¡¯t for that small bit of his meal that was unsettling, he would have said this was the best meat he had ever eaten.


    Even though the chunk of meat was sizable, he finished it with ease and still hungered when it was gone. It saddened him that he hadn¡¯t been able to grab more food from that metal object. He knew that at the time he had been lucky to grab anything, he couldn¡¯t see or breathe because of the smoke, and the humans were very close to him yelling at him. He wasn¡¯t a thief but there was no way those two humans could have eaten all the meat that was in that metal container, this he knew.


    He stood up and slowly clenched and unclenched his claws. His flesh was sore and still was in a lot of pain, but not so much as he had been before he started eating. He licked his claws clean. That seemed to ease his pain considerably. He was thirsty and needed to find a source of water.


    Since waking up on the cold smooth stone, he hadn¡¯t seen or smelled any water anywhere. He knew that he needed to drink and his wounds needed to be cleaned. Now that his hunger was at least lessened by the meal, it was time to find water to quench his thirst and clean himself.


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    He moved slowly through this strange place. Stepping out in between two stone cubes, a huge light pulsed and shone in his eyes. He raised his forelegs to shield himself from the sudden light. He knew he had to get away. Not trying to look through the light to see who was attacking him, he turned his head and ran on all fours to his left. He quickly was out from under the light but he kept running. He heard humans shouting and yelling but he didn¡¯t stop to try to interpret what they were saying. He could hear the emotions clear enough, shocked fear, and angry excitement. He was well versed in the language of those emotions.


    Finding himself waking up in that small cage with Tony giving him that cold flesh that somehow tasted just a bit off was one such incident that caused him great shocked anger. He was never afraid of Tony, that much he remembered. But he had been angry to be put in that cage.


    He ran forward, again sticking to the deepest shadows he could find. Running low and silently through the night he looked for a safe place, an abandoned den perhaps where he could sleep with some kind of security.


    He ran for a long, long time, till at last he came to a small enclosed space, protected on one side by a long thin stone that he was able to scale with only some difficulty. The place had no grass and it wasn¡¯t open on any side, completely hidden and enclosed by the strange stone structures that littered this place. There was a single tree however, its branches showed a full healthy compliment of leaves. He didn¡¯t recognize the leaves at all but it gave off the clean scent of his hunting grounds. He felt better almost immediately.


    He slowly hunched down in a corner of the enclosed space and curled up in a ball with his back to the stone behind him. His tail wrapped around him. Even though his stomach protested a little, and his claws were still wrapped in pain, sleep was not long in finding him.


    He awoke suddenly as the excited yells of young humans met his ears. He stood up on his four legs baring his teeth quickly in warning. His eyes caught where the noise that had interrupted his sleep came from.


    Standing only a few feet away from him was a small female human and a taller male human. Both were young and both had astonished happy looks on their faces that froze and had shifted to terror at his stance.


    He sniffed the air and didn¡¯t feel any malice or deception. He could smell something that told him of his youth, of running and playing with his pack mates. The smell of these two humans felt happy, something called innocence. The emotion was known to him, though the thought and name was alien, a word he had never known, but there it was.

 Book 6 Chapter 9d

    He folded his legs under him as a yawn rose unbidden by him and cracked his face in half. His long tongue licked at his snout. He was vaguely aware that his body had returned to its natural state. His paws were paws once again, and his fours limbs were of an equal length once more.


    His new relaxed posture put the young humans at ease as they chattered back and forth between them. There was gladness and excitement, cautious fear, and a small distrust. It wasn¡¯t directed at him, he would have known if that had been the case, and it wasn¡¯t directed at each other either. But there was something that he could hear in their voices that made them hesitate. He had come to know the sensation of mistrust very well in his short time among humans. It was not an emotion he cared to experience. Although he was sure that he would, in time, come to mistrust a great many things that humans made, spoke, and the actions they took.


    The young female approached him slowly with her arm outstretched. The male tried to pull her back, but she would not relent in her approach. Her hair was that of the sun, and it shown with the warm rays that reached down from it. Her fingers were soft and frail. He could have bitten her whole arm off without a thought or effort. Not that he would, he had never killed without being hungry. Although he knew others of his kind had been driven to such things in extreme circumstances. The young human reached out and gently pat his head in between the regal ears that crowned his head.


    He knew that the young human didn¡¯t mean any disrespect but he was not used to being touched. He pulled his head away and nudged her arm with his snout. The girl didn¡¯t seem to understand and tried to run her hand down his back. He bared his teeth and pushed his snout against her arm.


    The human male rushed forward and jerked her hand away from him. Then both of them stopped and spoke about him, pointing to his shoulder. He knew that he was wounded, but hearing concern about it from other creatures other than his pack was something new to him.


    The boy rushed through an opening in the stone block that he hadn¡¯t noticed during the night and disappeared inside. The young female knelt down and hugged her knees with her arms. He saw that tears were running down her face and she gently rocked back and forth on her heels. Wounds and pain were a part of his life. He had seen many of his pack mates sustain injuries and death during the hunt. It wasn¡¯t something to mourn, it just was. But seeing this young female human shed tears and smell of nothing but pain and sorrow, he could not help but feel sad for her. He wasn¡¯t in that much pain and he gently nudged her arm with his snout, licking her bare skin. The young human stopped crying and looked at him with her big innocent eyes.


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    The young male emerged from the stone block holding a bowl of some kind. He set it in front of him and backed away. He inhaled the contents of the bowl. It was clean water. He did not like the idea of being cared for. He had never been handed anything in his life before Tony and the cage. And here again he was being given things from complete strangers. Had he been back in his hunting grounds he would have simply walked away. But throughout all last night the only water he had found was the putrid shallow pools where he had first awakened. He was thirsty and still very hungry. With a grunt of swallowed pride, and keeping his eyes on the two young humans, he lowered his snout and drank deeply from the bowl.


    This seemed to please the young female who smiled widely and starting talking excitedly to the young male. He felt the soreness and pain in his shoulder, but it wasn¡¯t as bad as it was last night. Still, with his thirst quenched he felt the tug of sleep upon him. He had to get up, sleep was death in his hunting ground and he knew humans could be more dangerous than any prey or predator. He stood up and his shoulder exploded in agony. He let out a whine but soon stifled it.


    The young humans looked at him in alarm, but thankfully did not approach him. He pushed back against the stone at his back as far as he could, its cold surface felt good against his burning shoulder. The young humans ran into the stone block leaving him alone.


    The dangerous tug of sleep upon his mind was getting worse. His eyes were getting blurry and his face cracked open as he yawned. He looked around him and saw the thin, tall stone he had climbed over the previous night, now towered over him. He would be able to get over it, he was certain of that, but with his shoulder hurting the way it was, he wasn¡¯t sure he could do it right now. He didn¡¯t trust humans, even though he knew the two young ones meant him no harm. Tony hadn¡¯t meant him any harm either, and yet he was painfully aware of how that had ended. The young humans would not be far from their parents and it was they whom he worried about.


    His shoulder hurt too much and he slumped to the ground. He knew he was bleeding and tried to clean his wound as best he could. The slow rhythmic feel of his rough tongue upon his hurt flesh felt good and that added to the heavy weight of sleep that pressed down on him. He tried to stay focused, but no matter his efforts, sleep slowly slid over him like the curtain of night slowly sliding over the sky at the end of the day. His eyes closed and he knew nothing more.

 Book 6 Chapter 10a

    The ship they rode on was sizable, there was plenty of space for all of them, and the seas were calm for once. Yet even with all that he was still uncomfortable. William lay on a cramped cot in a hot room next to the engine room and he seemed to always be sweating. He was dirty and had no clean clothes to change into. The rest of his pack was in various stages of consciousness.


    Nicolas was sleeping soundly in a hammock that he conned someone onboard out of. His thick, blond hair had grown long in these past months, it draped over his shoulders. He had said when he got to a place ¡®with people that knew how to use a pair of scissors,¡¯ he would get it cut and not before then. William¡¯s hair was no better, but he was used to having long hair and as long as it had been clean it never bothered him. But now he was covered in grime and dirt and all he could think of was getting it chopped off.


    Charles was reading a book that he had managed to borrow from one of the crew members. The book was called ¡°The Life of Pi¡± and his friend had told him it was about a boy on a raft with a tiger, and something about a chimp and a hyena. William was interested in it, especially since the story apparently starts on a cargo freighter, something that they now found themselves on.


    Katherine was sleeping on a cot at the far side of the small room. She was just as dirty and grungy as he was. Her once long wavy brown hair was even longer and matted heavily with grime and sweat and grease.


    Even with Charles¡¯ subtle influence to keep them all safely onboard this vessel there was a price that they had to pay. The price was free labor wherever they were needed on the ship, which is why they now found themselves crammed into a room that was little more than a storage closet. They worked in shifts. Katherine had been the target of some of the crew members. She could handle herself, but it took both himself and Charles to make the crewmembers back off and leave her alone without incident. He was pretty sure that if they had injured any of the crew members the captain of the boat would have them all thrown back into the ocean. And that was not something he was sure they could survive.


    Aceso had been allowed to stay as well. Charles had convinced the crew that the dog was the only surviving member of Amanda¡¯s family and that the unconscious girl would be devastated if her dog wasn¡¯t there when she woke up. He had smelled the gentle hint of pheromones as Charles spun the lie. He didn¡¯t know how he felt about Charles and the other Trackers abilities. He remembered all too well what Tasha had done to him, all that time ago. But they were in a desperate situation and the crew and captain had let them stay.


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    Amanda and Ansuya had not woken up yet. They had been unconscious for a little over a week. They breathed easily and there were no physical wounds that they could find. They didn¡¯t thrash about in nightmares, like they would from a fever. They just slept, completely unmovable and unaware of anything that was happening around them. William gazed at the incredibly young looking brown woman. He just wished she would wake up. They needed her strength, guidance, and experience. He just wanted to see her brown intelligent eyes again, and hear her soft voice.


    Kicking himself for such juvenile thoughts he swung himself out of his cot. He checked his watch and grimaced. The galley wouldn¡¯t open for the crew for another hour which meant that it was time for his shift in the engine room.


    He nudged Charles on the shoulder and threw his chin towards the door. Charles looked disappointed and weary but nodded and stood up. Aceso raised her head off her paws and watched both of them stand up. Her bright gold eyes followed their every movement. Charles carefully put the book under the folded blanket at the foot of his cot. They both nodded to their wolf born alpha. Aceso returned the nod, and the two men moved silently out the door.


    The outside passageway was loud. The room they were allowed to stay in was cramped and there was no such thing as noise insulation on a ship like this, but the room was much quieter than out here. The incessant, unrelenting noise of the gears and the machinery that kept this ship going was oppressive this far down in the bowels of the ship. But it was what they had to deal with.


    Charles led the way for both men as they stepped over a hatchway and into the engine room. The engine room was not the massive coal burning kiln that William had first thought it would have been. It was a fairly modern looking space that was run with electricity, not coal. However, the engines were not the reason he and Charles were there. The upkeep on the ship was constant hard work. The machines had to be constantly monitored, greased, repaired, and maintained. And that was the laborious work that William and his pack had been allowed to stay aboard to do.


    Even though everything was electric, the noise was insufferable. After a few days it was a constant hum that he was sure he would hear in his sleep till the day he died. He had to yell at Charles who only stood a few feet from him to have himself be heard. They reported to the engineer in charge.


    The man was a fat, squat man who through his girth there was power in his arms. The man was some form of Asian ethnicity, but William had never bothered to ask what county he came from. The engineer spoke English passably and that was enough. William couldn¡¯t get off this ship fast enough and he wasn¡¯t here to make friends.


    ¡°Ah Blacky and America have decided to come to work and earn their space aboard. I thought maybe you had all jump overboard. That would have been shame, you Blackies work so hard.¡±

 Book 6 Chapter 10b

    William could feel Charles tense next to him and he gripped his friend¡¯s wrist. This was not the time to fight some racist idiot. Instead, Charles let a smile slide over his face. ¡°Yes, we do work really hard, very hard in fact.¡± William¡¯s eyes grew wide as he realized what Charles was doing. He tugged at his friends arm, but Charles yanked his arm free.


    The Asian man nodded, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s why I so glad captain let you stay aboard Blacky.¡±


    ¡°You are very glad aren¡¯t you? In fact, you¡¯re so glad that we don¡¯t need to work today. You don¡¯t want to lose your faithful hard working Blacky.¡± Charles wove a delicate but forceful scent of pheromones and pushed it towards the Asian man. William felt sick to his stomach watching the biochemical¡¯s work so influentially upon another human being. He took a step back not wanting to see, or be a part of this. It was wrong.


    The Asian man smiled, ¡°Blacky I want give you day off. Tell captain that I say so. And get head line at Galley today. You go now, leave.¡± Charles nodded curtly and turned on his heel and stalked back the way they had come.


    William rushed after his friend, catching up to him in the main throughway. He grabbed Charles by his shoulder and spun him around. ¡°What the hell was that?¡±


    Charles glared at him and spat, ¡°What the hell was what, William?¡±


    William looked up at the taller man in disbelief. ¡°You know exactly what. Did you forget that I can feel what you did back there? It was wrong and you know it!¡±


    Charles grimaced, his hatred written plainly on his features, but William knew that the hatred was not directed at him. ¡°You don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, do you? I had every right to do it and be justified to keep on doing it!¡±


    ¡°Charles, this isn¡¯t like you. I don¡¯t¡­what¡¯s going on?¡± William pleaded with his eyes and voice.


    ¡°William, you have been a good friend and solid companion. I¡¯m still alive thanks to you.¡± He glanced back at the engine room as he continued. ¡°But these people are not worthy of your pity or remorse, or any moral considerations what so ever.¡±


    ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡± William had no idea what Charles was talking about.


    The tall black man looked down on his friend, ¡°William I know what¡¯s going on here.¡±


    ¡°Then explain it to me. Tell me what¡¯s gotten into you. I told you not to worry about what Nicolas said about what happened.¡±


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    ¡°Let me stop you right there. First, it is way too soon for you to dictate to me what I should and should not worry about. Second, none of what has happened since we¡¯ve been dragged onboard has felt right. Haven¡¯t you noticed that something strange is going on here?¡±


    William shook his head, ¡°No, I mean, I know things have been a little rough with these guys. But we¡¯re technically stowaways.¡±


    ¡°No, we¡¯re not.¡± Charles sighed and pushed William into a small alcove off the main throughway. ¡°Listen; first of all, we are more like refugees than stowaways. As soon as they pulled us out of the water and we told them we were Americans, they should have radioed back to their control and got a message to the US Embassy there, we do have an Embassy in China. Once that was done the Embassy would have sent a helicopter or air transportation to get all of us checked out and began our reintegration process back to the States. That obviously didn¡¯t happen.¡±


    William nodded his head, ¡°You think these guys might be into¡­ what? Human trafficking? You think they might be slavers?¡±


    ¡°Have you checked every one of their containers?¡± Charles had a steady stare in his eyes. ¡°The only reason why we are still here is because of Ansuya, Amanda, and Katherine. It wouldn¡¯t surprise me at all if they had arranged a buyer for one, if not all three, a few hours after we came onboard. None of these people deserve your pity or respect William.¡±


    William put his hand on Charles shoulder, ¡°And what about you?¡±


    ¡°What about me?¡±


    ¡°The power we wield is a gift that you have never abused before, no matter the target. Back there, I saw something that I never would have thought I¡¯d see. It doesn¡¯t matter who these people are. What matters is how we live and how we walk through our time on this earth. What someone else has done should never be used as justification of wrong doings on our part. You helped teach me that.¡±


    Charles looked as if he was going to argue that point. He worked his jaw before nodding his head. ¡°You¡¯re right, it was wrong. I shouldn¡¯t let pirates and slavers dictate how I behave.¡± He nodded to himself, ¡°It won¡¯t happen again. We have too much power as it is, I won¡¯t abuse it and then justify it because of someone else. I won¡¯t leave this ship tainted by what they have done.¡±


    William nodded, ¡°I¡¯m glad. Now shall we go enjoy our shift off?¡±


    ¡°Sure, you heard the man I¡¯m his favorite worker.¡± He smiled and putting an arm on his friend¡¯s shoulder they walked down the throughway till they got to the first hatch and William led them through. ¡°But make no mistake, these guys will pay for what they¡¯ve done. Their ship won¡¯t leave whatever port they set into, I swear it.¡± He was deadly quiet as he said that last part.


    William heard the tone and inflection of his friend¡¯s voice. If it came down to it, he would sink this ship himself. He hoped it wouldn¡¯t come to that. If these people were stupid enough to try and sell or trade any of them, well, they¡¯d get more than they bargained for.


    ¡°William, don¡¯t breathe a word of this to anyone except when you know you are in private. I¡¯m fairly sure they are watching us. They won¡¯t harm us till they make the sale. If we start acting different then they¡¯ll know something¡¯s up and they might try to kill us before we can escape.¡±


    ¡°We need to figure out how we¡¯ll get Ansuya and Amanda out of here with them still unconscious.¡±


    ¡°The sooner they wake up the better, but we¡¯ll have to assume they are going to remain unconscious for the time being. Come on, let¡¯s get back to our hole.¡±

 Book 6 Chapter 10c

    They made their way back to their room and opened the door. The group was pretty much exactly the way they had left them; Ansuya and Amanda were still sleeping on their cots, Katherine was awake but looking like she was trying very hard not to be, and Nicolas swung gently in his hammock snoring lightly.


    William said quietly to Katherine, ¡°We get head of the line privileges today, compliments of the Ship¡¯s Engineer.¡±


    Katherine raised her eyebrows in surprise, ¡°And what did you two do to get in the good graces of the Engineer? You didn¡¯t¡­ you know, offer yourself for favors, did you?¡±


    Charles snorted in mirth and William¡¯s mouth opened and coughed out a single laugh. ¡°Wow, I was not expecting that. I mean, even if I had, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m that man¡¯s type.¡±


    Katherine rolled over on her side looking at him evenly, ¡°And just who¡¯s type do you think you are?¡±


    William was caught by the forwardness of the question and tried to smile it off. Katherine held his eyes in a steady gaze. If she was kidding, he couldn¡¯t tell and all of a sudden, he was very uncomfortable.


    Katherine¡¯s lips spread in a smile as her eyes danced with evil, ¡°Oh wow, I¡¯m fucking with you! Sit down before you have a heart attack.¡±


    William slumped down on his cot, smiling even though he was pretty uncomfortable by Katherine¡¯s joke. Charles looked over and his smile reached ear to ear. ¡°William¡¯s had a hard day, Kat. We shouldn¡¯t push him too hard too quickly.¡±


    ¡°Oh really? Pushed me too hard? Ha!¡± William kicked back on his cot and covered his face with his arm.


    ¡°So, seriously what did you two do?¡± Katherine asked in a much lighter, happier tone.


    William looked up at her from under his arm and nodded to Charles. The black man shrugged his shoulders with an innocent look on his face, ¡°What? I didn¡¯t do anything except point out that I¡¯m his favorite worker and I¡¯ve done nothing but good work since we came on board.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sure it was just that easy too,¡± Katherine laughed.


    ¡°Katherine, we do have something to tell you though. Nicolas! You awake up there?¡± William gently punched the bottom of the hammock.


    ¡°Hey! What the fuck man! I¡¯m trying to sleep up here.¡± Nicolas swung his head down, looking pissed.


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    William nodded to the angry Scout. ¡°We think we¡¯re on a ship of slavers. Or at the very least a ship that deals in human cargo for one purpose or another.¡±


    Nicolas scoffed, ¡°Oh please, next thing you know you¡¯ll be telling me Captain Jack Sparrow is a real person and you just saw a ship with black sails.¡±


    William pursed his lips, ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of Captain Jack Sparrow and no I haven¡¯t seen a ship with black sails except on tobacco cans. But I¡¯ll tell you what I haven¡¯t seen. I haven¡¯t seen a cargo manifest or a ship¡¯s doctor, nor have I seen certain parts of this ship. Charles pointed out what should have and didn¡¯t happen once they found us in the ocean. I believe him.¡±


    Nicolas looked over at the Tracker who had a very serious look on his face. ¡°You two aren¡¯t joking, are you?¡± Charles shook his head.


    Katherine looked grim but set her jaw, ¡°Ok, so what happens now? Do we commandeer this ship and take her to the nearest American port?¡±


    Charles nodded, ¡°we could do that. It might be easier stealing this ship than trying to escape with our two unconscious companions.¡±


    ¡°When?¡± Nicolas asked simply.


    ¡°I think the sooner we move the better. The more time we waste, the more time our benefactors have time to plan what to do with us. I have to assume this is not the first time they¡¯ve entertained guests here.¡±


    ¡°And what if nothing is going on? Just cuz they¡¯ve enjoyed some free labor at our expense doesn¡¯t mean they¡¯re slavers.¡± Nicolas said.


    ¡°Unfortunately, you¡¯re right Nicolas,¡± William answered. ¡°We don¡¯t really know anything. We only have Charles¡¯ hunch and a feeling, hardly something that I would feel right about committing an act of international theft over.¡± No one in the room was more surprised than him to find himself agreeing with Nicolas.


    Charles nodded his assent as well, ¡°You¡¯re both correct, all I have is a feeling. We need proof.¡± He looked over at Katherine. ¡°Would you be up to assisting me in ¡®borrowing¡¯ some container manifests tonight?¡±


    Katherine smiled and nodded, ¡°This is gonna be fun.¡±


    ¡°Well, if we don¡¯t want to rouse suspicion, you three had better go eat. I¡¯ll stay here and look after these three.¡± William nodded to Aceso as well. The wolf flicked her tail in mild irritation. William knew that she hated being stuck in her wolf born form, unable to do much. William felt for her, being treated like a mere animal and restricted to the whims of the people around her in the ¡®civilized¡¯ world. But there was no getting around it. If she suddenly shifted into her werewolf form it would be enough to cause panic on the boat. Panic and surprise could be powerful weapons if used properly, but it could only be used once, and they may need all they get out of both before this little cruise was over.


    Katherine stood up, ¡°I don¡¯t know about you guys but I¡¯m starving. I¡¯m going to be the first in line and I¡¯m going to take three spring rolls tonight. If that fat ass mechanic doesn¡¯t get any, too fucking bad. I still can¡¯t believe what that little bastard said to me the other day.¡± William remembered and glanced over at Charles. Charles nodded once, in a hidden private gesture between the two. They didn¡¯t need Katherine getting into a fight making their position here even more precarious. With Nicolas and Charles with her though, they should be enough to intimidate the more ¡®forward¡¯ seaman onboard into some semblance of respect.


    William watched as the three left the room and propped himself up on his cot. He glanced at Aceso as she lazily rested her head on her forepaws. With Ansuya and Amanda both unconscious there was no noise in the room except for the sounds of the ship around them.

 Book 6 Chapter 10d

    He could hear everything, water flowing through pipes, going through the massive boiler, and then being redistributed throughout the hull. The creaking of metal as it swayed back and forth as the ship rode the swelling crests of the waves of the Pacific ocean outside. The sounds of the AC power generators in the distance sang through the metal of the ship as it kept the lights on and the engines moving.


    There was a rhythm to it all but no peace. He could never be comfortable on a ship like this. He looked up at the dirty ceiling, with the dirty pipes, covered in dirt and grime from years of neglect and hot bodies moving through even this small space. He didn¡¯t know much about sailing or ships but he was pretty sure dusting, especially in a small storage room like this was probably pretty low on the maintenance concerns list.


    When he had been in his forest, he could sit like this for hours just listening. He could hear for miles in his valley, the sounds of his far-off pack howling or playing in the distance, he could hear the wind sing to him as it passed through his trees, the sounds of birds in flight crying to one another. There were smaller sounds too, the sounds of critters foraging, running through branches up and down the mighty trunks of the pine trees. And far off to the west, he could hear the mighty Pacific Ocean, as her waves beat against the rocks and cliffs near his valley.


    He sighed heavily. He knew that it was highly unlikely that he would ever see his valley again. His first true home, the first place he truly felt welcome and alive, was lost to him. Even if he did go back, it wouldn¡¯t be the same. He had changed a great deal over the last two years or so. The old Grey hopefully was still taking care of the pack as he was always meant to. He always regretted the damage he had done to his pack and wondered about the unforeseen consequences he may have been responsible for just by coming to that valley in the first place.


    William suddenly felt tired, he guessed that his sleep was an even lesser quality than he had originally supposed and now his body was demanding him to sleep. He shook his head and stood up. He had a job to do. The girls¡¯ safety had always been a priority since they were dragged on board. He didn¡¯t trust people at all, and wouldn¡¯t put it past these people to not try to do something to or with the unconscious girls. They were unconscious who would know? People had been known to do similar things with girls that were dead. An unpleasant thought but a reality of mankind nonetheless.


    He smiled to himself, why could he not stop yawning. His face cracked open wide again. His body felt heavy and he had to sit down on his cot. He tried to focus his eyes, but they were watery and wouldn¡¯t focus. He tried reaching out to Ansuya but the wolf¡¯s eyes were closed in sleep already. William reached out to Ansuya weakly. He knew something was wrong but he couldn¡¯t force his eye lids to stay open. The last thing he saw was the beautiful brown woman laying comfortably on her back across the room from him. Then everything went black.


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    *                      *                      *


    Charles and Katherine and Nicolas made their way down to the Galley which was in the aft section of the ship. The ship was reasonably well cared for. All the lights worked, the floors were clean at least, and the paint only showed chipping along heavily used areas where hatches would be closed and reopened for drills or privacy.


    Charles kept a few steps behind his companions. He tried to not look too conspicuous as he looked over his shoulder and down the various throughways off the main walkway. Now that he had voiced his suspicions and concerns, it somehow made them real and all the more dangerous. And the thought of being taken and trapped by slavers did not appeal to him in the slightest.


    They made their way to the Galley without incident and when they got there, the place was quietly empty. This wasn¡¯t surprising, considering that they had arrived two minutes before the Galley was ¡®scheduled¡¯ to be open. Usually they got pushed to the end of the line so they had made it a habit to simply wait an extra half hour or so and then show up at the Galley then. Of course this reduced the amount of time they had to wait, and the various sneers and insults and dirty smiles they got as the crew helped themselves to seconds before they had even got their first servings.


    But today the cook angrily waved his hand at them as they grabbed trays and went through the line. Katherine pointed to the Spring rolls and held up four fingers. The cook sneered at her and spat out in rapid Chinese what she could only suspect was an insult. Katherine¡¯s brow darkened and she pointed to the Spring rolls again and jabbed four fingers into the cooks face.


    The cook looked like he was going to yell at her again before the back of his head has slapped by the lithe head ship¡¯s cook. The serving cook turned around and got a swift hand across his face, as the ship¡¯s cook talked forcefully but softly to his subordinate.


    The man¡¯s body visibly wilted under the chastisement. The subordinate chef turned around showing a crimson hue in his face as neck as he must have just gotten his ass royally chewed out. He lowered his head and without a second word placed four Spring Rolls on Katherine¡¯s plate. The brunette nodded and pointed to the fried rice and pork. Charles and Nicolas had no problem either and Nicolas helped himself to a double portion of pork.


    As the three sat down in the back of the Galley the crews were shuffling in, in threes and fours. Charles took a moment to study them as they entered. There was a subtle hint of something subdued about tonight. The crews were not openly leering at Katherine as they usually did. There were only soft voices and no loud jokes being told.

 Book 6 Chapter 10e

    This wasn¡¯t unheard of. There had been one or two nights during the ten days or so that they had been with this crew that the crewmen had been subdued in their manner and speech, almost bordering on being polite to their guests. Charles assumed that maybe the ship¡¯s engineer had told the crew more than he had ¡®suggested¡¯ he tell them. It would account for the ship¡¯s cook chastising his subordinate the way he had.


    Katherine and Nicolas were eating normally. ¡°I never thought I¡¯d be happy about a double serving of dried, over seasoned pork,¡± Nicolas commented.


    Katherine shook her head, ¡°Yeah these Spring Rolls are crap too I¡¯ve had better from the frozen food section but still, it¡¯s nice to be treated like a human being every once in a while.¡± Katherine stifled a yawn behind an open hand.


    Charles couldn¡¯t disagree with her there. It was a nice change to be treated with respect, almost like an equal. He raised a forkful of fried rice as he gazed over the Galley again. The crew members were seated with their food but the room wasn¡¯t getting loud with the usual sounds of conversation and joking that was usually present.


    Nicolas said, ¡°I wooon¡­.¡± His face split with a huge tired yawn that he didn¡¯t even try to hide. ¡°I wonder what this...sstuff is made of.¡± He said with heavy eyelids trying to focus on the pork that was still on his fork.


    Katherine shook her head lazily; her eyes were also unfocused as she smiled, ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± She leaned her head forward, resting it on her forearm on the table.


    Charles stood up rapidly, almost falling over the bolted down bench that he had been sitting on, dropping the forkful of food he was about to eat. Both his friends were collapsed on the table and the crewman all around him jumped to their feet.


    Charles couldn¡¯t take on the entire crew, and all twenty-two crewmembers were in the room with him. He glanced down at his sleeping friends. He had no idea what was going to happen to them but he knew he had to get away. He ran.


    He threw himself through the nearest hatch and with all his strength he slammed the heavy metal door closed and turned the locking mechanism. Charles looked through the small porthole as some men pounded on the door yelling at him. Charles backed away slowly.


    What could he do? He could shift and take them on. All it would take is one with a syringe of drugs. He may not go down quickly but drugs would affect his werewolf body the same as his human one, just not as fast. He had to get away and find a way to free his friends. He shouldn¡¯t leave them here unprotected. If he stayed, they would all be caught, drugged, and sold, or worse, killed.


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    Charles ran down the passageway away from the Galley. He cursed himself for his weakness with every step. Why didn¡¯t you stay and fight? You¡¯re a coward! He knew this was the right decision. It was the only decision that didn¡¯t end in slavery or death for all of them. Katherine, Amanda, and Ansuya would eventually be able to break free but what about Nicolas, Aceso and William? Aceso and William.


    He rounded a bend in the ship and slid down a ladder well, crossed over a p-way, and into another throughway, through a hatch. He had to get back around the ship and back to William and Aceso. The ships crewmen would be looking for him. Unfortunately, they knew this ship better than he did. But he hadn¡¯t been idle with his time either. He knew the ship well enough to get himself around and not follow the most obvious route.


    He crossed a small room and ran up another ladder well. He had to get to the deck of the ship. He could play hide and seek better than any of these men could, thanks to his heighted sense of smell and hearing. It was the closest he was likely to get to a level playing field. He ran up two more ladder wells and then opened a hatch up onto the main deck.


    The sun was just sinking into the ocean. The brilliant reds and oranges of the sunset were bleeding onto the pristine blue of the ocean surface and being splashed out across the sky above. The clean salt air whipped across his face and for a moment he wished he could enjoy this moment. But he couldn¡¯t and his friends¡¯ lives depended on his actions. His ran and jumped down onto a lower platform of the deck and disappeared into the maze of containers.


    He cursed himself for not smelling it sooner. He should have recognized that scent. He had smelled it as clearly as he smelled the salt in the air around him, Temazepam. It was a pretty powerful sleep medicine, powerful and habit forming. His grandmother had used it for a time and spent three years trying to break the habit. She had died of old age, thankfully, but she struggled with that particular daemon till the end.


    They would use something that dangerous. The crew probably counted on it being habit forming to better control their ¡®cargo.¡¯ He had to make sure these monsters saw justice.


    He forced his way through the maze. He smelled him just before he rounded a left turn around a container and ran into a crewman who was carrying a rifle of some kind. It looked like one of those old AK¡¯s that he had seen in movies but he wasn¡¯t a gun expert by any means.


    The crewman eyes went wide and he raised his gun to fire. Charles moved with liquid speed as he flowed forward, wrenched the gun out of the crewman¡¯s hands, and swept the rifle back up into his face with the solid wooden butt of the rifle. The crewman¡¯s head and eyes flew upward and he landed flat on his back, knocked out cold.


    Charles held the rifle away from himself almost dropping it with the unconscious body. He knew that would be a mistake, throwing it into the ocean would keep it out of other crewmen¡¯s hands but it would also leave him defenseless. He kept the weapon, if it came down to it, he would kill every last crewmember on this ship. He moved forward toward the bow of the ship.

 Book 6 Chapter 10f

    He didn¡¯t meet any other crewmembers. He found his way to a hatch leading back inside the ship¡¯s hull that he was pretty sure was close to the small room that the crew had stuffed the seven of them in. Readying the rifle with his offhand he opened the hatch and ducked back inside the ship.


    He vaguely recognized where he was. He had calculated accurately and he was close, only two levels higher than the room they were all staying in. He cautiously peered around a corner and slid down the nearest ladder well. It was awkward with the rifle in his hands but speed was important and he managed.


    He landed in a crouch and looked around his surroundings. He wasn¡¯t a soldier but he had been trained by Efraim Goldstein, a veteran and fighter of multiple battles and wars. He hadn¡¯t ever guessed at how many people Efraim had sent to an early grave. Now, the training that the man had passed on to him might just save his life. These weren¡¯t arrogant vampires, trusting on their strength and regeneration to save them; these were cautious, treacherous, fearful people, who may be all too aware of their mortality. Charles would be happy to give them a lesson in just how fragile life is, if it came down to it.


    He opened a hatch and ducked down as a hail of gunfire spattered at him from down the hallway, from the three thugs who had been covering the door.


    Charles leaned back and closed the hatch, locking it swiftly from his side. He turned around and ran back the way he had come, this time sliding down ladder wells, taking him down deeper into the bowels of the ship, instead of going higher.


    He stopped in a dark room off the side of one of the main through ways, three decks down from where he had just been shot at. He hoped that the crew would assume he was afraid of the claustrophobic feel of the ship and try to get back topside. It was a risk and a gamble, but one that he felt as sure as one could feel about a fifty/fifty split bet.


    He needed time to think. He stalked the small room. There was very little here. It felt like a broom closet with nothing more than some cleaning supplies and a broom.


    He rushed over to the shelf and pulled out some of the cleaning supplies, bleach, some stuff that kinda smelled like Simple Green, some brillo pads, and some scouring powder, all the labels were in Chinese and he didn¡¯t recognize the logos on any of them. He wished there had been more. Wasn¡¯t there always a convenient amount of cleaner and chemicals for the hero to make a bomb or something out of in all the movies? Nicolas must have told him a hundred times about how this guy or that guy had blown up somebody with a specific combination of chemicals in some film or other.


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    Well, he wasn¡¯t a chemist, and he didn¡¯t know how to make bombs. However, he knew bleach would burn, sting, and cause temporary blindness if eye contact was made, at least that¡¯s what all the warning labels had said.


    He grabbed the bottle of bleach and took another look around the small room. He had pretty much cleaned the place of anything that would be useful to him. He smiled at his own joke. Clean the place? Really? You¡¯ve been hanging around William too much. He nodded, still smiling at the ridiculousness of the whole situation, and the fact that he could joke about it. If he didn¡¯t know any better, he would have thought that he was in one of those action movies Nicolas kept talking about.


    Charles leaned out the hatch and checked the passageway, it was clear and he moved off to his left. The first thing he had to do was secure the engine room. If he could control the power of the ship then he could isolate where the ship¡¯s crew would be. As long as he was ready and had an exit, he could make a stand in the Engine control room and move off from there, hopefully having taken out at least a few of them.


    He hadn¡¯t been down this deep in the ship before, so he was going mostly by feel. He came across a map and breathed a sigh of relief. The map was crude and it was for a fire escape and what hatches to close in sequence. That gave him a place to start from. Of course he couldn¡¯t be exactly sure, he didn¡¯t read Chinese, but the diagram gave him a rough idea.


    He was three decks below the engine control room. He would have to go all the way aft of the ship on this level, that would reduce the risk of angry crew members coming up on either side of him and boxing him in. There was only a single ladder well in the aft of the ship on this starboard side. It wasn¡¯t anything like a safe passage, but it was the safest he could see. Holding the AK in his right hand, with the bottle of bleach in the other, he began trotting toward the aft end of the ship.


    It was hot down this deep in the bowels of the ship. Much hotter than he remembered it being only three decks up, where the closet that they had been living out of for the last two weeks was located. He couldn¡¯t help but look up, letting his imagination look through the deck plates toward that closet. If Katherine and Nicolas had been drugged, he could only assume that William and Aceso had been similarly drugged, or possibly gassed, or just bum rushed by over whelming forces that would have over powered William. The thought of that turned his stomach. He should have been there; he should have done something. He shook his head. He was doing something; he was free and he intended to stay that way so he could free his pack.


    He reached the end of the passage way and climbed the ladder well to the next deck up. He slowly peeked over the lip of the well opening and saw that it was clear. He quickly jumped up the last few steps and slid soundlessly around into a small alcove which gave him cover from the passageway.


    He listened for any sounds, of which there was none. He calmed his body and inhaled deeply. His Tracker training had attuned his sense of smell to detect smells in minute detail. His nose and brain simultaneous processing and shifting the smells of the ship, oil and fuel, dust and days old sweat. He opened his eyes. The way was clear.

 Book 6 Chapter 10g

    He ran up the ladder well through the two remaining decks to the engine control room level. He was more cautious now and moved slower. His sense of smell could help warn him, but a bullet or a mistake could kill him very easily.


    He was a little worried at this point. He should have run into at least a few of the crew by now. Had they not guessed that he might try to take over the ship? Were they so arrogant to believe that he wasn¡¯t a threat? If they really did believe that, than he would have to educate them on just how dangerous he could be with or without his pack. His mother hadn¡¯t raised a weakling or a fool. Efraim had trained him to be a fighter and his heritage bore a long line of warriors. He would prove to be no different.


    He moved silently down the main passageway, crisscrossing the passageway finding cover and concealment inside the alcoves next to the bulkhead hatches. He was almost to the engine room, just two more bulk heads to go.


    He took a step forward and shots rang out in the passageway. He jerked his leg back as a hail of gunfire flew past him, deafening inside the tight corridor.


    He hugged the AK to his chest, pressing his back against the bulkhead next to the hatchway. He tried to look down the passageway and was answered by another hail of gun fire. Jerking himself back against the cover of the solid steel of the ship he focused his eyes down the passageway where he had come. It wouldn¡¯t take them long before they had him surrounded. He had to move.


    Unfortunately for him, he was caught in a solid part of the passageway and there wasn¡¯t a door to a room he might duck into, just a fire fighters hose and a ships intercom box. He listened and inhaled deeply trying to figure out how many of them there were. He could smell three of them. That wasn¡¯t too bad.


    Closing his eyes he breathed a quick one two breath, and hurled the bottle of bleach down the passageway at his attackers. The three men yelled followed quickly by a burst of gunfire. The gunfire died out and then there was more shouting. Charles hadn¡¯t grasped much of the language of his captors but pain and anger were universal. He leaned out from his cover and sprayed a quick burst of gunfire of his own down the passageway.


    He heard more yelling and cries of pain and he jumped into the passageway, through the hatch and taking much more careful aim with the AK gunned down the three men. What the bleach had done he couldn¡¯t really be sure. He smelled the bleach on the floor and walls and the bottle was riddled with bullet holes. He ran towards the men he had killed and quickly grabbed their guns and checked for ammo. He found one spare full clip. Slinging the three other rifles over his shoulder he ran to the engine control room.


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    He hurled open the hatch and burst into the room with his weapon ready. The engine room was quiet. He inhaled deeply trying to discern if anyone was in the room. There was a faint scent, but he couldn¡¯t be sure if there was someone in the room with him right then, or if it was just a residual scent. He shook his head. He couldn¡¯t second guess himself, not now. He turned and closed the hatch behind him locking it from outside entry by sliding a nearby pipe into the hatch turn wheel. He remembered a product that people used a long time ago that went on car steering wheels to prevent the turning of the wheel. He couldn¡¯t remember the name, but the same concept applied here.


    He moved off in between some of the heavy equipment and put his back against the bulkhead. He had a narrow field of vision, there was only one way for people to see him, it was as safe as he was likely to get in here.


    He laid down the three weapons he had taken and pulled out each magazine one by one. Two of the magazines were empty and the last had about fifteen rounds in it. That, with the full thirty round magazine he took, didn¡¯t leave him with a whole lot of ammo. His AK only had eighteen rounds in it. He combined the two half empty magazines to make two full thirty round magazines and then one with three rounds in it. He locked and loaded one of the full magazines and stood up. He hid the other three useless weapons behind some equipment in a dark corner underneath some grating. With any luck no one would find them until this thing was all over.


    He crept forward and inhaled the air of the engine control room. He still couldn¡¯t be sure if there was anyone there or not. This made him very nervous and he moved slowly, trying to look in every direction at once.


    There was access to the lower deck inside the engine control room itself through the grating and single ladder well. But there wasn¡¯t an exit from the room on that second level. He walked along the grated walkway in between the heavy equipment, turbines and electrical generators. He moves as silently as the grating would allow him to. The scent was definitely getting stronger.


    He stopped moving. He saw just the hint of motion below and in front of him. He yelled out, ¡°Hey! Get up here, now!¡±


    This caused absolutely nothing to happen. He grimaced; this was going to be dangerous and time consuming. He ran towards the ladder well, and looked down below him. He knew where he had caught the motion with his eyes and the scent of the ship¡¯s engineer was unmistakable now. Charles quickly jumped down the ladder well, taking three steps at a time and landing hard on the solid deck below before ducking behind some equipment.


    He could smell the nervousness and the fear from the man. That could be good or bad, if he had a weapon, he would shoot first and ask questions later, the generators and electrical gear be damned. Charles was not against ruining this whole place, leaving the ship a resting hulk in the middle of the ocean, but that wouldn¡¯t help them get back to the States any sooner, not a preferred course of action.


    He dove across the walkway and moved with fluid speed down a parallel walkway from where he had seen the engineer. He could isolate the location of the engineer by smell. What he couldn¡¯t really pinpoint was what kind of cover the man had taken refuge in. He listened to try and hear any sort of metal on metal, anything to hint at a weapon.

 Book 6 Chapter 10h

    A loud clang rang out through the engine control room. Charles jerked his head up towards the sound. Someone was trying to get into the engine control room from the door he had jury-rigged locked closed. He hoped that it held at least a little longer. He jerked his head back down and around as he heard the frantic footsteps and harried gasps of the engineer as he ran down the grated walkway back towards the ladder well.


    That answered one question at least, and Charles quickly got back to the ladder well and grabbing the engineer¡¯s feet, yanking the man off the ladder, sending him sprawling onto the deck at Charles¡¯ feet. Charles leveled the AK at the engineer¡¯s face only inches away from the man¡¯s nose, ¡°Your favorite blacky is here for his shift.¡±


    The engineer wailed in pain as he grabbed his head and bent forward wailing and blubbering in Chinese and broken English, ¡°Never meant to treat badly, you my favorite blacky worker. Please no kill, no kill I be good boss to you.¡±


    Charles resisted the urge to kick the pathetic man. Instead, he wrenched him to his feet, burying the barrel of his AK under the man¡¯s ribs, ¡°Now if you don¡¯t do exactly what I say, when I say, I pull this trigger and your spleen will be part of your lungs, on that bulkhead over there. Understand?¡±


    The man, drenched in his own sweat, managed to nod his head frantically. Charles had always suspected that the engineer understood, and could probably speak English better than he let on. As long as he did what Charles wanted, the racist asshole could keep up his ¡®I no speak English good routine.


    Charles led the man up the ladder well step by step. Keeping the AK buried in the man¡¯s side. The clanging from the hatchway had gotten louder and more incessant. Charles wondered just what he would do if the crew members got through the door and shot the engineer. That would be unfortunate. But he hadn¡¯t been idle in his time on his shifts. He had a pretty decent grasp on the basic idea behind the various pieces of equipment that filled the room. He wouldn¡¯t be able to fix anything, aside from the basic maintenance he had been carrying out for the last two weeks. But he was pretty sure he could keep this hulk running on his own, at least till they made it back to the states.


    He walked the engineer over to the main part of the room. ¡°Now, my good boss, I want you to turn off all the lights, and the engines on this ship. Keep the lights in here on using batteries. You can do that, can¡¯t you?¡± The man nodded his head. ¡°Good, you keep following my orders and you may see your family again one day.¡± It was a threat that he hoped he wouldn¡¯t have to carry out, but he was prepared to do what needed to be done to rescue his friends.


    The engineer walked slowly toward the main power control board. He moved slowly and Charles watched every lever the man¡¯s hands got near. He couldn¡¯t read Chinese but he had watched the engineer and his assistants work often enough. There wasn¡¯t much the engineer could do from here anyway, except maybe send the generators into overload and burn them out. The man couldn¡¯t cause any kind of explosion or distraction. Still, Charles kept the barrel of the AK pressed deeply in the man¡¯s side. In a few minutes the dull roar of the engines died out and lights went out momentarily before switching back to batteries.


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    Charles nodded to his onetime boss, ¡°Good job. Now move.¡± Charles pushed the man forward with the barrel of the AK.


    The Engineer didn¡¯t even really protest. All the man did was sob and ramble to himself in Chinese. The clanging on the door had ceased, at least for the moment.


    Charles got an idea and moved the engineer to the intercom system, ¡°Now, I want you to tell everyone that I have control of the engines. Tell them that the lights stay off till I say so. Do it.¡±


    The engineer nodded and pinged the ships intercom. Charles wasn¡¯t sure if the snake said what he had told him to say or not, and he didn¡¯t care. Charles was just stalling for a little more time. The engineer shut off the intercom and nodded wearily.


    Charles put his rifle down on the grating and grabbed the engineer, wrenching his arm behind the man¡¯s back. The man screamed in pain and protest, ¡°I did what you ask. I do good. I no tell lies *gasp* did what you ask!¡±


    Charles ignored the man and pushed him back into a corner in the room. Charles grabbed a pair of hollow aluminum pole sections. Laying the engineer on his stomach along the grating he placed his knee in between the man¡¯s shoulder blades. ¡°If you move, I¡¯ll break your neck.¡± The engineer nodded.


    Charles shifted in place. His senses were flooded with all the smells of the place, only a muted image before, like looking through the fog through a dirty window. Now his senses were fully awakened and he could smell every sensation and emotion flowing through the man on the ground. Fear, obviously, but there was also guilt and regret. Probably because he got caught. And Charles wouldn¡¯t have spent a second thought on the man except there was also remorse. That emotion was something he hadn¡¯t expected to sense from him. He nodded his head slowly, just because someone was racist, didn¡¯t mean they were beyond redemption, or the ability to change. Maybe this man was capable of change.


    Charles couldn¡¯t worry about that right now. Gripping the man¡¯s arms behind his back he wrapped and folded the aluminum pole around the man¡¯s arms above his elbows yanking the man¡¯s elbows almost together, wrenching the pole tight. The engineer gasped in pain. Charles shrugged; a little pain might do him some good. Picking up the second aluminum pole he wrapped it around the man¡¯s legs and wrenched it tightly closed, earning another satisfying gasp of pain from the engineer. He checked to make sure the poles were tight and that the man wouldn¡¯t be able to get out of them. When he was satisfied the man couldn¡¯t get free, he shifted back into his human form.


    He stood up and grabbed his AK from the floor and checked the magazine, it was full, just like he had left it. He then crept to the hatch entrance that he had locked. He hadn¡¯t heard anything since the clanging had stopped. He silently slid the pole out from the door. He took a quick breath and yanked the door open.

 Book 6 Chapter 11a

    Javier and Huan Li were trudging in the deep snow drifts behind the incredibly powerful woman who was their reluctant guide.


    Yrsa, wearing snow shoes, powered through the forest of her home with startling speed and a certain grace. He legs pumped continuously and she seemed tireless. The snow was still falling but it wasn¡¯t the blizzard that the woman had saved the two Shape shifters from only a few days before. Yrsa didn¡¯t stop once, she set on her determined path, making various turns and changes in her direction. She placed her hand on a nearby tree and changed direction once more.


    Javier was a pretty in-shape guy. He was big and always enjoyed his strength, but next to Yrsa, he might as well have been that same scrawny twelve year old, walking into the hedge maze made of ply wood, so long ago. He had no idea where he was and as soon as the woman¡¯s house had been lost in the distance through the woods, he knew he could never find it again without help. He trudged along as best he could in the difficult and alien feeling snow shoes. He felt more like they were weights on his legs, dragging him down. If it felt like this with snow shoes on, he wondered how deep he would sink in the drifts without them.


    Huan Li strode along at a deliberate pace. He couldn¡¯t keep up with either of the other two. The snow shoes helped to keep him on top of the snow, but his age was definitely being felt. He was sure that he hadn¡¯t fully recovered from the ordeal of only a few days ago, but they couldn¡¯t risk not acting. There was no way to know if Javier¡¯s pack had found shelter. The sooner they got to them, the better their chances of survival would be. And he planned on giving the young pack every possible chance of survival.


    *          *          *          *


    Soter drifted through the blackness of sleep. He didn¡¯t want to wake up; he didn¡¯t want to pay attention to that tug of pain that meant waking up. Of course, after what they had been through waking up was something he hadn¡¯t really counted on doing.


    He opened his golden wolf born eyes and inhaled the air around him. He was somewhere underground. That was good. It was dark and he could only smell the rich musky scent of earth and roots. So, he was in a hole of some kind, that could be good, or they were in a burrow or den, and that might be bad. Depending on who owned it and when they returned.


    He tried to move but the pain that exploded up his legs as he tried to stand up was too much to bare and he slumped forward onto his stomach, whining softly. He tried to flex his hind legs at the very least and found that even that small amount of movement was agony. He couldn¡¯t move his legs. His legs might be broken. He snorted in disgust. If his legs were broken, he wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything without Hysminai, their pack Healer.


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    If he couldn¡¯t move he could at least find out more about the hole he was in. It was dry and didn¡¯t smell of rot. There were some smells of herbs and some chemicals that he couldn¡¯t really identify. He was certain they were mostly harmless though, whatever they were. Humans and their ichors that they chose to work with. All he had ever needed was his legs, his jaws, and his claws. His eyes directed him, his nose told him where his prey was, and his body moved faster than any human. Not now of course, he silently cursed that his legs were broken. He growled low in his throat and dragged himself forward against the pain that exploded through his hind legs.


    His golden eyes had adjusted to the dark which was near perfect, so he couldn¡¯t see much regardless. What he could see though, was the rough outline of the place he now found himself in. It was a very rough circular shape. He couldn¡¯t make out any possible exit or entrance. It was too dark to see any kind of door or what the human¡¯s called a ladder. Ladders could be removed though, so he couldn¡¯t make any guess as to how deep underground he might be. More distressing than not really being able to see where he was or how to get out was that he couldn¡¯t smell anyone else. There wasn¡¯t the slightest hint of Keva, his Alpha, or his other pack mates.


    His stomach rumbled and he slumped to the floor. He was hungry and he couldn¡¯t move. Not that there was any real hint of food in this place. He rolled a bit and stretched himself out on the dirt floor. He tried to ease the pain of his hind legs by lessoning the tension on them as much as possible. It helped a little but he was still in pain, and he was hungry. Sleep could be death for him. But in his current state he couldn¡¯t really defend himself much anyway. With nothing else left to do he relaxed his body and closed his eyes, letting himself slip into the calming, painless oblivion of sleep.


    *          *          *          *


    Keva moved slowly out of sleep. There was a dull sense of pain all around her. She felt like she had been in a fight. Groaning softly, she reluctantly opened her eyes. She was in a hole of some kind. There was a fire in a fireplace on the far side of the hole, but the walls were made of dirt with roots plunging through the surface in various places.


    She tried to rub her shoulder, which felt like she had been hit with a sledge hammer, only to find that her hands were bound in some kind of shackles, connected to a large chain which was bolted to the ground. She pulled against the chain and found she had only a few inches of movement from how she was situated.


    This sent a shrill of panic through her. She gritted her teeth and yanked against the chain but it was thick and unnaturally heavy. It took real effort for her to even lift the chain. She had to get out of here.


    She relaxed her mind and shifted.

 Book 6 Chapter 11b

    But nothing happened. She remained in her human form and not only that, the dull gnawing feeling of hunger that she had felt even in her sleep, exploded through her body and manifested in actual pain.


    She took some shallow breaths to calm her body. She had to get her mind off her hunger. She looked around the place she was in. It was warm and round. If the walls had been wood or stone or concrete, she might had seen herself in one of those hobbit holes, like what Bilbo Baggins lived in at Bag End.


    There was a single chair in the room. There was no kitchen; there was no place that she could see to get water. As far as she could tell it was a hole with a fireplace. ¡°Who the hell digs a hole in the middle of nowhere, doesn¡¯t furnish the place but has the time to build a fireplace?¡±


    Keva shook her head, if I don¡¯t watch it; I¡¯ll start talking to myself. She pulled up again on the chain but it was so heavy she soon gave up and let her hands rest on her lap. Her body was sore and she knew she had sustained some injuries, her ribs felt bruised and definitely her back and shoulders were bruised, but she didn¡¯t have any broken bones that she could tell. She was thirsty though and that meant that as well as having massive hunger pains she would start to get the world¡¯s biggest migraine here in a few hours.


    Grunting hard she forced herself to sit up against the wall that she had been thrown up against apparently. She studied the bolt in the floor that the chain was attached to. It had been welded to a metal plate. The welding had been done so crappily, or heavily, depending on how you looked at it, the bolt seemed to rise out of the metal plate, like the bolt had been pressed up and through the metal plate that it rested on. The metal plate itself was a two-inch-thick piece of metal and there were bolts on each corner. She couldn¡¯t imagine how securely those bolts anchored the plate to the dirt floor, but if the plate was made of the same metal as the chain, she wouldn¡¯t have nearly the strength she needed to try to pry it up out of the ground anyway.


    She breathed deeply against the pains of hunger that struck her in waves. They pulsed outward from her stomach with her heart beat and she closed her eyes tightly to try to stave off the migraine, whose pressure was already starting to build and throb behind her sinuses.


    She didn¡¯t know where her pack was exactly, she could feel them though, at least a few of them. She could feel Soter somewhere not too terribly distant. She could feel Hysminai also and she could feel Michelle close by, Michelle was very close by. Keva concentrated but she soon gave up trying to feel for Javier and Erato. She was too exhausted to try to concentrate that hard. And the more she tried to focus her mind and abilities, the more tired and the more pressure forced itself against her sinuses. After a few moments she slumped back against the dirt wall and rested, breathing deep even breathes, trying to ward off the pain that assaulted her entire body.


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    She didn¡¯t know where she was. Had they all been taken prisoner like she had? The last thing she remembered was walking north, trying to make a stupid tree stop dancing in front of her. Then there was nothing but blackness. Now she was here, wherever here was.


    A crack suddenly appeared in the far wall opposite the fire place. Keva tried to get to her feet but was only able to manage getting her feet underneath her in a kneeling position, so short was the chain holding her wrists to the heavy plate in the ground she couldn¡¯t stand up even if she had had the strength to.


    A large portion of the wall swung inward on hinges that she hadn¡¯t noticed till that point and a large man pushed his way into the hole through the snow. He stopped and nodded to the tied-up woman, before he turned and closed the door behind him. The door disappeared almost seamlessly into the wall. No wonder she hadn¡¯t spotted it. The door fit into the wall so snugly the only thing that marked it passage was a thin line of snow that the door hadn¡¯t pushed back out outside as it closed.


    The man bustled over to the fire place, putting more wood on the fire and laying a rather impressively large bundle of wood, that he had carried inside, down next to the fire place. Once that was done and the pile was neatly arranged to the large man¡¯s satisfaction, he turned around and took off a single layer of heavy furs. Draping the furs on a peg in the wall he sat down heavily on the chair facing Keva and regarding her carefully with bright clear blue eyes around his somewhat aged and weather worn features.


    Keva sat looking at him with her green eyes. He was built and tall. He had blonde hair that came down past his shoulders. His clear blue eyes shone brightly with intelligence in the soft fire light. The man said nothing and Keva said nothing. The two just stared at each other till Keva¡¯s stomach made her introductions for her in a rather embarrassingly loud grumble that sounded throughout the hole.


    Keva didn¡¯t allow herself to be embarrassed by her own body. Instead, she evenly looked at the man who sat across from her. ¡°Why are you holding me here? Where are my friends and wolves?¡±


    The man simply smiled at her. ¡°Oh, raring, don¡¯ts worry about them for now, they¡¯re, being takens care of.¡± His thick Scandinavian accent made understanding him a bit of a task for her pounding head and waves of pain racking her body.


    ¡°Why am I a prisoner here?¡± Keva tried to keep her voice steady but her body and head were working against her.


    The man simply smiled, ¡°You know it¡¯s a crime to bring those animals intos our country don¡¯ts you?¡±


    His voice remained calm and congenial but his accent put an edge to the word ¡®animals.¡¯ Keva didn¡¯t like how he said it and she liked even less the prospect of what might have happened to Erato. ¡°What have you done with my wolves?¡± Her eyes glinted menacingly, all pain was forgotten and all she knew was her very familiar rage.


    The man though, infuriatingly, stayed calm and congenial with that stupid smile on his face. ¡°I didn¡¯ts do anythings that any other rights thinking person wouldn¡¯ts do. I have a rights to protects my home and my country.¡±

 Book 6 Chapter 11c

    Keva was about ready to protest more when the man stood up. Keva watched him go to the door and pick up a small bundle that he must have dropped on the way in, something that she was too shocked to notice. The man picked up the bundle and withdrew a syringe from it with a lightly colored liquid inside.


    Keva¡¯s eyes narrowed as the man approached her. ¡°What the hell is that?¡± she spat.


    The man¡¯s smile never slid from his face as he expertly withdrew the needle from the plastic covering and very deftly plunged it into Keva¡¯s arm. Keva had no time to react at all. She could feel the contents of the syringe being pumped into her body. She could feel the warm fluid coursing through her body almost immediately.


    She gathered her strength; she brought all of her antibodies to bear to combat what was in the shot. She was an Enforcer and her natural gifts from the Lunar Mother were that of biofeedback, she could enhance and flood her body with adrenaline, or endorphins at will.


    But she must have been too tired, or too hungry, or both. She looked shocked and surprised as her eyelids started to close of their own accord. The last thing she saw was the bright clear blue eyes of the large man turning away from her, before the void of the drug induced sleep over took her body and mind.


    *          *          *          *


    Javier could feel her, he could feel all of them, except for Erato. This troubled him greatly. He was a member of Keva¡¯s pack and they were able to sense where each other were, anywhere in the world just about. Of course, the farther away they were from each other the only thing he could really feel was a general direction.


    Yrsa had brought them back to the place where he and Huan Li had passed out, at least that¡¯s where she said they were. There had been so much snowfall since they had passed out in the snow that he couldn¡¯t tell the difference between one grove to the next.


    Yrsa looked up anxiously towards the sky. Javier knew why. It didn¡¯t take a naturalist to know that those ugly dark clouds rolling in alarmingly fast carried another foot of snow, or more. This was the only break in the weather that they had had in over a week, if Yrsa was to be believed, and right now, the two outsiders had no choice but to trust her. Javier knew where his pack was. But they were still a long way away. He couldn¡¯t be sure how far but it was going to take a while to get there.


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    ¡°I have brought you back to where I have found you. Now find your friends like you said you could. The snow comes quickly.¡± The impatience in Yrsa¡¯s voice was unmistakable.


    Javier glanced at Huan Li. The old man was defiantly showing all the signs of his age. He looked tired and cold and miserable. Javier couldn¡¯t really blame the man; he felt all those things as well. Javier pointed in the direction that he felt the majority of his pack.


    Yrsa grunted and scoffed, shaking her head. ¡°No, no you must be mistaken. There is nothing that way but deep forest. Not even villagers live out past this point. We killed the wolves many years ago and good riddance,¡± she shot them both a dirty look as she turned to face Javier completely, ¡°But there are still bears and some even believe that trolls live in these woods. We never go deeper into the woods than this.¡±


    Javier shook his head in frustration, ¡°Look, I don¡¯t mean to insult you or your beliefs but there is no such thing as trolls.¡± Yrsa looked at him without changing her expression at all. Javier eyebrows lowered over his eyes as he glanced off to the side. ¡°My friends are that way. Don¡¯t ask me how I know¡­I just know. Now are you going to take us there or do we go by ourselves?¡±


    The question came out harsher than he had intended for it to. The tone was lost on Yrsa as a single snowflake fell between then. Yrsa looked up and that one snowflake seemed to be the break in the proverbial dam. As Javier looked up as well his face was almost instantly coated in snow.


    Yrsa grabbed Huan Li and Javier and pulled them behind her. Huan Li stumbled and Javier had a hard time keeping up with their fleet footed guide. Javier saw the trees around them almost instantly go white as sheets of snow and wind pelted them from every direction. Javier had a feeling that if he and Huan Li had been caught out in this alone, they would die.


    Yrsa dragged the both of them around the trees, and through the rapidly building valleys in between, finding her way by instinct, it seemed. She had lived out her long enough to know that if you tempted Mother Nature herself, you would lose. People always lost against nature.


    She dragged the two hapless men through the long road that had taken them hours to trudge. She stuck close to the trees and found her way by the markings, some of which were her own, some were made by others that she had learned to read and use as guide posts. It wasn¡¯t magic, but she would let her two charges think what they will. Right now, if they didn¡¯t get back to shelter, then they would all three of them die out here. And she wasn¡¯t about to die for these two.


    She dragged them through the snow and around the trees. She could easily pick them both up but she wasn¡¯t that desperate just yet, and if they always came to rely on her and her strength, then they wouldn¡¯t gain any strength of their own. And the one thing that nature did respect was strength.


    She could feel the strength of the two men behind her ebb. Their feet were dragging more and more, using her to lean on just to take a step. Yrsa pulled the two through the rapidly building snow banks. The snow piled onto her arms as she pulled the two along.

 Book 6 Chapter 11d

    The snow was falling relentlessly. Yrsa finally dragged the two men to her cabin and pulled them up the stairs to the door on the second floor. She swept the snow aside and pushed open the door and practically dumped the two exhausted men in the foyer as she pushed the door closed against the gusting wind and relentless snow that was going to pile up high before the storm moved on.


    Javier fell to the floor as the strength that was supporting him was suddenly gone. Both him and Huan Li were nothing more than heaps of flesh as they breathed deeply, heaving their chest trying to catch their breath and maybe in an hour or two pick themselves off the nice warm wooden floor.


    Yrsa locked and secured the door against the storm and turned to face her two guests, ¡°I guess I am stuck with you for a while longer.¡± She kicked off her snow shoes and began sliding her broad shoulders from her heavy winter leather jacket.


    Javier struggled to raise himself up to something that he hoped resembled a more dignified stance then him sprawling on the floor. He was able to slowly unshackle the snow shoes from his feet and kicked them away.


    As he struggled with his garb, Yrsa stepped over the two men on the floor and went into her kitchen and began bringing out things for dinner. It didn¡¯t make much sense for her to keep them locked in the basement. She didn¡¯t trust them, not by a long shot, but she could at least be civil with her two guests. She put a pot on the wood stove to boil. She rested her hands on the wooden handle and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and sighing.


    When she used her strength for long periods of time, like dragging two grown men through the snow at speed for instance, she always had to calm herself. The Berserker rage that fueled her strength had to be stilled. She was not a monster; she was nothing like them. Her strength was her own; her rage did not control her. After a few minutes she opened her eyes and was calm once again.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Javier asked from the entryway.


    Yrsa silently cursed herself for showing even the barest hint of weakness, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± She stated flatly.


    Javier looked at the preparations for dinner. He had managed to get his snow shoes and over coat off and was now just in his pants and long sleeve shirt. ¡°Do you need any help?¡± Yrsa shook her head. ¡°Come on, I could never sit by and watch a woman work in the kitchen by herself. My mother always taught us to help if we wanted to eat.¡±


    Yrsa really didn¡¯t want to argue with anyone at the moment. She nodded her head and pointed to her basement, ¡°Go get some vegetables and meat.¡±


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    Javier smiled, nodding his head. It wasn¡¯t exactly an open armed profession of friendship but it was a start at least.


    After they had eaten, Huan Li excused himself early and went to bed, leaving Javier and Yrsa sitting in two chairs facing at an angle in between each other and the roaring fire in the fireplace.


    Javier was the first one to break the silence, ¡°I never have sat in front of the fireplace like this before. I had wondered if it was a thing for anyone anymore.¡±


    Yrsa arched an eyebrow, ¡°Why would sitting in front of the fireplace not be a thing?¡±


    Javier smiled, ¡°I grew up in apartment buildings, and they never had fireplaces. I just grew up thinking the fireplace was a lie, like Santa Clause or the tooth fairy.¡±


    ¡°Sinterklaas is hardly a lie,¡± Yrsa retorted. ¡°He isn¡¯t the fat man in a red coat like your America says he is, but Sinterklaas is very real.¡±


    Javier thought for a moment, ¡°So are fireplaces it seems.¡± He looked away from the flames and their hypnotic dance to glance towards the darkened window. Outside the storm raged, he could hear the wind buffet the cabin on all sides and the snow could be seen even through the darkness as it fell rapidly, showing no signs of stopping. ¡°When do you think this will let up?¡±


    Yrsa shook her head, ¡°This time of year storms are numerous and all are bad. This storm may not break for several days, a week? Or it might last a month or more.¡±


    Javier¡¯s eyes opened wide in shock and surprise, ¡°A whole month? You¡¯re joking.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡±


    Javier¡¯s neck went limp as he let his head fall back against the padded high back of the chair he sat in. ¡°But that¡¯s so long. My friends could be in danger, they could be dead.¡± As he said it, he felt the acute absence of Erato¡¯s presence from his mind. He could feel the rest of his pack. They were out there, all except Erato. ¡°Can we go out if the storm lets up? Please, I have to find my pack.¡±


    Yrsa looked at him evenly, ¡°You could go out in this if you want, I¡¯m not stopping you.¡± With a hand wave she dismissed the topic, ¡°But you¡¯d be lost and dead before morning. I¡¯m not leaving this house till I can be sure that leaving this house isn¡¯t some fool¡¯s errand that will get me killed.¡±


    Javier seethed with rage. He wanted to direct it at her, at whoever had taken his pack from him, at the weather! How could she not understand that his packed needed him! He wanted to shift and rip through this house doing nothing but causing as much damage as possible. His fists balled themselves up and he strained his muscles as he stared deeply into the fire.


    Yrsa watched him levelly, ¡°Whatever you are thinking about trying, don¡¯t. Even if I can¡¯t stop you and that horrid beast that you carry inside you, nature can. Nothing and no one can stand before the might of nature. If you try, you¡¯ll be buried just like the trees of this forest are being buried.¡±


    Javier blinked and gritted his teeth, ¡°What do you care?!¡± He spat. ¡°You¡¯ve done nothing but treat me like a rabid dog since Huan Li told you what we are!¡± Javier stood up and turned to fully face the woman who was on her feet in an instant, facing the man in front of her. He wanted to. God, he wanted to shift to feel the clarity, the strength, vision, scents, everything and all his lunar gifts were so close all he had to do was shift, a simple flexing of the mind and body and he would be wrapped in all his power, that which granted him the ability to do anything.

 Book 6 Chapter 11e

    If you strike first, then you are only proving what these people are saying about you to be true. The memory came up unbidden and unwelcome from his mind. His mother wiping the blood from his nose scolding him about the latest fight he had gotten into.


    He was only seven years old but the kids at this new school called him stupid and a ¡®ghetto hood rat¡¯ whatever that meant. He didn¡¯t know who that fat white kid leading the other white kids was, and he didn¡¯t care. Javier had done nothing but try to stay quiet, focus on school, and keep to himself.


    His mom and dad had worked long and hard to move to a nice neighborhood, whatever that meant, and he wanted to be good and show his parents that he appreciated them and loved them. The Lord said ¡®Honor they mother and thy father¡¯ and he would do that by doing good in school.


    At least that¡¯s what he thought. The first day there, he noticed that almost everyone else in the school was white. He had attempted to make friends with the black girl in his class but she didn¡¯t want to have anything to do with him and no one else wanted to even talk to him. So, he decided to just keep to himself. That¡¯s when the bully found him.


    He was sitting under a tree eating the black beans and rice his mom packed for him when suddenly the Tupperware bowl flew out of his hands into the air and landed on the ground several feet from him, the barely eaten contents now strewn about the ground in a shower of black and white among the brown of the tree roots.


    ¡°Hey, why don¡¯t you learn how to eat, dip shit! I guess they don¡¯t teach you how to eat in the ghetto. You can eat it off the ground without using your hands like the sand pig you are!¡±


    Javier was stunned and sat looking at the plastic fork that had, until a second ago, held a mouthful of food. He had no control over what happened after that. He felt himself jump to his feet and charge after the fat white kid that had dumped his food into the dirt. The kid was bigger than he was and he couldn¡¯t reach his face with his fork or his fists, so he punched at the boy¡¯s girth and solar plexus.


    The next thing he knew he was knocked back and fell, sitting down hard on his butt in the dirt. The fat white kid leered over him with his hands in fists. ¡°You fucking asshole!¡± Javier felt blows rain down on his face and chest. He couldn¡¯t move and was only able to protect his face and neck from the blows.


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    Javier had been in fights before; he had never fought anyone this fat though. It was like the fat on the boy somehow protected him. Whatever punches Javier could get in, didn¡¯t seem to slow the attacking boy at all.


    Then it suddenly stopped. Both he and the fat kid were being dragged back from each other by adults. Of course, all the kids were so quick to tell the teachers that ¡®it was that asshole Mexican that started it¡¯. ¡®It must be his culture from the ghetto.¡¯ ¡®He shouldn¡¯t be here with us anyway.¡¯ And of course, the teachers bought it. Not that he could blame them. If he was talking to a priest, he would have to admit to the Mon Seignior that yes, he did throw the first punch.


    His mother had been called by the school to come and pick up her disruptive child who had been suspended for the rest of the day and she had to leave work early. His mother picked him up and drove him home in silence. When she got home she began cleaning and disinfecting his wounds and cuts. She explained to him that if this happened too many more times she might get fired and that Javier had to understand just how hard it was for her and her father to move here.


    Javier tried to explain. He tried to tell her what they said about him and that the fat kid knocked his food out his hands. He tried to make her understand that he had to fight back.


    ¡°The only way to win, is not to play,¡± his mother said. ¡°If you do and act the way they expect, then you¡¯ve done nothing but prove them right. If you want to be basura in their eyes, keep fighting, keep letting your fists talk for you. But, if you want to prove them wrong, you have to find alternatives to fighting.¡±


    His mind snapped back into the present and he found himself looking into the cool blue eyes of Yrsa and his fingers slowly opened and his fists relaxed. He took a few seething breaths and calmly sat down. Yrsa gazed at him for long moments, but eventually she too returned to her seat eyeing her guest cautiously.


    Javier¡¯s nose flared as he forced his body to relax and his mind to return to calm. It took a lot of effort; a lot more than it should have. The longer he sat in this cabin waiting, the farther away he felt from his pack. He had to help them, but destroying Yrsa¡¯s cabin wasn¡¯t going to get him anywhere.


    Javier returned his focus to the woman sitting across from him, ¡°I never thanked you for pulling Huan Li and myself out of the storm this afternoon.¡±


    ¡°I did what anyone would have done. I¡¯m not going to let you die out there if I can help it.¡±


    Javier nodded, his rage still not gone from his features but he felt it begin to ebb, ever so slowly. His mother was just as right now and she had been when he was seven. Yrsa expected him to act like a monster. The only way to win was to not be the destructive unthinking beast that she thought him to be.


    ¡°Thank you for saving our lives. That¡¯s twice now and twice that I owe you in return. I¡¯m a lot of things, but I am not ungrateful¡­ and I¡¯m not a monster,¡± he added under his breath, more to himself and the memory of his mother, god rest her soul, than to the woman sitting across from him.

 Book 6 Chapter 12a

    He was deep in the dream. This dream had been with him since before he could remember. It told him what he must be and how he must achieve his destiny. It was through the dream that he learned of his calling as a medicine man. He was of the Hopi tribe and the Hopi tribe spoke through him. He didn¡¯t ask for this task, but he had accepted his destiny with the same determination of his fore bearers.


    A full day ago he had said his goodbyes to his family and friends. He then took nothing but water with him on his journey. The journey was long and the mountains that rose steeply around him were treacherous, but he had gone this way before and the paths were known well to him.


    He followed the sun for a cycle, letting it lead him farther west away from his home. He traveled for a day not resting and only sipping small amounts of his limited water.


    When he reached the place that felt right he set to his work. Dropping a single pebble on the ground, he turned and walked five feet away from the pebble, the way he had come. From there he brought large rocks and formed a wheel around his initial pebble, creating a very nearly perfectly circular wheel, ten feet across.


    He then looked up towards the sky. He had traveled all night without rest and now the sky was starting to lighten around him and the chill of the winter months was just leaving these lands. It was still cool in the desert where he had chosen to make his wheel.


    He took a sip of water and removed everything from society from his body. When he was prepared, he took his water and stepped into the circle. Once inside he drew a line running from north to south, and another from east to west, placing a sizeable rock in each freshly drawn quadrant. Then he sat down in the very center of his prepared medicine wheel and began his quest.


    The dream always started slowly. He felt the passage of time around him, but inside the medicine wheel, time passed strangely for him. The exertion of the journey here and the burden of what he knew already, always made it hard for him to calm his body and mind and bring them into alignment. It was almost like he didn¡¯t really want to see more of what he already knew. But then that is why he was¡­


    He was traveling north along the great ocean to the west. Their leader and great mother, the Spiderwoman was leading them. It was because of her that they had survived in the first place. When the earth made the great shake and waters flooded in from everywhere to destroy his people, the Spiderwoman had brought reeds out of the great ocean to protect them.


    When the storm had finally passed the Spiderwoman showed them how to cut the reeds and make boats. The only reason why he and his wife were still alive was because of the great woman who they now followed.


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    Their journey was blocked by a great wall of ice. The Spiderwoman had sent scouts out to either side to see if there was a way around. After two days the scouts returned and reported that the ice seemed to reach out forever in either direction.


    The Spiderwoman then consulted with her kind in a form of language and speaking unknown to him or his tribe. She returned sometime later with impatience wafting off of her like steam from a fresh kill in the early winter morning.


    She struck at the wall of ice with a power that was beyond his understanding. The ice started to give way, little by little. Then a great crack sounded out through the skies and the Spiderwoman was forced to stop what she was doing.


    The gods came down from the sky and publicly restrained the Spiderwoman and the other deities explained to the tribe what was behind the wall of ice. The ice was the only thing holding back a great lake of water, which if the Spiderwoman had succeeded in breaking apart the ice to allow her to continue her journey, they would all have died as a wall of water would have crushed and drowned them all.


    The Spiderwoman had been warned and was punished accordingly. She was cursed with the ability to grow old. She remained immortal and she still led the tribe, but her withered, time worn face was a pale shadow of the beauty that her visage once held.


    The tribe was angered at the Spider grandmother¡¯s arrogance and her disregard for their lives when she went against her own kind¡¯s counsel. The Spider grandmother, as she was now known, had no apologies for them but led them ever onward, to the east following along the ice wall which she had so recklessly almost broke, and in doing so almost released the cause of their death.


    He knew that the Spider grandmother was leading them somewhere; he could feel the power in the earth guiding them. He didn¡¯t know how long this journey would last, but every step they took that brought them farther north he felt the deep-seated power in the earth grow.


    He was deep underground. The light of the great cavern was almost as bright as the sun that they had been forced to abandon. The light here was said to be ¡®created¡¯ light, light from within the window, not made from the sun, moon, or stars. The gift of light is what made this place seem like a home.


    There was great power here, a sense of anger and rage from the earth below, the red hot molten rock just below the surface of the rock they walked on, kept the cavern warm. He had lived here for years and had almost forgotten what the great wheel in the sky looked like. This place was to be their protection from a coming great disaster, maybe even as great as the flood that his elders spoke of that happened generations ago.


    The earth conduit that was here, the nexus of earth energy was great and he had been learning how to use it, to channel that power to let him travel along the nexus lines and into the other world that was a part of this world but not of this world.


    The great man beasts had built this place and had taught the ancestors of the tribe to live off the fish that swam in the lake and to hunt the animals that shared this place.


    He was starving. He was moving clumsily through the night. He was so hungry all he knew was that he needed to eat. The bushes down by the great river were ok but he had lost his way in the night. He stumbled through the brush and sand that surrounded him.

 Book 6 Chapter 12b

    He crashed through a soft bush and he saw a four-legged beast bound away from him. The elegant speed by which the animal seemed to hop or bounce over the ground was stunning and beautiful in the moonlight.


    A howl pierced the silent night sky all around him and all he knew was fear. He watched the beast plant itself into a stop, its head and ears swiveling all around itself. Then he saw the others, the predators, the sharp clawed and sharp toothed animals that preyed on the weak.


    They came out of nowhere surrounding the fleet footed beast before it took off to the side. The predators moved and flowed with the beast, simultaneously coordinating their attacks at the beast¡¯s flanks and hind quarters. The beast was allowed to run across the open plain. He was too terrified to move as the shadowed death creatures moved and taunted the beast driving it to move faster, ever faster. He thought he could see blood flow from many wounds.


    He didn¡¯t know why he suddenly found himself moving, running towards the animals. He didn¡¯t care about anything; nothing mattered now except getting to that poor animal. Nothing was worth the pained screams that he heard from the beast. He knew it was dying and the predators that tormented it seemed to revel in its helplessness.


    He scrabbled forward, forcing his tired and hungry body to move faster. He saw the animal finally fall over in the dark, the predators swarmed around it, till its cries fell silent. The man howled in pain and fear and sorrow as he rushed forward.


    His howl had cleared all but one of the predators away. Its golden eyes stared out of the darkness and fixed him in place. The predator¡¯s mouth and teeth were red with the blood of the beast it had helped kill, but its eyes held no real malice. The predator didn¡¯t move towards him, nor did it move away from his kill. It simply stood there gazing at him with those inhuman golden eyes.


    The man, hungry and exhausted, slipped to his knees as his strength finally failed him. The beast was dead and the predator was there. He couldn¡¯t help but move towards the dead beast. The smell of blood was in the air. If the predator could eat the beast, then so could he, and he was so very hungry.


    The golden eyed predator watched him approach. There was no movement from him except his fur as the gentle night breeze ruffled it and caused it to wave. The wolf said nothing, judged nothing, only watched as the injured, or pained creature crawled towards him and his kill. His pack had run away from the strange howl, so unfamiliar to their ears. He was curious about these two-legged creatures that had been spotted more and more as of late. They didn¡¯t seem to be competitors for food, but they were strange beasts.


    The man came upon the dead animal and with a heavy heart and guilty conscious, he ripped a chunk of flesh from the dead beast and closing his eyes tightly against what he was about to do, he took a bite.


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    He was standing on a cliff overlooking the great ocean far to the west. He had never been there before and yet here he was. The ocean pressed out as far as he could see, the curvature of the earth mother was plain on the far horizon of the ocean¡¯s surface.


    He looked to his companion, a large grey wolf, old but powerful. The wolf¡¯s golden eyes bore into his as if the great father predator was trying to communicate with him in some way. The wolf tuned his head and gazed evenly out over the ocean.


    He turned his head and attempted to find out what it was his guide was trying to tell him. What secrets lay out there in the vast landscape of water? The ocean was calm today; the glass like surface was smooth even though there was a light breeze. The ocean yawned out in front of him and suddenly the sun dipped and the reflected light of the sun blinded him causing him to reel back in pain.


    He opened his eyes suddenly from the vision quest. The wheel was as he had left it. He looked up and the sky was dark. The sun would not rise for many hours. The soft wind chilled his tired body. He took a sip of water and carefully standing up he removed each rock from each quadrant, and with his hand he carefully erased the lines that had made the quadrants.


    He then carefully stepped out of the wheel and redressed himself with the trappings of society. Then, working in perfect reverse of what he had done to create the circle; he broke and unmade the medicine wheel.


    Only after he was done did he start to reconnect himself with the real, material world. He systematically recounted who he was. His name was Celestino Honanie, he was of the Hopi tribe and had lived on the Res for all of his life. He had been trained in the ways of Medicine and had continued his people¡¯s traditions even as the younger generations and even the older politicians of his tribe chose to forget. He was married but did not have any children. Only after he had anchored himself to the material plane did he turn his thoughts to the dream.


    The visions were muddled and incoherent. He tried to grasp their meanings. The ancient story of the Spiderwoman and how she and her tribe had been cursed for what she had attempted to do was as old as their tribe and just as well known. But he had never felt visions so clearly within another¡¯s body before.


    Usually, the visions came to him like a dream, they were cloudy and he could only pick out certain details and come away with a general feel of what had happened. This quest was exacting in its clarity and he had taken on the forms and memories of others. His guide had taken many forms over the years; he most associated himself with that of a black messenger bird or a powerful stag. Today his guide was a predator, old and wise; this did not disturb him, it simply was.


    His thoughts turned back to the ocean, the great Pacific to the west. All his visions and many adventures within the quest seemed to be pointed there; even the great cavern city seemed to be close to the ocean somehow. Something was there, or was coming from there. At this point he couldn¡¯t be sure. He would have to think on what had happened and meditate further.


    The cool early morning air was refreshing against his tired body. He had seen many winters, but his body still carried its familiar strength and he traversed the dark ground around him sure footed. He didn¡¯t know how many days he had spent in the quest. Judging by his body he would guess two. This wasn¡¯t particularly long but longer than usual.


    He walked for hours and when the sun finally crested over the far horizon, he stopped and shielded his eyes from the sudden light. He took the opportunity to turn around and gaze westward. Whatever his quest had been trying to tell him he must be ready to either aid, or protect his family from whatever was approaching.

 Book 6 Chapter 13a

    Simon moved like water through the would-be assailants. His long slender sword flashed in the dim light thrown out by the overhead street lamp. These four had tried to roll the wrong guy. He had been simply standing on the street corner minding his own business, and staking out his groups next target.


    That¡¯s when these clowns had walked up and around him. They were a motley group of idiots, nothing terribly special about them. Their clothes and attitudes reeked of American entitlement and confidence. These thugs wouldn¡¯t have lasted two minutes in any other continent, especially not the one they claimed to have come from so brazenly.


    They tried to be cool, if not polite, and demanded his wallet from him, the ¡®gay fuck¡¯ they called him. He simply told them to move on, find another mark, one more suitable to their level. This of course was answered with four guns of varying calibers, none above a nine-millimeter though, being shoved into his face and a cloud of alcohol ridden breath as they demanded his wallet and money again.


    It was then that he had had enough and letting his legs go limp beneath him, he drew his sword and swiped the legs out from under one thug, with the dull edge of the blade. This caused him to fall backwards and grab the nearest thing to him, pulling another thug to the ground with him. Simon brought the hilt of his sword up into the chin of another and his elbow flared out catching the fourth in a similar blow, sending them both reeling to the ground.


    He started to walk away when he heard more yelling from the lead tough as he struggled to his feet. His House Ghatti ability allowed him to hear the click of the gun that was obviously pointed in his direction and he was able to dodge out of the way from the poorly aimed weapon. Had the wannabe been a better shot, well, it still wouldn¡¯t have helped him.


    He turned around and with his inhuman speed he ripped through the center of the four. Using his sword and fist he disarmed the four thugs then proceeded to level educated blows on the back of the neck, temples, and chins of the four thugs. Four strikes later and the four were out cold lying in the pool of yellow light from the street light.


    He softly slid his sword back under his long duster jacket. He shook his head, now he had to find another place to stake out the building across the way. This place offered a good view of the place but not so good that would attract attention to him. He would miss this spot. He began walking in search of another location.


    He didn¡¯t like having to be so careful, it reminded him too much of when he was human. But he wasn¡¯t going up against humans. It was just him and the six other members of his team, seven vampires against an entire House; seven extremely well trained and disciplined vampires, but seven was still a very small number. The only advantage they had was that House Dukart didn¡¯t know where they were, or how many of them there were. He would have been a fool to think that Kenneth thought he was dead. They hadn¡¯t recovered his body, which means they had to know he must have gone somewhere.


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    Simon had been planning raids carefully since that night. They hadn¡¯t done anything as brazen as blown up anything. No, the ¡®shock and awe¡¯ blitzkrieg approach had only been feasible because he had had the support of House Dukart behind him and he wasn¡¯t planning on sticking around for an extended period of time. The death of Alessandro had changed all that.


    The last raid was a good one. They had gotten the information they needed. He had been focusing on transports and watching Kenneth¡¯s money and tracing where it was going. Kenneth was very cautious and knew his way around a computer system though. This was evidenced because Sofia hadn¡¯t been able to find anything concrete connecting anyone from city hall back to Kenneth. Simon wasn¡¯t that worried though, Kenneth would slip up sooner or later no one could keep their books squeaky clean forever.


    Simon was getting restless, all these years he had been a vampire must have dulled his sense of patience. He wanted to strike now, he wanted to do something, but he also knew that kind of thinking would end up in his and his team¡¯s death. He couldn¡¯t avenge his friend being dead.


    House Dukart had not been idle with its time either. He saw the effects of Kenneth¡¯s leadership grow daily it seemed. His house was becoming more brazen with its attempts to take territory away from the thinly stretched House Brandt. Kenneth had recruited more and more, with his limited surveillance and having only seven members to rotate through the city he could only guess, but there were at least twelve new vampires that they hadn¡¯t profiled in the past few months. This was a ridiculous number. If Kenneth kept this up the Counsel of Houses would come down on him with their full power. No House had ever survived when that happened.


    A large truck turned a corner, and started moving towards him. Recognizing the license plate instantly he turned onto a side street away from the truck. He reached into his pocket and silently threw a magnetic tracker that attached itself to the truck as it passed.


    ¡°Sofia? I just sent you a present, did you get it?¡± Simon said quietly after flicking on his ear bud.


    The answer was almost immediate, ¡°Yup, it just came up. Huh, yeah, these guys are really uncreative. What was the license plate number?¡±


    ¡°9A88875,¡± he replied smoothly.


    There was a pause as Sofia did something with her computer, ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s on one of the routes that he¡¯s used before. He is going back to the warehouse. Maybe it¡¯s time we stop this guy and find out what exactly he¡¯s hauling twice a week to the same spot?¡±


    As tempting as that was Simon shook his head, ¡°We¡¯re not ready. If it turns out to be nothing, we would have stuck our necks out for zero gain. No, we have to wait.¡±


    ¡°Well maybe I¡¯m sick of waiting,¡± Sofia retorted.


    ¡°Would you rather be dead? Or have to start over from scratch?¡± Simon replied evenly.


    ¡°No, but maybe Silvia could at least go and have a word with one of those new recruits that I¡¯ve been reading so much about.¡±

 Book 6 Chapter 13b

    ¡°What did you find?¡± Simon asked.


    ¡°The kid is just that, a kid, twenty-four years old; he¡¯s been reported being seen around bars, seems the poor young vampire can¡¯t hold his liquor the way he used to. He¡¯s been kicked out of a few places for his projectile vomiting¡­ sexy. I guess House Dukart doesn¡¯t teach their new born about having trouble imbibing any sort of human food, to include alcohol, at least for the first couple months, this kid has a weaker tolerance than normal it seems. But he also loves showing off for the ladies. Initial calculations say he¡¯s an eighty seven percent positive percentile to be turned against his new House, if you want to risk it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the best lead we¡¯ve had,¡± Simon muttered to himself. Eventually they were going to need someone on the inside. There was never going to be a zero-risk action, and taking out a city block of electricity, though satisfying, wasn¡¯t going to get them anywhere in the long run. ¡°Do it,¡± He said calmly, ¡°Just have her be careful, don¡¯t press too hard. American guys can be very¡­entitled.¡±


    There was a laugh from the other end, ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t think that¡¯ll be a problem, besides Silvia is going crazy being cooped up in here. She almost destroyed one of my computer monitors with a sword thrust earlier. She likes a challenge.¡±


    Simon smiled and clicked off his ear bud. He couldn¡¯t blame Sofia for her impatience, nor the rest of his team. They had been gathering data, studying patterns, people, and building dossiers for months. It was time to do a little pushing of their own. Simon looked up and jumped skyward landing on top of the nearby three-story building. He sat down and watched the House Dukart warehouse, taking note of license plate numbers and times, the trucks entered and exited. He would avenge his friend, of that he had no doubt, even if the preparation phase was a little tedious.


    *          *          *          *          *


    ¡°Do you ever get the feeling your being watched?¡±


    Brian didn¡¯t look up from his magazine; he had always been fascinated with guns and computers. Computers had never really agreed with him, or rather he didn¡¯t seem to have a head for them. But guns, now there was something that he could really get into. The magazine had everything from the latest high caliber semi-automatic rifles, and they had a full article about the fully automatic shotgun, the AA-12. Oh man, what he wouldn¡¯t give to get his hands on that! Suddenly the magazine flew out of his hands,


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, am I interrupting something?¡± Kenneth asked harshly standing over him gazing down at him with hard eyes.


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    Brian just leaned back smiling up at his House head, ¡°Maybe, what were you saying again?¡±


    Kenneth turned around and stalked back to his desk, ¡°I¡¯m still not convinced that that black out we had a few weeks ago was natural.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, of course it¡¯s not natural, its California man, these things happen, like all the time.¡± Brian waved his hand idly, ¡°You came from Italy, but I was born here. Have you ever heard of Emron?¡± Brian asked with a bored expression on his face.


    ¡°I think you mean Enron, and yes I have,¡± Kenneth retorted.


    Brian just shrugged, ¡°whatever it¡¯s called. Look man, you are worrying way too much about this sort of thing. I mean come on. Hammerstein is on the ropes, he can¡¯t replace the numbers he lost to the dogs, and we are just gobbling up territory left and right. We have the entire industrial district to ourselves. The only thing you need to worry about are those Japanese assholes. Fumiko Nakahara is your only real competition.¡± Brian became animated as he sat up straight in the chair leaning forward. ¡°Let me go in and break a few of her guys. I¡¯m telling you; I can do it. We could bring down her entire house.¡±


    Kenneth grew very still and his face darkened. ¡°Do you honestly think that I haven¡¯t thought about that?¡± His hands rested perfectly still on the desk. ¡°Or have you forgotten about the Counsel of Houses? Do you want to be killed before you hit even a hundred years old?¡± Kenneth kicked himself away from his desk in exasperation. ¡°I can¡¯t make open war against another house, and our numbers have grown yes, but if I push any more then we will be noticed and none of us would survive the attention that would garner.¡±


    Brian just scoffed, ¡°whatever.¡±


    ¡°Brian,¡± Kenneth said smoothly, ¡°You enjoy the power I¡¯ve given you, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Brian looked over at Kenneth with a questioning glace, ¡°What the hell is that supposed to mean?¡±


    ¡°You enjoy being immortal, don¡¯t you? And the added benefit of our House abilities to mesmerize and mentally enslave almost anyone of your choosing?¡±


    Brian was getting a bit nervous as he watched his Head of House stand up and walk slowly towards him, ¡°Well yeah, I don¡¯t want to seem ungrateful or anything,¡± Brian replied sheepishly.


    ¡°It was I that first introduced you to Rachel, didn¡¯t I? And you two have been happy together, right?¡±


    Brian slowly stood up, ¡°You keep her out of this. What¡¯s the deal Kenneth? Are you threatening me?¡±


    Kenneth slowly placed both of his hands on his lieutenants¡¯ shoulders and squeezed hard. Brian didn¡¯t flinch at the pain but his look hardened as he glared at Kenneth. ¡°I am going to say this very slowly and very clearly, Brian. If you do anything to further jeopardize this House or me, in any way, and that includes any more recruiting, I will personally end you. But not before I make you watch me end Rachel in the most painful way I can imagine. Do you understand?¡±


    Brain¡¯s features were frozen in anger as he took in every word from his Head of House. For a fraction of a second, he thought about maybe defying the man who now gripped his shoulders so painfully. Unfortunately, Kenneth was capable of doing exactly what he had promised, and Brian knew it. Without a word he jerked his head down in a nod.


    Kenneth released his lieutenants¡¯ shoulders and walked back to his desk. ¡°Why do I have three trucks that are still broken down after three weeks of maintenance?¡±

 Book 6 Chapter 13c

    Brian didn¡¯t move, but when he spoke his voice was calm and even, betraying none of the anger he felt only a few moments ago, ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I¡¯ll check on it. The one had a transmission problem but we had the parts ordered and on hand last week. I¡¯ll find out.¡±


    Kenneth nodded. He scrolled through his computer system, ¡°There¡¯s a deviation in blood production from one of our farms. They should be producing¡­wait a second. Hmm, that¡¯s interesting.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Brian asked as his interest piqued.


    ¡°This particular farm, down on the south side, has been fluctuating, nothing out of the ordinary, especially since it was one of the ones we had to rebuild after being destroyed by the dogs last year. But the output numbers are just a little off, never producing at peak, like the others. In fact, it has never piqued above one hundred percent of expectations.¡±


    ¡°Never?!¡± Brian asked, ¡°that¡¯s incredible, or just a weird coincidence. The south side isn¡¯t exactly the best candidates for our farms, and never any of our top producers.¡±


    ¡°You should come around and look at these numbers,¡± Kenneth offered.


    Their earlier friction almost completely forgotten, Brian walked over and scanned the spreadsheet of numbers. He wasn¡¯t the best with computers, but he knew numbers. ¡°Oh wow, how did I miss this?¡± he asked the room.


    Brian saw the subtleties in the book keeping. The numbers had been tampered with; it was the only way to account for the smooth incline and decline of production from month to month. The only way production raised, and slid down, and never reached one hundred percent of expectations could only have been possible by tampering. Deliberate tampering orchestrated by someone who was trying to put money into their pocket at the expense of the House.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of this,¡± Brian said as he started to leave.


    ¡°No,¡± Kenneth stated coolly. ¡°No, this is something that I should see to myself. In the meantime, I have an idea. Something that the whole House should bear witness too.¡±


    Brian nodded and smiled. ¡°What did you have in mind? Dinner and dancing, demonic blood orgy, movie night?¡±


    ¡°A banquet should be sufficient; do you think you can arrange the food?¡±


    Brian nodded, ¡°Oh yeah no problem, when?¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow night.¡±


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    ¡°Whoa,¡± Brian hesitated, ¡°Ok, sure, yeah, no problemo. I got this.¡±


    Kenneth dismissed his lieutenant with a hand wave. As Brian was leaving Kenneth looked up, ¡°Oh, and Brian?¡± Brian turned to face him. ¡°This should be an elegant affair, strictly formal, and the food should be high quality. I want to make a statement.¡± Brian nodded and left the high-rise office.


    Kenneth studied the numbers on his computer screen. There wasn¡¯t much of a black-market value on farm blood. It might be interesting to find out just what this guy was up to. But then again, he didn¡¯t care. He already had Trevor Swaan as a student and whatever this amateur thought he was doing, was nothing compared to what Trevor had already done. Maybe he would question the idiot personally, maybe not. He decided to let the vibe of the evening dictate his actions. He was careful and pretty smart but sometimes circumstances just demanded a certain amount of spontaneity.


    The next night Kenneth walked into his banquet hall on the fifth floor of his downtown office building.


    Kenneth wore one of his Italian style suits. The pants were a light sand color, the pant legs coming down into a perfect shimmering break, just meeting his chestnut-colored double monk shoes. His double-breasted jacket was a slightly darker stone color whose tailored soft shoulders form fitted perfectly over his torso. His light blue shirt underneath accented the light warm colors of the suit itself and the grey tie brought the whole ensemble together. As he entered the hall he took in the atmosphere.


    Brian had outdone himself in the short time he had been given to plan and prepare. The general feel of the room and the colors that most dominated the scene were warm Tuscan gold and sand, which seemed to make the whole room seem to bathe in afternoon sunlight. The walls were of a beige color, but purple lighting splashed against them giving the walls a deep purple color that faded as it climbed higher towards the ceiling. The tables and chairs were covered with elegant textured gold linens. The place settings were of white plates with bold red detailing along the edges. The wine glasses were fine textured crystal that sent rainbows of color onto each table. The center pieces were primarily golden ¡®mother lode¡¯ flowers with a light sprinkling of three to four white roses per center piece and various other warm colored flowers to complete the center pieces. The chandeliers hanging from the ceiling gave off a warm, soft yellow light, which only added to the late afternoon feel of the room.


    The members of his House had taken the invitation seriously indeed. Each male wore a suit that was of a similar, if slightly less, quality than the suit that Kenneth wore. The colors ranged from black to white and just about everything in between, reflecting each member¡¯s personal taste and backgrounds. The old guard of House Dukart wore suits similar to Kenneth; subdued earth tones with splashes of color to accent their attire. The younger Americans among them wore more dark or loud colors as befitted them. Each female wore dresses that humans wished looked as good on them as it did when worn by an immortal. The heels and fabric ranged in color and style but the quality was something that any celebrity wished would be shown at one of their award shows or parties.


    A hush fell over the room as Kenneth strode to the head table. There were few in the House who didn¡¯t know that Natalia was no longer with the House. There were only a few who even dared to suspect that maybe it was Kenneth who had something to do with it. Most accepted that she had died a hero, killed by a werewolf in the battle that had made House Dukart what it was today.

 Book 6 Chapter 13d

    Kenneth took his place at the head table and looked out at the members of his House. Smiling he started speaking, his voice resonating throughout the hall. ¡°My friends, we have come a long way in the short months that have brought us here. It has seen the death of our leader, and former Head of House, Alessandro the pain of that loss along with my mate, Natalia runs deep.¡± Kenneth paused lowering his head for a moment of silence. The rest of his House did the same. Death was a bit of a taboo subject for humans. Immortals shared an almost pathological phobia of it, especially when it was demonstrated that they too could still succumb to the phenomenon. An almost visible shiver ran through the room.


    Kenneth looked up and continued in more upbeat tones, ¡°But this year has also seen a great victory for our House. Were it not for the support of everyone here in this room, our victory over the dogs would not have been possible.¡± He paused as the clapping in the hall resounded against the walls and the ceiling. He smiled letting his audience enjoy the moment. ¡°But we have also over come other challenges; other obstacles have been swept away. We have swelled our ranks and have, thanks to the misfortune that has befallen our German brothers and sisters in House Brandt,¡± he paused, earning loud laughter throughout the hall. ¡°Thanks to that misfortune we have benefitted greatly and are now, the unquestioned most powerful House on the west coast, a force unto ourselves!¡± The room exploded in applause.


    Kenneth smiled and allowed the applause to continue for a moment. He looked over the room until he found the person he was looking for. ¡°Luca Giordano, please come up here for just a moment.¡±


    The singled-out House member was tall, standing at six foot two. His dark brown hair was cut short and his features showed the slight worn and wrinkled look of his thirty-eight years of age when he was turned. The green-eyed man walked confidently through the crowd.


    He had been a close friend to Alessandro and had helped to move House Dukart to America when Alessandro had suggested the idea. He walked with a distinguished grace that spoke of his time on multiple battlefields before he was turned. He didn¡¯t yet know how Kenneth killed Alessandro, but he knew that his friend¡¯s death was no accident. But, the Head of House was Kenneth now. And until Kenneth was killed, by his hand or another¡¯s, he would have to wait and play along with the brash usurper. Reaching the head table he stood at Kenneth¡¯s side.


    ¡°Luca, I know that the loss of Alessandro must pain you the deepest out of all of us. I know you haven¡¯t exactly been enthusiastic about some of the directions that I am now guiding House Dukart. But I hope that in time you and I will be as close of friends as you were with my late master. In that vein and because I know you are the best man for the job, I am giving you full control of our farms and shipping interests on the west side and Industrial sector.¡±


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    This earned a stunned silence from the room, before the hall erupted in applause. Kenneth knew what he was doing, this was a huge chunk of the House¡¯s income and profit interests. It was also the closest section of their holdings to House Himura. This could be a trap, Kenneth wanting the man to fail so he could get rid of an old supporter of the former Head of House. Or Kenneth was truly worried about House Himura and was trying to hedge against a feud along the borders of their two houses. Either way, it was a massive boon, one the older gentleman couldn¡¯t refuse.


    As the applause died down Luca responded solemnly, ¡°Thank you, Kenneth Pacifico, Head of our House. I accept this gift in good faith; our land will be forever ours.¡± He then shook Kenneth¡¯s hand and headed back to his table. He was greeted with handshakes and hugs from those at his table and a few others.


    Kenneth watched the older man walk back to his table, pleased with himself. As the generals of ancient Rome bought loyalty with money, promotions, titles, and holdings, so too would he ensure loyalty the same way. And if that didn¡¯t work, the old man would be too busy with all the responsibilities and duties of his new station to be able to stir up much trouble for him in any case.


    Kenneth smiled and glanced around the room again. ¡°Giulia Moretti, please come up here for a moment.¡±


    The room started gently buzzing with soft whispers as the five foot, eight-inch-tall woman strode forward. Her straight, light brown hair was, as always, cut short so that it ended right at her jaw line. Her grey eyes were piercing and clear. Her pale skin shone with radiance under her long formal red gown. The dress was slashed with black across her breast. And the right thigh hem was open, giving glimpses of her well-toned and muscular long leg as she walked confidently forward. Her heels clicked softly on the mahogany hard wood floor of the banquet hall.


    When she reached Kenneth, he placed his hand on her shoulder in a fashion that was just this side of overly familiar. The woman stood and looked out over the crowd.


    ¡°Most of you may not know just how brave a woman, Giulia is. I watched her take on three werewolves at once. Granted, she didn¡¯t take down all three by herself, but she saved my life more than once when we attacked their city.¡± This earned a few hand claps and cheers from the crowd.


    ¡°I found myself sitting in my office thinking, what is the best way to reward a woman who saved my life? I guess the follow up to that is, ¡®How much do I value my life?¡¯ right?¡± This earned some soft laughter through the crowd.


    ¡°Giulia, there is one gift that I will give you, as a token of my appreciation for still being in the land of the living. And to your dedicated service to House Dukart over your tenure here. I am handing over to you the duties which I myself once held. I am giving you control over our farms and ¡®trade¡¯ interests in the central sector.¡±

 Book 6 Chapter 13e

    This earned loud clapping from the table the woman had come from. There were nods of approval throughout the hall. Kenneth had given a huge responsibility and essentially a very large step up in the House hierarchy to a woman who was popular with a lot of the members of the House, both, of the old Italian guard, and the new Americans. Kenneth showing this kind of trust in her was huge. As Kenneth looked out over the room, he knew he had gained points in the trust and respect category with just about everyone present. He may have won the House with battle and bloodshed, but he would keep the kingdom through praise and admiration.


    Giulia stood silent a moment before saying, ¡°Chi ha pi¨´, giudizio pi¨´ n''adoperi. I accept and will not let my House fail or our people falter.¡± This earned cheers of praise as she walked back to her table.


    Kenneth thought about what she had said in Italian, ¡®to whom much is entrusted, much is required.¡¯ He wondered if that was a statement about how seriously she would take her new duties? Or if perhaps it was a warning to him? Giulia had always been a bit of a wild card, and he still didn¡¯t know where her loyalties lay. Still, her popularity with the House members was unquestioned and that¡¯s what spurred his decision in the first place.


    He waited for Giulia to take her place back at her table before silently raising his glass. The rest of the room followed and in a moments time everyone held aloft their crystal glasses filled with Italian wine.


    Kenneth spoke, ¡°To the victors go the spoils, A chi vuole, non mancano modi.¡± There was a nodding of understanding around the room. There were a good number of those in the room that had no idea what Kenneth had just said. Italian was the favored language for House Dukart, but since coming to America, those who came from here and reborn into the House hadn¡¯t learned Italian as well as Kenneth would have liked. But to those that did understand, ¡®where there¡¯s a will, there¡¯s a way¡¯ was a simple yet powerful message. Kenneth raised his glass to his lips and drank deeply. The rest of the room followed. After a moment of silence, he set down his glass and stood up straight.


    He then nodded to the far side of the hall. The massive full wall double doors opened eerily silent on well-oiled hinges as they were pushed inward. Brian walked in through the open entry way wearing a splendid white suit with purple and red accents as he led in a small parade of very demure looking women. They were all dressed in elegance materialized. He guessed by their attitude and behavior that they had never been among such elegance, nor had they ever worn clothes of the quality that now draped their human flesh.


    Kenneth greeted his lieutenant in the middle of the room by gently grasping his arm in friendship. The women were lined up in the middle of the banquet hall and Kenneth walked along the line, inspecting each woman with his appraising eye. Being the Head of House, he would always choose first.


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    He stopped in front of a true beauty. Her long black hair draped over her shoulders in soft curls. Her deep brown eyes tilted up at the corners, in a perfect imitation of a cat. She carried herself with dignity and grace. She was obviously the premium choice of the group and he offered her his arm.


    The woman slid her arm under his and gently folded it back to herself and placed her other hand on top, locking her arm in place. Kenneth was amazed at what had just happened. It had been years since he had seen a woman move with such fluidity. Her darkly tanned skin glowed under the warm yellow light of the banquet hall. Through his suit jacket he felt the calm confidence of the woman and the strength that rested in her arms.


    ¡°And who might you be?¡± Kenneth asked.


    ¡°I am the spirit that resides in this mortal shell for the time being,¡± she replied calmly and evenly.


    Kenneth¡¯s brow furrowed a bit as he allowed a bit of his confusion to show. Nodding calmly, he turned and led the girl back to the head table. ¡°Does the spirit which inhabits this mortal shell have a name?¡± Kenneth asked lightly.


    ¡°Nova,¡± the girl answered plainly.


    Kenneth was pleased, ¡°Elegance in simplicity, I will have to thank you parents one day.¡±


    The girl smoothly turned her head and looked up at her escort, ¡°My parents didn¡¯t choose my name, I did. Through dreams I allowed my mother to know what my name was.¡±


    Kenneth couldn¡¯t help but smile. This girl was either crazy, or she had enough confidence to fill the banquet hall. Either way, he found something deeply interesting about her. She was not overcome by the wealth that surrounded her, nor was she nervous being seen in a room of this type of elegance and beauty. The way she carried herself and the way she spoke with such calm matter-of-factness was something that Kenneth had never encountered before in a mortal.


    He guided the woman around and pulled her chair out for her and easily slid the chair back into place once the girl had seated herself. She was a perfect height and her breasts curved smoothly away from her body to be modestly covered by her dress but not before giving away hints of where those curves led. Kenneth had to force his eyes up before he stepped back to his chair and smoothly sat down.


    After the Head of House had taken his seat, the leaders of each table stood up, one after the other. They then walked down the line of women, appraising each woman as they passed, much as Kenneth had done. One by one, the women were chosen and escorted back to their respective tables.


    The woman next to him didn¡¯t say anything, nor did she gawk at the crystal glasses or the d¨¦cor, or the dresses. She simply sat there taking in the scene before her. Kenneth had been to a few House banquets before and the woman who had been at his table had always tensed, or gawked, or was obnoxiously ¡®impressed¡¯ with the grandeur of the banquet hall. Those women had elicited none of the feelings he now felt.


    He should have been the first. As Head of House Dukart, it was his right. But the woman sitting next to him permeated confidence and calmness. There was something that he simply must see. He decided to test her.

 Book 6 Chapter 13f

    Kenneth deferred to Luca with an outstretched offering hand to the older Italian gentleman. Luca, looked a bit surprised at the sudden breach of etiquette. It was a small thing, and it might be seen as a great honor for him. Luca turned to the girl he had escorted and leaned in softly to whisper something in the woman¡¯s ear. Luca gripped the woman by the back of the neck calmly and gazed into her eyes, speaking softly to her. The woman was held fast and unable to move. She tried to open her mouth, but no words came out. In a moment the woman¡¯s eye¡¯s fluttered and closed as she slumped limp and heavy against Luca¡¯s shoulder. The gentleman stood up and carried her from the room.


    This garnered the almost simultaneous explosion of questions and concern from the others women who had been brought into their banquet hall. ¡°What did he do?¡± Where is he taking her¡± What kind of place is this?¡± ¡°Is she drugged¡± ¡°Will she be alright?¡±


    Kenneth looked over at the girl now sharing his table. None of these questions exited her lips.


    Kenneth turned back and watched as each table leader, one by one, mesmerized and silenced their table girl and carried them out of the hall. With each girl that was subdued and taken, the questions became more desperate, louder. Some girls even tried to get away, to stand up and run. Of course, the humans couldn¡¯t overcome the strength of the vampire who now held each fast to their chairs.


    Kenneth sat in stunned awe of Nova. She observed the scene with the same calm confidence that she had first greeted Kenneth. Either she was a complete idiot and totally unaware of what was going on, or she simply refused to believe what was happening in front of her. There was a third option, as completely preposterous as it sounded. Perhaps she was accepting of, or maybe even enjoying, the scene that played itself out in front her.


    The House members remaining at their tables began socializing. Glasses were drained of wine and refilled. Nova watched the scene serenely from her place at the head table. Kenneth couldn¡¯t help but be preoccupied with this woman. She wasn¡¯t anxious, nor was she nervous; she sipped at her wine with the calm confidence of a Queen at a royal feast.


    ¡°What are you?¡± Kenneth breathed aloud without really meaning to.


    Nova simply turned to look at him, ¡°I am merely an immortal spirit inhabiting this shell for a time.¡±


    Kenneth found himself gazing into her dark brown eyes and not really wanting to look anywhere else. ¡°You do know that I pretty much run this whole place, right?¡± Nova simply nodded that she did before turning back and looking over the banquet hall.


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    Kenneth almost laughed, ¡°Is this some kind of American girl playing ¡®hard to get¡¯ thing?¡±


    Nova shook her head, ¡°Nothing of the kind, Ken. From my point of view all these things are transient. One day my spirit will pass on from this world to the next. My experiences here will be mostly forgotten when my spirit finds a new shell to inhabit in the next life. I have accepted that which is around me, both good and bad. Money, like life, is something that can corrupt as well as please. It is but part of the great tapestry; no more, or less important than a first kiss, or the first rain of spring.¡±


    Kenneth was caught slack jawed at the calm reassurance of this woman. To her way of thinking everything he had worked so hard for was no more, or less important than a tree or blade of grass. Her words couldn¡¯t be born of genuine belief. There was no way in hell that a mortal could be this comfortable with dying, or living. To actually think that she would be just as comfortable living here, or a palace, as she would be living in a half way house on a dirty mattress was absolute madness.


    And yet, he couldn¡¯t keep his eyes off her. The gentle curves of her body were accented by the firm undertones of strength from her toned muscles. The soft curve of her neck was brought into sharp focus as it met the strong line of her jaw and high cheek bones. Everything about her body spoke of soft femininity, but it was supported by the strength which her body obviously possessed. He made up his mind at that moment.


    ¡°What if I told you, you didn¡¯t have to die, ever? What if I told you, your spirit could inhabit this mortal shell forever. You would never have to grow old and you could experience everything that you have ever wished. What would you say to that?¡± Kenneth asked trying to sound calm and nonchalant.


    She looked at him with her calm self-assuredness, ¡°Then I would be deprived of the experience of growing old and dying. My spirit would wither in this immortal shell, deprived forever of the joy and freedom of moving on the next world.¡±


    Kenneth¡¯s jaw dropped and looked at her dumbfounded. The response was so delicately delivered and yet so powerful in its message. Who was this woman? Her response only made him want her more. He felt stirrings deep within his being, deeper than that of his physical body, though the signs of lust were definitely starting to make themselves known. He had to have this woman. There was no other option. He gazed deeply into her eyes.


    ¡°Nova, I want you to do something for me,¡± Kenneth began. ¡°I want you to let your body start to relax. Let yourself feel the gentle warmth of the very fine wine you have drank, and just start to deeply relax¡­¡±


    The double doors at the far side of the banquet hall opened and Kenneth¡¯s eyes were ripped away from Nova¡¯s. Kenneth grit his teeth at the irritation of the interruption. But perhaps this was better. Perhaps he needed some time to clear his head a bit.


    Nova faced forward as well and watched as a long train of linen covered carts were wheeled into the banquet hall. Each leader of his or her table walked beside a single cart. The carts each held a large covered bowl with a small blue flame heater under each. The cart also held three finely crafted steins, each covered with a silver topper, with steam rising from each.

 Book 6 Chapter 13g

    The cart pushed up to Kenneth¡¯s table held a single silver topped stein. The waiter offered Kenneth the stein to which he motioned to set it down on the plate in front of him. The waiter did as he was bidden before taking the cart away.


    The other carts and the table leaders stopped at each table. The leader then handed two of the steins to their chosen seconds; they then took the remaining stein for themselves. The waiter pushing the cart stood by the cart with hands folded in front of them until the table leaders were sat. Kenneth gave a nod. The leaders of each table and their seconds raised their steins in silent tribute to the Head of House Dukart. Kenneth returned the salute with one of his own by simply raising his stein above his head, before drinking deeply of the warm red ichor that filled it.


    Those with steins followed suit. The waiters simultaneously uncovered the bowls that were left on the carts. The billow of steam sent a soft haze around the room. Picking up a fine silver ladle the waiters began filling goblets from the warm red liquid that filled the bowls. They carefully filled each goblet before passing it to a waiting member from each table.


    The warm coppery smell of the richly prepared blood that the House vampires now drank filled the banquet hall and the smell was unmistakable. Kenneth found himself looking over at Nova as her serenity never slid from her features. She observed the scene in front of her without fear, or any reservation.


    Without moving her eyes from the feast and the contented looks of the House members Nova stated plainly and softly, ¡°You are all vampires.¡±


    Kenneth couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°I want you.¡±


    This caused Nova to look over at her escort, ¡°That¡¯s a reaction I¡¯ve caused in many men throughout the life of this shell. Is your want simply physical?¡±


    Kenneth hadn¡¯t realized he had spoken aloud. Not that he was ashamed that she had heard it. He did want her and no, his need for her ran deeper than simple physical attraction. In the woman that sat next to him he saw a queen to share his empire with, a mate that he could draw strength and wisdom from, and a true partner and friend to share in the trials of failure and the joys of success from the long years of this immortal life.


    ¡°I want you to be by my side. I want to share with you and teach you all the joys of what being immortal are,¡± Kenneth said trying to sound calm.


    ¡°Then you would deprive me of all the joys of a mortal life, and the discovery of what happens when we die,¡± Nova responded completely unimpressed.


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    Kenneth¡¯s eyes darkened as his features hardened. ¡°I could make you, you know. You wouldn¡¯t have a choice if I wished. Or I could kill you.¡±


    Nova nodded calmly, ¡°If you made the choice for me then you would control my mind and body, my spirit would be locked in this physical prison. But it would also be locked away from you and you would have nothing but a doll to control and play with. It would not be the spirit Nova, only her shell. And as you said, your want is deeper than mere physicality; I know you won¡¯t imprison that which you claim to want so desperately.¡±


    Kenneth listened to her words and felt all the expected rage and heat of anger slide from his body and mind. He felt¡­weak, exhausted, like he had taken an unexpected gut punch from Alessandro himself. He could do nothing but look into her deep brown eyes and wonder what kind of alien world this creature came from. He could do nothing, because in the darkest recesses of his mind, he knew she was right. Natalia was weak and he exerted his will over hers whenever the mood suited him. The woman sitting next to him controlled and commanded him without a word. He had to have her.


    The House members finished their feast of blood and the waiters wheeled the carts, goblets and steins away. The House members rose from their seats as the lights around the banquet hall dimmed and music starting playing.


    As was tradition in House banquets, the first song was always a somewhat spirited waltz. The House members stayed on the outskirts of the dance floor as Kenneth stood up trying to recover from his epiphany from a moment before. He gracefully stood, even though his knees and legs were still weak from his exchange with Nova.


    Nevertheless, he stood and offered his hand to Nova, ¡°If you won¡¯t accept a life of immortality, will you accept this dance?¡±


    Nova smiled graciously and taking the offered hand stood up, ¡°Ken, I never said I wouldn¡¯t accept, nor did I say I would. I said simply that each choice is a door, unfortunately once I pass through either door, the other will be forever closed to me.¡±


    Kenneth¡¯s heart leapt into his throat. The possibility that this woman might accept him and his offer was something that he wanted more than all of House Dukart. He felt like a boy again when he asked Beatrice out to that spring church dance. She had accepted as well and he was just as happy then as he was now, but just as nervous as he had been all those years ago too. Even as far back as nineteen fifty five wasn¡¯t long enough to erase his more human insecurities.


    The two passed onto the dance floor and he gripped her waist snugly and took her hand in his supernaturally strong one. He led her through the dance. Nova was a beautifully graceful dancer and Kenneth found himself smiling broadly through the dance as Nova¡¯s lips wore a smile of their own. The House members had joined in the dance long ago, but Kenneth only had eyes for Nova. She danced with light feet and a graceful air which made him suspect that she must have been well trained in dance for her to be so comfortable on the crowded floor in her heels and long gown.


    The waltz ended but their dancing didn¡¯t. He and Nova stayed on the dance floor through every new piece of music. Their dancing changed from waltz, to a quick step, to a Bolero; whatever befit the music that was playing. He didn¡¯t yet know what Nova would do or what her ultimate choice would be. For now, he just wanted to be in the moment and for the first time in a long time he was truly happy.

 Book 6 Chapter 14a

    William fought through the haze of his sudden sleepiness. He flooded his body with testosterone and adrenaline. It was obvious to him that he was being drugged or gassed by something. He thought it would be better to let their captors assume he was caught in the trap. He let his eyes close and he slumped back onto his cot. Closing his eyes was dangerous, but playing possum was a better option than trying to fight a group of armed men when he was trapped in this small room, effectively making him nothing more than a fish in a barrel.


    He waited long moments, forcing himself to breathe deeply and evenly. It seemed like an hour had passed before the door to the closet opened and William could hear footsteps and voices. The best he could make out was that either three or four men had entered the room. The men talked in their native tongue and he had no idea what was being said. He stayed where he was, slumped over on his cot.


    The men left as quickly as they had come. Then the door shut loudly and he heard the grind of metal on metal as, what he assumed, was the outer hatch to the room being closed and locked. William waited a few more moments before he opened his eyes.


    The room was empty, save for himself and Aceso, as he had expected. Aceso was still sleeping under the cot that she had curled up under. William wouldn¡¯t be able to wake her. Judging by the amount of chemicals he had had to flood his own body with just to stay awake, he was sure that Aceso would be out for another twelve hours at least. There wasn¡¯t anything he could do for her now.


    Standing up, he carefully checked the glorified closet for any sort of cameras of vents. There were vents all over the place, this was a ship. But he found nothing that made him think he was being watched. Then again, there were hundreds of places to put a hidden camera. He could search for a whole day and still not find one. But that¡¯s not to say they weren¡¯t there.


    He jerked his head to the right as he heard a sudden sharp noise. He couldn¡¯t really identify it but if he had to guess it sounded like gunfire? He hoped that whoever was shooting was either a really bad shot or that it was Katherine, Nicolas, or Charles doing the shooting.


    After a few moments staring at the wall he decided that it was time for him to get out. He glanced back at Aceso as she slept. He felt bad having to leave her here, but he couldn¡¯t exactly carry her through the ship either. He took a deep breath and allowed himself a small smile as he shifted.


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    He flooded his body with adrenaline and gripped the heavy metal door with his enlarged werewolf claws. He yanked hard on the metal and wrenched the portal turn wheel till it broke off. He then grabbed the side of the door and yanked and pushed and yanked and pushed. He felt the metal slowly give way under his assault. It took a monumental effort from his body and the chemicals which he flooded his body with to feel no pain and augment his strength.


    Suddenly the door flew open and twisted the top hinge, popping it off, as the door hung at a crooked angle. William breathed deeply from the exertion. It had been a long time since he had tried anything like that, and he felt more drained than he should have. Knowing that he couldn¡¯t run around the ship as the seven foot tall monster that he was, he shifted back into his human form.


    He wasn¡¯t sure if what he had heard a few moments ago was gun fire or not, but he knew these sailors were armed and he really didn¡¯t want to be caught on the wrong end of a barrel of an AK-47 either. These men had proved themselves to be no better than pirates. If he had to kill, he wouldn¡¯t feel any remorse. However, if he had the choice he would rather not. These men deserved justice for what they were planning on doing. They had taken Ansuya and Amanda, and he was going to get the two women back. He only hoped that his other three pack mates were ok.


    *          *          *          *          *


    Charles exploded out of the engine room. He shoved the door open so hard it actually slammed back against the bulk head, resounding loudly throughout the narrow through way. He looked back and forth, there was no one there. He gripped his weapon calmly as he headed aft to the stairs and then up towards the bridge.


    He ran as fast as he could while trying to make his footsteps as silent as possible. He had no idea where any of the ship¡¯s crew was. But the brain of the ship was the bridge. He wished there was some way to close off the engine room. But if the crew destroyed the engines, then they¡¯d all be here adrift at sea. The bridge was the one place he had to be.


    He raced up the gang way and up to the deck level. He immediately ducked back down the stairwell he had just climbed. There were four armed crew men at the far side of the through way. Charles listened for any sign that he had been seen. There was no indication by sound that the men had seen him or even that they were going to move from their spot.


    He looked down at his weapon. He could take them out swiftly with a short burst. He eased his mind of any lingering guilt and slid up the stairwell. He crouched down so only the barrel of the weapon and his eyes were above the deck plates. He aimed as carefully as he could and he squeezed the trigger.


    The AK swung up as it kicked with the belching of rounds down the walk way. Charles released the trigger and re-aiming, squeezed again. The men at the far end ducked, screamed, fell over or fell silent. In a few short seconds it was over.

 Book 6 Chapter 14b

    Charles slid over the deck plates as he walked silently toward the down crewmen. There were at least two that were alive, moaning in agony. He resisted the urge to kick them. Instead, he slung his weapon and kicked all the weapons away from the struggling men. He slung three of the collected four and held one in his hands. He quickly checked that the magazine was full. Then he wrenched the portal hatch open and stepped into the room the four men had been guarding.


    Two crewmembers inhabited the bridge. One was wearing an American baseball cap and both threw their hands down to their sides to the holsters that held a sidearm for each of them.


    Charles raised his fully loaded rifle at them menacingly. The younger of the two men that was standing next to the captain¡¯s wheel smiled in a very ugly way and pulled his sidearm from his holster. A single shot from Charles¡¯ rifle rang out through the bridge and the younger of the two men fell backward, a hole through his neck, gushing blood on the floor. Charles swung his weapon toward, whom he assumed, was the captain.


    He shoved his weapon towards the man, indicating that he wanted the captain to step away from the various instruments that he was currently in front of. The captain understood and slowly raising his hands in surrender as he moved in the direction that Charles indicated.


    Charles realized that he didn¡¯t have any handcuffs, or zip ties, or anyway to actually subdue the captain with. He knew he couldn¡¯t just let the man run free. Thankfully though, as the captain was moving slowly away from Charles, he kicked a broom handle that was protruding from an open closet. The broom closet was very small but it was perfect for a make shift holding cell.


    ¡°Stop,¡± Charles commanded.


    The captain stopped moving and held his hands up meekly. Charles gripped the man by the scruff of his neck. Slinging his weapon, he swept the broom, mop, and buckets from the small closet. He then shoved the man inside. It was a tight fit and Charles had to slam the door to make sure it closed. Good, the less he can move the less trouble he¡¯ll be for me. Charles took the mop and shoved it across the closet door and wedged it behind some pipes fixing it solidly against the closet door.


    Once the captain was taken care of Charles looked out over the instruments and the wheel of the bridge. As he gazed at all the lights, strange gauges, needles, and dials and all the very neatly written Chinese characters under each gauge and dial, he realized that he had absolutely no idea what any of this stuff was, or how to use any of it.


    *          *          *          *          *


    William slid down a stairwell on his arms, trying to gather speed. His feet hit the deck and he just barely got around the bottom of the stairwell before shots rang out from behind him. There were two of them and they had some very interesting looking rifles. William hadn¡¯t got a good look at them and right now he didn¡¯t care. The guns made bullets go really fast; that¡¯s about all he cared to know about at the moment.


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    He dove down another stairwell and shot down a throughway. He could hear the heavy footsteps of his pursuers. He was gaining distance on them, but he knew that if he got caught in a long straight passageway, it didn¡¯t matter how much he had gained, he couldn¡¯t run faster than a bullet.


    He ducked into a side passage and slide around a corner. He listened as the two sets of footsteps ran down past the side passageway, down the main walkway. William breathed a silent sigh of relief, and then he heard the two men come back towards where he was hiding.


    His breath caught in his throat as he quickly looked around for an exit. He had been so preoccupied with just getting behind cover, he hadn¡¯t taken any notice of possible escape routes. There was a bulkhead behind him, the passageway he had just gone through and the passageway stretching out in front of him. But to reach that passageway, he would have to pass in front of the passage way that took him here in the first place. And by the sound of the voices of the two crewmen, that path was already occupied.


    William flooded his body with adrenaline again. He saw the muzzle of the rifle come into view from around the passageway. It slid more and more into view. He lunged forward and gripping the muzzle, yanked the weapon away from the crewman with his adrenaline augmented strength. In doing so the crewman jerked forward and William flung him up against the far bulkhead.


    Spinning the weapon around in his hands he jammed the butt end of the weapon into the face of the other crewman before the man could react. The man reeled backwards as his face exploded in blood. William was sure that he had broken the man¡¯s nose. He didn¡¯t give the sailor time to recover before he reached out and yanked the weapon out of the injured man¡¯s hands. Then he swept his legs out in a shallow arch, catching him solidly and knocking his feet out from underneath him. The man sprawled backwards and hit his head against the solid metal of the bulk head.


    William gripped both weapons in one hand and with his other hand he jerked the crewman with the broken nose up to his feet before shoving him on top of the crewman who William had thrown into the wall. He put down the weapons in the far blind corner that he had hidden in just a moment ago and jumped on the two men.


    Using his body weight to pin both men underneath him, he began his work. He ripped the shirt off of one of the crewmembers and quickly tore it into thick strips. Using the strips he yanked one of the crewmember¡¯s arms behind his back and tightly wrapped his hands together and twisting the fabric of the shirt, he tied it off. He then duplicated that with the other crewmember.


    Once they were both bound, he pushed them both on their stomach, and holding them in place with his knees on their back, gripped both of their legs and folded them behind and pressed close to his back. Then he wrapped their ankles together, and then attached their wrists and ankles together. He finished by gagging each of them. Standing up, he picked up the weapons he had discarded a few moments ago. He slung one weapon across his shoulders and held the other. He slid into the side passageway, leaving the two hog tied crewmembers behind.

 Book 6 Chapter 14c

    In his haste to escape the two armed men he had gotten a bit lost. He knew that he couldn¡¯t just leave these two out in the open. There was no telling how many crewmembers were still alive and walking around. He hoped once again that the sound he had heard earlier, if it was gunfire, he hoped his pack was ok.


    He found a room that looked like a bunk room, or at least what was once a bunk room. It was mostly empty with a few tables and a few benches around them. Maybe this was a rec room of sorts? William didn¡¯t know and he didn¡¯t particularly care. This place only had the one door so it was as good a place as any to stash his two assailants.


    Using another dose of natural adrenaline he hauled the two crew members, one by one and dumped them unceremoniously behind one of the tables as much out of sight as he could. He then closed the door to the room and shoved the portal latch locked. With those two taken care of he felt a little better and he was able to find out exactly where he was in the ship.


    He had to get to the bridge, if there was any place to start taking over this ship it would be there. He hoped that if any of his pack mates had survived, they would also try to make their way there.


    He felt a sudden wave of fatigue. The adrenaline surges that he had been flooding his body with were starting to catch up with him. But he couldn¡¯t rest now, he had to keep going and he had to be alert. He pushed more chemicals into his body. When this was over and his pack was safe then he could sleep, right now he needed to move and be alert.


    He passed quickly through the passageways and through ways. He strained his ears to hear any footsteps either in front of him or behind. He moved up a stairwell and slowly peeked over the deck plates. The coast was clear and he slid up and around the metal hatch smoothly trying to look in all directions at once.


    He finally came across a map. He wasn¡¯t too far away from the bridge, just two decks below. There was a stair well that would take him straight to it. Smiling, he moved silently up the nearby stairwell.


    He heard footsteps clanging on the deck plates close behind him. He ran up the remainder of the stairwell and moved back around behind the hatchway at the top of the stairwell. He retreated into the shadows behind the stairwell hatch as the footsteps grew louder. A few short moments later the footsteps thundered up the stairwell and William ducked down deeper into the shadows.


    He saw the top of one of the crewmember¡¯s head, followed by three more. They had no caution and ran full tilt down the passageway. William had a feeling they were heading to the same place he was. And by their attitude and speed, things were not going their way.


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    William stepped into the passage way with rifle raised, ¡°HOLD IT!¡±


    The four men stuttered to a stop and turned around. The last in line raised his weapon quickly but before he could shoot, William let a burst of gunfire issue from his own weapon. The accuracy of the rifle was horrible. He did manage to hit the crewman he was aiming at, but it only grazed him, most of the bullets bounced off the walls and deck plates.


    The man cursed in his native language and raised his rifle again. William gripped the rifle hard against his shoulder and let a longer burst ring out down the hall way. The weapon didn¡¯t allow for accuracy, so instead of finesse William choose to go with volume.


    When it was all over, the four crewmembers were dead. William wished it hadn¡¯t taken so many bullets, or that the crewmembers had just surrendered. But there was nothing to be done now. He stepped over the bodies collecting their weapons as he went. He then moved on to the bridge.


    He found two dead crewmembers in the passageway in front of the hatch to the bridge. He opened the hatch, not sure of what he would find. He shoved his weapon in front of him as the hatch opened and he moved inside, looking at once for cover and any possible enemies in the room. What he saw was a very shocked Charles with a rifle raised at him from the center of the bridge.


    Heaving a huge sigh of relief William slung his weapon and walked over to his friend as they hugged each other with a single arm.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure there was any one of us left that hadn¡¯t been drugged,¡± Charles began.


    ¡°Drugged? They gassed the room after you left.¡±


    ¡°Gas? Then how?¡± Charles looked a bit confused.


    William smiled answering, ¡°Hey, you have your tricks, I have mine, biofeedback remember?¡± he tapped his temple and heart. ¡°I just flooded my body with adrenaline and testosterone. It still took a bit of an effort on my part. They were not taking any chances.¡±


    ¡°What happened after?¡±


    ¡°Three or four guys came in and took Amanda and Ansuya. They left me and Aceso and locked the door.¡±


    Charles nodded, ¡°That is not unexpected.¡±


    ¡°Where is Catherine and Nic? They were with you, right?¡±


    Charles shook his head, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t recognize the drug they put in our food until it was too late, both of them succumbed and fell asleep. It was a close thing that I got away at all.¡±


    ¡°We have to find them,¡± William began.


    ¡°I think my guest may be able to help with that,¡± Charles answered with a smile. ¡°Thankfully for both of us I have a way with people.¡±


    William smirked, ¡°Are we showing off now?¡±


    ¡°William please, this is hardly the time for boasting or something so trivial as ¡®showing off¡¯,¡± Charles hooked his thumb back towards the small broom closet at the back end of the bridge. ¡°If you¡¯d like, you can bring my guest out of his waiting room.¡±


    William went to the indicated closet and with a small effort he was able to push the broom out of the way and opened the small closet. As soon as he unlatched the door an older man tumbled to the ground in a heap. William didn¡¯t know who this guy was, but it wasn¡¯t someone he recognized. He guessed he may be the captain. Without letting the man compose himself, William hauled him up by the scruff of his shirt collar and held him with an arm pinned behind his back as he slowly walked him to the center of the bridge.

 Book 6 Chapter 14d

    William could already feel the pheromones fill the room. Charles had come a long way since they had first met. He was much more comfortable with his abilities. He was nowhere near as subtle, or as controlled as Ansuya, but then she had a good forty- or fifty-year head start on his friend.


    Charles looked at the captain calmly. ¡°How many crew members do you have on board?¡±


    The captain simply looked at him, and then he glanced over at William. His features held a look of regret and shame.


    William shook his head, ¡°I guess he doesn¡¯t speak English.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s alright we can play charades,¡± Charles walked over and pointed to the dead crew member, whose blood had made a very large and sticky puddle on the floor, ¡°How many? Number!¡± Charles demanded coldly holding up his fingers in a counting motion.


    Realization crossed the captain¡¯s face and he held up his one free hand and flashed his fingers, saying the word ¡°¨¨rsh¨ªb¨¡, ¨¨rsh¨ªb¨¡.¡±


    Charles didn¡¯t understand what the guy was saying but he followed the flashing fingers, five, five, five, five, five, three. The captain repeated the same pattern again and again.


    ¡°Twenty eight crewmen on board,¡± Charles said.


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s six dead guys out in the hallway, and I wrapped up two more on the lower decks,¡± William offered.


    ¡°I dealt with a few more as well,¡± Charles didn¡¯t give exact numbers. William wasn¡¯t sure if his friend was being modest, or evasive about what he had to do while he was trying to escape the trap the ship¡¯s crew had set for them.


    ¡°So what? We¡¯re looking at another dozen or so assholes still running around the ship? Maybe we should go hunting?¡± William asked with a dark look.


    Charles shook his head, ¡°We could do that, but I think I have a better idea.¡± Charles looked back at the captain and pointed up and all around them, pantomiming talking loudly throughout the ship.


    The captain watched for a moment before realization dawned on his features. He nodded up and down and pointed to a hand mike on the wall. Charles nodded, walked over picking up the hand mike, ¡°Attention,¡± William heard his friend¡¯s voice in the hallway and knew that he was speaking to whole ship. ¡°We have your captain and have killed several of your crew,¡± Charles continued. ¡°If you want to see the end of this voyage, you¡¯ll surrender yourselves to the bridge unarmed.¡± Charles hung up the hand mike.


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    The captain started waving his hand and shouting. Charles and William looked at each other. The captain looked exasperated as he pointed his finger and pantomimed shooting Charles. Charles simply nodded and smiled.


    ¡°I think he¡¯s saying that people are going to come up here and try to shoot you, pal,¡± William smirked.


    Charles returned the smile and nodded, ¡°I¡¯m counting on it. Put him back in the closet. We have some work to do and not a whole lot of time to do it.¡±


    William shoved the captain back into the closet and replaced the broom handle that was holding the door closed. He moved back to Charles and quickly planned their defense and how best to survive the oncoming assault.


    *          *          *          *          *


    He heard footstep stomping on the deck plates signaling that some crewmembers were on their way to the bridge. Charles had taken a protective crouch behind one of the standing pieces of equipment on the bridge. His head was down but he had a clear line of sight to the door, all he had to do was lean out to his right a few inches, a place that was already taken by his weapon as he held it out in front of him.


    Charles was alone on the bridge. The captain was quietly shut in the closet and William was nowhere to be seen. Charles took a deep breath and waited. The footsteps were accompanied by shouts and yelling just before the hatch to the bridge opened, whining at a high pitch as it swung on its hinges. Charles let out a burst of gunfire from his weapon.


    He raised his head to assess what he had done. The bullets had scored a few solid hits on one crewmember as he slumped to the ground his weapon clutched against his chest.


    ¡°Drop your weapons!¡± Charles yelled from his place of cover. ¡°No one else has to die! Surrender now, or I¡¯ll be forced to kill more of you!¡±


    This had absolutely no effect on the crewmembers as two more crewmembers pushed their way onto the bridge spraying bullets all over the place. As the rounds impacted, sparks flew from the instruments and ricochet bullets bounced around the bridge. Charles moved his rifle into firing position again and fired at the crewman¡¯s legs. One fell with a scream of pain, but the other ducked back out of the hatch.


    The downed man¡¯s moans were pitiful to listen to. He rolled back and forth holding his ruined limb as blood oozed from the wound. Charles saw the rapid blood flow and knew he had hit an artery. If the man didn¡¯t get medical attention soon, he would bleed out. As much as he didn¡¯t want any more people to die than necessary, he didn¡¯t give two shits about this man or where he came from. These people were slavers, the absolute worst kind of human being. The fewer of these people that existed, the better. He stayed in his position, ignoring the dwindling cries of pain from the wounded man.


    A loud hail of gunfire issued from the passageway outside. Charles heard screams of pain above the sudden gout of noise. The hatch to the bridge swung open and three crewmen tried to force their way onto the bridge at the same time. Charles let a long burst from his weapon issue out and bullets found all three of his marks. The men collapsed in a heap in the hatchway. Another moment and all went silent on the bridge, and in the passageway. Charles waited a few moments, just peeking over the instrument panel he had hidden behind.


    The bodies that laid in the hatchway slid back out of sight around the bulkhead, one after the other. Charles watched as William stepped through the now clear hatchway. William had a grim look on his face but smiled when he saw his friend stand up.


    ¡°Such a waste,¡± William muttered looking at the pale dying man at his feet.

 Book 6 Chapter 14e

    ¡°It was their choice, Will,¡± Charles answered grimly. Death wasn¡¯t something they were unaccustomed to. On the contrary, they had killed many times since the two had first met all that time ago. But those were vampires, soulless demon spawn that were a blight on the world and an insult to all living things. These were just men, misguided and evil obviously, but still men, flesh, and blood.


    ¡°Yeah, I know, still a waste no matter how you look at it,¡± William replied almost bitterly. ¡°Ok, so do you think we can get away with the same thing again? I got two more magazines.¡±


    ¡°How many did we get this time around?¡±


    ¡°Seven.¡±


    Charles nodded, ¡°Ok so that means we have about a half dozen more to worry about. If they didn¡¯t come up with that group of seven, then they may be waiting to hear from them, or they may be staying put where they are, perhaps guarding something.¡±


    ¡°Or someone,¡± William caught on to his friend¡¯s line of thought. ¡°So, if we find these other guys, we have a pretty good chance of finding where these assholes are keeping Ansuya and the others.¡±


    Charles nodded, ¡°I think it¡¯s time we have our guest take us on a tour of the ship, don¡¯t you?¡±


    William nodded and smiled. He walked to the broom closet and pulled the captain from the tight space. William held him in the same way as before, twisting his arm, wrenching it higher on his back and gripping his other wrist down by his waist. He walked the captain back toward Charles.


    Charles drew a picture on a pad of paper with a grease pencil. He drew a crude box with people inside behind what he assumed were prison bars. The drawing wasn¡¯t good; in fact, it looked like a child had drawn it with crayons. But when Charles showed it to the captain the captain shook his head violently, appearing suddenly afraid.


    William wrenched the man¡¯s arm further up his back, ¡°Look, man I have no problem breaking this is four places.¡± William twisted the man¡¯s other wrist. ¡°Show us where they are.¡±


    The captain was being inundated with pheromones from Charles. That, mixed with the very real pain that William was inflicting on him, the captain never really had a choice or any real chance of resisting their request for long. The captain eventually nodded weakly and shoved his head towards the hatch.


    ¡°You heard the man,¡± Charles said. ¡°After you.¡±


    ¡°Why, thank you kindly, sir,¡± William said as he pushed the captain out through the bridge hatch.


    The captain¡¯s face held a look of stunned shock as he stepped out amidst the dead bodies that littered the throughway. He must have never seen anything like this before because William had to almost carry his suddenly limp form. The captain¡¯s eyes lingered on each body before sliding to the next one in line. William wasn¡¯t devoid of what the captain might be feeling. He couldn¡¯t help but remember how he had felt when Achelois had to be put down. But these men had been given a chance, Achelois had had none. That old remembered pain of loss hardened his resolve and he pushed the captain faster through the passageway.


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    Charles took the lead and put the barrel of his weapon into the man¡¯s side as the captain led them deeper into the bowls of the ship. The group pushed into the cargo container section and the captain led them through the labyrinth of the various containers. When they reached the far side, the captain tried to gesture around the corner. Charles took note of the very real fear in his eyes.


    Charles put his fingers to his lips as he eased his eyes out from around a container. Charles quickly ducked back around the container. He silently motioned his friend to back up farther back towards the center of the cargo container area.


    William did as his friend suggested. After a while of slowly back tracking Charles finally stopped. William asked in a whisper, ¡°What did you see, man? What was over there?¡±


    ¡°A few things, but what concerned me were the armed competent looking military types with much better weapons then these AKs. They¡¯re wearing body armor and they are protecting a large enclosure lined with cages, protected with what I can only assume is bullet proof glass.¡±


    ¡°Are the girls there?¡± William asked. Charles nodded.


    Suddenly a wide yawn cracked William¡¯s face. He visibly slumped against the captain before recovering himself.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Charles face was etched with concern.


    William stifled another yawn. ¡°Yeah, yeah, I mean, I¡¯m a little tired.¡± William blinked his eyes hard and a large yawn cracked his face open again.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re more than just a little tired,¡± Charles said.


    William shook his head, trying to clear it. ¡°I¡¯ve flooded my body with adrenaline a few times today and I¡¯ve been giving my body a steady stream of the stuff just to get me through this. I guess it¡¯s finally catching up with me.¡± William tried in vain to stifle another yawn.


    ¡°This is not a good time for this,¡± Charles commented.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s no big deal, man. I¡¯ll just give myself a little boost.¡± Before Charles could protest, William¡¯s features returned to normal and his eyes focused sharply. ¡°See? Good as a full night sleep,¡± he said with a wry grin.


    Charles shook his head, ¡°I hope you don¡¯t collapse any time soon. We do have limits, my friend.¡±


    William just smiled and dropped a heavy right hand on the back of the captain¡¯s neck. The captain¡¯s eyes fluttered and closed as he collapsed back against the enforcer¡¯s body. William slid the captain back among the containers and, ripping the captain¡¯s shirt into shreds, he tied and gagged him in a similar fashion he had done to the other crewmembers he had left in the rec room.


    When he was finished, he rejoined Charles as he looked out at the armed men and the enclosure they were guarding. There were six of them. Luckily there was a catwalk that ringed the container area about fifteen meters off the level they were at right now. Unfortunately, the guards had that way covered with two men, with large caliber machine guns. Charles explained the situation.


    William nodded, ¡°Ok, why don¡¯t I go topside and take out the two guards on the cat walk?¡±


    ¡°Great, how are you going to get up there? And once there, how will you subdue two armed men with a clear shot at you, with high caliber machine guns? Unless, you can also turn invisible, that would be suicide,¡± Charles retorted.

 Book 6 Chapter 14f

    ¡°Well, Mr. Sarcastic I was hoping that my friend from South Africa could maybe come up with a diversion,¡± William chided with a smile.


    ¡°What is it about you that makes me want to punch you in the face sometimes, my friend,¡± Charles said with a smile. ¡°Come on, we have to think. We¡¯re not invincible and a diversion would only have all six of those guys with guns looking for us.¡±


    William smiled, ¡°Maybe that¡¯s exactly what we need.¡±


    *          *          *          *          *


    William pushed his head out from around the containers. He had placed his weapon back behind him so the guards wouldn¡¯t know he was armed. He leaned out a bit comically and waved, ¡°Oh, hi there!¡± William called to the guards who looked up at him with alarm and aimed their weapons at him. He ducked back around the container quickly. Grabbing his weapon his quickly slid back among the containers, and hoped that this wasn¡¯t a huge mistake.


    He put his ear to the ground and heard two sets of feet stomping on the deck plates as two armed men were probably running after him. Only two? Well, that¡¯s a bit of an insult. Still, if this was going to work, he¡¯d like to try it on two rather than all six. William slid silently back among the containers, holding up two fingers as he went playing his very dangerous game of cat and mouse.


    Without warning his knees went weak and his legs turned to jelly underneath him. Oh, god, please not now! William leaned heavily against a container as he stumbled backwards just trying to stay upright. He tried pushing more adrenaline into his blood stream to wake himself up again. He didn¡¯t regain his strength however, if anything it only caused him to get weaker. He slid slowly to his knees as he tried to force himself back among the containers.


    He struggled for a few moments before the back of his head found a container to rest on. As soon as he stopped moving, his eyelids slid closed. He remained aware of what was going on for a few seconds but he was exhausted past his endurance and he finally did succumb to the soft, gentle allure of blissful sleep.


    ¡°What the hell is going on around here?¡± the team leader muttered in his native tongue under his breath as he led his subordinate into the container maze. ¡°Bad enough these idiots picked up these shipwrecked refugees in the first place. Now they¡¯re running around down here.¡± He had advised the captain to not pick up any more ¡®cargo¡¯ but the greedy bastard didn¡¯t listen. Now the entire haul was in jeopardy. He guessed that by having at least one joker down here, it meant that the majority of the crew had failed to stop them or capture them.


    His subordinate didn¡¯t bother to respond to the question which was good. If the kid had said anything it might have earned him a rifle butt to the face. They moved through the maze cautiously. They were in a standard military cover two formation. They rounded a corner and saw the captain, roughly tied with what looked like strips of cloth, and from the way the captain was topless it wasn¡¯t hard to guess that whoever did this had used the man¡¯s own shirt.


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    He motioned for his subordinate to keep watch as he knelt down and inspected the unconscious captain. He slid his knife out of his holster along his leg when he heard a crunch and a thud behind him. Without a second¡¯s hesitation, he dove forward into a shoulder roll and popped up on his knee with weapon pointed out and behind where he had been a second ago.


    His subordinate was lying face up on the ground. His face had been shredded and his throat was slashed, but the cuts weren¡¯t clean. In fact, if he didn¡¯t know any better, he would have said they were animal marks. But he knew there weren¡¯t any animals onboard.


    He slowly stood up. His eyes tried to look everywhere at once. He jutted his weapon out into a side walkway made by the various containers, then slid himself out. He walked sideways, looking both in front of and behind him. Reaching up to key his radio mike he said, ¡°Chang is down. Fire team two; remain in covering position, fire team three; rally on my loca¡­¡±


    He was knocked back from behind, when he turned around hot blades ripped through his face and throat. He felt his warm blood begin to pour down his chest onto his plate carrier as he slumped to the floor. The last thing he saw was something that broke his hold of reality. So, this is what death is, nightmares coming to life. His lips cracked in an insane smile before the life faded from his eyes and his heart stopped.


    Charles cleaned his claws as best he could on the soldiers¡¯ clothes. He slid deeper into the maze of containers. He wasn¡¯t sure what the commander had said into the radio but he could hear at least two sets of foot prints running along the deck plates. They sure aren¡¯t trying to be quiet. He smiled; it just made them easier to hunt. He checked to make sure the captain was still tied up tightly then he turned to move back to William.


    William was passed out leaning up against a container. He shook his werewolf head, gently rustling his black fur. He had warned William about over exerting himself. Then again did he really have a choice? Charles picked up his friend and moved him farther back among the containers. The last thing he wanted was a one in a million chance that a ricochet bullet would hit him by accident.


    He heard yelling as he could only suppose that the two other armed military types had found their dead comrades. Good, now he knew exactly where they were. He looked up and quickly dismissed the idea. If he jumped up on the containers he would be immediately spotted and gunned down by the machine gunners from their position on the catwalk overhead. He decided that a bit of theatrics were necessary.


    He sprinted forward and jumped off of the containers as he went making as much noise as he could. He snarled and growled to mix with his claws scraping and scratching the containers as he ran and jumped from container to container as he went. The cries of the two soldiers silenced and he could hear their soft worried voices. One thing that held true for most Asians and their culture was that they were a superstitious people and the Chinese especially. He wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they thought they were being attacked by an ancient demon of some kind.

 Book 6 Chapter 14g

    Charles bounced around and jumped from container to container wrapping around the soldiers position. Then he silently dropped to the floor. Everything stopped. He was close to the soldiers; he could smell their fear and apprehension. He silently moved along the deck plates on his padded claws, being careful to not click his claws on the metal. He moved with fluid silent grace.


    He sprinted at the two soldiers and with a shoulder charge, threw one into a nearby container with a loud crash. If the man hadn¡¯t been wearing protective gear the impact might had killed him, or at the very least knocked him out. As it was the man was stunned, just trying to remember how to breathe.


    Charles slashed his claws at the other soldier, catching the shocked and terrified soldier by surprise and easily opening up his throat as he had to the other two. This one either didn¡¯t know he was dying or had a real pair on him, because he still managed to raise his rifle at Charles.


    Charles ripped the gun away from him only to find that the soldier had the weapon in a sling to his body. Charles sliced the sling apart with his claws and ripped the weapon away from the man as he slid to floor and died.


    Charles quickly turned and grabbing the stunned soldier¡¯s helmet he yanked and twisted it around, snapping the soldier¡¯s neck. He left the weapons where they were and moved back among the containers. He listened intently for any movement at all, any sounds that might give away where the other two soldiers were.


    They had to know that coming into the container maze took away their weapon systems biggest advantage. But then, they had to know they couldn¡¯t just stay up there like scarecrows either. If the entirety of the crew and their comrades were all killed, would they just stay up on their crow¡¯s perch and let themselves be taken in to a port and arrested with port authorities or some other form of law enforcement? They might control this small section of the ship, but they were trapped on the larger boat, and they couldn¡¯t do a thing about that from where they were now.


    The two men must have come to the same conclusion because he did hear footsteps pounding on the deck plates. Were they stupid enough to try to come into the maze and end up like the others? Charles wasn¡¯t sure what they had in mind, but now that they weren¡¯t in an over watch position on the catwalk he was free to take to the tops of the containers. He silently jumped from container to containers until he was on top of the neat stacks.


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    He moved toward the sounds of the footsteps. He looked down and saw the two machine gunners run up to the containers then stop. They were speaking in low muttered voices, probably wondering if they should go into the maze. Charles couldn¡¯t help but smile. They looked so hesitant.


    Charles thrust himself out over the containers and down. He opened his arms and claws and twirled in midair, solidly connected with both soldiers before his foot pads hit the deck plates. He grabbed both soldier¡¯s helmets and crushed them together. The helmets didn¡¯t quite shatter, but splintered upon impact and blood exploded from the impacted skulls. The two machine gunners didn¡¯t even have a chance to cry out before they died.


    Charles took a deep breath and leaned up against a container for a moment. William was going to need a long rest before he was going to wake up. There was a lot of work to do and right now he was the only one around that could do it. He shifted back into his human form. He walked to the end of the container hold and opened the small holding area with the cages.


    He looked in disgusted horror at the various cages in the holding area. There were over a dozen girls huddled in cages that were made for nothing more than large dogs. He could tell they had been there for a while. He saw the signs of stress and weakness from malnutrition etched across every girl¡¯s face.


    He started opening the cages, helping the girls to get out. Most of them were unable to even stand, so he helped them get as comfortable as possible as they stretched out painfully on the cold deck plates of the ship.


    Ansuya and Amanda shared a cage, both of which were still deeply asleep. Charles knew all too well the struggle that both of them were in right now. The Shadows of the Whyte Plain had corrupted them. It was going to be tough for them to come back from that. He would have to put them down if they ended up like Achelois. He didn¡¯t look forward to that possibility. But he would do it, having gone through that himself, death was a mercy in that case.


    Catherine was with another girl, also passed out from the drug they put in her food. He felt a twinge of guilt that he hadn¡¯t recognized the scent of the drug fast enough. Because he hadn¡¯t, his friend¡¯s lives had been put in danger. Something that he vowed wouldn¡¯t happen again. He took Catherine¡¯s body and gently laid her on the deck plates next to the softly moaning girls as the pain of feeling slowly worked their way back into their bodies.


    He knew the girls wouldn¡¯t understand him, so instead he simply sat down and watched over the now freed human slaves. As far as he knew he was the only person still conscious or capable of moving or defending himself left on the ship. The ship had been fine when he left the bridge, and the weather had been clear. Of course, weather on the vast Pacific could change instantly. But for now, he felt like he was needed here. He would guide the girls to the galley when they could move. He would have to leave his pack mates and the elder here for now. But he was sure that all the crewmen had been taken care of and there was no real danger left on the ship.