《Ravenport: Luna's Awakening》


 Prologue: The Last Night

    Cold rain drowns the forests outside of Ravenport, a full moon barely able to make its presence known amongst a sea of unforgiving clouds. The hour had grown late enough to where even the nocturnal animals around grew tired of the night. A well built but quiet two-story log cabin sits in the middle of this forest, with a small road leading back out to the highway sitting nearby. A well worn, navy blue pick up truck sits in the driveway, complete with a set of well-used tools sitting on the hood. The clearing in which the house rested is enough to constitute a yard, but the precise goal of this home was to be far out from the hustle of city-life.


    Just in front of the door, a distortion of space gathers itself, bowing out the rain from it and sparking with energy. With a gentle ¡®thop¡¯ the distortion grows out into the outline of a cloaked woman, who slowly fills in as her position becomes more defined in reality. The distortion ends soon after, rain quickly soaking into the cloak. With a stiff movement, she reaches up and pulls her hood down. The woman¡¯s skin is pale, though a few veins of glowing creep at the edge of it. A small trickle of blood flows down the side of her face, underneath her cracked, rounded glasses. Her dark brown hair is shoulder length and looking windswept, the woman taking the time to push her pink and green bangs back down to frame her face as intended.


    She stares up at the rain for a moment longer, taking a deep breath and refocusing herself. A dull thudding of pain shoots through her hand as she pulls up her sleeve to take a look at it. The same cracked, glowing blue veins eat at it, accompanied with darkened, burned skin. She winces at the visual and hides her hand, unsure of how much longer it¡¯d be operational. With a deep sigh, she reaches for the doorknob and opens the door, stepping into her home.


    The place is dark, though the full moon outside provided enough light to see, throwing cold shadows across the entire interior. The omnipresent tick-tocking of a grandfather clock greets her as she stands in her foyer, the woman starting to walk inside. The interior of the home is cozy, with the main hallway leading to several rooms on the ground floor, and a full wooden stairwell presumably leading to more rooms. Several paintings and pictures cover the walls in memories, most portraying gatherings of not just humans, but several creatures that were best described as werewolves.


    The woman makes her way up the stairs slowly, each step feeling heavy, like her feet were hardening on the spot. At the top of the landing sits both a table with yet, even more, pictures, though most of them contained a large black werewolf. He looked to be both broad and tall, with jet black fur and a muscular physique. He seemed to be happy in most of the photos, either on his own or grouped with others. The woman stops at the landing table and looks out over the photos and picks up the most prominent one, her hand trembling. The picture showed both herself and the black werewolf, smiling together and looking towards the camera. Bitter tears flow from her eyes.


    A feminine voice suddenly makes itself known in her head that did not belong to her.


    <¡±Rose? Come in, Rose? Are you there?¡±>


    Blinking back her tears for a moment, Rose concentrates long enough to respond to the telepathy. Her voice wavers.


    <¡±...Y...yes. I am...I am present.¡±>


    <¡±Ah, there you are! I¡¯ve been trying to contact you on the linkstone for hours! Status?¡±>


    Rose places the photo down and looks at the golden ring on her left hand. She grips the wedding band and spins it slightly on her ring finger, sniffling.


    <¡±He¡¯s...he¡¯s gone. The operation was a success but...he...they¡¯re both...¡±>


    The feminine voice hesitates for a moment before speaking robotically.


    <¡±...Understood. Please take care of yourself and call back when you are able.¡±>


    Rose reaches into the pocket of her robes underneath the cloak and slowly draws out a pair of bent rectangular glasses and sets them down on the photo table, next to a picture of both the black werewolf, herself and a third man. He had brown skin, a lean build, long straight black hair and a pair of rectangular glasses that framed his face. His stature looked to be one of a professor, with a dress shirt and khaki pants. Rose grabs the photo to look at it more closely, but her hand crackled with pain, forcing her to recoil and drop the photo, bashing into other ones on the way down. The commotion stirs the cry of an infant, deeper within the home.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Rose makes her way to the nursery, opening the door quickly. With the lights on, the room is coral colored, with multiple pictures of cartoon animals and letters dancing along the wallpaper. On a darkened on a night like this, large shadows dominate the room, hiding most of the animals and rendering the letters unreadable. A crib rests against a wall with a mobile slowly spinning above it, filled entirely with planets and stars. An infant, with short black hair and light brown skin and around a year in age, cringes herself awake, the beginning of a cry welling in her throat. Rose rushes over and coos in the softest voice she could manage.


    ¡°Shh-shh-shh. Don¡¯t worry. Mommy¡¯s here. She¡¯s here for you.¡±


    The baby calms down as she reaches for her mother, Rose leaning over with a teary smile, reaching down and letting the child grip her fingers. A numbness starts to fill her fingertips. Worried, Rose looks down at her hands again. The blue veins had grown, seemingly cracking her fingers, open while her skin between them had turned black. It wouldn¡¯t be much longer now until more of her hand started to go numb.


    Rose toys with the small hand gripping her finger, eventually reaching down and scooping up the infant in her arms. This would probably be the last time she could hold her.


    ¡°See there? Having a good ol¡¯ time tonight, aren¡¯t we Luna?¡±


    The baby giggles and claps her hands together. Rose leans in and nuzzles her child¡¯s belly gently. As she does, the hair on her arms stands on end as a magical disturbance grows in power behind her. Someone is teleporting into her home, past the wards.


    Five distortions in the air appear behind, bending the air around it, each one a few feet apart. Rose puts Luna back in her crib and turns to face the newly arriving visitors. With five nearly simultaneous ¡®thop¡¯ sounds, five figures in robes appear before her, each one wearing a golden metallic mask of an owl and ornate pauldrons. On the chest of each figure sits a golden pin that reads ¡®Justicars of the Grand Order of Wizardry.'' Each one of them has a weapon drawn, a longsword with a sizeable purple gemstone welded to the hilt. All five of them point their blades directly towards Rose, and the middle one speaks with a booming voice. Rose looks unimpressed, her face remaining flat and static.


    ¡°Halt! You have been found guilty of breaking the Statute of Sorcery by opening a portal to the Celestial Realm rogue mage! By the Grand Order of Wizards, how do you-¡±


    Rose crosses her arms as she interrupts him. ¡°Guilty. And lower your damn voice.¡±


    Several of the Justicars look around themselves and upon noticing the type of room they were in, lower their swords, but still grip them with the intention of using them. Rose¡¯s face hardens.


    The middle one speaks again, in a less powerful but still authoritative tone. ¡°You did this, knowing the consequences?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Rose responds flatly. ¡°I did. Because it had to be done.¡±


    The middle Justicar takes a step towards Rose. ¡°Then you will come with us. And you will make arrangements with others for your child.¡±


    A spark of pink lightning arcs between Rose¡¯s fingertips, the bolt dancing up her cloak before disappearing. The dark blue glowing veins intensify slightly. The Justicar halts himself.


    ¡°Do not. Touch me.¡±


    The vocal Justicar begins to raise his sword. ¡°Then do you resist?¡±


    Rose shakes her head. ¡°No. I will go with you. But I need to make the arrangements now. Not later. There is nobody else to take care of my child.¡±


    ¡°Surely one amongst our community will be happy to take care of-¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Rose says curtly. ¡°I know what we¡¯re like. I know what the others are like. I don¡¯t want my child to grow up in that environment. She...she will be going with the Daywalkers. She will have a better life there..¡±


    The Justicars look between themselves for a moment before the center one speaks again. ¡°That isn¡¯t how we do things. You will make your arrangements after your imprisonment.¡±


    Rose explodes. ¡°You will MAKE AN EXCEPTION! I have given up everything tonight! Everything! My husband, my best friend and my freedom! Do you not think I know what I did? Do you not think I know what this will do to me? Do not make me fight you, or else you will truly face someone with nothing left to lose!¡±


    Luna starts to cry as the tone gets violent.


    Ignoring her child, for now, Rose clenches her fists as tight as she can. The numbness made it hard to notice a trickle of blood draining down both of her hands. The vocal justicar looks down at her hand...and then towards Rose¡¯s face and physically falters for a quiet moment, stunned. He slowly reaches up and takes off his golden helmet, revealing a caucasian man in his late fifties with short brown hair.


    ¡°Why did you do this to yourself? The manaburn is so severe; it¡¯s a wonder you are even still alive.¡±


    Rose sighs and shakes her head slowly. ¡°The leader of the vampires has been banished by my hand. And this is the price I had to pay to get it done.¡±


    The group of the justicars look between each other in disbelief while the unhelmeted one remains sympathetic. ¡°A member of the Duskguard I presume?¡±


    Rose nods.


    ¡°Even with that, you know the rules of magic. I will allow you to make your arrangements for your family and your profession but after that, you will come with us. Agreed?¡±


    Rose pulls off her glasses with increasingly clumsy motions, wiping her eyes with her manaburned fingers. She nods slowly, worry sinking itself deep into her face. She nods. A mixture of tears and blood flow through her fingertips.


    ¡°Very well.¡± He says, walking over towards her and placing a hand on her shoulder. Rose turns up to look at him over her messy hand, still trying to stifle her growing sobs.


    ¡°Do you feel strong enough to carry your child through a teleportation spell?¡±

 Chapter 1: A New Life

    Seventeen years later...


    A snowy night greeted the coastal city of Ravenport on Christmas Eve, enough of it falling to guarantee that anyone with a shovel would be busy tomorrow morning. The moon is bright enough to nearly light the sky on its own, but the thousands of street lamps provide a hazy, warm glow to contrast against the biting wind. The city itself is home to several significant technology corporations, each of whom generously donated the fruits of their labor to Ravenport¡¯s infrastructure. The downtown area of Ravenport, in particular, was known nationwide for its many years of profitability and growth, exemplified by the Astro Spark, a large, multi-story, futuristic monument. The Griffintail shopping district to the north is but one of many areas benefiting from the stability of the city, though the current late hour was providing ample reason for many of its patrons to leave and it¡¯s high-end stores to start closing up shop.


    One particular eyesore inside of the shopping district is Bub¡¯s Burgers, a restaurant that had fallen so far behind the times that it was threatening to come back into them by sheer stubbornness. The tall, antique sign outside has a revolving picture of a cartoon badger¡¯s head gnawing on an oversized burger. The inside of the establishment is clean and inviting, which most who ate there could agree that those two attributes were the only ones it had in its favor.


    Behind the well-lit counter stands a slightly larger than average girl in her late teens with a light brown complexion, long curly black hair and brown eyes. A bright yellow and orange striped shirt denotes her as an employee of Bub¡¯s burgers, as well as the regulation black slacks and a cartoon badger¡¯s head for a hat. Her hands work the register, starting the process to close up for the night when a sudden ring pulls her attention away from her work. A large man saunters in slowly, giving the telltale signs that he was distinctly new to the restaurant and likely the area. He was wearing a thick looking jacket with the stylized insignia of the Ravenport Rippers, the local Rocketball team, as well as a pair of jeans and worn work boots. He stops to look up at the illuminated menu above the girl¡¯s head and takes his time, seemingly ignoring the employee¡¯s presence. The girl glances up towards the clock: 9:57 p.m. Three minutes before closing time. She speaks up to gain the man¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Hello! My name is Luna and welcome to Bub¡¯s Burgers, home of the Badger Burger. How can I take-¡±


    The man grunts sharply at her, holding up a hand to cut her off. ¡°Give me a break. I¡¯ll order when I¡¯m ready.¡±


    Luna¡¯s eyes sharpen for a moment as the customer cuts her off, but she flashes him a friendly smile and patiently waits for the man to speak. After a minor eternity, he brings his eyes back down towards Luna, shaking his head.


    ¡°Wow. No low-calorie stuff at all? Man, I guess...whatever, let me take a large double badger burger combo, with a cheeseburger on the side and...a large chili bowl. And make the drink a Coke. No ice.¡±


    Luna looks down towards the register that was literally one button away from closing and sighs internally, canceling the shutdown sequence and bringing it back up for sales. She keys in the order and looks back up towards him, keeping the same friendly tone.


    ¡°That¡¯ll be $14.79. For here or to go? Keep in mind we close in like two minutes so -¡±


    ¡°Fourteen dollars for that? Just that? Man, you are lucky I¡¯m hungry or else I¡¯d be out of here. Yeah, I¡¯ll take it to go.¡±


    Breathing a small sigh for miniscule miracles, she takes the man¡¯s card and charges it appropriately and sends the order into the back to be processed. The sound of the back door to the parking lot opening forces Luna to turn around just in time to see a coworker step outside. Luna holds up a finger towards the customer, suggesting he should wait while she quickly walks to the same door, holding it open. The parking lot itself was nearly empty, save for an old beat up Volkswagen that belonged to the owner and a small girl with a hoodie, hastily walking along.


    ¡°Tina! Tina where are you going, we¡¯re not done closing down here yet!¡±


    Tina responds by pulling the hood up over her head and tightening it, extending an arm with a middle finger back towards Luna.


    ¡°...Oh yeah, that¡¯s totally called for. Whatever, fine.¡±


    Luna frowns, sighs, and steps back inside, shutting the door back and quickly washing her hands. She slips on a pair of plastic food service gloves and starts to fill the order. The entire kitchen of the restaurant was empty save for her, and even more infuriatingly, Tina had left without doing her obligatory closing duties. Luckily, several items were already heated and prepared, so Luna took the time to properly packages the burgers with practiced ease. She then turns to fill the drink order, heading over to the soda fountain and grabbing an appropriate sized cup. As she presses the tab down, a literal gush of cola sprays outward, splashing hard into the styrofoam container, exploding upward and coating the entire front of her shirt. Luna immediately eases off the tab. The manager was supposed to fix this over a month ago but apparently neglected it.


    Taking a moment to breathe and to wipe off the barest hints of cola that reached her glasses on her collar, Luna returns to the front with the items as ordered, dropping them into a paper bag and pushing it towards him. The customer, who had watched the entire exchange smirks humorously.


    ¡°Nice shirt.¡±


    Luna took it in stride. ¡°There¡¯s your order. Sorry, it took so long, but we are a little short-staffed tonight. Happy Holidays!¡±


    The man grabs his bag and turns to leave, but stops just short and looks back at Luna.


    ¡°What...did you say?¡±


    ¡°Happy...Holidays?¡±


    ¡°No-no-no, that¡¯s right. Say the holiday.¡±


    ¡°Sir¡­¡± Luna struggles to maintain her composure but manages to keep her tone in line. ¡°...It¡¯s company policy. That¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°No, I want you to say Merry Christmas because that¡¯s what it is.¡±


    ¡°Sir, I can¡¯t do that. It¡¯s against company policy.¡±


    ¡°FIne.¡± The man says, glaring at Luna. ¡°Then I won¡¯t be coming back here again. Have a nice night, you dirty little heathen.¡±


    He then turns from her, snatching his food off of the counter and storms out, slamming the door behind him hard enough to rattle it. Luna drops her hands to the counter and lets loose a massive sigh of frustration, looking down to inspect her sodden shirt.


    ¡°A wonderful end to an amazingly wonderful day.¡±


    A voice booms from the nearby manager¡¯s office.


    ¡°LUNA! GET OVER HERE. NOW!¡±


    Luna¡¯s shoulders slump. ¡°Of course. Why stop now when the fun¡¯s just starting?¡±


    The manager¡¯s office was a windowless room with a single, messy desk taking up the majority of it. Behind the desk was a wall of small televisions with a live feed of the restaurant¡¯s surroundings. In front of the desk is a singular chair, uncomfortable in make and cheap by design. Luna¡¯s head pops in the front door, looking inward towards the male behind the desk. A golden nameplate with a badger¡¯s head on it reads ¡®Victor Logan.''


    ¡°Mr. Logan?¡±


    The manager¡¯s pale complexion is offset by his rather intensely black hair which, while cut short, wildly flares off to the sides. He wears a white dress shirt with a golden manager pin in it and black slacks. Both were unironed and wrinkly. The man is easily in his sixties and gaining a bit of weight, but he gave an impression of stubbornness that would give a mule a run for its money. He speaks coolly and slides a piece of paper off to the side.


    ¡°Come in and sit. What was that about?¡±


    Luna steps into the doorway, revealing her shirt and sitting down in the chair. Logan¡¯s brow raises in curiosity.


    ¡°Our last customer decided that he¡¯d throw a temper tantrum because I wouldn¡¯t tell him Merry Christmas.¡±


    ¡°...Well, why didn¡¯t you? It is Christmas Eve.¡±


    ¡°Because company policy is NOT to do that?¡±


    Logan shrugs towards her, shaking his head. ¡°Is it? Huh. Those guys who wrote that handbook are way, way, way too uh¡­.what was it...politically correct? Yeah. Back in the day...ugh. Nevermind. Kids.¡±


    Luna rolls her eyes.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± Logan continues. ¡°I needed to speak to you today.¡±


    Luna perks up and leans forward, the manager having her complete attention.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been working here for two years now. Just a little over. You know, you are one of my most reliable employees. You come in; you do your work. You treat the customer well, and you¡¯ve moved up from being in the back to being in the front. I respect that. And you know that every six months I put in a raise if you¡¯ve done well. You know that right?¡±


    Luna nods energetically. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m gonna level with you. Times ain¡¯t doing too good. Market...it¡¯s changing. Old school places like this aren¡¯t doing so hot, and people aren¡¯t coming in like they used to.¡±The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Luna turns her head slightly towards him, shrugging her shoulders. ¡°Uh...so what...Are you just going to not give me a raise or¡­?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to have to let you go.¡±


    Luna¡¯s eyes widen in shock as her hands clutch her legs for support. She leans back in her chair.


    ¡°W-w-wait. What? Why!?¡±


    Logan shrugs towards her. ¡°You already get paid more than everyone else besides shift managers, and I can¡¯t cut them. I just hired the new girl Tina-¡±


    ¡°You mean the one that flipped me off after taking off before we closed? The one that left the entire back dirty with food still going? THAT Tina?¡±


    ¡°-...who will be absorbing your hours. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be a good worker once we get her trained up.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know why the only reason why you hired her is because she¡¯s your daughter¡¯s friend. If pulled half of the stuff she did-¡±


    ¡°You let me worry about her kid. It¡¯s not your problem. Not anymore. Here.¡±


    Logan reaches inside of his desk, pulls out an envelope and slides it over to Luna.


    ¡°Your pay for the week. Now, believe me, this was not something I wanted to do, but I bet on black, and the chips didn¡¯t roll over in my favor.¡±


    Luna visibly radiates anger as she stands, snatching the envelope off of his desk. She starts to speak and stops herself several times in quick succession before taking a deep breath and exhaling, temporarily dropping the stress.


    ¡°...Fine. Is there anything else I can do for you...Sir?¡±


    Logan shakes his head matter-of-factly, folding his fingers together pleasantly.


    Luna starts to turn to leave, but Logan speaks up sharply.


    ¡°Oh, there is one more thing kid. Clean yourself up and close up the back up for me, would you?¡±


    Luna marches straight out of the room, the anger that she had temporarily quelled boiling to the surface. As she turned to walk towards her lockers, she stopped to regard the bag of food the customer had left behind. The food was already paid for, and the customer hadn¡¯t even opened it. All Logan would do is toss it, so why not take it? Luna grabs the bag and heads to her locker, cleaning out the meager supplies she had in it and taking off out of the door, leaving in much the same manner Tina had.


    The walk home from Bub¡¯s Burgers is a cold one, not helped by the now terribly sticky shirt pressing against both her skin and her jacket. She mumbles to herself angrily as she trudges through the ankle-deep snow, venting her frustration by kicking large clods of the white stuff into powder. The occasional flying car passes high overhead, and the infrequent babbling of an advertising android would spew at her, but other than that, very little traffic was present on the streets or in the air, the whole city settling down to celebrate the holiday. A stiff wind cuts through her jacket like a blade, but it wasn¡¯t anything she wasn¡¯t used to.


    Within a few blocks east of the shopping district, the city started to get a little hilly. It wasn¡¯t anything Luna couldn¡¯t manage, but it did provide a magnificent view of the western ocean if one could get a clear spot without trees or tall buildings getting in the way. After a small series of inclines and plenty of quiet snow marching, she walks past the neighborhood sign of ¡®Pheasant Downs,'' turning into it and continue to pace.


    The houses of this community were spaced apart rather wide, each expansive lawn having enough room for a swimming pool, a patio and whatever other modern amenities required to keep up with the neighborhood status quo. The current holiday season is infectious, as Christmas lights were strewn about everywhere: on trees, on houses, and even on mailboxes. The neighborhood was one of the easternmost in the city, with a forest pressing in on the back of its expansive yards.


    One such two-story house, located in the farthest eastern reaches of the suburb, has the minimal amount of Christmas decorations required to keep up with the neighborhood social standard; a single string of multicolored lights around a scraggly pine tree and a store-bought wreath pinned to the front door. It¡¯s position in the back of Pheasant Downs meant that it was the one most consumed by the nearby forest it was carved from, with its yard quite literally leading into the great outdoors. The mailbox has three slots and rests on the road that leads back to the main thoroughfare, with the words ¡°The Oswalds¡± printed very clearly on it¡¯s side.


    Luna steps up to the wooden porch and pushes open the door, kicking her shoes on the welcome mat as she comes in and shuts the door behind herself. The home is warm, at least technically. The lights in most of the rooms were off, with the exception of the living room, which is usually where most of the Oswalds could be found. The sparse Christmas decoration from the outside continued inside with a sole Christmas wreath heading the internal festivities. She steps forward and starts to sneak past the doorway to the living room but stops when she overhears a voice addressing her.


    ¡°¡®Ey Luna! Did ja bring me my food?¡±


    The girl sighs and turns into the living room, stepping through the entrance. The inside of the living room is quite nice, with soft couches set up on three walls, with a massive glass panel television dominating the fourth wall. The tv had a highlight reel of a game of a man wearing heavy armor and a jetpack speeding through defenders with an oval-shaped ball resting in the nook of his arm. Hints of the family¡¯s hunting activities were also present in the room, with a Stag¡¯s head resting over the mantle of the fireplace and a deluxe gun cabinet sitting in a corner.


    In the center of the room a large, well-molded loveseat is Penn, a middle-aged, portly gentleman. His black hair had long since given up the fight, retreating to the sides and back of his head, showing off his olive skin. His goatee is cut thin and short, likely the product of meticulous grooming. He¡¯s wearing a white sweater, as well as a pair of waistline taxed jeans and brown shoes. His sweater has a picture of a fierce-looking anthropomorphic Raven clawing into the shirt, it reading ¡°Ravenport Rippers¡± in stylized text.


    Sitting next to him and curled up over an arm is Peggy, a woman of her early forties, sporting a rail-thin physique, pale skin, thick make-up and frizzy blond hair that seems to hover an inch off of her head at all times. She wears a garish floral print dress that looks like it¡¯d be at home on the highest of fashion runways, with matching hoop earrings and tacky sandals. Luna never did understand the woman¡¯s obsession with wearing sandals nearly everywhere, even in the winter.


    Luna raises up the bag from Bub¡¯s Burgers up, and Penn grins widely, gesturing towards Luna to bring it over. She takes a few steps forward and drops the bag on his lap, the man sinking his fingers into the bag¡¯s contents and pulling up the larger of the two burgers.


    ¡°Double Badger Burger? This ain¡¯t what I ordered? I always get the same thing, how could you mess it up? What do you have in your ears girl, lard?¡±


    Luna rolls her eyes, shaking her head towards him. ¡°Well, I got it for free today. Besides, I didn¡¯t get the chance to make you your food.¡±


    Penn looks up towards her, furrowing his brows. ¡°Why not?¡±


    Luna sighs, crossing her arms defensively. ¡°Because...I got let go.¡±


    Peggy raises a cup of eggnog up to her face to drink before she sets it back down on the cup holder in the arm of the loveseat. ¡°Uh huh. I bet you did something. I told you she wouldn¡¯t be able to keep that job.¡± Peggy chides, shaking her head slowly. ¡° I told you, I told you, I told you.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about, I kept that stupid job for two years!¡± Luna exclaims, reaching the end of her patience.


    ¡°Yeah and if Penn was working there, he¡¯d already be a Shift Manager. You didn¡¯t even make it all the way up and only got paid peanuts the entire time. How do you expect to make it anywhere in life if you can¡¯t even get up the ladder at a fast food restaurant?¡±


    ¡°The only reason why he got rid of me is because he didn¡¯t want to give me a raise. I didn¡¯t do anything wrong and-¡±


    Penn looks back towards her and runs a finger over his mouth, indicating she should be quiet.


    ¡°No sass. Did you get paid?¡±


    Frustrated beyond all belief, Luna grabs the envelope out of the inside pocket of her jacket and pulls it out. She pulls a single twenty dollar bill from the stack and tosses the envelope at him, folding her share in her hand and stuffing it back in her coat pocket. Penn eagerly catches it but also gets a small look at the massive stain on the front of her shirt and points towards it.


    ¡°Uh huh. If you didn¡¯t do anything, where did that stain come from?¡±


    Luna barely constrains her rage, but puts a lid on it long enough to answer the question. ¡°The soda machine¡¯s pressure went overboard again-look...can I go now? I¡¯d really like to go now.¡±


    ¡°Yeah yeah¡­¡± Penn waves dismissively, taking a bite out of the unwrapped Badger Burger. ¡°Git outta here...And clean up your nasty shirt.¡±


    As soon as the order was given, Luna quickly steps out of the room, disappearing back into the darkness of the main hallway. Voices from the living room ease out into the hallway, despite making a lousy attempt at being discreet.


    ¡°...You were right Peg; she couldn¡¯t get up the ladder.¡±


    Luna stops in the hallway, leaning quietly against the wall to eavesdrop.


    ¡°She¡¯s never going to get anywhere unless she shows some initiative. Now she¡¯s lost her job and we¡¯re right back to paying for everything. How much longer is she going to be here anyway?¡±


    ¡°Well, she¡¯s eighteen now. We were doin¡¯ her a favor letting her stay here when she had that job. Without it...meh. I¡¯ll give her a month. If she don¡¯t find anything better, her butt is gone. We put more money into her than foster care paid out anyway and now that we don¡¯t even get that? Pfft.¡±


    ¡°A month..that¡¯s about when our next vacation is happening, right?¡±


    Hearing enough, Luna heads downstairs, closing the door behind her glumly and running a hand through her hair in stress. It never ceased to amaze her just how rude the Oswalds could be. She¡¯d lived here her entire life and she rarely received any kind of praise or compassion from either one of them. No matter what the dilemma was, it was nearly always her fault, even if it took Olympic level mental gymnastics to reach that result. She pulls the light switch at the base of the stairs and illuminates her room, more than ready to relax.


    The basement of the Oswald home isn¡¯t the most luxurious area of the house, with it being relegated to a storage room first and her living space second. Various boxes of old and forgotten trinkets or memories are haphazardly stacked around most of the walls. Antique workout equipment lay unused and gathering hazardous amounts of dust in one corner. Some of the rafters contained clothes from bygone fads, hung for safe keeping. But one of the corners contained an old iron bed, likely older than anything else in the house, an uncomfortable looking metal desk with a laptop perched upon it, a few warped wooden dressers likely for clothes and a small vanity with a mirror planted in it. Over the bed sits a few small posters, most of them being generic looking medieval fantasy fair with the occasional wrestler thrown in. A backpack with a copious amount of gaming pins sits underneath the desk.


    After visiting the small bathroom they had put into a spare corner, Luna slides into a tank top on her way over towards her desk, grabbing a silver crescent moon pendant and draping it around her neck. She pats a stuffed dragon sitting on her desk while pulling open her laptop and turning it on. It took a few minutes to boot up and secure her internet connection, but soon enough her communication programs were up and running. A flashing program indicator catches her attention, her mouse moving down to bring her Zillion Mail account up. Luna checked her email fairly often on her phone, but two new messages were highlighted. The address for both was from the local news: ¡®Local Wildlife Succumb to New Strain of Distemper.'' and ''New wave of missing person reports filed as police investigate local nightclubs for clues!'' Before she could even click on the headline, another message shows up from her friends list on Bonfyre. Luna maximizes the program to see the username RubyMercedes with a message impending. Luna smiles warmly.


    RubyMercedes: Are you home?


    Luna¡¯s fingers set to work typing, realizing that she was still wearing her work hat and tossing it angrily across the room.


    LilacMoon: Yeah. Had a really bad day at work.


    RubyMercedes: Awww...what happened?


    LilacMoon: Lost my job today. Had a total dick customer as the last one. Ruined my shirt.


    RubyMercedes: That¡¯s no good.  If I was there, I¡¯d totally have kicked his ass for you. There is no problem that a good judo throw can¡¯t fix.


    LilacMoon: He was a pretty big dude, but I¡¯d pay MONEY to see you beat him up.


    RubyMercedes: If only I wasn¡¯t all the way across country¡­


    LilacMoon: I know. ;_; I could really use a friend here. It sucks. I had to tell the jerks about the pink slip.


    RubyMercedes: Oh no. What¡¯d they say?


    Luna sighs as she types, shaking her head dismissively.


    LilacMoon: Same stuff they always say. Now that I¡¯ve lost my job they¡¯re gonna throw me out. I mean...they were probably going to anyway, but now they have a reason. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m going to do.


    RubyMercedes: You should try to stay positive though. It¡¯ll get better!


    LIlacMoon: I don¡¯t know anymore Kelly. I hate it here. I hate it here so much. School sucks, I lost my job because I was good at my job, and those assholes upstairs just never give me a break.


    Luna pauses to consider something before angrily typing again.


    LilacMoon: I just...want to live a life, you know?


    LilacMoon: Just...a life, where I can enjoy the things I like, without being made fun of, or taken advantage of, or anything like that.


    LilacMoon: A life where I can feel like I¡¯m special. That I¡¯m good at SOMETHING.


    LilacMoon: I¡¯d like to know what it¡¯s like to not just be some dork who plays way too many video games and watches too much wrestling.


    LilacMoon: So I can feel good about myself instead of always wondering if it¡¯s me or them and getting sad about it because it¡¯s always me.


    LilacMoon: It¡¯s been so long since I¡¯ve just..felt good about something. It¡¯s always the same crappy feelings, day in and day out.


    LilacMoon: I¡¯ve honestly forgotten what it feels like, to just be...happy. With the jerks...with work, with me.


    LilacMoon: And I can never tell anyone around here because nobody cares.


    It takes a minute or two for Ruby to respond. Luna holds her hands over her face, pulling her glasses off to rest on an empty spot on her desk. She rubs her eyes with anxiety and runs through a small list of possible choices to make about the night¡¯s events before a small jingle and a flashing campfire icon get her attention.


    RubyMercedes: ...I care. :3


    Luna smiles towards that and continues typing.


    LilacMoon: That means a lot to me


    LilacMoon: You have no idea.


    RubyMercedes: Look, I know I can¡¯t help you really, because I don¡¯t have a job or anything, but I will try to be here on Bonfyre for you okay? We¡¯ve been friends since like, middle school and you helped me out through a ton of stuff.


    RubyMercedes: I know you are super smart and talented. You just haven¡¯t gotten your chance yet.


    RubyMercedes: So give that a little time and just think about it kay?


    RubyMercedes: Ooh, I know what will cheer you up!


    LilacMoon: ?


    RubyMercedes: I finally got my patcher on Swordcraft to work and Dad has gone to bed. Wanna play?


    A broad smile crosses Luna¡¯s lips as she slides her glasses back on and types.


    LilacMoon: Awesome, let me get my headset on and I¡¯ll be right there!


    Luna reaches for a rather ragged looking headset from her desk drawer when a shrill, feminine cry pierces through the quiet basement.


    ¡°LUNAAAAAA! Get up here! YOU HAVE A JOB TO DO!¡±


    Luna sets the headset down with a sigh and stands, bending over her laptop for a moment.


    LilacMoon: Hold on. Jerks want something again. Brb.


    With that said, Luna turns towards the door and trudges upstairs, closing the door behind her.

 Chapter 2: A Bonding Experience

    Luna hops up the stairs one at a time to get back up, only to immediately be cut off by the slightly shorter woman. Peggy stands smugly in front of Luna before gesturing back towards the den, her gaudy bracelets clinking against one another. She turns away from Luna as she talks, crossing her arms in the process.


    ¡°Penn¡¯s got something for you to do, and I figure you aren¡¯t doing anything important so you can just go and do it.¡±


    Luna sighs as she follows suit after Peggy, shaking her head slowly.


    ¡°Well no but I just had a really bad d-¡±


    Peggy clicks her tongue sharply at Luna, turning to face her with a stern expression in front of the living room entrance.


    ¡°Look, I don¡¯t know what you did at your little minimum wage job to mess it up, but you blew it honey. And you expect to be given a break for messin up? At a job flippin¡¯ burgers?¡±


    The seething resentment Luna had for Peggy was merely thrown onto the kindling that was the remains of her good will against the world.


    ¡°Oh yeah, because when was the last time you ACTUALLY had a job doing anything other than pitching a tent and mining for gold?¡±


    Peggy smirks defiantly, shaking her head. ¡°Why you little stupid cow, I¡¯ve never had a job being a miner. What would make you like, say such a silly, silly thing?¡±


    Luna simply stares at her for a brief moment before shaking her head.¡°Nevermind. You know what would be a nice change of pace? If you guys were on my side, just once. I at least held that job for like, two years without missing a day of work or even causing any issues. Isn¡¯t that worth something?¡±


    Peggy tilts her head slightly, raising a brow towards her. ¡°If you think that deserves a cookie, then you really are dumber than you look.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more than your precious son has done.¡± Luna added with intense disdain.


    Penn speaks up from the living room, turning his head to look out the side of his loveseat.


    ¡°Ey! Don¡¯t be talkin¡¯ bout my boy like that or else your ass will be sleeping in the woods. Now, get over here. In front of me. I got a job for you. Maybe with some luck, you won¡¯t lose this one too.¡±


    Luna looks back to Peggy who grins condescendingly and lightly prances to go sit at her husband¡¯s side, leaning into an arm. Luna raises a hand to smear her facial features in frustration before walking over to stand in front of Penn, blocking his view to the glass panel TV.


    ¡°No-no-no you stupid girl¡­ Off to the side.¡± Penn gestures with his free hand quickly for her to move.


    Luna takes precisely one step to the side and keeps her eyes locked on the insufferable couple.


    ¡°Much better. Now in case you didn¡¯t know, it¡¯s Christmas.


    Luna¡¯s expression flatlines. ¡°I am...keenly aware of that, yes.¡±


    Penn continues, seemingly unphased by the interruption. ¡°I¡¯ve got everythin¡¯ I need for a proper Christmas. Beer in the fridge, Rocketball in front of me, my wife by my side and a nice warm fire. Or rather, I would, but I¡¯m missin¡¯ one of these things.¡±


    Luna does a quick assessment of the room at large and spots the dying fire currently in the fireplace mantel.


    ¡°Don¡¯t we have air conditioning?¡±


    Penn points sharply at Luna.


    ¡°NOT THE POINT. The point I¡¯m getting at is that we¡¯re outta firewood, and I want you to trudge out there and get some. No muss, no fuss.¡±


    ¡°By go get it, do you mean go out and buy some and-¡±


    ¡°Pssshaww no. What are you nuts? I¡¯ve got an ax in the garage. Go out and chop some.¡±


    Luna visibly recoils at that, frowning at the suggestion. ¡°Let me get this straight. You want me to go out into the freezing forest in the middle of a snowy night, with an ax, and chop up some firewood that you don¡¯t even need? You are the one with the car. Why not just go to a store and buy one?


    Penn snorts as he shoves the last of his Badger Burger into his mouth, licking his fingers to clear any excess juices from it. ¡°Because it just ain¡¯t Christmas without some fire an¡¯ we have one every year. No more backtalk, just get dressed and get going. I want you back here before midnight and Christmas proper starts.¡±


    Luna crosses her arms and taps a finger on the inside of her elbow before speaking again. ¡°You know...that¡¯s a really short deadline. Maybe if I had an extra hand out there, I might get out of that forest faster and get you your firewood on time. Maybe one person to carry the wood and another to chop it down?¡±


    Penn, who had been only looking at Luna in side glances, finally turns to look at her fully. ¡°An extra hand like who?¡±


    ¡°Well if you and...Mrs. Oswald are busy, maybe Percy can help?¡±


    Penn frowns begrudgingly, turning his head from side to side as he mentally wrestles with the idea. It was clear that he didn¡¯t want to make the call, but eventually, he relents, bringing a hand next to his mouth and calling out.


    ¡°¡®EY CHAMP! YOUR OLD MAN NEEDS YA!¡±


    Luna could hear a muffled grunt of annoyance as a small thumping of footsteps moves over her head, goes to the stairs and tromps down them, pushing the door open fussily. A fair-skinned kid in his late teens, steps into the doorway looking thoroughly displeased. The male looks like a born athlete with a broad chest, a chiseled chin and long blond hair that is unkempt, but still attractive. He approaches his dad in a white t-shirt and designer blue jeans; his hands jammed into the back pockets of the latter.


    ¡°C¡¯mon Dad! I was in the middle of something! Can¡¯t it wait?¡±


    Penn shakes his head, gesturing with a hand for him to stand next to Luna. ¡°I just need you to bear with me for a moment, alright? It won¡¯t take ya¡¯ long to do.¡±


    Penn clears his throat before continuing.


    ¡°Do me a favor and go help Luna chop some wood. Need some for the fire tonight.¡±


    Percy looks at a nearby snowy window before looking back at his father.


    ¡°Are you crazy? It¡¯s like, super cold and it¡¯s still snowing from friggin¡¯ yesterday! Why can¡¯t she just do it and leave me alone?¡±


    ¡°Because she needs someone big and strong to help her. She can¡¯t do it by herself.¡±


    Percy shoots Luna a look of utter disdain while Luna merely rolls her eyes in return, despising the spiraling of words.


    ¡°C¡¯mon champ, you can handle this.¡± Penn pleads.


    Peggy speaks up next, gesturing towards the kitchen. ¡°Awww Percykins¡­ If you help the poor girl out, I¡¯ll let you sneak a slice of cheesecake before dinner tomorrow, hmm? How does that sound?¡±


    Percy snorts at the offer and turns his head, shaking it in refusal.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°It¡¯s the middle of the woods in the middle of the night. Friggin¡¯ seriously Dad? Any kind of like, nasty thing could be out there, like a cougar or a pack of wolves, and then what will I do?¡±


    Penn raises a hand to his double chin and strokes it for a moment. ¡°Tell ya what champ¡­¡±


    Penn leans up in his chair and points towards the gun cabinet. ¡°Go in there and pull out my .12 gauge. Third down from the top. Grab some shells and load ¡®em up. That way if any dumb animal comes between me and my boy? Ya¡¯ plug em. You shoot ¡®em dead. That¡¯ll teach ¡®em. And if there¡¯s any of it left, we can bring it back an¡¯ get it all stuffed up for ya¡¯. How does that sound, champ?¡±


    Percy¡¯s mood brightens significantly, nodding happily and heading over to the gun cabinet and undoing the combination lock on it. Luna starts to turn away to the coat rack near the door before a fat hand grabs her, preventing her from leaving. She turns to look back towards Penn with a raised, questioning brow.


    ¡°And don¡¯t you be gettin¡¯ hurt either. I ain¡¯t spending a dime for you to go to the hospital, so you¡¯d best be careful.¡±


    Luna rips her arm from his grasp and storms out of the room, confident in the belief that the Oswalds might be the most self-absorbed family on earth.


    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    The forest outside of the Oswald home on Christmas Eve is almost completely silent, with the only exception being the occasional wind that tears through cloth and flesh alike. Without anyone tending to it, the snow had gotten high enough to sink an ankle into, making traveling physically taxing. The full moon provided enough light to make flashlights unnecessary but the denseness of the forest outside of some natural paths still limited visibility.


    Luna waits patiently at the edge of the garage, holding the hand ax by the handle and turning the blade away from herself. Her fleece jacket helped keep some warmth, in addition to the mittens and scarf, but the sudden gusts of wind didn¡¯t do the exposed skin on her face any favors. She had some experience with the tool, as this wasn¡¯t the first time she had cut a tree down, but typically Penn just bought some pre-cut firewood at some place on his way home from work. He¡¯d only reserve this punishment when he was either too lazy to go out and buy it, or if he simply wanted Luna to do something he deemed productive. She starts to lean up to see what was taking Percy so long, before the aforementioned teenager strolls out of the house, holding his father¡¯s gun like a prize.


    He puts the finishing touches on loading up the ammunition, shoving them in rather clumsily, pulling it out of his school¡¯s varsity jacket. Percy had been on several trips to the shooting range and even on a few hunting trips, but his accuracy was generally very poor, much to his father¡¯s frustration. He loads in the last shell he had as he walks up next to Luna, beaming with pride. She rolls her eyes at him and starts to walk in front of him, but after taking another glance at the shoulder-stocked shotgun, she takes a few cautious steps backward.


    ¡°Better idea...how about you lead?¡±


    Percy pulls the gun up to his shoulder, resting his hands on both the support grip and the pistol grip and looks down the sight, pivoting his aim at some imaginary enemy before turning to look towards Luna.


    ¡°Like a natural leader should. Don¡¯t get in my way.¡±


    He racks the gun for dramatic effect, the shotgun in the proper position to fire.


    ¡°And I¡¯m not going to help you cut down the tree either. You cut it down. I¡¯ll keep watch for anything that moves.¡±


    Luna rolls her eyes gestures towards the forest with a hand. ¡°Fine with me. Let¡¯s just go...and be careful with that thing alright?¡±


    Percy starts to stride forward, clicking off the safety and making his way ahead at a somewhat agonizing pace, pivoting almost a full 90 degrees every few seconds, but never back towards her. The two continue heading up and out of sight of the house, the only sound being the heavy footfalls of snow-laden feet. It takes around a half an hour of quiet trudging for another conversation to start up, mostly because of the difficulty of a steep hill they were both climbing.


    ¡°How big of a tree are we looking for? This should be far enough to find something decent.¡± Percy says aloud, still swinging his gun in any direction that looked remotely suspicious.


    ¡°Well..since you aren¡¯t going to help and want to play first person shooter guy over there, something small enough I can carry by myself.¡±


    ¡°Playing?¡± Percy sounded amused. ¡°You are just jealous that Dad takes me on hunting trips and not you. It¡¯s why I get to use his guns. I actually know how.¡±


    ¡°There are literally a thousand other things I¡¯d rather be doing than spending a weekend with Mr. Oswald.¡± Luna sarcastically quips. ¡°You know the stag on the wall in the house is storebought right?¡±


    Percy sneers in annoyance. ¡°We¡¯ll catch something sooner or later. We¡¯ve already got the number of a stuffing guy that¡¯ll mount it for us. Besides, you don¡¯t know shit. All you do is sit in your room and watch stupid videos on the internet and talk about lame-ass wrestlers and video games. No wonder everyone thinks you are a basketcase. You have no friends and you have no life. It¡¯s pathetic, honestly.¡±


    Luna tightens her grip on the axe handle. ¡°And what, you are going to judge me? Like what you do is any better? Tell you what, when you get that chip pried off of your shoulder and you spit out that silver spoon out of your mouth then, maybe, MAYBE you can tell me how pathetic I am. They don¡¯t make saddles tall enough for your high horse.¡±


    Percy stops walking now, spinning to face her and look very directly into the face of Luna, de-holstering his gun and holding it in one hand at his side. His voice turns cold and serious.


    ¡°Look you asshole. I don¡¯t have to take that from you. My parents are awesome, and you are just too damn stupid and jealous to see it. At least mine are still around and actually do stuff. I bet yours were addicts or something. Real losers who couldn¡¯t do anything but screw up. You know, my parents did you a huge favor by taking you in.¡±


    Luna rolls her eyes again. ¡°And yet I can¡¯t help but disagree¡­¡±


    She starts to say something else, but a soft orange light creeps through the nearby thicket of trees, immediately both of the teenager¡¯s attention. Luna holds up a finger over her mouth as she slowly starts to walk over towards the source of the light, with Percy timidly gripping the gun by the center of the barrel and sneaking up behind her. The trees were a bit too close together to simply walk through, but there was a gap towards the bottom of them that afforded a decent amount of crawl space. Spotting this, Luna crouches down into the snow and goes prone, slinking up underneath the trees. Percy looks hesitant but soon follows, putting the safety on his gun before following behind Luna.


    Down this low to the ground, the orange light fills the senses, but it wasn¡¯t bright enough to be considered blinding. Luna and Percy crawl for a few moments before hitting a clearing a few dozen feet in diameter. The trees here formed a rough circle, and the ground here was stripped of both snow and grass, leaving the cold earth bare. In the center of it stand two men, one tall, bald, muscular and with a light skin tone while the second was a little shorter, a little darker and with short hair. Both were dressed in stock camo-hunting gear and both had dark orange eyes. Between the two of them is a large brown bear, lying flat on it¡¯s stomach and unconscious judging by how wildly it¡¯s limbs were splayed out. Underneath it was a tribal looking sigil that glowed the same shade of orange that drew Luna and Percy here in the first place.


    The shorter of the two men speak, drawing out a ceremonial shiv with a small canine skull on it from his jacket.


    ¡°With this fang, I do your bidding my master, may your will provide strength to these beasts that do not deserve your brilliance. May your spirit enrich their soul.¡±


    He holds the blade up, which crackles with a sinister orange energy before stabbing it directly into the bear¡¯s head. He waits a second before drawing the dagger back out again, and with it comes a grey-ish blue wisp of smoke that seemingly gets pulled into the knife. The small skull on the shiv glows briefly before going quiet, the shorter man returning the weapon to his jacket. He and the taller man take a step back from the bear, who slowly starts to reanimate.


    The bear eyes glow with the same orange tint than the men had, though it¡¯s eye sockets were emitting a translucent orange smoke that faded after a foot or so from it¡¯s source. As it stands, the creature¡¯s muscles start to ripple and expand, causing the creature to grow in size, though the process causes several series of roaring convulsions. It¡¯s fangs and claws also grow sharp and wicked, transforming the woodland creature into a nightmarish version of it¡¯s previous self.


    The taller man walks around the front of the bear which, even sitting, looked to be as tall as he was. He grabs the bear¡¯s face and inspects it for some manner of imperfection for a moment before slapping it in the chin and turning to look at his accomplice.


    ¡°Dwayne, you have done well. The enthrallment is complete and this host looks most accommodating.¡±


    Dwayne sounds just as pleased. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. This should be the last one we need before we head ba-¡±


    The bear¡¯s nose sniffs the air for a few seconds before it reacts violently, lowering it¡¯s head down to look at both Luna and Percy, who both freeze with fear. The bear¡¯s lip pulls back in a snarl as the shorter man spots the bear¡¯s behavior and rubs a hand over it¡¯s head complacently.


    ¡°Well well well ...I believe we have company. What do we say we show them some hospitality Austin?¡± His hand continues to stroke over the creature¡¯s head but once he finds the spot that he¡¯d stabbed, his fingers start to glow with the same familiar orange energy as he leans in close to the bear¡¯s ear.


    ¡°Kill. Eat.¡±


    The monstrous ursine roars and tears after Luna and Percy, the two kids simultaneously panicking and scrambling to back to their feet. The manage to stand up and step back a few paces before the bear bursts through the thicket, immediately flattening several trees with sickening cracks. Both Luna and Percy back away in fear, with Percy slowly bringing his gun up to point at the monster. Just before Percy pulls the trigger, the bear lunges forward, prompting him to scramble back a few more feet and fire...only to hear a solid clicking noise. The safety is still engaged.


    Luna steps in from the side and horizontally swings her ax with all of her might, catching the bear from the side and stepping in front of Percy to do so. She expected to hear at least some sort of noise when she attacked, but when Luna draws the weapon back in front of her, the top of the ax seemed to be missing its metal head, leaving only a broken mess of splinters in its place. Looking up, the missing part is currently embedded in the bear¡¯s muzzle, it having bitten it clean off in the middle of the swing. Luna¡¯s pupils shrink as she realizes what happened and starts pushing Percy back with a frightened hand.


    ¡°Run...Run...RUN!¡±


    She tosses the ax handle aside as the bear spits out the ax¡¯s now deformed head and roars in defiance. WIth Luna¡¯s insistence, Percy sprints after Luna, the sound of the thundering bear right after them. The two weave and bob around any trees they could find while still going at full tilt, the bear chasing them merely blasting any offending flora in their way by running straight through it. The forest quickly became a blur as the only sounds Luna could hear was the sound of her heart in her throat and the furry freight train panting right behind her.


    ¡° We gotta go faster! Or get off the ground! M-m-maybe it can¡¯t climb. You have any ideas?¡± Luna yells, her legs already feeling the burn from the burst of activity and her voice growing raspy and tired. She starts to slow down considerably, Percy already gaining even footing with her. The two hit the hill they had climbed earlier and start sliding down it, both of them keeping their footing and accelerating to dangerous speeds. The bear hits the apex of the hill and continues to give chase, but skating along the snow had put a considerable amount of distance between the two parties.


    The two hit the bottom of the hill and turn back to look at their pursuer gaining ground on them, shuffling through the heavy snow that the two managed to glide over. Percy looks down towards his gun and flicks the safety off on it and looks back towards the oncoming bear...and then towards Luna, his eyes wavering for a moment before turning cold. He slowly holsters up the gun and brings it up to firing position, lining up the sights. Seeing an easily climbable tree in the upcoming clearing, Luna turns to Percy and points towards it with a hopeful grin but the expression fades as Percy lines the gun up, not at the bear, but directly at Luna¡¯s stomach.


    Wordlessly, Percy fires his gun, the slug burrowing its way into Luna¡¯s belly and thanks to the close range, exiting through the other side. Her heart stops as she mentally processes what just happened and why all the warmth suddenly drained from her body, both emotionally and physically. Blood billows from her midsection as her hands move to cover her fresh wound. She looks up towards Percy with questioning, glistening eyes.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to go faster than the bear. I just need to be faster than you.¡±


    Luna¡¯s body quivers as she struggles to stand, her ability to maintain balance over her lower half rapidly leaving her. Percy doesn¡¯t take too much time to look over his handiwork before bolting himself, bypassing the tree Luna suggested. She struggles to breathe as the pain throbs into her; Luna holding one blood-soaked mitten reaching out towards stepbrother. The bear comes along immediately after Percy clears the area and uses one of it¡¯s massive claws to swat Luna aside, a sickening crunch confirming the presence of broken bones. She spirals through the air almost perfectly, throwing her over Percy¡¯s sprinting form and several dozen feet past that and into a clearing. She lands hard on her back and impacts the snow, the whole while holding her not-broken arm against her midsection to ease whatever pain she could. Her glasses fly off in the commotion, and her vision blurs, though she couldn¡¯t tell how much the forming tears were helping.


    Percy, surprised by the direction that Luna¡¯s body was thrown, quickly sidesteps it and realizing his plan of letting the bear have Luna wasn¡¯t going to work as well as he thought. He pulls up his gun and starts firing at the bear wholesale, racking the gun as each slug is buried into it. He leads the beast away, the racket of gunfire and feral snarling giving way to the serenity of the snow.


    Luna tries to command her legs to move so she could stand or even just roll onto her side, but her body felt as if it was made out of lead. She lowers her head back into the snow, letting the cold cradle her as life drains out of her limbs and spills onto the snow. A heavy lump forms in her throat as she tries to call out for help, a wordless whisper the best she can muster. As her peripheral vision starts to fade, she gazes up towards the moon, content with it being the last thing she can before her consciousness slips away.

 Chapter 3: Between Old Friends

    Concurrently...


    As Christmas Eve begins to pass into Christmas Day, the snowfall only amplifies, further encouraging the inhabitants of Ravenport to stay indoors. The environment turned into a dream-like landscape, with visibility being low thanks to the heavy precipitation and the street lamps producing light halos that seemed to cultivate in a citywide haze. There were few cars in the street and even fewer people on the sidewalks, neither wanting to make an effort to venture out into such a quiet night.


    A maroon colored SUV makes its way down one of the thankfully plowed streets, driving carefully and with slow, deliberate turns. It soon pulls into the mostly empty and snow-filled parking lot of the Ravenport Police Department, taking a spot close to the building before shutting off its engine. The door opens, revealing a tall, leanly built man with black shoulder length hair and a metallic silver hand poking out of his left sleeve. Heavy stubble covers the underside of his face as he pulls a spent cigarette from his mouth and deposits it into his car¡¯s ashtray. He fastens up his leather jacket to protect from the cold and slides both of his hands into his beige slacks, before trudging through the snow towards the entrance of the building. Once at the door he stops for a moment to take a deep breath and pushes his way inside, the heavy wooden door creaking with movement.


    The inside of the RPD is unsurprisingly quiet at this time of night. The foyer is overshadowed by an old-fashioned wooden desk, gating foot traffic both to and from the entrance. Many of these workstations are empty, likely accounting for the holiday. Only a few officers were gathered, some holding conversations over coffee and others packing up to head home. On the ceiling hangs a few glass panel TV screens on pedestals, displaying weather information, current time and traffic congestion in the city.


    A petite, dark-skinned woman with short black hair sits in the wooden desk, currently reading a local news article on wildlife distemper on her computer. A brass name tag reading ¡®Holly Belle¡¯ dangles off of the shirt pocket of her perfectly pressed navy blue uniform. Her expression is neutral as she looks towards the corner of the room, expecting yet another citizen of the city with another problem that she may or may not be able to fix. Her demeanor perks up ecstatically when she notices the familiar face, rising out of her seat as he steps into full view.


    ¡°Oh my god Miguel, is that you?¡±


    Scraping off the last of the snow from his black shoes, he opens his arms and smiles, leaning his head back and pointing towards himself with a thumb nonchalantly.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s me. In the flesh for the most part.¡±


    She steps out from the desk and moves a bit closer while raising a brow towards his statement. Miguel accentuates his previous words by pointing towards his artificial left hand. It was an excellent approximation of a human hand and seemed to be able to mimic finger and hand motions. He rhythmically splays his fingers before crushing them into a fist and then letting the arm hang loosely at his side again. Holly¡¯s expression softens, nodding a few times in understanding.


    ¡°You went and got yourself some Cybernetics? I know the initiation for it is hard. I know you were really messed up after all of that. It¡¯s been like what, how many years now?¡±


    ¡°A solid five...and yeah...It wasn¡¯t my idea of a vacation. It¡¯s not just the hand. This whole arm¡­¡±


    He reaches down to tap on both of his thighs. A dull metallic *tunk* could be heard from each of them.


    ¡°...And both of my legs.¡±


    Holly gasps slightly, looking down at his legs and then back up towards his face.


    ¡°Oh...I wouldn¡¯t have known it if you didn¡¯t mention it. Is it hard to get around?


    Miguel¡¯s smile starts to fade, and he shrugs.


    ¡°Eh...once you get used to it, it¡¯s not so bad. I can do everything I could do before. Attaching the nerve endings was a huge pain in the ass, but with it, I¡¯ve got the reaction speeds I had back when I first joined the military, so that¡¯s a bonus I guess.¡±


    ¡°Wow...that¡¯s pretty awesome. So what brings you in tonight?¡±


    Miguel tilts his head quickly over towards a set of elevator doors on the far side of the room.


    ¡°I came in to see my fri-...the commissioner. Is he in tonight?¡±


    Holly cranes her head up to look at a nearby television for the time. 11:30 PM.


    ¡°Yeah, I think so. He mentioned doing some work tonight when he came in so you should be able to just walk on up.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good.¡±


    ¡°Well...I should get back to work, but it¡¯s great seeing you again. Are you going to come back and see me sometime? Maybe grab some coffee?¡±


    Miguel smirks towards her taps two metal fingers against his chest.


    ¡°Sure. Next time though, alright?¡±


    Holly nods and offers him a small wave before returning to her desk, clearing off the screen saver that had popped up with a wave of a hand. Giving her one last look, Miguel turns towards the elevator and heads towards it, pressing the call button. It takes a moment or two patience, but the car slides down into position, and it¡¯s doors open to reveal that it is occupied by a man and his dog. The man¡¯s hair was brown and youthfully short, and the rest of his face was free of any extra hair. He had a relatively average build to him and a peach-colored complexion. The dog looks to be a somewhat passive german shepherd with a collar around his throat and a leash leading back to the man¡¯s hands.


    Upon getting a good look at Miguel, the man¡¯s brows raise energetically as he seems to be in mild awe.


    ¡°Oh...oh wow! You...you¡¯re Miguel Morales! Famous...ah...Famous police detective! Do you remember me?¡±


    Miguel¡¯s lowers an eye as he looks over the younger man before shrugging his shoulders.


    ¡°...Should I?¡±


    The young man stammers. ¡°Y-y-y-yeah! I was the guy who used to get you coffee every morning way back when? And had gotten demoted to the mailroom like...twice?¡±


    Miguel eventually had realization dawn upon his features.


    ¡°Ahhhh...the rookie? What...was your name again? It¡¯s been awhile.¡±


    The man straightens his stance, raising his shoulders and giving a proper salute. He stiffens his voice to speak loudly and a little more clearly.¡°Officer Chip Pilgrim of the K-9 unit sir!¡± Chip returns to his normal volume of voice and gestures a hand towards his fuzzy friend. ¡°...And this little guy is Dale.¡±


    Dale looks up towards Chip when he overhears his name being called and pants happily, sinking his back end towards the ground to sit while his handler talks. Chip¡¯s hand reaches down for a supportive head rub, which Dale happily accepts, tail wagging slowly.


    Miguel crosses his arms pleasantly as he passes a glance down towards the canine companion.


    ¡°Moving up the ranks? Good on you rookie...guess I¡¯m going to need to stop calling you that now though. Who woulda known you¡¯d sign up for the K-9 unit? Didn¡¯t think you had the teeth for it if you¡¯ll pardon the pun.¡±


    ¡°W-w-w-well yeah. I think you remember when I was first starting out and how I wasn¡¯t the best at like...anything? I wasn¡¯t that great at dealing with people, but I¡¯ve always liked dogs. So when an opportunity new trainer for police dog popped up, I jumped at it. I¡¯ve had a lot of time with Dale here it all kind of clicked together for us. We¡¯ve been around for like, three years, doing real good work you know? Kinda like what you used to do. People still talk about you around here every now and again you know...about what happened. It was in the paper for a little while.¡±


    Miguel nods appreciatively. ¡°That makes sense. And...yeah...it was a rough time Pilgrim. I appreciate all the stuff you guys sent me while I was in the hospital. Made it easier to cope.¡±


    Chip blushes, awkwardly rubbing a hand behind his neck before looking down at Miguel¡¯s metal hand.


    ¡°Did you have enough work compensation for it? I mean...you were gone for like...years. Do you even still work here?¡±


    The older man slides his hands into his pockets.


    ¡°I think I put in more than enough time here with my record to get all the help I needed. And the second part...well, that¡¯s kind of why I¡¯m here.¡±


    ¡°Y-y-yeah...That¡¯s pretty good...the first part. But..I mean...all those cases you solved. L-l-like the Blue Angels right? You remember that one? You found out about the fixed games?¡±


    Miguel smiles warmly. ¡°Yeah...funny the things you find on a computer sometimes.¡±


    Chip continues gushing. ¡°Oh-oh-oh, how about the Cold Fish case, when all those fishing boats got busted with the smuggling ring? And the way you found that one key piece of evidence that brought down the Carbon brothers?¡±


    Miguel pats Chip on the shoulder as he makes his way into the elevator, Chip giving Dale the signal for them to move aside. They both take a step out of the car and turn back towards the veteran officer.


    ¡°I swear kid, you have a better memory for this stuff than I do. But it¡¯s great seeing you grown up Pilgrim. You¡¯ll make a fine cop.¡±


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Chip blushes in embarrassment, stifling a small laugh. ¡°Awwww...you don¡¯t have to say stuff like that. People still talk about the great Winston and Morales. You guys put away alotta bad people. Where are you going anyway?¡±


    ¡°To see good ol¡¯ Commissioner Winston right now actually.¡±


    ¡°Oh...ah¡­¡± Chip¡¯s facial features contort into uncertainty. ¡°Ah..he¡¯s got a do not disturb sign up on his door up there so...maybe you should come back-¡±


    Miguel¡¯s jovial voice turns stern and unforgiving.


    ¡°This won¡¯t take long. It¡¯s about time we¡¯ve had a little...catching up.¡±


    He reaches up towards the control panel of the elevator and starts to press into the top floor of the building before stopping.


    ¡°Pilgrim?¡±


    Chip kept his eyes on Miguel as he spoke, a hand raised in the expectation to end the conversation, but he seems stunned by the sudden shift in vocal tone.


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Are the records still downstairs in the basement?¡±


    ¡°Well..yeah. Same room and everything. Looking for something?¡±


    Miguel shifts his finger down to the bottom of the list of buttons, pressing it.


    ¡°...Evidence.¡±


    The doors close slowly after that as he descends, Chip shrugs his shoulders in confusion. He pats Dale on the shoulder to get his attention, the german shepherd perking up to his trainer and standing on all fours, ready to move.


    ------------------------------------------------------------------


    After a quick trip to the evidence room in the basement, Miguel arrives at the top floor of the two-story building with a manilla folder in hand. Compared to the open environment of the first floor. The second floor is far more closed off, with hallways tailored explicitly for offices. The fluorescent lamps in the ceiling provide an even, well-lit area and the tiled floors were cleaned to an almost reflective degree.


    Recalling where the offices of the commissioner were, Miguel steps out of the elevator and makes quiet strides towards it, passing through the mostly unfamiliar offices of unknown coworkers. They all seemed to be empty, with no light shining through the frosted, opaque glass. Every now and again, a specific door would cause him to stop to inspect the name embroidered upon it. Miguel sighs at nearly everyone he pauses at before shaking his head and continuing on.


    Turning down the last hallway from the elevator is the Commissioner¡¯s office, by far the largest room on the floor. Unlike most of the others, it both had a light on and a ¡®Do Not Disturb¡¯ sign hanging on the door¡¯s brass knob. Furrowing his brows, Miguel presses on, raising a hand to knock on it several times with average strength. The heavy door rattles and a masculine voice rings out from behind it.


    ¡°Can you read? I am very busy; I will field all issues tomorrow morning, but I MUST get this work done!¡±


    Miguel presses open the door and take a step into the office, straightening his face to be more emotionally presentable. The room itself is rectangular in shape, with several large windows drawing the eye to them on the back wall, complete with equally impressive blinds covering them for privacy. Several filing cabinets rest in the corners, along with a personal copy machine and a vending machine for snacks and drinks.The center of the room is filled with a large rectangular resolute desk, the top of which is covered with multiple forms and documents in various forms of completion. A large, glass panel computer sits on the desk as well, though it looks worn with age.


    The source of the voice is a middle-aged dark-skinned man who appears to be typing on his computer. He¡¯s overweight, but his professionally maintained suit hides it well. His peaked cap sits on the desk, his receding hairline easily visible without it. He starts to speak again before his eyes go wide with shock upon seeing the Hispanic man sitting in his doorway.


    ¡°I figured you can take a little bit of a break for an old friend Carl.¡± Miguel speaks warmly, closing the door behind himself in the process. He takes a moment to look around the lush office space, walking over towards the windows and pulls down a single blade of the blinds to observe the hypnotic display of heavy snowfall. ¡°It¡¯s still coming down pretty heavy out there. Road Crews are going to have hell tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°M-M-Morales! You aren¡¯t due out for another three years!¡± Carl sputters in disbelief. ¡°The calibration process takes at least eight years to complete, and it¡¯s only been-¡±


    ¡°Five. I know.¡± Miguel turns the blind loose and walks back around to the front of the desk, pulling up a chair and spinning it so that the back of it could be used as an armrest. Which it immediately was. ¡°I was a good kid in school, so they let me out early. I¡¯ve always been a fast learner I guess. So tell me, how are the wife and kids?.¡±


    Carl manages to shake off the initial shock and composes himself with a cough. He places both of his hands down, cradling them together pleasantly.


    ¡°It¡¯s merely...they...they are fine. Donald¡¯s in college now and doing pretty well. Going for a bachelor¡¯s in engineering. Lara¡¯s in high school and...uhm...she¡¯s staying out of trouble. Danielle¡¯s still has her job at the bakery so...there¡¯s that.¡±


    ¡°Wow. Engineering huh? I always knew he was a smart kid. He¡¯ll go pretty far if he keeps his head in the game.¡± Miguel reaches down to grab the name plate resting on the desk, looking gold plated wooden slab over from multiple directions. ¡°Commissioner Carl Winston. That¡¯s quite the title you¡¯ve got there. Quite a step up from Senior Detective. And only in five years?¡±


    Carl casually reaches down towards one of the bottom drawers in his desk and pulls out a small metal case, the name ¡®Perego¡¯ emblazoned on the top. He takes a moment to brush the dust from its lid before bringing it up to the desk. Smiling nervously, Carl offers the box to Miguel, pressing the button on the lock to open it. Three expensive looking cigars rest on the velvet exterior.


    ¡°Cigar?¡±


    Miguel looks towards the offering and reaches a hand towards it. Rather than taking the gift, he reaches up and presses the case closed with his metal hand and then presses Carl¡¯s hand down towards the desk.


    ¡°What happened to Commissioner Hanes?¡± Miguel¡¯s voice turned cold.


    ¡°Hanes? Ah...he had to take an early..retirement. Very...very sudden.¡± Carl pulls his case out from underneath the cybernetic hand. ¡°Something about shifting priorities.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like the Hanes that I knew. Old Hanes loved his job. Used to liven up the place. Used to hear that crazy hearty laugh of his every morning he came in. But you know, I also noticed something else weird.¡± He taps his finger against the side of his head and before pointing back out towards the hallway. ¡°There were lots of names I knew up here. I used to be a popular guy. We...used to be popular guys. Now just about every single one of them is gone. That¡¯s very...very ¡®interesting,'' wouldn¡¯t you say?¡±


    Carl offers a complacent shrug. ¡°The line of work we have is very stressful, Morales. I can¡¯t be held responsible for people deciding they¡¯d rather find someplace else to be. I assure you that everyone we have on board is quite competent.¡±


    ¡°All except you apparently.¡± Miguel quips, holding up the manilla folder from the evidence room and dropping it on the desk. ¡°Do you know what this is?¡±


    Carl raises a brow at the folder and shakes his head. ¡°For all the gifts I possess, being psychic is not one of them.¡±


    Miguel smirks in defiance.¡°I figured you say something like that. I paid a little visit to our Evidence room in the basement and found a story that I just couldn¡¯t help but share. You know, for old times sake. It called ¡®Case A-4711: The Golden Aces Incident.¡¯¡±


    Carl¡¯s heart skips a beat as the name comes up, a hardness forming in his throat in response. Miguel notes the Commissioner''s stalling, a wide, sadistic smile forming on his face in reaction.


    ¡°Oh, you know this one? What a coincidence, I do too! But just so we¡¯re on the same page, I¡¯ll go over it with you. It¡¯s a real treat. I hope you don¡¯t mind if I summarize a bit because there are a few parts I really want to review and discuss. So, see if you can follow me on this one.¡±


    Carl shifts uncomfortably as Miguel begins to read in an unwavering, narrator-esque voice.


    ¡°Wednesday, October 14th, 2054. 9:30 pm. Detective Winston and Detective Morales, along with a small group of officers, investigate a search warrant on The Golden Aces Club, on the corner of 24th and Lothrop. The owner of the establishment, Benny Scardino, otherwise known as Scar, entered a verbal confrontation with the two detectives. Scar claims that there was little reason to search the club for anything, despite the production of the proper paperwork. At 9:35 pm, Scar then, with little to no provocation, decided to punch Detective Morales in the face, knocking him down.¡±


    Miguel rubs a hand over the right side of his face, a thumb brushing over his cheek.


    ¡°That was a hell of a punch. Anyway, Detective Winston calls in police backup and orders all immediately present civilians out of the building. At approximately 9:36, Scar¡¯s own security forces open fire on the detectives and the police officers. The gunfight lasts until approximately 9:41 with a surrender from Scar¡¯s guards and himself.¡±


    Miguel stops reading for a moment and looks up towards Carl¡¯s stiffened facial expression, his own lips forming into a heavy smirk.


    ¡°And here comes my favorite part of this entire story.¡± His brows raise as he sarcastically clears his throat. ¡°Detective Morales sustained serious physical injuries as the result of this escalated violence and had to be immediately rushed to the hospital. Upon further investigation, the search warrant was invalidated by faulty paperwork, and all arrested parties were pardoned. See docket B for more details on the parties involved.¡±


    Miguel closes the manilla folder and places it underneath his hands, both of which were rhythmically tapping against it.


    ¡°So, just so I can get his or her information, who was the bullshit artist you hired for this? Because holy crap, this is priceless. It belongs in a museum.¡±


    Carl holds up a hand, gesturing for him to stop, his voice remaining calm. ¡°Morales¡­¡±


    ¡°No no no, I¡¯m serious,¡± Miguel says, his ire starting to show. ¡°I could see it now, hanging on the wall, next to the great works of art of still life and shit. The museum could sell miniature prints of it in the gift shop.¡±


    Carl starts to frown, his brows furrowing. ¡°Morales...I will not tolerate-¡±


    Miguel erupts, slamming his hands into the desk hard enough to rattle the entire thing and gritting his teeth through every word. ¡°You and I both know what the hell went down that night. Those guys were dodging bullets. NOBODY is that fast. Some of those guys were walking around with holes blown clean in them. NOBODY can do that! Guys like that, WHATEVER they are, could have killed us all, but they didn¡¯t. They gave up. They LET us take them. And by the way, one gunfight with a bunch of thugs with low caliber peashooters does this!?¡±


    He pulls off his leather jacket and starts to pull up his white dress shirt to show off his cybernetic arm. It still has the contours and shape of a human arm and appears to be linked to his shoulder. It moves just as fluidly as his real arm as he flexes it, curling it in front of him. He places his regular hand over the top of the dull silver one, squeezing it.


    ¡°You are saying that the injuries I sustained from a gunfight where they didn¡¯t harm any of us, was enough to get three limbs amputated? NOBODY WAS HURT WINSTON. And we did make a MAJOR bust that night. We seized an entire shipping room full of all sorts of crap. Illegal weapons...drugs...some orange crap we couldn¡¯t identify. What happened to that stuff? Why isn¡¯t it in the report? It doesn¡¯t even mention what happened later on that night.¡±


    Carl pushes himself from his seat, matching Miguel¡¯s angry tone of voice with one of his own.


    ¡°MORALES! You are out of line! You will lower your voice this instant-¡±


    ¡°11:50 pm, that same night. Scardino and two of his men storm into my house-¡±


    Carl roars the next command, his eyes widening. ¡°Those are unsubstantiated claims!¡±


    ¡°...and blew away my Maria in the kitchen. In cold blood.¡± Tears start to well up in Miguel¡¯s eyes, but he keeps up the same level of animosity in his voice. ¡°I was upstairs, trying to read a bedtime story to my daughter when I heard the gunfire. I told her that Daddy needed to go check on on something and to stay quiet. I told her I¡¯d be back. I ran downstairs and grabbed my pistol. When I got downstairs, they were dragging her corpse into the living room...her head all busted up. I shot at them. I gave them everything I had, but the bullets, they just weren¡¯t connecting like they should. They were doing the same crap that they were doing at the Club. I know where I aimed. And I know I¡¯m not that bad of a shot. One of em pulled out a shotgun and got me in my shoulder.¡±


    Miguel runs a hand over the upper part of his cybernetic arm. ¡°There were getting close, and I needed to get the hell out of there. I booked it upstairs and grabbed my daughter and said that we have to go. I told her that it would be okay.¡±


    Carl¡¯s expression softens as Miguel continues to tell the story, his facial expression softening.


    ¡°I jumped out of the window with my baby girl and sprained my ankle in the fall...but she was safe. The guys jumped out after me faster than I thought they could and...just like that, they took her from me. I was still holding her when they did it. I watched her die. Right here.¡±


    He raises a hand to his heart, clutching it tightly.


    ¡°They turned on me. They shot me in the arms and legs so I couldn¡¯t move. They started stomping on me, talking about how ¡®this wasn¡¯t apart of the deal.¡¯ Over and over again, those assholes hit me. I didn¡¯t even think it was possible to lose that much blood. I thought for sure I was a goner. I couldn¡¯t feel anything Winston. Everything was busted. And then, just like that, they stopped. I thought maybe they might be done, but they weren¡¯t. They backed off to set my place on fire. That place I¡¯d saved up for. The place I was going to raise a family in. The place I was going to grow old in. They took that from me too. The last thing I remember from that night is my place going up in flames.¡±


    Miguel¡¯s voice turns stern, leaning forward to stare Carl in the eye.


    ¡°None of that is in your report either. Fast forward to five years later, and I hear that my good buddy not only did NOT get attacked but instead, he got promoted to a position that very, very, very few people qualify for. I figured that if Scardino attacked me, you would be on his hit list next because we busted him together. So yeah. That¡¯s pretty damn suspicious, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Carl regains his hardened composure and doesn¡¯t back down from Miguel as he continues to speak.


    ¡°So I ask you, Winston. Man to man. Why is the truth being hidden? By whose hand? Why were three men that I personally watched get arrested, in three hours, given a supposed pardon to come and then come attack me? Why was I the only one attacked?¡±


    The commissioner finally breaks his silence, speaking in a calm but strict voice.


    ¡°As sad as a story that is, I am afraid that I must stick by the official documentation provided by the department on that day. If you pursue this manner further, despite our previous partnership, I will TERMINATE your employment immediately and personally see to it that you will never get a job with the city again. I have entertained your unsubstantiated theories long enough for one evening.¡±


    Miguel seemed almost taken aback at this statement as if he¡¯d been hit in the jaw. He sat for a moment, seeming to think of something before looking back up towards Carl in defiance, pulling out his wallet, retrieving his golden Ravenport Police Department badge and slamming it into the desk. He drives his metal hand into it hard enough to crush the convex medal flat against the desk. The imprint of his knuckles even damaged the wood beneath it. The physical shock makes Carl jump back a foot or two in surprise.


    ¡°If this is the kind of man that is running the police department, the kind of man who will turn a blind eye to criminals, the kind of man that does not seek the truth, then I want NOTHING to do with him, his organization, or his city. And let me make something else perfectly clear since we¡¯re laying down ultimatums.¡±


    Miguel pulls his fist back up and rolls his shoulders, pulling back on his leather jacket and glaring at Carl the entire time.


    ¡°If I find out that you had anything to do with my family being taken from me, you will wish I had the kindness of killing you.¡±


    ¡°Morales¡­¡± Carl¡¯s stern tone returns, though not quite as neutral as he had been before. ¡°Is...that a threat?¡±


    Miguel makes his way towards the door, opening it, but turning to speak one last time. ¡°An innocent man wouldn¡¯t be worried right now, would he Commissioner Winston? I suggest you read your own damn badge, it might inform you how to do your job.¡±


    With that, Miguel slams the door closed, shoving his hands in his pockets and walking down the hallway. Carl, with his former partner gone, takes a deep breath and moves to sit down at his mildly disturbed desk, looking over the badge that Miguel had flattened. The ornamental metal contained a shield emblem that that featured a star in its center with a raven flying over the top of it. The words surrounding the formed a circle reading ¡®Cast in the name of the law, we shall protect thee.¡¯ Carl pries the badge up from the indentation in his desk and flings it into a nearby trashcan. That done, he reclines in his chair and covers his forehead with his palm.


    ¡°If only you knew¡­¡±

 Chapter 4: Continue?

    Luna awakens groggily, slowly sitting up from her prone position on the ground. Her eyes didn¡¯t want to focus as everything around her seemed to be somewhat translucent, almost like it wasn¡¯t there but desperately trying to be. She lazily drags a hand down to her stomach to not only feel that her wound seemed to be gone, but that she couldn¡¯t feel much of anything, let alone pain. She startles herself into awareness and squints, concentrating on clearing her vision.


    At first, she didn¡¯t quite understand where she was, as there were few details to go on. The sky is a pale, stark white with nothing prevent it from feeling like some sort of empty void. The sand beneath her was a translucent blue but solid, her hand could sink into it and pull out of it like it¡¯s corporeal counterpart. On the one side of her was an ocean, blacker than midnight and with soft waves crashing into the beach. On her other side looked to be a forest, not terribly unlike the one she lived near. The only sound she could hear was the dark ocean and looking lengthwise down the beach, it seemed as though this was a very small island.


    Luna stands up and looks down at herself, realizing that she also shared the same translucent quality of her environment. She tried to speak, but when she opened her mouth, no words came. It was as if there was no air to breathe in. Still though, this place felt...familiar. Like a second home that she¡¯d never visited before.


    A soft purple pillar of light shoots up from somewhere around the middle of the island, ethereal swirls flowing around it gracefully. Luna clumsily steps off of the beach and wanders into the forest, using the beacon as a guide. A feeling of warmth starts to permeate her as Luna draws closer to the center of the island and as she did, she felt...stronger. Her steps gained purpose and balance, her body started to turn more solid and tangible and her vision sharpened. It wasn¡¯t long before she was before the purple pillar, looking up into the sky. It seemed to go on for forever.


    Luna reaches out to touch the pillar cautiously and for that brief moment of contact, she felt...at peace. This was something she not only wanted to do...but needed to do. Compelled to do. She pushes her hand into the pillar, and a tugging sensation nipped at her fingertips, almost in a ticklish manner. Luna takes a deep breath and finally pushes herself into the pillar entirely, letting its light engulf her form. A great force propels her upward into the beam, sending her up and away from that island speeds that were hard to comprehend.


    A comfortable, motherly voice booms in Luna¡¯s head, as if it was something familiar but never spoke up until now.


    ~¡±We are all connected.¡±~


    Luna wakes up a second time and this time things felt as they should, with the omnipresent cold reminding her of the snow she was currently resting in. She starts to move, but the sound of two sets of soft footsteps make their way closer as well as the conversation they were carrying. The voices were masculine and somewhat hushed, the men keeping their presence to a minimum. Luna lays as stiffly as possible, keeping her eyes closed and her ears open.


    Dwayne grins, pointing towards Luna. ¡°Aww...it looks as though one of our guests had an accident.¡±


    ¡°Is she dead? Should we let the bear have his dinner?¡± Austin says, looking around for any sign of either their ursine charge or it¡¯s prey.


    The conversation pauses as Dwayne draws close to Luna, threatening to inspect her a little more closely. He crouches down and reaches a hand towards her. Luna holds her breath silently, expecting a roaming hand of some sort. But instead, Dwayne draws his hand back and stands, speaking with his companion again.


    ¡°No. At least not yet.¡± Dwayne says, pointing back down towards the fallen girl. ¡°She is not going anywhere right now. We need to find the other one so we can finish.. No loose ends.¡±


    ¡°Of course. He¡¯s just a regular kid, right?¡±


    The voices start to retreat away from her, heading past her and into the forest proper.


    ¡°Just some two-bit punk with a gun. More filth to wipe away.¡±


    ¡°Can you sense the location of the bear brother?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s west of here...not far.¡±


    The voices become too faint for Luna to follow and once they were out of earshot, she opens her eyes. The snowfall had been relatively constant while she was unconscious because she sunk in it by a few centimeters. The moon¡¯s brightness is still enough to see her way through the forest, just like it had been before falling unconscious. As she pushes herself to a sitting position, a dull, heavy pain sits in her abdomen. Leaning over herself to investigate, it wasn¡¯t hard to see why she could be mistaken as dead. Blood heavily stained the belly of her jacket, even going so far as to seep into the nearby snow, turning it pink. Her wound also seemed to be healed, but the skin there was still incredibly tender and exposed to the elements. A brief thought is given to where the bullets might have ended up, but a similar tenderness is also felt in her back at roughly the same spot, ended her speculation. Just how long was she out for?


    Her eyes widen in shock as she recalls where the incident that left her for dead. She and Percy never really gotten along pretty much their entire lives, but...did he really hate her this much? Why? She never really done anything to him to deserve it, even going so far as to avoid him in school and at home. Even so, she still didn¡¯t wish to harm him and was genuinely trying to find a way to protect them both. The fact that he¡¯d wound her intentionally to save himself...the thought incinerated any kindness she may have had for him. She crushes her hands into fists and stands, a barely controlled rage bubbling up inside her.


    As she gets up, she immediately senses that something is fundamentally wrong. The anger seeped into her heart and held it tightly, seeming to flow away from her head. Instantly, Luna¡¯s balance weakens, causing her to waver where she stood. She takes a few quivering steps to a nearby tree and uses it as a crutch, wrapping an arm around it tightly. Luna looks down at her shins and sees nothing but a snow clotted jeans and no visible damage. The pain intensified in both of her shins, almost as if something were applying mounting pressure onto them. Unsure of what to do in this situation, Luna grabs the sore spot with her spare hand, desperately trying to diagnose the problem. Almost as soon as she laid her hands on it though, her leg shifts cleanly, bending backwards of it¡¯s own accord. The agony was unlike anything she¡¯d ever felt before. Her other leg follows suit, repositioning in the same way her first one did. She slams into the snow face first with a short and ragged breathing, her vision swimming with tears. The pain forced her into a tight fetal position, her mind trying and failing to be anything but in a state of silent panic.


    The bones in her feet legs start to stretch and crackle painfully, her ankles shifting upwards and her feet grow in width and length, bursting out of the confines of her boots like an overcooked potato. Her eyes water as she grunts in pain, gritting her teeth and keeping her breaths short to prevent herself from screaming. Her hands burn with change, her fingernails sharpening themselves to a point and turning black. Her spine heats up as it lengthens into a fifth appendage, jutting a few feet from under her jacket. The muscles in her body constrict to a painful degree, feeling as though they were ripping themselves apart. The legs of her jeans and sleeves of her jacket split wide open, exposing the bare skin to the elements. She mutters, growls and grunts incoherently as she continues to endure the strain, rolling from side to side to ease it the best she could manage.


    The young woman¡¯s head tightens down like a vice as various facial features start to rearrange themselves without her permission. She closes her eyes to help concentrate on keeping quiet, her arms clutching her sides tightly, though doing nothing to halt her convulsions. Luna¡¯s mouth and nose elongate outward, her teeth shifting to follow suit. Her ears pull up a few inches and grow in size, flattening out into erect canine ears. A wave of itchiness and nausea passes over her body as brown fur covers her in head to digitigrade toe, but her curly black hair seemed unphased by the changes.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    After all of that, the changes were a bit more subtle and the pain caused by them ebb away in slow waves. Luna gained some musculature in her arms and legs, causing the sleeves on both her sweater and her jacket to rip at the shoulder. Her upper canines elongate awkwardly out of her new lupine mouth, though none of her other teeth felt any different. She opens her eyes again now that the pressure eases off and pants in relief. She raises a hand up to her eyes, wiping away the tears she¡¯d shed, allowing her to see properly.


    She looks over her hands and at the black claws at the end of them, twisting her wrists as she inspects both sides. She reaches down to pinch at some of the fur in her palm, pulling at it between two fingertips. It doesn¡¯t give very easily, the skin underneath them stretching out to accommodate the strain. She reaches up to grasp at her ears and pulls, only to instantly draw her hand back with a loud whine of pain. Streams of worry drill themselves into her head as she waits with like breath to see if any other changes might occur as suddenly as the previous ones did. Luna¡¯s rapid breathing she¡¯d had throughout the transformation starts to slow and calm, as things seemed to settle down.


    Luna pushes herself to her feet shakily, as her new legs were uncoordinated felt as if they belonged to two separate people. She rotates her arms rapidly until she eventually stabilizes and looks down at her meaty looking feet. Despite only having the remains of her boots on them, the snow didn¡¯t feel cold at all. Gathering her courage, she takes a few steps forward, keeping her arms out to her sides for balance. She stops walking when she starts to pitch forward, grabbing ahold of a familiar tree to keep herself upright. It was then she noticed that the spot that she¡¯d been writhing in before was bare, devoid of any snow. Her clothes were still crisp and dry, previous injuries notwithstanding.


    Luna¡¯s mind starts to race as this all seemed like some sort of weird dream. What the heck did that island have to do with anything? What was that voice from before? What is this form? It seemed like a werewolf. Was it a werewolf? Fur, claws, dog-like ears...All signs seemed to point at that being the logical conclusion. It¡¯s a full moon too, isn¡¯t it? A quick glance up confirms the theory, as it still seemed uncharacteristically large in the sky.


    She pushes off from the tree and looks out into the forest and attempts to cross her arms over one another, but the stiffness of the tight fabric prevents it. Without a second thought, she reaches over to the sleeves of her jacket and grips down, pulling it and the sweater sleeves off. Her arms were bare now, and she goes back to crossing them, looking back towards the direction of the two men who had inspected her while she was playing dead.


    A wave of dread washes over her as the realization that Percy was probably going to run home and if that bear was as good at tracking like most predators were, he was going to lead it right back to Penn and Peggy. While she certainly held no love of either of her foster parents and nothing but angst for Percy, neither one of them deserved to die. She turns in the direction of the house and runs as fast as she could, her new legs seeming to make it easier to move far, far faster than she could before. She was still careful though, as sprinting this way was still new, but when she stopped focusing on her legs and just let her body handle it, it became second nature.


    When she arrived at the Oswald home, it very much looked like it did when she left, but a trail of footsteps with drops of blood confirm that at least, somehow, Percy made it home. The bear didn¡¯t seem to be anywhere nearby, but it wouldn¡¯t be hard to track him if those hunter¡¯s clothes weren¡¯t just for show. Luna apprehensively makes her way towards the front door and presses her head against it, listening in. Not hearing anything, she tries to open, only to find the door locked. Nervously and quickly, she reaches into a miraculously still intact pocket and pulls out her house key. As she opens the door and steps inside, she has a sudden thought. Why would the door be locked though? Didn¡¯t they know she was still out there?


    Walking back inside of the house after so much had happened felt strange, as did the sensation that she was undoubtedly taller than she was before. A good half a foot taller, by her judgment. She passes by the now empty living room, the television paused mid-play. The sounds of habitation came from the kitchen at the end of the hallway, with muffled voices speaking out. Luna creeps up next to the closed door and moves it slightly ajar so she could see.


    The Oswald¡¯s kitchen is a classic style of a bygone era, complete with checkerboard floors, contemporary chrome appliances and a pleasant dinner table in a nook off to the side. Luna looks over to the side and spots Percy first, sitting in a chair with a bloodied arm. His jacket was sitting on the table, ripped and torn in several places. Peggy¡¯s standing next to Percy, wrapping gauze around his wound, though judging by the running makeup and her shaking hands, this might take awhile. Penn is stomping around in another part of the kitchen, just out of her line of sight.


    ¡°I¡¯mma kill ¡®er. If she ain¡¯t dead, I¡¯mma kill her myself.¡±


    Peggy pleads while working on her son. ¡°Penn...please! Percy-kins, how do you feel? Do you need some water or something?¡±


    Percy sits quietly, his skin sheet white and staring blankly in front of him, the occasional shudder reminding himself that he was still alive.


    ¡°I shoulda known to just send her ass out there by herself. Hell, it¡¯d save me the trouble of having to toss her out.¡± Penn comments, grabbing something out of the fridge. After a second he tosses it, an ice pack hitting the table next to Percy.


    ¡°I¡¯m serious. I¡¯m not taking her to the hospital either. Like I told ¡®er. Not spending a dime. She¡¯s got no business trying to steal my boy¡¯s gun.¡±


    Peggy finally looks up from the wound and turns towards Penn. ¡°It¡¯s going to be fine, it¡¯s going to be okay, we¡¯ll just...we¡¯ll just close up the windows and lock all of the deadbolts and pretend none of this ever happened. We¡¯ll just have a pleasant Christmas. Percykins will take it easy tonight, and then tomorrow we can just have¡­¡± Peggy takes a shuddery deep breath. ¡°...a wonderful, wonderful holiday.¡±


    Percy speaks up, looking towards both of his parents. ¡°D-d-do you think...the bear will come back?¡±


    Penn snorts. ¡°Nah...it¡¯s probably muchin¡¯ on Luna right now. But to be safe, lemme call animal control real quick.¡± Penn¡¯s voice draws near. ¡°Won¡¯t take but a second.¡±


    Penn opens the door while looking back towards his family before running into Luna¡¯s furry stomach. Penn immediately recoils back in horror as he looks up towards the female werewolf, shaking quite literally in his socks. Luna¡¯s expression flattens as she watches him calmly.


    ¡°Hiya.¡±


    Penn backs up against the wall as Luna steps into the kitchen, Percy recoiling back and pushing himself to stand out of shock while Peggy shrieks in terror, knocking over the first aid kit sitting in her lap. Percy retreats behind his mother, chanting in quick tones.


    ¡°No way! No-no-no-no-no! Th-th-this can¡¯t be happening man, what the hell!¡±


    Luna crosses her arms as the family seems to completely lose itself around her, though her attention is on Penn at the moment, who had reached over to the knife rack and was fiddling with trying to draw a blade. Luna steps over towards him and puts a hand on the wall above him and grabs his other hand, staring at him straight in the face.


    ¡°...Probably munching on me right now huh?¡± Luna speaks coolly, though her thoughts were anything but.


    Penn keeps his gaze on the werewolf¡¯s face, but eventually, he spots Luna¡¯s silver moon pendant, dangling from her neck. He points towards it nervously.


    ¡°L-l-luna? Th-that¡¯s you? What...the hell happened to you?¡±


    Percy shrinks behind his mother, doing his best attempt at performing a disappearing act.


    ¡°What happened to me?¡± Said Luna as she leans up a little bit as the question is posed to her. ¡°I don¡¯t know, why don¡¯t you ask your darling precious SON what happened? I¡¯m curious, what did he tell you?¡±


    Luna turns towards Peggy, who squeaks out another shriek before she reaches back to grab Percy, shielding him from the werewolf.


    ¡°D-d-don¡¯t hurt him! P-p-please don¡¯t hurt him! He¡¯s a good boy!¡±


    ¡°DO YOU KNOW WHAT HE DID TO ME!?¡± Luna roars in response, forcing all three humans to cower. ¡°He shot me in the stomach! He shot me in the stomach and left me for DEAD! And even when I was hurt, you guys weren¡¯t even going to come look for me! You guys were going to let me bleed to death outside because you couldn¡¯t even be bothered to care, it''s even a stupid second, about anyone other than yourselves! You guys are SICK.¡±


    A clicking noise catches Luna¡¯s attention as she turns to face it. Penn has a shotgun leveled at her chest, his finger easing over the trigger. Judging by the amount of blood and the few pieces of snow that still clung to it, it was Percy¡¯s gun that he had wielded outside. Luna¡¯s eyes narrow on the weapon as her claws extend an inch or two out from her fingers.


    ¡°Put the gun down Mr. Oswald. Do you really want to make the same mistake your son made?¡±


    ¡°S-s-shut up! Shut up you monster! Y-y-you think you can just walk in here and start yelling at my family in my house like that? What kind of f-freak of nature are you? I always knew you were weird! Just some nerdy little weirdo! And now look atcha!¡±


    Penn grows bold, straightening his stance and keeping his finger over the trigger. ¡°Some big stupid werewolf looking thing! No wonder you were in the system at age two. If I¡¯d have met your mother back then, I¡¯d have told her to get an abortion and save me the trouble!¡±


    Luna snaps, bringing her hand up to the underside of the shotgun barrel, raising it up and away from her face. Penn fires the gun, sending a pair of slugs into the ceiling of the house, causing both Peggy and Percy to jump in surprise. The loud explosion of the gun stung her highly sensitive ears, but she was too angry to pay it much mind. Luna grabs the end of the barrels with her hand and squeezes them both shut with some effort. Penn quakes as he watches Luna¡¯s strength, pulling the gun away from her when she¡¯s finished with it.


    Penn backs himself into a wall his pupils shrinking as he cowers before the werewolf, his voice shriveling up in horror. But when he looked back at her, he could see tears beading in Luna¡¯s eyes as she didn¡¯t look as intimidating as she did before; she merely looked hurt, her ears sinking to the sides of her head sadly.


    ¡°How can you say that? How can any of you honestly say that to someone and still think of yourselves as good people?¡±


    Penn slowly stands back up as shame ran its course through him. Percy and Peggy also look on, sheepishly looking at each other before going quiet. An awkward moment passes as the Oswald family...didn¡¯t seem to want to look at the girl they¡¯d raised from near infancy.


    ¡°Awww...that¡¯s cute. You guys are adorable...¡± A new voice spouts arrogantly from the nearby window.

 Chapter 5: My Lucky Day

    The voice forces Luna to turn and look towards the source, only to find out that it was the bald man she saw at the clearing earlier in the night, staring in through the window. At just that moment the back door explodes open with the enthralled bear snarling its way in and the shorter of the duo walking in right after it. Percy and Peggy both back away slowly, while Penn had no choice but let the huge creature a walk right by him.


    ¡°Good evening. I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll have to pardon the intrusion but we¡¯re here on some business.¡± Dwayne says, walking up next to the bear¡¯s head and patting it softly. Austin comes in a moment later with a huge grin plastered on his face, gesturing towards Luna.


    ¡°Oooh. They¡¯ve got a Terran tainted with them. I think...I think it¡¯s that girl we saw. The dead one?¡±


    Dwayne turns to look at Luna and nods slowly. ¡°Why yes, I think you are quite right brother. Same blood. Same clothes. Same stench. Though her eyes are different. You picked a terrible night to embrace the gift, Terran.¡±


    ¡°Terran...what? What do you guys even want?¡± Luna says, stepping in front of Penn¡¯s slowly retreating form.


    Dwayne smiles smugly. ¡°Well you see, we were out doing our Master¡¯s bidding when suddenly, two children decided to lay their eyes upon things that need not be seen by the likes of filth, such as yourselves. Our new pet needed some nourishment, and while she was quite successful in maiming one of the children, the other one decided to shoot at her quite viciously.¡± He points to a few bullet wounds present in the bear¡¯s fur, though only one of them was still actively bleeding.


    Dwayne continues. ¡°And that simply won¡¯t do. We¡¯re here to extend to you wonderful chance to learn some proper manners for your betters...and clean up whatever mess we make.¡±


    Austin cracks his knuckles to accentuate the point, a flickering white and blue flame engulfing his hand.


    Penn, who had slowly been backing away all this time, finally loses his composure, panicking and darting towards the hallway door in a rush. Austin smiles and easily takes aim, tossing a basketball-sized ball of flame directly at Penn, striking him in the head. Penn screams and holds his hands up over his scalp, trying to put the fire out, but the immolation would not cease. Luna gasps as she watches Penn convulse and twist in agony, the attack hitting him mid-stride. Penn slams into the ground limply as Peggy shrieks again, holding a hand out to her fallen husband. Percy stands perfectly still as he watches the blue flames eventually die out after a few seconds, leaving his father¡¯s head surprisingly unburned. Percy thought for a moment that his dad might have survived the attack, but as soon as the flames cleared off of his face, the truth was laid bare. Penn¡¯s pupils were non-existent, leaving his eyeballs blank and featureless. His mouth hung open, and smoke poured out from between his teeth and his mouth.


    ¡°Oh my god. Oh my god! Oh my god, Penn! Sweetie, wake up!¡± Peggy cried, starting to scramble to the fallen man¡¯s side.


    Austin starts to take aim at Peggy as she rushes forward, but Luna reacts first, punching Austin directly in the face and sending the fireball flying up into the ceiling. The blue fire disperses, but in its place, a familiar orange fire starts licking at the roof of the room. Austin is sent across the kitchen, rolling to his feet and wiping a small bit of blood from his face in a practiced manner.


    ¡°Oooh...someone¡¯s got a nice jab there. Care to try that again, princess?¡±


    Dwayne turns towards his friend and shakes his head. ¡°I think I have a better idea. Get the others. I¡¯ll handle the Terran.¡±


    He leans over and whispers into the bear¡¯s ear in the same manner he had before.


    ¡°Kill Terran...Eat.¡±


    The bear reacts immediately, charging towards a surprised Luna. She saw Austin advance towards both grieving Peggy and the frozen Percy and wanted to help but the bear slams into Luna¡¯s torso, sending them both into the hallway and shattering the door between the two into splinters. Luna digs her feet into the floor and grabs the bear¡¯s head, her clawed toes tearing into the lush carpet to slow the creature. It took a significant amount of effort, but she halts the ursine, straining all of her muscles to hold the bear from pushing her through the front door. The sounds of the struggle from the kitchen were quite violent, with the sounds of a heavy tussle and the shattering of glass and ceramic.


    Unable to make any more progress, the ursine reaches down and bites Luna in the thigh, easily puncturing it and forcing a howl of pain from the werewolf. She returns the favor by savagely slashing the creature across the face and nose, which prompts it to toss Luna, back first, through a solid wall and into the living room. She keeps upright even with the bite and lands with a slide on her feet, though her back slams into the glass panel TV, shattering it beyond any recognition.


    The pain was immense coming from Luna¡¯s leg, but her adrenaline flowing through her now. The bear charges again, but this time the werewolf is ready, driving her fist forward in a right hook that picked the bear¡¯s upper body off of the ground for a moment and forcing it to slow down. The ursine takes a moment to stand up now, roaring at Luna and swiping a heavy paw towards her face. The werewolf brings her hands up to block, and whereas a few short hours ago the blow would have broken bones, here she absorbs the momentum of the attack entirely. It certainly did still hurt, but it wasn¡¯t anything she couldn¡¯t take again.


    Luna takes the opportunity to bring her fist as far back as she could and drive it home in a powerful haymaker, striking the creature in the chest. The bear rockets back, crashing through not only the wall in the living room but going across the hallway, hitting a second wall before finally stopping on a grand piano, shattering the instrument in a cacophony of mashed musical notes. Luna looks at her fist and flexes fingers, a smile creeping up on her muzzle. Her tail wags a little bit.


    ¡°This...gives me an idea.¡± She whispers to herself.


    The bear¡¯s dazed for a moment as it picks itself up and shakes off any lingering dizziness with a grunt. Looking back up towards it¡¯s marked prey, the ursine charges again but confidence surges through Luna. She charges forward, meeting the bear halfway. She grips her arms around the bear¡¯s neck and digs her feet in again, halting the charge more effectively than she did before. As soon as the momentum is canceled, she hefts the bear up over her head and then falls back, body slamming the bear into the ground, back first. The creature hits the ground so hard that the floor of the home utterly fails, the middle of it opening up and the casting the both of them and nearly all of the furniture in the room down into the basement.


    Lights flicker on and off upstairs as Luna lands hard on her back, still clutching the bear¡¯s head absentmindedly. When she turns to look at her opponent, the bear¡¯s eyes are closed, and its tongue lolled out of its mouth unconsciously. She stiffly gets up from lying prone and pushes away Penn¡¯s loveseat that had conveniently landed on her side and brushes of the debris of what was once a rather fancy television off of her lap. The smell of smoke twisted the air, even down here, as looking back up through the hole she¡¯d made saw the ceiling covered in it. She races to the stairs and rushes up them, looking back towards the kitchen where she left the group earlier. Her leg is starting to throb now, but there was little choice but to ignore it.


    Luna holds her head below the smoke cover on the ceiling as she heads into the kitchen and freezes solid at what she sees. The once quaint kitchen was in shambles, with multiple appliances shattered, the fridge dented and fire engulfing the entire top half of the room. Peggy was in the nook, in the shattered remains of her table, coughing painfully. Percy was fighting Austin to the best of his ability, but the much stronger male had very little problem handling him. Percy throws heavy blow after blow, with Austin toying with him either smacking the fist aside or dodging it outright.


    Luna steps in to try to help her sibling, but a kitchen knife cuts her off, flying right past her chest and missing stabbing her by a mere inch or two. The smaller man grunts as his sneak attack failed, having jumped the gun by mere milliseconds. The werewolf turns towards Dwayne and swings a meaty punch towards him, but the smaller man nimbly dodges to the side and switches knife hands. The male charges, swinging his knife brazenly but Luna steps into the kitchen proper and front of the kitchen cabinets. Dwayne flips the blade around in his hand expertly before coming at her, swinging his knife several times in quick succession. Luna keeps backing up from each swing, though she passes by one of cabinet doors hanging off of its hinge by an edge.


    She rips it off the hinges and brings it down in front of her, prompting Dwayne to laugh in jest.


    ¡°What are you going to do with that, use it as a shield? I¡¯ll cut right through it, you idiot!¡±


    Dwayne swings his knife in several slicing motions, making Luna physically back up for each one until her back hit a wall. No more room to retreat. Seizing this opportunity, Dwyane stabs his knife forward, aiming for the werewolf¡¯s midsection. Luna puts the cabinet door in his way and forces it forward so that his hand painfully crashes through it, filling it with splinters almost immediately.


    ¡°That was the idea, yes.¡±


    Without warning Luna spins the small door around Dwayne¡¯s wrist, filling it with even more splinters and causing a sickening *SNAP* of bone giving way. The man cries out as he drops the knife and brings his other hand to it to brace the injury, but Luna wasn''t done yet. She takes a step forward, raises her foot and plants it firmly in Dwayne¡¯s chest, kicking him hard enough that he flies out of the back door and disappears into the night, darkness enveloping him.Stolen novel; please report.


    She looks over towards Percy and Austin, the latter having the former in a devastating choke hold. Austin¡¯s focus is directly on the younger man, taunting him with a gravelly yet jesting tone.


    ¡°C¡¯mon you little punk. Is that really the best you got? God, I can¡¯t stand filth like you and your terran bitch. So...weak.¡±


    Luna steps in from behind, tapping Austin on the shoulder. Just as soon as he turns around, Luna punches him in the face a second time, forcing the man to drop the hold on Percy. He impacts the floor and slides a few feet on his butt, wiping away more blood from the hit.


    Luna flexes her fingers in return, staring at Austin¡¯s bruised face. ¡°If I¡¯m so weak, then why are you the one on the ground? Again?¡± Luna turns an eye back to her sibling. ¡°And Percy?¡±


    The aforementioned had been regaining his breath and turned towards Luna when he was called.


    ¡°Save your mom. Hurry.¡±


    Percy nods as Austin finally picks himself up and screams like a berserker, the muscles and veins in his neck bulging. He drives himself forward and starts to throw a punch towards Luna¡¯s face, but right before it hits, he switches hands and drives a fist directly into Luna¡¯s sore belly. She howls in pain as the fist strikes the weak spot, nearly bringing the werewolf to her knees. She fights through the pain as another fist catches her in the chin, lifting her off of the ground by a few inches. Austin steps forward for a strong shot to her midsection, but the Luna brings up a hand to catch the punch by the wrist and stop it just short of striking her.


    Percy runs to his mom¡¯s side as the flames engulf not only the kitchen but the entire house. The smoke was getting so thick that was reaching down to head height now. A fire-rotten wooden beam slams into the ground right next to Percy and Peggy, obscuring them from view. Percy shudders as he reaches down to grab his mother by the arms, trying desperately to get her to move.


    ¡°Mom! Mom get up! C¡¯mon, please get up!¡±


    Luna steps out to the side and swings her opponent around her, throwing Austin against an empty wall next to the back door, impacting it hard enough to put a significant dent in it, cracking multiple pieces of tile. Austin¡¯s face darkens briefly as he tries to regain his posture, looking up towards the werewolf that was now charging him. He takes the shoulder charge that sends the both of them through the side of the house and out into the backyard by several dozen feet.


    Luna lands on Austin with a heavy *WHUMPF* of impact as they hit the snow, tumbling away to get a good look at the burning home she was just in. Flames tear through nearly every inch of it now, illuminating the snowfall of the evening eerily. A major shift in the foundation of the house causes part of it to crumble and sink, with the sound of crushed glass, wood and metal piercing the air. Luna turns back to look at Austin who gets up like a man several times his age, only to see Dwayne joining his brother at his side. His broken wrist hangs limply from his right hand, the man using his left hand to draw that bloody ceremonial dagger out. He holds it high in the sky and calls out over the roar of the flames engulfing Luna¡¯s childhood home. The eyes of the small skull embedded into the hilt of the dagger glow orange with power.


    ¡°Servant to my master! Obey me through death and damnation, and smite my enemy! Heed my call!¡±


    Even through the flames, Luna could hear something roar and start to claw its way through the collapsing wreckage of the house. A dull throb of pain in her leg latches ahold of Luna¡¯s attention. The bear bite from earlier was looking quite bad now, with quite a bit of blood running down her leg and occasionally dripping into the snow, dying it pink. It was also sore as all hell, similar to her stomach¡¯s tenderness.


    The bear charges through the back of the burning house, half of its body wreathed utterly in flames. Austin¡¯s holds out his hand towards Luna and channels that blue-ish white fire back into it, throwing another bolt towards her. The werewolf pivots and runs into the forest for the second time tonight, the spirit fire hitting the tree where she was not seconds before and setting it ablaze. Fire truck sirens blare off in the distance as they close in on the remains of the Oswald home. After patting flames on the bear off, both Austin and Dwayne hop onto her back and press it forward, heading in the direction Luna went.


    Luna manages to keep a speed above walking for some time, but anytime she dared to veer too far in any one direction, the advancing sounds of a large animal walking nearby would push her away. Her hearing had come up quite a ways thanks to the transformation, able to pick up on sounds far before she could see them. She trudged through the snowy forest for what seemed like an eternity, tiptoeing over fallen logs, avoiding ice-slicked rocks and even sidestepping a few noticeable dips in the terrain. Eventually, the snow-crunching of her pursuers started to ease away, as nothing seemed to get over the sounds of her frazzled panting. The silence of the cold forest comforted her ears.


    The further she progressed, the more the pain in her leg started to become a problem, slowing her down noticeably. It didn¡¯t help that the flatness of the region began to lean into an incline, requiring more effort be spent traversing it. It isn¡¯t so steep that it had to be climbed rather than walked, but certainly a not making it any easier. The snow continues to fall as thickly as it had when she walked home, severely limiting her field of view. Luna wasn¡¯t sure how much time had passed since she¡¯d last seen her home but the sirens had stopped, and the glow of the burning home had long since left her.


    More exhausted than she thought possible, Luna finds a sturdy tree to lean her back on and slides down to sit at its base. The panting she was doing earlier starts to slow as she takes a moment to look at the wounds in her leg. After all this time the blood had at least congealed a little bit, but the blood stained her fur so darkly didn¡¯t show much sign of stopping. She also couldn¡¯t move that leg very well, the entire limb feeling numb and cold. Luna reaches towards one of her tattered sleeves, ripping off a few long strips from it and leaning over to grab her leg. She creates a makeshift bandage to help stem the blood loss. She only had a rough idea about bandage making, but it did look a lot better without her seeing what the inside of her leg looked like.


    With just that small moment rest, the hunters had caught up to her, even getting close enough to get sight upon her. Austin starts chucking multiple balls of fire at her, forcing the werewolf to get up and move quickly to avoid being hit. If it managed to kill Penn in one shot, there was little question at how deadly it was. Not seeing any other way to run, she sprints up the hill as best as she can until she hits it¡¯s crest and looks down to see a sheer cliff.


    Although the place is a fantastic vista point to see the city¡¯s skyline and the various twinkling lights that made up the power grid, the declining side of the hill is much steeper. There were a few bits of foliage dotting it, but for the most part, it was all snow and a few rocks nestled in there. It¡¯d be walkable to the sure-footed but it may as well been a purely vertical wall to Luna. A highway rests at the bottom of the slope, the slick roads being inadvisable to travel at this time of night.


    Luna turns back towards the mounted men, backing one last step towards the edge of the cliff, a stiff wind blowing into her back. Austin holds his hand out towards her with the flames still raring to go. Dwayne speaks first, his hand still clutching the splintered, bloody mess that had once been his other hand.


    ¡°Finally...there¡¯s nowhere to run terran. I will take great pleasure in hearing your screams as my brother burns your very soul to ashes.¡±


    Austin flames grow more intense as he pants with exhaustion, but that same wild grin he had at the house had reappeared. The anticipation of the kill getting the better of him as the flames continue to grow. Luna looks up towards him and his flame and takes one more step back, putting her feet on the very edge.


    ¡°Do it, brother!¡± Dwayne exclaims. ¡°Do it now!¡±


    Luna leans back as the fireball is thrown towards her, the flames managing to singe a few of her whiskers. She falls over the edge of the cliff head first and turns to face the bitter embrace of the snow cliff beneath her. The slope¡¯s angle didn¡¯t leave her falling for long as she impacts it on her back, rolling down it at a very rapid pace. The werewolf bounces off the occasional hidden rock with a bark of pain as she rolls but surprisingly the small bushes that were present were quite soft to roll over. Eventually, she starts to right herself midway down the slope and looks up to see the men and their bear watch her fall and look to be unwilling to chase her further.


    She turns back towards her rapid descent down the steep cliff, now gaining enough speed to where hitting a rock would guarantee some serious damage. Thankfully she finally hits the end of the cliff and hits the highway, though the ice-slicked road didn¡¯t do her any favors in trying to slow down. She braces herself as she slides over the highway and flies through the thin metal barrier on the edge and heads and out over the city. She sprials her arms to try to regain some semblance of balance in the air, but she¡¯s heading straight for a much lower highway.


    There was a tree she was headed towards, and if there were ever a time to want to hug a tree instead of pavement, this would have been it. Unfortunately, as she looks to the side, a Nova Corp semi-truck is speeding straight towards her, threatening to cut her off. The truck is going a little too fast for that as she hits the top of the semi-trailer and skids off of it, missing her precious tree. Once she had cleared that, there were no more highways to land on and no more land to hope for. Luna whines as nothing but the tops of buildings are rapidly approaching her with no soft landing in sight. This was going to hurt. She nervously laughs to herself as she plummets, letting the whirl of wind and snow take her to it''s final conclusion.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    A maroon SUV plows through the streets for the second time this evening, the snow being high enough now that no amount of safe driving was going to prevent sliding. Still though, the vehicle manages, mostly due to the lack of competition. Inside of the driver¡¯s seat Miguel sits, reclining back with one hand on the steering wheel, his other propped against his head. A disappointed look darkens his facial features as his mind churns over tonight¡¯s events.


    He knew that the situation that caused all of his troubles was fishy, and now he had definitive proof. Carl was a good man, a man Miguel would have gladly taken a bullet for back in the day. Hell, he was his best man for his wedding after he returned from the military. The fact that he¡¯d not only suddenly move up the ranks like that and then deny the actual story of what happened was...scary. Whoever was responsible for this had their hands around the police department¡¯s throat, only waiting for the right moment to squeeze.


    Miguel presses his foot down gently on the brakes, letting his car roll to a stop at a red light. A deep sigh escapes his lips. Not having a job meant that money was going to get really tough. He had a little bit saved up from his previous employer, but even with their help, the hospital bills were immense. Not to mention the meds and the equipment needed to keep his arm and legs in proper working order. Rent and utilities were paid up for a few months, which could possibly buy enough time until he landed some sort of stable work.


    Miguel leans his head forward to get a better look at the lengthy red light, raising a brow in annoyance. ¡°I live right around the corner, could we speed this up just a little?¡±


    He leaps back in his seat violently when a fuzzy body crashes into his car¡¯s hood and smashes it out of shape, the windshield bowing inwards to help absorb the weight. Multiple webs of spider line cracks erupt throughout the glass, rendering the bottom half of it impossible to see through. The suspension buckles for a moment, the entire car leaning forward before landing back comfortably on its wheels. The SUV¡¯s airbags explode into Miguel¡¯s body, obstructing his vision for a few seconds. The man¡¯s jaw hits the floor for a moment before he stumbles out of his car, still trying to register what in the hell just happened.


    He stands astonished at the sight of an unconscious werewolf draped over his car like a woman at an auto show. Though in this case, this is decidedly more bloody...and a lot less desirable. She was laying sideways, Her feet hanging off the left side of the car, while her head dangles off from the right. Miguel hesitantly reaches down with two fingers from his right hand to press against Luna¡¯s jugular. A pulse is present but beats somewhat weakly. He raises the same hand to his face, palming it and massaging his features in aggravation.


    Miguel looks around from side to side for any kind of explanation, but there was no easy one. Nobody seemed to be around, there was nothing overhead, and for all intents and purposes, this was just a really early Christmas morning. He starts to gingerly move the monster lady off of his car until he realized that she seemed to be hurt. The poorly wrapped bandage on her leg was starting to fall off, and blood began to seep out of her wound. Miguel also spots some blood on her shirt and starts to assume the worst, but she doesn¡¯t seem to have any around her mouth and only a very minimal amount around her claws. An extremely ginger finger reaches up to Luna¡¯s elongated canines and pushes up her lip. Her teeth were in nearly perfect condition; no blood there either.


    Miguel ponders internally. With only the only blood on her being from her wounded leg and a tiny bit on one of her hands and none on her mouth, it was safe to assume that she hadn¡¯t been biting or eating anyone recently. Even so, she was still a werewolf, straight out of some sort of monster movie. What was she doing? What would she be like when she wakes up? Hell, she might not even wake up if she continues to bleed like this. And who knows what might happen if she¡¯s just slung to the ground for the next random joe to find? They could and likely would kill her...or maybe even build a media circus around it.


    Miguel gives a heavy sigh and reaches forward to scoop the unconscious Luna off of his car.


    ¡°What a strange place to find a box of free puppies. Ugh, twist my arm why don¡¯t you? If you were a cat though, I¡¯d pass you right on by.¡±


    Miguel carries her around to the back of his car and pops the back door, laying the werewolf down within it. He takes a moment to wrap her tightly in a wool blanket for warmth and closes the back of his car up. After a failed attempt at restarting his car, Miguel sighs and digs his feet into the snow, pushing his car down the road.


    ¡°...My lucky day.¡±

 Chapter 6: Life goes on

    Luna awakens to the sounds of soft jazz playing nearby, fluttering her eyes to adjust to the dim lights of the room. The queen-sized bed she was resting on is comfortable enough, but when she tried to move, she seemed unable to. Looking down, Luna soon discovered why; a small series of ropes kept her bound to the bed.  Pulling at them didn¡¯t entice the bindings to loosen much; the knots were very well made. Her wounds had all been cleaned and bandaged, though she was still wearing the tattered remains of her jeans and jacket from the other night.


    Unable to move, Luna looks up towards the room at large. It¡¯s very clearly someone¡¯s bedroom,  with a nightstand next to the bed, a closet and a glass panel TV hanging on the white wall. The room also had the feeling of only recently being occupied, as multiple labeled cardboard boxes were strewn around haphazardly. In the corner sits a desk with a cheap laptop computer resting on it, it¡¯s screen showing the main page for a Zillion email account. Next to that appears to be some kind of battery charging station with multiple six inch long, rectangular batteries. The setting sun casts a soft orange glow into the room, it being the only light available. Wherever Luna was, it¡¯s high off of the ground, judging by the multiple rooftops could be seen through the window.


    ¡°Look who¡¯s finally awake...Any longer and I was going to call the vet...or the doctor. Both maybe?¡±


    Miguel strides casually into the room, carrying a can of beer in one hand. The man is clearly at home, judging by his clothing. He¡¯s wearing a sleeveless white T-shirt and a pair of army camo slacks. A gun holster hangs off the side of his waist, Luna recognizing the gun as magnum popular culture. Miguel grabs a chair from out of Luna¡¯s line of sight and drags it over to her, flipping it around and sitting in it with the backrest against his chest. He sets the beer on the nearby nightstand and slides his hand over to his holster. Luna¡¯s eyes focus upon him, forcing herself to be as alert as she could manage, her heart ready to leap out of her chest.


    He speaks calmly. ¡°First thing¡¯s first wolf girl...Can you talk?¡±


    ¡°Y-yes. I can.¡±  Luna states plainly.


    Miguel¡¯s eyebrows raise at the clarity of the voice. ¡°Huh. Interesting. So here¡¯s how this is going to work.¡± He reaches over towards his beer with a hand, cracking it open.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to do a bit of Q&A. I¡¯m asking. If at any point, you start showing off those pearly whites or start trying to break those bonds, my dear ol¡¯ friend here...¡± Miguel¡¯s free hand pats his gun holster for emphasis. ¡°Is going to have a word with you. If you be good, I send you back to whatever hole you came from, and I never see you again. Is that clear?¡±


    Luna nods rapidly.


    ¡°Excellent,¡± Miguel says, taking a few swallows of his beer before setting it back down on the nightstand and clearing his throat.


    ¡°First thing¡¯s first. What are you, some kind of science experiment? Or are we talking about you legit monster movie here?¡±


    Luna shrugs her shoulders, looking worriedly between the casual man and his ¡®friend.''


    ¡°I-I¡¯m not from a lab or anything like that. It just...it just sort of happened..¡±


    Miguel takes another sip of beer. ¡°Supernatural stuff huh? Are there more like you?¡±


    Luna shrugs again.


    ¡°I...don¡¯t know? Maybe?¡±


    Miguel raises an eyebrow towards her. ¡°Gonna change back? Isn¡¯t that how werewolves work?¡±


    Luna gulps quietly. ¡°I...don¡¯t know how. If it¡¯s been a few days...maybe it doesn¡¯t turn off?¡±


    Miguel taps his gun holster contemplatively.


    ¡°That sounds fun. You know, you were chewed up pretty bad when I found you. Nasty bumps, some scratches and one hell of a hickey your leg.  Who¡¯d you piss off?¡±


    Luna¡¯s lupine ears slowly lower as she huffs out a depressed sigh.


    ¡°A...few people. My...family.¡±


    Luna¡¯s heart skips a beat as Miguel¡¯s gun-hand starts to move, but relaxes only slightly when it comes to join his other at the top of the chair rest. He leans forward in his chair, raising a brow towards her. ¡°Come again?¡±


    Luna¡¯s voice remains downcast. ¡°My step-brother...he... he shot me. He was trying to kill me. We¡¯ve never really gotten along but for him to do this...¡±


    Miguel¡¯s leg twitches. ¡°Oh. Ah...so then where do you live?¡±


    ¡°...Nowhere.¡±


    ¡°Any chance you could go back and patch it up? Maybe get mom or dad to help you out?¡±


    Luna looks up towards Miguel, frowning a little bit. ¡°No. They¡¯re all stupid, terrible, awful people. They tried to kill me not once, but twice. The second time was his dad. Would YOU try to go back and ¡®talk it out¡¯?¡±


    Miguel chuckles breathlessly. ¡°I suppose you¡¯ve got a point there.¡±


    Luna sighs at him, shaking her head. ¡°Not that I could anyway. I think..they died. There...was a fire and I know one of them didn¡¯t get out for sure.¡±


    Miguel raises a slow brow towards her. ¡°...Did you set the fi-¡±


    ¡°Of course not!¡± Luna snaps, showing a few her teeth. ¡°I don¡¯t like them, but I wouldn¡¯t try to kill them, what kind of crazy person do you take me for!?¡±


    Miguel nods slowly and lets the girl calm down for a moment, taking another sip of his beer and resuming his calm tone.


    ¡°So this whole wolf suit thing...it¡¯s new?¡±


    Luna nods quickly, still feeling quite tense. ¡°Y-yeah. I think it saved my life when I got shot the first time.¡±


    ¡°Yeah...I was kind of curious as to why you weren¡¯t a corpse on that one. But hey, I¡¯ve seen people survive shit they had no business to, including yours truly. By any chance, have you heard the name Benny Scardino before, have you?¡±


    Luna shakes her head. ¡°Never heard that name before in my life.¡±


    Miguel sighs, reaching for his beer and downing the rest of it in a few gulps. ¡°Figures.¡±


    Luna lets him finish his drink before speaking again.¡°Hey, can I ask you a few questions now?¡±


    Miguel scratches at the side of his newly growing beard. ¡°Fair¡¯s fair. If I don¡¯t like a question though, I¡¯m not answering it.¡±


    ¡°Where am I and what day is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s December 26th, 2059. You were pretty much half dead when I found you. So I decided I¡¯d do you a favor and patch you up. Merry Christmas. As far as where you are, you are in mi casa at Cypress Hill Apartments. More specifically, my bedroom. I had to find a place to keep you in case it turned out that you weren¡¯t a very hospitable guest.¡±


    Luna looks down at the belts and ropes keeping her still and sighs, looking away from Miguel.


    ¡°Yeah...I can¡¯t say I blame you for that one. If I met someone who looked like me, I can¡¯t say I¡¯d trust them straight off either. I¡¯m...a monster now.¡±


    Miguel reaches forward and gently pats her on the shoulder. ¡°Look on the bright side wolf girl. You tanked some pretty nasty stuff. And you are still in one piece. That¡¯s gotta count for something.¡±


    Luna sighs and turns away from Miguel for a quiet moment of contemplation. Tears begin to form in the corners of her eyes as her ears flatten against her head. Miguel, noticing this, rubs a hand over the back of his neck sheepishly, turning away. After an awkward silence, he coughs to clear his throat and leans a little further forward on his chair¡¯s rest.


    ¡°Hey uh...listen kid...how...how about we start over? Look.¡±


    He undoes the holster around his midsection and holds it out to his side, letting it dangle just long enough for Luna to turn back around towards him and see that he was setting it on the floor next to him.


    ¡°See? No more gun.  Now you have nothing to worry about. You are safe here. You...you can talk to me okay? Let¡¯s start with something simple. My name is Miguel Morales. What¡¯s yours?¡±


    Luna looks up towards his eyes, blinking away the welling tears. ¡°Luna Oswald.¡±


    ¡°And how old are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m...I¡¯m eighteen. M-m-my birthday¡¯s on Halloween.¡±


    Miguel pauses for a moment of reflection before continuing, taking a deep breath before he speaks again. His tone is conversationally soft and warm.


    ¡°Luna...I don¡¯t need all of the details right now. We can talk about that stuff when you are ready. But for right now...how about I untie you, get some new clothes on you and talk over dinner? Would that be good?¡±


    Luna considers and agrees, nodding her head slowly, her lips trembling like she wanted to say something more. Miguel leans over her and stands, pulling apart the various belts and ropes that kept her restrained. Once they were out of the way, he reaches down with a helping hand. She accepts, pulling herself upright and into a slightly unbalanced standing position. She wheels her arms around until she manages to get her balance, smiling weakly up towards Miguel, who rests a hand underneath her elbow, ready to brace her in case she fell.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Now steady, she leans forward and wraps her hands around Miguel, who takes a deep breath of suspense in retaliation, only to find that he¡¯d been drawn into a deep hug. He slowly collapses his hands over her back, patting it a few times and holding her close. Luna sniffles deeply, reverberating against Miguel¡¯s chest, trying to hold the tears in.


    ¡°Sh-sh-sh-sh. It¡¯s okay. You can let it out. I¡¯ll be here.¡±


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    The sounds of a hurried dinner didn¡¯t escape Luna¡¯s ears; Miguel¡¯s apartment was small enough that she could hear everything he did...as well as several neighbors. The abode is separated into 4 rooms; a bathroom, bedroom, living room and a kitchen, all linked by a hallway that runs through or adjacent to each one. The moving boxes that were present in the bedroom were also in the other rooms, stacked up in various corners. The soft carpet present in all of the rooms minus the bathroom and kitchen were quite pleasant, a far cry from the cement floors in the basement of the Oswald home.


    Luna¡¯s rests in the bathroom, getting a good look at herself for the first time since Christmas eve, and while her appearance certainly is monstrous, she didn¡¯t look as bad as others made her out to be. Her curly hair is still intact for the most part, and her face is still expressive, but her upper canines are long enough to stick out of her mouth at all times, like a saber-toothed cat. With the short amount of time she¡¯s had them, they didn¡¯t even seem to bother her in the slightest. Even odder, her eye color seems to have changed, from their normal brown to a lavender-like purple. She runs a finger over the edge of her canines, finding them to be sharp to the touch.


    She steps out of the bathroom, freshly clad in a loose white t-shirt and grey sweatpants that had a hole cut out of them specifically for her tail.  The sun slips behind the horizon, blanketing the city in a familiar darkness. She makes her way to the kitchen, passing a polite wave towards Miguel. He gives her a friendly nod in response, grabbing a spatula to flip over his grilled cheese sandwiches. The process smelled heavenly to Luna, who wanders closer to him, nose sniffing up a storm towards the sizzling goodness.


    ¡°Smells good huh?¡± Miguel opens a nearby tub of butter, scraping off a bit of it with a spoon and throwing it in the heated pan. ¡° It¡¯s my mother¡¯s recipe. Go ahead and take a seat, I¡¯ll plate em for you in a sec.¡±


    Following directions, Luna turns to look towards the table in question to find two bowls of tomato soup. She slides into a drawn out chair, pulling herself up to the table. A quick look towards the corner trash can confirmed the canned origin of the stew. Still, it smelled quite good and Luna brings her hand down towards a provided spoon, staring at it for a moment before dipping it into her bowl.


    ¡°Thank you Mr. Morales.¡± Said Luna in a somber tone. ¡°Thank you...for everything.¡± Her spoon swirls the soup in a slow rotation.


    Miguel turns his head just far enough to see Luna¡¯s saddened facial expression and brings down two plates from the cabinets. He shrugs as he pulls off the sandwiches and grabs a well-placed kitchen knife. ¡°Don''t mention it kiddo.¡±


    He slices the four sandwiches into eight and splits them onto both of the plates evenly. He sets down the food in front of the werewolf and takes his share onto the opposite side of the table, getting seated himself. Luna barely reacted to the presence of her food, looking up at it for a second and then going back to staring at the spoon swirling in her soup.


    ¡°I meant to ask before but didn¡¯t get around to it¡­¡± Miguel says, dipping a corner of his grilled cheese into his soup. ¡°How are you feeling? I mean...physically? Tired? Sore?¡±


    Luna snaps from her sorrows and looks up at him, placing an elbow on the table to prop up the side of her face. ¡°Oh...kind of...both. I mean...It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve not been in danger since I turned into this so...I¡¯m kind of still feeling it out. You know?¡±


    Miguel takes a hearty bite of his sandwich, clearing his throat before speaking again. ¡°I fixed you up pretty good then. Even stranger is that, after I scraped you off of my car and saw how much you were bleeding, I thought for sure you¡¯d be dead but-¡±


    Luna¡¯s eyes widen in surprise, nearly dropping her spoon. ¡°Scraped¡­ off your car? What? How? What¡¯d I do?¡±


    ¡°You landed on it from the overpass not too far from here. Practically knocked out the engine block. I had to grab some towels from in the back, wrap you up and push it and the car all the way back here. I got a hell of a workout in, to say the least.¡±


    ¡°Oh my god.¡± Luna rests her head in her hand again, running it over her forehead, massaging it. ¡°I had...wow. That¡¯s gonna be a really expensive repair. I¡¯m sorry about that. Holy cow.¡±


    Miguel snickers at her, letting another corner of the grilled cheese soak up the soup. ¡°Oh don¡¯t you worry about that. You¡¯ll be paying me back for it soon enough. But for now, eat. You¡¯ve been healing way faster than anybody I¡¯ve ever seen, but I¡¯m pretty sure you still need food like everyone else.¡±


    Luna smiles weakly towards him and begins to eat, raising the grilled cheese to her mouth and nibbling at it ineffectively. She then attempts to push more of the sandwich into her mouth, but the large canines block her path. Finally, she opens her mouth as wide as possible and crams it in messily, sending out a cascade of crumbs dancing across the plate and the table both. She chases it down with several spoonfuls of soup. As to be expected, the food is quite good, tantalizingly so. She starts stuffing more and more of the grilled cheese into her maw, it disappearing as fast as she could get it in there. The spoon is abandoned for a more direct muzzle-to-bowl action, upturning it so that the contents of said bowl could pour directly into her throat.


    In a matter of a dozen or so seconds, the last of her food had been messily devoured, her tongue cleaning off the last remnants in a wide sweep around her muzzle. Miguel, who¡¯d witnessed this from start to finish, sits wide-eyed, simultaneously impressed and intimidated by the whole event. He slowly reaches down to his plate and slides it over towards her slowly. He jerks his hand back as she starts wolfing down his share.


    Miguel smiles towards her and dips his spoon down in his soup. ¡°So I take it you are a fan of my madre¡¯s recipe?¡±


    Luna looks up towards him, her cheeks bulging with food and nods rapidly.


    ¡°Excellent. I¡¯d offer to make you a little bit more but I¡¯m afraid you caught my pantry at a bad time.¡±


    Luna swallows her food in one large gulp, setting her empty bowl on top of her plate. ¡°Did I eat too much or something?¡±


    Miguel stands up, collecting her dishware and his own and moves them to the sink, drinking his soup before setting them down.


    ¡°No...I get the feeling you probably eat like a horse anyway, but  I haven¡¯t been grocery shopping in about...five years.¡± Miguel shakes his head dismissively. ¡°I bet milk is like, double the damn price now. Anyway, I should probably get that stuff done. If I get lucky, I¡¯ll pick up some decent stuff on sale.¡±


    Luna folds her clawed hands over each other, her ears standing at attention on her head. ¡°Oh...can I come?¡±


    ¡°What..?¡± Miguel turns to look at her, grabbing his car keys off of a nearby key rack. ¡°Absolutely not.


    Luna¡¯s ears sink to the sides of her head. ¡°Aww come on, why not?¡±


    Miguel raises a brow towards her and gestures towards her with an open palm. ¡°Come on...do I really need to spell this out? Really kid?¡±


    ¡°Well I didn¡¯t say I¡¯d walk out in the streets or anything like that. I¡¯ll just stay in the car.¡± Luna points towards the twilight skies of a nearby window. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s getting dark now. Nobody will see anything. Besides, what¡¯s the worst that could happen?¡±


    ¡°As a former police officer and army vet, I think I¡¯m qualified to say; everything. Everything can happen.¡± Miguel says in a frustrated tone, pinching his eyes shut.


    ¡°Pleeeeeeease?¡± Luna presses her hands together in a praying motion, leaning a little closer to him with a begging smile.


    Miguel sighs as he rolls his eyes, his hand coming up to his face to smear his facial features for a moment. He taps his foot for a few seconds before shrugging. ¡°Madre-mia. Fine. You can go.¡±


    Luna¡¯s ears perk up energetically, her tail waving of it¡¯s own accord. ¡°Really? That sounds awe-¡±


    Miguel leans down and quickly and presses two of his middle fingers directly into Luna¡¯s nostrils, plugging them up and instantly getting her attention.


    ¡°But-¡± He says in a cool voice. ¡°-we get you a hoodie and some baggy clothes. My car has a nice tint to it, but you do nothing, you say nothing and you touch nothing. The last thing we need is somebody making a big deal out of you. Got that?¡±


    Luna nods her head quickly in response. Satisfied with that answer, he pulls his fingers back out of her nose and notes the slickness that had bathed them. He grumbles as he wipes them off on the side of his pants, shooting the werewolf a look of mild disdain. Luna grins back towards him, a wide smile creeping up on her muzzle.


    ¡°Good god kid...you are going to give me cavities.¡±


    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


    It took some time and some digging, but Miguel managed to find Luna something to wear. A grey hoodie that had been taking up space in his closet and a pair of old jeans. Using the cover of night, they snuck out of Miguel¡¯s apartment and into his car without raising an alarm. The snow from the days past had been appropriately disposed of, leaving the streets cleaned and lightly salted. It¡¯d grown late enough for the street lights to be on, but the evening traffic hadn¡¯t quite settled down into the late night quietness.


    Luna sits in the passenger seat, looking around the city from the view in the car, careful not to get too close to on window. Miguel¡¯s driving with one hand on the steering wheel confidently, though shooting nearby cars a glance to see if anyone was behaving oddly. So far, nobody had seemed to notice his unusual passenger.


    ¡°So¡­¡± Luna began, turning to look at Miguel favorably. ¡°So...what do you do for a living?¡±


    Miguel sidelines a glance towards the werewolf. "I was a field medic in the army and I''m also a former police officer."


    ¡°...Former?¡±


    ¡°Uh...yeah. Well, the police officer part anyway. You could say I¡¯m between jobs.¡±


    ¡°Can I ask why? Did you get fired or something?¡± Luna leans in slightly, growing curious.


    ¡°Eh...you could say that the boss and I had some disagreements, and I left. To be honest, it was a long time coming, and I needed to get some stuff off of my chest. He and I just didn¡¯t see eye to eye, if you get what I mean.¡±


    Luna nods a few times and settles back in her seat, watching the various street lights go by. The car goes comfortably quiet for a few blocks before the conversation picks up again.


    ¡°I know it¡¯s really early to be asking this kind of question, but...you are okay with me staying with you...right? I don¡¯t want to be a burden or anything, especially since you don¡¯t have a job.¡±


    Miguel¡¯s car rolls up to a stop light, sliding to a halt. He turns to look at her, his passive expression unchanged from when he was driving. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t worry about it. I have a decent amount of money saved up, but only for a little while. Besides, there¡¯s some stuff I need to do before I go about worrying about getting a new job.¡±


    ¡°Oh...well that¡¯s good I guess. I know I¡¯ve cost you a lot of money already and I just don¡¯t want to make it any worse than it already is.¡±


    Miguel smirks as he presses his foot down, accelerating the car back up to normal street driving speeds. ¡°Outside of finding a mechanic who would work on Christmas Day, it wasn¡¯t too bad. You leave the money thing to me for now. When you can help, I¡¯ll let you know though honestly unless you know of a costume shop, you are gonna have a pretty hard time getting a job. I mean..like what? Werewolf Barista? Could you do that?


    Miguel turns to look at Luna, a sarcastic smile pulled onto his lips. Luna looks less than pleased, her expression flat and unamused. Miguel snickers and recenters his eyes back towards the road, pulling an even right turn into a fairly unpopulated grocery store parking lot.


    ¡°Nah, probably not. I mean, they don¡¯t make full body hair-nets, do they?¡± He pulls on the parking brake and turns off the car, wrenching the keys out of the ignition. Luna folds her arms defensively and leans her head back, tilting a good-natured side-eye towards her friend.


    ¡°Oh, we¡¯ve got jokes, do we?¡±


    Miguel pushes himself out of his car, turning back to respond to the werewolf. ¡°You¡¯d be surprised how often you need a sense of humor to get through both of my former lines of work. Seriously though, don¡¯t blow your cover in there. I know what I need to get so I won¡¯t be long. Stay. Put. I mean it.¡± He points a commanding finger towards her before shutting the car door, walking around the car to head towards the grocery store. It wasn¡¯t too long before he was gone altogether, the flooding lights from the door of ¡°All-Mart¡± guiding him in.


    The rest of the parking lot wasn¡¯t terribly interesting, though there were several aesthetically pleasing trees planted around the outer edges. Miguel had parked his car at the very back, which left her with a nice view of the street and its traffic, as well as the infrequent pedestrian. The werewolf reclines in the car, leaning the seat back and staring out towards the street to collect her thoughts.


    Just like Miguel, Luna had quite a few questions about her new form, most of which she just flat out didn¡¯t know the answer to. She frequented the internet quite a bit and liked to look up stories of the occult and weird, but nowhere was there a mention like this. Was this a temporary change? The moon was full when she was still living at the Oswalds, but those only last so long, and she continued to feel fine. And the sun didn¡¯t dictate her changes either, as she remained fuzzy the whole day or so she was unconscious. Conventional wisdom about werewolves she¡¯d picked up from popular media didn¡¯t seem to be holding to her, so it¡¯s entirely possible that she actually might be something else entirely.


    But clearly, she was something like that, because she should have died when Percy shot her, not to mention the fall off the mountain and the fall off of the overpass. Despite all of that, the only thing that remained a physical reminder of those events is some soreness around her midsection. Luna¡¯s hand wanders underneath her hoodie, pressing a clawed hand towards the tender area. The bandages around her abdomen were nice and tight, to the point of it feeling like she almost had on an odd undershirt underneath everything.


    As she pulls her hand back to rest in her lap, a rather large man wearing a thick black trench coat passes alarmingly close to the car. He looked to be an older, rounder gentleman with a newsboy cap covering his head. Even though the windows were rolled up, a strong smell wafted into the car, instantly catching her attention. In the man¡¯s hand looked to be a hot dog, likely purchased from some sort of street vendor nearby and supported by a foil tray.


    Even without being able to see it, her nose instantly locked identified the condiments graciously drizzled upon it. It was mouthwatering, even from his rapidly retreating form. Luna presses her nose up against the windshield as the man stops for a second to take a bite out of his snack, oblivious to her presence. What she wouldn¡¯t give to have one of those right now...but even if she wanted to, she didn¡¯t have any money on her. An unfamiliar, guttural voice suddenly speaks out clearly, almost as if it was right next to her.


    ~¡±Take it.¡±~


    She perks up immediately, standing upright in her seat and searching for the sound of the voice. That...didn¡¯t sound like her consciousness, and it certainly wasn¡¯t something she¡¯d actually go and do. The voice speaks up again, even louder than before.


    ~¡±TAKE IT. He is not worthy.¡±~


    Luna blinks hard, raising a hand to her chest to press her back against the seat. The voice sounded...rough. And spoke to her in a way that immediately interrupted her own thoughts.  Unsure of her other options, she quiets her mind to address this new voice.


    ~¡±Who are you? What are you doing in my head? Is this...telepathy?¡±~


    Her skin prickles with tenseness, almost of it¡¯s own accord. The voice didn¡¯t seem to answer her, going quiet for as long as it took for her to casually notice the man still eating his hot dog. The smell wafts over her nose again.


    ~¡±He is weak. Take his food. TAKE IT. Steal it! Quickly!¡±~


    Luna¡¯s hand finds itself at the car door¡¯s handle, her finger hovering over the unlock key. She forcefully pulls her hand away, though nervousness begins to unsettle her. Who was this? What was going on? The gruff voice returns, tearing it¡¯s way back into her consciousness.


    ~¡±STEAL HIS FOOD. THERE IS STILL TIME. FIGHT HIM. BEAT HIM. HE IS WEAK.¡±


    Her mouth waters of it¡¯s own will, as her lips pull back to reveal the full extent of those sharp teeth. Her hand moves over towards the unlock button, her finger starting to click down upon it when the smell vanishes from the air. The man finishes his hot dog and balls up the foil tray afterward, tossing it on the ground next to him. He shoves his hands back into his pockets and turns to walk away.


    Luna relaxes considerably when the man finally leaves, though her eyes were wide with worry. Without the smell, the voice, whatever it was, didn''t return. A few tense moments pass as she listens for it, but with no success. Just as soon as the man was out of sight, the locks on the vehicle make a loud clicking sound. Luna double checks her hand, finding them both in her lap where they belong.


    Just then, the sounds of a shopping cart close in on the car, the hard wheels rattling jankily against the frozen concrete. The SUV¡¯s rear door pops open, and Miguel soon appears, with a cart completely full of grocery. Luna turns to look at him plainly, though her tail couldn¡¯t help but wag slowly against the chair.


    Miguel begins shoveling in the plastic bags, offering a wave towards Luna. ¡°Told you that wouldn¡¯t take long. Didn¡¯t miss me did you?¡±


    Luna blinks away a tear, wiping the excess off with her finger.


    ¡°Maybe a little.¡±

 Chapter 7: Done My Way

    The next few days of recovery were terribly dull for Luna.  She¡¯d been kicked off of Miguel¡¯s comfortable bed and sent to the couch in the living room, the computer was off limits while he was ¡®working¡¯ (which was all the time), and television was as boring as it ever was. Even the pleasure of Miguel¡¯s company was missed, because anytime he seemed to be coming in, he was grabbing something and immediately departing again.


    The night¡¯s hours were in the double digits as Luna sprawls out on the couch, her head turned towards the razor thin television. It wasn¡¯t as nice as the one back at home, but it was plenty big enough and was made of a material that wouldn¡¯t likely shatter on impact. All of the lights were off, letting the glow of the entertainment screen illuminate the apartment¡¯s living room. Luna had it set to a local channel as there didn¡¯t seem to be any extended programming available. Just before the next show started, Luna heard the telltale signs of Miguel returning home, the sound of his cybernetics and his shoes being easy to pick up on.


    The door opens as Miguel steps into his home, Luna instantly improving her posture and turning to look back at him, her tail wagging subconsciously. Miguel seems quite pleased with himself, a grin forming over his mouth as he seems to be muttering in tones too quiet for Luna to hear.  A small silver briefcase dangles from one of his hands, one that she¡¯s never seen before and looked expensive. Luna starts to speak up as he approaches but Miguel passes right on past her, seemingly not even recognizing that she was there. He heads into the kitchen table and clicks on the light, opening up the briefcase with two clicks from the latches.


    ¡°Kenneth Dragon, you wonderful, wonderful man.  Oooh-ho-ho-ho look at these¡­they¡¯re perfect!¡±


    Her curiosity piqued, Luna rises from the couch and starts to creep up  behind Miguel, turning her head around him to look at the contents of the case. Soft black foam lines the contents of the case but she couldn¡¯t determine anymore than that before Miguel slams the case shut. He turns to look towards the werewolf with suspicion.


    ¡°Is there something I can help you with?¡±


    Luna¡¯s ears lower a little bit as she looks upon her friend. ¡°Uhm...well I was wondering  what you were so happy about. What¡¯s in the briefcase? Can I see?¡±


    Miguel¡¯s pleased mood vanishes entirely, replaced by a grim expression and a reigned in tone.


    ¡°It...it doesn¡¯t concern you. They¡¯re...they¡¯re tools. For tonight.¡±


    Luna¡¯s ears heighten. ¡°What¡¯s going on tonight?¡±


    Miguel tenses up and leans backwards a little bit from the werewolf, seemingly unwilling to answer.


    Luna speaks again in a flat voice. ¡°Mr. Morales...what¡¯s going on tonight that¡¯s so important that you won¡¯t tell me or show me the ¡®tools¡¯ you picked up?¡±


    More silence.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been gone in and out all the time and you won¡¯t tell me where you are going and the three seconds you are home, you just go onto the computer. I mean, I did that too all the time at...the other place but I was just playing video games. What are you doing?¡±


    Miguel squeezes his eyes shut to avoid looking into Luna¡¯s inquisitive ones, but eventually he takes a deep breath and exhales.


    ¡°I finally...finally have a lead. After all of these years.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what? Lead? On what?¡±


    ¡°On the bastard that killed my family.¡±


    Luna goes quiet, lowering her eyes in sympathy. Miguel steps to the side and opens the briefcase, letting the werewolf see inside. Inside of the case was a multitude of gear, each one neatly arranged within it. The bulletproof vest was the most noticeable thing, with it taking up the most room. There were also four spheres Luna guessed were grenades of some variety, judging by the size. She turns to look up at him raised ears.


    ¡°So...what, are you planning on going to go...get him?¡±


    Miguel takes out the vest and a pulls off his coat, laying it on the table next to the briefcase. He starts sliding the vest on over his head.


    ¡°Eventually, when I force him out of hiding. The reason why I¡¯ve been in and out of the house so much is because, unlike the movies, good detective work is from putting in the time and putting your feet to the ground. And that¡¯s exactly what I¡¯ve been doing.¡±


    He takes out the grenades and holds them split between both hands before gesturing that she follow him, which she does. The two head back into Miguel¡¯s bedroom, which looked quite neat as compared to when she woke up in it. He goes to his closet and pulls out another, much larger briefcase and opens it up, looking over the contents.


    ¡°I¡¯ve had a contact from a long, long time ago. Mick the Rat. Little fat son of a gun. More now than he had been before in those days. Managed to help him out of a sticky situation that would have had him dead.¡±


    Miguel slips on two shoulder-strapped gun holsters, one over each arm and tightening them down. A closer eye proved that they were very similar in design, but one was larger than the other.


    ¡°Point of the story is, I helped him out but at the cost of becoming an informant. He helps oversee the books down at the docks. You know, who¡¯s coming and who¡¯s going? That kind of deal. Real handy in case some trash starts flowing in, people or otherwise.¡±


    Miguel pulls out his magnum and inspects it for a moment before sliding it into the larger holster.


    ¡°I sent him a picture of the man I¡¯m looking for. One Benny Scardino. Big time gangster in this town for years, decades even. Always one step ahead of the law with an alibi in his pocket and good lawyers at his back.¡±


    Luna recognizes the name from the conversation they had when she woke up.


    ¡°Scardino? That¡¯s the guy you asked me about right? Why would you ask me about him?¡±


    Miguel sighs and slips his 9mm pistol into the smaller holster.


    ¡°Because...those guys..Scar...he¡¯s not human. I don¡¯t know what the hell he is, but him and his cronies move faster than humans and can eat bullets like candy. I figured one freak might know another...no offense.¡±


    Luna rolls her eyes. ¡°Right.¡±


    Miguel shrugs in self defense. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m just telling you what I thought when I asked you that. It¡¯s not how I feel about it anymore.¡±


    He reaches back over towards his closet and grabs a dark blue jacket that looked fairly inconspicuous. Miguel slides it on with ease but upon opening the inside of the garment revealed a number of pockets and loops made for concealing weapons. He starts sliding the grenades in first, using the little clip on each one to secure them.


    ¡°Mick¡¯s been keeping his eyes on the lookout for Scar and after a few years, he finally found his ass.  He makes appearances only at night and near the warehouse owned by Vyers Shipping Company. Funny thing is that no matter how hard I look, nobody seems to know anything about this company. They don¡¯t have a website, a physical address, a phone number, nothin. It¡¯s like it doesn¡¯t exist.¡±


    Miguel graduates to sliding in a clip of ammunition for both guns in either side of his jacket. Luna speaks up now, holding up a questioning finger.


    ¡°So..uh...what...are you going to go down there and do exactly? Blow everyone up?¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Miguel puts on a belt that has a knife holster in it and turns shrugs lightly.


    ¡°If I have to I guess. I plan on going down and finding out what it is they do and what it is they ship. If I find contraband...well, it¡¯s why I brought explosives. So in short?¡±


    Miguel pulls out a rather large combat knife from the case and shuts it.  He sheathes it in the side holster.


    ¡°Detective work.¡±


    Luna blinks as the entire conversation seemed to have been properly downloaded and she shakes her head profusely. ¡°Wai-wai-wait what!? H-hang on, that sounds super risky! Won¡¯t those places have like, cameras or something?¡±


    ¡°Weirdly¡­¡± Miguel says, closing up his jacket. ¡°...that one doesn¡¯t have any cameras in it. Didn¡¯t want them.¡±


    ¡°What about innocents?¡±


    Miguel frowns as the werewolf doubts him. ¡°Nobody at that warehouse is innocent.¡±


    ¡°What about calling the police or something?  There has to be people to take care of this!¡±


    Miguel¡¯s voice grows cold. ¡°Don¡¯t you get it kid? I quit the force because they covered up the whole damn thing. Apparently getting grazed by a few bullets in the arm requires getting Cybernetics in my legs, according to them. They¡¯re corrupt. I tried doing this the right way. And now I¡¯m doing this my way.¡±


    Luna panics as Miguel pushes past her and starts to leave. Looking down at her fuzzy self, she gathers her wits and calls out after him.


    ¡°Let me come! I can help!¡±


    Miguel turns a side long glance towards her and speaks very firmly.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°But why? It really sounds like you could use it!¡±


    Miguel enters the living room and steps towards the door.


    ¡°This is my fight kid. Just mine. Not yours.¡±


    Luna enters the  living room after him, her voice growing increasingly more worried. ¡°That¡¯s just the thing though, I don¡¯t want you getting hurt either. You helped me. You...saved me. What happens if you die down there?¡±


    Miguel reaches the door, grasping the knob. ¡°...Then I die.¡±


    Luna stops a few feet behind Miguel, still talking to his back and standing straight up.


    ¡°Why are you being so stupid about this? Why won¡¯t you let me help you?¡± Luna pleads. ¡°From what it sounds like, these guys aren¡¯t normal. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯ll do if you don¡¯t come back.¡±


    Miguel¡¯s back trembles as his emotions get the better of him, turning his back against the door and running a hand through his hair in grief.


    ¡°Because I don¡¯t want someone else getting hurt because of me. Look I...I lost everything due to my job. Everything! I lost my family, the house I saved for years for...I even lost half of my damn body. Every day I wake up alone, it reminds me of what I used to have. Every morning I¡¯d wake up and Maria would already be making breakfast. I¡¯d go and get my little Sophia and get her ready for school. Then we¡¯d all get together and eat as a family.¡±


    Tears start to flow down his face, his voice wavering. ¡°I miss them so much.¡±


    Luna watches him and goes quiet, her ears and tail going limp in empathy.


    ¡°And there are days...there are days where I would just sit in bed and wonder why I survived that night. How much simpler it would have been if they just put a bullet straight between my eyes and called it done. Just another mess for the city to clean up. But I¡¯m still here. Patched back together like some modern day Frankenstein. Still living. Still breathing. And missing my family every single second of every single day.¡±


    Miguel¡¯s resolve strengthens and he looks directly at Luna, stepping towards her and grabbing her by the shoulders.


    ¡°But those assholes...wanted to see me suffer. Nobody needed to see what I saw that night. And all because I was just doing my JOB. The entire time I was recovering, I was planning. When I got my arm first, I started making phone calls and using the computer, following the tiniest shred of a lead I had. When I got my legs and learned how to walk, I started visiting people.  I walked the beat. Cyberization is supposed to take eight years calibrate properly. Eight, long, excruciating years as they attach nerve endings to the synapses in the limbs, Luna. I did it in five.¡±


    Luna gulps at the intensity of the conversation, nodding a few times in understanding. Miguel drops her shoulders, taking a few steps away and seemingly calming himself.


    ¡°So when I say that this is my fight, this is why. When I say that I will do what I have to, that is why. And when you ask me if I¡¯m worried about dying, I tell you that I don¡¯t care.¡±


    Luna awkwardly raises a hand to grasp at her shoulder, scratching the fur on it. She searches for the right words to say and eventually lands on a conversation she had very recently.


    ¡°...I care.¡±


    Miguel looks up towards the werewolf in surprise.


    ¡°I do care if you die. I know it¡¯s going to be dangerous and you might get hurt...or worse, but I¡¯m coming with you. How am I supposed to feel if you walk down there and get killed, knowing full well that I could have done...something! Anything! Hell, how would I even know?  You¡¯d just never come back and I¡¯d just be stuck wondering and then I¡¯d have to try to find some place else to live.¡± Luna chuckles towards herself, shaking her head.


    ¡°And I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve looked at me recently but the chances of me going off and renting an apartment on my own are pretty slim...¡±


    The beginnings of a warm smile tug themselves into existence on Miguel¡¯s face.


    Luna¡¯s tone lightens. ¡°So don¡¯t worry about me getting hurt. I¡¯ve got like, crazy healing powers or something. We¡¯ll figure something out, okay?¡±


    Luna walks forward and scoops Miguel up into a soft hug, which finally warms Miguel up enough to smile earnestly. He returns the hug and just holds her for a moment before  pushing a finger up to her soft black nose.


    ¡°Alright then La Loba, I¡¯ll let you go with me if you promise me three things.¡±


    Luna looks up at him with wide crossed eyes.


    ¡°One¡­¡±


    Miguel holds up a single finger. ¡°You follow my command without exception. Two¡­¡±


    He holds up another finger. ¡°That I can trust you...and three¡­¡±


    The final finger goes up. ¡°That you are in this for the long haul. I don¡¯t know how long it¡¯ll take to get this jackass out in the open but we¡¯ll have to keep hitting him in his pocketbook until he shows. Do you promise? If you break any of these, your butt stays home. Permanently. No begging or pleading. Got it?¡±


    Luna¡¯s eyes look down for a moment before she nods, her tail wagging softly.


    Miguel nods back and breaks the hug, holding up a finger again. ¡°Then let me get you something that will help.¡±


    He walks around the werewolf and heads back into his bedroom, disappearing around the corner. From there Luna could hear the shuffling of boxes as Miguel searches. Finally, he returns with a  small black rectangular device with a speaker on it. Miguel hands it to Luna while pulling out a correspondingly colored ear piece for himself.


    Luna inspects it, finding an off switch and a small red button. ¡°What the heck is this thing?¡±


    ¡°A secure band walkie talkie. When the force switched off of these, they had an auction. I bought a set. I¡¯d explain how to use it but it¡¯s kind of self explanatory.¡±


    Luna sniffs at it for a moment before sliding it into her sweat pants pocket.


    Miguel walks around Luna again and leans on the door. ¡°Now, go get dressed. We¡¯re going to smoke us out a criminal.¡±


    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Unlike the rest of the city, which slows down at night and is most active during the day, the docks were always a hive of activity. The sounds of night owls taking up the graveyard shift is common, as flood lights kept the bay well lit and the shipping cranes kept the cargo going. As a result, the western part of the city is quite noisy. The surrounding neighborhoods were tone-deaf by now but it would still be jarring for any visitor who dared subject their ears to it.


    Luna very rarely if ever came to this side of the city, so when her and Miguel pull into an alleyway adjacent to the docks, her fingers were shoved into her ears to lessen the noise. It wasn¡¯t reaching nerve wracking levels for her hearing, but trying to pick up on distant conversations would be impossible. Miguel  steps out of his SUV and motions for Luna to follow him. Luna steps out of the car when prompted, but while Miguel almost blended into the shadows, Luna¡¯s large, pale pink hoodie weren¡¯t going to make this any easier.


    The alleyway itself isn¡¯t unlike others of it¡¯s type; cramped, dim and filled with dumpsters or other things nobody desired. The snowfall had also eased up, giving the pair a clear night with wet clingy snow on the ground to work with. The two walk a short distance to the  back of the apartment building nearest to the storage warehouses of the docks, Miguel grunting in annoyance as the fire escape seemed to be pulled up this evening. He gestures towards Luna and speaks quietly.


    ¡°Hey. You think you can get that down?¡±


    Luna looks up and judges the distance visually. To be legitimately honest, she had no idea. She could suplex a bear but how high she could jump was beyond her. Luna crouches to gain strength and then pushes off of the ground in a mighty leap, accidentally flying about dozen feet into the air. She easily gets enough height to grab onto the side of the fire escape grating and severely rattles it while steadying herself. Luna freezes in place as the sound eventually passes and no windows adjacent to the escape lit up. She slowly slides into the metal stairs and heads down a few flights to get to the lowest one. The werewolf then starts pressing a foot down on the stairway to the ground, but the sudden shift in gravity sends her down the stairs instead. She sliding over the tops of each one until she hits the snow-covered alley, head first. She passes a playful grin towards Miguel, her tail wagging in sheer embarrassment.


    Miguel sighs and facepalms hard enough to smear his facial features, shaking his head.


    ¡°Hey now,¡± Luna says, picking herself off of the ground and keeping a foot pressed on the stairs to keep low enough to access. ¡°Let¡¯s see you try to get used to a brand new body in a short period of time.¡±


    Miguel slowly raises a brow in response to that, the male crossing his arms over his chest.


    Luna takes a moment to realize the ramifications of what she just said, the werewolf curling her muzzle into a sheepish smile. She gestures towards the ladder in a fashion similar to a girl showing off a car. ¡°Hehehe...after you. Heh.¡±


    Miguel rolls his eyes and sneaks in a good natured pat on Luna¡¯s head before he heads up the fire escape with Luna heading up behind him. After carefully letting the stairs back up, the two shimmy quietly up to the roof, which, outside of a few chugging air conditioning units and a ton of snow, seemed quite barren. The pair slink over towards the corner facing the warehouses and Miguel pulls out a pair of binoculars, crouching next to the brick parapet. Luna looks between him and the warehouse he appeared to be looking at with a curious expression.


    Miguel points his finger out towards a specific warehouse after a small search. ¡°There¡¯s the one. You see the one with the ¡®V¡¯ insignia on it?¡±


    Miguel passes the binoculars to the side to let Luna take a look for herself. It takes a few adjustments, but she eventually spots the target: On the sides of several trucks and on the warehouse itself was the symbol of a V, offset to the side and having a circle painted around it. There were a few workers there who were hauling big wooden containers that looked like they might be a little awkwardly large for a regular dockhand to be hauling alone.  The warehouse also had a small parking lot next to it and a chain link fence around the perimeter, preventing intruders from sneaking in easily.


    ¡°Yeah...I see it. It just looks like a regular warehouse to me. Bunch of people moving stuff...Hold on¡­¡±


    Pulling up at the vehicular entrance for the warehouse is a figure riding a sports motorcycle. They¡¯re wearing black riding leathers and blue jeans, boots and a sleek motorcycle helmet, but oddly seemed to be sporting a katana on their hip. They roll in through the sliding chain link fence and park in the parking lot.


    ¡°Somebody with a sword just showed up. Like a katana or something.¡± Luna says, passing the binoculars back to Miguel.


    Miguel takes a look for himself and nods and then looks around towards the exterior of the building, making mental notes. ¡°I¡¯ll need to grab some tools from the back of my car, but I think I see an entry way. Luna?¡±


    Miguel passes the binoculars back over towards her before pushing himself up and sliding his ear piece in. Luna looks up towards him as he stands, seeming attentive.


    ¡°You are going to be my eyes and ears kid. Tell me what you see out here. The idea is for me to find the office, find out some shipping info and if it¡¯s clean, then...damn, I guess we leave. But...if it¡¯s contraband¡­I guess we¡¯ve got some fireworks for that.¡±


    Luna blinks a few times and nods quickly. ¡°That...sounds easy enough. But what if you get in trouble?¡±


    Miguel doesn¡¯t answer, deciding to walk off the roof and make his way down the fire escape.


    Luna sighs and brings the binoculars back up to her eyes, watching the warehouse like a hawk.

 Chapter 8: Tactical Espionage Action

    After a quick trip to the back of his car to pick up the supplies, Miguel darts across the street to the warehouses and slows down his pace to a walking speed as to not arouse suspicion. Luna¡¯s voice electronically reaches his ear as he walks around the back corner of the property, crouching down and producing a pair of pliers to cut his way through the fence.


    -¡±I can¡¯t see anyone near you, but sword guy went inside.¡±-


    It takes a moment or two of effort, but Miguel eventually makes a cut high enough for him to pull back and sneak into. Along this side of the building was a single door with a rather simple looking doorknob on it. Miguel crouches and starts to turn the knob, but it doesn''t budge. Locked. He swings himself out in front of it and takes out a set of lock picking tools and a small flashlight. He shoves the flashlight in his mouth and turns it on while working the door. A small click of success is heard, and he withdraws his tools, returning them to his pocket.


    Miguel barely speaks above a whisper, just enough to let the transmitter in his ear pick up on it. -¡±Luna, how many people do you see? And can you see anything inside?¡±-


    The werewolf pauses for a few seconds before responding.


    -¡±Uh...not really. The place has a lot of boxes in it. There¡¯s a truck outside. But I¡¯ve only seen about...six people, counting sword guy.¡±


    Miguel puts an ear to the door, listening for any sounds or voices, but doesn¡¯t pick up on much of anything.


    -¡±I¡¯m  going inside. Watch the front.¡±-


    He opens the door a tiny crack and peeks inside cautiously. As Luna said, there were indeed boxes, including a pallet full of them stacked directly in front of the door. Wasting little time, Miguel crouch-walks inside and quietly closes the door behind himself and stands up behind the boxes and gets a feel for his surroundings. The warehouse wasn¡¯t well lit, which was indeed an advantage, but he spots the office for the place, which is on a metal walkway above his current location. He looks for a way to get up, but the ramps for the office place were on either side of the main entrance. Considering he was towards the far back wall, sneaking up there might be difficult. It also didn¡¯t help that the railings up there were well lit and provided no cover, meaning that he¡¯d be easy to spot from a great distance.


    On the ground floor, there were dozens upon dozens of pallets filled with nearly identical looking boxes. They were packed in fairly tightly but left enough room between each one in order to allow single-file foot traffic. After sneaking around a few of the pallets,


    Miguel spots a way up for someone at the back of the warehouse; a singular ladder, that was, unfortunately, in the middle of an aisle and therefore easily visible to anyone who even glanced in that direction. Miguel silently curses as he sneaks his way over it, making sure that nobody saw him crossing lanes.


    -¡±Luna. How many people do you see now?¡±


    Miguel waits tensely for a response.


    ¡°Five. I still don¡¯t see sword guy.¡±


    Footsteps draw near Miguel as he freezes up. Without being able to see, he had to guess where probable sword guy was going. He waits patiently as the footsteps draw closer and closer...and then the door where Miguel had entered from opens.


    -¡±Oh, there he is. Sword guy went out that door. I can¡¯t see him anymore now though.¡±-


    Miguel breathes a sigh of relief as he sidles forward, hiding behind the crates nearest the ladder.


    -¡±Is it safe to go up?¡±-


    -¡±I...think the guys outside are just talking. I think they finished unloading from that truck.¡±


    Miguel grabs the ladder and climbs it as quickly and quietly as he could manage, sneaking up onto the higher walkway. Cursing the lack of thick safety rails, he quickly moves over to the corner office, eager to get out of the open. The room itself had a window in the door and looked dark inside, minus the pale glow of sleeping electronics. Miguel finds the door unlocked and sneaks inside, letting out a huge sigh of relief for his luck. Lockpicking that in his position would have been a nightmare. The flashlight is turned back on as he looks over the office interior.


    The dark office looked pretty basic with no sign of anything out of the ordinary.  The owner of said office is fairly unorganized as papers were scattered across the room, though none were on the floor. A computer sits in on the desk in the center of the room, as well a single shelf pinned against the wall and a pair of filing cabinets. Miguel decides to try the computer first, reaching over to touch the keyboard.


    The computer¡¯s screen lights up, and a password box appears, demanding input to proceed.


    Miguel curses a second time and leaves the computer be, putting his flashlight in his mouth and sorting through all of the papers. Most of them appeared to be shipping manifests, but closer inspection mentioned shipping a material called ¡®Rust.'' In fact, several of the manifests mentioned this material. Miguel¡¯s cursory glances also found that this stuff was shipping from other countries, and seemed to be heading to...clubs. The Silvernote Jazz Club, Ravages, and the Dragon¡¯s Inn, to name a few. He grabs one of the papers that mentions a recent overseas shipment of Rust and folds it up, putting it in his back pocket. Miguel then leans over to open a few of the drawers in the desk to check their contents.


    The first few contained more papers, none of which were any more illuminating than the last, but the bottom-most one appeared to contain a bottle of red liquid. Miguel grabs the bottle and inspects it, spinning the bottle in his hands. The liquid is thick and greatly resembled blood, but the label on it read ¡®Brandy.''


    Confused, he put the bottle back and closed the last of the desk drawers, sighing. He clicks the flashlight off and scratches his head. This wasn¡¯t going as well as he hoped. Miguel places his hand on the wooden workspace and scratches his head, unsure of what to do next. He could try to interrogate those guys, but if those were of the same sort of weird guys that invaded his home all those years ago, then it wouldn¡¯t go well. He walks around the other side of the desk and starts to speak but as he does he hits a power cable coming from the wall and unplugs it with a small spark of light.


    Miguel stoops over to investigate the outlet when a voice speaks into his ear.


    -¡±Hey...uh...all the guys went inside. I can¡¯t see anyone anymore.¡±-


    Miguel¡¯s pupils shrink. The last thing he needed was an audience when he was at the most critical part of the escape. He slowly moves towards the door and peeks out of the window. The warehouse looked just as it did before, but he couldn¡¯t see anyone either. He eases out of the door and onto the catwalk at about the same time an accented voice catches his attention.


    ¡°You know, I¡¯ve never been fond of rats.¡±


    Miguel turns to look at the one who spoke, only to find that the whole crew was up here. They¡¯d been hiding in his blind spot. Miguel turns towards them and closes the door, reaching to his side and pulls out his combat knife. The dock workers were all pretty tough looking guys, well muscled with larger builds than Miguel, heavy jackets and work slacks of varying types. The one who spoke is very clearly Russian, with blond hair and a cossack hat.


    The Russian man snickers at Miguel¡¯s knife and elbows the nearest man to him, pointing at it.


    ¡°Oh-ho! A knife. He has a knife. That¡¯s cute. I¡¯ve got one of those too you know.¡±


    The Russian pulls out a butterfly knife, flipping it around expertly to unsheathe it¡¯s blade, smirking at Miguel¡¯s stoic expression.


    ¡°So what will it be human? Are you going to fight me? Please say yes. I do so enjoy prey who...resist.¡± The man¡¯s tongue rolls over his teeth, showcasing his sharp, thick canines. Miguel stiffens as he notices that not just the Russian, but all of these men had larger than normal canines.


    Miguel smirks towards the Russian before taunting him, curling a finger back towards himself.


    The larger man takes a step forward and swings the weapon at a downward slash, to which Miguel easily side steps and stabs him three times in quick succession, once underneath the shoulder and two more in the gaps between his ribs. Miguel follows up with a swift knee to the groin, sinking the Russian to his knees for a moment, clutching his goods. Miguel stands back to admire his handiwork, still with his knife at the ready.


    ¡°Those fancy tricks might mean something if you knew how to use that thing.¡±


    The Russian growls with rage, completely out of breath from the minor scuffle. He clutches his bleeding side with a hand as he struggles to get to his feet.


    ¡°Bfah! God...dammit! Just! Get him, GET HIM!¡±


    The other four brandish weapons of their own and come after him. The first one who attacks wields a heavy monkey wrench, swinging it wildly to the side. Miguel takes a step back as the tool misses him entirely, bashing the glass of the office door window wide open. Miguel swings his knife into the man¡¯s belly, cutting it open before driving a fierce fist into his head, sending him to the side, off of the catwalk and onto the wooden pallets below.


    The next two attack in tandem with a smaller hunting knife and a pair of brass knuckles. The knuckled man jumps at Miguel, ready to drive a fist into his face but Miguel intercepts him by simply using his free hand to grab the man¡¯s throat. As he comes down, Miguel shifts his weight to the side and drops him on the metal safety rail of the catwalk, rattling it so hard that it reverberates throughout the warehouse. Miguel drops the now limp attacker just in time for the hunting knife to miss stabbing his chest by mere inches. He retaliates by spinning and driving a hard elbow into his gut, forcing the attacker to double over. Miguel then takes a step back and brings his leg up, dropping an ax kick on the man¡¯s head, driving his face into the harsh metal grating of the catwalk.


    The last man brandishes a length of lead pipe and charges straight toward Miguel. Immediately noting his form to be sloppy, Miguel raises his cybernetic arm high and blocks the attack outright. Miguel then goes to work, using his other knife-wielding hand to simply stab the man several times in quick succession, poking holes through each one of his ribs and spurting a decent amount of blood from each stab wound. Miguel then drives another strong fist straight into the man¡¯s nose, sending him tumbling back and onto the catwalk, gasping and dropping his weapon off to the side, the pipe clattering on the floor below.


    Miguel steps over the various groaning men he defeated, taking the time to violently elbow the Russian that started it in the face, knocking him over. He walks hurriedly towards the front ramp of the catwalk, eager to get out of here. A voice speaks into his earpiece.


    -¡±I still don¡¯t see sword guy. Have you spotted them yet?¡±-


    Miguel steps down off of the catwalk and starts making his way towards the front door when a figure in black dashes towards him at an unbelievably high speed. Miguel barely has time to blink before the figure is in his face, and they strike him with enough force to toss him out of the large entrance ramp, rolling head over heels. He blinks to clear his blurry vision, as the hit had nearly drove all the air from his chest. He sits up and sees the figure standing over him, staring down with that sleek looking motorcycle helmet.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    The figure reaches up to take off their helmet and immediately reveals himself. Now that Miguel had a close look at her, it was easy to see that this Asian girl is in her mid-teens. She was very lean in stature and had nearly no feminine attributes to her at all, but like the others, she also had elongated canines. Her hair is cut short with a spiked bit near the top, but other than that she didn¡¯t appear to wear any cosmetics. She speaks with a growing smile, smugly crossing her face.


    ¡°You are new to this, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    At about that time, Miguel looks past her to see the various men he¡¯d just beaten up start to stand and walk over towards him, a few of them snickering while others were more than ready to get their revenge. Miguel¡¯s head finally clears up, pushing himself to his feet. He shakily takes a few steps back from the group, holding his knife at the ready.


    The girl rolls her eyes and swipes her hand to the left. Miguel feels an intense wind push him off of his feet and into the metal wall of the warehouse. He growls in pain as his knife is dropped somewhere out of his reach.


    ¡°You just don¡¯t get it. You were supposed to run.¡±


    Miguel tries to stand, but the motorcycle girl kicks him straight in the stomach, dropping him to the ground. He looks up as the men join her, the view being something Miguel was all too familiar with. She speaks again, letting her teeth glinting in the moonlight.


    ¡°Buddy, listen. Lemme level with you for a second. I don¡¯t know what you think you are doing pulling that cute commando shit back there but it¡¯s not going to fly. Little hard to be sneaky when you are leavin¡¯ footprints underneath fences. In case you haven¡¯t figured it out yet, we¡¯re vampires old man. And let me break a few misconceptions for ya. I¡¯m not here to sweep you off of your feet, I¡¯m not here to glitter and look pretty and I¡¯m not here to make bleh-bluh noises like some idiot.¡±


    She kicks Miguel hard in the chest to dissuade him from even thinking about trying to stand up again.


    ¡°But I will tell you what I do. I drink blood. I live in the night. I enjoy my life and, that includes beating my fair share of ass, including yours. Say your prayers now, because buddy boy, you aren¡¯t going to get up from this.¡±


    Sakura starts driving her foot into Miguel, who instantly curls up into the fetal position to block as much damage as he could. The other men join in the party, stomping on whatever body part they could reach.


    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Luna had done everything Miguel said. She followed his instructions and gave off any important information she could. She even stayed up against the wall in the snow and did her best to remain quiet otherwise. Amongst all the video games she played, she didn¡¯t particularly enjoy the ones based around stealth. It was a frustrating mechanic to her and one she just felt bad at. Too many rules. Too many restrictions. But watching Miguel sneak his way in was rather fascinating, even if she lost track of him once he got inside.


    That all changed when Miguel is sent bodily out of the front door by ''sword guy.'' Luna¡¯s ears shoot up in worry as he tried to fight them, but the other guys showed up, and just as suddenly as sword guy showed up, Miguel was flung into a wall by an impossible force. Was that...telekinesis? What was going on? She immediately decided that she needed to get down there and as quickly as possible, screw waiting around for him to be beaten to death.


    She considers the somewhat awkward fire escape for a moment and darts towards it, grabbing the edge of it and climbing down between stories for speed. She heads to the end of the alleyway towards the warehouses and double checks the empty streets for any sort of pedestrians. Everything seemed empty at this moment, with not a moving car in sight. Luna goes on all fours as she runs across the street as quickly as she could, going around the side of the Vyers warehouse. She easily leaps straight over the tall fence and lands on the property and does her best to imitate Miguel, sneaking over towards the adjacent parking lot.


    She gets enough of a line of sight to tell that they were all pretty much crowded around him, kicking the crap out of Miguel¡¯s curled up body. She whines internally as she considers her options. She might be able to rush in and take them all out, but that¡¯d still be five versus one, and they all had weapons. And somebody there had some sort of supernatural ability that could be an issue. Was there anything she could use as a weapon? The werewolf scans the parking lot for anything useful, but minus a few cars and a sword guy¡¯s bike, there wasn¡¯t anything she could...wait. Luna turns to regard the compact car nearest to the beat down.


    Could she throw a car?


    It¡¯d be worth a try at least.


    She sneaks around behind the dark green car in question and lifts up the back end of it. Oddly, it felt somewhat easy to pick up, and within a few seconds of shifting her grip, she was now standing firmly underneath it, the car above her head. A smile crosses her muzzle. She takes a step forward and leans back as far as she could manage and throws the car, sending it sailing over several dozen feet, flying straight for the gang of supernaturals.


    The vampires take a step back to admire their handiwork, the bleeding mess that was Miguel. The abrasions were nothing he hadn¡¯t taken in the line of duty before, but the worst was certainly the bloody lip and nose. The men grin as Sakura gestures towards the downed Miguel.


    ¡°I think we¡¯ve tenderized him enough boys. You know Scar¡¯s rules about intruders, so you guys can get your feed on-¡±


    Sakura suddenly realizes that there is something big...heavy..and metal flying nearby her. And that she should probably move...immediately. Out of pure reaction, Sakura backflips out of the way of the car as it lands on the other five men, squashing them to the ground in a symphony of crunching noises.  Miguel immediately flips out as the car JUST misses him by a mere few inches, drawing his legs into the wall of the warehouse.


    ¡°SHIT! Shit!¡±


    The car bounces into the side of the extended wall of the front of the warehouse before slamming back on the men, all of whom were writhing in pain. Sakura finally hits the ground and looks towards her men, a small blood pool forming beneath the sedan. She turns to look at the werewolf that threw it, and as soon as she did, a black sports bike slams into her face, knocking her over. She rolls backward and gets back to her feet almost instantly, staring at Luna.


    ¡°Hey! Did...did you just hit me with my bike?¡±


    Luna grins as she draws her hands back from the recent throw before calling back. ¡°I don¡¯t know, you tell me, what¡¯d it taste like!?¡±


    Sakura leans her head back a little bit as the insult zings back towards her, nodding. ¡°Cute doggy. Cute. I didn¡¯t think a bunch of hippies like would come this far in the city, but I guess you guys do something besides sit in the woods and chant all day.¡±


    Luna blinks innocently as she the comment breezes past her, not knowing what to think of it.  She simply stares blankly at Sakura, clearly lost. The Asian girl reaches towards her katana and slowly unsheathes it, intentionally running her thumb over the blade. A line of blood trickles down the blade and turns it¡¯s silvery sheen to a crimson red one, almost magically. When she¡¯s done, the whole blade is red and drawn, and she points it towards Luna.


    Sakura speaks in a mocking tone. ¡°Done talking already? Whatever. You¡¯ve got to go out for the night, whether you like it or not.¡±


    Luna comes to a startling realization as she gets a good look at Sakura.


    ¡°Wait, sword guy is a sword chick?¡±


    Sakura¡¯s peers at the werewolf harshly. ¡°...What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±


    Luna holds up the palms of her hands in surprised protest. ¡°Uuuuuuuuh nothing! Just mistook you for...n-nevermind.¡±


    Sakura frowns and charges Luna almost immediately, and that same blinding speed from before is present, with her crossing the gap between them in a mere second or two. She brings the blade to bear, aiming to cut the werewolf in half, but Luna reacts in the knick of time, rolling out of the way to avoid being hit. Just as soon as she turns around, the female vampire is on her again, and without something to parry with, this was going to get hard. Sakura swings several times in just as many seconds, but Luna continues to back out of the way and on the last horizontal swing, jumps over her head.


    Spotting an opening, Sakura spins around and stabs her sword forward, catching Luna as she lands. Even so, she only manages to graze her side with the blade, cutting through cloth and fur alike, drawing blood. Luna lands and immediately jumps away as she holds a hand to her bloodied side. Sakura smiles at the landed hit, looking down at her blade as it absorbs the werewolf¡¯s sanguine liquid and starts to glow with a red aura.


    Luna gulps as she watches that, pressing her wound shut. ¡°Well, that¡¯s not good¡­¡±


    Sakura smiles coyly. ¡°For who?.¡±


    Miguel finally recovers as he stands up with a pained grunt, one of his eyes starting to swell shut and his lip swelling up. He could move well enough on his own, but he¡¯d be limping for awhile. He considers just leaving but this might be his only chance to check the last place that might have something interesting before blowing it to hell; the moving truck. He hobbles himself over to the open door of the vehicle and scrambles inside, quickly looking around for any personal effects. In the center seat is a panel phone, though picking it up and turning it on presented him with an empty battery symbol on the screen.. He grumbles in annoyance and gets a quick idea. He fishes around in the glove compartment, sorting through various small papers and air fresheners before finding a  bundled panel phone charger. He slides both of them in his pocket and hides in the truck, turning to watch the girls fight.


    Luna attacks first this time, rushing towards Sakura with a fist raised, but Sakura simply trips her, sweeping her foot around to throw the werewolf off balance. Luna tumbles to the ground and rolls to her side to get up, but as she does Sakura swings her blade into the ground in an upward motion, firing off a blade of scarlet energy towards her. Luna sidesteps it as the energy hits a shipping container and cutting through it cleanly. The werewolf lands with large pupils as she stares at the damage, turning back to look towards the vampire¡¯s annoyed expression.


    Luna points back towards the newly created hole. ¡°Excuse me. What? Like what?¡±


    Sakura frowns at her. ¡°Will you just friggin¡¯ hold still already? Good god.¡±


    The aura around Sakura¡¯s sword fades, returning it to its normal red color. Luna watches that and sighs. With any luck that might mean no more long range slicing. The vampire girl charges in again, slicing and swinging her katana with swift strikes. For some reason, the attacks weren¡¯t hard for Luna to dodge. It¡¯s like she knew where they were going, so she could just endeavor herself to just not to be where the blade was going to be. Even with all this going on, the fight was...exciting. Almost intoxicatingly so. When Luna was human, she wasn¡¯t much for physical combat, even if those were her favorite kinds of video games to play. But here? This was a side of her she didn¡¯t even know existed until now. This was...fun.


    Luna¡¯s dodging skills were impressive nonetheless, with the werewolf bending, rolling, jumping or sidestepping every single one of Sakura¡¯s attacks. Growing angry that she was striking nothing but air, Sakura focuses and goes for a sword lunge straight for her opponent. Luna¡¯s back bumps against the car she had thrown earlier, so when she ducks underneath the blade it plunges into the car¡¯s door, getting stuck.


    Sensing a wonderful opportunity,  Luna grabs Sakura around the middle and holds her tight.  She struggles for a moment to break Luna¡¯s grip, but it¡¯s immediately obvious that the werewolf is far, far stronger than she is. Sakura grins sheepishly towards her and speaks through clenched teeth.


    ¡°Be gentle.¡±


    Luna¡¯s expression is a little more serious but still quite humorous, speaking through similar but far more intimidating clenched teeth.


    ¡°I make no promises.¡±


    Luna leaps into the air with Sakura in tow, tearing her away from her sword and leaving her weaponless. While high in the air Luna shifts Sakura over her head as if she were going to dunk a basketball, with Sakura panicking, sweeping her hands rapidly, trying in vain to grab at some part of the werewolf.


    ¡°WAITWAITWAITWAIT WE CAN TALK ABOUT THIS! I DON¡¯T WANNA BE DUNKED!¡±


    Luna grins as she brings the both of them back down to the ground, body slamming Sakura into and through the canopy of the car.The top half of Sakura¡¯s body is in the interior, and her bottom half is sticking out of the top of the car. The sedan rocks with the impact as it¡¯s pierced, the glass on all sides of the car fracturing but not breaking. Worst of all, Sakura didn¡¯t even look hurt just...disappointed. Mostly in herself. Luna knocks on the car¡¯s window quickly with her knuckles, getting Sakura¡¯s displeased attention. She leans into the car window, putting her large black nose up against the glass and whispers loudly.


    ¡°Nothin¡¯ but net.¡±


    Sakura sighs and facepalms as Luna happily skips away, leaving the vampire upturned. She...just sort just hangs out here for a moment, not making much attempt to move as the recent turn of events had to be seen to be believed. Seeing the fight end, Miguel steps out of his truck and winces as he hits the ground. Luna instantly comes to his side and helps him stand, slinging an arm underneath his own to prop him up.


    ¡°Hey, Mr. Morales. Are you alright?¡±


    Miguel simply stares at the side of her face like he¡¯d never seen her before. ¡°...Remind me to never. Ever. Ever make you mad.¡±


    Luna grins shyly, showing off all of those sharp teeth. ¡°Did you find what you were looking for? Can we go?¡±


    ¡°Ah..hold up. Need to get rid of this stuff first. Make sure that...nngth...I teach Scar a lesson.¡±


    The two walk over towards the front of the warehouse and Miguel pushes off from Luna, stepping up the loading ramp. He opens his vest to expose the grenades he had brought for this very purpose. He pulls the pins on each one of them and tosses them into the warehouse, quickly moving back to Luna.


    ¡°Let me onto your back and carry me to the car. I don¡¯t know how much of a racket that¡¯s going to cause.¡±


    Luna leans down for Miguel to climb onto her back and once he was properly boarded, she takes off, leaping over the fence.  As she¡¯s crossing the street, the timed grenades detonate and the explosion they create nearly blow the walls off of the warehouse. Luna¡¯s ears cry in agony at the sound of the boom, it being nearly enough to drop her to her knees temporarily As she reaches the alley she looks back towards the Vyers warehouse, seeing a huge plume of blue smoke rising from the building, as well as a raging inferno of fire.


    Sakura cringes as she feels the sudden heat of the hit her legs, and while they were toasty, she was unaffected by the blast. She pulls her legs together and slides through the hole that held her upright, falling into the interior of the car. She reaches the door and unlocks it, stepping out of the vehicle crisply. Sakura leans over to check the condition of the dock workers underneath the car and finds nothing but ashen remains. She sighs again and reaches up towards her sword and yanks it out of the car with an annoyed snort. She flicks the blade out and throws off the enchantment, turning the blade back to silver and sliding it back in her sheath. She reaches into her pocket and pulls out her panel phone and puts in a call towards Scardino,  angrily pacing over to where her bike landed from hitting her in the face.


    Scardino picks up rather quickly with loud jazz music blaring in the background. His voice is soothing but grating at the same time, like velvet sliding over jagged rocks.


    ¡°What is it you require? I am quite busy at the moment.¡±


    Sakura winces at that.


    ¡°Uh...so about those shipments? Yeah, I don''t think you''ll need to be worrying about them anymore."


    Scar goes quiet for a moment, letting the statement sink in before speaking again. "Meaning...what exactly?"


    Sakura hesitates, knowing full well that his reaction was likely to be...negative. And that was putting it lightly. Scar speaks again in a far more annoyed tone.


    ¡°Either tell me now or I come down there. And trust me, I will be far less hospitable if I have to make that trip.¡±


    Sakura panics. ¡°No-no-no! Uh! No that¡¯s...fine. You are fine. A mortal dude and his pet werewolf came in here, killed everybody except for me and uh...blew...up..one of your warehouses.¡±


    A moment of silence passes over the phone as she relays that information, Sakura gulping in fear. Her shoulders retract a bit as she expected yelling but instead a calm voice speaks.


    ¡°...How much of the shipment is gone?¡±


    Sakura turns to look back towards the hellscape that was once a warehouse. Only fire lives in there now.


    ¡°A-all of it.¡±


    Scar¡¯s voice grows faint for a moment as several series of curses could be heard. Suddenly Scar¡¯s voice explodes back onto the phone, forcing Sakura to lean back a bit to hear properly.


    ¡°What the hell do I pay you people for!? Don¡¯t you understand that plans are in motion, things are finally picking up and I have an endgame to worry about? Specifically, for a highly trained guard who¡¯s supposed to be an assassin, you have been surprisingly shitty track record at both, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Sakura finds her bike just then.  The black vehicle is still in one piece, but it¡¯s been scratched all to hell and back thanks to sliding across the asphalt.


    Scar¡¯s voice roars again. ¡°SAKURA VYERS, you listen to me, and you listen well. One more time. You make one more mistake. One more misstep. ONE. MORE. And I will end you and your chances of advancing in this family. Do you understand me?¡±


    Sakura sighs as she pulls her bike up from the ground and straddles it. She speaks defeatedly, shaking her head. ¡°Yes. Yes-sir.¡±


    Scar calms down. ¡°Good. yes. Very good. I will be sending your next assignment over shortly. Please do surprise me with competence.¡±


    The conversation ends with a beep as sirens scream in the distance.  Sakura starts her bike and drives, stopping over by the spot where her helmet fell and slipping it back on her head. She speeds off from the burning warehouse, which had started to collapse in on itself now, focusing on the road in front of her.


    She puts drops her foot on the accelerator, pushing the bike as fast as it would go as the sirens closed in.

 Chapter 9: Learning New Tricks

    Luna and Miguel make it back home in mostly in one piece, as Luna had to help him up the stairs to the apartment. She opens the door for him and guides him to his room, though Miguel pushes off from her at the door.


    ¡°I...I think I¡¯ve got it. Go get me some cold stuff in the freezer. Ice packs or frozen veggies or something. Bring em here. That and a wet rag. Cold.¡±


    Luna nods towards the request and goes to fulfill it while Miguel ambles into his room. He almost collapses on his bed, sliding off his shoes and grabbing the heavy suitcase he had left on the bed. He deposits his guns and their corresponding ammunition back inside of it before closing it up again and pushing it to the side, out of the way. Miguel chuckles to himself, realizing that he didn¡¯t even use either one of his guns. He takes off his earpiece and his shirt and looks himself over for injuries.


    If he were still complete flesh and blood, he would have been in much worse shape, but fortunately, his metallic limbs took the most thrashing. Miguel has a fair amount of muscle tone, choosing to actively keep fit while he was recovering during the cyberization process. His metallic arm had some scuffing on it, but otherwise, it seemed to be functioning fine, Miguel testing this by rotating his wrist and flexing his fingers. His torso and his regular right arm were bruised up, but thankfully nothing seemed broken.


    Miguel changes clothes into an A-shirt and a pair of sleeping shorts as Luna returns, carrying two ice packs, several glacially freezer burned packs of vegetables and a wet rag. She sits next to him and hands over the ice packs first, seeing the multiple bruises.


    ¡°Are...you okay? I¡¯m really sorry I didn¡¯t get down there sooner.¡±


    Miguel takes the ice packs and straps one to the joint between his left shoulder and his metal arm and the other one straps neatly on his right forearm.


    ¡°Nah kid, you are fine. Don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯ve been beaten up worse than this when I was a kid. Besides. I was just thinking I was gonna run into some thugs. I didn¡¯t expect damn vampires. Maybe all those stupid stories do have some truth to them.¡±


    Luna scratches her head quizzically at that. ¡°Huh...that would explain the magic sword..and the blood..and..the teeth.¡±


    Miguel nods. ¡°Pass me the rag next.¡±


    Luna hands it to him and winces herself,  somehow forgetting that she had been stabbed. She keeps it to herself and puts on a conversational smile for Miguel.


    ¡°That went...well...right?¡±


    Miguel shrugs. ¡°I¡¯m not dead, you aren¡¯t dead, we blew up the stuff, and you didn¡¯t get seen. I think. That¡¯s a win in my book.¡±


    He takes the wet rag and applies it to his face, washing off the blood from his lip and his nose, though both had stopped bleeding by now. He cleans himself with it before resting it on his shoulder and reaching down to grab one of his legs. Luna inquisitively looks over towards his Cybernetic legs with interest. Similar to his arms, they were unified in their silver and blue design, but they were very much molded to resemble what his actual limbs used to look like. Miguel slides open a panel the side of his leg and rests his hands over a small keypad, his fingers pressing various buttons.


    ¡°Mr. Morales...uhm..what...what¡¯re you doing?¡±


    Miguel stops what he¡¯s doing and looks at her plainly.


    ¡°Oh...weren¡¯t you wondering why I needed help and was limping back to the car? I mean, I don¡¯t have real legs anymore, right?¡±


    Luna blinks in realization. ¡°Oh...Ooooooh yeah! That doesn¡¯t make sense.¡±


    Miguel continues. ¡°Normally cybernetics just take care of calibrations, but when I¡¯m getting my kneecaps busted hard enough, I need to realign them and god damn does it hurt. So if you¡¯ll excuse me¡­¡±


    Miguel finishes inputting the commands and a small whirring noise burrows into Luna¡¯s ears. He braces himself as his leg visibly moves out to the side and shifts its position automatically, Miguel clenching his teeth at the unnerving sensation. It only takes a few seconds before his leg slides properly back into place and he lets out a massive sigh of relief. He waits a few seconds before doing the same to the other leg, with similar results.


    Miguel exhales deeply as he reaches over towards Luna and grabs one of the packs of mixed vegetables, holding it to his bruised side. He then points over towards his computer desk and to peculiar looking device. A set of long, flat sticks were sitting in a small slotted tray, the front of them marked with a blue light that was pulsing. At the top of each of the sticks was also a little notch for a light, though these were all green.


    ¡°And last but not least, bring me three of those.¡±


    Luna pulls the requested number out of the charging station and hands them over, sitting back down next to him.


    ¡°Batteries?¡±


    Miguel nods as he slides open another slot on the outside of his leg, this one being a bit higher up than the keypad. With the press of a button a battery stick is sprung out of his mechanical leg. The small light at its top was orange. Luna¡¯s tail wags in curiosity as she watches him.


    ¡°How long do these batteries last?¡±


    Miguel shrugs, sliding in one of the new charge sticks into his leg. Judging by the angle, it slid in deeply, likely to prevent it from being damaged or rattled. ¡°About three days. Less if I use it for fighting or anything strenuous.¡±


    ¡°Oh. That sounds like it lasts for awhile. That¡¯s good. What if you run out though?¡±


    Miguel slides the compartment closed on this leg before reaching over to his other leg and popping the long battery out.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve got like, a half an hour¡¯s worth of emergency power if everything¡¯s drained, but past that point I¡¯m toast. These things may as well be hunks of metal if I am that reckless.¡± He replaces the charge stick in his leg and closes it.


    Luna croons with knowledge, nodding towards him.


    ¡°That makes sense. That should get you enough time to get back home or find something to get up and running again.¡±


    Miguel nods, opening up the last of the compartments and switching out batteries. Flexing his arm and feeling the power flow through the mechanical limb, he looks towards Luna. ¡°That¡¯s the idea. Now turn around kid.¡±


    Luna does as he asks, but turns her head up and to the side so she could look back at him. ¡°What for?¡±


    ¡°Did you really think I didn¡¯t notice that hole in your hoodie?¡±


    Luna¡¯s ears lower to the side of her head as she sighs. She looks forward again and raises an arm and pulls up her sweatshirt enough to expose the wound. The sword cut through her side just underneath her rib, but it already looked like it was healing up judging by the closed wound present. Satisfied with that to some degree, he then looks at the inside of the sweatshirt he could see, noticing the dried blood on it. He reaches up to tug her shirt back down.


    ¡°We really need to get you some new clothes. I¡¯m sorry kid, I¡¯ve been focusing on...other things. How about tomorrow I go and pick you up a few things. Do you know what size you are?¡±


    Luna leans her head back again, looking at Miguel without turning around. ¡°Well...I mean I used to. But that was before I grew like, half a foot and got all fuzzy.¡±


    Miguel chuckles good-naturedly before standing up, pushing the frozen veggie packs onto the bed. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll just have to make a guess. A lot of wild guessing. Good lord this is going to be a lot of trips back to the store.¡±


    Luna turns towards him finally and stands, smoothing out her hoodie with a hand. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to spend too much money on me. I mean, you¡¯ve done so much already.¡±


    Miguel gestures, swatting away Luna¡¯s verbal concern. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, it¡¯s the least I can do for ya after tonight. By the by, you did really good tonight kid. Really good. Saved me, that¡¯s for damn sure.¡±


    Luna¡¯s tail sways happily. ¡°Oh..uh...D-don¡¯t mention it. I just...you know. Did what I could to help. I watched you sneak in though. Did you do that stuff in the army? Like special ops or anything?¡±


    Miguel chuckles as he crosses his arms over one another. ¡°Nah. I went in and became a combat medic. I was deployed overseas for awhile and saw some fighting, but I also spent time working in the infirmary too. I ended up learning the majority of that stuff from just basic training, a little bit of reading, putting two and two together and listening to some of the guys as they were recovering.¡±


    Luna¡¯s brows raise, looking most certifiably impressed. ¡°Wow...like...the only time I¡¯ve seen that kind of stuff in video games or in movies but seeing you just bust it out like it was nothing. That¡¯s cool.¡±


    Miguel grins as he steps towards the door and opens it for her. ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad you approve. In either case young lady, this old man is going to go to sleep. Help yourself to anything in the fridge. Goodnight.¡±


    Luna steps outside of the door and waves in return, the door closing up and locking with a click. She turns around and heads towards the kitchen, the mention of food reminding her that she should grab something before bed.


    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Later on that evening, far beyond the time she¡¯d fallen asleep on the couch, Luna awakens in an unusual place for the second time. She was lying face down and bleary-eyed in soft grass that felt real to the touch. She pushes herself up to stand, and the first thing that immediately grabs her attention was the moon. It was larger, almost impossibly large in the clear sky, dominating most of it. The stars were also abnormally bright, numerous in number and twinkling of their own accord. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    Luna immediately recognized this as some sort of dream, but she¡¯d never been in a place that felt so real. There was a small breeze pushing through the evergreen forest that surrounded her, ruffling the branches and sifting through the grasses. Her foot claws could feel the dirt of the earth. And unlike before, nothing was translucent, though she did appear to have a small purple aura around her, the same hue as her eyes. Was this place related to the mysterious blurry island she was on before?


    When she goes to speak, she finds that her voice is intact and sounds about the same as it did in real life. ¡°Hello? Anyone? Is...is anyone here?¡±


    She waits for a few tense moments and fails to get any kind of response, but the soft breeze comforts her loneliness. Unable to think of anything else to do she starts to walk forward into the spirit forest, following the direction of the wind at her back. After a few minutes, she overhears a soft clopping noise. It seemed to be coming from everywhere, but there were distinctly only four hooves.


    As soon as Luna turns around, she finds the source. A stag spirit about two times larger than she was,  stands before her, it¡¯s glowing blue eyes piercing through the werewolf. It lowers its head and stamps it¡¯s hooves aggressively, quaking the very ground beneath Luna¡¯s feet. It speaks, but it¡¯s mouth does not move, the voice instead filling Luna¡¯s head.


    ~¡±You...wretch.¡±~


    Luna gulps as she takes a step back, holding out her hands pleadingly towards the stag. ¡°Whoa-whoa-whoa, take it easy okay? Who...wh-where is thi-¡±


    The stag¡¯s voice reverberates through Luna¡¯s consciousness by sheer volume alone. ~¡±SILENCE ABOMINATION! Your kind have the audacity, after so many centuries, to show up here!? AGAIN!?¡±


    Luna cowers in fear now, her ears and tail laid low as she slowly backs away from the spirit. The stag¡¯s eyes glow brighter.


    ~¡°The time for atonement passed ages ago. The waters of time wash away many things but your stench...will never be cleansed. As long as I stand guard, your kind will never again be welcome in these wylds. BE GONE!¡±~


    The stag charges Luna immediately, lowering its head to attempt to gore her with it¡¯s massive antlers. Despite their size of the bone protrusions from the spirit¡¯s head, they seem to be phasing through the various trees with no trouble at all. Luna turns to run, digging her feet into the ground to get as much speed as she could. Even sprinting on all fours, the stag is still faster, and just as she turns to see how much distance she¡¯s put between them, a mighty jagged spur from the antler pierces her chest and starts to rip her in hal-


    Luna wakes up again, this time on her couch and with her heart ready to leap out of her throat. The window from the living room showers her in a soft afternoon light. The sounds of cooking catch her ears, someone clinking a metal utensil on a ceramic surface. Meat is roasting in the oven, the aroma sinking directly into her nose. Luna¡¯s pupils shrink as she looks around bewilderingly, her ears at attention and her breathing sped up. She reaches down to grasp at her chest and holds it there for a second, calming herself down.


    Miguel¡¯s head pokes out of the kitchen with a friendly smile. The night of rest and ice packs seemed to do wonders for his face, as the swelling had gone down dramatically. ¡°Rise and shine La Loba. I started to wake you up when I came back in, but you looked like you were having one of those running dreams dogs have. Your legs and hands were moving, and you know, to be extremely honest, it was kind of cute.¡±


    Luna gives him a weak smile and exhales deeply, dropping the stress from the dream and reclining on the couch completely. ¡°Uh. Cute...r-right. What are you cooking? It smells really, really good.¡±


    Miguel¡¯s head disappears back into the kitchen as he calls out to her. ¡°Well it¡¯s only just gotten started, but it¡¯ll be barbecue chicken when it¡¯s done, and I¡¯m making some mac and cheese and  uh...veggies to go with it!¡±


    Luna tilts her head at the final bit. ¡°Is the reason why we¡¯re having veggies because you forgot to take the frozen stuff back to the fridge?¡±


    An awkward silence passes.


    ¡°...Maybe? Yeah, maybe is a good answer. Anyway, I got you some clothes and some other stuff that might be useful for you! It¡¯s on the floor right by you.¡±


    Luna blinks as she looks down, and sure enough, there are several bags of clothes. She idly sorts through them, finding a few different styles but compared to the designer stuff she had before these were certainly older. And just like he said, of varying sizes. She stops when she finds several pairs of underwear and bras, her ears lowering in sheer embarrassment. Miguel calls out again.


    ¡°So yeah, whatever doesn¡¯t fit lemme know, and I¡¯ll take it back.¡±


    Luna fishes out a wildly oversized bra, and toys with its stretchiness by pulling at it. ¡°Just...how big do you think my boobs are?¡±


    ¡°Man I don¡¯t know. If you are expecting me to understand the alphabet soup of letters and numbers and algebra you guys use, just flunk me out of class now. It¡¯ll save you time.¡±


    Luna snickers a little bit as she puts the bra back with the others looking back through what she was given. At the end of the line of bags was a slightly smaller one from a different store. She opens it up and starts filing through the contents. Toothbrush, toothpaste, a hairbrush (¡°That one is actually a really good idea actually.¡± Luna thought to herself.)...Deodorant? Did...werewolves need deodorant? There were also a bottle of shampoo and conditioner, but at the very bottom of the bag was box of tampons. She reaches down and slowly retrieves the box, holding it up in the air above herself sarcastically, like the worst treasure ever.


    ¡°Tampons?¡±


    Miguel¡¯s head pops around the corner.


    ¡°Hey, I lived with a woman for like, 10 years. I have made many a trip to stores in the past, in the middle of the rain and snow, dead-ass crack of night, just to buy that little box? You guys don¡¯t have anything I don¡¯t know about. Trust me. Besides, I don¡¯t know how you work, you don¡¯t know how you work, I figure it¡¯s better safe than sorry you know?¡±


    Luna nods, agreeing with the assessment. Miguel¡¯s head slips back into the kitchen.


    ¡°Go ahead and put the bathroom stuff up, I made a space for you there this morning. I don¡¯t have a drawer for your clothes kid, so you¡¯ll just have to use some boxes for now. Lunch will be ready in like half an hour alright?¡±


    Luna pulls herself off the couch and heads back into the bathroom to try on all of her new clothes. She found that fit her just fine and plenty of others that threatened either cut off circulation to vital organs/limbs or may as well been bedsheets on her thick frame. Still though, she was very appreciative of the efforts Mr. Morales went through for her, for she didn¡¯t even realize how large she¡¯d gotten. Whenever the Oswalds gave something to her, it was always through the lens of being given a hand-me-down or an undesirable, even though she was much larger than Peggy and required her own clothes. These gifts were given out of kindness, not necessity.


    Luna did have to make some adjustments to the pants though. She carves out holes in each one of them for her tail using an extremely rugged pair of scissors. It wasn¡¯t perfect by any means but at least it would be a little more comfortable that way. Luna felt a lot more secure with proper clothes on and even though she couldn¡¯t go outside, she felt more...normal than she had been since she¡¯d transformed a week ago. Happy even. She settles on wearing a nice pink hoodie with a white headphone symbol on it and blue jeans. Her pendant stayed underneath the outwear for safe keeping.


    Lunch went about as well as expected, with Luna devouring the lion¡¯s share of the offerings, though Miguel prepared for it and made extra. Several hours pass with Luna heading back to the couch to watch more terribly droll TV and Miguel going back to work in his room. The sun starts to set before Luna heard from him again.


    ¡°Luna...Do you mind coming back here for a sec?¡± Miguel calls patiently.


    Luna slides off the couch in a heap, thoroughly bored with the prospect of watching more reality TV. There was only so much of ¡®Dude, where¡¯s my Android?¡¯ a person could take. Luna heads towards Miguel¡¯s room and knocks politely before entering, her voice sincere.


    ¡°Mr. Morales?¡±


    Luna opens the door and steps inside, finding Miguel with his weapon case out. He beckons her over and pats the bed next to him.


    ¡°So, I got to thinking kid. When I heal up a bit, we¡¯re going out again. And security is going to be tighter. I mean, we got lucky last time, but I¡¯m pretty sure next time, some guys are going to be packing heat. And I don¡¯t want you getting hurt, so I¡¯m going to give you a few tips about guns.¡±


    He opens the case and pulls out his 9mm handgun, popping the ammunition out of it. He gestures towards it with a finger before handing it to Luna.


    ¡°Here...hold it.¡±


    The gun slides into Luna¡¯s clawed hands and she stares at it blankly. It felt...heavy. Obviously not heavy in the traditional sense, but in the mental sense. This is a tool.


    No.


    It¡¯s far more than just that.


    A weapon designed for killing. One of these was leveled at her and technically ended her life last week. So often in the various media, she consumed, guns were just...apart of it. They fired bullets that hit people, and they died, more often than not. Good guys had them. Bad guys had them. But the other day...She¡¯d been one of those people. The gun seemed extremely unappealing, even unnerving to her now as she continued to just stare at it, her eyes starting to water. When she was shot in the gut...the intense pain that she felt? Was that what everyone felt when they had been shot?  Like you¡¯ve been opened up by an impossibly cold spear of agony that would not go away as you were forced to watch your life pool at your feet? She only felt that sickening sensation for maybe a minute or two but even thinking about it made her feel ill. It was only recently when the fur returned to her stomach, covering up the tender skin.


    The gun felt far heavier than the car she¡¯d picked up the night before.


    Miguel watched Luna¡¯s face turn from caution to sadness to sickness and places a hand on her shoulder.


    ¡°Uh...is...is everything okay?¡±


    Luna shudders as she remembers that she¡¯s still sitting there and passes the gun back to Miguel, clearing her throat awkwardly as she wipes a hand over her eyes, smearing her tears.


    ¡°I...don¡¯t like guns. I really just...I really don¡¯t like guns.¡±


    Miguel nods slowly and pulls it back into his hand, spinning it around. ¡°Well, that¡¯s fine but let me give you a few pointers real quick so you can survive. First off, I can¡¯t speak for every jackass and gangster, but there are a bunch of folks who don¡¯t know how to shoot a gun and have never practiced with it. Believe it or not, firing a gun isn¡¯t just pointing and shooting with your hands, but your stance. How you hold your arms, how your feet are placed, that kind of deal.¡±


    Luna nods as she places her hands in her lap, listening closely.


    Miguel holds the gun out in front of himself, placing both hands on it to steady it. ¡°Both hands on the gun. Feet placed in a steady stance. Focused on your target.¡± Miguel turns to look slightly towards Luna and nods. ¡°That¡¯s the look of a guy trying to shoot you who¡¯s had some practice.¡±


    Miguel switches over to one hand holding the gun straight out. ¡°You can do this if you like, but guns have way more recoil than they have in the movies. Not only are you wrecking your wrist but if you take a second shot, it takes longer to get the gun under control to aim. Not the worst thing, of course, some people prefer it but...depends. Now this¡­¡±


    Miguel tilts the gun to the side and passes Luna a sarcastic look, which causes her to giggle. ¡°Do me a favor and bite the guy who does this in the balls. You¡¯ve got the same problem as doing it one handed, but then you add that you have to aim from a different direction and..ugh. It¡¯s a mess. Never, ever, ever do. Now¡­.¡±


    Miguel puts both hands back on the gun and looks towards Luna again, swinging it from side to side. ¡°Now you tell me something. In all those games you played, which targets were the hardest to hit?¡±


    Luna sits up, her fingers touching each other energetically. ¡°Oh...moving targets, all the time..unless we¡¯re talking about a game with like, snipers and bullet drop and that kind of stuff.¡±


    Miguel nods slowly, though he grimaces at the mention of a sniper. ¡°Let¡¯s just hope we don¡¯t run into those snipers. But yes, moving targets. Most people are going to look for the target, draw a bead on it, and then fire.¡± Miguel mimics this by swinging his gun out in front of himself, pointing to a corner and mock firing, pulling the gun back to simulate recoil.


    ¡°But you don¡¯t want to be shot, so you are going to watch for when they are trying to get that lead on you, and then move a different direction. Zigzagging work pretty well. For me, I¡¯m not fast enough to do that kind of thing. Plus I¡¯ll have my own gun, so I¡¯ll be taking up cover points and trying to shoot back, but for you, since you are much faster, you¡¯ll be able to get on folks faster than they can draw a line on you.¡±


    Luna relaxes as they talk, feeling quite comfortable.


    ¡°But!¡± Miguel drops the gun in his lap and turns to face Luna fully. ¡°Ideally, you don¡¯t want to be getting shot at all. Hit them from behind, above, below if you can manage it. I don¡¯t know how many of your games that you play that involve stealth-¡±


    ¡°None of them.¡± Luna interjects helpfully.


    ¡°-but the best gunfight is one you can end before it starts. By the way, what kinds of games do you like to play?¡±


    Luna blinks and looks down at her hands, flicking out a finger and counting them off. It¡¯s clear she¡¯s pretty excited as a smile spreads on her face, and her tail flutters back and forth. ¡°Oh...uh...I really like role-playing games. Action games, fighting games...I love...like really love wrestling games. They¡¯re super fun! Oh, I like games that make me laugh too. Games that make me think are also cool. Old ones, new ones, weird ones, I like a lot of them. What about you, do you play anything?¡±


    Miguel shakes his head. ¡°Nah...I never really had the time to get into them to be honest. I did have one that I had, back on our old computer. It was one where you play as a little fox guy with a sword? What was it called? Tale? Dust tale? Sand-¡±


    Luna lights up energetically like someone stuck her tail in a socket. She speaks rapid-fire, unable to contain her excitement. ¡°Oh! Oh yeah! Sandtail! I remember that game! It¡¯s an old classic, a whole bunch of people really like it, and it¡¯s still really neat. I really like that in the game, you can like, choose like, what stats and stuff to build and the side quests are all really cute and funny, and the story is so good! I mean, Gadget was a really cool sidekick, and your talking sword had a really manly voice! Do you remember all that?¡±


    Luna turns to look at him with the earnestness befitting of a fangirl, nearly hopping up and down in her seat in anticipation for his answer. Miguel is legitimately surprised by her response to that and shrugs awkwardly towards her.


    ¡°Uh...yeah. I just liked beating up the monsters.¡±


    Luna misses the memo as she nods quickly, clapping her hands quietly together. ¡°Yeah, that part was really great. You could do so much with like the different specs, and you really could play the kind of game YOU wanted to play¡­¡±


    Miguel chuckles good-naturedly before tapping Luna on the nose, halting her exposition dump and forcing her to look cross-eyed at the finger.


    ¡°Alright, alright kiddo. You remember way more about that game than I do but I¡¯ll tell you what, maybe next time we have some downtime, we can talk about it more? But I just wanted to have this little talk to give you a few pointers. I should be getting back to work now.¡±


    Luna stands and passes Miguel a friendly nod. ¡°Sure! I can¡¯t wait until we talk about it again. Uh, are you going to cook anything tonight?¡±


    Miguel taps his finger on his chin, thinking. ¡°Eh...I don¡¯t think so. Help yourself. It¡¯ll probably be really late before I get done this time.¡±


    Luna nods. ¡°Okay Mr. Morales. Goodnight!¡±


    Miguel smiles. ¡°Goodnight.¡±


    Luna leaves the room and closes the door behind her. Miguel waits a moment, gets up to the door, locks it and then moves back to his computer desk, pulling up his chair. He reaches down inside of one of the drawers of his workspace and pulls out the glass panel phone he¡¯d taken from the truck the other night and sets it down next to his computer. Thanks to the charger he¡¯d stolen along with it, he powered up the device and had spent the last couple of days cracking the touch screen password. It was a lock that involved sliding your finger over specific blocks to make some sort of shape. Through sheer trial and error he finally found out the combination to open up the phone, and while he was out today, he picked up a cable that would allow him to seamlessly transfer documents from the phone to his computer.


    After initializing the process, Miguel grabs his own phone and scrolls through his contacts.  Finding the one he wanted, he pressed the small panel and the phone dials, a familiar ring tone buzzing in his ear. A masculine voice picks up the phone.


    ¡°Well if it isn¡¯t one of my best dudes! Hey man, what can I get for ya?¡±


    Miguel smiles.


    ¡°Mr. Dragon...has my special order gotten here yet?¡±

 Chapter 10: Repeat Customers

    Silvernest is home to Ravenport¡¯s rich and famous, judging by the elaborate iron fencing, expansive houses and meticulously maintained yards that were featured prominently in the neighborhood. Cars were left unlocked in the knowledge that if any ruffian dared to steal it, a new car was but a phone call and a few mouse clicks away. As a result, Miguel loathed visiting this place and resolved to never spend more time in it than he had to.


    A blanket of twilight sweeps across Ravenport as Miguel drives into Silvernest, already annoyed that he was here. Trying to do good police work in this area of town was nigh impossible, mostly because those that did end up getting caught could weasel out of it either with cash or connections. While in some cases it could be a financial boon for the department, it was aggravating morally. What was the point of the law if people could just wave currency or politics to make it not exist?


    Miguel¡¯s SUV slows down in front of one manor in particular that had a Chinese dragon insignia within the ironwork of the fence. The gate is locked, but there is a small speaker with a button on it that was within arm¡¯s length if one was sitting in a car. Miguel rolls down his window and presses the talk button.


    ¡°Hey. It¡¯s Miguel. Here to pick up my special order?¡±


    A friendly voice picks up after a brief pause.


    ¡°Oh hey, bro! Sure, I¡¯ll buzz you in. Ah...park your car and come meet me in my workshop. I¡¯ll bring it out.¡±


    The intercom cuts off as the slow rattling of the heavy iron gate rolls open, allowing Miguel to drive inside. The driveways length wasn¡¯t too long, but it split into two paths; one leading into the manor proper likely for Kenneth¡¯s cars, and another leading to the side of the house near his workshop. Miguel pulls up and parks, heading around to the back of the home.


    Passing a wary eye to the elaborate swimming pool that overshadowed most of the manicured backyard. Miguel opens the side door and steps inside. Kenneth¡¯s workshop, even to the uninitiated, is quite impressive. Numerous mechanical stations and computer consoles dominate the far wall, almost none of which Miguel recognized. A mechanized hand hangs from the ceiling, the mount of which had its own grid of track for movement. A large table is in the center of the room with multiple parts and pieces for a multitude guns from traditional ballistics weaponry to newfangled laser rifles. The other sides of the walls were dedicated to Kenneth¡¯s tools, with some of them hanging from the walls with small labels on them and even more found in some drawers and cabinets.


    Kenneth walks in the room not long after Miguel with a huge smile on his face. The Asian man is little shorter and slimmer than Miguel is but his eccentricity more than makes up for his stature. He wears a red, unbuttoned Hawaiian shirt with white flowers on it with knee-length, baggy khaki shorts. His hair is wild, spiked up intentionally and each tip frosted with blonde coloring. A pair of expensive shades sit on his face, and he wears a pair of designer basketball shoes despite Miguel being certain that the man has never seen a court in his life.


    ¡°Bro! It¡¯s really good to see you man! I was jus¡¯ fixin up some dinner, but I always got time for you. So yeah, you wanted your special order right?¡±


    Miguel nods slowly. ¡°You said it was all ready to go?¡±


    Kenneth walks over towards one of the cabinets and reaches down to open it, slinging out a  large black briefcase and setting it out on the counter for Miguel to look at.


    ¡°Uh...you got time for me to install the other thing on ya real quick?¡±


    Miguel shrugs at him. ¡°It only takes like, a minute right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Just gotta switch out the hand and put in some insulation and you are good to go my dude.¡±


    Miguel takes his right hand and grabs his mechanical arm. He holds it steady while he starts rotating his shoulder in a very specific set of peculiar movements. As soon as he finishes the last one, his arm pops off entirely, with Miguel shuddering intensely in discomfort. He holds it out for Kenneth to take.


    ¡°Alright, but hurry up. I don¡¯t like the feeling of being disarmed.¡±


    Kenneth takes the arm with a bright smile on his face, but as soon as he starts to say something, Miguel holds up a finger to his mouth.


    ¡°Don¡¯t. Say it.¡±


    Kenneth¡¯s smile slowly fades as he rolls his eyes and walks past him. He heads towards one of his mechanical stations, the thing looking like a black copy machine with a much heavier lid. He opens it up and slides Miguel¡¯s arm inside of it, closing it again.


    ¡°Aw man c¡¯mon my dude, lighten up. It¡¯s funny.¡±


    On top of the lid was a small keyboard and a thickly rounded helmet that completely obscured the eyes. Kenneth removes his shades and starts to get to his task, his hands typing in commands at light speeds. The sounds of high pitched machinery whine through the machine as it works, fulfilling every order it was given.


    Miguel turns back towards Kenneth and heads to the large briefcase, opening it.  Inside were four handmade satchel charges, each about the size of a small child¡¯s backpack. There were small boxes strapped to the outer part of them with a simplistic timer on it. Miguel smiles deeply.


    ¡°Ooooh. These look good...look really good.¡±


    Small electric blue lights periodically peek out from underneath the lid of the machine Kenneth is working on.


    ¡°Yeah, I snagged a really good blueprint for em. Amazing what you find on the net these days man. And I just don¡¯t make those for anybody, but for you, I¡¯ve got your back. Just...uh...don¡¯t do anything bad with ¡®em okay?¡±


    Miguel shuts the briefcase. ¡°See Ken, that¡¯s what I like about you, you don¡¯t ask questions. Now¡¯s a terrible time to start for the record but I will tell you that no, I¡¯m not going to do anything bad with them. I¡¯m merely solving a problem. That¡¯s all.¡±


    Kenneth pulls up the lid and slides off the helm, grabbing the arm off of the contraption and holding it out to Miguel.


    ¡°Well if...if you say so bro. Here¡¯s your leftie back. But I¡¯m gonna give you the run down real quick.¡±


    Miguel takes his arm and holds it up to his shoulder. With a solid *SH-SHUNK!* it slides back into place, Miguel shuddering again on re-entry. He flexes his fingers, feeling much better to be back in one piece.


    ¡°So basically, I snuck in there and took off the safety on it, so you can now totally send the power from your batt into your hand. Electro-gloves, you know? But if you do that it¡¯s seriously gonna cut down on your juice, so you gotta take it easy on it.¡±


    Miguel nods attentively, letting his arm drop to his side. ¡°It¡¯s just the hand that gets electrified, right?¡±


    Kenneth nods. ¡°Yep! Now remember, you have some serious power in that thing, so don¡¯t go like, chargin¡¯ up and then like, scratch your pit er¡¯ somethin. That¡¯s a real good way to put yourself in the hospital.¡±A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°I got the idea, thanks. Anything else before I go?¡±


    ¡°Uh...no man. I think you are good. If you need anything else, you lemme know, alright?¡±


    Kenneth holds his fist out, and Miguel reciprocates the greeting by doing the same. They both bring those same hands into a genuine handshake. Miguel turns to grab his briefcase and starts to step back out of the door.


    ¡°Tell Ryu I said hi. It¡¯s been awhile since I¡¯ve seen him runnin¡¯ around.¡±


    Kenneth reaches back to put on his shades, nodding towards Miguel. ¡°Well you know that turbo-nerd, sittin up in that office, running the Dojo. But yeah, I¡¯ll get at him for ya. Later bro!¡±


    Miguel waves and steps out of the house, closing the door behind him. Sliding the briefcase in the backseat of the SUV, he sighs and gets in himself, starting his car up.


    ¡°Just...solving a problem. That¡¯s all Kenneth.¡± Miguel mutters darkly.


    Miguel told Luna to be ready by the time he returned, and sure enough, the werewolf was wearing her sweat suit she¡¯d worn the first time they went out. Miguel takes a quick dip into his room to re-equip himself with both of his guns before departing. After double checking the stairway for any chance that someone might walk in, the pair sneaks out again and hop into Miguel¡¯s SUV unnoticed. Luna did enjoy being indoors more often than outdoors but just being able to get away from the couch and that television felt nice. She¡¯d complain about her living situation more, but considering the circumstances in which this arrangement was set up, it felt like the wrong time to bring it up. The time was coming soon though.


    Luna gets comfortable in the car as she reclines, watching the various buildings of downtown Ravenport pass her by. The area was almost radically split between the various skyscrapers of the massive tech corporations that called Ravenport home and an area called ¡®The Scratch¡¯ which was full of the faded glory of Ravenport¡¯s yesteryears. Most of the people that lived there were quite poor but would rather tolerate it than have some of their antiques altered or destroyed. As the fancy plazas and the high tech squares pass her by and they start heading into the Scratch, Luna turns towards Miguel with a raised brow.


    ¡°So...uhm...you haven¡¯t told me where we¡¯re going yet so¡­¡±


    Miguel¡¯s stoic driving expression is broken; his mind focused on other things at the moment. He turns his head towards her with a pained smile, gesturing towards her.


    ¡°Oh, you want to know...of course! I¡¯m sorry, I completely forgot. We¡¯re heading into the Scratch. To a distributing center of Scar¡¯s.¡±


    Luna crosses her arms and brings a finger up to her chin, scratching it. ¡°Oh...how did you know where it was?¡±


    Miguel jerks a thumb behind him. ¡°Remember that first night where you fought sword girl?¡±


    Luna nods quickly.


    ¡°Well, while you two were scrapping I snuck into one of the trucks and found a phone. I had to crack the stupid little code on it, but once I got in, I started going through emails and text messages. Between that and a little bit of internet mapping, I eventually figured out where he¡¯s got his stuff hiding. He¡¯s got a few small warehouses around, but if we nail the distributing center, it¡¯ll hurt him the most.¡±


    Luna taps her chin, ruffling the fine fur found there. ¡°Uh...huh. Well, that makes sense I guess. So what¡¯s the plan?¡±


    Miguel rhythmically taps his metal fingers on the steering wheel of his vehicle. ¡°...We¡¯re going to blow it up again.¡±


    Luna¡¯s ears lower at the news, turning to look at him fully. ¡°Uh...l-last time everything kind of burned up. I mean that was at the docks, so nobody else got hurt, but this one is in the city right? Won¡¯t...the fire spread?¡±


    Miguel shifts stiffly in his seat. ¡°I know. The grenades I got last time were supposed to do that. It¡¯s why I switched it up and got satchel charges this time. More explosive and less fire. And if it¡¯s anything like the rest of the buildings in the Scratch, it¡¯ll be made of brick. Can¡¯t get more fireproof than something made by it.¡±


    Miguel interjects with a shrug. ¡°Look, if it¡¯ll make you feel any better, I¡¯ll call the fire department the second I get the bombs set. Okay?¡±


    The werewolf still peers at him, clearly worried about the method. She eventually drops it and sighs, leaning back in her seat again.


    ¡°So how are we going to do this? I don¡¯t think sneaking around again is gonna work.¡±


    Miguel shakes his head. ¡°No, probably not. Which is why you are going to come in here with me. I¡¯ll need you to cause a distraction while we look for his goods. Probably more Rust.¡±


    ¡°Uh...Rust? Like the thing that metal does when it¡¯s out in water or whatever?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s what it is, but that¡¯s what it was called on the shipping manifests.¡±


    Luna shrugs. ¡°Do you know what he wants all that stuff for then?¡±


    Miguel¡¯s face turns stoic again. ¡°No, but I plan on taking out as much of it as I can. If he¡¯s shipping an actual ton of it in, it¡¯s gotta be important for something.¡±


    Luna¡¯s ears fall to her side, knowing that look he was putting on. It was the same one he had given her when he first told her what he was doing. She goes quiet and pulls her hoodie up over her face, resigning herself to hoping that things went better this time.


    It took another hour to drive through the relatively thick traffic that poured through Downtown Ravenport and head into the Scratch. It was getting to be pretty late now, sometime past 10 p.m. Luna figured, but she didn¡¯t have a phone or a watch to make sure. The street lamps were the only thing guiding them beyond the headlights, and even the lamps in the neighborhood stopped consistently working. Miguel pulls into a nearby alleyway and parks the car, getting out and opening the back door of the vehicle.


    ¡°You know,¡± Miguel says with some finality. ¡°I¡¯ve always hated this place.¡±


    Luna steps out of the car after scanning the alley for any potential pedestrians and finding none.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Miguel opens the briefcase he got from Kenneth and pulls out two of the satchel charges, slinging them over his back. ¡°Because no matter how many times I combed this beat, nothing ever got better. It didn¡¯t get better when I used to live here, and it didn¡¯t get better when I became a cop either.¡±


    Luna¡¯s eyes widen in surprise. ¡°You? Used to live? Here? In the Scratch?¡±


    ¡°It...it wasn¡¯t always called that.¡± Miguel says, closing the door and locking it back.  ¡°Back when I was a kid, it was called the King¡¯s Mantle, or just Mantle for short. Those big tech guys, Nova Corp, Dojotech, Zillion...they were nowhere near as big as they are now. Hell, I don¡¯t even think Dojo was even around back then. But when they started getting money, they kind of just spawned their own little world around them. And little by little they started taking more and more land, bulldozing old stuff, putting in new stuff, and taking away where people used to live. With nowhere to go and no place to get work, the Mantle just got poorer and poorer until...well, what you see now.¡±


    Miguel gestures around him and shakes his head. ¡°Only started being called the Scratch while I was gone when people started to notice what they had here. Exactly that. Scratch.¡±


    Luna tilts her head at the little lesson on city history she never knew, shaking her head. ¡°I¡¯m...really sorry to hear about it. Ever since I was little, I knew it was bad, but I didn¡¯t know why.¡±


    Miguel looks out from the darkened alley and out towards the Center that they¡¯d come here for, watching for anyone who dared to walk out in these dangerous, mostly dark streets at night. ¡°Well, there you go. Now you know. So don¡¯t be judging books by their covers, kid.¡±


    The Distribution Center is huge at first glance. It¡¯s a two-story brick building, just like Miguel had predicted. It featured no external markings to denote it as one thing or another, but it did have multiple loading bays spread out on three sides. Oddly, at the moment, they all seemed to be empty. A few lights were on in the building, but only in certain places on the first floor. The outside perimeter is closed in by a tall chain link fence with razor wire cresting the top of it. There was a small parking lot there with two vehicles, one of which was a white luxury Cadillac and a scratched black sports bike.


    Luna and Miguel sneak up to the building when the coast was clear, sidling up to the tall fence. After a small bit of discussion, Luna simply tosses Miguel over the fence to avoid cutting through it. They canvas the building for a possible way to the roof and find one; an emergency ladder in the back. Miguel climbs it swiftly while Luna forgoes it, crouching down and leaping up onto the roof in a single bound.


    The view up here wasn¡¯t much to look at, as the majority of the buildings surrounding this one were derelict or decaying. The snow had receded a little bit from all the snowfall they had before thanks to a few warmer winter days, but the flat roof is still quite wet. There is very little up here besides some ancient looking air conditioning units and some vent openings, but there was a skylight that looked to be in decent condition.


    ¡°There.¡± Miguel gestures, pointing to it. ¡°There¡¯s our ticket in. Stay back, I¡¯m going to take a look and see if that¡¯s safe.¡±


    Luna nods and holds her ground while Miguel cautiously walks forward. The roof felt a little uneven in spots underneath her bare feet, it being in desperate need of repair.  Miguel peers down through the skylight and sees a dim, old looking office room. It had ancient looking carpet and probably once housed cubicles of some sort, but that was ages ago now. Luna takes a step towards Miguel and feels the roof strain underneath her weight, her soft footpads picking up on whatever the material is shuddering beneath her.


    ¡°Uh¡­M-M-Mr.Morales...th-the roof¡­¡±


    Miguel turns towards her ready to raise a finger to his mouth to quiet her, but he notices the scared expression on her face as she¡¯s trying to remain calm and clearly failing. Luna¡¯s tail goes stiff while she¡¯s got her arms out to try to balance herself.


    ¡°Whoa...just...take it easy...and step back,  stay calm-like¡­¡±


    Luna raises her foot and slowly takes a step back, but the single point of pressure was enough to to get the fracture lines to spread from her foot. She falls through the roof with a sickening series of crunches, the werewolf wreathed in darkness, wires, and rotten roofing as she fell. Just as suddenly though, there was light as she plummets into a bathroom, landing side first on one of the stall doors before sliding off and landing on her back in a loud whine. She rolls over on the smooth tiled floor, holding her side but notices that there was a figure inside of the bathroom. She turns her head to look at her, finding it to be none other than Sakura herself, looking completely astonished by the werewolf¡¯s sudden appearance.


    Luna starts to pick herself up, not sensing that she¡¯d taken any other big hits on the way down besides the door. ¡°Ow-ow-ow...zero out of ten, would not recommend.¡±


    Sakura finally finds her voice, pointing towards Luna. ¡°H-h-how are you here? What the hell are you doing here? How fat IS your ass?¡±


    Luna frowns slightly at that, crossing her arms. ¡°Hey! Rude.¡±


    Sakura instantly retorts. ¡°Rude? You thought I was a dude last time!¡±


    Luna tilts her head in mild agreement. ¡°...Fair.¡±


    Sakura takes a step towards  Luna, the vampire¡¯s fist smashing against a nearby wall.


    ¡°Look, I¡¯ve already had you screw up one thing for me this week. I don¡¯t need you to screw up a sec-¡± Sakura looks back up towards the gaping hole Luna made and then looks back down towards her.  ¡°Where the hell is your partner?¡±


    Luna shrugs. ¡°Beats me.¡±


    Sakura¡¯s hand pulls away from her sword and instead go over her gloves, pulling them off and stuffing them in her pocket. She rolls up the sleeve of her right arm, exposing some pale skin. Luna¡¯s ears tilt upwards.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Sakura flicks her hand out as a red spear-pointed blade of energy shoots out from over the top of her wrist.


    ¡°Setting up Round 2.¡±

 Chapter 11: Round 2

    Sakura wastes little time with her new blade, swinging it straight towards Luna, slicing the outside edges of the bathroom stalls in the process. Luna, like before, could easily see how to dodge it but, unlike the last time, there was precious little room to work with. She leaps to the vampire¡¯s opposite side, evading the swing as it plunges behind her. Sakura¡¯s blood knife easily carves through the wall behind Luna, the vampire bringing her knife to bear against her opponent again. Sakura throws a few horizontal slashes with as much speed as she can muster, but Luna keeps backing out of range of them.


    Going on the offensive, Luna throws blow towards Sakura¡¯s head, the vampire sidestepping as quickly as the attack began. The knife goes in again, aiming for Luna¡¯s stomach and landing a light graze across the side of it. Sakura goes in for a second hit, but the werewolf grabs her by the neck, putting her in a strong chokehold. Luna lifts the vampire off of the ground, watching her try to kick and squirm out of her grasp. Sakura¡¯s struggles were forcing her to keep her stance wide, as this much swinging might throw her off balance. She growls at Sakura, increasing the pressure of vice grip on her neck.


    Fear seeping into her mind, Sakura starts to panic. Clearly unable to think of a better option, Sakura puts the palms of both hands out to her sides and channels a powerful blast of wind, propelling the both of them forward and through the bathroom door, blasting it to splinters.


    The duo land in the old office room that Miguel had spied from above, and it looked about as old as it smelled. The abandoned room had been stripped out, all except for the carpet and a few support beams. The wind burst was strong enough to force Luna to drop her opponent and hit the ground, clutching her stomach in pain. Sakura managed to stick the landing, albeit sloppily, landing on her feet, but nearly losing her balance and turning towards the werewolf.


    ¡°And now there¡¯s plenty of room for me. And no cars for you. I know your partner is here. After I finish you, I¡¯m going to find him and end this.¡±


    Luna gets to her feet and looks up towards the skylight, finding a panel of it open. It looked like Miguel managed to get down here, but where he might have gone was another matter entirely. Sakura unsheathes her blade, letting it cut her thumb to coat it in blood and turn it back to it¡¯s trademark scarlet color. Realizing that she was going to be attacked again, Luna desperately searches for a weapon and looks to the side of the bathroom. Judging by the exposed wooden beams and the bare plumbing, the lavatory was once part of a set. Multiple pieces of debris lay scattered across the ground, but chief amongst them was a long-handled sledgehammer. There were other tools there, but they were all covered a thick layer of cobwebs.


    Luna dashes back and grabs the sledgehammer and hoists it into action, only to realize that the metallic head of the thing was stuck to the ground. She gives it another hefty pull, arching her back with effort, but the hammer refused to budge. Sakura perks an eyebrow up as she just watches Luna¡¯s back, unsure of what¡¯s going on. She knew what it looked like but...no...that couldn¡¯t be it.


    Sakura calls out. ¡°Uh, what the hell are you doing?¡±


    Luna gives one final wrench of her arms and rips the sledgehammer from the floor, only to find that the head of the hammer stayed put. She visibly faulters as she looks at the stick she¡¯d managed to pry up from the floor, whatever it was keeping the two parts together had weakened over time. It was still long enough to be considered a short metal staff, but Luna looks heartbroken.


    ¡°Awwww...c¡¯mon. Again?¡±


    Sakura witnesses Luna¡¯s misfortune and snickers, drawing both hands to her blade. ¡°About time something went in my way. Your little stunts end here, I¡¯ll make sure of that.¡±


    Sakura throws a blast of air at Luna, strong enough to make her wince and stand her ground. In that second, Sakura¡¯s charges her. The katana speeds towards Luna¡¯s side, but the staff intercepts it with a resounding *THOCK* as folded metal meets industrial metal. The two materials clash several more times as Sakura whirls her blade like a dervish, aiming to sever the improvised weapon. Luna does her best to block or parry the blows away from herself. The vampire is moving fast enough now that she was afraid to try to attack her, for fear of taking serious damage.


    Sakura finally lands another meaty slash to Luna¡¯s arm, cutting into it and forcing her to drop her battered staff. Luna cries out in pain at the hit, taking a step back. A quick glance to the wound showed that the blade had cut her pretty deep, but if she could survive a shotgun blast to the belly, she could survive this. Luna¡¯s brows furrow as Sakura presses her attack, swinging a foot around to kick the werewolf in the head, aiming to keep her off balance.  A familiar voice prickles it¡¯s way into the back of Luna¡¯s mind, whispering to her and her alone.


    ~¡±Bite. Crush her.¡±~


    Luna leans her head back far enough so that her muzzle was lined up with Sakura¡¯s foot and opens her mouth. When the errant limb came close enough, her massive jaws sink into the vampire¡¯s foot, easily piercing through the boots. Sakura tries to pull herself back out of pure pain instinct, but that mouth had a grip on her. Luna starts slinging her head from side to side violently, bashing Sakura into the ground multiple times. Despite the multiple slams though,  the vampire keeps a hold onto her weapon.


    Luna finally turns her loose by taking a step forward, spinning herself for extra momentum and throwing her into the bathroom where the fight originated. The vampire hits the stalls, knocking over several of them and shattering the porcelain thrones beneath them in a messy clatter of sound. Sakura doesn¡¯t stay down for too long as she pulls herself out of the wreckage, still clutching her sword.


    ¡°No...no-no-no-no! I can¡¯t lose! I will...I will not lose!¡±


    Luna spits out the hunk of leather that had gotten stuck in her teeth and holds a hand to the cut on her arm. ¡°Then surrender and stop fighting me. You started this.¡±


    Sakura limps out of the bathroom, stepping through the hole she made. ¡°Do you understand what¡¯s on the line here? I can¡¯t just give up. I have a job. I need to stay in this family. If I don¡¯t, I¡¯ll be alone again...I can¡¯t let that happen!¡±


    Luna started to ask what that meant, but Sakura extends her hand towards her, generating a maelstrom of wind so fierce that Luna couldn¡¯t stand up to it. The werewolf goes flying, rocketing out of the abandoned office and over a catwalk¡¯s safety railing. The upstairs office area was the only part in the second story, as the entire first floor of the distribution center was the warehouse. Luna falls onto the first story and slams into an empty pallet, smashing it to splinters.


    Miguel tilts his head as he overhears a loud crash near him. The first floor was pretty straightforward, as multiple wooden crates of Rust were present here as well, some of them having the Vyers Shipping insignia on them.  Luna looks to the side after the hard landing, soon noting that multiple boxes in the area had set satchel charges sitting near them, each one ticking down with small but deadly beeps.


    Moving to investigate, Miguel pulls out his magnum and looks over towards the broken pallet, finding Luna lying on the ground. He holsters his gun and moves to her side, inspecting her. Luna groans and starts to push herself up from the wreckage.


    ¡°You know, you really ought to stop falling off of things.¡±


    Luna rubs the side of her head. ¡°Not a habit I want to continue, believe me.¡±


    Miguel extends a hand to help Luna up, the werewolf standing and shaking her head.


    ¡°Did you set all of the charges?¡±


    Miguel nods. ¡°Yeah. Nobody¡¯s here. Easy peasy. The timer¡¯s set now. We should get going before anything stupid happe-¡±


    Sakura¡¯s voice pierces through the conversation as she steps onto the catwalk¡¯s safety rails, looking down at Miguel and Luna. She looks noticeably exasperated with a toothy smile carved onto her face.


    ¡°AND THERE¡¯S THE OTHER ASSHOLE.¡±


    Luna and Miguel look up towards her with admittedly terse expressions. Miguel starts to pull out his magnum, but a flash of insight stops him. He instead grabs Luna¡¯s shoulder and jerks his head towards the door.


    ¡°Now. Move.¡±


    Luna nods and they both turn, heading towards the front cargo bay. Luna reaches down to clasp the lock and undoes it, throwing the huge shutter open and the two starting to leave. Sakura jumps down from her perch, landing on the ground neatly.


    ¡°Hey guys, where are you going, the party¡¯s just getting started!¡±


    Just as Luna opens the door, another massive blast of air hits her and Miguel into the back, sending them both out of the shutter bay. They hit the snow and slide a small distance, both of them turning to face Sakura who was just stepping out of the building with them. She shrugs towards the two of them, shaking her head.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "You think you can just waltz in here and start messing up our operation huh? You two blew up a lot of hard work you know? And it was MY ASS that was on the line for it! I don¡¯t know who the hell you two think you are, some kind of vigilante justice bullshit but you guys won¡¯t get lucky again. I underestimated you two last time.¡±


    Miguel and Luna start to stand up, but another gust of wind knocks them back, being pushed so hard that they bounce off the chain link fence at that property¡¯s perimeter. Sakura cackles as her blade is still drawn, talking towards the two as they struggle to regain their footing.


    ¡°Oh no no no. ¡± Sakura says darkly. ¡°Don¡¯t get up yet.¡±


    Just as the last word of that sentence comes out of Sakura¡¯s mouth, twin explosions rock the distribution center. Sakura instantly turns around to witness the blaze that had spread throughout the distribution center, with the vast majority of the boxes that were in there being on fire or about to be. Sakura slumps as a familiar plume of blue smoke leaks out of several of the windows of the building.


    ¡°Again!? You guys blew it up again!? What the hell is your problem!?¡±


    Miguel and Luna stand finally, though the werewolf holds a hand over the wound on her arm. Being tossed around like that had only reminded her the dull pain that resided there. But watching the smoke, Miguel smiled.


    Sakura brandishes her blade, her brows furrowing and her grip tightening on the handle. ¡°You both have to die, or else he will-¡±


    A sinister whistle needles it¡¯s way through the chorus of the flames, the tune it carried being quite jovial. The source of it draws closer as even Sakura turned around to look towards the entrance. A shadow appears in the flame, being humanoid in shape, but it was clear that they were in no hurry. After a few tense moments the whistling shape proved to be male and dressed sharply.


    He was wearing an all-white suit that fit him had been ironed to perfection. He has long black hair which is pulled into a simple ponytail, banded together by a small band of some sort. His eyes were black and sat being a pair of thin, black-rimmed glasses. His fedora fit snugly on his head and completed the look of one who takes great pride in his appearance. Despite walking through flames, he didn¡¯t even look remotely singed. Luna watches him carefully as he becomes more and more visible and realizes that the flames weren¡¯t burning him because they weren¡¯t touching him. They were warping around his body, swaying outward by his mere presence alone.


    As soon as Miguel saw who the man was, he drew his gun in a flash, leveling it at the shadow¡¯s head.


    ¡°...Scar.¡±


    Sakura turns towards the man in the white suit, pleading. ¡°I didn¡¯t know they were here! I fought the werewolf, and they managed to blow the building up, but I have them cornered. If you give me a hand, we can kill them right now and go back to your plan!¡±


    Scar didn¡¯t answer her, rather, he continued to hum his happy tune to himself, his face rather placid and lacking much emotion. He slowly walks up towards Sakura and stops just behind her, the glow of the fire illuminating his back. Luna could see the hints of fangs in Scar¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°Gladly. After you.¡±


    Just as Sakura turns around to face Luna and Miguel, a swift motion immediately catches Luna¡¯s attention. Sakura drops her sword as a reddish-black blade pierces through her chest, impaling her. She starts to go limp as her head rolls back to look at him, a terse expression crossing her face. Luna and Miguel stand in shock as Scar slowly pulls the blade towards him, bringing Sakura in close enough to stare at. Scar speaks in his smooth, dry voice, his hands still resting on his back. Fire truck sirens scream vaguely in the distance.


    ¡°Tools, my dear, are meant to be used. You buy them for a specific job. They do their specific job. You...have failed me twice now. Seeing as how I cannot take you back to your parents and demand that they produce a competent child, my only option is to discard it. I knew, from the second I met you, that you were worth...nothing. Empty of potential. I knew that you would fail me, if not immediately, then eventually. I merely thought your failure might have been entertaining. I regret to say; I am not amused.¡±


    The blade twists in Sakura¡¯s chest, forcing her to cringe in pain. Scar smirks sadistically.


    ¡°Oh dear...I missed your heart didn¡¯t I? It seems your assassin training was good for something after all. Congratulations. You appear to  have the worth of a worm...considering you wriggle like one.¡±


    Scar withdraws his blade, leaving Sakura to drop to her knees and slam into the snow face first. It¡¯s then that Luna could see where the blade came from. Underneath Scar¡¯s feet sat an odd shadow of sorts that twirled incoherently on the ground. The blade he created had bent up from it and seemed to act independently of his hands. Without any external signal, the blade melts back down to the


    amorphously shifting puddle underneath his feet.


    ¡°And before I do forget, before you come crawling back like the pathetic mongrel you are, I hereby disavow you from House Vyers. You are no longer welcome in the family as you have displayed nothing to prove your worth in anything but failure.¡±


    Scar bends down to grab Sakura¡¯s right hand and after a split second of concentration violently rips something off of it. Whatever it was, it left her hand emitting a black smoke for a few seconds. Sakura winces as it happens, but the pain seems to subside soon enough.


    ¡°And to think that I thought I could merely tally my shipments in peace tonight. How...foolish of me.¡±


    Miguel fires his magnum directly at Scar¡¯s head, the bullet flying towards it¡¯s intended destination. Just before it strikes him, the round hovers uselessly, drained of all kinetic energy and drops towards the ground. Miguel blinks as the bullet stops dead in the air and then hits the ground. Scar raises a brow towards him, shaking his head.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, have we met?¡±


    Miguel¡¯s eyes boil with barely constrained rage. ¡°You...were the bastard that took everything from me.¡±


    Scar points innocently towards himself. ¡°...By everything, you clearly don¡¯t mean your life, or else you wouldn¡¯t be standing here. But judging by your garish cybernetics...oh wait¡­¡±


    Scar peers at Miguel again and laughs suddenly, seemingly putting two and two together. He taps the side of his temple as he speaks.


    ¡°Forgive me, how could I forget? That night was...rather fun, wouldn¡¯t you say? I didn¡¯t think you had survived. I bet you wished you hadn¡¯t, had you?¡±


    Miguel fires his gun again, the bullet stopping harmlessly a mere inch or two from the elder vampire. Scar mocks him openly by chuckling directly at him.


    ¡°At least I felt that one, unlike the peashooter you had that night.¡±


    Miguel unloads the rest of the bullets he had in his clip out of anger, but Scar didn¡¯t even flinch. Each projectile is stopped and gently laid on the ground as Scar continues to stare directly at Miguel.


    ¡°Really, I should be thanking you tin man. Without you, I wouldn¡¯t have known that I had a problem in my security." Scar says, gesturing towards the downed vampire in the snow. "Now that I have found it, I can go about replacing it.¡±


    Miguel attempts to fire his gun again, but a resounding click suggests otherwise.


    Scar¡¯s grin fades slightly as the sirens draw closer.


    ¡°As much as I¡¯ve...enjoyed this conversation, I am afraid it is time for me to leave. I¡¯ll be sure to have a heart to heart, next time we meet...and as for you mutt?¡±


    Luna had merely been observing this whole time, unsure of what to do, say, or think. This guy was unlike anyone she¡¯d ever met before. He seemed entirely evil and her fur bristled at the thought of him, but at the same time, it was almost like he wasn¡¯t real.  Luna furrows her brows as she¡¯s insulted, her hands balling into fists.


    Scar continues. ¡°I don¡¯t know what has driven you to join this fool¡¯s brigade but know this; I am not afraid to take you out behind a shed if need be. Your kind belongs outside of the city.¡±


    Scar takes his hat off and tilts it towards them and turns to leave, walking towards the parking lot. Miguel starts to charge him, his rage consuming him, but Luna grabs him and holds him back, looking into his eyes as Miguel thrashes his way to try to get free.


    ¡°Will you stop!? If he stopped your bullets, what do you think he¡¯s going to do to you?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s right there! Right there! The man who ruined...everything! This might be my only chance!¡±


    Luna gets a little firmer with him, pinning Miguel¡¯s arms to his sides as he looks at him.


    ¡°If I let you go, it will be your last chance. Just calm down! You are really smart Mr. Morales, you can figure out how to get at him later! I know you can!¡±


    Miguel finally gives up fighting against her but bites back heated tears as Scar simply walks away from him. He stares nothing but bloody, raw hatred for the vampire as his back retreats from him. Luna starts to reach a hand out towards him, but recoils, thinking better of it.


    Miguel finally calms himself down as he takes a deep breath, wiping his hand over his eyes. Luna finally lets him go with a reassuring pat on the shoulder and gestures towards the car.


    ¡°We should get out of here. Those sirens are getting close.¡±


    Miguel bites his lip but he looks up, seeing Scar step into his luxury car in the parking lot and turn the ignition, driving out one of the side entrances a turning onto a street.


    ¡°I know you¡¯re right...but...yeah, you¡¯re right. Let¡¯s get out of here.¡±


    A raspy voice interjects just as the werewolf and the man turn to leave, forcing both of them to turn around.


    ¡°W-wait. Please?¡±


    Despite a pool of blood forming around her, Sakura still appeared to be alive although she looked unbelievably tired. She slowly turns her head to look up at the duo still present.


    Miguel stares down at her less than sympathetically.


    ¡°And just why in the hell should I do that? You kicked my ass a few days ago and were about to do it again.¡±


    Sakura gathers her drifting thoughts. ¡°Listen. I¡¯m...sorry about all of that. I was just...doing my job. That¡¯s all. I don¡¯t really hate you. If I had...If I had known how terrible of a person he is, I would have never agreed to....¡±


    Luna leans down to sit next to her, looking over the vampire¡¯s body worriedly.


    ¡°I would but...I don¡¯t know how to help you.¡±


    Sakura turns her sullen eyes towards the werewolf. ¡°If you...if you do what I say, you can save me.¡±


    Luna¡¯s pupils grow large as she stares up towards Miguel, clearly wishing to help. Miguel frowns at her, shaking her head. ¡°Luna! No! She is an enemy! How can we be sure that this isn¡¯t some...some kind of trick! Some vampire bullshit magic thing?¡±


    Sakura glances up towards Miguel. ¡°...Dude. My boss just stabbed me in the back, fired me, kicked me out of his family and left me for dead on top of calling me worthless. I feel pretty bad as it is right now. Cut me some slack. I¡¯m not evil.¡±


    Miguel¡¯s mouth purses shut at the answer, the man crossing his arms defensively. Luna¡¯s puppy dog eyes get even larger. ¡°C¡¯mon...the enemy of my enemy is my friend right? I mean, she cut me up earlier a little bit, and I¡¯m fine with it.¡±


    Miguel snaps back. ¡°Well I don¡¯t have crazy healing powers or anything, so you¡¯ll have to excuse me on that one. So what do you expect us to do with her? How do you heal a vampire anyway? Aren¡¯t they like, dead or something?¡±


    Luna leans up a little bit towards him. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but she¡¯s asking for our help. I want to help her like you helped me. Remember?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Luna pleads. ¡°Then what¡¯s the difference between you helping me out when I wasn¡¯t even awake and her asking you for help? She looks more human than I do.¡±


    Miguel sneers at Luna¡¯s logic, shaking his head. ¡°You didn¡¯t almost kill me. I mean intentionally. She nearly did.¡±


    Luna peers at Miguel, pointing a finger accusingly at him. ¡°What was it you said earlier? Don¡¯t judge a book by it¡¯s cover?¡±


    Miguel¡¯s lip curls up sternly as his advice is hurled back at him.


    ¡°Guys¡­¡± Sakura interrupts, wincing as she holds her chest wound closed. ¡°...Totally bleeding out here. Make a decision.¡±


    Luna legitimately whines at Miguel, unsure of what else she could say to persuade him. He cringes and runs a hand over his face, smearing his facial features.


    ¡°Rraagth Fine! Fine-fine-fine! But if she kills us, I swear I¡¯m going to punch you in the afterlife. ¡±


    Luna pulls off her hoodie and wraps it around Sakura¡¯s torso before picking her up and cradling her.  The sirens sounded like they¡¯d be here any second now. Luna turns to leave, but Sakura turns her head to point towards the ground.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget my sword.¡±


    Miguel grumbles as he bends over to pick it up. He gently slides it back into its sheath and then removes them both from Sakura entirely.


    ¡°I¡¯ll hang onto this. For safe keeping. Let¡¯s get out of here.¡±


    The trio make their way to the side entrance that Scar used to leave, with Luna easily kicking down the sliding gate to freedom. They make it back to Miguel¡¯s SUV just in time for the fire truck to crest the street corner to the burning brick building. The firefighters immediately start to quell the flames, and as Luna puts Sakura in the car, a quick motion catches her eye across the street. A pale man, with white hair and a trench coat, watches the flames from the corner, looking annoyed. Within a single blink of an eye, the man is gone as if he¡¯d never been there in the first place. Luna peers at that spot for a moment longer before getting into the front seat. The Maroon SUV drives inconspicuously into the night, leaving the firefighters to their work.

 Chapter 12: Cross Examination

    Luna steps into Miguel¡¯s apartment as soon as it¡¯s open, as someone only a flight above them had gone near their door and seemed to be in the process of opening it. Miguel swings the door back closed just in time as a neighbor leaves theirs, a sigh of relief leaving him. Piggybacking on Luna is a barely there Sakura, her arms draping lazily over the top of the werewolf''s shoulders.  The pink hoodie Luna wore before wrapped tightly around Sakura''s chest. Luna gently lays the vampire down on the couch and looks her over, her face shifting to empathy at Sakura''s poor state.


    The bleeding seems to have stopped, though it left a massive splotch on Luna¡¯s hoodie to do so. Luna crouches down next to drowsy Sakura and waves a hand in her face to get her attention.


    Miguel places Sakura¡¯s sword down in the corner and goes to watch, folding up his arms.


    ¡°We¡¯re here now. How are you feeling?¡±


    Sakura turns towards Luna and smiles weakly. ¡°Not bad...for having a giant hole in my chest. I feel like I¡¯m dying, but other than that¡­¡± She coughs raspily. ¡°...No big.¡±


    Luna rests her hands on Sakura, her ears and tail lowered with concern. ¡°So...we¡¯re safe and everything. What do we need to do to fix you?¡±


    Sakura looks around the room slowly before returning her gauntly gaze back to the werewolf. ¡°...I need a glass of water.¡±


    Miguel peers at the vampire questioningly. ¡°Water? I thought you guys drank blood?¡±


    Sakura returns his look and shakes her head.¡°Just...trust me. I just need a big glass of water.¡±


    ¡°On it.¡± Luna gets up and heads into the kitchen, returning just a few seconds later with the requested item and holding it out towards Sakura¡¯s mouth to drink.


    Sakura shakes her head. ¡°No...reach into my pants pocket...there¡¯s a pill bottle.¡±


    Luna¡¯s hand is a little large to reach into Sakura¡¯s pocket, but she does feel a small cylindrical container there. She fishes it out with a clawed finger and inspects the bottle. The branding reads ¡®Vitae-Up¡¯ with a red cross insignia beneath the name. Luna spins the bottle in her hand, finding no instructions or manufacturing printed on it. Luna scratches the side of her ear quizzically.


    Sakura nods.  ¡°Dump it all in the water.¡±


    Luna pops the cap off of the medicine bottle and finds that it¡¯s pretty much empty, with only four pills left inside of it. She dumps the capsules into the water and gasps when the water shifts to a dark red color. Luna sniffs it curiously and winces as the smell of blood pierces her nasal cavity.


    ¡°Wow, that stuff is strong. Ugh!¡±


    Sakura chuckles quietly and shakes her head. ¡°Yeah...I wouldn¡¯t if I were you. Give it to me.¡±


    Luna raises the glass over Sakura¡¯s face and props her head up to a more natural drinking position. It took a concentrated minute or two to get the entire glass¡¯ worth of contents within Sakura, but as soon as they did, the vampire began to look a lot better. Sakura clutches her wound and closes her eyes, concentrating. Her facial features bunch up as she forces the injury to knit itself closed. She exhales deeply when she finishes, opening her eyes and sitting up, patting the previously open wound with a tender hand.


    ¡°God...that feels way, way better now. I hate the way it tastes, but it¡¯s great in a pinch like this.¡±


    Luna watches Sakura, growing increasingly fascinated.  ¡°Do we need to get you some more? I¡¯ve never seen a bottle that looks like this before.¡±


    Sakura shakes her head, running a hand through her hair. ¡°Well, in a few days maybe. I can¡¯t really drink too much blood this way, it¡¯ll mess you up in a bunch of really unfun ways. Think of this stuff like medicine; when you need it, take it, but don¡¯t rely on it by itself. The best type of blood to drink is from a human, the fresher, the better. But if you are really down on your luck, pig and lamb¡¯s blood can work...but it tastes like complete trash.¡±


    ¡°And before you ask¡­¡± Sakura adds, looking up towards a stone-faced  Miguel. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t bite our wolf friend because werewolf blood is...just..a really bad idea in general. And I wouldn¡¯t bite you because you probably don¡¯t have much blood as it is, with that cybernetics in you. And besides that, I like you. I wouldn¡¯t want to do that to ya.¡± Sakura winks towards the male.


    Miguel rolls his eyes. ¡°I appreciate the concern...miss?¡±


    ¡°Sakura Vy...well. I guess it¡¯s just Sakura now. I could use my old last name again I guess but...meh. Sakura works. What about you two?¡±


    Luna¡¯s tail wags happily as she hands the Vitae-Up bottle back to her. ¡°Luna Oswald.¡±


    Miguel nods slowly. ¡°Miguel Morales. That¡¯s Mr. Morales to you.¡±


    Sakura shrugs. ¡°Technically I¡¯m old enough to be your great grandma, but it¡¯s your house and your rules so...yeah. You got it, Mr. Morales.¡±


    ¡°So...are you good now? Why do you still need a few days?¡± Luna asks, folding her arms underneath her head as she leans on the couch from the floor.


    Miguel goes to get a chair from the kitchen, drawing it into the living room and spinning it around to sit in it backwards. Sakura pats the spot where her previous injury was.


    ¡°Remember when he said that he missed my heart? He may have missed it, but he scratched it up pretty bad. Heart injuries can take a little bit to heal so I gotta take it easy until it¡¯s back to normal. If he had got my heart, I wouldn¡¯t be talking to you right now.¡±


    Luna¡¯s eyes pique with interest. ¡°I see. Uh...this might be kind of a stupid question I guess but...why did Scar say I didn¡¯t belong in the city?¡±


    Sakura leans back like she was hit in the face. ¡°Uh...because you guys usually hang out in the mountains somewhere?¡±


    Luna gasps. ¡°There are more people like me?¡±


    Sakura stares at her blankly. ¡°Uh...yeah. Totally. Have...you not met any other werewolves before? I thought you guys were all like, one big happy family?¡±


    Luna shakes her head. ¡°Uhm...I guess not? I didn''t think that I wasn¡¯t the only one, but I can¡¯t exactly go outside and look around for them, can I? People would flip.¡±


    Sakura shrugs. ¡°I guess not. But yeah, there¡¯s a place in the mountains or the forest you guys hang out in. I have no idea where it is.¡±


    Luna nods. ¡°Cool...Super good to know. By the way, can I have my hoodie back now?¡±


    Sakura looks down at herself and slowly takes off Luna¡¯s sliced up and bloodied hoodie, wincing at its poor condition. ¡°Heh..sorry. I know some of those cuts are mine.¡±


    Luna looks over the garment and shakes her head, placing it in her lap, careful to angle the bloody bits away from her t-shirt. Her eyes brighten as she thinks of another question. ¡°Could you tell me about your sword? Does it have a name? ¡±


    Sakura snickers at her enthusiasm. ¡°Not...really? It¡¯s simply an Akai Blade.¡±


    Luna¡¯s passion withers, her wagging tail slowing to a stop. ¡°...Really? What¡¯s so special about it?¡±


    Sakura sheepishly scratches her chin. ¡°It¡¯s...just a weapon from the place where I learned how to fight. It¡¯s not the craziest or best name, I know.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    ¡°Well...it¡¯s okay I guess. So it draws blood right?¡± Luna said inquisitively.


    Sakura relaxes again, leaning back against the couch. ¡°Yeah. If I start landing good hits and can draw blood, it allows me to use extra abilities.¡±


    ¡°Like the windy thing?¡±


    Sakura shakes her head. ¡°No. That¡¯s a Sanguine Art.¡±


    Luna taps her fingers against the couch as she pauses to think. ¡°A...Sanguine Art?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Basically, it¡¯s vampire powers. The once you pass a few age brackets, vampires start to discover new abilities. And the older you get, the stronger they get.¡±


    ¡°Oh...then how old are you?¡±


    Sakura taps a finger against her lips, her eyes rolling up into her head in thought. ¡°Let¡¯s see...what year is it this year again?¡±


    ¡°It is December 30th, 2059.¡± Luna replies helpfully.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s see...that¡¯d make me...seventy-five years old.¡±


    Luna whistles. ¡°Wow! That¡¯s...ancient. But you look so young...do vampires age at all?¡±


    Sakura shakes her head. ¡°Not really. We look like how old we were when we turned. I was sixteen when I went through the rite, but they don¡¯t usually do it that young.¡±


    Miguel speaks up suddenly, gesturing towards Sakura and diverting the friendly conversation. ¡°So how did you start working for Scar?¡±


    Sakura looks between the two of them, stifling a chuckle. ¡°Good god, what is this, a Q&A session?¡±


    Miguel shrugs nonchalantly. ¡°You worked with the guy responsible for ruining my life. I think I have a right to get some intel out of you after I saved yours.¡±


    Sakura sighs and crosses her arms. ¡°Fair, I guess. Ask away.¡±


    A smile crosses Miguel¡¯s lips. ¡°Glad to see you are cooperating. How long have you been working for Scar?¡±


    ¡°About six months. I needed the job, and I needed the family after being gone for so long.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what Rust is?¡±


    Sakura runs a thumb over her chin for a moment. ¡°Uh...it¡¯s a drug. Illegal, probably. It¡¯s not for vampires though. It¡¯s for humans. I know it messes with your head, but I don¡¯t know anything more than that.¡±


    Miguel nods. ¡°Interesting. Do you know where he lives?¡±


    Sakura shakes her head a few times. Miguel presses on afterward, frowning a little bit.


    ¡°Of course. That¡¯d be too easy. Anyway, where were you before this?¡±


    Sakura shifts uncomfortably. ¡°Asleep. For a very, very long time. Like I said, I needed the job and the family. ¡°


    Miguel leans closer. ¡°What do you mean by family? Can¡¯t you work stuff out on your own?¡±


    Sakura shakes her head. ¡°You could, but it¡¯s really hard if you are out by yourself. When you become a vampire, you swear your allegiance to the family that¡¯s turning you. Usually, it just ends there, and it comes with some benefits. Families have ways of getting blood to drink easily, and they watch each other¡¯s backs. When you join a family, you get a brand put onto the back of your hand. It¡¯s invisible except to others who know how to force it to show up, kinda like an ID card. If you screw up, a family elder can look at your brand and see who you belong to and go yell at them.¡±


    Miguel nods understandingly. ¡°So Scar just kicked you out of his. What does that mean?¡±


    Sakura continues. ¡°Usually the only vampires that don¡¯t have families are either super untrustworthy, or their families are dead. You can prove the last part easily and join another, but nobody is going to want you in their family if you are an asshole. So Scar kicking me out of the family basically means I¡¯m kinless.¡±


    Sakura grumbles and lowers her eyes. ¡°...Again.¡±


    Miguel clutches his fingers earnestly on his chair¡¯s backrest. ¡°...Do you know what Scar¡¯s plan is?¡±


    Sakura frowns at the human, shrugging exaggeratedly. ¡°You heard what he thought about me right? Like, you were listening to him, yeah? Do you think a guy like that would tell a bodyguard what exactly he was doing? The only thing I really know about it is that he¡¯s trying to get someone¡¯s attention. He¡¯s been on the phone with people that...I don¡¯t think come from here. Or at least he was the few times I went in to see him.¡±


    Luna ponders this, as that could have any number of meanings. The statement simply had too many paths to head down, so she shelved that information for later. In the meantime, Miguel furrows his brows in thought, looking to be in the same mental space as the werewolf. The male speaks a few moments later, nodding to himself.


    ¡°So let¡¯s say...I needed to kill a vampire, how would you do it?¡±


    Sakura points towards her heart. ¡°Well, I already said I wouldn¡¯t be here if he hit this. You destroy the heart, you destroy the vampire, period, the end. Granted, a single bullet won¡¯t do it. If you shot me with that magnum you had, it would hurt like hell, but I wouldn¡¯t be down. Wood is the best. Like a big stake? Arrows aren¡¯t bad either. If you can manage to land a few magnum shots there, that¡¯d do it too.¡±


    ¡°What about beheading?¡±


    Luna winces as Sakura answers bluntly. ¡°Depends. Younger vampires would die for sure. But blood is really important to vampires. It¡¯s how we heal, how we eat, how we use our Sanguine Arts and stuff like that. So if you go about losing a ton of it and you can¡¯t see? That¡¯s done deal. But the older a vampire is, the better control over their blood they have so they might last long enough to find their head and put it back on before blood goes flying everywhere. I¡¯ve only seen that once. It was...kinda gross actually.¡±


    Miguel nods satisfactorily before pushing up from his chair. ¡°That¡¯s all I really wanted to know off of the top of my head. But ladies, it¡¯s getting late. I¡¯m going to go turn in, but I wanna tell you something real quick.¡±


    Miguel leans over the back of the couch to look at Sakura plainly.


    ¡°Luna¡¯s the only reason why you are here. If it were up to me, I¡¯d have left you back there. I¡¯m trusting her judgment on you, and I¡¯m willing to give you a shot. Don¡¯t make me regret it.¡±


    ¡°And I appreciate that Mr. Morales.¡± Sakura says earnestly. ¡°Trust me, nothing will happen out here.¡±


    Miguel¡¯s accusing gaze remains on her for minor period of time before he finally looks away. His expression brightens when he shifts over towards Luna, pointing towards her.


    ¡°Fine. Do you need any pillows or blankets or anything?¡±


    Luna shakes her head. ¡°Mmmm...Maybe a pillow. One of the cool things about being fuzzy is that it feels like I¡¯m wearing a blanket all the time anyway.¡± She good-naturedly scratches the fur on one of her legs before stopping suddenly.


    ¡°...Oh god, I wonder what summer is going to be like.¡±


    Miguel smirks as he turns to leave, heading towards a closet in the hallway and tossing a pillow towards Luna, who lets it hit her in the face before pulling it down in her hands.


    ¡°What about you Sakura? Do you need a pillow or something?¡±


    Sakura leans up to look over the back of the couch. ¡°Oh..yeah. I¡¯ll be going to sleep when the sun rises, so uhm...could you block out the sunlight in here? If it hits me, I¡¯ll be leaving a lot more than just blood on your couch.¡±


    Miguel shrugs towards that, grabbing a blanket and a pillow and tossing it out towards her. ¡°Oh yeah, I remember seeing about that in the movies. Is it that bad?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah. Yeah-yeah-yeah. It is that bad.¡± Sakura says, putting the pillow beneath her head and spreading out the blanket. Being up in the day is bad enough, but walking outside in the sunlight of day? I¡¯ve probably got about five minutes before it hurts so bad it knocks you out. After that? Well...it isn¡¯t pretty.¡±


    Miguel takes out a few more blankets from his closet, depleting his stash and heads to the kitchen, digging around in the cabinets for something. He returns with several nails in his mouth, heading over towards the large window and beginning to pin the dark blanket over it.


    Sakura lays back comfortably. ¡°Thanks. I really appreciate you letting me crash here.¡±


    ¡°Mmmhmmm.¡± Miguel mumbles, using his metal arm to pound the nails into the wall. When he finishes, the blanket is firmly placed, and he turns to head into the kitchen, doing the same thing. Luna turns over towards the television and reaches to turn it on, handing Sakura the remote.


    ¡°Oh what, you don¡¯t want to watch anything? ¡°


    Luna shakes her head again. ¡°I¡¯m not a huge fan of TV these days. I mean, I¡¯ve been stuck with it for like, little over a week and trust me, I¡¯ve seen everything I want to see.¡±


    Sakura looks towards the remote and awkwardly hits a few buttons on it, changing the channel. ¡°I remember when I used to come home from school and watch TV every day. It¡¯s been so long, and my life has changed so much that I don¡¯t even think I remember what the channels were anymore.¡±


    Miguel emerges from the kitchen, waving towards the girls. ¡°All set. Do you only get up at night Sakura?¡±


    The vampire nods. ¡°Yeah. I probably won¡¯t be awake until at least sunset.¡±


    Miguel walks over to grab the sword he¡¯d laid against the wall. ¡°Sounds good. Night you two.¡±


    Luna waves as Miguel heads back into his room down the hall and enters it. A few seconds later, the click of a lock catches Luna¡¯s ear...just like every night. Sakura sighs and turns towards the television, shaking her head.


    ¡°Ugh. I¡¯m not going to go bite him or anything, I wish he¡¯d loosen up.¡±


    Luna spreads out, laying flat on her stomach on the floor. ¡°If it makes you feel any better, when I woke up here, I was strapped to the bed.¡±


    Sakura raises her brow. ¡°Wow...seriously?¡±


    Luna nods. ¡°Yeah. I mean, he saved my life too but he was really wary...as he should have been. I¡¯m not even sure if I¡¯d have saved me. But then I turned on that trademark charm, and I think he likes me alright now. Just give him a little bit of time to let him get used to you. He¡¯s really not that bad.¡±


    The vampire stretches out, getting comfortable. A quiet moment passes before Sakura looks over towards Luna again, looking a little conflicted. Eventually, she speaks, shrugging to herself.


    ¡°Screw it. Can I ask you a question?¡±


    Luna nods innocently. ¡°Sure. What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to be rude...or like disrespectful or anything like that...but what¡¯s wrong with your teeth?¡±


    Luna self consciously freezes, a torrent of self-doubt pouring into her. ¡°Wh...what do you mean? What¡¯s wrong with my teeth?¡±


    ¡°Well...uh...I¡¯ve fought a ton of werewolves before, and none of them have teeth that look like yours, with the entire sabretooth thing going on.¡±


    Luna stammers awkwardly. ¡°I..I..uh..I don¡¯t know. They j-just came in like this? Is it...is it weird?¡±


    Sakura nods. ¡°A little weird yeah. I mean, it doesn¡¯t bother me or anything like that, I was just curious.¡±


    Luna lowers her head into the pillow, her ears sliding back in thought. Come to think of it, the guys at the Oswald¡¯s house said her eyes were different...was there something wrong with her? Granted, those guys were pretty terrible people, but even they recognized she was strange. Maybe the dreams or the voice in her head...were those byproducts of her condition? Did all werewolves have that problem?


    Sakura cuts through Luna¡¯s self-consciousness with a noise of disgust, pulling her out of her introspection.


    ¡°Ugh...what happened to TV while I was gone?¡±


    Luna turns her head towards the television as the program guide is displayed, with the vampire clicking through channels quickly.


    ¡°Why is everything reality tv, crime shows, sports and cat videos?¡±


    ¡°You mean there were other things on TV besides that?¡±


    Sakura glances down towards Luna. ¡°Well yeah? Where¡¯s the original shows, the drama stuff, anime, cartoons...what happened?¡±


    ¡°On the internet.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. There are tons of new shows and everything, but they all show up on the internet. TV is just kind of for...I guess easy stuff that they know people will watch. Lots of people have computers, and you can do more stuff with a computer than you can a TV.¡±


    Sakura ponders. ¡°If all the good stuff is on the internet, then what¡¯s the point of owning one? Why not just get a computer and call it good?¡±


    ¡°Well, if you think about it¡­¡± Luna says, rolling over onto her back. ¡°A TV these days is just a monitor with a tiny computer telling it what it can and can¡¯t do. You can stream stuff from a desktop or a laptop directly to it, and if you just want stupid entertainment, you have it without doing anything.¡±


    Sakura sighs in frustration and gives up her channel surfing, letting the TV rest on a cooking infomercial.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never really thought about like that before. I guess that¡¯s...kind of worth it.¡±


    Luna closes her eyes and exhales deeply. ¡°A little. Keep it down okay? I¡¯ll see you tomorrow.¡±


    Sakura watches the werewolf settle into trying to sleep and shoulders the covers up to her neck in return. ¡°Sure...and Luna?¡±


    She opens one eye towards Sakura. ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    A small grin curls up Luna¡¯s muzzle. ¡°Anytime.¡±

 Chapter 13: Return to Sender

    New Year¡¯s came and went without much cause for celebration, as Sakura spent the entire day asleep and Luna spent most of the time busying herself with various television shows to pass the time. Miguel came around to see how the girls were doing from time to time, but for the most part, he left them to their own devices. Sakura felt about as good as new after a few nights, waking up to find that the werewolf had moved from her sleeping spot. The sounds of dishware in the kitchen did provide a helpful clue where Luna had likely gone.


    Getting up and brushing the blanket over the window aside, Sakura takes a quick look outside. The snowfall had eased up a bit, and even from the apartment, the roads looked clear. Sunset must have only been a few moments ago, as the sky still burned with dark oranges of daylight. She eases out of the curtain blanket and steps over towards the kitchen, sticking her head inside of the doorframe.


    Luna stands at the sink, her back to the vampire, filling a glass up with water. Sensing a mischievous opportunity, she waits until the werewolf tips the glass up before speaking sharply, raising a hand up near her mouth to amplify her voice.


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    Luna snorts, her fur-raising on end and her shoulders hunching in surprise. The water rockets out of the glass, blasting herself in the face with it and dripping off of her whiskers in large drops. Luna, realizing what she¡¯s done, slowly tilts her eyes back towards Sakura with a minor turn of her head. Her face flattens itself into barely smothered indifference.


    ¡°...Hey.¡±


    Sakura chortles to herself, her lips spread wide in a smile the managed mischief. She comes out from around the corner and leans on the small wall space by the door, crossing her arms nonchalantly.


    ¡°Wow, you are jumpy. What¡¯s up with you?¡±


    Luna blinks innocently and looks at the completely empty glass. She didn¡¯t upturn the glass that hard did she and water usually doesn¡¯t explode like that, does it? Nearly two decades of experience suggested otherwise.


    ¡°Nothing? Besides taking a bath apparently. How are you feeling?¡± Luna runs a hand over her nose and blows it, sending any water there outwards.


    Sakura flexes both of her arms, admittedly not showing much muscle, but at least she looked healthy. ¡°Good as new. Or at least as new as I get.¡±


    Luna wipes the rest of the water off of her face and nods positively. ¡°That¡¯s good. Are you hungry at all?¡±


    Sakura shakes her head in response. ¡°I¡¯m still good for now. I¡¯ll need something to eat in a few days though.¡±


    ¡°That...uh...less good.¡± Luna admits. ¡°You don¡¯t...kill them, do you?¡±


    ¡°If I don¡¯t screw it up, no. Sometimes accidents happen and you take a little too much, but most of us don¡¯t enjoy killing off our food source. Emphasis on most.¡±


    Luna sets her glass down by the sink. ¡°I guess that makes sense. Kind of.¡±


    Sakura waves her hand dismissively. ¡°Don¡¯t you worry about it. We¡¯re good people...some of us. Others...well...heh. Not so much.¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh.¡± Luna moves over towards the fridge and opens it up. The racks were almost entirely barren, outside of some cans of beer and soda, neither one of which constituted much of a meal. The werewolf shifts upward, opening up the freezer section. The only thing the contained tundra held were a half eaten pack of chicken nuggets that were encased in ice so thick that an archaeologist would consider it preserved.  Luna shuts the door, leaving the fossil to rest once more in darkness.


    She turns then towards the pantry and starts searching its contents, which prompts a raised brow from Sakura.


    ¡°Problem?¡±


    Luna leans over, fishing out a single can of barely edible pasta. The rest of the pantry either contained seasonings or half-eaten condiments.


    ¡°Yeah...we¡¯re out of food again.¡±


    Sakura frowns at that and shrugs. ¡°Really? Does he not have money or something?¡±


    ¡°Well...yeah. I don¡¯t know. He bought me some clothes and some stuff but then he also bought all those explosives¡­¡±


    ¡°That shit is not cheap. He doesn¡¯t have a job or anything, right? Has he talked to you about money?¡±


    Luna meekly shakes her head. ¡°No...uhm...not at all. I mean, I guess it¡¯s really none of my business.¡±


    ¡°Bull. If it involves you, then it is your business. I seriously doubt you have money. And If he¡¯s blowing it all on fighting Scar, that¡¯s kind of dumb. You¡¯d need a lot more than just a few bombs to take him out.  What are you going to do if he can¡¯t pay rent? Or like, utilities or something?¡±


    ¡°Well...that¡¯s kind of his responsibili-¡±


    Sakura snorts derisively. ¡°Yes! Exactly that! But we¡¯re staying here too. And we have a right to know what his overall plan is. Because this little guerrilla hit and run stuff isn¡¯t gonna cut it.¡±


    Luna sets the can on the table and looks back towards the vampire. ¡°I mean...I guess we can. It¡¯s good to have all that sorted out before it becomes a problem.¡±


    Sakura jerks a thumb out of the room and then turns to leave it. Luna considers the can for a moment longer before departing with her. They travel around the corner and down the hall to Miguel¡¯s room, which as per the usual, is locked. Sakura reaches forward and knocks on the door sternly. Smooth jazz could be heard through the door.


    It takes a moment of shifting, but Miguel opens the door quickly, sticking his head out of the frame and blocking the rest with his leaning body. He looks between the two women quizzically.


    ¡°Uh...hey. Is there a problem out there?¡±


    Luna starts to speak, but Sakura instantly interrupts, casually pointing towards Miguel¡¯s chest.  ¡°We need to talk. The three of us need to talk. Mind letting us in?¡±


    Miguel thinks on this for a moment before backing out of the doorway and leaving the door slightly ajar for the others to enter. The room is a little messy compared to the last time Luna saw it on her first day here. The bed is unmade, a few articles of clean but wrinkled clothing litter the ground and a half dozen of empty bottles of beer sit on his desk. Luna¡¯s nose wrinkles in distaste; the alcohol content in the beers were strong.


    ¡°So¡­¡± Miguel starts, closing the door back and crossing his arms over his chest anxiously. ¡°What¡¯s this about?¡±


    Sakura takes a seat on the edge of Miguel¡¯s bed confidently, clearing her throat before speaking. ¡°First off, I gotta say. Props to both you and her for getting me out of a tough situation. I really do appreciate it. But I got to thinking just now...what¡¯s your endgame? What¡¯s your long-term goal here?¡±


    Miguel¡¯s pupils shrink dramatically. ¡°Wh-what? What are you talking about?¡±


    Sakura continues casually. ¡°This whole Scar thing? I mean, I don¡¯t blame you for wanting to get revenge. He¡¯s done a lot of bad things to a lot of people. And the bombing thing is cute but...you won¡¯t stop him. Not like this.¡±


    Luna stands nervously, turning her head slightly to whoever is speaking,  wanting to say something but also knowing better than to interrupt. Miguel leans up off the wall, dropping his arms to his sides.


    ¡°So what? You want me to just leave him alone? Let him run his little screwed up game? Let him get away with everything?¡±


    Sakura leans forward a little bit, looking bored. ¡°Did I say that? But you need to stop and think for a moment.¡±


    Miguel frowns severely. ¡°What¡¯s there to think about? His rap sheet is a mile long, he¡¯s importing materials that just...has to be illegal, and as if I needed more motivation, he killed my-¡±


    Sakura interrupts him, rolling her eyes. ¡°Do you honestly think you are the only one? Seriously? The only one who¡¯s ever had that happen to them? I¡¯ve only been working there for a bit, and I¡¯ve watched him kill people for insubordination just as easily as he kills the humans he feeds upon. He has a font but on his bad days...well, let¡¯s just say he has his vices.¡±


    Luna chimes in quickly. ¡°What¡¯s a font?¡±


    Sakura¡¯s tone softens for a moment. ¡°I guess you guys wouldn¡¯t know that. It¡¯s a human that is specifically used for feeding because they regenerate blood quickly. They are really, really rare and even more expensive. Like, millions of dollars expensive.¡±


    ¡°Okay, so he¡¯s a monster.¡± Miguel states matter-of-factly, cutting off the tangent. ¡°Already knew that. Plainly. But here¡¯s the problem. Nobody is doing anything about him. He¡¯s been the same bastard for years. I¡¯ve read his charges, and no matter how many times he gets caught with something, he weasels his way out of the system. I tried to do something about it and I paid for it. I did it the right way. Now I¡¯m doing it my way.¡±


    Sakura¡¯s eyes narrow at him. ¡°Does ¡®your way¡¯ plan on living for any period of time? Because you don¡¯t have a job, she doesn¡¯t have a job...¡± Sakura jerks a thumb at a somewhat frozen Luna. ¡°And I just nearly died losing mine. I¡¯ll get the hell out when I can, but I don¡¯t know about Luna. You have someone depending on you.¡±


    Miguel takes a step towards Sakura and raises his voice, his ire getting the better of him. His hands subconsciously ball into fists. ¡°Look, I didn¡¯t ask for this shit! I had a plan. A SIMPLE plan. I knew what I was going to do the second I got out of the hospital. Get some fireworks. Get revenge. Get life back on track. Simple. And my plan didn¡¯t involve a werewolf busting my car in half, and it sure as hell didn¡¯t involve some surly vampire coming in and crashing on my couch. I can¡¯t even believe what I¡¯m saying right now. The fact that you two are even here is insane!¡±


    Sakura¡¯s own temper rises as she stands up from the couch, the height difference between the two not intimidating her in the least. She glares right back towards the human. ¡°Your ¡®revenge¡¯ is going to get yourself killed! You are a human, without the skills, tools or even basic damn knowledge on how to fight him! In other words: NOTHING SPECIAL!¡±


    Miguel bristles with barely constrained anger while Sakura continues onward. ¡°And to make matters worse, he¡¯s a crime lord, with tons of dudes at his beck and call. And a strong vampire, as if we needed to make this shit sundae even worse. You WILL die if you go after him. And you are going to take Luna with you!¡±


    Miguel finally explodes, throwing his hands up and then quickly to his sides as he yells. ¡°I. DON¡¯T. CARE!  I am doing this, with or without your help! I have come too far and waited too long to give this up now. I will have my revenge. And come tomorrow goddamn night, pack up your shit and get OUT OF MY HOUSE! And while you are at it, take Luna with you. If you are such a smartass, clearly you can figure something out better than this regular human can.¡±


    Sakura snorts at him and crosses her arms. ¡°Fine. After this, you won¡¯t see me again. And we¡¯ll see just how far you get. And when I do leave, you WILL give me back my sword.¡± With that, the vampire brushes a shoulder on Miguel as she passes him, presses her way out of the room.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Miguel calls after her loudly. ¡°And only then, because I still don¡¯t trust your ass.¡±


    ¡°Tell me something I don¡¯t know.¡± Sakura retaliates, disappearing into the hallway.


    Miguel¡¯s resentment radiates off of him visibly as he starts to pant to calm himself down. It wasn¡¯t working. It¡¯s only then he recognizes that Luna¡¯s standing right next to him, the werewolf looking shocked and hurt. Miguel shakes his head as if he¡¯s offended.


    ¡°What!? Why are you looking at me like that?¡±


    Luna¡¯s eyes well up with emotional pain but she shakes her head dismissively. She wipes away the beginnings of her tears with the back of her wrist. ¡°I just...I just thought you were better than that. That¡¯s all. Goodnight Mr. Morales.¡±


    Miguel simply stares at her as the werewolf turns to leave, the door closing quietly behind her. He bites his lip as he looks down, closing his eyes and lowering his head. He slowly reaches for the door after a few moments of contemplation and locks his door, settling back into his computer chair with his head in his hands. His hand slowly gravitates towards one of his warm beers.


    When Luna makes her way back into living room, Sakura is sprawled out on the couch, fuming but dispassionately clicking the remote through television stations. Luna frowns at her as she steps up from behind, draping herself over the back of the couch above Sakura.


    ¡°Why¡¯d you have to push him so hard?¡± Luna says, trying to get Sakura¡¯s attention. The vampire doesn¡¯t respond immediately. The rate at which the channels flip increases.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do this. Just answer the question. Why did you have to push him? He¡¯s clearly been through a ton, and if we just mentioned the food, I¡¯m sure he would have-¡±


    Sakura interrupts her with the bluntness of a hammer. ¡°...He¡¯s not worth it. You should go somewhere else anyway. He¡¯s too stupid to know when death is looking at him in the face and taking measurements. And you are just as stupid for following him. Blind leading the dumb.¡±


    Luna¡¯s fur riles up subconsciously. ¡°Hey! If it wasn¡¯t for him, I¡¯d be dead! And he at least helped you back to your feet, isn¡¯t that worth anything to you?¡±


    The channels stop flipping as she looks up towards her. ¡°And if he got you killed tomorrow, how much would that be worth? A few nickels maybe? A dollar?¡±


    Luna goes silent and stiff, unable to come up with an answer to the question. Sakura turns her head back down towards the television and continues rifling through channels.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be fine¡­¡± Sakura continues, her voice flat and sarcastic. ¡°Werewolves love the great outdoors, right? It¡¯ll be fine. And when we get kicked out tomorrow, hit the road. I¡¯ve got better things to do than babysit. You¡¯ll be one less thing on my conscience. And that¡¯s screwed up enough as it is.¡±


    ¡°Fine. You are welcome for saving your life by the way.¡± Luna remarks, going over towards her makeshift bed on the floor and grabbing her pillow and her blanket and moving it away from the couch. She finds a nice corner to the side of the television to lay in, setting her bed back up and crawling in it, despite it being fairly early in the evening. She rolls her back to Sakura and tries to relax, the tone of the earlier conversation causing her to tense up considerably.


    With nothing to focus on, Luna eventually falls asleep. Sakura never did seem to find anything she wanted to watch and outside of that, everything else seemed to be quiet. Even with her enhanced hearing, Miguel¡¯s room seemed to be silent, and the few tenants that lived in this building didn¡¯t even provide much else to listen to. Like the last few nights, her sleep seemed peaceful enough, but something felt...off. And not just because of the night¡¯s events but as if it were some sort of sixth sense.


    The uneasy feeling eventually overwhelms Luna¡¯s slumber and startles her awake, her heart taking residence in her throat. She instantly turns around and looks towards Sakura on the couch. At some point during the night, the vampire dozed off, the soft volume of the television playing an infomercial. A small bead of saliva drips out of her mouth and onto the couch¡¯s plush material. Luna¡¯s ears swivel to focus on Miguel¡¯s room. Judging by the lack of even the soft jazz he had playing, he¡¯d likely gone to sleep as well.


    Everything seemed to be fine, so why was her heart beating so hard? Luna tries to fall back asleep, snuggling herself back in her covers. After only a few minutes, it¡¯s clear that she¡¯d be up, at least for awhile. The werewolf pushes herself to her feet and heads into the kitchen, the light of the street lamps only barely being enough to illuminate it. Spotting the failed glass of water she had earlier, she grabs it again, moving towards the kitchen and turning the faucet on.


    As she fills up the glass, she looks out of the window in the kitchen and towards the street below. A sudden light source catches her attention. She couldn¡¯t quite see what it was, but it was bright, and it flickered, sort of like a flame. Within moments, the light disappears. Just as soon as Luna raises fills her glass and starts to take a drink, a palpable heat rises and crashes into the nearby living room window, shattering it.


    Luna drops her glass and immediately dashes for the living room, only to find that an inferno seems to have claimed it. The large window that was there is gone, the glass of which could be seen twinkling amongst the orange flames. Sakura herself practically slams into Luna coming out of kitchen in a mild panic, grabbing the werewolf strongly by the forearms.


    ¡°Where the hell did all the fire come from!?¡±


    Luna¡¯s fur bristles outward as she goes stiff with fear. Over Sakura¡¯s shoulder, Luna finally gets a glimpse of the source of the fire. A second white-hot fireball arcs lazily through the window, sings past the two of them and explodes into the back wall, engulfing it in flames. The strong smell of smoke pierces her nose like a needle, forcing her to cover it with a hand. The air starts to get hazy as the fire spreads.


    ¡°We need to get to Mr. Morales and make sure he¡¯s okay!¡± Luna shouts, lowering her head to breathe slightly clearer air. Some of the smoke emanates from the nearby air vent; more floors than just this one were on fire. The heat was already sweltering thanks to the carpet catching fire; Miguel¡¯s TV sparks for a few seconds and shuts down, the heat forcing it to twist and warp out of its shape.


    Not wasting much more time, the two make a mad dash towards the less-on-fire hallway and through heavy smoke to reach his door. Luna knocks on it hard, nearly putting a hole through the cheap wood. Miguel stumbles his way towards the door and opens it, looking sleepy but cognizant.


    ¡°What the hell happened!?¡±  Shouts Miguel, his eyes widening at the wildly spreading fire.


    Luna picks up Miguel and pushes him inside of his room, ushering Sakura inside before shutting the door behind them. The brightness of the flames forces Miguel¡¯s eyes to widen as he¡¯s put down, stepping back into the room.


    ¡°Fire! S-something threw fire in the front room, and I think it¡¯s in the building too!¡±


    Sakura instantly makes for her sword resting on the back wall, undoing the sash around her middle where her sword was previously and linking them together again. Miguel¡¯s moving just as quick, throwing on a pair of slacks and a jacket. Luna opens the door back up for a moment and sees that the fire had gotten to the front door; running through there wasn¡¯t happening. Was fur flammable?


    Luna decides now is a terrible time to test that query.


    The werewolf shuts the door back and makes her way towards the window in Miguel¡¯s room, opening it up as wide as it would go. Unfortunately being on the fifth floor and with no fire escape, the only option out of here would likely be to jump. The window leads to the parking lot of this the apartment building, where a few other residents appeared to be fleeing the building. Sakura looks somewhat scared as she joins Luna at the window and looks up and down the window, searching for something.


    ¡°No fire escape!? Are you kidding me!?¡± The werewolf exclaims, clearly distraught.


    Miguel rushes over towards his closet and quickly opens up his suitcase, pulling out his Magnum pistol again and starting to reach for his other equipment. Luna runs over to grab him, pulling him away from the closet as she feels the floor beneath them stutter and weaken.


    ¡°Mr. Morales, we¡¯ve got to go! The whole building is going to fall apart!¡±


    Miguel roughly bucks the werewolf off of him, looking at her coldly. Unlike herself or Sakura, he seemed...hurried, but oddly, almost grimly calm. As he walks towards the door to the hall another fireball slams into the same wall, exploding hard enough to take out the wall it had smacked once before. A rush of flames hits the bedroom door, and it too starts to become engulfed in flame.


    Miguel steps away from it and looks towards the window, sprinting for it. His voice is calm.


    ¡°Too far. I can¡¯t make that jump.¡±


    Sakura chimes in immediately. ¡°I can.¡±


    Luna looks back towards Miguel and nods quickly. ¡°If she can, I can. Let me catch you.¡±


    Miguel stares at the werewolf sternly before nodding in agreement.  Luna¡¯s eyes begin to water as the smoke filters into the room, the bedroom door crumbling off of its hinges. Sakura quickly climbs out of the window, leaping free of it and disappearing. Luna goes next, simply jumping out of the window and clearing it. The breath of cool air was refreshing as she fell, the flames leaving her back. She looks down and spots Sakura, standing off to the side to let Luna land. The werewolf hits the ground hard, landing on her feet and bending painfully down towards the ground. She gives off a weak whine of discomfort, but she pushes herself back up.


    Miguel looks down towards them and seems to be mildly hesitant about jumping, but he pulls his head back in the window. A few seconds later he reappears, having leaped straight out of the window and not a moment too soon. Just as he got clear, a gout of flame shoots from his window, the building rumbling with the sound of two distinctive explosions. Luna readies herself and catches Miguel in her arms, her knees buckling a bit due to the weight. She grunts but she sets him down on the ground safely, nodding towards him.


    From here, it¡¯s clear the building wasn¡¯t going to last much longer, and the few people who hadn¡¯t escaped likely wouldn¡¯t. Flames burst through various seams in the brick building and smoke billows from the windows. The Miguel, Luna and Sakura all stare up at the burning apartment complex for a few moments in silent awe. Luna holds a hand over her heart as she watched her second home burn up. Just before the anxiety of the situation starts to grip her, Miguel runs a comforting hand to rest on the werewolf¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Hey! They jumped out of the window, over here!¡±


    The unknown voice cutting through the flames immediately causes the party to turn around to look towards the source of it. A young man, likely no older than his late teens and dressed in a cheap brown suit, points towards them from the entrance of the parking lot. He slowly steps out of the way as an older woman walks around him, her gaze locked on the trio. At an immediate first glance, the Luna thought the woman could be someone¡¯s young grandmother. Her hair was grey and silky, and her glasses were thin. She was dressed impeccably well, wearing a formal black jacket, a white corset, and black slacks, along with high heeled boots. Her eyes seemed silver as well, though even through her smile, Luna could see the sharpened canines.


    ¡°Well well well¡­¡± The woman muses with a soft but still threatening voice. ¡°I believe we¡¯ve flushed out the problem. You¡¯ve had a look first hand¡­¡± She gestures towards the burning apartment building Luna once called home.


    ¡°What do you think of my...handiwork? Think of it as a present, from me to you, courtesy of Mr. Scardino.¡±


    Miguel steps forward and starts to pull out his gun, but Sakura holds an arm out in front of him, stopping him, shaking her head.


    ¡°Shit...they sent V¡­¡±


    Luna raises an ear as she keeps one eye on the enemy vampire and the other towards Sakura.


    ¡°Is that short for something?¡±


    ¡°Vanille White. Scar¡¯s right-hand man. Woman. Whatever. Remember how I said there were good and bad vampires?¡±


    Luna turns back towards Vanille and nods slowly. ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°This one is bad. Very bad.¡± Sakura remarks, slowly drawing her blade with her free hand.


    Vanille laughs, raising a hand to her mouth to stifle it. ¡°Bad? Me? Oh honey...if you think I¡¯m bad, then you haven¡¯t met me. Clearly. This building is nothing, compared to what I¡¯m about to do to you.¡± Vanille holds up a hand with her palm facing upwards focuses for a split second. A large ball of fire erupts there, conjured out of seemingly nothing just an inch or two above her hand.


    Miguel takes a step back from Vanille and looks back towards his parked SUV. As he starts to turn and make a break for it, a fireball flies just over his shoulder and impacts the car, setting it ablaze almost instantly. The windows shatter all along the sides of the car and the flames lick their way up the interior, twisting it into ruin.


    Vanille tsks, shaking her head. She holds her pointer finger up and blows off it like it was a gun, a small trail of smoke billowing from it. ¡°Now, did I say you could leave?¡±


    Miguel turns back towards the enemy and grimaces and runs a hand over his gun as he steps back with the others.


    ¡°We need to go.¡± Miguel quips, his voice lowered so that the other two could hear.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Think we can take her?¡± Luna says, matching his volume.


    Just before Sakura speaks, Vanille throws her hand out with orange flames trailing behind it, throwing a massive fireball at group. Luna and Sakura leap out to the side while Miguel jumps back, the fireball hitting the ground and exploding. The force is nearly enough to throw Miguel off balance, his feet hitting the ground and sliding back in the snow. Eager to get out of her line of sight, Miguel dodges behind an old van, letting the others take over.


    Sakura charges her first, drawing her blade out. Vanille throws another fireball her way but the faster vampire ducks underneath it, swinging her blade up towards Vanille¡¯s head. The older woman takes a step back and evades the sword and points towards Sakura¡¯s feet. In mere milliseconds a geyser of fire shoots up from the ground, instantly melting the snow. Sakura leaps high into the air to avoid this, but as soon as she looks back down towards Vanille, the older woman had already prepared a second fireball. She throws it, this one being faster than the first one, and it connects with Sakura mid-air, tossing her backward. She falls from the sky like a flaming aircraft, crashing into the ground just behind Miguel¡¯s hiding spot.


    Luna tries her hand next, picking up a small, foreign compact car and tossing it at Vanille in a lazy arc. As soon as the older woman picks up on what was happening, her eyes spark with glee. She puts both of her hands together at the wrists and fires off a solid beam of fire so hot that it looked white orange. The flames burn intensely immediately scorching the car and charring it beyond nearly all recognition. The force of the flames slows the car mid-air and much to Luna¡¯s surprise sends it flying back at her.  Vanille laughs to herself as the car redirects itself towards its source with nearly the same velocity. Luna manages to sidestep it just in time for the car to explode against the brick wall of the other building, sending the werewolf flying and landing on her back, sliding up towards Miguel and Sakura behind the van.


    Sakura pats the few flames licking at her leather riding gear and looks towards Luna in pure exasperation.


    ¡°Does THAT answer your question!?¡±


    Luna groans in acceptance.


    Miguel, despite the dire situation, still sounds fairly calm.


    ¡°So, we leave. Gotta get past her first.¡±


    Sakura pushes herself to her feet and looks down towards the others. ¡°Do you think you can hotwire any cars still here?¡±


    Miguel stands and looks around. As he does, a buffet of flames slam into the van, pushing it slightly towards him. Miguel leans back against it, keeping the van still.


    ¡°Come out from there! It¡¯s so dreadfully boring without some company, wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡±


    Miguel stands up and looks over the lot, spotting a car in the very back; an old slimy blue compact car. He points towards it with his metal hand. ¡°There. I can do that one. I¡¯ll need some cover. Can you guys keep her busy?¡±


    Luna slowly picks herself off of the ground, the excessive noise was a bit of a bother for her ears. ¡°Yeah. We¡¯ll have to. Just hurry though, okay?¡±


    Miguel nods and takes off for the blue car, his hand reaching inside of his pocket and drawing out...his phone? Why would he need that? Luna dismisses the thought, she had far more important things to do at the moment.


    Sakura leaps out from behind the half immolated van first and throws a solid gust of wind at Vanille. She takes a step back from the burst before bringing her hands together for another stream of laser hot fire. The flames meet the wind dead on, the flames spiraling out and dispersing heat everywhere. The snow evaporates from the front half of the parking lot instantly, leaving it slick and wet. Slowly but surely, the flames bite through the wind as the intense heat starts to reach Sakura¡¯s hands, the smallest outer bits of her hand beginning to bubble with heat.


    Luna takes this chance come around Vanille¡¯s side, and shoulder tackles her, forcing Vanille to shut down her flames or risk losing control of them. The werewolf carries her to a wall and slams her roughly into it. Vanille winces as she brings a hand to Luna¡¯s face and detonates a white explosion of force. Luna gets a moment to raise a hand to block it, but she gets sent flying dozens of feet straight back, slamming into the wall of the apartment building across from them. Luna goes limp for a moment while she¡¯s dealing with the impact of the hit, her arm patting out the flames.


    Vanille starts to take aim with a hand, building up a fireball to finish off the lupine. But just as she does, Vanille rips her arm back, Sakura interrupting the attack with her katana slicing through the spot where her hand once was. Sakura''s free hand jabs Vanille in the face and brings it down, hand facing up towards Vanille¡¯s stomach. She turns on her Sanguine Art, forcing a huge torrent of wind to blow Vanille off of her feet and up into the sky, easily clearing the top of the apartment building and disappearing into the smoke rising from the building.


    Sakura takes a moment to admire her handiwork, whistling amusedly before sheathing her sword. The male that was with Vanille is still present, having watched the whole fight from his position, not wanting to step in. He looks towards Sakura with a fearful expression, his hand shakily reaching for a weapon stashed in his pants. Sakura merely passes right by him as he pulls out his gun, his hands almost shuddering too much to hold onto the weapon. As his finger hovered over the trigger, Sakura turns quickly with another burst of wind and sends the poor man flying off of his feet and into a corner of the parking lot. By the looks of it his crumpled body falling off the wall and curling into the fetal position, he was likely a regular human.


    Sakura makes her way over towards Luna who had just patted out the flames on her forearm. Luna lets Sakura pull her back to her feet, nodding in thanks.


    ¡°Got it!¡±  Miguel triumphantly shouts, the churn of the engine accentuating his success.


    Luna and Sakura sprint for the car and dive into it quickly, with Luna taking the backseat and Sakura sliding into the passenger side. The car lurches to life and rips it¡¯s way from the back of the parking lot and speeding towards the entrance. They pull out onto the streets and speed away from the burning building, a sigh of relief passing through the car.


    Just as Luna turns back to look at the burning building, Vanille falls back from the sky, though not uncontrollably. Jets of fire shoot coming from her hands as Vanille eases herself back to the ground. And after a second, a car hidden in an alley near the building pulls out and aligns itself to pick her up.


    Luna whines as she turns back around. ¡°Go go go! They''re coming after us!¡±

 Chapter 14: Dead Heat

    The barest hints of dawn breaking could be seen through the blurs of buildings and other cars. The traffic this early in the morning was light, but there were plenty of turned heads as the chase continues. Only the barest hints of a fire truck siren could be heard by Luna as their car sped away from the burning husk of Cypress Hill. Miguel presses his foot down as hard as the vehicle allows, the speedometer creeping up near 90 miles per hour. The streets of Ravenport were quickly becoming a blur, with buildings and businesses zipping by. Both Sakura and Luna had their heads turned to see the black SUV that Vanille just entered.


    ¡°This is crazy! This is completely crazy! Where are we going to go now? They just BLEW UP the apartment!¡± Luna exclaims, the werewolf biting her lip as she slinks down in her seat.


    ¡°Yeah kid, I noticed.¡± Miguel¡¯s stern voice replies, the driver taking a moment to reach up and adjust the rearview mirror.


    ¡°Who just blows up an entire apartment building for a few people!? Everyone who lived there might be dead! Oh my god! Is this lady completely insane?¡±


    ¡°Par for the course for Mrs. V.¡± Sakura says with a sigh, bringing her sword to rest against her shoulder. ¡°She¡¯s a professional arsonist, assassin, and kind of a badass. If I want to be real about it, she¡¯s not going to give up until we¡¯re dead or she is.¡±


    Luna watches with fear as the black SUV gives chase and it wasn¡¯t long before it was actively and steadily gaining on them. Miguel¡¯s eyes flash up to the rearview mirror as he curses underneath his breath. Spotting a viable turn, Miguel yanks the steering wheel to the side, banking a hard turn that screeched against the asphalt. Luna¡¯s ears pin back towards her head as she grips the seat tightly, leaning forward to rest her head in the space between the two front seats.


    ¡°Wh-where are we going to? We have no place else...oh god, not again¡­It¡¯s just like the Oswald house...¡± Said Luna, her hands fastening around her ears and pulling on them in stress.


    Miguel¡¯s knuckles tighten. ¡°Out.¡±


    Luna looks up towards the driver¡¯s seat in slight confusion. ¡°Out...to...where?¡±


    ¡°Out. As in out of town. If we¡¯re going to do this, I¡¯d prefer it if nobody else-¡±


    In just that short period of time, the black SUV rear ends them, slamming into the back of the car and forcing the entire group to lurch forward uncomfortably. Sakura turns quickly to Miguel, looking over the speedometer accusingly; it was having trouble reaching one-hundred miles per hour.


    ¡°Ugh! Can¡¯t this stupid piece of junk go any faster?¡±


    A gunshot from the SUV shatters the back windshield, sending a cascade of glass over Luna¡¯s back. She instantly gets down low and curls up, trying to both silence the noise and protect herself.


    ¡°Unless you want to get out and push sweetheart, no.¡± Miguel spits tersely out of the side of his mouth, his foot pushing the accelerator down towards the floor.


    Sakura blinks at that response and instinctively looks up towards the roof of the car and spots a sunroof. She smiles slyly. ¡°On second thought, I have a better idea.¡±


    The vampire starts to stand, pressing her hand to the sunroof and starts to pry it open. Miguel double takes and reaches a hand over to her stomach, grabbing her. ¡°What the hell are you doing? Sit down!¡±


    Sakura grumbles as the sunroof¡¯s design made it impossible to open it all the way. Growing impatient, she slams the butt of her sword into the glass, shattering it and rendering it inoperable. When the hand touches her, she barks down towards Miguel¡¯s concern.


    ¡°JUST STEER! I¡¯ve got this!¡±


    Sakura¡¯s upper torso pops up through the remains of the sunroof, facing the SUV. Looking up, there were three passengers in the other car; Vanille, the battered guy she¡¯d tossed who was driving, and a third, bigger guy. He had a pistol not unlike Miguel¡¯s own magnum. Sakura¡¯s short hair blows wildly in the wind, but luckily none of it was blocking her vision. She brings her hands up and points her palms out from the car. She channels wind from them, as she had so many times before, but this time it was a continuous stream of it. After anchoring her feet on the two seats of the car, slowly but surely, the car started to gain momentum away from the SUV. The larger guy with the pistol starts to take aim at Sakura, firing several shots that graze past her head.


    ¡°SOME DODGING WOULD BE NICE!¡± Sakura shouts, wincing as the man¡¯s aim seemed to be improving with every shot.


    Traffic swings wildly out of the way as the two cars fly by in relatively close proximity, Miguel taking the suggestion and beginning to weave back and forth. With Sakura channeling her wind, the compact car pulls away, eventually putting a few car lengths of distance between them. But as the chase progressed, the buildings became less and common, and traffic all but disappeared.


    The shrill cry of a police siren cuts through the rush, pulling out from one of the alleys they¡¯d passed seconds ago and aching to join the chase. The red and blue flickers of the emergency lighting instantly catching Miguel¡¯s attention. His eyes narrow.


    ¡°Shit.¡±


    Quite suddenly, the SUV slows down just a bit as Vanille¡¯s head pops out from the sunroof. Unlike Sakura, she pulls herself completely through the top of the vehicle and stands on it with balanced ease. Vanille points her hand down towards the oncoming police cruiser and waves goodbye towards it. A broad line of orange sears itself into the road, and a moment later, a slithering line of fire erupts beneath the police car. The law enforcement vehicle is engulfed in flame and sent a few dozen feet in the sky, spiraling a few times before landing with a hearty crunch on it¡¯s top, spiraling and sparking itself to a stop.


    The wide commercial road they were on slowly shifts down to a small highway that doesn¡¯t stray too far away from the much larger road running parallel to it. Gunshots whizz over Luna¡¯s still crouched head, impacting the dashboard and one even ricocheting painfully off of Miguel¡¯s metal arm. At that he growls, lowering his head while keeping his eyes on the road. He reaches down into his holster and pulls out his magnum and barks over the blustering wind.


    ¡°Luna! Take the wheel!¡±


    The werewolf in question spent most of her time in the fetal position with her eyes closed, everything being a little too crazy and a little too loud for her liking. Her hands are pressed against her ears, folding them shut against her head. When her name is called, her eyes snap open and look up towards Miguel.


    ¡°Wait...what!?¡±


    ¡°TAKE. THE. WHEEL! If we don¡¯t fire back, he¡¯s going to hit me!¡±


    Luna¡¯s heart sinks. ¡°I...I don¡¯t know how to drive!¡±


    Miguel turns an eye back towards her in disbelief. ¡°Aren¡¯t you eighteen? How do you not know how to drive!?¡±


    Luna rises up from her seat. ¡°Shitty parents, remember!?¡±


    Miguel sighs exasperatedly.


    ¡°C¡¯mon Luna, I need you here!¡±


    The werewolf shudders as she starts to sit up, but a bullet passes right by her head and hits the radio, damaging it. She slinks back down, whining loudly. ¡°I...I can¡¯t! I¡¯m scared! I¡¯m gonna get shot again! I don¡¯t want to be shot again!¡±


    Miguel goes quiet for a moment as he thinks. It takes a few moments before he speaks again, but when he does, his tone is friendlier than it was before. ¡°Have you played any video games that had driving? Fast driving?¡±The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Luna perks up a little bit at that mention, nodding a few times. ¡°Ye-yeah, sometimes!¡±


    ¡°How good are you at them?¡±


    ¡°Uhm...decent I guess?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just like that, okay?¡± Miguel continues. ¡°There¡¯s no more cars to dodge. I just need you to keep the car straight and keep your foot down on the accelerator. That¡¯s it. And don¡¯t worry about the bullets. You are a werewolf. If you tanked a shotgun shell through the stomach and didn¡¯t die, you¡¯ll be okay here! It¡¯ll hurt, but you can do it!¡±


    From above the car, Sakura¡¯s voice rings out. ¡°I can¡¯t...guys, I can¡¯t keep this up much longer!¡±


    Luna peers at Miguel¡¯s pleading face for a moment and looks introspectively. This whole situation was scary enough without the gunshots flying by every so often, but...she hasn¡¯t been much help in this entire chase. The last couple of situations she¡¯d been in, she was okay as long as she was on her feet, but with guns...and cars..everything was just out of her control. Sakura had the windy thing, and Miguel was doing a good job but if they caught them...the fire would make short work of Miguel, not to mention herself. Sakura might be okay, but she was getting tired. She had to step up, guns be damned.


    Luna nods decisively. ¡°Alright. I''m ready!¡±


    Miguel turns on cruise control and slides out to the side, while Luna pulls herself forward, the entangling of bodies forcing Sakura to briefly widen legs outwards. While no one at is the wheel, the car sways from side to side. ¡°Whoa, whoa whoa, what are you guys doing down there!?¡±


    It takes a moment for the two bodies to detangle, but Luna takes the front seat, grabbing the steering wheel and stabilizing it. She calls back up towards Sakura. ¡°I¡¯m driving now!¡±


    ¡°What!? I thought you just said you couldn¡¯t drive!¡± Sakura yells, her hands growing tired of channeling the vampiric gusts. Vanille peers at Sakura¡¯s technique and mimics it, leaning forward and rooting a foot against the SUV¡¯s sunroof, blasting fire from her hands. The SUV was no longer losing ground, but instead, rapidly approached them.


    ¡°I can¡¯t, but that¡¯s okay! Trust me!¡± Luna says.


    Sakura smirks. ¡°Sure, that¡¯s as good as reason as any I guess.¡± She speaks up a little louder. ¡°But if we crash, I¡¯m blaming you!¡±


    Miguel manages to get to the backseat and sweeps away some of the shattered glass from earlier. He looks back towards Luna and points towards the footpedals. ¡°Quick lesson! The left fat one is the brake and the right skinny one is the accelerator. Press down harder to do one harder. Mash the accelerator. And when you do, snap that little lever there.¡±


    Luna looks down towards her feet for the pedals and presses her digitigrade foot down on the accelerator. The overworked engine growls with displeasure at being pushed so hard. Spotting the lever that Miguel mentioned, Luna snaps it back off, deactivating the cruise control. The sky had brightened up to a dark blue now, the stars and the moon no longer seeming as bright as they once did.


    Vanille takes aim at the small car now that the roads were mostly clear, starting to summon up another ball of flame in her palm. However, the fierce winds whipping around her made pyrokinesis unsteady, and she grimaces as the flames whiff out of existence. She turns to point at the road beneath the compact car, lighting it up orange like she had before.


    Luna slams her foot down on the accelerator as hard as it would go, the engine pushing to the limit. From underneath the hood emanates an orange line of heated lights, the very concrete threatening to turn molten beneath her. Almost immediately she cranks the car to the side, dodging the pillar of fire erupting next to her. She gulps as she concentrates on the road ahead, and every single time another line of orange appears, she slips to the side. The SUV chasing them keeps on them, dodging similarly to avoid running into the flames.


    After a dozen or so attempts, Vanille gives up, cursing underneath her breath. Luna cranks her head back to look at Vanille after a few tense moments of anticipation, sighing as she settles back into a high-speed chase. Miguel smiles at Luna¡¯s steady hand and brings his magnum up to aim. As he does, he sees the SUV headed for another collision course with the back of the car and crouches down.


    ¡°Brace for impact!¡±


    With a shocking crunch, the SUV slams into the car again, severely wrecking the backside of it and causing Luna to wrestle with the car¡¯s steering wheel to keep them straight. Sakura¡¯s winds cease as the effort of it all took far too much from her to sustain any longer.


    ¡°Keep her steady boy! I¡¯m going to make a house call.¡± Vanille confidently exclaims, calmly walking over the top of her vehicle. The SUV¡¯s greater speed keeps the two cars almost locked together, to the point where it was pushing the smaller car forward. Sakura shakes herself from the mild stun of the crash and pulls herself up through the broken sunroof. Her crimson arm blade reappears again from over the top of her wrist as she looks raggedly towards Vanille. The younger vampire visibly pants from her earlier efforts, though she drops into a battle stance, her weapon at the ready.


    Vanille¡¯s hair blows magnificently in the wind, like a fast paced hair commercial. ¡°Aww dearie, you don¡¯t look so good.¡±


    Sakura¡¯s steely eyes glare back, but she snorts at the small talk. ¡°Better than you¡¯ll look in a minute.¡±


    Vanille laughs softly. ¡°Now now, is that any way to speak to a colleague? Mercy me, I can¡¯t help but wonder why Scar hired a second assassin when he¡¯s got me. Wonderful, wonderful me.¡±


    ¡°The things that he does...that you do...aren¡¯t right. The lives he¡¯s ruined, the drugs he¡¯s smuggled in, the vampires that he chews up and spits out, the girls he kills and eats and ALL of the things you burn because you are a sick puppy who does what your master says, without a second thought. You two are...scum. There¡¯s no better word for it..¡±


    Vanille¡¯s jesting demeanor vanishes, replaced with a flatline expression. ¡°You are right, girl. This isn¡¯t a game. It¡¯s business. And that¡¯s the cost of business. You should know that.¡± Vanille smiles wide, showing off nearly all of her teeth. ¡°Tell me, do you feel anything when you work? The rush, the elation, the excitement of the kill? That last moment before they dance before the flames when you get the light of life leave them...do you feel it? Or are you as passionless as oh so many others in our field?¡±


    Sakura winces as she¡¯s taken aback by Vanille¡¯s true nature. ¡°I didn¡¯t choose this life Mrs. V. I did it because I didn¡¯t have a choice. It was this or die. It¡¯s always been this or die. Every single damn place I go...it¡¯s the same! Everybody wants everybody else dead, and I just end up doing it because it pays the bills. And I hate it. I hate doing it. But you know what?¡±


    Sakura points her blade towards Vanille. ¡°I¡¯ll make an exception for you.¡±


    Vanille¡¯s grin slowly weakens as she sighs. ¡°That¡¯s a real shame. I thought I might be able to ignite your passion, but I see you¡¯ll be another quiet death. I¡¯ll make this quick¡­¡± Vanille reaches inside of her pants and slips on black leather gloves over her hands. ¡°...but not painless.¡±


    Sakura steps down to the trunk of the car and swings her blade towards Vanille, who easily leans to the side. The older woman slips an arm underneath Sakura¡¯s blade arm, elbowing her hard in the side and forcing the younger vampire back. Vanille steps from her vehicle to the battered compact car. Sakura keeps her footing as other vampire approaches, swinging her leg out in a spacious roundhouse kick. Vanille raises arm to block it and throws a right hook, which is met Sakura¡¯s free arm. The two vampires trade physical blows, though as many times as Sakura swings her blade, Vanille''s evasiveness allows her to slip past nearly all of them.


    Thankful that Sakura was now out of the way, Miguel leans up over the top edge of the back seat and draws aim, but the big guy with the gun fires at him again, forcing him to duck. The bullet strikes another part of the dashboard, puncturing it. Luna tenses due to the shot, but keeps the car steady. Being pushed this hard by the SUV was making the car want to spin out, but she¡¯s wrenching the wheel in whatever direction kept them straight.


    ¡°Do you want me to like, dodge or something Mr. Morales?¡±


    Miguel slowly peeks back up towards the shooter and fires off a few shots of his own, shattering the windshield of the SUV. ¡°No! Keep it steady, you don¡¯t want to throw off my aim!¡±


    Luna gives a quick salute before focusing on the road again. In the distance something looked to be shining off of the headlights of the car. After a few seconds, it became apparent that it was a sign..and a few more, Luna could read what it said: ¡®Highway Closed, Bridge out.¡¯


    ¡°Uh...guys?¡± Luna remarks, driving straight past the sign and the last exit of the highway. The compact car crashes through two small wooden barricades meant to prevent drivers from heading any further.


    Luna¡¯s remarks fall on deaf ears as the explosions from Miguel¡¯s Magnum make quick work of the enemy gunman, the man falling to his side in his seat, his chest growing red with blood. Just before Miguel could start to target the driver, a heavy *WHUMF* catches his attention. He leans out of the broken back window to look cautiously to the dueling vampires on the roof of the car only to see Vanille was getting the upper hand in the battle. She had her arm around Sakura¡¯s shoulder and locks up her blade arm, using the opportunity to knee Sakura in the face several times. Miguel sinks back down into the car proper and aims his magnum about where one of Vanille¡¯s feet were planted and fires, blowing a small hole in the roof.


    The bullet pierces straight through the elder vampire¡¯s foot, causing her to scream in pain. Sakura pulls her hand back and drives a fist into the side of Vanille¡¯s face, knocking her off balance. Seeing an opportunity, she steps forward and grabs Vanille by arm, pivots and bodily throws her off of the car and into the windshield of the SUV, shattering it into nonexistence. The larger vehicle finally backs off, it¡¯s driver swerving from left to right as Vanille struggles to regain her senses.


    Sakura smiles and steps back onto the roof of the car. ¡°Luna! Sword!¡±


    The werewolf grabs the sword out of the front seat and holds it up so that she could grab the hilt. The katana slides out of the sheathe, the blade a glimmering silver. In a single practiced motion, Sakura drags the blade across her thumb, cutting it wide open and spilling her own blood across it, turning the blade dark red, just like before. She poses with the katana, angling the edge of it to where she wanted to cut. Finding the appropriate direction, she focuses on her blade, and in a very quick swing, a thin and powerful wave of red energy flies outward and into the SUV, cutting cleanly through the engine block. The strike would have easily removed Vanille¡¯s legs, but upon seeing the attack coming, she nimbly swings herself up and backflips onto her feet just before the energy hit.


    Now deprived of vision, a working set of wheels, and an engine, the SUV finally spirals out of control. Just before the car spins out, Vanille shoots jets of fire from her hands and leaps high in the sky. Once she gets several stories up, she raises her hands above herself and begins charging what looks to be a massive fireball, it¡¯s brightness illuminating the road and the sparse forest around them.


    Sakura¡¯s pupils shrink. ¡°...That¡¯s...hardly fair.¡±


    Miguel stares, flabbergasted.


    ¡°Uh, guys¡­?¡± Luna chimes in, the werewolf sounding mortified.


    ¡°WHAT!? Things are getting a little hot right now!¡± Sakura says, sliding herself back down into the sunroof for better balance.


    Luna whines terribly as she points ahead. As per the sign, the bridge did look to be completely out, as only the barest of a ramp upwards suggested where the bridge once was. Below that seemed to be quite the fall, and the river beneath it looks to be quite active, even this cold in the winter.


    ¡°Th-th-the bridge, it¡¯s out!¡±


    Sakura turns around and grimaces at the quickly approaching lack of road. Miguel finally tears his eyes away from the swelling fireball and back towards Luna, sliding his gun back into his holster.


    Luna starts to panic, her foot easing off the accelerator and seems about ready to try to stop. Miguel¡¯s right-hand clasps her shoulder reassuringly.


    ¡°Drive.¡± Miguel says plainly. ¡°Put the pedal to the metal and just do it!¡±


    ¡°Y...yes sir!¡±


    Luna follows directions and forces the car to go as fast as it could, careening towards the bridge ramp. Vanille starts to descend back to earth, and just before she hits the ground, she throws the bus-sized fireball directly at the ramp. The inferno traveled quickly, scorching the ground as it came close to contact. Sakura panics as the heat becomes unbearable nearly instantly and summons the last of her strength to fire a  concentrated burst of wind to help the car speed up one last time.


    The miniature sun detonates on the ground, engulfing the entire bridge ramp in flames, but only just after the small car had left it. The ensuing explosion knocks the car off balance, the whole vehicle flipping evenly through the air. The car manages to make it to the other side, tires touching down so hard that the undercarriage of the car sparks wildly against the ground and continues speeding off.


    Vanille sticks the landing, tucking herself into a combat roll and getting back to her feet. She hisses at the near miss and turns around, calmly walking back down the highway.

 Chapter 15: Stranded

    Chapter 15: Stranded


    Smoke billows out of the hood of the compact-car-that-could, now having gotten away from its pursuers and things seemed to be winding down. A sickening scraping sound rolled through the car every few seconds as the steering wheel got less and less responsive. The long stretch of still closed road didn¡¯t have much on it, but as Luna drove, a small abandoned gas station appeared, covered in snow nobody cared to move.


    Luna steers the car in towards the gas station, the crunching of fresh snow being the only noise that permeated the air outside of the noisy car. All three passengers wince as the car finally gave way with a sudden *WHUMPF!* as two of the wheels on one side simply pop off. They roll to the side uselessly, the leap from earlier taking a great deal of stress out on the undercarriage of the vehicle.


    Luna sighs, the tension from earlier flowing out of her body as she reclines back into the seat. She turns to look towards Miguel and Sakura sitting in the back seat, both of them looking relieved and tired. Miguel sits in his seat and looks out of the window, lost in thought, though every now and again, he¡¯d check the shattered back window. Sakura, on the other hand, looked far more relaxed and tired, the vampire propping both of her feet over the empty passenger seat. As soon as the tires popped off, she blinks herself back into full awareness, patting the she rested on.


    ¡°That¡¯ll do, car. That¡¯ll do.¡±


    Luna completely deflates, pointing her muzzle in the air and sliding down in her seat as far as she could go. ¡°I think I¡¯ll just go back to leading a boring life now.¡±


    Sakura leans up, pulling her feet to the floor and leaning her head on the passenger¡¯s backrest. ¡°So as far as car chases go, on a scale of one to ten, and trust me, I¡¯ve been in a lot of them, I¡¯d give this one¡­¡±


    Miguel smiles and places a hand on Luna¡¯s sagging shoulders. ¡°...You did great kid. You got us out of a close one.¡±


    Luna¡¯s tail thaps silently against her seat, with Sakura rolling her eyes at the affection. ¡°Okay yeah-yeah-yeah. Great-kid out of ten. You still crashed the car.¡±


    Luna turns her head towards the vampire in retaliation. ¡°Hey-hey! I did not crash the car! It got here in one piece!¡±


    Another massive crunch pushes the car closer to the ground as another tire slides out from under the vehicle, rolling into the snow a few feet.  Luna watches this and runs a hand over the side of her face.


    ¡°...Okay, multiple pieces. Still in close proximity. But I didn¡¯t hit anything!¡±


    Sakura crosses her arms underneath her head. ¡°True, but this car isn¡¯t moving without a whole lot of help. So in my book¡­¡±


    Luna interjects quickly. ¡°Half-crashed. Not completely crashed. Besides, it¡¯s my first time. What were you expecting me to be?"


    Sakura grins and playfully punches Luna in the shoulder. ¡°Fine, fine, fine Speed Racer. I¡¯ll just count this one as a half crash then.¡±


    Miguel slides his gun back into his holster and brushes some of the glass off onto the floor, spreading out a little bit and getting comfortable. ¡°Everyone okay? Nobody got hurt in that, right?¡±


    Luna shakes her head with Sakura thumbing one of her cheekbones.


    ¡°My pride a little bit. I didn¡¯t think she was THAT good at hand to hand.¡± Sakura says lowly, rubbing her shoulder.


    Miguel snickers. ¡°Okay, nothing I have to worry about trying to fix at least.  Not that I have any tools or anything out here.¡±


    Luna speaks up next. ¡°...What¡¯s about the car?¡±


    ¡°What about it?¡± Miguel responds.


    ¡°Well, we kinda stole it and got it wrecked and-¡±


    Sakura chortles. ¡°HAH!¡±


    Luna rolls her eyes.¡°-HALF wrecked, and now we¡¯re kind of stuck out here. Where are we anyway?¡±


    Miguel looks over towards the gas station and shrugs a little bit. ¡°...Quite a while out of town at least. Your point?¡±


    ¡°My point is¡­¡± Luna says, sounding a little more distressed. ¡°...that was all illegal, and somebody is likely going to report the car missing and a bunch of stuff. Shouldn¡¯t we like, ditch it or something?¡±


    Miguel speaks matter-of-factly. ¡°Luna...let¡¯s look at this for a moment. Some crazy vampire bitch- no offense...¡±


    ¡°I am what I am.¡± Sakura says proudly.


    Miguel continues. ¡°...just set my brand damn new apartment on fire, along with the entire building full of people, chased us down with crazy fireballs, nuked at least one cop car, and nearly nuked a bridge just to get us. Considering the alternative was burn to death, burn to death or burn to death, I think we¡¯re fine. They¡¯ve probably got an alert going sure, but they aren¡¯t going to find us out here. There¡¯s a good chance that the person who owns this car died tonight.¡±


    Miguel stretches his feet through the center gap between the two front seats. ¡°And if they didn¡¯t, they¡¯ve probably got bigger problems. Like having all their shit burn down.¡±


    Luna considers this, crossing her arms over herself. It might be justifiable. It wasn¡¯t like she wanted to get tangled up in all of this and they were merely trying not to die. Still though, the sight of having a second home burn right in front of her was not one that was going to go away soon. Her thoughts slowly drift back to the Oswald home and the idea that maybe..just maybe...Percy and Mrs. Oswald got away. Or maybe they didn¡¯t? The flames were plenty large that night, and the house visibly collapsed before she left it. Miguel speaking again forces her to return to the world at large before Luna¡¯s brain could delve too deeply.


    ¡°And besides all of that, we¡¯re sort of stranded out here like you said, so just relax, and breathe. We got out of that tough one and none of us got hurt. That¡¯s enough for right now.¡±


    Sakura stifles a yawn as she looks out of the car¡¯s window, noting that the hues were getting bright and that sunset was imminent. She looks over towards Miguel and taps him with a foot. Miguel turns his attention to her.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Sakura bites her lip for a moment before rubbing the back of her head. ¡°Soooo...for what it¡¯s worth, sorry about all of this.¡±


    ¡°...This?¡±


    ¡°You know...this. With Scar, with Vanille, with...me. But I kind of want to make it up to you.¡±


    Miguel raises an eyebrow. ¡°Continue.¡±


    ¡°...Well you know when I said that I didn¡¯t know where Scar lived?¡±


    Miguel leans forward a little bit, frowning at the vampire.  ¡°You lied.¡±


    Sakura shakes her head profusely. ¡°No-no-no-no!¡± She paused briefly, tapping her fingers on her lap while contemplating how to word her next sentence. ¡°Kind of. I was truthful, in saying I don¡¯t know where he sleeps. That¡¯s kind of a big deal for a vampire and all of that but! I do know where he works.¡±


    Miguel frowns at her. ¡°Why in the hell didn¡¯t you tell me sooner?¡±


    Sakura shrugs towards him. ¡°Three solid reasons, Mr. Policeguy. Reason one, you asked me the wrong question. Reason two is that you would have gone out there all willy-bombing-nilly and gotten yourself and Luna hurt. And you guys would have went when I was still injured, so I wouldn¡¯t have been able to back you up. And reason number three is that an assassin never reveals all of her tools. You¡¯d be surprised how many times just having something up your sleeve can save your life.¡±


    Luna watches Miguel as he appears to want to get mad at her, his body tensing up as he prepared to talk...but eventually accepts it, leaning back against the seat. ¡°Goddamnit. Fine. You win. So where is he?¡±


    Sakura yawns again and shakes her head. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what. It¡¯s late and that sun is about to rise. So here¡¯s how this happens. Keep me safe today and when I wake up, we can figure out how to get back in town and make him pay. You think that place is safe?¡± She jerks a thumb towards the boarded up windows of the gas station.


    Miguel shakes his head. ¡°Uh¡­.that place has probably been closed for decades. It probably reeks and if anything food wise is still in there...well...let¡¯s just say it¡¯s probably got some vermin problems.¡±


    Sakura visibly tightens and cringes. ¡°Ugh. How about not? But I need some place that isn¡¯t in the sun and we¡¯re running out of options here.¡±


    Luna turns in her seat to face Sakura. ¡°How about the trunk? You are pretty small so you might...fit? Maybe?¡±


    Sakura runs a hand over her chin, nodding. ¡°Yeah, that could work I guess. Dark enough. Just make sure to not open it at all until nightfall...and first thing¡¯s first. When I get up, I have GOT to get me something to eat. I am starving¡­¡±


    The vampire gets up out of the car and gestures for the werewolf to follow. Luna slides out of the vehicle, stretching her legs though wincing slightly at her bare feet hitting the snow. When the two girls make it to the back of the car, they find it to be suitably mashed together.. The repeated rammings from the SUV broke all of the turning lights and dented the trunk severely.  Still though, no metal appeared to be smashed into the trunk in a way that made it unusable, luckily enough.


    ¡°Hey Mr. Morales! Pop the trunk!¡±


    Miguel begrudgingly moves, pulling himself out of the car and sliding into the front seat. After an appropriate *TUNK*, the trunk pops open slowly. It wasn¡¯t flowing as smoothly as it probably once had, but the trunk door still moved properly. The inside of it looked to be quite barren. There didn¡¯t seem to be much of anything in there, minus a spare tire, an empty gas tank, and an old wool blanket. Sakura grumbles sarcastically.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    ¡°Comfortable.¡±


    Luna turns to her. ¡°Is this going to work for you?¡±


    Sakura starts to climb into the trunk, it being just large enough for her to curl into without hitting either end of the space. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s nice and dark and soft, and I guess I could use the tire as a pillow or something.¡±


    Luna spots the blanket and points towards it. ¡°What about that?¡±


    Sakura reaches behind herself and grabs the blanket and regards it fondly for a moment before holding it out towards the werewolf. ¡°Here. Give it to Miguel. He¡¯ll get cold up there.¡±


    Luna nods and takes it, slinging it over an arm. ¡°Yeah...that¡¯s a good idea. The last thing we need to happen is him catching a cold.¡±


    ¡°So, do me a favor?¡± Sakura says, pointing towards the door. ¡°Close this thing down tight for me, will you?¡±


    Luna nods and grabs the trunk door, resting her hands upon it. ¡°Sure. Uhm¡­Thanks for saving us back there with the windy thing.¡±


    Sakura turns around, waving the werewolf away. ¡°Uh huh. Anytime. See you tonight.¡±


    Left without much else to say, Luna slams the trunk closed, walking around to get into the backseat. Now out of the snow, the werewolf sweeps off the rest of the shattered windshield glass off of the seat and sits down, pushing the blanket up to Miguel. Once more, he had another far away expression on his face, though he grabs the presented cover and wraps it around himself, guarding against the cold.


    ¡°Thanks kid. You sure you don¡¯t need it?¡±


    Luna shakes her head. Nah. I¡¯ve got my hoodie and fur. And before you ask, Sakura¡¯s going to be fine in the trunk. You need it the most right now.¡±


    Miguel starts to complain but shakes his head, muttering something so low under his breath that the werewolf could only barely make it out.


    ¡°Damnit...kids taking care of me now.¡±


    ¡°What was that?¡±


    Miguel dismissively shakes his head. ¡°Nothing.¡±


    Luna anxiously taps her fingers against one another. ¡°So...what do we do now?¡±


    ¡°Hopefully? Get some sleep. I don¡¯t know about you, but I¡¯m exhausted. Are you hungry at all?¡±


    Luna runs a hand over her stomach. ¡°...Uhm...yeah. You didn¡¯t have any food in the kitchen. That¡¯s why me and Sakura came in and...that happened.¡±


    Miguel sighs. ¡°Sorry about that. It¡¯s...I¡¯ve been...very focused on all of this, that¡¯s all. When we wake up, we¡¯ll handle the food issue. Sound good to you kiddo?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Luna replied contentedly.


    ¡°Excellent. Goodnight Luna.¡±


    ¡°Uhm...goodnight.¡±


    Miguel reclines the seat, laying down completely. Luna slides herself to lay on her back, not particularly minding the quiet wind that blew in. The sun finally peeks over the top of the picturesque mountains and floods the coastal area with a brilliant orange light, signaling the start of a brand new day. The relative peace gave Luna time to think, but to be honest, her brain was still putting together the night¡¯s events.


    One the one hand, the general sadness of knowing that some people died this evening because of something she had a part in weighed heavily on her. It felt pointless. A loss of life that could have been avoided. On the other hand, these were bad people. Not even people. They were vampires. And Vanille showed that she didn¡¯t give a damn how many innocent people she had to hurt to get to them. And who knew how long they¡¯d been at this? Were there other building fires that could be attributed to her handiwork? She didn¡¯t read local news often, but it seemed like there were fires often featured in them.


    Miguel¡¯s light snoring soon interrupted her inner thoughts, the half-metal man sleeping on his side, only his head and metallic arm coming to rest above the blanket. Luna smiles at him when she sees it and slowly drifts off to sleep herself, the sun already cresting the mountains. She curls up into the fetal position and pulls her tail in close, hugging herself to help keep some warmth.


    As she slumbered, Luna¡¯s mind wanders, eventually finding herself back on that island she had found herself on a week or two ago. She awakens face down in the familiar translucent sand and stands up, looking around quickly. The small forest on the island appeared to be completely intact, along with the flowing purple beacon that rose into the skies. There were a few changes however. The last time she was here, the sky was clear, beautifully but oddly so. Now, there were so many stars in the sky that she couldn¡¯t even begin to count them. A few of them twinkled every now and again, but they were overwhelmingly pretty to look at.


    Recalling what happened last time, the werewolf runs a hand over her chest and looks down; the hole from the stag appeared to be gone, with no trace of it ever having been there.  She scans the small thicket of trees ahead of her, but there didn¡¯t seem to be any sign of the stag, which made sense. The other forest she was in before was different from this one. At ease now, Luna makes her way towards one of the trees and leans against it, watching the innumerable stars for what felt like weeks. Unlike the previous two she knew, this place really felt like home, and no fire could take that away.


    A car door slamming catches startles Luna awake almost instantly, forcing her back to reality. She opens her eyes and takes a moment to clear them with the back of her hand. It was cold still, but twilight was upon her judging by the light purple haze of the sky. A quick glance around the car''s cabin disproved the theory that Miguel had been the source of the car door closing, as he was in the same spot she left him in, fast asleep.


    Luna stretches out with a minor yawn before turning on her stomach and leaning her head up to peek into the window. Flashing red and blue lights catch her attention first, as a police car had pulled up onto the road just outside of the abandoned gas station and a policeman looked to be talking inside of his car while rummaging around the glove compartment. Luna¡¯s ears shoot up in alarm.


    ¡°Mr. Morales!¡± Luna whispers, elbowing his seat a few times. Miguel didn¡¯t move.


    ¡°C¡¯mon! C¡¯mon! Mr. Morales, wake up!¡± Luna whispers a little louder, reaching forward to shake his seat. Miguel jostles around violently, but he remains peacefully snoring as he had earlier. Luna peeks up into the window. The police officer stepped out of his car and starts to click on his flashlight, trudging through the snow towards the totaled car. The officer looked to be a fairly average pale-skinned, middle-aged man, with short black hair and a thin frame.


    Running out of polite ideas to wake up Miguel, the werewolf stumbles across a new, insidious one. She leans over and places her nose snugly on his forehead. It took a few seconds, but Miguel wakes up with a jolt, pulling back from Luna¡¯s head and looking both confused and annoyed. Before Miguel could speak, Luna holds up a finger in front of her muzzle and points outside. The cone of light from the officer breaches into the dark interior of their vehicle.


    Miguel sleepily looks up towards the approaching police officer and winces, running his metallic hand through his hair. He speaks out of the side of his mouth.


    ¡°Of course the one damn time they are thorough, it¡¯s gotta involve me. Get down on the ground and do not move. Act dead. Let me handle this.¡±


    Luna nods and follows his suggestion, sliding down onto the floor and lying face down. She draws her hoodie up over her head and draws her fingers into her sleeves. She couldn¡¯t do much about her feet or her tail so this would have to suffice.


    Upon seeing Miguel lean up into view, the police officer stops immediately and speaks with authority. ¡°Sir...step out of your vehicle. Now.¡±


    Miguel complies, stepping outside and tossing off his blanket back. ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    The officer looks over the wreckage of the car and then back to Miguel¡¯s unassuming face with deep suspicion. ¡°You mind telling me what you are doing out on a closed road tonight with a car that looks like it¡¯s been through hell and back?¡±


    Miguel peers down at the nametag on the man in the dimming light. It read ¡®Styles.'' Miguel speaks plainly. ¡°I got into a car accident a little while ago. Messed up my phone and I wanted to get off the highway, so I drove down here. Must have missed the closed road sign, sorry.¡±


    The officer raises his brow towards the story. ¡°Did you report the accident?¡±


    Miguel shakes his head.


    The officer still doesn¡¯t look convinced as he speaks again. ¡°I see. License and Registration please.¡±


    Miguel hisses in social pain. ¡°I don¡¯t have it officer. I...left it at home.¡±


    Styles frowns at Miguel and rests his hands over the handcuffs jingling at the side of his hip. ¡°So you are telling me you got into your car, without your license or registration, got into a car accident, didn¡¯t report it, and then drove all the way out here? What? Do you think I was born yesterday? Hands on the car, wise guy.¡±


    Miguel turns and places his hands over the top of the car, and as he does, Styles shines the light inside of the car, seeing all the busted glass and the odd figure laying on the floor of the backseat.


    Styles eyes go wide as he sees this, pointing towards the back seat. ¡°What..is that...is that a dead body?¡±  The officer¡¯s hands go to his handheld radio, threatening to speak into it. Miguel talks first.


    ¡°It¡¯s an Android. You know, like the ones for advertisements and stuff? It slid into the backseat during the crash. Check it out if you want.¡±


    Styles frowns again, reaching over to pat Miguel¡¯s legs. The officer stops as soon as he reaches Miguel¡¯s pockets, giving them a proper squeeze. Finding Miguel¡¯s cell phone, he pulls it out of his pocket and inspects it. Despite all the action earlier, it looked quite pristine.


    ¡°And here I thought you had a broken cell phone. Hands behind your back, jackass.¡± Miguel sighs as he does just that and before long, a shiny pair of handcuffs go over his wrists.  Satisfied with his police work, Styles turns back to the car and peers inside of it. Luna lays as still as she possibly can as the officer looks in, knowing the head was on and the likely freak out if he figured out what she was. Styles opens the car door and reaches down carefully to pull back the hoodie, inspecting Luna¡¯s hair and her ears with a probing finger.


    ¡°Fur? Lifelike too. Fancy stuff you got here.¡± Styles says, reaching over to force Luna turn over. Miguel speaks up again quickly.


    ¡°Y-yeah. It¡¯s a newer model, you know. Expensive? But it¡¯s broken so don¡¯t move it.¡±


    Styles spends another moment looking at the werewolf before closing the door a mere inch or two away from Luna¡¯s head, causing her wince subtly. Styles grows increasingly apprehensive as he moves up to the front and pops the trunk latch underneath the driver¡¯s wheel. He steps around to the back and lifts the trunk door, shining his light down inside.


    ¡°And let¡¯s see what we have inside of door number two here¡­¡±


    He double takes as he sees Sakura curled up against a tire, asleep. Styles reaches over in earnest, grabbing the vampire by the shoulder and shaking her vigorously to wake her up. Sakura yawns slowly as her eyes open, looking back up towards the officer.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am! Ma¡¯am! Are you hurt!?¡±


    Sakura looks at the officer and smiles wide, her fangs jutting out from her lips.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m feeling much better now.¡±


    Just before Styles could figure out what that meant, Sakura rips him violently into the trunk. The whole car bustles and shakes with struggle, with the officer calling for help several times before the jostling stops..and the man going silent. Luna snaps herself back up and opens the car door, spilling out onto the snow. Miguel leans up from the car and walks carefully, stepping over Luna and peeks in at what was going on.


    Luna pulls herself up and opens the trunk up to see Sakura¡¯s fangs buried deep into the policeman¡¯s neck, drinking from him. Styles looked unresponsive, a new bruise forming on the side of his forehead. Her eyes shift over towards her concerned friends and the vampire finally relents, rolling her eyes.


    ¡°What!? I told you I was hungry! You think I¡¯mma just look free food in the face and not sink my teeth into him?¡±


    If it were at all anatomically possible, the color would drain from Luna¡¯s face at the look of shock at just how much blood is flowing from the officer. Miguel looks similarly alarmed but sighs at her.


    ¡°Just...get the keys off of him and do your thing. Don¡¯t kill him though.¡±


    Sakura checks Styles¡¯ waist and grabs his keyring, unclasping it and tossing it towards Miguel who utterly fails to catch it. Miguel¡¯s eyebrows raise as he steps from around the frame, his arms still bound behind his back.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    Sakura chortles as she leans back into her meal, continuing to drain him without saying a word. Luna scoops up the keys out of the snow and walks around Miguel, showing the keyring.


    ¡°Which one is it?¡±


    Miguel looks between the dozen or so keys and tilts his head towards the odd-looking stick tool. ¡°That one. Shove it in the hole on the side and it¡¯ll pop open.¡±


    Luna reaches around, taking the tool and working with it as told. It takes a little bit of searching in the dim light of the night, but she frees him, Miguel pulling his arms back around in front of himself.


    Luna smiles as she¡¯s successful, moving around to the side of the car and eager to not watch Sakura feed. Her stomach grumbles most distressingly.


    Miguel pats his pockets a few times and snorts in aggravation. ¡°God, what I wouldn¡¯t give for some smokes right now.¡±


    Luna holds a hand over her stomach as her ears lower against her head. ¡°I¡¯m still starving...I hope we find something soon.¡±


    Sakura bursts from the trunk just then, looking completely rejuvenated. She takes a deep breath of the cold winter air and exhales, leaning over to lean on the car along with the others. She takes out a napkin from a pocket and dabs it over her mouth, rubbing away the excess blood on her lips.


    ¡°So...nnth..so tasty. What if I were to tell you that I can solve that problem right now?¡±


    Miguel looks over towards her incredulously. ¡°Friggen...how would you do that?¡±


    Sakura produces one expertly plain black wallet with a wink. ¡°So...officer guy had a wallet on him. And it¡¯s got some money in it.¡±


    Luna facepalms. ¡°Jeez Sakura, you can¡¯t just go stealing money from police officers! That¡¯s like...well is there such thing as super stealing or something?¡±


    Sakura waves the werewolf off dismissively. ¡°Details, shmee-tails. Look. You are hungry. And I don¡¯t know much about your type, but I¡¯m sure you get angry when you get hungry. And nobody likes angry werewolves. I bet Mr. Morales is hungry too. We¡¯re not going to go into a fight without getting something to eat. Fighting on an empty stomach is a defeat waiting to happen.  And I¡¯m willing to bet that, just as a hunch, you two didn¡¯t really get the chance to pack a twenty in your purses. So...convenient dinner solution for me becomes convenient dinner solution for everyone.¡±


    Miguel begrudgingly slumps his shoulders, shaking his head. ¡°I don¡¯t like it but... I guess. Fine. Just make sure you give back the rest of his wallet. Got it? We¡¯re taking just enough to get out of this spot.¡±


    Sakura glances at Miguel, peering closely at him. Miguel returns her gaze with a glare, looking between the wallet and the vampire. After a few moments of tense negotiation, Sakura rolls her eyes and reaches inside of her pocket, pulling out no less than three credit cards and shoving them back in the wallet. She pulls out two twenty dollar bills and slides them over towards Miguel.


    ¡°Here. Forty bucks. Everything is back where it needs to be.¡±


    Miguel takes it and shoves it into his pocket. ¡°How¡¯s your...dinner guest?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you know. Quiet. The real shy type. He¡¯ll be good to go in like...oh...a few days. He was very generous but, I remembered what you said about my diet. I AM going to need a second meal before we go in tonight. If I have to pull any tricks like I did yesterday, I¡¯m going to run out of juice pretty quick.¡±


    Miguel snorts. ¡°Fine. But we¡¯re taking him with us. Nobody will find him out here. Dump him off in town so he can be taken care of.¡±


    Luna looks over towards the city of Ravenport in the distance. She¡¯d never been out this far from town before. In fact, she¡¯d never left town. It felt strange to be so far away, yet still close enough to make out every skyscraper that made up Ravenport¡¯s skyline, even the Astro Spark tower. The city is a veritable hive of activity even at this hour, with the skyway traffic flying high over the top of the skyscrapers.


    ¡°So how are we going to get back to town?¡± Luna says, looking over towards the other two. Miguel shrugs sheepishly.


    ¡°Walking I guess?¡±


    Sakura turns towards the empty police cruiser and beams happily. ¡°And look at that, my dinner date brought us a ride! He¡¯s so considerate, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    Luna practically withers, shaking her head profusely. ¡°No-no-no-no! No! That is a stupid, stupid, stupid idea! What if someone catches us or worse, sees me and-¡±


    Miguel leans up off of the car and shrugs. ¡°I mean...we¡¯re already criminals at this point. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re doing this because we want to.¡±


    Sakura pouts. ¡°Well, I want to!¡±


    ¡°Well, some of us want to. We¡¯ll ditch it when we get into town and leave slumber man in there. Besides,¡± Miguel gloomily shuffles towards the car, jamming his hands into his pockets. ¡°I¡¯m tired of being cold.¡±

 Chapter 16: The Silvernote Jazz Club

    The ride went as planned. It was a clear night, though the still air was a little chilly for most people¡¯s tastes. The moon three-quarters full in the sky, but dim enough for the full brilliance of the stars to be visible.  Not many people were out on a Sunday evening, and the GPS tracking that the cruiser had was disabled while they rode back into the city. As planned, the police officer was crammed into the back seat with Luna for the journey, fast asleep from being fed upon earlier.


    The trio ditch the car in an alleyway between a few cheap apartment buildings and leave the officer there, making sure the car was visible from the street if anybody came near. Sakura and Luna scamper up to the roof of one of those apartments, using the safest looking fire escape they could find and wait for Miguel, who had went off to find food. It took the better part of a half hour but he returned with a large bag of fast food tucked underneath his arm.


    Luna and Sakura had spread out the blanket they had taken from the first car and were sitting on it, the snow sitting thickly on the roof. Luna¡¯s tail wags as Miguel approaches, the man taking a seat between the girls.


    ¡°Oh my god that all smells so good...what took you so long?¡± Luna sits up a little bit, the cacophony of delicious smells making her mouth water in anticipation.


    ¡°The only thing that I could find that was open was Burger Dude. I hate that damn place, but it was either that or take a hike. You know how hard it is to find a place that¡¯s open past midnight around here?¡±


    Luna rolls her eyes at him. ¡°...Thier motto is really dumb, but they make some really good burgers. I wish I worked there instead of Bub¡¯s.¡±


    Sakura, who is laying on her back, turns her head over towards Luna. ¡°What¡¯s their motto?¡±


    ¡°Welcome to Burger Dude, home of the burgers dude, can I take your burger, dude?¡± Luna says, mimicking the weasley voice of a teenage boy.


    Sakura snorts. ¡°Hah! Nice.¡±


    Miguel reaches into the bag and fishes out two chicken sandwiches, a large cup of fries and a drink and pushes them to Luna. He takes out a much smaller burger combo for himself. ¡°Alright. So, what¡¯s the plan? Where is Scar?¡±


    Sakura lazily rolls over onto her rear and crosses her legs. ¡°Ever heard of the Silvernote Jazz Club?


    Miguel shakes his head, unwrapping his burger. Luna¡¯s nose instantly picks up on the presence of barbecue on his sandwich. ¡°Not off the top of my head, no.¡±


    ¡°The club is new, but the building is pretty old. You know the Scratch? It¡¯s like on the corner of that neighborhood near the downtown area. It¡¯s part club and part card casino. Scar owns it. It¡¯s a real classy place. Fancy clothes, food, all of that.¡±


    ¡°Just like the Golden Aces. Of course, he¡¯d just reopen the same place again. How did I not figure that out?¡± Miguel says, grumbling the whole way through chewing his food.


    Luna tears into the chicken sandwiches in record time and just like she¡¯d remembered, the food at Burger Dude was pretty good. She attempts to take a drink from the soda Miguel had brought but when she wraps her lips around the straw and sucks at it, the liquid...doesn¡¯t go anywhere. Did the straw not work? She peers at it oddly.


    Sakura and Miguel pay her no mind.


    ¡°Tell me some building details,¡± Miguel says, more interested in learning than eating at the moment.


    ¡°I only visited the place once but it¡¯s a pretty large building. It¡¯s got two floors. The bottom floor has a stage for the performers, some card dealing tables and a kitchen for food. Upstairs is balcony seating and a few private rooms. Scar¡¯s office is up there. There¡¯s also a door that takes you to the roof.¡± Sakura says.


    ¡°Alright...sounds simple enough. What¡¯re we gonna do?¡± Miguel questions, taking a sip of his drink.


    ¡°Well, we¡¯re going for Scar, right? We need to draw him into the open or else we won¡¯t have room to work. He¡¯s also got guards. So we¡¯ll need a distraction. Let Luna and me in first. We¡¯ll go through the back door in the kitchen, take out the guys in there and then blow the lights to the club.¡±


    Miguel smiles craftily. ¡°Blackout huh? That¡¯s pretty good. What should I do?¡±


    ¡°Head for the roof.¡± Sakura continues. ¡°We¡¯ll force him up and then we can jump him as soon as we get up there. Between the three of us, we should be able to take him out.¡±


    Luna tries, again and again, to pull her soda through the straw, but eventually, she gives up. She snatches the straw out of the cup and tosses it angrily aside. Sakura peers at her inquisitively. ¡°Problem over there?¡±


    Luna frowns. ¡°Straws don¡¯t work.¡±


    Sakura grins. ¡°Have you tried turning off and on again?¡±


    ¡°Ha-hah.¡± Luna chides sarcastically, biting into her sandwich once again.


    ¡°Can we focus here?¡± Miguel interjects. ¡°You mentioned before that those¡­¡®abilities¡¯ you have with your hands. Sanguine Arts, right? Does Scar have any? I¡¯m assuming he does.¡±


    Sakura nods. ¡°Well for starters, he has a shield he uses to catch bullets. He¡¯s also got these little shadow tendrils he uses.¡±


    ¡°Like the ones he used to stab you?¡± Miguel conjectures. Sakura holds a hand over her heart for a moment and nods.


    ¡°Yeah. They can stretch and move. He doesn¡¯t use them unless he has to. But beyond that, I don¡¯t know of too much else he can do with them.¡±


    ¡°Are all of his guards Vampires like you?¡± Luna asks.


    ¡°Hmmm...most of them, but not all of them. There¡¯s a few humans in the know there, but the few vampires he has are kids. Baby vampires, hardly any tougher than a human.¡±


    Luna finishes her food rather quickly, rolling her trash up together and placing it back in the Burger Dude bag. Realizing something, she turns up to look at Sakura. ¡°Don¡¯t you still need to eat?¡±


    The vampire grins. ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll take care of that when we get to the kitchen.¡±


    Miguel takes one last sip of his drink before standing up, rubbing his hands over a napkin. ¡°We should get going. I¡¯ve been waiting a long time for this. It all ends here, tonight. We¡¯ve got a plan together. So let¡¯s follow it through. And make it through this in one piece. Agreed? Don¡¯t go being a hero. And Luna¡­?¡±


    The werewolf stands and turns to face Miguel directly. ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m mostly talking about you.¡±


    The trip over towards the Silvernote Jazz Club was thankfully easy. The night helped them to remain concealed, and even better, most of the buildings were close enough together that they could leap between them. When the trio arrived at the Silvernote it was a little past 2 a.m. and judging by the lack of cars, recently closed for the night. The building sat on a street corner almost to itself; it¡¯s nearest neighbors looked worn from vacancy. The old signage reminded Luna of the 1940¡¯s detective movies and the front wall had the remnants of advertisements of years long past. There were no windows on the first floor, and the only visible entrance were two cushioned doors from the front. The glow of a few grey neon lights spills into the snowy streets.


    Luna, Miguel, and Sakura stop on an alleyway facing the Jazz Club, with the latter two looking around for any pedestrians. A lone man jogs by, clad in sweat jeans and a sweater. His head hangs down, clearly focused on his exercise. Miguel looks up towards the second floor, finding a large window indicative of an office. The blinds were shut, but there was a shadow of a person against it. The figure leans forward and back a few times before getting up and vanishing from sight.


    Once the coast was clear, they quickly sprint across the street and into the alley in the back of the Silvernote. Outside of a dumpster near the back door, the alleyway looked empty. Sakura jerks her thumb towards a drainage pipe that looked quite sturdy that lead to the roof of the Jazz club. Giving her a thumbs up, Miguel begins his climb while Luna and Sakura wait at the back door, both of them pressed to the wall just outside of it. Sakura presses a finger to her lips before leaning over and knocking at the back door. The sounds on the inside of the kitchen sounded as if there was at least one person there, likely cleaning up.


    As soon as Sakura knocked, a sigh is heard through the door, and the shuffling of footsteps draw nearer. The voice is muffled but still audible. ¡°Oh my god Vanille, did you forget your keys again?¡±


    The heavy metal door opens, revealing a woman in her late twenties, wearing a casual chef attire. She looks confused as the door contained no one.


    ¡°...Vanille?¡±


    Sakura strikes quickly, spinning around the door frame and grabbing the chef by the shoulder. Just before the woman could yell, Sakura clasps a hand over her mouth and presses her against the wall. The vampire stares into the woman¡¯s eyes, and after a few seconds, the woman goes limp, her eyes closing as if she were asleep. Sakura slowly looks inside of the door before shutting it just so.


    As soon as the door was closed, Luna rushes over to Sakura looking concerned. Her voice is a whisper but heightened in tone. ¡°Hey! We can¡¯t go about knocking her out, she might freeze out here!¡±


    Sakura turns quickly, her fangs prominently displayed in her mouth, but a sudden scent catches her off guard. She sniffs at the chef¡¯s neck and a smile forms on the vampire¡¯s lips. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, she¡¯s a font, she¡¯s used to it. I¡¯ll knock her out for two minutes and then she can toddle on home without knowing a thing. Do me a solid and watch the door for me.¡±


    Sakura leans into the woman¡¯s neck and sticks her fangs in, prompting Luna to turn away squeamishly and look towards the door. It took a moment or two before Sakura withdrew, holding the woman up and again staring intensely into her eyes. The leans in close towards the chef¡¯s ear and whispers to her.


    ¡°Go home.¡±


    After that, Sakura slides her gently towards the ground and leaves her sitting against the wall. The vampire steps around Luna and opens the door to the kitchen and after checking inside, beckons her forward. The kitchen is rectangular in shape, with white walls and black and white checkerboard floors. The center contained several stoves and ovens, and on the outer walls were various preparation stations and a fairly large sink. Kitchen utensils, pots, and pans hang from easy to reach spots for use. The room is devoid of people for now, but there was the hustle of movement out in the main room.


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    After locking the door behind them, Luna and Sakura sneak in, keeping their heads down. They lean against the middle island of the kitchen, obstructing their view from the door to the ballroom. . She turns around towards Luna and speaks quietly.


    ¡°Hey. You are going to need to go backstage and find the breaker box. You know what it looks like right?¡±


    Luna nods, her ears standing at full alert. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s a grey box on the wall right?¡±


    Sakura thumbs up. ¡°Yeah. It should be just outside this door. I want you to hit the lever, wait about two minutes, and then turn it back. After that, come on upstairs. Okay?¡±


    Luna¡¯s ears perk as the sound of someone approaching, the werewolf crouching down a little lower in response. The swinging doors of the kitchen fly open, where a large man speaks from it. He¡¯s dressed nicely, in a pair of khakis and a dress shirt and coat. His shoes reflect the light diffusely.


    ¡°Melanie! Boss says he needs ya to...huh?¡±


    The man pauses for a moment, scratching his head. He peers around the kitchen, seeing no one. Luna¡¯s heart takes up permanent residence in her tonsils.


    ¡°Huh. Did she lock up?¡±


    The male walks forward, prompting both Luna and Sakura to move. If they stayed where they were, they¡¯d both be within plain sight. As soon the man makes it to the back door, he checks it, wriggling the doorknob. The door remains locked as it had been before. The sound of a soft click on the floor catches his attention, forcing him to look down the kitchen island. He reaches threateningly into his coat.


    Luna holds the offending foot claw off of the floor, both of her hands clasped over her muzzle. She and Sakura had moved just in the nick of time, hiding from the man by shuffling around to the far end of the kitchen island. Sakura looks practiced and calm, but her hand rests upon the hilt of her sword, threatening to draw it. The vampire¡¯s other hand joins Luna¡¯s in holding her muzzle shut.


    After a tense moment, the male lowers his hand and makes his way out of the kitchen, hitting the lights. Now drenched in darkness, both girls finally relax, with Sakura pointing a finger into Luna¡¯s nose and frowning.


    ¡°After this, we are getting your toenails clipped. Count on it.¡± Sakura whispers.


    Luna smiles nervously. ¡°Did I mention they were retractable?¡±


    Sakura rolls her eyes and starts to get up, reaching down a hand to pull up the werewolf, who reluctantly accepts. ¡°You aren¡¯t helping your case you know.¡±


    Luna feels much better when she¡¯s on her feet, exhaling a small sigh of relief at the close call that just passed. Sakura sneaks over towards the ballroom door and peers through the circular window. After a few seconds, she beckons Luna to the door to peer through it. Luna keeps herself to the side of the door, side-eying it.


    The ballroom of the Silvernote looked ornate in a timeless way. It was the kind of place Luna had only seen in movies. It was mostly square, with luxurious wine-red walls and several crystal chandeliers. The floors were carpeted and short with card suits lining them. There were some dealing tables out towards the further edges of the room, along with a few booths for exchanging currency. The stage looked rather old but well kept, complete with an art deco wall design that ran predominantly through the building itself. Near the front door, a set of stairs could be seen going up. There were also about six men in there, most of which were putting up tables or cleaning the floor.


    ¡°See the stairs?¡± Sakura whispers, keeping most of her head out of the window.


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Good. Now get going. I want you to head up right after me.¡±


    Luna nods. ¡°Got it.¡±


    Sakura whispers. ¡°And if you see anybody, take them out.¡±


    Luna salutes semi-officially before sneaking forward. She moves up to a half standing position as she very slowly leans into the door, peeking through the small window in it. Sure enough, the circuit breaker was right there. Beyond that was the stage, wreathed in darkness thanks to the closed curtains. Luna turns back towards Sakura for a second, who had unsheathed her sword and stood at the ready.


    Luna slides through the door silently and creeps up to the fuse box. She opens it up and inspects the various switches and levers. They were all flipped to multiple stages of off and on, though the largest of them was at the top and was labeled ¡®POWER.'' Tensely shrugging, she pulls the switch down. It moves with a shockingly loud *CHIK* and in that same moment, the entire building went dark.


    ¡°What the hell?¡± A voice calls out from the ballroom from beyond. Multiple sounds of scuffling could be heard as Sakura went to work, the guttural sounds of men being slain and light gunfire filtering through the theatrical curtain. Luna remains tense as she waits, her thoughts idly drifting to Miguel and his position on the roof.


    ¡°Wish I could be up there rather than down here.¡± She mutters, keeping herself pressed near the wall as a bullet rips through the curtain and ricochets off of something backstage.


    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Miguel¡¯s climb up the pipe wasn¡¯t terribly hard, he was in good shape, and his cybernetics increased his strength a little bit. It takes a few moments of uninterrupted climbing, but he eventually swings up on top of the Silvernote Jazz Club. A harsh wind greets him as soon as he swings his legs over, his feet impacting the cold stone of the roof.


    The wind bites harder as a familiar figure clad in a white suit, a fedora and a pair of thin, black-rimmed glasses stands on the roof, his head pressed into a cell phone. Scar¡¯s brow raises as he stares back at the bewildered Miguel, a grin slowly crossing it. He turns towards his phone, the glee in his voice all but barely contained.


    ¡°Alu? Let me call you back...I have a funeral arrangement to make.¡±


    Scar clicks off his phone before bringing it down into his hands. He starts dialing a number with a white-gloved hand, working calmly. Miguel wastes little time, pulling his magnum from his holster and firing a few shots at Scar. The bullets bounce off, impacting his shield with an explosive series of orange sparks. Scar holds up a finger towards Miguel, waving it disapprovingly.


    ¡°Now now...I¡¯ll be with you in a moment.¡±


    Scar presses several more keys before putting his phone away, meticulously running his hands over one another. By that time Miguel¡¯s resolve had hardened, his fists curled as tight as he could manage.


    ¡°There. Now we¡¯ll have no more distractions.¡±


    Miguel speaks coldly. ¡°You don¡¯t have any guards to call this time.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not talking about them tin man. I¡¯m talking about the police.¡±


    Miguel¡¯s expression remains stoic, but it did visibly give him pause. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I mean, that unlike the last time in which you destroyed property that belongs to the good people of this city, this time, I have made some extra precautions to ensure that this party is enjoyed by me and you alone. Think of it as a gift. From me to you. Speaking of gifts, how did you like the one I sent you last night? I see it failed to have the desired effect.¡±


    Miguel¡¯s grip on his gun tightens. ¡°How did you find my address?¡±


    ¡°Your dear friend Carl was...most cooperative in that endeavor. He does a fine job, protecting this city from the confines of his desk, wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡±


    Miguel hisses with disappointment. ¡°I figured as much. So...inquiring minds want to know, why¡¯d you hit me and not him? Why didn¡¯t you try to kill Carl?¡±


    Scar snickers as he starts to slowly walk closer to Miguel, pulling his hands behind his back. ¡°Because I read you, Mr. Morales. I know your type. The valiant hero, the duty-bound soldier, the man who fights for peace on his shoulders and justice as his weapon. Five years ago, I merely avoided the law. I paid off who I needed to when I needed to and that was that. But that day you walked into my club and tried to tell me what to do? I knew that avoiding the law was only going to become more and more of a hassle. ¡° Scar laments quietly. His footsteps still drawing closer still to Miguel.


    ¡°So I had a brilliant thought. Why not control the law? Make it do what I say? When I say jump, it jumps. When I say heel, it rolls over to see me.  When I say bow, it bows so damn hard that I can step over it without lifting a foot. But to do that, I needed an example. I needed a threat. I needed¡­you.¡± Scar finally reaches him and sweetly grins at Miguel¡¯s frozen expression. A few beads of sweat travel down Miguel¡¯s face as he listens to him, the man looking too shocked to move.


    Scar reaches up with a hand and clasps it over the top of Miguel¡¯s gun. His sinister voice sliding into Miguel¡¯s ear with a knife buried in it¡¯s meaning.


    ¡°It was easy. For what is an adored man without his people? He is nothing. And the people who once adored them shuffle their feet back to their miserable lives, working jobs they don¡¯t care about and back with the family who don¡¯t love them. When Carl approached me after your family died...Oh, Mr. Morales, you would have been so proud. The things he said to me that night would have made a sailor blush. But once I showed him the error of his arrogance, he begged me to spare his life.¡±


    Miguel bites his lip as tears stream down his closed eyes. His head turned to brace the truth for himself. Scar walks around to the side of Miguel, still speaking in that sweet dulcet tone.


    ¡°And as soon as I heard that, I knew exactly what I could do with him. A few strings pulled, some deaths here, a few forced retirements there and just like that...law controlled.¡± Scar walks around back to the front of Miguel, seeming wholly content. His hand remains on the gun but he doesn¡¯t force it to move just yet. Miguel¡¯s body quakes with barely controlled grief, his teeth clenched and his facial muscles tight.


    ¡°So just put the gun down Mr. Morales. Give up. Everyone else has.¡±


    Miguel¡¯s gun doesn¡¯t move. It¡¯s shuddering and shaking, but it remains pointed at Scar. The vampire¡¯s brow raises in annoyance.


    ¡°Mr. Morales-¡±


    ¡°SHUT UP!¡±


    Miguel fires his gun directly into Scar¡¯s hand, the bullet burning a hole into Scar¡¯s glove but bouncing off when it hits his skin. Scar staggers back a foot or two, angrily looking into his hand to see that his glove had been ruined. A pool of reddish black liquid emanates out from Scar¡¯s feet, a slick tentacle forming out of it. With a mere thought, the shadowy arm reaches up and slaps Miguel across the face, sending him spiraling through the air. Miguel¡¯s magnum flies out of his hand, the weapon skittering across the roof and coming to a stop in the corner.


    As Miguel rises, his resolve strengthens, standing with a renewed will. His eyes burn with courage as he wipes away a small bit of blood from his nose with his sleeve.


    ¡°I¡¯ll spare you the stupid speech and just tell you that you picked the wrong hombre to cross. If you have a problem with me, you take it up with me. You do NOT run after their family, you pathetic coward. I¡¯ve looked death in the face with a smile and a medkit. Compared to the shit I saw in that war, you are nothing but a sadist in a cheap suit.¡±


    Scar sighs with great disappointment, tugging off his burnt glove and reaching inside of his pocket to pull out another one. ¡°You know, my generosity has it''s limits. I was offering for you to simply leave, but if you want to press the issue, by all means. This time, I¡¯ll pull you apart in so many pieces that nobody will be able to put you back together again.¡±


    Scar turns back towards Miguel and raises his hands, two tentacles growing from the pool at his feet. The first one swings at Miguel from above, prompting him to sidestep it. The second swings at his head horizontally, the man bringing both of his arms to his side to block it. The impact sends the former cop flying, but he takes it in stride, rolling back to his feet. Miguel quickly surveys his surroundings. The roof was mostly bare except for the occasional patio set and air conditioner unit. The cover provided wasn¡¯t much, but it¡¯d have to do.


    Miguel starts to advance on Scar, but as he does, the first tentacle swoops back around at him. He ducks underneath it and feels it scrape on his back. The second shadow appendage retracts into the pool and fires itself like an arrow, straight towards Miguel¡¯s head. He leans to the side just in time, blocking it with his metallic arm, ripping the sleeve off of his jacket entirely.


    When Miguel finally gets into melee range, he throws some quick punches of his own. Scar deflects them with a smile and one hand, batting away each blow. Miguel opts to start hitting harder, throwing an elbow into a backhand and following up with a cross from his other fist. The first two hits he blocks with the same hand, while the heavy cross forces him to lean back. Just as Miguel goes for a powerful roundhouse kick, one of Scar¡¯s tentacles shoot up, grabbing Miguel by the leg and flinging him into one of the air conditioner units.


    Miguel¡¯s back rattles the old machine hard enough to dent it, sending a resonant *CLONG!* throughout the quiet neighborhood. Miguel lands on his side and winces, holding his chest. As he stands back up, Scar sprints over to him, a tentacle arcing over one of his shoulders. Miguel raises his metallic arm to throw another punch, but Scar wraps a tentacle around it, locking the entire limb''s movement. The shadow seems to melt slightly, running up Miguel¡¯s arm and seeping into the joint that held it locked to Miguel¡¯s shoulder. The human¡¯s eyes widen with fear as he looks back up towards the gleeful Scar, his tentacle applying pressure to the prosthetic limb.


    ¡°Piece by piece.¡±


    Miguel tries to pull his arm back, but the force of the slimy appendage was too much. It refused to budge, no matter the struggle.  Miguel looks back up towards the Vampire with a weathered grin of his own.


    ¡°...I¡¯ve still got one trick left up my sleeve.¡±


    Arcing bolts of electricity fly through the arm as the tentacle makes a handy conduit of travel back to Scar. The vampire convulses in his impeccable boots as the lightning rips through him, his teeth clenching with pain. The tentacle tries to slither away from Miguel, but he grabs it with his electrified arm, keeping it close. Incoherent gibberish spills from Scar¡¯s mouth as more and more electricity pumps into him. Smoke starts to rise from the vampire¡¯s clothing.


    A small beeping pulses from Miguel¡¯s prosthetic arm as the battery runs low, it¡¯s mere presence being enough to rouse Scar from his stunned jittering.  A toothy grin starts to form on the vampire''s face as patiently waits for the attack to be over. Miguel redoubles his efforts, forcing through the last of his power reserves to fire off a massive shock of electricity that sends Scar flying several dozen feet. His fedora and his glasses fly off of his face while is airborne, the former sliding onto the ground softly while the latter shatters against it. Scar lands on his back and skids for a second before coming to rest.


    Miguel¡¯s mechanical arm slumps, the feeling from it drained out entirely. He tries to command it to move once again, but it dangles uselessly at his side. Looking over towards Scar, Miguel watches him for a moment, hopeful that Scar died in that last attack. Just as Miguel starts to lean up from the wall to take a close look, his dreams are dashed as the vampire raises his legs into the air and flips himself back onto his feet, pulling his heavily scuffed jacket back onto his shoulders.


    Miguel nearly double takes as he sees Scar¡¯s face. A disfiguring burn carved it¡¯s way into his face, starting at the side of his chin and crawling up diagonally, passing over his nose and disappearing into his hairline. Scar eyes looked wild, his pupils small and shuddering every now and again. The vampire raises a finger to his face and feels the new trench scorched into it by Miguel. Just as suddenly as he got up, Scar starts to laugh, forcefully clapping his gloved hands together. The clapping increased as he chuckles to himself like he¡¯d just seen something outrageously hilarious.


    ¡°Well well well, ladies and gentlemen!¡± Scar¡¯s derangement becoming vocal. ¡°Now, I¡¯m invested! I was going to just murder you quickly, but I¡¯ve changed my mind. Slow and painful is on the menu today,  so strap in tin man. It¡¯s going to be a bumpy ride!¡±


    With a mighty yell, Scar expands the shadowblood pool at his feet, creating six more tentacles for a total of eight slick, reddish black appendages. Unlike before, Scar starts making hand gestures to control his tentacles, starting by throwing two of them straight at Miguel¡¯s chest. The human dodge rolls to the side, the shadowblood arms piercing through the heavy metal of the air conditioning unit effortlessly.


    Miguel runs behind the AC units just as another tentacle tries to slam down upon him, cracking the roof beneath its force. Miguel stops running after a few units, pressing his back to it and panting loudly from the effort of fighting, his heart racing laps in his chest. Scar calls from his position, his tentacles undulating wildly to his sides.


    ¡°We were having such fun! Don¡¯t leave now. I still have so much more planned! Why don¡¯t you come out where I can see you? Or better yet¡­ Maybe I¡¯ll come find you.¡±


    Scar concentrates for a moment and then slams all eight of his tentacles into the ground, melting several of them into one large puddle of inky ooze. They start to flood outwards and seep around to the back the AC units. Miguel panics when he sees this, rolling up onto the top of the unit just as the ink covers the ground where he once stood. Scar smiles delightedly.


    ¡°Oh, there you are! Come here, would you?¡±


    Multiple tiny tentacles start arcing out of the ink pool towards Miguel who leaps from the AC unit as far as he can, landing just outside of the pool with unsteady footing. He starts to sprint as fast as he can, but the edge of the pool reforms into a tentacle and chases after him. In a matter of seconds it catches Miguel, wraps around his midsection multiple times and yanks him off of the ground in one fluid motion. It coils around him several times and yanks him back towards Scar. Just as Miguel starts to grab the tentacle with his one good arm, the appendage uncoils him, sending him spinning rapidly in the air. The pool reforms into one massive shadowblood arm again and slams into Miguel from above, smashing him to the ground hard enough to cause him to bounce back several feet back into the air. Miguel groans in pain as he lays on the ground a second time, his legs feeling out of alignment and his midsection bruised to the point of being bloody.


    Through sheer willpower, Miguel winces as he pulls himself up on his side to look at Scar, who slowly approaches him. The tentacles split into pairs of two, each set sliding around Miguel¡¯s limbs. They tug him into the air and start to pull, stretching Miguel into a spread eagle position. Miguel grits his teeth as he resists being pulled taut, fighting the will of the shadow arms. Scar¡¯s silver eyes glisten with sadistic elation.


    ¡°Piece by piece, Mr. Morales."

 Chapter 17: Lunas First Dance

    After counting in her head for what seemed like a small eternity, Luna finally switches back on the lights. She timidly pulls herself out from her hiding position and looks out over the ballroom. Sakura sits very casually on a table, her leg propped up on her side and her arm draped over her knee. Her katana¡¯s blade is a deep red, with the occasional drop of blood hitting the floor beneath her. Luna noted that unlike before, there was no aura around the weapon. All around her were the bodies of the men who had been in the room before, each one of them grasping a pistol. Sakura lazily swings her weapon up, licking the excess vitae from her blade.


    ¡°A little longer than two minutes but...eh. I got to have fun. I forgive ya. Let¡¯s go get what we came for huh?¡±  Sakura smirks, kicking herself off of the table and calmly stepping over the bodies.


    Luna avoids the downed men entirely, sauntering onstage and leaping down into the ballroom proper. She joins up with Sakura as they start to head upstairs. The second floor had a few parlor games, most notably pool and darts. However, the boards were all empty, and the pool tables were devoid of their cues. Luna tilts a brow as she looks over the lifeless jazz club. Something felt wrong here.


    ¡°Wait...the lights were off for like, two minutes. Shouldn¡¯t Scar have like, come out and investigated or something? This feels weird.¡±


    Sakura frowns. ¡°Probably. He can be very focused on his work, but the gunfire should¡¯ve caught his attention.¡±


    Sakura leads Luna to a series of small offices just out of sight of the pool tables. She quiets herself as she makes her way to the one marked ¡®Head Office¡¯ in golden letters. Luna follows suit, though she gives the assassin a few feet of space. Sakura kicks open the wooden door, raising her sword in preparation to use it, only to relax it a second later.


    ¡°He¡¯s not here¡­?¡± The vampire says perplexingly.


    Luna sticks her head in the door. The office is kept quite tidy, with a large desk sitting in the middle of the room. A few classy decorations are found sporadically throughout the room, including a small globe, an articulate hourglass, and lastly, a vase full of fresh roses. The papers on the desk are very neatly stacked to either side of a glass-panel computer. A picture of Scar sits on the corner, with him grinning slyly, with his hand hanging in the air as if he had it draped over someone, but nobody appeared to be there.


    Luna gulps. ¡°Then...where is he? Are we sure he was here tonight?¡±


    Sakura scratches her head. ¡°Uh...yeah. I mean, he spends a ton of time here as far as I could tell. If not here, then where the hell else would he be?¡±


    Luna ponders internally. If he was supposed to be here but didn¡¯t react to the gunfire, it likely meant he didn¡¯t hear it. Either there was a basement with very thick walls, or he could have been on the roof. Just before the werewolf speaks, the sound of something heavy thumps down somewhere above them. She turns to look at Sakura, who seems to not heard the noise. Luna leans back out of the door quickly, grabbing Sakura by the shoulder and urging her out of the room.


    ¡°Upstairs.¡± Luna barks out quickly.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Luna leans back in the door for a moment. ¡°The reason why he didn¡¯t hear you is because he was upstairs the whole time. Miguel¡¯s been alone with him this entire time.¡±


    Sakura stiffens up. ¡°Well shit.¡±


    Luna darts out of the room followed very closely behind by Sakura, who manages to pass her in getting to the stairs to the roof. The vampire kicks the door off of the hinges as she rockets up the stairs, leaping over several stairs at a time to reach the top. Luna¡¯s did her best to hurry, but her unusual feet and the narrow stairs didn¡¯t make for a speedy ascension.


    Sakura flings open the door to the roof just in time to see Miguel strung up by Scar¡¯s tentacles, the man hissing as he tries to hold himself together. Luna barges past Sakura to see the same sight, the werewolf¡¯s ire raising immediately.


    ¡°Catch him.¡± Sakura whispers out of the side of her mouth, stepping forward and unsheathing her blade. She swings the Akai Blade in an upward motion, creating a nearly invisible wave of energy that slices the tentacles clean in two. Just as Scar turns to look at Sakura, she fires off a vicious blast of wind that sends Scar rocketing off his feet, rolling a few times over himself. The tentacles lose their grip on Miguel entirely, who starts to fall towards the ground. Luna sprints forward and leaps just in time to catch him in her outstretched arms, hitting the ground on her side and sliding on the frozen concrete a few feet.


    The werewolf leans up to look over Miguel¡¯s battered body, holding him close. Her eyes start to water as she looks over the various bruises on him, scarcely able to control her breathing. Miguel winces as he¡¯s moved, moving his right arm over to grab at his mechanical one. His voice is sympathetic but still pained.


    ¡°Shh-shh-shh. I¡¯ve taken lumps worse than these. I¡¯ll be okay.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Morales I...I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t know he was-¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be sorry kid. Just get him. Make him¡­¡± Miguel bites his lip as he pushes himself into a sitting position. ¡°...make him pay. For me.¡±


    Luna nods, shaking the small tears forming in her eyes. She stands up and balls her fists, ready to fight. Luna starts to step away from Miguel, but Sakura calls out sharply.


    ¡°Stay there. Guard him. I¡¯ll handle Scar.¡±


    Luna halts her advance and growls at the friendly vampire. ¡°What? Why? You need my help!¡±


    Sakura shakes her head. ¡°If he gets to Miguel again, he¡¯ll take him hostage and kill him. Or worse. Just...just stay there.¡±


    ¡°Now, what makes you think I¡¯m the bad guy? The way I see it, you guys stormed a perfectly reputable establishment and started pointing guns.¡± Scar calls out sarcastically, picking himself up from the ground. He faces Sakura, brushing off his clothing from any debris the sudden tumble may have given him.


    ¡°I have a job to do.¡± Scar says as-matter-of-factly. ¡°Nothing more, nothing less. I run this wing of the family out here. And things were going fine. Just fine. Until some psychopath started blowing up shipments.¡±


    Sakura spins her sword into a fighting position, with both hands grasping the hilt and holding the blade in front of herself. ¡°And what part of that involves your gross-ass eating habits hmm? Or the people you mulch through to power you and your friends messed up little gang? The completely unnecessary murders you and your boys pull off every few months?¡±


    Scar crosses his arms over his chest, with one of his tentacles waving accusingly over his head. ¡°Do my ears deceive me? Is the assassin scolding me on the rights and wrongs of running a criminal organization? Your capacity for hypocrisy truly knows no bounds, Sakura Armada.¡±


    Sakura¡¯s eyes widen in surprise. ¡°How¡¯d you find out about-¡±


    ¡°When you are as long-lived as I am, you hear things, and so many of us just love to gossip.¡± Scar grins in response.


    He continues a moment later. ¡°Oh yes, dear Sakura, I did do my research. Once apart of the illustrious Armada business empire that took a tumble back around the turn of the last century. There was once nothing that the Armada didn¡¯t have a finger in. But your father made a few poor bets and ended up owing too much to the wrong people. And where did that leave poor little Sakura when her father¡¯s fortunes went up in flames?¡±


    Sakura stands a little more resolutely in the face of the truth, simply staring disapprovingly at Scar.


    ¡°Parentless...and very soon after that...homeless. Then you disappeared without a trace. Only to reappear ten years later and doing assassin work for hire. From what I used to hear, you were rather good at it, weren¡¯t you?¡±


    Sakura shrugs towards him coldly. ¡°It¡¯s the best way to advertise.¡±


    ¡°It truly is, isn¡¯t it?¡± Scar says. ¡°But perhaps, not good enough. One double cross later left you face down in a ditch with a hole for a chest. Homeless and friendless yet again.¡±


    Sakura rolls her eyes. ¡°Is there a point to your history lesson here?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Scar hisses. ¡°It¡¯s to help your...soon to be departed friends here to understand the kind of hypocritical scoundrel they should have left to die. Bleeding out in the snow, just as lost and hopeless as she¡¯s ever been.¡±


    Sakura snorts in his general direction. ¡°I won¡¯t pretend like I¡¯m some goodie-two-shoes. But I don¡¯t do what you do asshole. I did what I did to survive. You do it for fun, just like your crazy ass firebug.¡±


    Scar snickers at that, holding a hand over his stomach. ¡°Oh! Yes. I have to admit, ever since I collared the law, I''ve been getting bored. No need to get my hands dirty when hardly anybody is around to oppose you. But I do have you all to thank for reminding me how exhilarating it feels. Ms. White was quite right. I like this.¡±


    Sakura passes a glance over towards the onlooking Luna and Miguel before looking back towards Scar, frowning. Her sword straightens as her grip tightens. ¡°Let¡¯s see how fun it is when I put a second scar on your face.¡±


    Scar returns her taunt with a scowl, the man rolling his shoulders as he prepares to command his tentacles. He fires two of the slick black appendages at Sakura, threatening to run her through the middle. Sakura parries the both with her sword, easily knocking them aside. She takes a step forward, throwing out another strong tunnel of wind at Scar. He counters by collapsing three of his tentacles together and flaying them out to make a triangular block of ooze. The geometric nature of the shield splits the wind harmlessly, venting it off to the sides.


    Sakura winces as she sees this and points her wind tunnel down, propelling herself into the air. Scar lowers his shield and looks around for a moment, unable to find his adversary. Using this misdirection to her advantage, Sakura throws another blast of air behind herself, shooting downward at an angle. Just as Scar spots her, she swings her Akai blade, firing off another wave of sharp energy. The male vampire leaps to the side as the projected energy hits the roof, cutting through it and cleanly slicing through the concrete.


    Sakura gives chase, sprinting after Scar and catching up to him fairly quickly. The male vampire summons his tentacles to throw towards Sakura, one after another in a barrage shadowy limbs. Moving her blade faster than Luna had ever seen, Sakura cuts each oncoming appendage, leaving a trail of them in her wake. Before long, Scar¡¯s shadow pool nearly disappeared underneath his feet, leaving him without his primary defense. Sensing an opportunity, Sakura redoubles her sprinting, raising her blade in preparation for the finishing blow. Just as she charges in, her sword mere centimeters from piercing Scar¡¯s throat, Sakura stops mid-stride. It alarms her even, as she struggles to move just that extra inch forward. She looks behind herself to see what the holdup was and gasps in shock.


    Each one of the tentacles she¡¯d cut down on her way to him had reformed away from him, planting themselves to the ground like a tree. In just that quick motion, the tree¡¯s branches had reached out to her, just barely grasping Sakura by the ankle and her elbows, holding her blade still. Scar smiles at her plight, Sakura struggling to break free of the hold.


    ¡°Such murderous intent in your eyes. It¡¯s adorable really.¡±


    With a small wave from Scar, the tentacles start to retract, pulling her back towards the rooted tree of shadow. Sakura¡¯s boots drag along the ground hard enough to leave curls of leather behind as she tries to maintain her position. As Sakura draws closer, more tentacles reach forward to grip her, grabbing her by the torso and the neck, making it all the harder to stay on the ground. In a few seconds, Sakura is drug into the shadowy appendages, growling and thrashing the whole way in. Luna shudders profusely.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    The tree then falls on it¡¯s side and stretches outward to meet Scar¡¯s small shadow pool, connecting it¡¯s reddish black mass back to it. The shadowy singular shadow appendage rearranges itself, forcing Sakura to the end of it while she writhes within it, fighting the process the whole way through. Her sword pokes out for a mere second before being consumed once more. Scar smirks as he raises the tentacle high into the air, carrying Sakura within it with ease. The appendage then begins to slam itself into the ground, hard enough to both damage the roof and elicit pained responses from Luna. Every other slam, the werewolf heard the telltale snaps of bones being broken.


    On around the dozenth slam, the bulbous tip of the shadow arm begins to rupture. Sakura¡¯s red blade forces its way out of the cocoon and glows with a black aura. She swings the blade at the tentacle holding her, a massive wave of black energy slamming into it, which then explodes messily. Sakura¡¯s bodily sent flying as she knocked herself away, the brightness of the blast forcing Scar to cover his eyes. Sakura lands in a bloodied heap, her sword embedding itself in the roof.  She¡¯s on her hands and knees, convulsing as she steadies herself through the pain. The young vampire is covered in abrasions and bruises from head to toe, as well as a completely busted lip and nose. The Akai blade soon loses all of its color, reverting back to a dull silver and losing its powerful aura.


    Scar cackles as soon as he sees the state of Sakura, drawing the blasted tentacle back into the pool at his feet. He turns towards Luna, who nearly jumps in surprise. The werewolf gulps as she maintains her position in front of Miguel. The vampire meticulously runs his fingers over one another.


    ¡°I was wrong about her. She was very entertaining indeed, but that leaves me with the most boring of the three now, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    Luna growls at Scar, her ears arcing forward and her tail going stiff out behind her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate me!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to set the bar someplace other than the ground for that to happen.¡± Scar taunts, crossing his arms over one another. ¡°If you were actually a fighter, you¡¯d have just leaped on me, yet you hesitated. Why?¡±


    Scar takes a few steps towards her, his tentacles hovering from the pool at his feet but never obstructing his view. Luna gulps as she reconsiders. She supposed she could have jumped in at some point during that fight but...Sakura was right. What if he sent a tentacle over here? He could have easily killed Miguel.


    ¡°Was she not your friend? Don¡¯t you care about her? You could have saved her you know. This is your fault.¡± Scar says, barely able to contain the mockery in his voice.


    ¡°Of course I care about her!" Luna says, a throaty growl rising from her throat. "She¡¯s my friend, and she¡¯s trying to do the right thing asshole!¡±


    Scar acts fauxly wounded, draping an arm over his head. ¡°Oh, my feelings! You have wounded me so! Your words have forced me to see the error in my ways.¡±


    Scar commands two tentacles outwards, one grabbing his fedora and the other slithering towards an out of the way corner. Once the first appendage returns, he places his fedora back on his head and uncurls glasses from his pocket and sliding them back on his face.


    ¡°As if. I don¡¯t know why you are this far in the city, but I gave you a  chance to run along as well. At this point, it¡¯s self-defense really.¡±


    Luna hesitates to move any closer towards Scar, her eyes occasionally dipping back to Miguel¡¯s form. Since he had been down, the human had pulled himself a few inches to the edge of the wall to prop himself up better. Seeing all of this, he reaches out with one of his feet and prods the werewolf in the leg. Luna turns to face him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry about me kid. Like I said. You get him. And you make him pay.¡±


    Luna nods slowly and turns back towards Scar, who merely waits with his hands in his pockets. Finding her courage, the werewolf charges Scar directly, her claws and fangs glistening in the moonlight. She slashes at his chest, her claws extended as far as they could go. The attack hit nothing, as Scar easily sidesteps it. His tentacles slink into the pool entirely. Luna swings at him several more times, but each one is met with a bored expression and a passionless evasion. After several more tries, Scar¡¯s hand shoots out, grabbing Luna¡¯s own and halting it from hitting him.


    ¡°You...actually don¡¯t know how to fight, do you? I didn¡¯t know that the guard dog Morales had gone and got himself was a mere puppy. That¡¯s cute. Useless, but cute.¡±


    Luna growls as she rips her hand back from Scar¡¯s own, her strength overpowering his own. ¡°Don¡¯t toy with me!¡±


    Scar cackles. ¡°Oh-ho-ho..but that would mean you¡¯d need to be fun first.¡±


    Luna flexes her fingers back and forth checking them for any injuries. Finding none, she narrows her glare at Scar¡¯s smug expression.


    ¡°Why?¡± Luna says, sheathing her claws back into her fingers. ¡°Why are you doing this? All these terrible things you¡¯ve done...doesn¡¯t it bother you?¡±


    Scar shrugs nonchalantly. ¡°Because I¡¯m the bad guy. Because I am always the bad guy. So screw it. I''ll be the bad guy. Makes no difference to me. ¡±


    Scar slinks a little closer and pushes a finger up into the bridge of his glasses, adjusting them. "What I did to Mr. Morales I¡¯d do again, and as many times as I had to to get the results I wanted. And no speech from any self-righteous wolf is going to change my mind.¡±


    Luna hisses as she leaps forward to grab him, clasping her hands around Scar¡¯s middle. She slides around him to end up on his back and lifts him, threatening to suplex him. Luna leans back to let gravity to her work when suddenly, mid-body slam, her body halts with a sharp sensation in her back. She looks around oddly as she see¡¯s Scar¡¯s legs in the air above her. What was keeping her up? She tilts her head back and notes that Scar¡¯s tentacles had reached up to stop her from tipping any further back, efficiently halting the move.


    Just as soon as the werewolf processes this, the tentacles wrench forward, throwing her several dozen feet across the mostly clear roof. She tumbles a few times, bashing through some of the patio furniture in the process. She eventually finds her footing, her claws scratching the stone roof. She picks herself back up and charges for Scar again, leaping on top of one of the AC units and then catapulting off of it towards him. Scar holds his hand out towards Luna as she flies in, remaining calm.


    Two tentacles twist together to form a crab¡¯s claw and fire outward, catching Luna by the neck and gripping it tightly. Her hands fly to the shadowy mass and start trying to pry herself from it, her lower body flailing wildly. Scar merely muses as he starts reeling her in, keeping her above the ground but closer to himself. A scared, shrill whine escapes from the werewolf¡¯s muzzle.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see...I¡¯ve smashed someone today..and then crushed them...how about strangulation?¡±


    The vice grip around her neck tightens, prompting Luna to squirrel around much more frantically. Luna feels the pressure build on her neck as her eyes water with pain. A sudden, terrible sensation grips her heart as if it were made of barbed wire. The pain is great enough to even distract from the fact she was being choked. The internal lacerations grow in frequency as they travel up her throat, as if something was trying desperately to claw it''s way out of her. It passes by her mouth and ascends to her mind, pulling at it with sharp points imbedded along it''s edges. A familiar voice bellows between her ears.


    ~"FREE ME."~


    Luna whines as this voice couldn¡¯t have picked a worse time to show up. She shakes her head the little she was able, the werewolf forcing more strength into her arms to pull apart the shadow. She calls back to it.


    ~¡±No! I have this! Just be quiet!¡±~


    The voice calls out again, more insistently. ~¡±WEAKNESS SPEAKS. FREE. ME. NOW!¡±~


    ~¡±Shut the hell up!¡±~


    A familiar voice drags Luna out of her inner monologue, the pressure on her neck loosening.


    ¡°Oh ho...or maybe I¡¯ve got a better idea.¡± Scar says.


    The tentacle he¡¯d let slither free earlier returns to him with Miguel¡¯s magnum in hand. He takes it from the wayward snake and brings Luna down close enough to press the gun against her head.


    ¡°It¡¯s been an eternity since I¡¯ve shot someone. How¡¯d you like to be the first?¡±


    Luna freezes solid as she feels the gun placed upon her temple. She looks morbidly morose as the possibility of her death swims in her frigid, pained mind. She passes a glance over towards Miguel, the man wincing in empathy for her sake. Scar looks between the werewolf and the human, a smile cresting across his features.


    ¡°Or better yet...ooh...I like this idea. The irony!¡±


    Scar turns the magnum to point at Miguel¡¯s downed form, his finger easing over the trigger.


    ¡°The cold, cruel irony.¡± Scar says. Miguel¡¯s expression shifts to one of stalwart acceptance.


    The voice in Luna¡¯s head speaks with the utmost clarity, her brain feeling like it might split with the pressure.


    ~"DO NOT DENY WHO YOU ARE. UNLEASH ME.¡±~


    Luna couldn¡¯t see anything else she could do from here. If she did nothing, Miguel would die followed likely by everyone else. She didn¡¯t completely understand who or what this voice was, but if there was the hope that it could pull her out of this, she had to try.


    ~¡±Fine.¡±~ She answered back. ~¡±Whatever it takes.¡±~


    The instant she mentally spoke the last sentence, a bolt of lightning flows through her spine. Her muscles begin convulsing and growing uncontrollably, her mouth pulled back into a snarl. Her hoodie stretches as her body becomes more muscle-bound, her claws in both her feet and her hands growing outwards. Her pupils disappear, leaving nothing but glowing purple sclera in their place.


    Scar turns to see Luna mid-transformation and raises his brows in surprise. He summons all of the tentacles he could to engulf Luna, using the same technique he had on Sakura. It seems to work for a small period of time as the werewolf struggles against him, but a bubble soon forms around Luna, forcing the shadows off of her. The bubble pops shortly after, and the shadows are cast aside, the werewolf howling as she drops a few inches to the ground. Luna summons a wave of force that sends every single speck of snow from the rooftop away, leaving the whole area cold and exposed. Patio furniture flies, smacking into the guard rails around the edges of the roof. Scar¡¯s glasses and fedora fly off of his face as he holds his ground.


    Sakura and Miguel brace themselves against the ground, looking on towards a still transforming Luna. The werewolf¡¯s arms and legs had become elongated and thicker, giving a gangly but strong appearance. Whatever feminine attributes she may have had were replaced with sheets of sinewy brawn. Her elongated fangs that jutted out of her mouth were monstrously large now and apart of a snarl so severe that saliva drips from her. Two stag antlers sprout from the crown of her head, sending trails of fluorescent whitish-green fluid pouring down her body. Each drop that hit the ground sizzles, burning a small hole in the roof before disappearing.  A guttural growl vibrates from seemingly her whole body as a 7ft tall Luna glares at the bewildered Scar.


    ¡°...I stand corrected.¡± Scar says after a brief pause.


    Luna growls at him in a feral manner before charging at the vampire. Somewhat panicked, Scar summons all eight of his tentacles and flings them all towards the charging beast. Rather than smack them aside, Luna grabs two of the ones closer to her and yanks them towards herself. The tethered tentacles have a little bit of leeway, but when the shadow pool at Scar¡¯s feet gives out, he rockets forward from his position. Luna swings her mighty claws down, ripping through Scar¡¯s chest and drawing thick streaks of blood. The vampire staggers back, holding his chest in agony. He leaps back to get some distance from the beast, unwilling to engage it in such close combat.


    Luna charges after him again, her unsettling snarling drawing close. Rather than attack, Scar draws upon his tentacles once more, mashing them together to form a shadowblood hemisphere of a shield to protect himself. Luna slams into it like a freight train, sending the vampire skidding along the ground on his back. Still, the barrier holds. Just as Scar starts to recover, Luna barrels after him again, her howling cutting through the night sky. She vaults over on top of Scar¡¯s prone body, pressing him and his shield into the roof.


    Luna savagely starts dragging her claws through the shield Scar had over the top of him, trying her best to get to the meaty snack behind it. The werewolf pants as she starts to dig at him, trying harder and faster to get through the shield, but for each time she managed to pull the muck apart, it reforms, protecting its user from harm.


    Miguel stares on in awe at the turn of events, the human urging himself to his feet. He stands warily now, his robotic legs spasming slightly from the damage. Just before he starts to walk forward, a white puff of smoke appears in the air in front of him. From that point, a man seemingly appears out of midair, the smoke dissipating.


    The man is shorter than Miguel and was very lightly built, though his grey trench coat hides most of his form. His skin is pale, almost chalk white and his short hair follows suit. His fedora matches his trenchcoat and is tugged downwards to help conceal himself.  The grey man turns back towards Miguel and speaks very dryly, his voice lacking any real emotion or tone to it.


    ¡°You guys have been making my life hell, you know that?¡±


    Miguel blinks at him incredulously. ¡°Who are you and..uh...how¡¯d you get up here?¡±


    ¡°You can call me Ash. The other part is not important. At all. What is important is that we need to stop your friend.¡±


    Miguel gulps as he watches the feral Luna try in vain to get through Scar¡¯s shield.


    ¡°Uh...why?¡±


    The grey man reaches inside of his trenchcoat and brings up a cigarette. He rests it in his mouth and snaps his finger, creating a whitish-grey flame that ignites it. He flicks the fire monotone cinder away after that.


    ¡°She¡¯s damaging a key witness for starters. And for second¡­¡± The grey man takes a long, dry pull from his cigarette. ¡°She¡¯s making an awful damn racket.¡±


    Luna grows increasingly frustrated at the reforming shield, the werewolf¡¯s clawing motions slowing. She raises her fist and slams it directly into Scar¡¯s shield which oddly enough, cracks the earth around her, forcing scar into the roof further. Seeing success, she starts slamming her fists into the inky barrier with all of her might, arching her back as far as she could for as much leverage as she could get. It stopped moving Scar after a while, who¡¯s shield remained firm, despite the battering.


    Getting the faintest wisp of an idea, she pulls up from Scar and instead leaps into the sky as many stories as she could reach. With gravity on her side, she comes crashing down on Scar with all of the crushing weight, sending the both of them through the roof entirely. Dust, metal, and wood go flying everywhere as the two crash into the ballroom, the impact being enough to send furniture within a small radius flying outward. Luna lands on top of Scar who hits the ground limply, the vampire¡¯s eyes closed with unconsciousness. Scar¡¯s tentacles wither away underneath his feet, the shadow pool disappearing.


    Sakura uses her sword to push herself back to her feet, her body wracked with pain. She approaches Ash just as Luna goes through the roof, grimacing at the wreck her friend was creating.


    ¡°Not to make a scene but in my experience, that¡¯s usually pretty bad, right? That¡¯s not just a ''me'' thing? Punching through the ceiling?¡± Sakura muses.


    Ash turns a wary eye towards her, taking another drag on his cigarette and flicking it aside. He exhales his smoke in a thick cloud. ¡°You got me into this mess, you two are going to get me out of it. Huddle close.¡±


    Sakura takes a few steps forward towards Miguel as Ash drapes an arm around them both. With a brief feeling of disorientation, the group teleports down to the ballroom, a few feet from the savage Luna. Miguel nearly loses his balance outright, taking a few shaky steps back from the ashen man. Sakura turns just in time to see Luna start clawing at Scar, ripping his suit to shreds and coating her claws in blood.


    ¡°Distract her.¡± Ash quips tersely, the man drawing his hands into his trenchcoat and pulling out a syringe gun. He loads it with a cartridge of sickly blue liquid.


    Sakura jogs over towards Luna and grabs one of her meaty paws on the backswing, digging her feet down.  The vampire barely registers''s to the werewolf, who rips Sakura off of her feet as if she wasn''t there. Realizing something was on her, Luna stops swinging at Scar long enough to look at Sakura. The young vampire gives the werewolf a promising smile as she presses her petite weight against the limb. Uncaring about her, Luna wrenches her arm out of Sakura¡¯s weak grasp and backhands the vampire across the room, sending Sakura over the top of one of the gambling tables and into the ground.


    Miguel draws near, hobbling a little bit as he walked. He holds his drained prosthetic arm with his other and near her.


    ¡°Luna...you have to listen to me. Just...stop okay? We won. We did it. We took him down. Just...relax...it¡¯ll be o-¡±


    Luna felt something near her just after she batted the other vampire away. She reaches down to bite Scar, her jaws mere inches from his face when a voice starts speaking to her. She tries to refocus on her bested enemy, wanting nothing more than to mash him into nothingness, but the voice kept talking. It felt familiar but...what was it trying to say? She couldn¡¯t make it out. In either way, it was annoying. Distracting. Unneeded. Out of brutal frustration, Luna mindlessly swings her hand outwards, slashing Miguel across the chest and pushing him back. As soon as she looked over to who she just hit, her motions stop, staring blankly at Miguel.


    Miguel takes a few steps back, clutching his chest in pain. He falls onto his back with a muffled cry and curls up to self-consciously. Luna¡¯s mindlessness snaps away are her pupils begin to fill in her purple eyes once again. Tears start to well in the corners of her eyes.


    Seizing an opportunity, Ash teleports right next to Luna and jabs the syringe into her neck. The werewolf growls at the intruder for a brief second before her vision starts to fade. The weariness of the battle caught up to Luna in an instant, and she falls over on her side, sliding off of Scar. She weakly looks over at Miguel¡¯s still cringing form and tries to reach over towards him, but she falters, unable to retain consciousness any longer.


    Ash''s finger curls around the trigger of the syringe gun as hard as he could, putting the entire dose of sedative into the werewolf before drawing himself back. As Luna falls, Ash stands, recapping the gun and tossing the spent cartridge in a nearby trash can with perfect accuracy. Ash looks over towards Miguel and offers a hand to help him up.


    Miguel opens up an eye to look at him, sweat beading on either side of his temples. He looks down towards his chest wound and clutches it closed. The cuts weren''t deep, but the pain from them is acute, unlike the general soreness of everywhere else. He grabs Ash¡¯s hand with his still functional one and pulls himself back up, Miguel panting with exhaustion.


    ¡°Thanks man, I appreciate it.¡±


    Ash pulls another cigarette out of his jacket. He offers it towards Miguel. ¡°Sure. We humans have to stick together don¡¯t we?¡±


    Sakura rubs her head as she finally recovers from the hard smack, treading back towards the two men.


    ¡°God...even her backhands hurt. So uh..guy. Why are you here anyway?¡±


    Ash smiles towards  Miguel and Sakura flatly.


    ¡°Because by the order of the Duskguard, all four of you are under arrest.¡± He states plainly. Ash then gestures towards Miguel, creating that same white-ish black flame again on the tip of his thumb.


    ¡°Light?¡±

 Chapter 18: A Whole New World

    Vague sensations and voices pass Luna by while she was unconscious. Like a dim memory, she couldn¡¯t be bothered to pay much attention, as her overwhelming desire was to sleep. Even so, she felt someone lift her off of the ground and take her somewhere, the werewolf¡¯s lethargy preventing her from even opening her eyes. And soon enough, everything went quiet for awhile, allowing her to sleep firmly.


    Luna awakens to an overwhelming soreness in her entire body as if some chewed on by some massive dog. Her eyes open immediately after, and initially the brightness made her squint. Her head thumps with a dull pain, particularly at two points near the top of it. As she focuses, it¡¯s quite clear that she was in some patient room of a hospital, albeit very small. The stiff bed she was lying on was one amongst a dozen or so, all of which were empty. Sitting next to her bed is an attractive woman Luna had never seen before. She is wonderfully dark-skinned, with long curly black hair that hangs naturally from her head. A pair of rounded glasses rest on her nose, and her white lab coat gave Luna the impression that she was a doctor. The woman had her attention on a book resting in her lap and seemed to be lost in its contents.


    Luna coughs politely to get the doctor¡¯s attention, who looks up immediately and snaps her book closed. Luna quickly caught the title of the tome: ¡®Unusual creatures of the Underground.''


    ¡°Good evening.¡± The doctor spoke in a calming voice. She stands and sets the book in her chair, standing next to Luna¡¯s bed. ¡°How are you feeling right now?¡±


    Luna shakes her head slowly. ¡°Uhm...I feel..sore..all over. My head is pounding.  Even the tips of my ears are sore.¡±


    The doctor stifles a small chuckle as she leans back, producing a glass-panel tablet from her pocket and begins reading over some information on it. Luna couldn¡¯t help but notice the sharp fangs underneath her lips.


    ¡°Well Luna, that¡¯s normal. Most werewolves complain about that after a transformation. It¡¯ll pass in a day or two.¡± She looks up towards Luna and offers a hand. ¡°Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Dr. Tayla Smith, the on-staff doctor here in Bastion.¡±


    Luna tilts her head slightly in confusion. ¡°Bastion? What¡¯s Bastion?¡±


    Tayla looks down at her tablet and begins writing on it with a stylus while speaking. ¡°Bastion is the headquarters of the Duskguard in Underground Ravenport.¡±


    ¡°...Underground Ravenport?¡±


    ¡°Yes Ma¡¯am.¡± Tayla states plainly.


    ¡°As in UNDERGROUND-underground?¡±


    Tayla looks up and gestures towards a  sizeable closed-blind window a few beds down from Luna¡¯s position. ¡°You can take a look for yourself if you¡¯d like.¡±


    Luna commands her legs to move, and although they listen, they weren¡¯t happy about it. She pushes herself and lands somewhat warily on her soft feet. The shock of the cold tile retracts her foot claws considerably. The werewolf makes her way over towards the window and pulls the blinds apart, the sight that follows giving her significant pause.


    The sky was not visible, being replaced by the ceiling of a massive cavern that led to the conclusion that she was thousands of feet underground. Still though, at the cave¡¯s roof sits orange, purple, blue and white crystals that mimic the appearance of stars. Casting her gaze down a bit, the Bastion looked to be a fairly tall, multi-story building, one of the largest, though only one massive black skyscraper appeared to be taller. The city streets below looked like the ones she¡¯d been living on all of her life, but citizens were noticeably different, with humans looking intermixed with the occasional werewolf or other creature she couldn¡¯t identify. The street lights on the ground level kept the urban sprawl nice and illuminated, even allowing her to see that this small city had businesses, restaurants, and housing that all looked quite normal.


    After a solid minute or two of looking, of which Tayla finished the business on her tablet and sat quietly waiting, Luna turns to look at the doctor. ¡°...How long have I been here?¡±


    Tayla looks up towards the clock on the wall. ¡°About...three hours. You weren¡¯t really in bad shape when you came in as far as I could tell, but I wanted to make sure. Better safe than sorry.¡±


    ¡°Where are my friends? Are they okay?¡± Luna asks, returning to her bed and swinging her legs up on top of it, sitting down


    ¡°Being detained. I saw Mr. Morales briefly. He had some lacerations on his chest, but he¡¯ll be fine.¡±  Tayla moves over towards the chair and picks up her book, sliding it underneath a shoulder. ¡°The vampire simply required some blood. She¡¯ll heal on her own.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s...uh...wait. Detained?¡±


    Tayla nods. ¡°That is correct Miss Luna.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Luna questions, her ears leaning back against her head.


    Tayla shrugs. ¡°I couldn¡¯t tell you. You¡¯ll have to speak to Jaune about that.¡±


    A gentle knock grabs Luna¡¯s attention, the door opening to reveal a rather classy looking werewolf. His fur was mostly black, but his long, wild hair was white. The underside of his throat leading down to a chest tuft also appeared to be white. He wore a white dress shirt with a black vest and pants. The shirt and vest are opened just enough to show that vibrant, almost curly tuft of white fur through. Two leather gun holsters rest on either hip each filled with a sizable handgun.


    ¡°I¡¯m not interrupting anything, am I?¡±


    Tayla turns to wave at the newly arrived one.


    ¡°No. I was just getting ready to come find you.¡±


    ¡°Ah, no need. A proper gentleman is always on time, no?¡±


    Luna picked up immediately on his french accent. She unapologetically stares at him as the male draws closer, his soft, golden yellow eyes looking down at her.


    ¡°Ah, the mademoiselle is awake! Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Jaune Delacroix, and I am the Werebeast Ambassador for the Duskguard. And you are¡­?¡±


    Luna¡¯s inner ears burn with embarrassment as she snaps herself out of staring at Jaune¡¯s remarkable appearance, raising a hand to cover her muzzle. ¡°Oh god I¡¯m sorry, that was rude.¡±


    Jaune takes it in stride. ¡°No worries dear. Whenever you are ready.¡±


    Luna nods, stuffing her emotions down. ¡°My...My name is Luna Oswald.¡±


    ¡°Ah, it is a beautiful name for a beautiful girl such as yourself.¡± Jaune casually comments. ¡°But from what I¡¯ve been hearing, Miss Luna has not been having a beautiful time. Is that correct?¡±


    Luna¡¯s blush returns in full force. The need to progress the conversation forces her forward. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m still kind of getting used to like...being this monster thing and I thought I was like, the only one or something. That¡¯s on top of being shot at, almost blown up..it¡¯s not been really fun.¡±


    Jaune presses his thin frame down into the chair that Tayla had been sitting in, crossing one digitigrade leg over the other.  Luna notes that he appeared to be barefoot, just like herself. ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me what you saw and I can help clear up any misunderstandings you might have? You must be quite curious, no?¡±


    Tayla speaks up. ¡°Should I leave you two in private sir?¡±


    Jaune leans his head back to look at the doctor. ¡°If you would please. Thank you. And tell the others that the party will be ready shortly.¡±


    Tayla nods and turns to leave the room, exiting it promptly.


    Jaune rests his hands comfortably on his lap. ¡°Ask away my dear.¡±


    ¡°Uhm...first thing¡¯s first I guess. Am I...you know...normal?¡± Luna says, pointing towards herself.


    ¡°As normal as the world turning every day. There is nothing wrong with you. You are as nature intended.¡±


    ¡°What about these?¡± Luna points towards her large fangs jutting from the roof of her mouth. ¡°People...keep telling me that they¡¯re weird.¡±


    Jaune shakes his head. ¡°What they see as weirdness, an imperfection of sorts, I see but one more facet of a rare gemstone. You are what is known as an Aetherwolf. Are you not familiar with it?¡±


    Luna shakes her head. ¡°No, this is the first I¡¯m hearing about it.¡±


    Jaune smiles at her and gestures to his side with a hand. ¡°Well, there are a few different kinds of werebeasts. The first are those who are merely just that. Werebeasts. We¡¯re all unique in our own way and quite marvelous just the same. All werebeasts can use kinesis, or the ability to manipulate an element of nature.  But there are those, who, either by incident or genetics, are Aetherbeasts. Or in your case, Aetherwolf. Werebeasts who can cast magic like mages, but still use kinesis like werebeasts. Neither form is better than the other, as they have their strengths and weaknesses.¡±


    Luna nods in understanding. ¡°So...uh...how many have you met?¡±


    Jaune runs a finger underneath his chin. ¡°Well...I¡¯ve been on this earth for one-hundred and thirty-five years...and I¡¯ve only run into one other besides yourself.¡±


    ¡°Do they all have fangs like mine?¡± Luna asks.


    Jaune headshakes. ¡°Non. They are marked by another facet, be it a second tail, missing claws or in your case, large fangs.¡±


    ¡°Why are they so rare?¡±


    Jaune taps a finger on the side of his head. ¡°That I do not know. Ages ago, there was a conflict I am not aware of that was the catalyst, but Aetherbeasts are both rare and shunned for reasons I do not understand.  I will warn you now Miss Luna, that some werebeasts and mages are petty and short-sighted and will look down on you for who you are. Please, do not think ill of them. Instead, teach them the error of their ways, and defend yourself you see fit. It would harm me greatly to know something tragic befell you because of bigotry.¡±


    Luna gulps as she digests the message, her fingers toying with the blanket she was resting on. While she was quite used to poor treatment by nearly everyone, thinking about it possibly coming from someone who knew magic or was a beast like her was unsettling. Thinking on that topic in particular though, Luna¡¯s brain forms another question.


    ¡°About tonight. I was fighting Scar, and I like...totally blanked out. What happened?¡±


    ¡°Blanked out? As in you don¡¯t remember?¡±


    Luna shakes her head. Jaune clears his throat.


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Miss Luna, tonight you did something that, with training, most any werebeast can do. You used your Rage form. It¡¯s something that all of us have to contend with, so don¡¯t fret about it much. Though, the fact that you can¡¯t remember it is troubling.¡±


    ¡°Did we catch Scar?¡± Luna asks.


    Jaune snickers. ¡°Oui-oui! He was given quite the thrashing by you if the story I¡¯m hearing is correct. Anything else you need to know Miss Luna?¡±


    Luna nods. ¡°Uhm...the night I transformed. There were these two creepy guys. They had a bear with them. They both had really weird orange eyes. Do you know anything about that?¡±


    ¡°Fenrir¡¯s Pack members I suspect. Be very careful not to run into them. They wield some truly frightening weaponry and will stop at nothing to enslave or destroy anyone, be it Nightwalker or anything else.¡±


    Luna rubs a hand over her stomach, recalling an earlier query. ¡°...Do all werewolves have like, healing powers or something? I got shot in the stomach, and I healed it back, good as new in like, three days.¡±


    Jaune smirks as he starts to push himself up into a standing position. ¡°That is a question best left for a teacher, of which I am not. I assure you that I will help you find all the information you will need to know to adjust to your life, but I do believe we are needed upstairs. Miss Luna, can you walk?¡±


    ¡°Where are we going? Am I in trouble?¡± Luna says as she swings her legs down off of the bed.


    Jaune smiles weakly. ¡°Hmm...well yes...and no. Your friend Miguel has told us much, but we still need to speak with the three of you as a group. If you¡¯ll come with me, we can get to the bottom of what went on upstairs.¡± Jaune opens the door and steps outside it with Luna following a few short paces after.


    Outside of the patient room looked quiet, with a few people talking in what seemed like a typical hospital office environment.  They were talking in small groups, dressed in the nursing scrubs that Luna recognized from her scant few doctor¡¯s visits she had growing up. Tayla herself sits behind a desk, absorbed into her work reading something Luna could not see.


    Jaune leads Luna to an elevator and presses the call button. It takes a moment, but the elevator arrives, and several people brush past her, one of which looked like a jaguar woman holding a stack of paperwork. The werewolves enter the elevator, with Jaune presses the button to the 16th floor. He flashes Luna a  confident smile as the elevator doors close, which brightens the concerned look on Luna¡¯s face.


    ¡°So who are we going to go see?¡± Luna says after an uncomfortable silence during the elevator¡¯s transit.


    ¡°The leader of the Ravenport Branch of Duskwatch and the Vampire Ambassador herself, Scarlet Summers.¡± Jaune remarks, crossing his arms behind his back somewhat officially. ¡°I believe Alexander will be there as well. He¡¯s the Mage Ambassador. Nice man, very curious at times but mages tend to be. It is in their nature, and yours somewhat, hmm?¡±


    The door slides open and leads into a hallway with a distinctly nautical theme. Pictures of ships and naval scenes decorate the walls and on either side of the hallway were a few doors that likely lead to other offices. The carpeting is pleasant for Luna¡¯s bare feet, a far cry from the clinical cold of the hospital downstairs. At the end of the hallway sat a large, heavy double door with the gold name plate resting above it. It read ¡®Duskguard Commander¡¯ in an eye-catching serif font.


    As the two walk down the hallway, Jaune lowers his voice to speak. ¡°One word to note about the commander. Speak only when you¡¯ve been spoken to, refer to her as Ma¡¯am when it allows and uh...pardon her eccentricities. She really is a good woman.¡±


    Jaune opens the door for Luna into the commander¡¯s office. The room is rather large, and if Luna didn¡¯t know any better, designed to be the captain¡¯s quarters inside of a ship. The walls were made of wood, with various old, authentic looking nautical instruments hanging on them. One panel of the wall had the nameplate likely scraped off the side of a ship. It read ¡®The Sky Hawk¡¯ in bold letters. The center desk was huge and kept somewhat tidy of paperwork. The back wall of the office was dominated by large windows that lead out to the cavernous city far below them.


    There were three chairs sitting in the room, two of which were populated by Sakura and Miguel, though the former was handcuffed behind her seat. Miguel¡¯s left arm still hung limply at his side. Both turned to look at Luna and seemed relieved, but Sakura quickly turned back around, still trying to work her hands out of her bindings. To the right of the desk stood a relatively lithe, pale man with large rounded glasses. He wore a white jacket with a hood drawn back, dark green slacks and shiny loafer-like shoes. His hair also appeared to be naturally white, though a few of his bangs are a light blond. A large, somewhat fancy looking red book rests in of his arms. Jaune passes the man a wave, who reciprocates in kind.


    Luna takes a seat as Jaune takes his place to the left of the desk, holding his hands behind his back and noticing that the counter appeared to be empty. Jaune looks over towards Alexander with a raised brow.


    ¡°Where is Scarlet?¡±


    Alexander gestures a thumb over towards the door on the far side of the room. ¡°She had to feed Damien. She¡¯ll be with us in a few min-¡±


    Scarlet bursts open the side door in that instant, holding a bottle in one hand and a wine glass in the other. Alexander sighs quietly.


    ¡°...Now apparently.¡±


    Luna¡¯s first thought of the commander was that she really enjoyed the pirate look, as suddenly the design of the office and the room before it made sense. The woman is dressed in a blue jacket that was exposed to reveal a ruffled white shirt. Her hair is a vibrant dark red and seemed a bit longer than shoulder length. Her dark grey slacks were saddled on one side by a somewhat threatening looking saber that looked as immaculate as it did deadly. On her left hand was a golden gauntlet that housed a red gemstone slightly smaller than a coaster. The gauntlet still exposed her fingers and merely covered the back of her hand and a little ways past her wrist. A rounded, dark blue corsair hat sits on her head somewhat crookedly. Rather than the parrot, Luna was expecting, Scarlet¡¯s shoulder housed a white snake with blood red eyes.


    Scarlet swings around behind Simon and takes a seat at her desk, the commander leaning her arm down to let her pet slither down. Once it had hit the desk and coiled up, she takes off her hat and places it over the serpent.


    ¡°Well well well,¡± Scarlet says, placing her wine bottle and glass down on her desk. ¡°So it¡¯s you bunch that have been making a mess of the code. State yer names an¡¯ age.¡±


    Scarlet pushes the computer in the center of her desk out of the way so that she could see the faces of the three in front of her. She uncorks the bottle with a bare hand and pours herself out a nearly full glass of dark red liquid.


    Miguel starts first. ¡°My name is Miguel Morales. I¡¯m 37.¡±


    Luna goes second, speaking apprehensively. ¡°Uhm..I¡¯m...Luna Oswald. 18.¡±


    Sakura grins sarcastically. ¡°So...are we talking like...normal years or vampire years, or maybe even dog years because, let me tell you, the math gets complicated.¡±


    Scarlet finishes pouring her glass and shoots Sakura glare that would desaturate the color in a rainbow. Sakura¡¯s face shifts rapidly to a less jovial expression.


    ¡°Sakura...Just Sakura. I¡¯m 75. Turned when I was 16.¡±


    ¡°See now, was that so difficult?¡± Scarlet muses.¡°Now tell me...why I shouldn¡¯t slit yer throats and save myself the trouble? You there. Handsome.¡±


    She gestures her head towards Miguel, who sits up a little straighter.


    ¡°Tell me what business you have blowin¡¯ up parts of my town.¡±


    Miguel smirks towards her. ¡°Why, can¡¯t I have a drink first?¡±


    Scarlet passes Miguel an affectionate smile. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t try it. Bourbon and blood doesn¡¯t slide down the throat of daywalkers like yerself.¡±


    Luna sticks her tongue out in disgust, but Miguel shrugs it off. ¡°Might make things a little more friendly. But anyway, I was specifically targeting Sc...Scardino. Benny Scardino. He killed my family and has been a pain in the ass for years upon years. But...things got a little more heated when I kinda found out he was a vampire.¡±


    Scarlet swirls her drink in her glass and sips it. ¡°Did you know he was a vampire?¡±


    Miguel shakes his head. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Did you know about vampires in general?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°So...I take it you don¡¯t know the code?¡±


    Miguel shakes his head again. ¡°No idea what you are talking about.¡±


    Scarlet rolls her eyes and leans forward in her seat. ¡°And neither one of these useless chucklenuts thought to tell you?¡± She says, gesturing towards Sakura and Luna. She turns towards Luna now, pointing towards her.


    ¡°So what¡¯s yer excuse sweetheart? Metaphorical cat got your tongue?¡±


    Luna gulps as she speaks very clearly. ¡°I...uh...didn¡¯t know. I was just minding my own business with my..uh...normal life when I transformed one night.¡±


    Scarlet peers at her accusingly. ¡°Just up and did it huh? Where¡¯s yer parents? They didn¡¯t..you know...warn you about this?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who my actual parents were. I was in foster care. Ma¡¯am.¡± Luna admits sadly.


    ¡°Fantastic.¡± Scarlet sarcastically quips. ¡°So where are your foster parents?¡±


    Luna scratches the side of her head. ¡°...Uh...well..probably dead?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t sound very broken up about it,¡± Scarlet says, taking another sip of her drink.


    ¡°They...weren¡¯t very good people.¡± Luna admits.


    Scarlet snaps her finger over towards Jaune. ¡°Do you have her registry information?¡±


    Jaune shrugs towards her with a defeated sigh. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Ma¡¯am. I¡¯ve been informed that the miss is quite unknown.¡±


    Scarlet leans back like she¡¯d been slapped in the face. She points a finger up towards Jaune. ¡°This is what I HIRED you for, Jaune. To get everyone on board with the identification system?¡±


    Jaune gestures towards Luna. ¡°Miss Luna¡¯s story suggests to me that she didn¡¯t even know what she was. We¡¯ll simply just have to take her word for it until we have a reason not to.¡±


    Scarlet frowns unhappily towards Jaune but lets the matter rest for now. The commander then turns towards Sakura and holds open a hand towards Alex. The mage produces a few sheets of paper from his book and hands them over. Sakura looks a little nervous at the exchange, speaking up timidly.


    ¡°S-s-so...uh...what¡¯s the paperwork for huh?¡±


    Scarlet gets about halfway down the page before she looks over the top of the paper back towards Sakura.


    ¡°...Well screw me sideways and call me a tilted bitch.¡±


    In a motion that was so fast that Luna could barely make sense of it, Scarlet leaps over her desk, unsheathes her sword, grabs Sakura by the throat and slams her against the far wall with such force that the entire room rattles in protest. Scarlet¡¯s cutlass rests on Sakura¡¯s throat, threatening to slice it open.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware we had an assassin in the room. Isn¡¯t this the proper greeting for one of your kind!?¡±  Scarlet yells, her grip forcing Sakura off of her feet.


    The younger vampire looks shaken but shakily smirking at the commander who had her life balanced on a metal edge.


    ¡°N-now I know what you are thinking. Should I kill this...former assassin off? T-the answer might surprise you! So if you just hang on a moment...¡±


    Luna whimpers quietly as she looks up towards Sakura¡¯s predicament, turning to look at the two men on either side of the desk. They both stand resolutely, seemingly not reacting to the violence. Scarlet¡¯s blade bites down just hard enough to push at the skin but not cut it.


    ¡°There are three things I hate more than anything in the world.¡± Scarlet explains darkly.¡±I have no love fer thieves. I have no love fer cowards. And I have no love fer murderers. Considering you are all three at the same time, you got some brass balls to be up here right now sister. An older me would have killed you instantly. But you tell me Sakura Vyers, what EXACTLY are you doing in my town?¡±


    Sakura shifts her head very, very slightly to look a little more naturally at Scarlet. ¡°Trying to survive. That¡¯s literally it. I didn¡¯t come here with a scheme, or a plan, or anything like that. In fact, I¡¯m unaffiliated right now.¡±


    Scarlet¡¯s grip loosens. Slightly. ¡°You were disavowed?¡±


    Scarlet drops Sakura to the ground roughly and spins her around to grab her cuffed hands. Painfully twisting Sakura¡¯s right hand to get a better look at it, a stylized red eye appears on the back of Scarlet¡¯s hand. From her palm radiates a red light that seemingly burns into Sakura¡¯s skin. The commander focuses this glow for a few seconds on the back of Sakura¡¯s hand before halting it, producing no symbol.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind my interjection¡­¡± Miguel starts, turning in his seat to face Scarlet. Scarlet sheathes her blade and turns towards Miguel, crossing her arms. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you to speak handsome. But what is it?¡±


    ¡°She...did help us fight Scar. We wouldn¡¯t be here if she didn¡¯t help us out. I know I wouldn¡¯t.¡±


    Scarlet considers this before turning towards Luna. ¡°Is that true sweetheart?¡±


    Luna¡¯s tail wags slowly as she nods in agreement.


    Scarlet snorts as she lets Sakura get up off of the wall, taking a few steps back from her. The younger vampire turns around with a small breath of relief. She¡¯s immediately met with the stiff force of the back of Scarlet¡¯s hand, hitting her hard enough that Sakura has to stagger a step off to the side.


    ¡°That¡¯s fer being an ass. Sit down.¡± Scarlet says, moving back to her seat and propping her leather boots up. Scarlet speaks sternly.


    ¡°Since nobody thought to clue you the two of you in, let me give you the orders of the day around here. You don¡¯t break the code. And the code I¡¯m speakin'' of is the Nightwalker¡¯s code. There are four rules, so pay attention.¡± Scarlet downs the rest of her drink and slides the glass off to the side.


    ¡°Rule one: Do not kill other Nightwalkers. Rule two: Do not break the secrecy of the Nightwalkers. Don¡¯t do a goddamn thing that¡¯ll make it so that humans know of us. Rule three: What happens in the underground, stays in the underground and lastly, rule four: Respect the Duskguard. An¡¯ do you know what happens to people who break the rules?¡±


    Luna and Miguel shake their heads, but Sakura politely has her attention elsewhere. Scarlet answers the question for them.


    ¡°Depends on the severity, but for what you all did? Death. But being put in jail ain¡¯t much fun either. So...let me ask you, what am I supposed to do with you three? A pup without an idea, a man without a family and a former assassin.  I should just end all three of ya. It¡¯d be easy. And by the time I¡¯m done, nobody would be the wiser. Just two dead bodies and a pile of ash.¡±


    An uncomfortable silence passes before Scarlet speaks again.


    ¡°But...you guys brought me a guy who has been under the radar for quite some time. While I wish you hadn¡¯t gone about blasting holes in two damn buildings and coming close to alerting the humans about what the hell was ACTUALLY going on, you still managed to take out an extremely dangerous son of a bitch.¡±


    Miguel leans forward a little bit. ¡°Where is he? Is he dead?¡±


    Scarlet mouth tilts into a wry grin. ¡°He¡¯ll wish he was before long. We¡¯ve got him tucked away behind lock and key. The Vyers family may have other heads, but you put a stop to his operations, however clumsy-like. He was shipping in some rather dangerous drugs into the city.¡±


    Luna raises her hand. Scarlet smiles and points towards Luna, allowing her to speak. ¡°Was it Rust?¡±


    ¡°Indeed it was. It¡¯s a drug produced by the Prophets of Dracula, meant to dull the senses of a human and make them more susceptible to suggestion. It¡¯s incredibly addictive, so once someone gets hooked on the stuff, they get yanked into god knows where and given the Rite.¡±


    Luna raises her hand again. ¡°Rite?¡±


    ¡°Rite of Undeath. It¡¯s how you are turned into a vampire.  It¡¯s not the most pleasant thing to describe, but if anyone¡¯s ever talking about the rite, that¡¯s probably the one they mean.¡±


    Sakura spits out a small bit of blood onto the floor, running a tongue over her teeth to make sure they were all present and accounted for. ¡°So what now?¡±


    Scarlet pours herself another drink as she looks up towards Jaune and Alex. Both of them give a small nod of approval.  ¡°Well, like I said. I should be killing you. But you also did me a huge favor. So I¡¯ll give you an option...I can still kill you because I still do have that authority...or I could put you to work. For me.¡±


    Luna raises her hand to speak.  ¡°...Doing what exactly?¡±


    Scarlet finishes pouring, corking the bottle up. ¡°Well, the Duskguard is what keeps the peace in the underground. We¡¯ve got a whole bunch of Werewolves, Vampires, Mages, Ghouls and others that¡¯s all got to work together down here. We¡¯re all we¡¯ve got. Nobody upstairs is gonna bail us out of something happens. They¡¯ll just kill us without question. But, when you got this mix of anger, ego, and self-entitlement, things can get out of hand. The Duskguard keeps everyone in line. Makes it, so we all get along fairly and squarely. Any questions?¡±


    Scarlet leans back in her seat as Miguel speaks up first. ¡°How much does it pay?¡±


    Scarlet shrugs with a smirk. ¡°Are you really in the position to be asking that? But regardless, it does pay well. It¡¯s a dangerous job. Some days you¡¯ll be out solving mysteries and cases, other days you might just be on a protection job. It¡¯s variable.¡±


    Luna chimes in next. ¡°Where will we live? Scar blew up our last home.¡±


    ¡°Once we get the paperwork sorted, I¡¯ve got a spare house in the valley.  It¡¯s an old one, but it¡¯ll suit the three of you just fine. Clean it up good, and it¡¯s yours.¡± Scarlet says, sipping her drink.


    Sakura looks up towards Scarlet with shame in her eyes. ¡°Uh...so...what about me..a vampire family? You know how hard it is to function as a vampire without one.¡±


    To that, Scarlet sets her drink down. She sneers to herself unhappily, narrowing her eyes towards Sakura. ¡°...I¡¯ll brand you as apart of mine, if only for brevity¡¯s sake. And literally nothin'' else. But I¡¯m warning you right now. One step out of line, one toe out of the shoe, one foot off of the board, I¡¯m going to run you through myself. No pleading. No begging. My family on the line, my rules, you got that? You¡¯ll lead the life of a good and honest person here. No scoundrels in my family, or my work.¡±


    Sakura nods enthusiastically.


    With that, Scarlet turns towards all three of them equally. ¡°So what do you all say?¡±


    Luna rubs her eyes a little bit, her tail inadvertently showing her answer by wagging profusely. ¡°Yes! This sounds..this sounds great to me. I was so worried for so long about so much and..now...it all worked out for the best.¡±


    Sakura nods with a shrug. ¡°It¡¯s cool. I¡¯m in.¡±


    Miguel looks between Luna and Sakura with a chuckle. ¡°Ain¡¯t this a mess? I just can¡¯t help but to be a cop, can I? Damned if I do, damned if I don¡¯t. Sure. Why not? It¡¯ll be fun.¡±


    Scarlet smiles warmly towards the three of them. ¡°Are you sure, handsome? If you say yes, these two will be your family for the rest of your life.¡±


    Miguel bites his lip as he considers quietly for a moment, looking back towards Scarlet with a genuinely happy expression. ¡°...I could live with that.¡±

 Epilogue: S.O.S.

    Later on in the night, Vanille arrives in the back of the Silvernote Jazz club, the well-dressed vampire looking a little worse for wear. Her hair is out of place and slightly tangled and dirt stains marr her fine clothing. Taking one last moment to pull an errant leaf out of her hair, she walks up to the back door and raps her knuckles upon it, letting out a sigh of relief. She waits for a second before raising a brow towards the shut door and the lack of activity behind it.


    ¡°Hello? Melanie? You in there? It¡¯s Vanille. Open up?¡±


    The older woman places her ear on the door to listen through it, expecting activity. Dead silence greets her. The vampire frowns at the response. Very unusual for this time of night to be this quiet. Granted, the whole neighborhood felt deader than it usually did, but by this time, she should have seen or heard something going on. Scar almost always kept someone here after hours. Reaching into her pocket, Vanille draws out her keys and opens the door, stepping into the checkerboard kitchen. The place looked pretty clean, if not dark. But the lights in the main room were left on, casting a large beam of light through the kitchen doors.  Vanille strides towards them confidently, rolling her eyes.


    ¡°Gentlemen, you know better than to leave the house lights on this late, you don¡¯t want people to walk in and-¡±


    Vanille parts the doors into the main room, and her cold heart sinks. The ceiling had a massive, messy hole punched into it, with multiple bits of wires hanging loosely from it. Several piles of ash and a few dead bodies were also strewn about haphazardly, the corpses having some severe cuts into them and the ash pushed out from the point of impact. The very center of the room beneath the hole in the ceiling had a crater into the soft carpeting, with bits of cloth, blood, and fur strewn around it.


    Vanille gasps and immediately runs to the crater, looking between it and the various states of the corpses. ¡°What...what the hell happened!? Scar? SCAR!?¡± She waits a moment after her call, the vampire growing concerned. Did something happen to him too? She sprints off in a hurry, bypassing any of the multitude of broken furniture to run straight upstairs. She rounds the corner into the hallway that leads to Scar¡¯s office, moving around his meticulously well-kept office to dig into one of the drawers.


    Rummaging through the contents of the drawer, which mostly consisted of office supplies and a few decorative cases, Vanille fishes up a small, old, rolled up a piece of parchment paper. She unfurls it fully; the fancy, cursive text on it reading ¡®In case of trouble.''  Pulling off her fancy white gloves to get to her bare skin, she raises her thumb up to her mouth and bites down on it with her canines. A small, rapidly growing dot of blood fills her thumbpad, which she turns down on the parchment and smears across the text. The text slowly shifts to a glowing number, the mark on the back of her hand burning with recognition. Taking up Scar¡¯s telephone, she dials the number, a nervous expression settling in on her features. She¡¯s never had to do this before.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Almost immediately, the phone is answered, and a smooth, masculine voice picks up. ¡°Vanille White. Tell me of your distress.¡±


    Vanille¡¯s hand drifts over the picture frame of Scar with his arm draped over an empty space. She holds onto it fondly before speaking, her voice quaking with nervousness. ¡°Mister Alucard?¡±


    ¡°I prefer Master Alucard.¡±


    Vanille quickly corrects herself. ¡°M-master Alucard. Of course. My apologies. I cannot find Scar. The boys are all dead, and the club is trashed. I was out, and when I came back and nobody''s here anymore. I don¡¯t know what happened!¡±


    Alucard¡¯s voice quiets for a moment as he contemplates the statement, a deep breath being drawn before speaking again. ¡°Probably the same ones who destroyed the recent shipments of Rust. Very well. Have you been compromised?¡±


    ¡°No. Nobody knows I¡¯m here and I don¡¯t think anyone has been here. I didn¡¯t see any cops.¡±


    ¡°Excellent. Here is what I am going to do.¡± Alucard says, clearing his throat. ¡°In an hour I will have one of my right hands come by and pick up any incriminating evidence. Anything not vital will be burned. In that time I will call the head of the Vyers family and inform them one of their arms has gone dark and the city will require a replacement. The Prophets take care of their own. Lastly, I want you to return to your resting place and wait to receive further instructions. Do I make myself clear?¡±


    Vanille reaches inside of the picture frame she was holding, pulling the tabs open and removing the picture. She slides it gently into her pocket, her voice sounding more confident now. ¡°Yes sir.¡±


    ¡°Excellent. Do not call this number again unless instructed to do so.¡± Alucard replies, his smooth tone containing an authoritative sharpness to it.


    Before Vanille could think of anything to say, Alucard hangs up abruptly, prompting her to put the phone back down. With a deep inhale and a heavy exhale, the visibly relaxes, reaching forward to grab a rose from the vase on Scar¡¯s desk. She smells it passionately and walks out of the room, her thoughts growing calmer from the time on the phone. Alucard said it himself. The Prophets take care of their own. Things would be fine. A replacement would be sent soon, and things will go back to normal. Vanille heads downstairs and looks out over the ruined ballroom, the vampire moving closer to inspect the crater that was left.


    She stoops down to look at it and notes that no ashes were left here, oddly enough. She narrows her eyes to a glare upon noticing brown fur in the crater. She picks up a few strands of it and stares at it for a moment, intrigued by it. A quick sniff confirms it¡¯s origins: werewolf hair. What was a werewolf doing here of all places? And what a peculiar shade of brown too. It seemed familiar. Where was it from?


    A bolt of anger strikes Vanille¡¯s spine as she recalls the last werewolf she¡¯d seen. Her fur was like this. This was HER fur! Vanille stands up and seethes at the few strands of tan fur resting in her hands. This was her fault! She did this! How did she do this? She was not this strong before and certainly did not have the strength to take down Scar. She could barely do anything to her, how did she even stand a chance against Scar!? The strands of fur catch fire inside of Vanille¡¯s hand, each one curling and twisting up in stress.


    In a flash, the strands turn into ash and blow out of her palm, leaving the fire there, smoldering. Vanille grits her teeth and clenches her hand shut, smothering the flames. The bitch would pay soon enough for harming him, but for now, it would be best for her to follow the instructions given to her. There would be time for revenge later. Vanille curtly turns away from the crater and calmly strides away, though her hands are balled into tight fists. The longer she had to wait, the more time she could scheme after all.