Wow… I am a terrible person. I was just buzzing around the site and I suddenly realized that I hadn't updated in months.

Give me a break though. My classes are driving me INSANE! Just a warning, but I have no clue when I can update after this. I have a huge Skeleton Anatomy test with 400 identifications on it (such as the occipital condyles that articulate with the atlas, which is also known as C-1, the first cervical vertebrae… yeah… and there is 400 of those freakin' things! Arrgh!), along with numerous AP Statistics and AP Economics tests coming up. I'm also trying to decide which college I want to go to (I've got it down to 2). Plus, every weekend for the past month or so, I've had to get up at five to go to work for my 6-2 shift on both Saturday and Sunday. Sooooo tired…

The good news… hmm, not much. I'm getting more into my "Culture Shock" story, though the plot is still short and sucky. I've got 3 good scenes in that thing and some great characters, but the plot overall is terrible. Grrr… last time that happened it was to my "Orphans" story and that thing's in the trash at the moment. I'm wondering if I should post up my Ambassadors story along with this one. Alternating between the two will keep me from getting bored with either story but the updates will be alternating, meaning a longer wait for the fans of only one of them, because I'm anal like that. Also, I've got some ideas bumping around in my head for some original stories. One of them was going to be a Predator story but as I was fleshing out the plot, I introduced a few alien races that I got really into and the Predators were just a side note so I edited them out, that'll give you an idea of how scarce they were in the story, and it turned out pretty cool.

Wow… that's a lot of babble I put you guys through. I sound really whiney… and I don't like whiney people. Great… self-loathing time. Just kidding. :) Anyways, as always, thanks to: Master of the Boot, wolf guardian of light, Lord CrutchCricket, StormRaven333, Raptor Chick, Dark vengeance, Jake, starspawn07, LunaticPandora1, and Dark Ravens for all of the reviews. Ten reviews! Do it again please! Lol. You guys make me feel so guilty that I must continue writing. Hope you enjoy this!

Chapter 7: Twisted

The hunters had taken the vampire entourage into one of the small dens that the Ash Guild house had. It was a small but warm room, with deep burgundy carpeting, lots of soft lighting, and many overstuffed couches and armchairs placed in positions by bookshelves, before the fireplace, and surrounding low tables. The presence of the three pale vampires sucked the warmth right out of the room.

Ravyn had a dagger on her hip, but kept it sheathed so to not offend the vampires. If they came here in peace, she didn't feel like sparking a battle in the middle of the guild house.

It was not a surprise that the vampires knew where the hunters' guild houses were. What kept the houses safe was the fact very few Masters, however powerful, would attack a guild house without complete consideration of the consequences. The burning of the original Ash House was a very bold and risky move by the Master Nacht. Hunters had the uncanny ability to join forces in an instant to retaliate and rarely could any vampire escape the wrath of three or four full guild houses pitted against them. Nacht betrayed her relation to her bizarre sister Eve in the fact that she craved chaos and excitement and could be rather reckless in obtaining it.

The three vampires sat in three seats turned so their backs faced the fireplace. There were two males, one female. The female sat in the middle, showing her higher status over the other two. She wore a sleeveless, vest-like black shirt with tailored black pants and high heeled boots. The only jewelry she wore was a large gold ring with a huge red stone, either ruby or garnet, set in the oval center. Her face and body was full of soft angles which minimized the harsh, stone-like appearance many vampires gained once they reached a certain age; her hair was a light yellow color that curled naturally and hung to a little past her shoulders.

The male to her left looked like a juggernaut recently discharged from the army, with his bulky, built body and square-face. His hair had streaks of gray in it, a rarity being vampires were usually Turned before their bodies began their natural decline in health and appearance. A large, crescent scar extended from his right temple to the end of his jaw. He wore an expensive looking grey suit that looked almost a tad too small for him.

The male to the left was the smallest of the group. Unlike his two companions, he dressed in baggy jeans and a tight, plain black t-shirt. He was slightly gangly with a thin, oval face. His bright ginger hair struck Ravyn as something familiar though…

"You…" Ravyn pointed at the ginger haired vampire, "I've met you before…"

The vampire's companions turn to stare at him suspiciously, but his head rocked back and he laughed, a surprisingly good-humored sound, "Yes, and I remember you. Is the merciful hunter with the blue hair still alive? I wouldn't mind seeing her again…"

Ravyn's memory snapped into place; this was the vampire, Marcus, who Ivy had spared at the raid at one of the vampire clubs so long ago. He had been of great assistance when they were trying to find Eve the first time they needed her… "Before we even talk, I would be really pleased if one of you could tell me where the Master vampire Eve is…"

"We wouldn't be here if we knew," the bulky vampire growled, his voice surprisingly soft for his stature. The female glared at him sharply and he flinched.

Ravyn watched the exchange with interest, "So, even the vampires have no clue where Eve is. Interesting…" Ravyn lowered herself into a chair across from the vampires. She knew there were two hunters flanking her chair along with two more guarding the door. Ravyn saw a shimmer near the corner of the room, signaling Tarn'se's presence, though in the shadows he was damn near invisible; it wasn't the first time Ravyn felt a pang of longing for one of those fancy cloaking devises.

"Now," Ravyn crossed one leg over the other and asked bluntly, "Who are you and what do you want?"

The female vampire stood up and rested a hand on her chest, "I am Jazel, the first fledgling of the vampire Nacht." She gestured to the bulky vampire, "This is Cane, my third and oldest living fledgling, head of Nacht's security affairs." And with a slightly flippant gesture she acknowledged Marcus, "And you've already met Marcus, Eve's first fledgling and former head of Nacht's private army."

Ravyn held up a hand and pointed to Marcus, "If you're Eve's fledgling, why were you Nacht's general?"

Marcus glanced at Jazel who gave a minute nod; he spoke with a laugh behind his voice, "Eve offered my services to Nacht as a 'gift'. Nacht of course, hated me, but even she grudgingly admitted I have some skill commanding large groups. I served Nacht, but by loyalty was always to my Eve."

Ravyn snorted, "So, you were Eve's spy?"

Marcus smiled cheerfully, "Yes ma'am, which was why I didn't give a damn about giving up Nacht's whereabouts…" Though Marcus looked delighted with himself, Jazel's eyes were orbs of pure, black rage though she managed to contain it; Cane simply kept his head down.

A loud whistle brought the threesome's attention back to Ravyn, "Hey, I really don't care about your politics. What do you want?"

Jazel began slowly, pulling her attention away from Marcus, "The destruction of our Master, Nacht, and absence of her heir, Eve, has caused a great deal of chaos in our ranks as you can imagine. I am one of the leading contenders for the title of Master here so I am well aware of the goings on in our community. However, there is a threat to my Mastership…"

"You mean the fact the Master Sebastian is on his way?"

Jazel gave a small smile, "So you hunters are not so ignorant...yes, that fact, as you so easily put it, threatens us all."

"You're vampires; I think Sebastian will go easy on you."

"Not so. Sebastian is surrounded by his own fledglings and those abandoned ones he has taken in. Some do have talent, but he makes up for quality with quantity."

Marcus piped up, "In other words, we may have a couple hundred skilled vampires, but we can't beat an army of thousands like he's got, not including the lycans."

Jazel nodded, "Indeed. There are enough weak vampires here who would leap at the chance to join Marcus's ranks, but there are many that still hold loyalty to their Sires as long as there is a decent chance of survival.

"Once Sebastian comes here he will take all those he deems weak enough for him to control, as for the rest," Jazel hissed, "We will be ashes on the wind when he's through with us."

Ravyn's kept a mask of indifference on her face, "I pity your plight, but why should your destruction concern me and my fellows?"

Jazel leaned close and hissed, "We know you numbers are not much greater than ours. We've seen the areas that Sebastian is most strong in; you hunters only attack the outskirts of them, if that. This place is a rather well kept home for not only vampires and hunters, but the humans as well. We control our fledglings to keep them from massacring humans, but Sebastian does no such thing. He thinks humans should be slaves; though I agree, I don't feel we have the power or resources to take on the whole of humanity just yet and I'd rather wait in the shadows for a few centuries and properly plan our takeover than become extinct due to rash actions."

Ravyn's eyes narrowed, "What exactly are you proposing?"

Jazel puffed herself up, "We are offering… a truce; temporary, of course, but a truce nonetheless. If you hunters ally with us, we may just have a chance at defeating Sebastian and beating him back. Though he is powerful, he's a true coward. If we strike enough heavy blows, he will return to the shores of the Pacific and he will not return. We've also sent emissaries to the local lycan packs. With all our forces combined we have a chance of at least escaping total annihilation."

Ravyn sighed, "I will consider your proposal and pass it on to the Head of the Ash House; I cannot guarantee anything however."

Jazel rose, "That is all we hoped for. Hunter Ravyn," she gave a brisk nod and stood walking quickly to the door with Cane flowing hot on her heels. Marcus stopped and handed Ravyn a black business card with a phone number written in red on it, "Call us when you make a decision… and," he lowered his head and whispered in Ravyn's ear, "Tell the blue beauty I said hello." He pulled away with a grin and left the room as quickly as his fellows.

Ravyn gestured for the guards to leave her and spoke to Tarn'se, "You can uncloak now." When he reappeared Ravyn laughed hollowly, "Now you know how much trouble we are really in."

Tarn'se moved in front of the chairs the vampires had sat in but remained standing, "Will you ally yourselves with them?"

"I don't want to, but we might have to," she cursed, "It may seem monumentally stupid to you, but you just have no clue how bad Sebastian really is. He couldn't care less what his underlings do as long as they obey him when he wants to. This city," Ravyn waved a hand in the air, "is very healthy. It's relatively safe and the vampires, despite how much I loath them, follow their codes to a T. They feed and kill humans. We hunt them and thin their herd. Humans continue their happy, short lives, ignorant of what's in front of them. It sounds crazy, but it works.

"If people suddenly found out vampires existed, they'd go nuts. Riots would break out, innocent people would die, and we'd probably get destroyed in the process. The world can't handle a revelation that big just yet, but you've got these megalomaniacs like Sebastian who are, pardon the pun, dying to start a war," Ravyn sighed, "If we don't stop him here, it won't be long before he takes on all the other Masters on this continent. And if he succeeds in that, people will begin to notice and it'll only take a little time before the whole thing blows up."

"He would be able to take down all the other Master vampires on this continent?" Tarn'se asked.

Ravyn nodded, "The other Masters are strong, but not that strong; and even facing complete annihilation they would still be too proud to become allies. The fact these vampire want to be our allies is a damn miracle. I guess they realize their weakness and they're all hoping for a chance to claim Mastership if this blows over."

Tarn'se's head tilted, "Why did this vampire not attack before?"

"I much as I hated her, Nacht was good at keeping other vampires away; she was Sebastian's only true rival here, except maybe Eve. The thing about Nacht was that she was one scary bitch. I heard that Sebastian threatened her once and she literally appeared in his penthouse or mansion, or wherever the hell he lives, stuffed him in a crate and set the crate on the curb outside for a day. He damn near got fried, but he somehow managed to stay out of the sunlight; he never even considered coming near here since. That's why it's so important we find Eve. Even if she isn't powerful enough to stop him, she is Nacht's twin. It'll rattle Sebastian a bit and maybe make him unstable enough for us to manage to kick his ass back to the west coast. Jazel was right about one thing: if we beat him, we beat him for good."

"What are these…Li'cans?" Tarn'se tilted his head and seemed to struggle to pronounce the word right.

"You mean lycans? Well, that's short for lycanthropes, which are werewolves, shape shifters."

"Shape shifters? Where these those creatures you said you were going to show me the last time we met?"

Ravyn grinned, "Yeah. We don't normally deal with them, but in the present situation we have to… damn, that reminds me… the half waxed moon is in two days…" Ravyn froze then slowly turned to Tarn'se, "Tell me… how long are you staying here for?"

"Another ten of your days," Tarn'se answered carefully, unsure about Ravyn's tone.

Ravyn leaned forward, "Do you mind doing me a really big favor?"

"What is the favor?"

"Well, you see, in lycan politics, when two packs, or groups, are about to ally, sometimes one pack is unsure of the other pack's… capabilities. So, their two leaders, the Alpha male and Alpha female challenge the other two Alphas to a 'Duel'. In the Duel the two pair of Alphas fights until one pack wins. The local lycan pack we're trying to make a truce with has challenged the Hunter Guilds to a Duel. Now, being the Ash Guild is the ring leader, our leaders are the ones that fight. Unfortunately, Jonathan, you met him, can't fight that night. He's meeting with all the other Guilds and he can't excuse himself from something like that, so that leaves me to choose a partner. You want the job?"

Tarn'se considered the notion. His clan would be able to hunt vampires on their own now and as long as he brought back a few trophies he would look as successful as any other hunter. The battle against these… shape shifters sounded interesting to say the least and he was always one that wanted a little more excitement. Plus, he would tell Jaelre what he was doing, "How does one win the Duel?"

"One of the Alphas from either team must be pinned or knocked unconscious. They won't hit to kill though there is the threat of an accident 'cause they certainly won't be pulling the punches," Ravyn smiled up at him, "Pretty please?"

Tarn'se laughed at what he thought was a begging face and said, "It would be an honor to accompany you."

Ravyn pumped her fist then rubbed her hands together cackling, "I can't wait to see their faces when we show up! They'll freak!"

Tarn'se smiled at Ravyn's antics, then asked, "What exactly are shape shifters?"

Ravyn gave him a blank look then hit herself in the head with the heel of her hand, "Duh, you aren't a native of this planet. Well, shape shifters are incredibly similar to humans except for the fact they literally change their form into that of another species. This ability, like vampires, is given thorough a virus which is passed through bloodily fluids coming in contact with an uninfected bloodstream, especially saliva. They can only transform into the species that corresponds to their virus. They can interbreed with humans, but all their offspring will be shape shifters.

"They have a longer lifespan that humans, up to three times a regular lifespan, but they do die like humans. In general, they are stronger, faster, and have more acute senses. However, silver, a metal found on Earth, is poisonous to them. There's also the myth that they only change under the full moon, but that's a bunch of crap like the vampire myths that say vampires can't touch crosses. I personally think that myth started because it was a lot easier for them to hunt at night when there was a full moon out.

"Also, vampires cannot be infected with the shape shifter virus and visa versa," Ravyn grinned, "Any questions?"

"You said the virus can be passed through saliva," Ravyn nodded and Tarn'se continued, "Then, one can be contaminated with only a bite?"

Ravyn signed, "Yeah… that was a really big problem a while ago, but we developed a cure. We can have Ivy check to see if our cure will work on you. We can tweak it if need be. But you shouldn't worry about that. The nice thing about being human, or yautja, is that the Alphas we fight won't bite us for fear of infecting us; that would be the ultimate insult to us."

Tarn'se nodded, "You said there is more than one form… what are the others?"

"Well, lycanthropes or lycans, the shape shifters you'll meet, transform into wolves. There are a few avus, or bird shape shifters, though they are rare. I know there are some cat ones too, both big and small, and there's a colony of serpent shifters in China somewhere. And, there's probably a bunch more we don't really know about yet. The most popular would have to be the lycans. I'm not positive, but I think, for whatever reason, their virus is the most contagious; I'll check with Ivy about that."

These shape shifters were becoming more and more interesting the more he asked about them, "Where are the lycans found? At least, in the area."

Ravyn grinned, "Thinking of a hunt?" At Tarn'se's purr, she shook her head, "I wouldn't advise it. Lycans are a pretty calm group. We leave them alone, they leave us alone. Of course, we often have to deal with the rogues that come around, hence the Storm Guild. In general though, you'll find lycans in select rural areas. There'll be humans around, but a lot of forests and free space as well. Of course, with Sebastian coming with his pack…" Ravyn's jaw dropped and jumped to her feet, "You said you're leading a group on hunt… how many?"

Tarn'se tensed, "14 others, not including myself."

Ravyn swore violently, "Are they hunting on their own?"

"In small groups… Ravyn why…"

"Call them and tell them to get back to your base or ship or wherever NOW!"

"Why!?"

Ravyn took a deep breath, "Well, Sebastian is not only famous for being a cruel, cowardly, and reckless son of a bitch, but he also has a large, particularly vicious lycan pack at his beck and call. Recently, we've been getting a large influx of random lycans and we've only recently linked them to Sebastian's pack, Bloodmark. Now, your buddies know what to do when they confront a vampire, right? What the hell you think will happen if they try to go up against a lycan. Lycans are incredibly dangerous in their animal form. Even I use a gun if I think I may meet one. Not to mention the fact that you damn near Turned into a vampire, at an accelerated rate I might add. God knows what might happen to one of your buddies if they get bitten! The shape shifter virus works a lot faster than the vampire one and I really don't feel like finding out what one of you guys looks like as a lycan!"

Tarn'se felt lightheaded, but he quickly tapped out a signal to Jaelre. Luckily, he had gotten the entire group holographic communication devises, considering how dangerous this hunt was going to be. In a matter of moments, Jaelre's holographic projection showed up above his wrist gauntlet, "Tarn'se, what's…"

"Jaelre, have you encountered any strange beings other than vampires?"

Jaelre paused, "No… is there something..."

"I'll explain later. Jaelre, you need to contact those members that were in your group yesterday and tell them to report to the ship immediately."

"Why…" Jaelre voice was cut off as Tarn'se's computer beeped, indicating he had an incoming transmission, "Jaelre, just do as I say!" Tarn'se cut the transmission to Jaelre and opened the incoming one. It was Far'hnde.

"Far'hnde, You need…" Tarn'se began.

"Tarn'se, we are in serious trouble," Far'hnde, though his voice was as cool as ever, there was a tremor that betrayed his stress. Anything that rattled Far'hnde couldn't be anything short of terrible. Far'hnde winced as a loud bang echoed in the background, "We have barricaded ourselves in a human building but it will not hold up for long. I was hunting when I heard shouts of our group. Three warriors were battling these mammalian creatures but they were almost as strong as the vampires. I joined the battle but there were too many of them. They managed to take out all of our plasma casters. We've lost most of our weapons. These creatures' hides are strangely thick and they seem to know to disarm us. One of the warriors was bitten by one of the creatures. Once we were in the structure he passed out and his body temperature is cooling fast. Occasionally he goes into violent fits. We need your aid." Another loud crash echoed, "Immediately!"

"I'll be there as soon as possible," Tarn'se answered.

He turned to see Ravyn staring at him, her facial expression one of fear, "God, am I too late?"

"They have four of my warriors cornered in a human building. I'll be able to find it easily and I'll call the rest of the group to aid them… one was bitten and he may be dying."

"Shit, shit, SHIT!" Ravyn bolted from the room shouting for Tarn'se to follow her; she darted down a nondescript hallway and opened a random door then darted down the steps. Tarn'se followed as quickly as he could, shifting the visions in his mask to color so he could maneuver the hallway with a little more ease.

The stairs lead to a strange room filled with chemicals and books and bottles. Tarn'se watched as Ravyn rummaged through a large box from which waves of cold were radiating. She soon emerged with a small rack of five large vials filled with a milky white substance. She stuffed the bottles into a small bag along with two brightly colored boxes which also radiated cold.

Ravyn paused and then cursed, "Damn, our hunters aren't equip for a lycan hunt… I'll have to come with you."

Tarn'se shook his head, "You cannot…"

"Don't presume you can tell me what I can and cannot do! You don't know lycans! They are as powerful as the creature they transform into but they are as cunning as humans! I know how to deal with lycans." Ravyn marched over to a table and picked up as rather large gun. She grabbed a small case that she hung over her shoulder; she dipped her hand into it and pulled out a clip and jammed it into the gun, "This is how you deal with shape shifters. Lots of fire power, lots of silver, and lots of cure serum. Let's go get your buddies."

Like it? I hope so. Please review and make me feel REALLY guilty so I'll update again faster. Also, tell me what you guys think of me posting up the Ambassadors story too.