I know you want me to continue Have I Really Changed that much, but I have a HUGE writer's block for that story. I know so many of you want to see it continued. I do too, but nothing is coming to me. But I'll still try.

~UC

"Nice job falling asleep in class today." Tolys jumped. He looked over his shoulder. Natalya was soon next to him. "Nice to see you back."
"Oh…yeah…" Tolys was feeling a bit better after his small nap. He was still waking up though.
"I was…wondering if I could talk to you at lunch…alone?" she asked.
"Oh…uh, sure. I'll just go tell Feliks I'll be gone."
"Already told him."
"Oh. Okay. Then let's–"

"Holy shit!"
"What?"
"Your nose is bleeding. A lot."
"Huh? Shit not again!" He quickly covered his nose.
"Here," she took a nearby box of tissues and offered then to him.
"I don't think tissues are going to help," he said muffled by his hands. He leaned forward and began dashing towards the bathroom. Natalya followed him.
"Still have the tissues?"
"Yep," she replied.
"Wait here." She listened from outside. After a while, he finally came out holding a paper towel to his nose. He started grabbing tissues.
"That's a lot of blood."
"I'll be fine," he said stuffing his nose with tissues, "Let's go to lunch."

"Ah. I see. Yeah that would work out."
"Really?"
"Yes. I can definitely do that."
"Thank you!" Tolys replaced his tissues again. He remembered what he wanted to ask Natalya.

"Hey, Natalya?"
"Hm?"
"Feliks…kinda told me about your financial troubles and…I just want to let you know that you can borrow money from me any time," he offered, "I've barely even touched my insurance money and–"
"Tolys…no. I can not accept your money," she said.
"But–"
"I can make money myself Tolys. I don't need your help."
"Okay then," he said, "But wait, aren't colleges in Russia free? Why can't Irunya go there?"

"First of all, they're not nearly as good. Second, her mom refuses to let her touch the Russian border," replied Natalya.
"But doesn't she like, live there?"
"No," she replied, "She lives with her mother in Kiev."
"How did that happen?"

"When they got divorced she was able to win custody over Irunya but somehow lost with Ivan. The bitch went bat shit crazy after that," she explained, "It was incredibly messy divorce. We got to see Irunya every vacation until she entered middle school."
"I'm guessing your dad won custody of you?" he guessed.
"Well, he didn't have to. I'm not her daughter," she said.
"Huh?"

"Let's just say my dad and that woman took 7 years to get divorced," she explained, "They planned to get divorced shortly after Ivan was born because my dad wasn't happy. My dad was upset that his life and marriage was seemingly falling apart and went to a bar to drink every weekend. But instead he found a very pretty girl there whom he fell for. A journalist from Minsk. So they started seeing each other. And some time after that he and his first wife reconciled. But then it turns out the other woman got pregnant. The bitch at this point still had no idea what was going on. But then I was born. So my dad decided to take me in and he told the bitch that he found me outside in the trash. The dumb broad actually believed that. So for the majority of my childhood I was Natalya Braginskaya. Like I should be. But the other woman made the mistake of being a journalist in Minsk. So the KGB got her shortly after."
"Oh, I'm sorry…"
"So 4 years pass and it is now that the queen of cunts finally realizes that I look really similar to her other kids. She finally gets what's going on after 4 years," she laughed, "But she doesn't say anything. Instead she slowly goes crazy. After almost a year, my dad finally realizes that she's not exactly treating me the same way she treats her real kids. My dad confronted her about it when I was 6 and that's when everything just spills out. There was this huge massive fight. Dishes everywhere and Ivan got so scared, he hid. So Irunya and I are watching all this shit go down. The woman was in hysterics. And she banished my father from his own house. So we have to put up with a few months of her shit until all the legal shit is all sorted out. She had my name legally changed to my mother's maiden name, completely isolated me from my siblings whenever possible, and did things just to spite me. The only reason I survived through that was because of my siblings. She told me, to my face, that I was the reason everything was in tatters and that I would be better off dead. Let's just say she hated me…to death."

"You…didn't kill her did you?" Tolys shivered.
"Oh believe me, I wish I did! With all the trouble she's causing father, it would make all our lives easier," she replied, "So I played little secret pranks on her. Things that a 7 year old could do. But two of them did almost kill her."
"What were they?" Tolys asked knowing he'd regret it later.
"I put a bucket of nails above a doorway and it just barely missed her," she narrated, "Another one was I unscrewed the light switch panel and turned off the lights while she was in the shower. I was hoping to shock her. If she had actually tried to turn the lights on, she would have been electrocuted."
"You did this when you were 7?!"
"Yes. But in court, she managed to convince the judge that I should keep my real mother's maiden name as punishment. Weird punishment, but it could be worse. That slut probably slept with the judge," she finished, "And that's why my last name is not Braginskaya."
"…Wow…"
"Da. Parents are so complicated," she remarked.

"The majority of kids here have strange parental situations," he said.
"By the way, I'm surprised your parents didn't visit you in the hospital when you had that accident," noticed Natalya.
"Well, it's pretty hard to visit when you're dead."
"Oh…shit I'm sorry," said Natalya.
"Don't be. Stuff like that happens all the time," smiled Tolys, "It's why I have so much money to spend."
"If you don't mind me asking," she questioned, "How did they die?"

"Apparently when I was away at a friend's house someone shot them," he replied, "It was very unusual. To have a shooting in that area. It happened when I was 10. I got to go to this school because the children's village that is currently in custody of me has really great opportunities."
"Apparently. So you were there for 6 years?"
"No. If you subtract 2 years abroad and a year with my uncle then it's more 3 years," he added, finishing his food. She nodded.
"Did your uncle get shot too?" she asked.
"No. He…I don't like to talk about it…" The bell then rang.

"Well, time I get going. I need to study for math," he pointed out. She nodded. "Bye!"
"Farewell..."

"It's nice to get some sleep again," sighed Tolys.
"I totally agree," added Feliks.
"I feel so much better and I–" he stopped suddenly
"Tory?" Feliks questioned.
"Shh! I hear something!" hushed Tolys.

"Let me go! Please!"

Tolys perked up his head. "Did you hear that?"
"Hear what?" Feliks replied.
"That voice…I know that voice…" he said.

"No! I have a skin condition! Please! I have a skin condition!"
"Oh what a load of crap! We all know you can't swim!"
"That's not true! I really do have a skin condition! I'm-I'm-I'm allergic to the chlorine!"

"Raivis…" breathed Tolys.
"Huh?" Feliks replied, "What about him?"
"He's going to be thrown into the pool. I can hear him. It sounds like Raivis and another freshman. Let's go!" Tolys ran off.
"Wait Tory!" Feliks sighed. He reluctantly followed his friend to the pool. Sure enough, there were a bunch of freshmen at the pool. One was a very small boy in the arms of a gang of other kids around his age. Tolys recognized Raivis.

"I'm serious Kevin! Quit it!" the Raivis protested. He was frantically struggling, but the others had him in quite a grip.
"You're not going to tell anyone what you saw?" Kevin threatened.
"I promise! I promise!" Raivis begged, "I swear I won't tell anybody!"
"What do you think, should we let him go?" Kevin laughed.
"Put him down!"

The freshmen turned to Tolys who showed no hesitation walking up to them. The boys tossed Raivis in the pool and focused their attention on him.
"What are you freshmen doing here?" he interrogated.
"None of your business!" said a boy with an Australian accent.
"Hey…do you even go to this school?"
"Shut up!" yelled a kid with a Germanic accent.
"Listen, why don't you kids get out of here and there won't be any more trouble," he negotiated.
"Your size doesn't intimidate me!" Kevin said.
"Me neither," said the Australian-sounding kid, fiddling with his plethora of rings on his fingers. It looked like they were all authentic gold and silver, some topped with eloquent gemstones. He looked like a very rich kid.

"Okay okay, let's just calm down. I won't report you if you leave," he compromised.
"That sounds fair," said the only girl.
"Hmm…how about this?" The Australian kid slammed is fist right into Tolys's chest. Normally Tolys could withstand a blow like that. But instead it knocked the wind out of him. He could suddenly barely breathe. It was if his heart had stopped. Pain spread throughout his chest. The boy looked impressed with himself for taking down the giant.
"Yeah! Way to go Leonard!"

"Tory! Are you okay?" Feliks ran over to him.
"Can hardly…breathe…" The Australian kid then kicked him into the pool.
"Tory!" Feliks then lost it. "Alright you little fucks! Prepare to die!" Feliks scowled. He then punched the closest kid near him, which was a European kid with a scar on his face. The kid dropped instantly. "Who else wants some? You?" Bam! He hit another European kid. "One for Poland!" Bam! Kevin went down. "Anyone else?" The kids all ran away. "That's right! Don't mess with the Polish!"

Tolys felt himself sinking deeper and deeper. He was sinking pretty fast. What happened? My chest…it's in so much pain. And now I'm going to drown…Out of all the ways to die this is the one I expected least. He suddenly saw someone swimming down towards him. He closed his eyes and lost consciousness from lack of air. The figure grabbed him and swam swiftly from the bottom of the deep pool. Finally, the two breached the surface.

"Oh thank God! Tory!" Feliks ran over to where he was.
"Help me get him out," said Raivis. Feliks pulled Tolys out of the water. "I don't know if he's swallowed any water or not."
"He's not really breathing," panicked Feliks, "Shit! I can't find a pulse!"
"Here! I-I know CPR," answered Raivis.
"Well do it then!" Feliks exclaimed.
"Please promise you won't freak out…" he said.
"I don't care! Save my friend!" Feliks yelled. Raivis lifted himself out of the water. He checked for signs of life again. Feliks just stared at Raivis.

"Toris? I'm about to perform CPR…" he said. No response. He began a round of compressions. "Get the defibrillator!"
"What? You know how to use that thing?"
"Yes! Hurry! And bring a towel!" Feliks grabbed the defibrillator off the wall. It was heavier than he thought so he slid it to Raivis. He then dashed and retrieved a towel from the towel bin. Raivis dried his arms. He then pulled up Tolys's shirt.

"Panie, proszę nie brać go," Feliks prayed, "Proszę! Nie brać go!"
"Don't worry. I…got this!" Raivis then checked his pulse again. "There we go! Pulse!"
"R-Really?" Feliks sniffed.
"He has a pulse, he should be fine. He probably only has a little water inside him. He'll be okay," examined Raivis.
"Thank you!" Feliks hugged him tightly, "Thank you so so much!"
"Of course!"
"Ugh…you're like, slimy though…" Feliks let go. Raivis sighed.

"Please…please don't tell anyone about me," he begged, "I know it's hard to believe but–"
"Holy shit, another freak. Oh thank God! I'm so happy to meet another one," said Feliks, "My roommate there is a werewolf."
"Oh really? Okay. That makes me feel a lot better," he looked relieved. Tolys began coughing. "Oh, he's waking up." Tolys's eyes opened and he flipped over and began coughing up whatever water entered his lungs.

"Tory! You're okay!" Feliks cheered.
"I'm alive. I'm far from okay," he hacked, "Okay, I think that's all of it."
"What happened?" Feliks asked.
"I think my heart stopped for a minute," he replied.
"What?!"
"I don't know how but when that guy hit me, it just…stopped," he analyzed. He stopped. "Wait, how am I alive?"
"Raivis saved you," answered Feliks.
"Hi."
"Oh thank–oh Dievas you're a merman!" Raivis smiled.

"Actually, thank you. They would have exposed me for sure if you hadn't come!" he replied, "By the way, could one of you get me a towel or two just in case someone comes by?"
"I'm on it," said Feliks.
"Thanks," he replied.
"So…I almost died and I found out another mythical creature was real. I'd say that today was more than eventful," said Tolys.
"I used to live by the docks and I used to do this all the time," he explained, "Merfolk are used to saving drowning sailors anyways."
"Really?"
"You have no idea how many people nearly drown in the Baltic Sea," he laughed.
"The Baltic Sea? Where are you from?" Tolys asked intrigued.
"Riga. The Gulf of Riga to be specific," he answered.
"Ah! My Aunt used to live there!" he added, "I'm from Vilnius."
"Cool!"

"Got them!" Feliks returned. Raivis covered his lower half with the towels.
"And now we wait…" said Raivis. The three sat in silence for a while.

"So…how long have you been half fish?" Feliks asked.
"My parents are both merfolk. I've lived on the Latvian cost for all my life. I had adopted parents on land until I turned 10. That's when everything changed. Children can't breathe underwater and don't change until they are 10. So at that age I could stay overnight with my real parents," he narrated, drying himself off.
"And you never knew your parents before that?!" Feliks said surprised.
"I've seen them. My parents gave me to a family that knew about this kind of stuff," he said, "So I saw them every weekend since my step parents owned a boat."
"So…that's just tradition?"
"Yes. Parents used to drop them off with complete strangers. Now there's agencies to make sure that every kid knows their parents and knows what's going on before they are 10," he explained, "Normally these people are also semi humans, like in my case. The kids still live on land until they hit puberty. Then we have three years until it's back to the sea forever."

"Really? So there's no more land after that?" Feliks asked.

"No. Well, there's always exceptions like people with one parent that's a human. But for me, I don't have a choice. That's why merfolk always go through puberty very late. At least, that's how the boys work," he elaborated.
"That explains it!" Feliks said. Tolys nudged him.
"And then there's the mate exception."
"What's that?" Tolys diverted.

"You know. It's in all the stories about mermaids. Find love on land within allotted time and you stay on land. That's where it comes from," continued Raivis.
"Damn! That must suck for men!" Feliks said.
"Why do you think all the stories are about the females?" Raivis added.
"That makes so much sense!" Feliks exclaimed.
"So wait, you said your step parents were also semi humans?" Tolys asked.
"Yeah. My step mom was."
"What was she?" Tolys asked.
"She was a werewolf," he said.
"Really?"
"Yeah! So I know a bit about werewolves. My step mother was a purebred though."
"Anything helps."

"Oh! I'm dry!"
"Oh sweet! Let's go then!" Feliks said.
"Oh…um…I kind of…um…I lose my pants when I transform…" murmured Raivis.
"Oh…Yeah, that part sucks," related Tolys.
"How about I meet you at my room?" he said.
"Which number is it?" Tolys asked.

"1215 in the Europe campus."

"Okay! See you then!"

"No way. There's no way…a lycanthrope with that structure…"

"And 'e comes boundin down all the way from left field!"

"Ow! Hey! Piss off!"

"Whatcha doin?"

"Lookin up a creature."

"Can I 'elp?"

"Much help you be!"

"Alrigh, good luck then!"

"Okay fine! I have a picture a it…here!"

"That's obviously a werewolf ya tube!"

"Well no shit! I'm tryin to find what breed, maggot!"

"Ya wanna go now do ya?"

"I'll do you!"

"What are you two fighting over now?"

"We can't tell what breed this lycan is."

"Alright let me see…Well the one with it's back turned looks like Lycanthropus arabicus."

"I figured."

"There be a second one?"

"Dickbrain…"

"Why I oughta–"

"Ay! Shut up! I'm trying to think…wait a second, where did you get this photo?"

"I took it last night."

"You're sure?"

"After I almost fell from the bloody tree I'm pretty fuckin sure!"

"…do you have any others?"

"No. 'Twas the only one I got."

"Hmm…there's no way…that looks like a…no. It can't be."

"A what?"

"Lycanthropus baltijus."

"You're talkin shite!"

"Well do you have another idea?"

"More 'elp?"

"Fuckin hell Al!"

"What? All I'm sayin is we could 'ave Ar–"

"I ain't lettin him get his paws on this! He'll fuck it up!"

"Mum?"

"She's busy."

"Maybe it's just europaeus."

"Their faces aren't that slim."

"Too fluffy to be from the south…"

"Ta hell with it. Send it ta baby brother."

"…Fine!"

"It's weird that his house is so close to ours."
"Yeah, I like, never knew he lived here."
"I'm sur–" The door finally opened.

"Oh what are you two doing here?" Eduard asked.
"Eddy? You like, live here?" Feliks asked.
"Of course!"
"I invited them over Ed," Raivis finally appeared in the doorway, "I see you know my roommate."
"I didn't know you were having people over Raivis. I thought we were going to the bund tonight," he reminded.
"Oh…yeah," remembered Raivis.
"If you have something to do then–"
"We can take them with us," suggested Raivis.

"But they don't know about–"
"Yes they do!"
"They do?"
"Today they saved me from a bunch of bullies finding out my secret. I also had to save him from drowning," explained Raivis, "And I know they know about you. I'm guessing that this is the werewolf you are helping every night?"
"Yes. I suppose you're right," agreed Eduard, "We can take them to the bund."
"The bund?"

"The vampire bund. They are the people that helped me when I was first bitten," explained Eduard, "They'll be fine with Tolys coming along. Feliks…just stay close to Tolys."
"W-What?"

"You'll be okay," assured Raivis, "They would eat me before they would eat you."

"I'm so hungry…"
"Then go eat the jello!"
"I want to eat, but it really hurts."
"I know that feelin'."
"I know. when your fangs first come in it really…sucks."
"Lucas I fucking swear."
"Oy, calm down. Don't get your blood boiled about it."
"Lucas…"
"Hahaha! He's on a roll!"
"I'm sorry about my puns, baby brother. I know they're a pain in the neck."
"Aaaagh!"
"Hahaha! No need to get batty about it!""Simon, not you too!"
"That pun was stupid."
"Hey!"
"Seems like yer gonna have bad blood b'tween ya…"
"Nooo…"
"I'm sorry Emil. I know it's really painful. Well, I actually wouldn't really know since I'm not a blood vampire. But I can only imagine. It must really…bite."
"I hate you all."
"Oh shit! We have a winner!"
"Sorry Emil!"
"I expected better from you! Ooh…This sucks! …Fuck!"
"Ahahaha!"
"Okay, that's enough puns."
"No. The puns shall keep going! The king commands it!"
"Yer not King. Yer just the lead'r of th' bund."
"Eh? What the hell Ber? I thought you'd back me up!"
"Mm."
"Oh? the doorbell?"
"Yeah. I invited Eduard and his friend over."
"You mean the midget merman?"
"Yeah. I'll get the door."
"Ey…We're not letting this Eduard guy into our bund are we?"
"Mm. I could do without 'm. But whatev'r Tino want's kay."
"His eagerness scares me."
"He'sh not even a real vampire yet. He sh'till ha'sh to wear gla'she'sh…Ack!"
"Oy! He's lisping!"
"No I'm not!"
"Ya were."
"No I wa'shn't! Fuck!"
"Open."
"N-No!"
"I'll give ya pain killers if ya do."
"Ah…"
"Mm. They've moved a bit. They're complet'ly vis'ble."
"You're about halfway there."
"Oy! Lemme see!"
"Glk!"
"Hey hey! He's growing up!"
"Alright now where'sh the damn painkiller'sh?"

"Hey guys! I hope you don't mind but we have a couple more guests!"
"Fuck!"

Tolys looked around. He had never seen so many blonde people in one place before. It was freaking him out. There was a smiling blonde, a spikey blonde, a intimidating tall blonde, a depressed white-blonde, and a blonde with a clip in his hair and eyes that seemed dead. Then of course, there was his best blonde friend, the blonde midget with him, and of course, the blonde nerd.

"Alright, this is Tolys," introduced the smiling blonde, "And then this is Feliks." Feliks hid behind his friend.
"You'll have to excuse him. He's kind of shy…" said Tolys.
"I know them from school," said the friendly blonde.
"I stopped going to school decades ago," commented the cold blonde, "I decided to come back because I was bored." Tolys shivered.
"Which one is the snack?" asked the spikey blonde, "Or is this a buffet?"
"None of them are! Simon is kidding," the friendly one assured, "Plus Tolys here is a werewolf."

"Bleh! I can't eat that!" the loud one complained.
"I can't eat anything…" added the white-blonde.
"Damn it Emil…"
"Is your dog here Tino?" Raivis asked.
"Hanatamago is all the way upstairs," he replied, "Berwald, you remember Tolys and Feliks, yes?"
"Mmhm," the tall one replied.
"He's so scary," whispered Feliks.

"I thought you said vampires don't need glasses," said Tolys.
"Berwald wears them to keep suspicious people from suspecting anything," informed Eduard, "Because he's so tall and…yeah"
"Well, you know Berwald and I," introduced Tino, "This is Si–"

"Tino, I can talk about myself," the loud one replied.
"He loves to do that," added the cold one.
"I am Simon Densen. I am the awesomest one here! I am the king of this bund since it was my idea to form it!" he exclaimed, "And why do we have a non-blonde here?"
"He's also the most annoying one here," said the cold one.

"That is Lucas. He's the smart one," said Tino, "Kind of mysterious too."
"He's the one who helped write that big book i showed you," added Eduard
"Wow…"
"And the one sulking in the pillow is Emil," Lucas prodded at his cheek, "He's my baby brother. He's currently growing in his adult fangs. So his mouth is in a lot of pain. He's the baby of the group since he's only in his 30s."
"That ju'sht make'sh me 'shound weird," he added.
"You're the one that sounds weird!" teased Simon. Emil groaned.

"Like, how old are you all?" Feliks asked.
"33…" grumbled Emil.
"I'm almost 100," said Tino.
"Two hundr'd 'n forty someth'n," replied Berwald.
"479 years," answered Lucas.
"618!" Simon proclaimed.
"Wow!" Feliks gaped, "You're all so old!"
"And still good looking!" Simon added.

"And you were all born vampires?" Tolys asked.
"All except for Tino," he replied.
"Yeah…"
"How did that happen?" Feliks asked.
"Eh? You really want to hear it?" Tino smiled, "I love telling the story! It's a war story!"
"Sure!" Feliks smiled. Tino's smile was contagious. Tolys was a little concerned. Normally people weren't excited to tell their war stories.

"I was 20 years old. The winter war with Russia had just begun and I happened to be drafted. It was the first battle of the war. It was freezing cold, the Soviets had us outnumbered and we didn't have a hope in the world. But I remained optimistic. I tried my best. And in the end, I got shot in the chest. The battle ended shortly after. I remember I was dying. If not of blood loss, I would have definitely frozen to death. But then I met Berwald," he smiled, "Berwald happened to be fighting with me. I don't remember much, but by biting me twice he managed to save my life. But because he did that, the Soviets found us and we were captured. Man, Soviet camps were rough. Berwald and I were going to be executed. We were sitting and talking out our final hours while the wagon took the two of us overnight. But then he bit me one last time. I can't remember anything after. But when I woke up, I was covered in blood. And I went from having hunger pangs to feeling like I had eaten an entire buffet."

"Tino drain'd ev'ry soldier at th' place we were s'pposed ta be executed. I could barely ev'n drain one 'n that time," added Berwald, "'e's the fastest drink'r 've ev'r seen. 'ts what ya get when ya starve a newborn." Tino smiled sheepishly.
"The Soviet soldiers were already surprised that in the morning we had no pulses. They assumed we died on the way," elaborated Tino, "Then Berwald explained everything to me and then everything was straight forward from there."
"…Whoa…" breathed Raivis.
"I have war stories too!" Simon jumped in, "Mine are the best!"
"I'm the only one who ha'shn't fought in a war," added Emil.
"Lucas and I have known each other for years," said Simon, "We fought each other in war even."

"I'm like, kinda confused about something," said Feliks.
"Go 'head," said Berwald.
"I'm confused how he has a brother that's like, 400 years older than him," he asked.
"My father and my mother forgot that vampires still need condoms," answered Lucas.
"Hey!"
"It's true. You were an accident."
"Like you weren't!"
"I brought our parents together so they could conceive you 444 years later. You're welcome."

"Hey hey hey! Anyone up for a blood beer?"
"We are in the presence of minors, Simon," reminded Lucus.
"I don't care!" Suddenly a white blur came bounding down the stairs. It was yipping and whining.

"Hanatamago? What are you doing here?" Tino picked up his dog, "You look so scared. What's wrong?"
"You should remember to shut your door tighter." All turned to look at the speaker. The speaker stepped out of the shadows. The man wore a dark trench coat and a top hat. His hair was a dark strawberry blonde and his eyes were bright red. He had an earring in one ear and really bad teeth. He gave a slight smirk, accenting a fang. Eduard tensed. He pulled the three non vampires with him back behind the others. Tolys instinctively hid under the couch. The other two ducked behind it.

"You?" Tino gasped.
"Save the beer!" cried Simon.
"Who invited you in?" Lucas jeered coming to the front to confront him.
"This is a bar above here. It's public property," he replied.
"Go away! You're not touching my beer!" defended Simon, stepping in front.
"This 's private property!" Berwald reminded, standing in front of Tino. Tino held his dog closer.
"It's in the same building though. Below the magical bar. It's fair game," he answered.
"I s'ggest ya leave," Berwald said.
"Yeah! There'sh five of u'sh and one of you!" Emil lisped. The man chuckled and strutted over to Emil. Emil clamped his mouth shut.

"Someone is getting their adult fangs," he mused, "Oh how cute. May I see?" With two of his fingers, he pried Emil's jaw open. "Oh my. I haven't seen you in a decade! Your baby fangs are gone now. How cute…"
"Don't touch my brother!" Lucas hissed. Emil snapped his jaw shut.
"Luca'sh I can protect my'shelf," he said, "Even though I don't sh'ound like it, I can." The man sniffed the air.
"Ooh! Something smells delicious!" he took another whiff, "…And something else stinks." The three behind the couch tensed. He walked around the basement.
"There's five of us and one of you, Vladimir!" Lucas reminded.

"Six of us!" Eduard stepped out.
"Eduard no…" Tino whispered. Vladimir's eyes widened with excitement when he saw Eduard.
"Eduard! long time no see!" he walked up to him, "How do you like being a vampire?"
"It has its ups and downs," he replied.
"You told me that never in a million years would you want to become a full vampire. And now you're in the bund." Vladimir took another whiff. "You reek of lycanthrope," he wrinkled his nose, "So that's what you've been doing. I'm surprised you haven't gotten rid of your glasses yet. You'd look so much better without them." He then swiped his glasses.
"Hey! Give those back!"

"This is a really strong prescription," he noticed, "How do you see out of these?" Emil swiped them off of Vladimir's face. He handed them to Eduard. Vladimir's smile began to grow. He laughed. "Holy shit! You're still an undead, aren't you?" Eduard backed up. Vladimir laughed. "Well then. I can…fix that. If you want." Berwald slammed into him before he could even move. "Relax. I asked him if he wanted to." He shoved Berwald off of him. He continued strolling along the basement. "I see you've redecorated." He stopped. "Oh! Who is that?" He pushed past Lucas and Simon to get to the others. "You look new." He took a sniff. "And you both smell delicious. Especially you." He looked at Raivis.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about…" stammered Raivis.
"Oh goodie. Someone had brains to bring snacks to this party!" Vladimir remarked, "And some gourmet food. A mermaid."
"Merman."
"Whatever. If I didn't have 5 and a half vampires glaring me down, I would eat you right up," he said, "In my many centuries...no, millennia on this earth I have never tasted anything as delicious as a mermaid."
"Wow you're old," remarked Feliks, "Maybe you like, shouldn't prey on little boys." Tino, Emil, and Simon laughed.

"And who's this smartass?" Vladimir spat.
"Feliks. Liz has told me a lot about you," he explained, "Vladimir Popescu. You're a member of the occult club and she hates you a lot."
"Ah yes. Lizzie. You're that annoying gay Polak that hangs out with her, aren't you?" he smirked, "I remember you. I don't like you."
"I'm like, not totally fond of you either," he said. Everyone else was shocked at his confidence.
"You're pretty confident. And so mouthwatering delicious," he said, "I'm so hungry. I might just grab a snack."
"Leave him alone."
Vladimir turned around. Tolys stood there firmly. Vladimir's nose wrinkled.

"So it's you that smells!" He walked over to him. "What are you thinking inviting a werewolf here? He reeks!"
"Maybe to your old nose!" Simon sneered
"You're new. What is your name?"
"You don't need to know that. And from what I can tell, you're not supposed to be here," he snarled.
"Ooh! I'm so scared!" Vladimir taunted, "One punch from me and you're done fluffy." He brandished his hand full of tarnished silver rings. "I've been on this earth for a long time. I have dealt with my fair share of werewolves."
"I'm not scared of you. But I'm not stupid. I'm not going to fight you," he replied.

"Wait a second…" he thought aloud, "You're that kid that got attacked this summer, aren't you?" Tolys stiffened. "I think I know who the culprit is." Tolys's expression softened.
"You…do?"
"Yes. Annoying little fucker. I've been trying to settle the score with him for a while," he said, "He's an asshole because he thinks he's hot shit because he's a bloodline werewolf. But he's so hard to track down. Stark white wolf. Red eyes. Well, when he's transformed."
"Sounds like him," he replied.
"You and I share a common enemy," noted Vladimir, "Maybe we can make a bargain in the future."

"I think you've overstayed your welcome Vlad," hissed Lucas.
"Alright alright I'm going," he replied, "But I'm still hungry. Maybe a blood beer would be nice."
"No way!" Simon replied.
"Then I'll just have to grab my own snack…"
"Here," Lucas tossed him a bottle, "Take it and get out."
"Lucas!"
"Thanks! See you around." He sauntered up the stairs.

"Who was that?" Raivis asked.
"Vladimir. Very old vampire. Very cunning and dangerous as well," explained Lucas.
"We don't like him!" Simon summarized, "He's always bumming blood beer off of us!"
"He's the one that bit me," said Eduard.
"Oh…"

"But if he knows about who bit me…" began Tolys.
"You can't trust him Tolys," said Eduard, "He's been doing this for over a thousand years. I trusted him. And look at where it got me." Tolys nodded. But I can't help but feel that there's more to him than that…

"Hey Eduard?"
"Hmm?"
"If you don't mind me asking," said Tolys, "How did you become a vampire?"
"Yeah! I want to know too!" Raivis added.
"Me too!"
"Vlad tricked me. Twice. That's why I can never trust him," he summarized, "He manipulated me and used me for food."
"What did he say?" Raivis asked.
"He said that he had a special medicine that would cl–"

"Hang on…something isn't right…" Tolys interrupted.
"Tory?"
"Something is…off. Something smells weird," observed Tolys.
"It's not me, is it?" Eduard asked.
"No. I've gotten used to that," he replied, "This is a new scent." His body stiffened. His eyes began to glow.
"What's he doing?" Feliks asked.
"Using his sixth sense," replied Eduard, "He's using something called the Ja–"

"We need to get out of here," cut off Tolys.
"Why?" Raivis asked.
"Something is here! Something very bad! Let's go!"
"How do you know?" Feliks asked.
"Tolys would know if something was wrong," said Eduard.
"It's…I think it's another wolf…"
"W-What?" Feliks gulped. They were cut off by a snapping twig. The four males froze. They slowly turned in the direction of the sound. The twigs continued snapping as the thing loomed closer.

"All three of you run and find a tree to climb," breathed Eduard. He put his glasses in his pocket. He had recently found a loophole to the glasses dilemma. "I'll distract it."
"What? No way!" Tolys protested, "You can't take on another werewolf!"
"Neither can you!" Eduard informed, "There's no time to argue just go and get Feliks and Raivis to safety!"
"But–" Eduard let out a hiss. His eyes were glowing a bright molten red. The three ran off. Shortly after, a large white werewolf appeared from the trees. Its haunting red eyes burned like fire. The three runners didn't look back. Eduard stood his ground. He then seemed to vanish into the darkness. The wolf was looking at the bat now circling his head. It tried snapping and swatting at it as the bat screeched in its ears. It growled and snarled with agitation. It then began to run. Eduard knew he couldn't fly fast enough. He transformed and clung to the wolf for his life. The girth of its neck was slightly too big for his arms to clasp around. The wolf charged for the runners.

"Come on! Hurry!"
"I'm trying!"
"Come on Feliks! I'll come down and help!"
"No! I'll be fine! I promise!"
"Ahh! I see it!"
Raivis and Tolys had their mouths open in horror. Feliks just barely made it to the lowest branch.

"Gaaaaaah! This was a bad idea!" Eduard yelled from the back of the wolf.

"Keep climbing!" Feliks yelled, "I'll catch up!" Tolys hesitated before continuing with Raivis. The wolf eventually flung Eduard off of its back. Eduard landed on the ground with a hard thud.

"Eduard!" Raivis called out. The wolf turned its attention to the tree. As it sauntered over to the three, Feliks frantically attempted an adrenaline fueled climb. The second branch he grabbed snapped, causing him to fall backwards.

"Feliks!" Tolys cried. Feliks stared up at the creature in horror. He scrambled backwards. But the wolf was fixated on the tree. Its fiery glare seemed to fixate on Tolys. Ignoring Feliks completely, it jumped at the tree, snapping its jaws, trying to snag its target. Tolys and Raivis moved higher, trying to avoid the wolf. Feliks couldn't believe his eyes. How the hell could this thing ignore the easy prey right in front of its paws? Feliks stood up. Shit. Tory's going to be in serious trouble. There's no where left to climb. Feliks felt something cold and hard roll under his hand. He looked down. That might help!

"This is it," said Tolys, "This is the wolf that attacked me."
"Why is it still after you?" Raivis asked.
"I don't know!"
"Ahh! It's getting hard to hold on!"
"Shit! There's no space left to climb!" Tolys yelled.
"What do we do?" Raivis panicked. Suddenly the wolf stopped. It flattened its ears and started whining. Tolys winced and covered his ears the best that he could.
"Hey Fluffy! Forget something?" Feliks called. He was in an adjacent tree, blowing the dog whistle. The wolf snarled, glaring at Feliks.
"Feliks don't!" Tolys called.

"Look at me! You want me to stop? Well too bad!" he continued blowing the whistle. The wolf charged for the tree Feliks was in. Feliks stopped. The wolf jumped up and missed. The second time it jumped, its mighty claws slashed the branch Feliks was on. The branch was cracking. "Oh shit…" The branch then fell, taking Feliks with it.

"Feliks no!" Tolys screamed. Feliks hit the ground with a hard thud.
"Oww! My sweet ass!" Feliks groaned. The wolf's growling made him remember he had bigger problems than his sweet ass. Feliks trembled, slowly backing away from the angry wolf.

Tolys began climbing down from the tree.
"Where are you going?" Raivis asked, "Stay here!" Tolys ignored him. He wasn't going to let what had happened to him happen to his best friend.

I'm going to die, Feliks thought, I don't want to die. How did this happen to me? Just make it quick and painless. He felt the wolf's breath on his neck. Feliks closed his eyes.

"Get away from him!"

Feliks heard a cry that sounded desperate and enraged. Feliks then realized that he wasn't dead. The wolf's rancid breath had disappeared. He opened his eyes.
"N-No way…" breathed Eduard.
Standing in front of him was another wolf. The white wolf seemed to be taken aback by this. The brown wolf stood its ground, snarling at its opponent. It looked at Feliks. Its green eyes appeared friendly and familiar. It howled a triumphant howl.

"He did it!" Raivis cheered.
"He…can't be…" stammered Eduard. The white wolf pounced at Tolys. Tolys swiftly dodged it. Eduard grabbed Feliks's wrist, pulling him away from the fight. "Let's go!"
"But what about Tory! I can't just leave him behind!" he protested.|
"He'll be fine," Eduard interrupted, "If he really is what I think he is, he will be okay." The white wolf flipped Tolys, giving it the advantage. Tolys whined and struggled.
"No! I'm not leaving him!" Feliks protested.
"Raivis! Take him back to town! I'm going to make sure Tolys is safe," he instructed.
"You sure?" Raivis asked, "You're arm doesn't look too good."
"Yeah, your arm looks kinda messed up…"

"I'm fine," he lied, "Just go!" Raivis ran off with little protest from Feliks. He looked at the two wolves. He pocketed his glasses with his good arm. He transformed and tried to fly up into the tree. His wing was misshapen. It was painful and hard to fly. He was suddenly knocked aside by a large tail, sending his bat form flying into the tree rather than over it. If Eduard's arm wasn't broken before, it was definitely broken now. He's lay there on his side in pain. Shit…I should have gone with them. I need to stop lying… He winced. My arm...is definitely broken. I didn't think that could happen. It hurts more than I thought. My head hurts too...Everything is fading...