AN: This recent delay is completely my fault, I got hooked back into Jacksepticeye videos (also I've been on an Undertale binge for the past few days xD) oh & before you read on, I feel I should tell you that there's 2 words that mean the same thing in this chapter; Náhko'e & Ke, both mean Mother in Cheyenne.

Now that that's out of the way, please enjoy this (kinda long) chapter! Warning: there will be some darker elements in this chapter.


I couldn't breathe.

Smoke filled my lungs with every breath I took as I ran through the burning inferno that was once my home, making me cough violently & my vision go blurry.

I finally turned down the hallway that lead to the outside & used the last of my energy to sprint to the front door. My adrenaline was pumping too hard for me to care when the hot metal burned my hands as I twisted the knob & threw the door open wide.

It looked like a scene straight out of hell itself.

The area that surrounded my house was completely engulfed in flames, and I saw a few people running through the burning streets while their screams filled the air, barely being heard over the sound of the raging inferno. I finally made it to an area outside the reservation that was still untouched by the flames & heard a bone-chilling sound that had me leaping into the bushes to hide.

Hoof beats.

I peeked out of my hiding place when I heard laughter & gunfire, only to see a group of drunken men on horseback shooting at anyone that came running in their direction to get away from the flames.

It was a massacre.

It didn't matter who came out, men, women, even children were being shot down one by one. Some of the kids I recognized as my classmates, kids that I went to school & had lunch with every day, and I wanted so badly to do something, but being an eight year old girl, I could only watch in horror as they were slaughtered without mercy.

I wanted to look away, to close my eyes, cover my ears & pretend that this was all just a bad dream, but I was completely frozen by the grim reality going on around me.

I felt my heart drop into my stomach when I heard a familiar voice & looked up to see my mother making her way towards the demons that waited to slaughter anyone that came to escape the hell they'd created. I wanted to warn her, I wanted to scream for her to get away, but the fear of them finding me had my voice stuck in my throat.

I froze when I heard a gunshot pierce the air, and watched as my mother's body convulsed before she fell to the ground, unmoving.

"NÁHKO'E!"


*Luna's POV*

My eyes shot open & I gasped in shock as I lost my grip on the bar & fell to the ground with a resounding *THUD*. I groaned & rubbed the back of my head before looking up into the confused & extremely tired faces of my pack-mates.

"Luna! Are you alright?!" Dwayne asked as he dropped down beside me (though his landing was a lot better than mine)

"Y-yeah, I'm ok...ow." I groaned as the bump on my head started throbbing, but the pain in my head wasn't nearly enough to drive the terrifying dream (vision?) from my mind.

Whoever that little girl was, it definitely wasn't anyone in my group, and the fact that she spoke Cheyenne made it all the more confusing to me.

"What the hell was that Luna? Why'd you fall off the bar?!"

I gave Amber a blank look before sighing in annoyance. "If I told you, you wouldn't believe me."

"Try me." Rose glared at me while crossing her arms, which looked kinda funny upside down, but I could tell that she wasn't gonna let this go, so I explained the god-awful vision in explicit detail. Making sure not to leave anything out as my pack listened intently.

"Hmm...well, vampires can't dream, so it must've been a vision."

"No shit Sherlock."

David rolled his eyes at me. "It-being a vision means that unfortunately I can't give you any answers, and I'm pretty sure Max won't be able to help either. So the only thing you can do is watch, wait & see what happens."

Unfortunately he had me there, so we agreed to keep an eye out until the answer presented itself. Dwayne & I returned to our place beside our brothers & sisters before he wrapped his arms around me & we settled into a restless sleep for the rest of the day.

*Time Skip, Luna's POV*

"Dwayne! Cut it out!"

Dwayne chuckled as he swung Laddie over his shoulder & started walking towards the rides while occasionally reaching up to tickle him in the ribs, making him laugh uncontrollably. I laughed & shook my head at my mate & adoptive son as I followed them around the boardwalk while scoping out my "meal" for the evening. There weren't any bonfire parties on the beach tonight for some reason (maybe people were finally learning not to go out at night) so us vampires had to actually hunt for a change.

Not that I was complaining mind you.

"Hey Dwayne, I'm gonna walk around for a bit ok?" He held up his free hand to indicate that he'd heard me, and Laddie waved as they disappeared into the crowd. I sighed before deciding to take a side path to a different part of the boardwalk.

I let my mind wander for a bit as I moved down the alleyway. The vision I had earlier today kept replaying through my head like a horror film. I could practically smell the burning buildings, and the sound of the gunfire rang loud & clear in my ears.

"Ma'heo'o, why are you torturing me like this?!"

I asked as if I would receive an answer. Before I could take another step, I heard the sound of malicious laughter somewhere ahead of me, and I was about to turn away without a second thought, but froze when I caught the scent of blood, letting instinct be my guide as I followed it toward the sound of the voices. The smell was pure & sweet, untainted by disease, alcohol or drugs.

'Only children's blood smells like that.'

The thought had me picking up the pace and I turned down a different alleyway before stopping in my tracks. There were five men, all covered in the rancid stench of alcohol & cheap tobacco, and all standing in a circle around a little girl, laughing in sick delight when she cried out as they kicked & stomped on her over & over again.

"Stupid little bitch! Thought you could steal from us huh?!"

"What do you expect man? Little injun whore don't know any better!"

The last word barely left the man's lips before I saw red.

I decided to let the id (I've read some of Freud's work) take the reigns for a bit as the child finally went limp before I let out a blood-curdling roar & attacked, ripping flesh from bone & drinking my fill of blood before brutally torturing & killing the rest slowly & painfully by slashing at their legs with my claws first, making damn sure that no one escaped my wrath.

Kill!

KILL THEM!

RIP THEM TO PIECES!

For once, I had no problem obliging as my soul sang in rapture at the gruesome display of violence. I felt the id purr in content as I watched the light fade from the eyes of my last victim before it receded into the depths of my mind.

I crouched down & gently lifted the little girl into my arms. She couldn't have been much younger than Laddie, and even though it was marred by multiple black bruises, I noticed that her skin was a light copper tone, and there was no mistaking that pitch-black hair that just barely touched the ground as I held her.

I heard footsteps rushing towards my location & held her tight to my chest before moving into a defensive position, growling in warning at whoever was approaching & feeling a surge of maternal instinct take over my entire being as a figure appeared at the entrance of the alleyway.


*Dwayne's POV*

We all felt the anger through our bond after I dropped Laddie off with Sam, and after determining that it wasn't coming from any of us, we quickly split up to search for my mate.

The bloodlust that I felt was like nothing I'd ever felt before, not even from Marko, and he's the most sadistic little bastard I've ever met when he's in the mood to kill! I lifted my nose to the wind & nearly cringed at how strong the smell of blood was.

'Oh Ma'heo'o, she is PISSED!'

I made sure no one would see me as I took to the air before following the scent, letting the rest of my pack know where I was headed through our bond.

I'm already there. You guys need to see this, and I'm not gonna lie to ya, it ain't pretty.

I locked onto Paul's location before making my way there.

It was a bloodbath.

The walls of the alleyway were stained red from the amount of blood splattered everywhere. Severed limbs, intestines, and something that looked suspiciously like a spine littered the area, and I managed to pick out five mangled bodies among the gore, but only by counting what was left of the heads.

Jesus! Even I'm not this brutal!

I didn't even notice that Marko, along with the rest of the pack, had finally caught up with Paul & me. We heard a low warning growl and I froze when we found the source.

Luna was completely drenched in blood. Her pupils were dilated to the point that her eyes looked nearly blacked-out, and she was completely vamped-out while crouching in a defensive position. Her hair had fallen loose from its usual braid & hung over her face like a curtain, making her fangs & eyes the only thing visible to us. She looked like she could & would attack at any sudden moves from us, making this situation even more difficult - and deadly - to handle.

I paused when I saw her shift slightly & noticed that she was clutching something to her chest. Without moving I zeroed in on what she held, only to freeze completely when I realized that she was holding a child in her arms.

"Easy mama bear, we're not gonna take your baby from you, ok?" Paul had his hands raised in a placating manner & was speaking in a quiet tone, but it didn't seem to have any effect as she moved back slightly & growled even louder at us.

Dwayne, maybe you should try.

I nodded and Paul slowly moved away so I could stand in her line of vision.

"Luna?"

She paused & I could practically see her ears perk up at the sound of my voice, so I continued.

"It's ok usdiga, no one's going to take her from you."

Her growling started to quiet down & she seemed to relax slightly.

"We won't take her away from you, I promise. I know you only killed them because they hurt her."

She stopped growling completely and we all sighed in relief when her pupils started to shrink & her usual blue eyes became visible.

*Luna's POV*

My vision finally came back into focus & I found myself staring into the relieved faces of my pack-mates, while my mate stood only a few feet away from me.

'When did they get here?'

"D-Dwayne?" He nodded as the others sighed in relief.

"Finally coming out of it little sister?"

"Wha-?" I looked at David in confusion before finally noticing the mess I'd made. I glanced up at my sisters to see them staring at me in shock.

"Damn Luna! I knew you were brutal when it comes to kids, but I didn't think it was this bad!"

Katie stood gaping like a fish as Paul laughed slightly in amusement. "Told ya she's a mama bear!"

I blocked out the rest of the conversation as I turned my attention to the child in my arms & inspected the extent of the damage done to her. Luckily no bones were broken, but the cuts & bruises that littered her body had me wishing I could kill the bastards all over again. I paused when I noticed her hands & lifted them to look closer.

Burn scars.

I wanted answers, and Ma'heo'o delivered.

An image of little hands gripping a hot metal doorknob flashed through my mind before my breath caught in my throat when I realized her heartbeat was slowing down.

"David!"

He quickly moved to stand beside me & placed his hand on her heart. "She must have internal bleeding, there's nothing we can do-"

"Don't give me that bullshit David!"

He looked at me like I'd grown a second head. "We can't just turn her without Max's-"

I vamped-out & grabbed David by the front of his shirt before pulling him so close that our noses nearly touched, the sudden attack causing him to vamp-out as well.

"Did you need daddy's permission when you decided to turn your brothers?! Have you ever actually given a shit about anything he says?!"

I crashed my forehead to his & gave him a venomous glare. "If you don't do it David, then I will!"

I growled before letting him go. He hissed at me before reaching up to grab me by the throat, I felt the sting of his claws piercing my neck as Paul & Marko restrained my angry mate from attacking him.

"I'll only say this once little girl; don't you EVER grab me like that again unless you wanna die!"

I showed no fear as he spat the words out like they were poison on his tongue and waited patiently as his eyes seemed to search mine. I knew I had him by the ego; if he didn't turn the kid, then he would look weak in front of his brothers, and if he hurt me, then he'd lose more than half his pack.

He was stuck, and he knew it.

He growled before letting go of me & giving me a warning glare.

"You want the kid? Then you turn her! She's your problem now, and you'll deal with the consequences on your own!"

I nodded before using my fangs to slice open my wrist & holding it to her lips. I felt a hand on my shoulder & turned to find Dwayne staring down at the little girl as she finally latched onto my wrist.

It's ok baby, I did the same thing with Laddie, and I'm with you all the way.

I smiled at him & finally felt her let go of my wrist before falling into a deep sleep. I was slightly surprised when my sisters gathered around to see the new halfling.

Sorry I pissed off your mate Rose.

She glanced over at her brooding mate before smirking at me.

Don't worry about it honey, you just leave him to me.

I smiled as she winked at me before we all decided to head back to the cave. I flew back on my own while Dwayne went to pick up Laddie, and the others went to grab a quick "bite" before cleaning up what they could of the gory mess I'd left behind.

I gotta remember to pay them back someday.


*Time Skip*

I had carried the little girl into mine & Dwayne's shared room deep in the cave and was sitting beside her as she slept. I was too worried to leave her alone as of yet, since David (and now Max) were still completely pissed-off at me. Despite telling me that I'd have to deal with the consequences on my own, David managed to talk Max out of ripping my limbs off for creating another halfling without his permission (with a little help from Lucy of course)

I froze when she began to stir & watched as she looked around the room in awe before her gaze finally rested on me.

"Ke?"

I gave her a sad smile & shook my head in the negative.

"Hová'åháne mé'ėševotse."

(No baby)

She visibly deflated, but gave me a curious look.

"Nétsėhésenėstsehe?"

(You speak Cheyenne?)

I nodded & gave her an equally curious look. "Do you speak English at all?"

She nodded reluctantly. "A l-little, not too much though."

"Do you at least understand it?"

"M-most, some words still too hard for me."

I smiled fondly at her imperfect english, it was actually kinda cute.

"You saved me?"

"Héehe'e"

(Yes {Cheyenne})

"Néá'eše."

(Thank you {Cheyenne})

I nodded & gave her a sympathetic smile.

"Nétónėševéhe?"

(What's your name?)

"Ayashe."

I had to stop myself from laughing out loud. (AN: the word Ayashe means 'little one' in Cheyenne, but can also be used as a female name)

"My shi'choo used to call me that all the time!"

(Grandfather {Cheyenne})

She gave me a confused smile.

"Móhe? Nétónėševéhe?"

(Really? What's your name?)

"Luna."

Before she could say anything else, there was a knock at the door, and I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing when she quickly dove into my chest & buried her face in my shoulder.

'Poor thing.'

"Come in Dwayne!" He slowly opened the door & walked in, with a curious Laddie following behind him.

"It's ok sweetie, they're not gonna hurt you."

She looked up at them and Dwayne smiled warmly at her while Laddie waved, she turned to study them as Dwayne gave me a questioning look.

How is she?

She's ok. A little shaken up, but she'll get better in time.

He nodded and I smiled when Laddie slowly moved closer so he wouldn't scare her.

"Laddie, Dwayne, this is Ayashe. She can't speak english very well, but she can understand most of it."

"Hi! Can I call you Aya for short?" She nodded at Laddie and he smiled at her. Dwayne & I gave each other knowing looks when she blushed & hid her face in my shoulder.

"How old are you Aya?"

She lifted her head to look at him before holding up eight fingers.

"I'm ten, so I'm a little older than you."

She pouted & stuck her tongue out at him, and Dwayne & I couldn't help but laugh when he did the same to her. She lightly tugged on my shirt and I leaned down so she could whisper in my ear.

"Énęxoóhtahe."

(He's cute)

"What'd she say?"

I smirked at my adopted son before waving a hand in dismissal. "Nothing you need to know."

He huffed in annoyance, but didn't press the matter farther.

'Seems things just got a little more interesting around here.'

AN: How do you guys like my new character? Comment & let me know what you think! ❤️