Lost Wolf
Chapter 9
They almost hadn't come.
It had seemed impossible, that a Werewolf cub could survive alone in a town crawling with Vampires for almost a decade. It seemed like an urban legend. But they decided to take the chance.
Something was howling, in any case.
It appeared coming to Santa Carla was the right choice.
The lost, lonely howl of a young male Werewolf rung out over the town of Santa Carla.
Siobhan McLaren hadn't even bothered to look at the rest of the Pack before replying. She was Alpha, after all, and the pain in that howl was wrenching. She let out a howl of comfort.
It was quiet for a moment, as if the very air was stunned silent. She faintly heard a yelp of surprise, then a hopeful, if somewhat tentative, howl of welcome. Whoever this Werewolf was, he clearly wasn't used to communicating with his own kind, the pitch was a bit off, and confusion was evident in the voice.
The night came alive with howls. The McLaren Pack was excited, but The Lonely Wolf was clearly more so. The conversation was somewhat garbled, the wolf was young, and if he'd been here for eight years as she'd been told, he must have been a cub when he arrived.
The old woman had been telling the truth. They didn't usually trust Vampires farther than they could throw them, but The Widow had a fair reputation, enough to hear her out.
She told of a cub named Alex Winther, who had arrived some eight years before, alone and forgotten. How the cub had been taken in by a well-known Coven of young, vicious Vampires known as The Lost Boys. The Lost Boys were infamous even among their own kind, a lunatic Sire and four young males who behaved more like a biker gang than a proper Coven, dangerous, unstable and half-mad. Still, according to The Widow, he was well-treated, at least by the younger Vampires. The Sire seemed to have a hatred of Werewolves, but he was so detached from his Childer that he didn't even bother training them, allowing them to roam free without care or consequence. The Sire, going by Maxwell Ward at the time, had been killed a few days before, even as his Childer acquired a fifth member.
The name Winther was a familiar one in the Werewolf community. Packs tended to keep tabs on one another, and a branch of the Winther Pack, living in Savannah, Georgia, had been wiped out by hunters twelve years before. The entire Pack was thought dead. But apparently a ten-year old cub had survived. The Pack had been avenged, but the cub... Siobhan hadn't been Alpha then, she'd been a cub herself, but she couldn't see how no one had found the surviving cub in twelve years. No Werewolf, at least. The boy had traveled from Georgia to California, and the only people to have noticed him were a Clan of crazed Neonate Vampires. He'd lived as their guardian, and friend, to what extent such creatures were capable of befriending a non-Vampire.
Unfortunately, she had been told that his loyalty to his new 'Pack' was absolute. How could such a thing have happened? How could their people have missed a cub like this, traveling across an entire continent? It was as much a disgrace as a tragedy. Abandoning one of your own was unforgivable, and the surviving branches of the Winther Pack in particular would lose a great deal of prestige when word of this got out.
Several of the Pack's warriors were on alert, keeping an eye out for Vampires. They knew of at least three separate Covens, though The Lost Boys called themselves a Pack, behaving more like a pack of animals than anything else. Their Sire must have been a real piece of work, allowing his Childer to fall so far. They had a few weapons hidden on them, crucifixes, Liam's ankh, (he always had to be different), a couple of bottles of holy water and some small stakes, just in case violence broke out. It was the last thing anyone wanted or needed, but they had to be prepared.
"Quiet!" The Pack turned as one as the Alpha spoke, "We don't want to wake the whole town."
"I'm sorry, Alpha, but he just sounds so desperate." Gilliam, one of her Betas spoke up, "And if he's been living here with Leeches-"
"He might not appreciate the term 'Leeches'. Those 'Leeches' took him in when his own people abandoned him as dead. I know how you all feel, I feel the same myself. It's a disgrace to us all, but we must be cautious. If the Widow is telling the truth, the Vampires he lives with are almost feral, and he's utterly loyal to them. We don't want to fight with the people he views as friends and family, even if they are Vampires."
They stood among abandoned warehouses and crumbling storage sheds, the rotting remains of an old wharf and fish processing plant from when Santa Carla had been a fishing and shipping community. There were no humans here, not even homeless, (they made sure to check), who might be harmed if things went South.
The sound of a motorcycle became audible. He was still some ways away, but she could scent him, and he could no doubt scent them. He smelled of sea salt, earth, motor and machine oil, cautious hope, pigeons, Hellhound and Vampires. He utterly reeked of Vampires.
Speaking of Vampires, they were faster than motorcycles.
"So, someone finally decided to show up." The Vampire was handsome, as most were, but smelt of blood and death. He was muscular with dyed platinum hair, a long trench coat and a boyish face that radiated danger and arrogance. He stood, half-lit in a nearby alley between crumbling buildings. The new Master. David. He had been very young when he was turned, but he radiated the authority of a born Alpha. "I take it you're here for Alex?"
Before anyone could respond, another voice came from a nearby fire escape, "You can't have him!"
"Shut up, Marko." David snapped.
Marko was a short, but muscular vampire, wildly dressed with long, curly blond hair and a cherubic face filled with equal measures distrust, rage and concern. He too, had been turned young. He looked like an Angel, but he was said to be the fiercest of the Pack, and possibly the least sane. "Eight years! And three years before that! Where the hell were they?"
David growled at Marko, who backed down, albeit reluctantly.
"He does have a point, though." A tall Indian in his early twenties called out. Tall, dark and handsome personified, he was bare chested and dressed similar to the others, and he appeared on the rooftop above Marko. Dwayne, then. The thoughtful one.
"He's right." Siobhan admitted, "We failed him. We allowed a cub to slip through our fingers and suffer alone for years. We didn't even know he survived the murders, the bodies were practically destroyed. But that's no excuse."
"And now you want to make things right?" A tall, handsome long haired blond dressed as a heavy metal rock star asked mockingly. He was around the same age as the others, physically. Paul, then. The Wild One. "It's a little late for that."
The Widow had stated that the boy was closest to the Vampires called Marko and Paul, and it seemed that relationship was not one-sided.
"Yes, it is." Siobhan admitted, "But why don't we allow Alex to listen to what we have to say, to see what he wants? I'm not just going to ask him to come with us, not even knowing who we are. If he wants to stay here, I'm not going to try to force him away from the only family he knows, but I want him to know that he isn't alone, that his people know he's alive and are willing to help him if he needs it. I'm also not going to try to pressure him into leaving. I think we'd all just like to get to know him first. To get to know each other."
Dwayne looked a bit suspicious, "How did you know The Lonely Wolf was Alex Winther? You knew his name, his past, that he was living with us, specifically. That's a lot based on a single howl."
Siobhan cursed herself for making such a stupid mistake. "What do you think?"
"I think another Pack... Coven told you about Alex, who he is, where he came from, and that he was living with us."
"You're right. She said you were the brains of this outfit, Dwayne. Old Hattie Johnson told us. I don't know her motives, but we were passing by this area and she found us, told us about Alex and what had happened to him."
Paul looked toward his Master and sneered, "Maybe she wanted revenge for you turning her lover's grandson into a Vampire."
"Shut it, Paul." David hissed angrily. It was a possibility, but a remote one "Old Widow Johnson wouldn't send someone else after us, especially not for something so personal. She probably just wanted to help Alex... Must be getting soft in her old age."
Another Vampire had suddenly appeared beside David. This one was even younger, not even eighteen and newly turned. He was handsome, with curly black hair and the look of someone who had just begun to act like a 'Bad Boy'. He said nothing, just watched. Michael Emerson. The Widow had spoken the most of him, of his Grandfather and his family, how he'd sacrificed his soul to keep them all safe. If they had come but a few days before... But it was too late for him.
"Why don't we discuss this with Alex. We're not here to kidnap him, or force him into our Pack. We just want to meet him, let him know about his options and help him if he needs it. He's probably forgotten a lot, not having seen another Werewolf in twelve years."
"That sounds reasonable." David conceded, "But whatever happens, it's his choice, and he gets to hear both sides."
"Deal."
The hog came roaring down the otherwise deserted road, pulling to a quick stop as the driver barely paused long enough to kick down the stand. This, then, was their missing cub. He was a handsome cub, if incredibly skinny. His brown hair was a mess, his large brown eyes filled with wonder and fear, and shining wetly with what was likely tears. He was pale, almost as pale as the Vampires, his full lips opened and closed as he tried to find something to say. According to the records they had Alex Winther was 22 years old, but he looked several years younger.
"You must be Alex. My name is Siobhan McLaren, and this is my Pack, or most of it, anyway." She gestured toward the group behind her, "We heard that there might be a Werewolf here, a lost cub..."
Marko was suddenly by Alex's side, a fierce and protective look on his beautiful face. In an instant Paul was on his other side, also ready for trouble. David glared at them in warning, but said nothing. Dwyane dropped effortlessly from the roof, but kept a respectful distance, leaning casually against a wall. Still, she knew not to underestimate him. David and Michael stayed were they were.
She really hoped that this wasn't going to turn into a fight. They were prepared for it, if necessary, but killing his friends was the worst possible outcome for their first interaction with Alex, outside of him being somehow turned himself.
"Marko, Paul, it's all right. The last thing we need is to fight, especially so soon after Max's death." His voice was shaky, but his words were sincere. Siobhan understood enough of Vampire politics to know that David and his boys were in a dangerous position, a young, untested Master with prime hunting ground was going to be challenged, and with such a small Pack, they couldn't waste valuable energy and risk losing members to an unnecessary battle with someone who is not even a rival. There was also a slim possibility of an alliance, if the Master could summon the humility to ask for aid. An infamous Pack of Vampires allying with a fairly large Pack of Werewolves would frighten many challengers away, and add needed support against the ones not so easily intimidated.
"We just want to be ready. Just in case." Marko muttered, "We won't start anything if they don't." Then, in a whisper, "We don't want to spoil this for you."
The cub, no, the Wolf, turned and hugged the smaller Vampire tightly, then turned and hugged Paul as well.
That was something none of them had ever seen. Despite popular culture, Werewolves and Vampires weren't necessarily mortal enemies. They weren't competing for resources, Vampires didn't like Werewolf blood and they lived different lifestyles, so territory might be shared. But they weren't often close, either. It was more 'Live and Let Live' than anything.
It was clearly more than that here.
Alex smiled sheepishly and ran a hand through his dark hair, "I'm Alex, but you already knew that. Alex Winther. I... I don't remember much. About us, our people, I mean. I remember the howls, I think..."
"You did pretty well, if a little off key sometimes." She smiled and a few of the others chuckled lightly, they didn't want him to think they were making fun of him. Still, despite that, it was tragic to think of a cub brought up knowing so little of his own culture. From what she'd heard of Maxwell, it was likely the Vampires knew very little of their own heritage, much less of a wolf's. "You're happy with these people, aren't you?"
"They're my Pack. My family." Alex said proudly, slinging an arm over the smaller Vampire's shoulders as the taller Vampire put his arm around his shoulders. "I can't abandon them."
Marko grinned with pride and a bit of a challenge, Paul just smiled genially.
"But I would be happy to learn more about our kind, and to be around you, if you'll accept me..."
And if your friends allow it. Siobhan thought to herself. They clearly didn't trust the Werewolves, and seemed surprisingly upset at the incompetence that led to this situation. Perhaps it was their very wildness that made them more emotional than most Vampires they'd met. Or maybe it was Alex's presence for so long in their 'lives'...
"We can also put you in touch with people who know about Vampire history. From what I've heard, your former Sire wasn't very generous with such knowledge."
Dwyane looked up, clear interest on his face, before schooling himself back into dangerous apathy. He cursed himself for letting such an obvious tell slip, now the wolves would know he was interested in their offer.
"Why don't you talk to Alex while I talk it over with the boys?" David suggested.
"That's a fine idea, but I'd still like to get to know you, as well."
David smirked, "I'm not so sure you'd like what you'd find."
With that the Vampires all converged in the narrow alley, some more reluctantly than others.
XXXX
The Vampires spoke in their minds as the Wolves talked with Alex.
I don't trust them.
This is my show, Marko, not yours. Their minds are hard to see, but they'd prefer not to fight. Even if they won, they'd lose a lot of people. Now, the question is, what to do?
Starting a fight would go badly for us, Dwayne observed, they have numbers and strength on their side, and have had time to prepare. So I say we just listen, and let Alex choose what happens next.
Michael's eyes narrowed as he looked at the Werewolves, He knows everything about us. He could lead them straight to us. Has anyone considered that?
Marko, Paul and even Dwayne growled at Michael for the obvious implication of that statement, and the Werewolves all turned to see what was wrong. David gave his most charming smile, "Just a minor difference of opinion. Everything's fine."
You're new Michael, barely three days old as a Vampire, but there's something you need to understand. Even if he's not a Vampire, Alex is Pack. We do not kill Pack. Alex would never sell us out, especially to people he barely knows. Unlike you.
The last jab had Michael curling his fists in helpless anger. Michael Emerson had betrayed them, but he wasn't Michael Emerson, not anymore. And for all his loyalty, Alex was still mortal, with true mortal emotions like compassion, and was capable of change. Who's to say he would never decide that they deserved to die, or needed to die for the good of his new Pack, if he chose to go with them.
I don't know how to feel. He's probably the only mortal I'd honestly call my friend. He's more than just a guard dog, he's our brother, not by blood, but still, I want him to be happy...
The others nodded in agreement with Paul.
As everyone and their mother noted, I would love to get my hands on information about our history and culture. Vampires had to come from somewhere, and I hate not knowing anything about my own people.
We're not trading him for books, Dwayne.
I didn't suggest that, Marko.
Marko, Paul. Just calm down. Alex isn't going anywhere he doesn't want to, and we're not trading him off. But you know how lonely he is. To finally have some other Werewolves around would be good for him. Depending on how they act. So I say we just play this cool, but don't let your guards down.
Marko growled, followed quickly by the others.
Alex heart was racing, and he smelled of fear.
They rushed toward the Werewolves.
XXXX
Alex looked at the entire Pack standing before him. He hadn't seen another Werewolf for twelve years, and now an entire Pack had shown up, looking for him. He had no idea how to act, so he just said the first thing that came to mind.
"Hi."
Several of the Wolves broke out laughing, more at the sudden release of tension than anything.
"Hello, Alex Winther." The Alpha held out her hand and he shook it. She had a firm grasp. He stiffened as she suddenly pulled him into a hug, relaxing slowly. He heard a growl of warning from Marko, and gave him a thumbs up to show he wasn't being attacked. "It's good to finally meet you."
"Likewise."
She smiled at his polite reply.
He looked out over the Pack again, and took a deep breath, breathing in the scent of Werewolves for the first time in so long. It was a smell of life, of natural energy, adrenaline, fur and sweat mixed with the scent of the road, the scent of machines and motorcycles It was so different from the scent of Vampires, who smelled almost overwhelmingly of blood. Vampires do not sweat. They are not alive, not in the technical sense, no heartbeat, no pulse... Alex considered brain activity the true measure of life in a medical sense. After all, the boys were technically dead but obviously very much alive and active. But still, there was something missing from a Vampire, something important...
"That's right, you haven't smelled another Wolf in twelve years, either."
"Sometimes, before, I would smell that another Wolf had been by, or that I was in their territory. I always tried to keep out of the way..."
"You mean, you were afraid to be found by another Pack?"
He nodded sadly. "I was trespassing on their territory. I thought they would be angry... Besides, I didn't know if I was being followed by those hunters."
The entire Pack was silent with shock.
Dear God, Siobhan thought in horror, He was hiding. He thought he'd be hurt...
"You... You thought that another Pack would hurt you for trespassing?"
"Yeah. I guess I kind of..." He couldn't form the words. He'd been so afraid that he'd screwed his chance of being rescued. If he had just reached out...
"I know what you're thinking, and you're wrong. You were a scared cub, you didn't know who to trust... If anyone is to blame, it's the Packs who didn't even notice you moving through their territory. That's not something that should happen. I don't see how it could happen. I don't care how good you are at hiding, we both know how powerful our senses are." She shook her head in disbelief, and a few members of the Pack were murmuring among themselves. This shouldn't be possible. A cub can't simply slip through the cracks without anyone noticing.
New Orleans.
Could it be? They had smelled a cub on that pedophile's mangled corpse, an unknown cub. She'd heard about it from her parents. The LaGrange Pack had searched for weeks...
"Alex. Don't worry, if this was you, then it wasn't your fault. Where you ever in New Orleans, Louisiana?"
"That man." Alex's tried not to panic, but he could smell his own fear. His heartbeat was racing. Suddenly his brothers were flanking him again. All of them, even Michael.
"What's going on here?" David demanded.
"It wasn't your fault, Alex, no one blames you." Siobhan felt than calming Alex was more urgent than explaining herself. "About nine years ago a known rapist and pedophile was found mauled to death in New Orleans. There was the scent of an unknown cub-"
"He was defending himself! Was he supposed to just let-" Marko's eyes widened in horror. That had been something only the two of them knew. Alex had trusted him with that knowledge, he hadn't even told Paul. And now he'd opened his big stupid mouth...
"He's not in any trouble." Siobhan stated firmly, "But the local Rougarou Pack searched for weeks, trying to find the cub. How could they have missed him?"
"I hid, on a semi going out of town. I was... I had just..." He swallowed hard, trying to gather himself together. "He thought I was a prostitute, I told him I wasn't. He offered me money, and I told him no. He grabbed me and dragged me into a dark alley, started tearing at my clothes, hitting me. I panicked, I clawed him and bit him until he was on the ground." He took a deep breath, "I couldn't let him turn. Not someone who would rape a thirteen year old kid. He'd have hurt a lot of people. And he was screaming... I ripped his throat out. I couldn't let him turn."
Marco's strong arms were wrapped around his chest, and Paul's arms were around his shoulders, hugging him from behind. David put a hand on his head, and smiled, "You did what you had to do. Anyone who would blame you for that isn't worth the blood in their veins."
"He's right." The Alpha spoke softly, carefully, "If he'd lived, he'd have turned, and a psychotic child rapist becoming a Werewolf would have been a nightmare, for everyone. He had to be put down. As for the biting, Marko's right, you were protecting yourself."
It suddenly occurred to her that Marko was the only one of the Vampires to react when she mentioned New Orleans. Not even his other close friend Paul seemed to know what she meant. Marko was the only one who knew, until now. Why would a Vampire hide a killing from his Packmates, especially one in self defense?
"It's alright, Marko. It was going to come out anyway."
Marko looked at Siobhan with his big brown eyes, as Alex's hand carded through his curly blond hair. He was surprised, to say the least, that she was addressing him directly, trying to comfort him. How could she have known it was their secret?
Alex gave a weak laugh, "It's okay, Marko. I blabbed about your music, remember."
Marko started laughing, it was painful, but it was real. "Yeah. You can tell 'em, since I blabbed on you."
"Nah, I think I'll hold on to that for a more embarrassing situation."
"Jerkwolf." He replied without heat, gently tapping Alex on the shoulder.
"Bat Brat." Alex said with a smile.
"How long have you been here?" Siobhan asked.
"About eight years."
That fit with what they had been told. The Alpha wondered at what to talk about, with the Vampires suddenly interested in the conversation again. From what she'd heard, she doubted they'd be ashamed or upset by anything they'd done during the last eight years.
"How did you end up here? I mean, living with The Lost Boys?"
"I can answer that one." David stepped forward, "One night me and the boys were out, we weren't really hungry so we were just having fun, when Marko picked up this scent. He didn't quite know what it was, only that it wasn't human. We flew into the city, and found Alex. So there's this scrawny, half-starved human-looking kid about fourteen years old staring at us and we have no idea what he is. He was terrified, naturally, and he transformed. He didn't attack, he was clearly trying to scare us away, though. We laughed a bit and somebody, I'm not sure who, said "A real live Werewolf?" And Marko asked if we could keep him."
That didn't sound like a very pleasant introduction to the visiting Wolves.
"Alex asked what we were, and I told him. Vampires. And I thought; this kid can move around during the day, he's not human so he can't rat us out without risking himself, and he's clearly hungry and homeless. So I offered him a job. Guard us during the day, we get whatever he needed as payment. He was skeptical, but he agreed. Max was not happy, but I'd stopped giving a damn what Max thought a long time ago. I don't know why he hated Werewolves, but even he agreed that it was a good deal for us. At first he was real skittish, and he still can't stand being around when we feed, but we started to grow attached to him." He reached out and ruffled Alex's hair, "Marko got charmed first, being an animal lover- No offence, and then Paul. Marko and Paul, being Marko and Paul, got him to help with all kinds of practical jokes and crazy stunts they couldn't pull off themselves."
"That time he dyed your hair while you were asleep..." Marko broke off cackling, Paul began shaking with laughter, Alex chuckled and even Dwayne cracked a smile. David rolled his eyes, he'd been angry to wake up one night with hot pink hair, but the others had held him back long enough for him to see the humor in the situation.
"He also helped with things we would never have been able to do, like taking down all those crucifixes someone nailed all over on the Boardwalk a few years back, and taking out the ones still left in our lair from before we took over so that we could go wherever we wanted inside. Eventually he just became part of the family, and he saved our hides a couple of times. In fact, he saved Marko's life three days ago. Dwayne was impressed and liked his company, for Dwayne that's high praise. Then I got sucked in. Max never came around, his loss. Alex is a great kid, even if he is too soft. He's fixed a lot of things around our lair, cleaned it up real nice, and he handles anything that needs to be done during the day. He's as loyal as any of us to our Pack, and he's proved it time and time again."
He looked at Michael, "Mikey here doesn't know him that well, he's only been with us what, three nights? And Alex has been away from the lair for all of that time, staying at Max's house while we settle some things up." David considered adding that Michael's mortal family liked Alex, but considering how things had gone with his family earlier that night, he didn't think it would be a good idea. He wondered about Michael, he hadn't shown the kind of blood-lust the others, and he himself, had shown when newly turned. His first kill had been a blood bath, but after that he'd been very neat and scarily calm. David hoped he hadn't made a mistake, but even if he hadn't wanted to turn Michael, Max had wanted him... He realized that he was drifting, and turned his attention back the Werewolves.
"That's the story, all condensed like a Reader's Digest." David finished with a smirk.
Alex nodded. He saw David as his Alpha, that was clear to the Wolves. Though they hadn't been selfless in taking him in, they hadn't been cruel from what they could tell. If he had survived dying his Alpha's hair in his sleep and could laugh about it later he probably wasn't treated too badly. Siobhan looked at Alex again, trying to read him, see if there was anything that indicated abuse or domination, but couldn't find it.
"I'm glad you found him, then. It's a shame that our people didn't." She added, knowing the Vampires would probably say it if she didn't. It was true, after all.
"You look too young to have been an Alpha, or even an adult, twelve years ago..."
She didn't know if he was being patronizing or complimenting her. Possibly both.
"Do you have any idea how this could have happened?"
"No. I don't. Like you said, I was a cub when Alex's family was murdered, and I don't remember hearing anything about a mysterious cub around our territory." Something struck her as odd, "Alex, why did it take you four years to cross the U.S. when you could probably walk across the country in a matter of months?"
"I wandered around a lot, stayed in some places longer than others. I was basically like any other homeless kid, I lived where I could and slept where I could, went to shelters sometimes, the YMCA, got rides wherever I could. I also didn't go straight here once I hit California. After the... Attack, I headed down to Florida first, went all the way down the state, but I left after the first hurricane. I never want to be anywhere near one of those again. After New Orleans I headed North, ended up in Maine, but fall convinced me I couldn't stay up there, not in the winter, anyway. I thought about New York, get lost in the crowd, you know? But I'd heard so much about how dangerous it is and I was too scared... It went on like that, you know?
Maine? Siobhan realized just how close he'd been to being rescued. There were several packs there, and in Massachusetts, and, of course...
"Did you go through West Virginia?"
"No. I avoided pretty much that whole area, because of the hunters. Why?"
If he'd only gone through West Virginia!
"There are a some Packs there." She didn't know how to tell him, but the Vampires all looked a bit suspicious at such a specific question. If Alex was suspicious, he was too excited, too overwhelmed, to act on it.
"What about the... The hunters? The ones that killed my family?"
"They're dead. Werewolves don't just let people murder our kin and get away with it."
"All of them?"
"It took a while, tracking them all down, but between the different clans we managed to pick them off one by one." She shook her head, "It's painful to think, that while our people were avenging your family, we didn't think to look for you."
"I'm glad for that. Stopping the hunters, I mean. I don't have to worry about them finding me anymore?"
"No, you don't."
He smiled sadly. It wouldn't bring his family back, but they'd never hurt anyone again
"There's something else you need to know." She really didn't want to do this, but he would know soon enough, "Your family... They weren't the only members of the Winther Clan. You have a rather large family, in fact. The main Pack is in West Virginia."
She barely had time to see the shock on his face before the fallout started.
"What!? He has a family and none of them even looked for him!" Marko wasn't looking so Angelic anymore, he was in full Vampire mode, "Where the hell were they all this time!"
The other Vampires, aside from Michael, seemed to share the sentiment. Vampires tended to be close, taking pride in their covens and bloodlines. This Max had clearly been a piss-poor Sire, but the familial instinct was there in his Childer. Within seconds feral, angry Vampires were shouting obscenities and attacking inanimate objects, one of them punching his hand through a stone wall, taking out their rage on the surroundings, and thankfully, not on the Pack. Alex himself stood stunned and silent.
She couldn't imagine being in his situation, a young Werewolf having been traumatized, orphaned, homeless, without family or friends and finally taken in by Vampires of all people, howling his loneliness, his need for his own kind into the night, only to learn that he had a family that didn't know he was alive for twelve years, that didn't even look... He looked like he was about to fall. Suddenly an arm was around his shoulders, steadying him.
Paul looked into Alex's face and was disturbed by what he saw, "Alex?"
The other Vampires immediately ceased their tirade and rushed over to the stricken Werewolf they considered family. Siobhan stepped back, the look on Marko's face was terrifying, even to her.
"It's okay... Just breath, remember, like I taught you?" Dwayne's voice was eerily calm, "In and out. In and out..."
Alex was shaking like a leaf, gulping down air as if he had been drowning. Marko was apologizing for his outburst profusely, sincerely. Sincere empathy for a member of another species was unheard of among Vampires. How deeply did this bond run? Alex slowly started to steady himself, his breathing evened out. He looked around him, at the Vampires, the Werewolves, the vacant warehouses and overgrown lots. His face reddened slightly as he returned to himself.
"Thank you," He wearily met the eyes of his Vampire Packmates, "I have no idea what you're apologizing for Marko, but, please, stop. You didn't do anything wrong. I heard you yelling something, but I didn't understand... It was... I can't describe it. I was here, but I wasn't."
Marko's face expressed an understanding that could only have come from similar experience. This was familiar to him. Disassociation. It often happened to people in times of trauma, or even later, in flashbacks. She'd seen it before on her cousin who'd been in Vietnam. Alex was in a state of shock, his whole world had broken. He'd finally met other Werewolves for the first time since his immediate family was murdered over a decade ago, and they tell him that he has living kin who weren't looking for him.
"This, this is not a... We should probably wait a while, let Alex rest." She said gently.
"Yeah." David's voice was distant, as if he wasn't paying attention. His eyes were on Alex.
"C'mon Alex, let's go sit down for a while..." Paul and Marko led him towards a weed-choked lot, looking for a place clear of litter where he could sit down and get himself together.
"Has this happened before?" Siobhan turned to Dwayne, who was watching the trio carefully.
"No. Not to Alex, anyway. Paul's good with helping out with this sort of thing. Alex's had a few mild panic attacks, but never this..."
Not to Alex? So, the look she'd seen on Marko's face wasn't just her imagination after all... What the hell could traumatize a Vampire? She hoped she'd never find out. Right now, though, Alex was the main concern.
Dwayne and David headed for the lot, Michael trailing behind after a moment, so newly turned he probably didn't even understand the bonds he now felt.
"This is bad." Gilliam looked anxiously toward the Vampires, "No. This isn't bad, it's worse."
Watching the Vampires squatting above the broken glass and other debris trying to comfort their Packmate both impressed upon the Wolves how deeply this relationship ran, and how alike their people could be. She wanted to go over and offer support, as did several of her Pack, but they feared the reaction, not from the protective Vampires, but from Alex himself.
He'd never leave his family.
That's what they were, his family.
And he theirs.
The Winther Pack was going to have to be very careful when they sent someone to check up on their lost cub.
She turned to her Pack, "Liam, Donal, go find a pay phone and call the Winther Pack. Tell them what's happened, about Alex, everything. Tell them not to do anything stupid. I mean that as I said it, Don't do anything stupid. One wrong move here could start a war." She looked toward the others, "We're going to have to find somewhere to stay, somewhere close, but not too close. From now on only two or three of us come at a time." She looked towards the Vampires, "If his Pack will allow it after this."
Everyone nodded their understanding.
"We're taking him home." David's voice brooked no argument.
"Of course. I... I didn't intend for this to happen."
To his credit, the young Master Vampire didn't make the obvious retort.
It doesn't matter what you intended, it happened anyway.
"But someone had to tell him. He deserves to know."
"Yeah. You're right. Why didn't you call them before?"
"I was going to call them if it turned out that the Wolf here was a member of their family, I didn't want to get their hopes up if it was a mistake or a trick." It wasn't a mistake, one of the few things that applied to in this situation. "I know it sounds presumptuous, considering what just happened, but some of my Pack have dealt with trauma before. And you will not be able to help him during the day, in case something happens. Perhaps one of them would be of help?"
"I hadn't thought about the day... Vampires don't usually make plans for daytime activities." He shook his head. He looked tired. "I think that would be a good idea. Just one, though. And if they try anything..."
"He won't"
She turned toward a shorter member of the Pack, ironically he was built similarly to Marko, but his hair was shorter and darker, his pale skin heavily freckled and his eyes sparkled black. "Sean. Follow whoever takes the motorcycle back to their place. Someone needs to be with the cub during the day."
"Yes, ma'am." He went toward their vehicles, mostly cars but a few motorcycles. He headed for a burnt orange Harley Davidson, got on, and waited for the Vampires to leave.
She watched as Marko pulled Alex up and lifted them both into the sky. The others joined in, except for Paul, who headed for his motorcycle, clearly to drive it wherever 'home' is.
Normally, she would have been surprised, and probably frightened, to see a Vampire flying away with a Werewolf in his arms. But nothing about this situation was normal.
XXXX
Clearly, despite the fact that the lights were on, no one was home.
The Detective sighed, he hated this case with a passion. It was all wrong. He was certain Marko had killed Dr. Anderson, but seeing photos of the Doctor's house he felt more inclined to give the kid a medal than arrest him. But, beyond his own opinion and Marko's unnerving personality, what did he have? He had Marko openly admitting that he intended to rob Doctor Anderson, and the fact that they got into a physical fight. Alex confirmed that Marko had been alone with the Doctor for at least three hours the night he disappeared, and he himself had no real alibi beyond being seen leaving the Boardwalk. Their testimony could get them a warrant, but he didn't doubt the entire band would vanish at the slightest hint of possible arrest. And with the way people in this town, including the police, seemed to go out of their way to appease The Lost Boys, it was very likely they'd be tipped off to any movement against them. He wanted to end the investigation, but he'd need a good reason. Still, a body, or even part of one, would be nice to prove the freak dead and lay this thing to rest.
He turned to see four young men, no, five, Marko was carrying Alex, who looked completely out of it, land on the front lawn.
They landed.
They simply eased down from the sky, where they had been flying like birds, and landed.
He recognized the newest member, Michael Emerson from the family's photos, the others he recognized by description. David and Dwayne, the man he'd come to see about Maxwell Ward's financial accounts. He didn't see Paul, and was beginning to wonder if the man actually existed. Maybe he was invisible.
He couldn't discount anything, not anymore.
"Move." Marko actually snarled at him, while holding the other boy protectively in his arms.
The Detective stepped to the side as Dwayne opened the door to allow Marko and his burden access.
"Is he alright?"
He didn't ask about the flying. He didn't want to ask about the flying. Because it never happened. Because if he did report it, they'd lock him in the nuthouse and throw away the key.
"He just had a bad shock. He'll be alright, I hope." Dwayne barely acknowledged him as David went inside.
"Anything I can do?"
"Don't tell anyone."
"I have no desire to live out my life in a straightjacket. I'm not saying anything."
"Marko dumped the body somewhere random off the shelf. The water's too deep, and the body's weighed down with rocks. You'll never find it."
The Detective just nodded, "That's good."
"Goodnight." Dwyane stepped inside, closing the door behind him.
"Goodnight." He echoed blankly.
The Detective walked back to his car. Now he knew why the local Police didn't do squat about The Lost Boys, and he found he agreed wholeheartedly with that idea.
This case was over.
He drove off to his hotel, packed his things, and hopped a flight back to Chicago.
XXXX
"Orange, really"
"Hey, orange is the new black."
Paul shook his head. He liked attention, but an orange motorcycle? Okay, so it was a really dark orange, but still... Orange?
The two bikes, Paul's, which Alex had been riding, and Sean's Harley were close enough for two people with enhanced hearing to have a conversation, even over the sound of the engines.
"What were you guys expecting to get out of this?" Paul asked.
"We mainly wanted to know what was going on. We didn't have much time before we came here."
"Did you call his family?"
Sean considered that question carefully. When his Alpha had brought up the Winther Pack, the entire Coven, except that one guy with curly black hair, had gone nuts. Of course, Alex had been there at the time, and he wasn't here now.
"Our Pack contacted the Winther Pack, yeah."
"What are they planning?"
"I have no clue. Since Alex is a Winther, they'll most likely send some people out to see him, talk to him. Try to find out what went wrong."
"How do you lose an entire kid?
"The place was burnt to the ground. Not much was left. But that doesn't explain how Alex crossed the territories of at least nine Packs without being found."
"And the hunters?"
"All dead. I was just a cub then, and it was in Georgia, way out of our territory."
"Which is?"
"Mount Shasta. The general area, anyway."
"That's a long way from here."
"We were heading home from Pack business in San Francisco. Everyone knows Santa Carla is Vampire Territory, no one thought to look for a Wolf here, until that Widow approached us. We were at a motel a couple of towns over."
Paul pulled into the driveway of Max's place, with Sean following his lead.
"How'd she know where to find you?" Paul opened the garage door.
"I don't know." His jaw dropped, "Is that an Indian Chief?" Sean stared in awe at the bike and sidecar, "!940's?"
"!940 on the dot. Alex and us scraped it together from pieces from scrapyards and mail-in replacements. This bike I'm riding is mine, Alex was just using because he's supposed to be laying low, and you can't lay low with his bike."
"Why was he laying low?" Sean got down and looked over at the antique.
"You've heard about that Doctor that went missing? Marko killed him. He was a real sicko. Alex was there when they met, so we had to make it look like they were both in hiding, in case the creep came after them. You know, to throw off the cops."
Sean looked back at the closed garage door, "Wait, are you being watched by the police now?"
"No." Dwyane appeared in the doorway to the house, "The Detective just left, he saw us fly in and decided he was under too much stress. He quit the case and is going back back to Chicago."
"He saw you fly in...?!"
"Imagine what would happen if he told his superiors he saw us flying around? Do you think they'd believe him?"
"They'd lock him in the Looney Bin." Paul chuckled, being a creature of myth had some advantages. "And the rest of the investigation?"
"They have nothing but a few statements. Marko was actually telling the truth this time about cleaning up. I don't know where he killed that guy, but no one's found a drop of blood anywhere."
Sean was a little uncomfortable that the two Vampires in front of him were casually discussing a murder that had taken place, even if the victim had been a worse monster than any of them.
"is Alex doing any better?" He asked.
"He's sleeping right now. He hasn't had much sleep for a while now, between Marko being attacked in our lair, Max dying, Michael being turned and now this. It's been a bad week for him."
"Wait, Marko was attacked?" Sean didn't really know Marko, but he knew that he was close to Alex. That they cared about each other, a Vampire and a Werewolf. Their people weren't enemies, but they weren't close, either. Something unusual had happened here. Four young Vampires with a Sire who hated Werewolves taking in, raising and protecting a lost cub.
"A couple of dumb kids and Michael's little brother Sam thought they'd go Van Helsing on our asses while we slept," Paul explained, "They almost staked Marko before Alex scared them off. We caught Sammy though. Alex watched him all day, then took him home."
"You let him go?"
"Sam's what, thirteen? He's pretty funny, smart, too and Alex likes him. We had decided not to kill him, then Max showed up and told us not to kill him. Max was trying to get at Michael and Sam's mother. He wanted us to have a mother in our lives, with added family and obligatory dog and white picket fence. The Brady Bunch, basically... But with Vampires and without Alice." They stepped into the house, Dwayne, not being a total savage like the others, left his boots on the mat next to Alex's sneakers, as did Sean when he noticed.
"I like Alice. She's the only sane one."
Dwyane grimaced, "Well, it certainly wasn't Max. He was going to turn a ten year old boy so we could have a little brother forever."
Sean was horrified and disgusted, "What... What happened?"
"To Laddie? He was freed when Max died, and he's back home now, safe."
"Thank God."
"Indeed."
Marko was pacing the living room, chewing his thumbnail.
"He's in bed right now, sleeping. I think he just needs time to think things out." Marko looked up, "This is the second f*****-up family reunion tonight. Michael and Alex went to dinner with the Emersons, and Mikey wasn't exactly polite about how he'd changed. Nobody got hurt, physically, but Alex was upset that it turned out like it did. That's why he went howling tonight."
"What did he expect me to do, lie? Pretend that I was still Lucy Emerson's precious baby boy?" It was the first time Sean had heard Michael speak, "Sometimes you have to just rip off the bandage. It would have been crueler if I'd let her think Michael Emerson was still in here, somewhere. I'm a monster, I can't let any of them think otherwise, or they'll try to 'save' me again and get themselves killed."
That made sense, as painful as it was, he couldn't have his family just following him around as if nothing had changed. If he were hungry enough or lost control, he'd eat anyone. And there were four other Vampires who also needed to eat in the Pack...
They talked a little more, then Dwayne suggested Sean get some sleep, to be better able to deal with Alex tomorrow. He agreed.
As Sean Antonio McLaren lay in the surprisingly comfortable guest bed in a house of Vampires, he wondered at everything that had happened. It was a tragic, convoluted, and bizarre series of events that had led to this moment, which was in itself something Sean had never imagined happening in his life. Eventually, between the trip and the late hour, he finally fell into a deep sleep.
To be continued...
Notes-
Face-Claim for Sean Antonio McLaren - Chester Rushing
Rougarou - Cajun term for Werewolf. Sort of. It's complicated.
Siobhan is not a love interest, nor is Marko for that matter. Or Sean.
Why did I give Siobhan McLaren an exotic name while I've been taking jabs at girls with exotic names in fanfiction for almost the entire story? Simple, I was thinking of Werewolf: the Apocalypse and the tribes of the Garou. I'll have to simplify this, or it will be a book-length note.
If this was WTA, Alex would be from the Bone Gnawer tribe, who live humble, lowly lives in service to Gaia among the poor and homeless. The other Tribes look at them as common Mutts, and treat them as such. Though humble, they are as powerful of fighters as any of the other tribes, some have won great battles against The Wyrm, but they are rarely acknowledged for their deeds. The others would rather see them as street trash, even when it's obvious they are not. Most Packs will accept Bone Gnawers, unless they rampant supremacists like the Red Talons or status obssessed aristocrats like the Silver Fangs, but rarely treat them as equals. Some Bone Gnawer Packs will deal with Kindred in a relatively friendly way, typically those of Clan Nosferatu, who are as looked down upon and shunned as they are.
One of the other tribes is the Fianna, a tribe of Werewolves generally of Scottish origin who tend to be rowdy and fun-loving, but, like all Garou, dangerous if provoked. I picture the McLaren Pack as Fianna, and they typically have proudly Scottish/Celtic names, Siobhan, Bran, Angus, etc...
Siobhan will likely be a minor character as well.
As I said, this is an extremely simplified description of a few of the Garou clans, there are exceptions, and there are nuances, cultural and otherwise, that I honestly either don't know or don't have the time, space or inclination to set down in detail.
Treatment and understanding of mental illness was far from what it is today in the 1980's. PTSD was called Shell Shock, and it was poorly understood. It was recognized since at least WWI, but mental health issues have never been at the top of the government's priorities.