Lost Wolf
Chapter 11
"All Original Recipe?" Sean set the side dishes on the finely crafted wooden dining table.
"The only KFC is Original KFC." Alex stated adamantly. He set the bucket of chicken on the table. "God Bless Colonel Harlan Sanders. There are drinks in the fridge, but I wouldn't drink anything that is not marked 'Alex'."
Sean understood that immediately. There were currently two Vampires staying in the house, both of whom undoubtedly left liquid meals in various bottles and containers. He looked into the fridge and saw several wine bottles, (definitely off-limits), some beer, (Likely off-limits), some Ginger Ale, about a dozen bottles of sarsaparilla, some bottled water, orange soda and cream soda all marked 'Alex'. "Anything in particular you want?"
"Cream Soda." Alex was setting out two nice plates, napkins and non-silver silverware. Sean briefly wondered if he was going to get down the wine glasses but he simply put down coasters for the bottles. Sean grabbed Alex's drink and an orange soda and headed into the dining room.
"Are you sure they won't want some?"
"Marko doesn't eat birds, and they both prefer... Well, you know."
The two ate and talked a bit about past adventures and ridiculous mishaps, laughing and joking and generally having a great time. It would be dark in a few hours, and the Vampires would wake up, so they were going to spend the rest of the day dealing with Werewolf matters before dealing with Vampire matters.
They'd talked earlier about the McLaren Pack, how it functioned, how the Alpha was chosen, etc... It was sad that Alex knew so little of his own culture, but it was also nice to be able to introduce him to the things he'd forgotten. Sean wasn't sure how to bring up the Winther Pack, but he knew he had to, as they had sent several Pack members, including the Alpha, to see Alex and learn what they could about his life.
As it turned out, Alex brought it up first.
"I know you're probably worried about talking about my family, especially after what happened last night, but I've been thinking about it, and I'd like to know more."
Sean took a deep swig of orange soda, "I really don't know as much as you'd probably like to know, but I'll tell you what I can. The Winther Pack came from somewhere around Norway, Sweden, that area, and settled here in the 1800's. The U.S., I mean. It's a fairly big Pack, with smaller family Packs in several areas, but the main Pack is based in West Virginia. The current Alpha is named Mattias Winther, he's been Alpha for about ten years now. I'd never heard of the Pack until the... Until the murders. It really shook up a lot of Wolves, I was just a cub then, too. I remember wondering what kind of people could do things like that... But, the attack made us all more careful. We carry weapons now, for one thing. Claws and fangs are good in battle, but not when your opponant has silver bullets. As you already know, they hunted down and killed those murderers, with help from a few other Packs." He paused, "I really don't know much about what happened, and I won't ask you to talk about it, but I do know that Mattias and several other members of the Pack are on their way here. They should be able to tell you more than I can. They should arrive sometime early tomorrow morning."
"Which means we'll need to get a good night's sleep tonight." Alex looked at the clock on the wall across the room, "We'd best talk with the boys, prepare them."
"It's okay to be nervous."
"I know... It's just, so, complicated. We know that you guys could find our lair, our real lair, anytime you want by sniffing it out, but the idea of showing so many people our lair is difficult. For me, at least. Unfortunately, it's already been compromised by the Frog Brothers..." He paused, looking at the drumstick in his hand, "There's also the Alpha. Alpha Winther. I don't know how he'll react to me. It feels like I'm barely a Wolf anymore, sometimes."
"You're a Wolf, believe me. You were just raised a bit different. As for Alpha Winther, he can't really do anything, well, stupid, even if he wanted to. Between our Pack and The Lost Boys, he's outgunned." He held up his hands, "Not that I expect him to do anything stupid. He's supposed to come here, talk with you, talk with your Pack, and check on you. Make sure you're all right, for the sake of your family. Try to set up something that will let them visit you while you keep on living your life here. Unless you want to go, which I can't see happening with the bonds you've formed here. Of course, to have some Werewolves move into Santa Carla we'd have to get permission from David, or one of the other Vampire leaders, depending on where they want to stay."
"Alpha McLaren said that Werewolves and Vampires tend to be 'Live and let live.', That we don't interact often. What exactly does that mean?"
"Well, until we learned about you, we didn't really trust Vampires, we still don't, with a few exceptions, of course. And we know your Pack would do anything for you. But mainly we don't really deal with each other beyond formal things, territorial negotiations, things like that. A lot of it has to so with the fact that we live such different lives. We live and work and everything else during the day, while the Vampires own the night. So we don't usually run into each other often, even if a Werewolf is out at night and a Vampire happens by they rarely stop to talk. There's also the fact that they have to kill people to survive. I know that they have to do what they were made to do, even if that isn't particularly pleasant to the rest of us. But it does put a strain on things, it's hard to just sit back and let people get eaten, even if the Vampires have no choice in the matter. It's part of our nature, we're natural predators, like Vampires, but with the exception of a few psychos and sickos we don't really hurt people often. We kill when we have no other choice, that's what you had to do... And that's what Vampires have to do as well. But it's easy to judge people when you don't understand them. I was taught that Vampires were mainly emotionless, at least when it comes to positive emotions. But just being here for such a short time I've seen that's not necessarily true."
"They can be truly awful, sometimes. From a human point of view, probably from the point of view of a normal Werewolf, they can be cruel and sadistic. When they become a Vampire, something in them dies. I know they're capable of empathy, but it's very, very hard for them. I didn't realize how true that was until I saw how Michael changed. But, at the same time, I'm not so sure. Michael Emerson sacrificed himself to protect his family. As a Vampire, Michael rather cruelly drove them away from him. But in a way, that was sacrificing himself for them too. By letting them see him as a total monster with nothing good left inside of him, he's keeping them safe from doing foolish things like trying to 'rescue' him, or trying to keep close to him when he knows he can't control his hunger. At least, I think that is what he was doing..."
Alex suddenly had an uncomfortable thought, "Sean, I know how this will sound, but are all members of a Pack blood-related?"
Sean stared at him wide-eyed for a second, "No! I mean, most of us have the Pack name, but that's just to identify us. We take partners that are outside of our Pack, or turned, or even humans. My father's name is Miguel Antonio Hernandez. But I was named McLaren, after my mother's Pack. Dad's bitten, not a born Wolf, and Pack generally comes first in naming kids. I could go by Sean Antonio Hernandez, or Sean Antonio McLaren, or Sean Antonio Hernandez McLaren. But my parents aren't related..."
"I didn't mean to offend you."
"No, that's okay. When you have a bunch of people who are all very close and all have the same last name it does look a bit weird. In my case it's pretty obvious my parents aren't closely related when you see them together, my father's from Mexico and dark-skinned, my mother's pale with red hair and freckles. I'm a bit harder, I'm paler and whiter than most white boys, and, given my full name, most people think I'm Scotch/Italian, not Scotch/Mexican. Since our Pack members typically live in areas with a lot of people of Scottish or Irish descent, a lot of couples are both pale white, red-haired, freckled and both named McLaren, and a lot of people naturally think they're related. That's probably true of the Winthers as well. As a Pack of Werewolves we tend to stick close together, closer than most humans, and that makes it look even more suspicious. But we have the same view of incest and inbreeding as most people."
"Thank God!"
XXXX
Marko and Paul lay sprawled out in the guest bed, pretty much unable to move due to the sun being up. It wasn't nearly as comfortable as hanging upside down by their claws, but it worked.
They listened all day to the Wolves outside. Alex and Sean got along well, at least. They were about the same age, Sean was likeable enough and Alex was desperate for companionship.
That hurt, in a way. Knowing that they couldn't provide the kind of company their brother needed. They'd known that before, of course, but actually seeing him spending the day with someone else was enlightening. He was becoming much more open and less nervous.
It was also interesting, and a little funny, that the Werewolves didn't hide how they felt about them. The Alpha thought they were insane, and she was probably right. Even Alex said that they were cruel. Which was true. He didn't try to make them out to be poor, misunderstood creatures, but dangerous predators to be feared.
To be respected.
They also learned a bit more about how the people in town viewed them, thanks to the Werewolves going around asking about them. And that Alex didn't trust Michael, which was natural because Michael as a mortal had betrayed them and as a Vampire was an unknown quantity to the Werewolf. And Michael didn't particularly care about Alex, either. He wasn't hostile to him, he just didn't see why they kept a mortal around, Werewolf or not. Especially now that they had Thorn to guard them.
They'd learned quite a bit about the Werewolves as well, and how they lived.
Dwayne should have stayed. He could have learned a lot about Werewolves just by listening, and he smells better than you.
If I could move I'd punch your fangs out, shorty.
Don't worry, I'm listening. Dwayne cut in, We're mentally connected, remember?
We're cruel and sadistic? What about that big, muscle-head pretty-boy bastard from a few years back? Angelo? We're better than him, at least. Paul griped.
Angelus. David corrected, And yes, yes we are cruel and sadistic. We're just less cruel and sadistic than he is.
Spike was fun, though, and that chick... Drusilla? She was crazy. Like, scary crazy. And that freaky doll she carried around...
Yeah, remember that trick Spike did with that one guy we caught cruising for little kids and the railroad spike? That was just sick...
Yeah. I wish Spike had stayed...
But not Angelus. Guy's a total monster. His name is as misleading as Marko's Angelic little face.
You do realize I have no idea what you're talking about, right?
Do you really care, Mikey?
No. Not really. But warn me if this guy comes back.
If he comes back here, I'll call the hunters on him myself.
What hunters? The Frogs? Against Angelus?
David laughed, That would rid us of the Frogs... But no, there are plenty of hunters out their who'd love to dust Angelus.
Yes, but A. They'd have to actually defeat Angelus, something we couldn't do, and B. What's to keep them from coming after us? Dwayne reasoned. Better not to be noticed when it comes to that one...
You make him sound like the Devil.
He is, Mikey. You're lucky you fell in with us and not him. And it's a good thing we didn't have Alex with us, then, too. That freak probably would have killed him just for the pleasure of watching him die.
Or Dru could have taken him as a 'pet'. I'd hate to think of what that crazy chick would do to anyone...
XXXX
Finally, night fell and the Vampires were finally able to come out.
Paul smirked, "KFC? I figured you'd go out for a big dish of beef chow mein."
The two Vampires began a howling rendition of Werewolves of London by Warren Zevon.
"I saw a Werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand
Walking through the streets of Soho in the rain
He was looking for a place called Lee Ho Fook's
Gonna get a big dish of beef chow mein.
Awoooo
Werewolves of London.
Awoooo"
Both Werewolves howled along. How one makes a song with the line 'Little old lady got mutilated last night' hilarious was beyond either Wolf's understanding.
Marko raised a glass and howled, "Draw blood!"
XXXX
The meeting with the Winther Pack was set for Max's house, and Alex was nervous. He vacuumed the carpet, cleaned up any discarded clothes just left lying around, and insisted the boys take off their boots before coming in. They laughed at his attempts at being domestic, but they agreed. No one was really sure how things would unfold. None of them, including Sean, knew Alpha Mattias Winther or any of his Pack. Alpha Siobhan McLaren was coming as well, but she hadn't actually met him in person either.
It was somewhat tense, as no one really knew how either group would react. Marko had a hold on his temper, for now, but the others were better at hiding their agitation. Alex himself wasn't sure how he'd react to seeing his kin. He knew, rationally, that they didn't intentionally abandon him, but with so many Packs and territories it was hard to believe he hadn't even been scented before leaving. He'd lived in some cities for months among the homeless, he was hiding, yes, but he wasn't that skilled.
Was he?
Did he have some kind of gift for stealth that allowed him to escape the slaughter of his Pack unnoticed and pass through all of those Werewolf territories without a trace? He'd seen far stranger things. The McLaren Pack had found him, but he'd been actively reaching out to others of his kind, and the Widow Johnson had given the Pack information about himself, his history and the boys.
"Okay, they're on their way." Sean confirmed from the phone call they'd just received.
"They're early."
"That's a good thing. That way we'll be here to talk to them as well." The boys really wanted to scope these people out before leaving them alone with Alex. A little mind reading could go a long way, after all. Plus, it seemed like the McLaren Pack was on "their side" of the issue, at least Sean was, and Siobhan claimed to be. They wouldn't allow anything to go down without a fight. What impact a fight between two Werewolf Packs would have, especially under such unusual circumstances, was worrisome. No one wanted this to end in violence. Hopefully the Winthers would just come, talk to Alex, and make some arrangement with him to keep in touch, maybe have a Pack member or two move into town. They'd be fools to try to force him to leave the boys or Santa Carla.
Paul chuckled, "I wonder if you have any relatives named Winter Winther?"
XXXX
Mattias Winther looked over the house as they approached, it was a fairly large house, not a mansion, but definitely the home of a well-to-do individual. It had three stories and an attic, presumably with a basement, and a multi-car garage. It was also relatively isolated, with no immediate neighbors.
This, then, was where Maxwell Ward had lived out his final years.
There were several well-kept motorcycles parked in front of the house, the garage must have been full, he assumed, and the windows not covered by blackout curtains shone with light.
Alpha Winther turned to Alpha McLaren, "You said that there are five of them?"
"Not counting Alex. And Sean, one of my Pack, is already with them. He's been keeping Alex company during the day."
"That's good of him, and you."
"It's the least we can do, and they seem to get along well together." She smiled, "There's no chance of confusing who is who, Alex is so skinny he could hide behind a lamp post and Sean is freckled and kind of chubby."
"And you said to be careful around the one who looks like an Angel and the tall rock star?"
"Marko and Paul. Marko most of all. Be careful what you say around any of them, but especially those two."
The car pulled into the driveway with Alpha Winther, two members of his Pack and Alpha McLaren. She'd advised against bringing even that many people, but decided agreed that it might be necessary in case of a need to defend themselves.
They all got out and headed to the door, lead by Alpha McLaren. Alpha Winther could smell death heavy on the air, along with diesel fuel, pot, tobacco and blood.
Not a pleasant combination.
He could hear a faint growl from Mary, turned and looked at her in warning. He was still Alpha for now, and he couldn't allow this to get worse.
Alpha McLaren raised her hand to knock when the door swung open, revealing a handsome young man with bleach-blond hair styled into a mullet and a boyish face that belied the age and power he exuded.
David, then.
"Hello, David. This is Alpha Mattias Winther, and two of his Pack, Jan and Mary. They've come to see Alex."
David glared at the Winther Alpha, then gave a blatantly false smile, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Alpha."
Mattias chose to ignore the attitude, "And you, David. Do you go by any title?"
"Nah. We're pretty informal." David stepped aside and gave an exaggerated bow.
"Shoes go here." He indicated a mat with boots and tennis shoes. Mattias added his dress shoes and his Betas their Doc Martins before taking a look around.
The inside of the house was bizarre, video game machines and neon clashed against finely carved wood and impeccable furnishings. Pure white furniture with a raggedy brown couch thrown in. The rug had very recently been vacuumed. There were six young men standing in the living room, and he recognized them all by their descriptions. Short, Angel-faced Marko, who was radiating hostility and mistrust, tall, dark Dwayne, looming quietly and studying their every movement, The equally tall Paul, who was glaring daggers at them, young Michael, who seemed intrigued but wary, a short, smiling, shaggy haired, heavily freckled young Wolf, Sean, and a slightly taller, gaunt-looking brown haired young Wolf with a wary, but hopeful, look in his eyes.
Alex.
He was dressed simply, a non-descript blue t-shirt and blue jeans, none of the leather, mesh or metal the other boys preferred. The only clue to his involvement with The Lost Boys was a single dangling earring with a wolf's head charm in his right ear. No other jewelry, piercings, make-up, hair dye... He was simply himself. If not for the Wolf scent, which was almost masked by that of the Vampires, Mattias would have never noticed him on the street had he been human.
"Alex Winther?" Mattias extended a hand to the skinny young wolf, "I'm Alpha Mattias Winther. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."
All eyes were on the two as Alex took his hand and they shook. He was at a lose for words, and subtly nodded toward the other two Winther Wolves present.
"My names Jan. With a J." Jan extended his hand and firmly shook Alex's own with a smile. He was tall, lanky and dark, the first darker skinned Wolf Alex had yet seen. He was in his early twenties, attractive and had black hair and amber eyes , "And this is Mary." Mary was short, blond and muscular, with blue-green eyes. She shook Alex's hand and gave a hesitant smile, eyes tracking the Vampires in the room.
Nervous? No, she was on edge, but it wasn't nerves.
Mattias was wearing a light blue suit and black tie, Jan was wearing a black hoodie with tight black jeans and Mary was wearing leather vest over a black t-shirt and leather pants.
"It's nice to meet you?" Alex was still a bit lost, "Uhm, this is Marko," The Alpha looked at the young Vampire and held out his hand, Marko looked at it like a poisonous snake, but shook it anyway, making sure to put extra pressure in his grip. One by one they reluctantly shook his hand, only Michael and Sean not trying to crush it. Things went similarly with Jan, more a test of strength than a welcome from most. Mary didn't want to shake their hands, and since they didn't want to shake hers he let it go. It was a mistake, bringing her. He gave her a sharp glance to show his displeasure, and she backed down a bit, but was still clearly hostile.
XXXX
Marko's first impression of the Winther Pack was danger. The woman was clearly a fighter, and she was tense as a wire. The younger male seemed slack and calm, relaxed, but it was an act, designed to make others underestimate him. If necessary he'd explode into action, and he was doubtless prepared for a fight. They were both armed with crosses, he could see the outline of a crucifix under Mary's shirt and Jan had one hidden in the pockets of his hoodie that he'd glimpsed as he pulled his hands out to shake his hand. The Alpha reminded him of Max, a nerd with bad taste in clothes and an overdeveloped paternal streak. Only instead of a Vampire trying to be human, he had the look of a Werewolf trying to be human.
The woman, Mary, was the most dangerous. Jan was prepared to fight, but Mary wanted to fight. He could see it in her eyes. The Alpha had made a stupid choice bringing her along as backup if he wanted this to be peaceful. Of course, the same could be said of Marko himself. He wasn't even pretending right now, even though that would have been the smart thing to do. He didn't like or trust these people, especially the Alpha and the female.
XXXX
"So you're saying it was your fault." It was a statement, not a question. Marko was staring Mattias in the eyes, a challenge among Werewolves and he knew it. Mattias could almost feel Mary tensing behind him.
"Yes. Yes it is. I was so busy trying to avenge my Packmates, my family, that I didn't think of the possibilities of survivors. Others may have made mistakes, but ultimately the blame rests with me." The Alpha admitted, breaking off eye contact to look at Alex. It was hard, as Alex was situated on the couch with Marko on one side and Paul on the other, with the rest of the Coven standing behind the couch. Though their intentions were protective, it was making it difficult to concentrate on Alex. "After I finish here I will no longer be Alpha of the Winther Pack. I failed to protect my Pack, and I cannot continue to endanger them when there are better Wolves for the position."
"A wise choice." Dwayne noted coldly.
Mary's lip curled up, and Jan put a hand on her shoulder. Why had Mattias picked her as backup? They were the best fighters, yes, and the only ones to have fought Vampires, but Mary had poor control. She was a bitten Wolf, and was still adjusting, even after six years. She calmed slightly, but didn't turn to look at him.
Alex ran his hand through his hair again, clearly a nervous tell, "I'm grateful that you avenged my family. I understand that desire for vengeance, I felt it myself, but I was too young and afraid to do anything. But I agree with Dwayne. You're making the right choice."
"This time." Someone whispered, Mattias couldn't tell who.
Mary growled, Marko hissed and the Vampires tensed.
"Mary, please. I trust you to not make the situation worse. Don't disappoint me." Mattias said sternly.
Mary stood down quickly. She didn't like these leeches, but they were outmatched and this wasn't about her, it was about the cub. She'd fought leeches before, and she hadn't forgotten or forgiven them. She had a blessed crucifix in her vest pocket, and a water gun full of holy water. That should give them time to get to the stakes she'd been forced to leave in a bag in the car.
The Alpha held up his hands in a show of peace, "You'll have to forgive her, she's a bit tense, just like we all are. This is a very difficult situation for all of us."
"I know. We need somewhere better to deal with this. With less growling and hissing at each other." Alex said. While he loved his brothers, it was hard to get anything said with their protective rage filling the room. But at the same time, they couldn't leave the boys and the Wolves together without an intermediary. Sure, they accepted Sean, but he was still a stranger to them, as was Alpha McLaren. "But I don't know how we could. Talk privately, just the two of us."
Alpha Winther felt the same, and knew it would end in disaster leaving Mary and Jan with the Vampires. Jan wouldn't be baited, but Mary worried him, and the Vampires were unknown to him beyond rumors of incredible cruelty. "We'll have time for that after dawn. Besides, I'd like to learn more about your Pack."
"Oh," Alex shook his head, "I didn't think... Would anyone like any drinks? We have water, tea, root beer, sarsaparilla, cream soda, orange soda-"
"Blood." Paul added with a smirk, and Marko snickered. Jan laughed too, much to everyone's surprise.
"No coffee, though. Machine's broken."
"I'll get the drinks." Sean volunteered.
"Water." Alpha Winther
Jan, "Sarsaparilla."
Alex, "Sarsaparilla."
Michael, "Root Beer."
"Michael, go help him." David instructed.
"Orange soda." Marko grinned, glad the boys finally had someone else to fetch things for them.
"I didn't think about food, either."
"It's not even daylight yet. We can eat later if you feel like, Alex." Alex was clearly trying, but he'd also clearly never hosted anyone before. This wasn't about a dinner, this was about Alex himself. "Besides, I'm here to meet you, not for dinner. Or breakfast... What time is it here?"
"4 A.M."
"Then we have a long day ahead of us, don't we?"
Sean and Michael came back with the drinks, and everyone settled back into their places.
XXXX
Jan was a bit disturbed by the tension in the air, and by Mary. She had a clear hatred of Vampires, he knew little of the fight in which she had slain a Vampire, but it was obviously something she could not easily let go of. As the three had never truly met aside from Alpha Winther visiting his Pack a few times to check on them, he doubted the Alpha knew beforehand how Mary would react. She should have been vetted. The Vampires, particularly the diminutive Marko, were also pretty hostile, aside from Michael, who was an incredibly young neonate and was simply looking to his Sire for clues on how to behave. They didn't trust the Wolves, and Mary's open disdain made it even worse. Each side had someone looking for a fight, which was not good. For one, they were supposed to be on a peaceful visit. Second, Alex would undoubtedly side with the Vampires, and third, they were outmatched. Only two of them had ever fought a Vampire, and they didn't know each other, had never trained together. It would be difficult to fight side-by-side with a complete stranger.
Inside his hoodie pocket he carried what appeared to be a plain white 6" wooden cross, with a hidden mechanism in the right arm to release a 5" spring blade from the base of the central beam. It was custom made, blessed and would hurt a Vampire pretty badly, but that wasn't what he wanted. He just wanted to see this matter put right, as far as it could be, anyway, without bloodshed.
"Alpha," Jan began cautiously, "Perhaps Mary and I can go check the area. There may be other Vampires interested in this, Vampires who wouldn't have any of our best interests at heart."
The look Mary shot him was full of betrayal. "We can't abandon our Alpha here with these le-"
"No, I think it would be best, Mary." Mattias said tiredly, "Besides, Jan is right. This would be a perfect time for any enemies of The Lost Boys or our Pack to strike. The Master Vampire, his entire Cov- I mean Pack, and two Alpha Werewolves would make a tempting target."
"Of course, Alpha." Mary couldn't argue with the logic, as much as she hated to do so.
Jan smiled and nodded at the others and headed to the door, picking up his docs on the way and taking his drink with him. Mary followed reluctantly, casting distrustful glances back at the assembled Vampires, before they both walked out into the night.
"What if they find something? Will they be alright?"
"They should be." The Alpha smiled at the concerned cub, "They're among our Packs best fighters, though Mary is a bit..."
"Bitch." Marko finished.
"Marko!"
"Bit of a loose cannon, I'm afraid." He looked up at the boys, "Have you boys fed?"
"We don't need to eat every night, depending on how much we take in. Of course some of us," David glanced at Marko, "Eat a lot more than others."
Marko gave an ear-to-ear grin, "Like I said, I'm a growing boy and I need to eat."
"You haven't grown an inch since we first met in 1918."
"Hey! Muscle growth pal!" He flexed, revealing pretty impressive biceps , "I may be 'The Little One', but I'm ripped!" He indicated his pale, chiseled abs, visible with his crop top.
"Such modesty..."
With Mary gone the atmosphere quickly lightened. The Vampires were still distrusting and a bit angry at Mattias, but they were calming down, even Marko seemed a bit more agreeable.
"I'll have Mary return to the hotel at dawn. I doubt you want her here, and she clearly doesn't want to be here either. I honestly hadn't met her until the flight yesterday, and I didn't realize that she would be so hostile." Alpha Winther was apologetic, "What about Jan?"
"Jan seems level-headed and smart. I have no problem with him." David said, "Just keep Mary away."
"He seems fine to me." Alex added.
"Of course he can stay, if you want. We are here on your sufferance, of course."
"They've both fought Vampires before, haven't they?" Dwayne's eyes were still glued to the door.
"Yes, though the circumstances were different. Jan had to put down a deranged Master Vampire, and Mary's story is her own to tell."
"Wait, Jan took down a Master?" David let out a whistle of admiration.
"Yes, he did. He barely survived. Perhaps he can tell you the story later."
"How often do our people fight each other?"
"Our people fight so rarely that finding anyone who had fought with Vampires available was nearly impossible. We usually just leave each other be, but sometimes we're forced to act."
"What happens if a Werewolf bites a Vampire?"
Mattias almost laughed at the somewhat childish question, "Vampires have an incredible immunity to almost everything naturally harmful to a human. The bite wouldn't take. The Vampire's immune system would fight off the Wolf cells like they would any other invader."
"So if you turned a Werewolf, they'd be 'cured' of Lycanthropy?"
"A bitten Wolf, perhaps. A born Wolf would probably fight off the foreign blood in their system, if you attempted to drain a Werewolf and turn him, he'd likely either fight off the cells once his blood got back to normal strength or simply die."
Michael frowned, "So, a Vampire can't become a Werewolf?"
"A Vampire is dead. Lycanthropy is a condition among the living. It might be possible to create an undead Werewolf using some kind of black magic on an already dead Wolf, but it wouldn't be a Vampire. It would probably be some kind of zombie... I don't know enough about magic to really speculate. But, no, a Vampire can't become a Werewolf, and a Werewolf can't become a Vampire. The Vampiric changes to your body are all that keep you functioning, if you take that away, you're just a corpse."
"Why do you ask, Mikey? Thinking of taking a bite? Hoping for a cure?" David turned and glared at Michael, who glared right back. "There's no 'cure' to being a Vampire, Mikey-boy. Like I said, you don't come back from this. You're one of us now, forever."
Michael broke eye contact with his Sire and looked away.
The Werewolves in the room wondered if that was really the reason he'd asked about the bite. Werewolves didn't get sick naturally, and they lived long lives if not killed. It reminded them all that the dark-haired boy had been unwilling to be become a Vampire only a matter of days ago. Did some of that defiance and desperation still remain in the young Vampire's cold, dead heart?
Alex wondered if biting a half-Vampire would turn them into a Werewolf, freeing them of Vampirism. Being a Werewolf was a condition some would see as preferable to being forced to kill humans to survive. He pushed the thoughts to the back of his head. He had enough trouble to deal with, and 'What if's' were useless.
"Of course, that's not why we're here," Alpha Winther stated, "We're here to learn about you, Alex."
XXXX
"How can he do it?"
Jan sighed and rubbed his forehead, this was going to be unpleasant.
"He knows they kill people. He's seen them kill people. How can he live with himself?"
"Because it's pretty much all he knows, Mary. He's accepted that Vampires need to feed to survive-"
"Perhaps they shouldn't survive."
"Mary," Jan took a deep breath and centered himself, "I don't know what your story is, your personal history with Vampires, but this is about Alex and making sure he's safe and happy. The Vampires gave him a home, a family, when his own people wrote him off as dead-"
The woman gave a cynical laugh, "Only because they wanted a guard dog."
Jan growled, forcing himself not to punch the female, "People don't react like that over a mere guard dog. They care about him."
"Leeches aren't people, and they care about nothing but themselves."
"I'm going to ask the Alpha to pull you off of this mission. You're too emotionally involved, and, quite frankly, you're too unstable to be around Vampires."
Mary snarled, "When those monsters are ripping you limb from limb, Jan, remember that I warned you all."
To be continued...
Kentucky Fried Chicken added 'Extra Crispy Chicken' to it's menu in 1971, so I assume the term 'Original Recipe' was in use in 1987. Harlan Sanders (Colonel Sanders) founded KFC in 1952, as a company. He'd been making chicken for years before that to sell out of his small gas station/restaurant.
Werewolves of London is a song by the late Warren Zevon. "Draw blood' is a line in the song. It's a very weird song. You can find it on YouTube.
Angelus, Spike and Drusilla need little introduction, I'm sure. Three of the main Vampires from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the spin-off Angel. I've never watched the show, but from what I know of the characters, Spike would fit in well with The Lost Boys. They passed through before Alex arrived.
Jan as in Yawn. Yes, he's physically based in Jan Valentine from Hellsing, but he's neither a Vampire nor a sadistic, perverted monster.
I wrote a Lost Boys/Stranger Things story called Cherubs and Monsters if anyone would be interested in reading that. It's under Lost Boys/Stranger Things Crossovers, so it doesn't show up on regular searches in either category.