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Chapter 36: Brasilia

Cora Hale stood in the canopy of the tree deep in the Amazon as she gazed across the late summer horizon. She'd been with her pack for years, leaving only for a short time when she heard that her brother Derek was alive, but this was her home. Their base was usually closer to the city, but some of the surrounding packs had been attacked recently, and they retreated further into the rainforest, closer to Brasilia's Nemeton.

It wasn't like the stump she knew Beacon Hills to have. The tree was immense, towering over a hundred feet among its ipê cousins, and its power was tangible to those who protected it.

The air was thick around the Nemeton's roots today, and she knew that meant someone was looking for it. Whether that meant hunters or the supernatural, the packs rarely knew. It didn't much matter. As long as they kept close to the tree, they would be safe.

"We're close." She heard a voice say from the surface, and Cora crept quietly down the trunk of the kapok tree she had climbed. The girl had wavy light brown hair, and her eyes glowed white. Supernatural, then. But not necessarily a friend.

"And you're sure it'll help me find Cora?" said a male baritone, and Cora's heart thumped as she recognized her brother Derek's voice.

"Yes. Deucalion told me that I can connect to the Nemetons as easily as I can channel a human."

Cora growled involuntarily as the girl mentioned Deucalion. The Alpha Pack was a disgrace to werewolves everywhere, and he'd been at the center of it all.

"Did you hear that?" said her brother, but she was too enraged to care. Why would Derek travel with someone who spoke about Deucalion with anything other than disdain?

"Someone's angry that we're here," the girl glanced around warily. "Someone… who knows one of us."

Derek stepped in front of the girl protectively. Lovingly. It only fueled her fury, and she leapt from the tree.

Derek's chemosignals eked relief as he saw his sister. "Cora?"

"Who is she?" Cora growled. "And why is she friends with Deucalion?"

The girl stepped beside Derek with a placid expression. "My name is Daria."

–

Derek had let Cora lead them to an abandoned building to talk on the outskirts of Brasilia. Here they were able to catch up on the past few years, and he was able to tell her about Daria and their relationship. She didn't seem too keen on the empath however.

Cora eyed Daria with skepticism. "You're going to take this twig with you? You're kidding, right? She's a toothpick."

"She's stronger than she looks." He could feel Daria itching to prove herself.

"This toothpick could kick your ass," Daria smirked, successfully riling the she-wolf.

"Oh really," Cora shrugged off her jacket and cracked her knuckles.

"Cora…" Derek warned, but Daria simply laughed.

"It's okay, Derek." Her eyes flashed red, and her grin widened. "Trust me."

He'd never seen this side of Daria before, and it fascinated him. Cora charged, claws outstretched, but Daria inched just beyond her reach with seemingly no movement at all.

"You think Deucalion cares about you because he taught you a few tricks?" Cora spat. "He was a monster."

She slashed in Daria's direction, but the empath flashed behind her in the blink of an eye. "I know he was a monster," she echoed coldly. "But he's not anymore."

"You expect me to believe that the man who let Kali impale my brother with a steel pipe is capable of change?" Cora laughed mirthlessly. "You sure know how to pick 'em, Derek."

Daria's gaze dimmed, and he punched his sister in the nose, and the wolf went flying across the room.

"I'm not here to argue with you about Deucalion. We're here to make sure you're safe." Daria strode to the spot where Cora lay. Then placing her hands on his sister's cheeks, she closed her eyes.

"What are you doing?" Derek took a step toward them.

Daria inhaled deeply, her eyes still shut. "Forging a connection so we can check on her without having to travel thousands of miles."

Derek's mouth fell slightly, realizing that Daria would be able to lessen his burden without having to worry about technology.

Cora slapped her hands away. "Alright, I get it," she grumbled. "We can keep in touch. It doesn't mean I have to like you."

"I'm okay with that." Daria bit down a grin. "Truce?"

"Yeah, whatever…" Cora rolled her eyes.

A few minutes later Cora's nose was completely healed, and they said their goodbyes.

"I'll check in every month," Daria offered a soft smile to his sister. "Try to warn any other packs you find to be careful."

Cora seemed to have softened somewhat toward the empath since their fight, and she nodded. Then, just as they were leaving, she called out to Daria.

"Hey… Take care of my brother."

Daria nodded back. Then she took Derek's hand, and they headed toward the city.

"Thank you," Derek squeezed her hand after a few minutes of walking. "Being able to keep in contact with Cora. It's… thank you."

"She'll be alright." He felt Daria project warmth and affection into the air as she gripped his hand more tightly. "Their pack is smart. Checking in is just a precaution."

It still gave Derek a sense of security knowing that his last living sibling could be contacted without the risk of being followed.

A forest trail gradually faded into dirt road and then into a street as a pair entered the city. He was quiet, not wanting to attract attention, and Daria followed suit.

There were some older homes on the other side of town where Derek knew they could stay for a few days if they earned their keep. His Portuguese wasn't nearly as good as his Spanish, but it had improved in the past few months. Even Daria had picked up a few phrases over the past few weeks as they traversed the city looking for Cora's pack.

They were entering into the main part of the city when Daria's hand suddenly clutched his own so tightly that he winced.

"Sorry," she whispered. "It's nothing."

A group of men on the side of the road began to whistle at her, and Derek realized why she'd grasped his hand so tightly. She'd felt their emotions.

"Vem cá, linda!" One of them called in her direction. "Qual é o seu número?" said another.

"Ignore it," she murmured toward him. He'd been about to console her a moment ago, but now she was the one holding back his rage.

One of the taller men sized up Derek and shrugged, deciding to overlook his proximity to Daria. "Gostosa, Você quer ir pra um outro lugar?"

He didn't understand every word, but he understood enough. Letting go of Daria's hand, he charged the man."

"No, don't!" Daria shouted and was by his side faster than was humanly possible.

Ripping Derek off of the man, she pressed her palms on the two men closest to her, and they passed out. Derek looked over and saw two police looking curiously in their direction.

"Run," he whispered to Daria, and the pair dashed down a side street.

Two police officers gave chase, but their speed was no match for a werewolf's, and the pair was long gone before they made it around the corner.

Daria growled behind a garbage can in an alley three blocks away. "Feel better?"

"Not really," Derek admitted. "It would have felt better if I'd knocked them all out."

The empath rolled her eyes. "I don't need you to protect me."

He looked into her eyes and felt a little of his rage diminish. "I don't want to protect you because you need protecting, Daria." He couldn't put it into words, but her expression softened.

"I just hope it was worth it," she exhaled. "The sooner we can find this killer and warn the packs, the sooner we can get home."

"Beacon Hills?" he wondered out loud.

She reached out and squeezed his hand once more. "I don't care where we go."

His thoughts returned to his pursuers and the men on the street. "How did you do that by the way?"

"Do what?"

"You touched those two men, and they passed out."

"Oh," Daria blushed. "I don't like to do that, but I, uh, made them fall asleep."

Derek's eyes widened. "You can do that?"

She nodded, almost in embarrassment. "I can make people feel a lot more than peace… but it doesn't mean I like to, or that I should."

"You did what you had to." He felt a strange undercurrent to her thoughts and decided not to pry. "I shouldn't have put you in that position."

Daria perked up a bit. "Let's find somewhere a little safer, and you can make it up to me."

Derek was more than okay with that, and the pair disappeared into the dark.

–

Vem cá, linda. - Come here, beautiful.

Qual é o seu número? - What's your number?

Gostosa, Você quer ir pra um outro lugar? - Sexy, do you want to go somewhere else?