No spanking in this chapter.
Louisiana Bayou, 2010
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Afternoon
Erik sniffed the air. He had made it back to the Bayou. There were wolves here. Many wolves. He could smell them along with the scent of the water. Seeing the Spanish moss and cypress tress made him feel at home again, yet he did miss Virginia. But Erik couldn't let himself think like that, he had come too far for regret.
Erik assumed that he would have to search for his kin out here, for people to help him carry out his mission. But maybe that wasn't the case. He was drawn to this spot by the water. There was a cabin here. He felt like he had been here before.
"I reckon you're looking for something, eh, cher?" A woman's voice called out to him in the darkness. Erik's supernatural vision showed him a petite woman, blond maybe.
"Hiya, ma'am. Are you a Crescent? My name is Erik. I come back down here looking for some help," Erik said politely. He was shouldering his backpack and tucked back a stray piece of his own blond hair.
"Erik, nice to meet ya. Come to join the others have you. Most come here in their wolf form. My name is Eve," Eve said holding out her hand.
"Pleased to meet you. Other wolves? I thought I smelled other wolves here," Erik said.
"You can smell them? From here. I settled them a few miles from here. Let me take you to them," Eve said. She offered Erik a ride in her battered blue truck. He looked behind him for Sadie and again realized she wasn't there.
"Thank you. I come down here again from Virginia. Is there trouble down here?" Erik asked getting into the passenger seat of the old beat up Ford.
"Boy, something is in the air. Wolves been showing up for days and days. Gathering from all over. Vampires from the city have come down to watch over the doings here. Hell, even witches have come to try to break the Crescent curse of my kin. I ain't never seen anything like this in all my days. You're from around here. I can hear it in your voice," Eve remarked.
"Yes, ma'am," Erik answered.
"What was you doing up North? Where's your mama? Your daddy?" Eve asked.
Erik's face darkened, "My mama just passed. I never knew my daddy. But I'm aiming to find him. I have some unfinished business."
"Sorry to hear about your mama, son. Here in these parts, all wolves know loss. One after another, we have fallen to the vamps, the humans, and to each other. I was afraid we was dying out, but now I have hope again. Here it is, up here," Eve indicated a small camp ahead.
"Thanks for the ride, ma'am," Erik said getting out and taking his small backpack. Erik realized that Eve must be an untriggered wolf if she was a Crescent and still human at this point in the month. Most Crescents triggered young, so she was an unusual woman after all.
"Let me show you around," Eve said. There was a cooking fire and various make shift tents and shelters a few hundred yards from the water line.
"This here is Cain from Wichita, and this is Arlene and her son, Justin, all the way from the Black Hills of North Dakota. You got Pete and Ashlin, from Georgia and..." Eve introduced.
Erik would never remember all these people. They all greeted him kindly and welcomed him to their camp, though he could tell they had very little. A lithe African American girl named Modeste, gave him an odd look. Someone got him a stew, crayfish he assumed and he went over to sit by a log by the fire.
"Modeste, that's a name I ain't heard before," Erik said.
"It's Creole. Don't you know no Creoles? Eske m mèt chita la a?," Modeste laughed.
"Ma'am, I ain't understood a word of that," Erik said sincerely.
Modeste giggled, "Why you calling me ma'am? I'm 14, about the same as you, I reckon. Alls I said was can I set here by you. Honestly, my granny, who knowed creole passed and I never learned no more of it."
"Huh," Erik said, "What do you think is happening here? What are folks saying?"
Modeste got serious, "People think there is gonna be some kind of reckoning. A fight between the wolves to settle the differences and unite the packs into one. We're dying out there between the hunters, vamps, witches, and ourselves. Someone has gots to unite the packs, or we're done."
Erik nodded, "But who is gonna do it. I come here for revenge to be honest. My mama just got kilt."
"My parents are dead, too. My pack got into a tangle with the North East Atlantic Pack. Our people had always chained ourselves up, but we lost our territory and had to seek new lands in the North. Not being used to fighting, it was a slaughter. The few in the Bayou packs that survived come back down here and barely survived," Modeste revealed.
"Hi Modeste, who's your friend?" Mary asked.
"Hello, ma'am. My name is Erik, I hope I ain't imposing on y'all by being here," Erik intoned.
"Nonsense. Wolves need to stick together or die apart. Wolves are bonded by what is most important to us: the earth of our territory, the blood of our packs. But maybe if we are going to survive, we need to change? You kids got everything you need?" Mary asked.
"Yes, ma'am. Thanks," Erik answered.
Mary smiled and then went back to her truck. The boy was here and she needed to call Marcel Gerald.
Mikaelson Compound
"Oh, thank God," Rebekah said after Marcel told her Mary said Erik finally showed up.
Marcel went to call Father Kieran to arrange for the witch to do the Crescent Wolf curse reversal spell. Then, he called Klaus.
"Papa, Erik just arrived in the Bayou," Marcel said with relief.
Klaus sat down, "Finally. I had the jet on standby. What's the plan?"
Marcel replied, "I'm going to wait until it is dark and take my guys out to the Bayou. We can pick him and oversee the Crescent curse reversal spell. I handed over the Gilbert device to Father K. and the human faction is trying to suss out any hidden untriggered Guerreras."
"Thank you, Marcellus. You have no idea how relieved I am. Please have Erik call me. I love you, Son," Klaus said hanging up.
Louisiana Bayou
Erik's hybrid hearing picked up snippets of Mary's conversation to Marcel.
"Shit!" he cursed under his breath.
"What's wrong?" Modeste asked.
"Sorry," Erik hated to swear in front of a lady, but he had to go.
"It's okay. You can trust me. Two orphans, ya know," Modeste promised.
"Miss Mary there just called older brother to tell him I showed up here. They are going to be coming for me. I gotta run. Now," Erik said.
"Let me help. I'll pretend like I'm taking you to hunt," Modeste said quietly.
"Will we have to leave our stuff here?" Erik asked.
"Nah, grab it. I don't think no one will notice," Modeste replied.
"Let's do it," Erik said nervously.
Marcel and Josh arrived at the Bayou at dusk.
"Eww, these bugs. I'm not really an outdoor type of person," Josh admitted slapping away some type of gnat.
"Just keep moving. We gotta get my little brother. My dad has been in a state. He just adopted this kid and he's been through a lot," Marcel said quietly.
"Your dad seems like quite the guy," Josh mused impressed.
Marcel stopped, "Ah, Josh. I know you're new so I'm going to try to fill you in. My father, who rescued me from slavery in 1820, is Klaus Mikaelson. He's one of the Original vampires, like Rebekah. But you see, my dad, is also a hybrid. He was a wolf before he was turned. A lot of people fear him, rightly so. In the past, before he got me, he was a little bit of a...tyrant."
Josh smiled awkwardly, "Oh, that's interesting. So are these kids hybrids?"
"Actually, yes. It makes them extremely strong and powerful. Also, a lot of vampires and werewolves don't accept hybrids. They look down on them, but also fear them. What a lot of people don't know is that my father's blood is the only thing that will cure a werewolf bite. We don't advertise that, but there is a possibility that these hybrid's blood may also heal wolf bites. If that is the case, the wolves themselves would try to put these hybrids down," Marcel lamented.
"Oh my God, even if they are just kids?" Josh asked in horror.
"Josh, it's a tough world out here. The people who live in this Bayou have never had it easy and they are not easy people. Their bite on a full moon is the only thing dangerous to us vampires. Take that away and they full even more powerless. Vamps also don't want hybrids who can bite at any time running around. It can throw off the whole balance of the city," Marcel admitted.
"Is that your witch?" Josh asked in a hush.
"Yeah, it looks like they are getting ready to do the spell. I don't see Erik here, though," Marcel frowned.
"Mr. Gerald, I'm sorry but he took off!" Mary exclaimed.
"What? Where was the last place you saw him?" Marcel asked.
"I'll stay here and watch the ritual," Josh promised. Marcel nodded and vamped off.
"He left with another wolf, a girl his age named Modeste. It's not safe out there for them. What the hell were they thinking?" Mary thundered.
"Don't worry. I'll see if I can track them," Marcel said.
Mary was heated, "I ought to cut a switch myself for those two young'uns...Running off like damn fools at night!"
Marcel used his senses, but there were too many wolves. He couldn't smell anything. He started looking for tracks. With his excellent night vision, Marcel followed the trail of broken twigs and foliage. He couldn't vamp ahead, but then used his hearing to listen. Marcel thought he found them, but when he vamped ahead it was a raccoon. He heard something else and guessed it was a gator in the swamp.
Marcel shut his eyes. This was not his area of expertise, but he let his senses merge together. He smelled the pond cypress, blackgum, red maple, wax myrtle, and buttonwood trees. He listened and heard what he thought was a white-tailed deer running and then he heard a voice.
Marcel vamped towards it as fast as he could. And that's when he found them.
Erik and Modeste were crouched behind a huge Spanish moss. The leaves hid them from view, they were soft and fuzzy. Erik felt safe for a moment.
Modest whispered, "I think the coast is clear."
And Marcel was there.
"Erik! You can come out now. Do not make me grab you and your little friend here. I am 200 years old and I will fight your little hybrid ass so come out now," Marcel yelled.
Erik looked at Modeste and got up.
"We're over here, Marcel," Erik said in defeat.
"Oh thank god," Marcel said and hugged him tightly.
"You're not mad?" Erik asked in confusion.
"Erik, everyone has been real worried. We're just glad you are okay. What were you thinking?" Marcel said pulling back a little.
"Marcel, something big in going down here. The packs are trying to unite. You know what I am looking for here. If y'all let me, I can help. I swear it," Erik promised.
Marcel glanced at Modette and said, "We'll talk about it later. Let's get back to the others. And I swear if you try to run again...I'll let Mary take a switch to you. She's not real pleased with either one of you."
To Modette, "My name is Marcel."
Erik paled a little as they walked back, "How is everyone? Klaus, Sadie, Penny?"
Marcel looked at him sideways, "Conner? He's been real worried, too."
Erik turned away,"I bet."
"Hey, Erik, he's your brother. Come on, man," Marcel said.
"You ever have a brother?" Erik asked.
"Yeah, and Dad threw him off a balcony and killed him. It was actually at his funeral when Klaus found me. This brother, Emil, I never knew him. I had seen him around the planation on his horse riding around. He was the governor's son and I was just his bastard slave that he'd rather kill than acknowledge. I don't want anyone's pity, but we all got our problems," Marcel said gaining on the campsite. Modette walked ahead of them, leaving them to talk alone.
Erik stated, "Marcel, that's why I'm here, to help deal with my problems. Let me help."
Marcel thought a moment, "Truthfully, I could use you, but it's not really my decision, you know, man. Like I said, we'll talk about it later, okay?" Marcel put his arm around Erik.
"As soon as we get out of here, you need to call Klaus," Marcel demanded.
Erik didn't know if he could face anyone until he did what he came he to do.
Erik faltered, "I don't know if I can. I mean, is he going to be pissed?"
Marcel turned, "Hey, look, Erik. I know things are rough right now for you. We all know that. This whole thing is weighing on everyone. But Dad loves you, Erik. Okay? We love you. Just let him know you are okay."
Marcel dialed and handed the phone to Erik.
Marcel walked away to where he could watch the end of the Crescent ritual and still keep an eye on Erik. He wasn't letting that kid out of his sight again.
The witch said it would take a few hours for the change to take place. Marcel took a deep breath and just hoped this curse was reversed for good.
Erik handed him back the phone.
"Thanks, man," Erik said.
"So was it as bad as you thought?" Marcel asked.
"No, he-," Erik started.
"Marcel, it's happening!" Josh interrupted.
The Crescents were finally turning back into their human form. Mary and Eve tried to gather up some clothes for them as they staggered into the campsite.
Marcel said to Erik and Josh, "Come on, let's get out of here. I'm the one who had the witches put the curse on them. I don't think they are going to be very happy to see me."
"Wait, can I say goodbye to Modeste? She tried to help me," Erik asked.
"Hurry up, man," Marcel said.
"Hey Modeste, thanks for trying to help me. I gotta go, but I'm sure I'll see you again," Erik said shyly.
"So you're back with you brother now?" Modeste asked.
"Yeah, but I gotta go. The Crescent wolves ain't exactly a fan of him," Erik said.
"Erik, come on. Let's head out," Marcel said.
Erik nodded and followed Marcel and Josh to the car.