Author's Note – Hello again! Nice for you to drop by! Pull up a seat and settle in for a spell, as we continue with Conclusion To The Wolf Lake Series.
Someone who posted a review for the last chapter seemed to be a little confused about my note on my series being selected for the Phoenix Virtual Television, so I'll clarify.
This is a web site that posts fanfic-like conclusions to series that have been cancelled, or original series penned by its creators for strictly the readers on the Internet. It is not an actual TV program or channel. As much as I would prefer otherwise, the actual TV series Wolf Lake is gone forever. It lives on only in its die-hard fans who have taken their love for the series to the Internet. To understand better what I'm referring to, go back to the Author's Note in the last chapter, and reread through it carefully. That should explain it.
(Blue-Angel, you have no idea how happy I am to see you back on my review pages! I can always count on your amazing words of support as well as your honest criticism if you think anything needs work! You're a blessing to my stories, and you had me worried there for a while when I didn't see any reviews from you. I'm glad you're back, and I hope everything is okay in your world. Oh, and in regards to your comments about my E:FC series, you have to remember that the E:FC genre on this site is not as widely read as that of the WL genre… Even still, I have more reviews on my EFC series than any other story in that category… That counts for something! (grin))
***
Summery - Sophia will come face to face with the threat to their species, in a desperate attempt to save her own life from those who want her dead... As the weapons that the Hunters will be using against the Skinwalkers become known, Vivian will be faced with the uncertainty, that if they're going to have a future at all, it might have to be without the comfort and protection of Wolf Lake…
~~~
Sophia watched in disbelief as Presley tried to pull herself up, only to fall back to the ground. The effort proving to be too much.
"Presley? Presley?!" Sophia called out, her voice firm, as she yanked futilely at her bonds. She wanted to go to the injured girl, but the damn things were solid. Not even she was strong enough to break them.
"Don't bother," Presley muttered, coughing a little as she turned onto her side to look at Sophia. "You can't break them. They're in too deep." She held up a wrist for emphasis, the tender skin torn from her pulling so hard previously on the manacles.
Sophia stilled, and a frown marred her forehead as she tried to get a better look at Presley. "What happened? What did they do to you?"
Presley chuckled dispassionately. "What do you think they did they did to me, zoo-bait? They turned me into their own personal punching bag." All her sarcasm died away as she looked at Sophia soullessly. The raw torture of what she had went through reflected there. "They wanted information. I tried to resist them. I didn't want to betray the Pack…" Presley tailed off, her voice breaking as she closed her eyes against the sympathy in Sophia's.
"Presley, it wasn't your fault, you have to believe that."
Presley shook her head slowly. "I betrayed you all…"
Sophia leaned her head forward adamantly. Her tone commanding. "No! No, you didn't! Never think that. It's those monsters that are to blame, not you. Now, I need you to tell me what you told them, Presley. Did you tell them about the Prophecy?"
The battered girl nodded slowly. Too exhausted and broken to even open her eyes.
"Everything?"
A tear trailed down her cheek, leaving a streak behind in the blood matted there, but again, she nodded.
Sophia sighed, and leaned her head back against the wall. Trying to think. "Okay." She looked around her searchingly. Trying to figure a way out. She looked back over at what was once someone she had despised, and noticed how still Presley had become.
"Presley," Sophia spoke firmly, willing the girl to open her eyes again. She had to repeat the name several times before she did. Sophia continued. "I need you to do a favor for me. You need to back yourself into that corner, and try to remain as much out of sight as you can. Don't draw attention to yourself. Try to focus on rebuilding your strength, at least to the point where you can Flip, and th–"
"I can't." Presley whispered softly, shaking her head minutely where it rested on the cold concrete floor.
"Sure you can," Sophia reassured. "You just need–"
Presley spoke up again, this time her voice more forceful. "No, I can't." She looked at Sophia with emptiness reflected in her eyes, as she struggled to speak coherently. "They… drugged me… with something. I can't… even sense the wolf within me anymore." She let out a sigh before getting up the strength to do what Sophia requested, and that was to move back deeper into the shadows of the corner. It drained her past the point of consciousness, and as she started to spiral into oblivion, she made one last statement before passing out.
"… I… I can't Flip."
Sophia watched in dismay as Presley fainted. Leaving her alone to contemplate what the other girl had just said. They had drugged her with something that had kept her from Flipping. And was still keeping her from Flipping. It had made her vulnerable to them. Sophia didn't even want to think on whether or not it was permanent.
If they had that kind of power over their species, then what other tortures had they also created to have at their disposal?
Sophia leaned her head back against the wall, and squeezed her eyes shut. Fighting back the powerless scream trying to claw its way from her tightly clenched throat.
******
When Luke came to, it was to the worst headache he had ever experienced. His skull literally feeling like it had been split open. It was accompanied by a strange radiating heat from his chest, which made it difficult for him to breath. As he gasped for air, he tried to open his eyes. The pounding in his head intensifying till he thought he would pass out again from the pain. Gritting his teeth against the swirling, dark weakness flooding his body, he succeeded in cracking open his eyelids enough to see the sudden blurriness of his vision. Blinking and focusing to clear it up, it finally gave way to the vision of his mother kneeling by his side, brushing her hand over his forehead to push back his hair from his eyes. She smiled serenely down at him, but the haunting fear was still echoing in her eyes from the fear and knowledge that she had almost lost him.
He turned his head slowly, swallowing painfully, his throat dry as his head protested even further from the unnecessary movement. He focused in on Sherman and Matt standing a little ways away, talking in low voices to one another.
"Luke?" Vivian whispered softly, bringing his attention back to her. Sherman and Matt looked away from each other at the sound, realizing that he'd awakened. Both let out a relieved breath. Sherman stepped closer, while Matt hung back a little ways. Running his hands through his hair in exhaustion.
Luke tried not to move as he waited for the pain in his head to ease. It was sure as hell taking its own sweet time. He was starting to feel sick from the harsh throbbing.
"Wh–what happened?" Luke managed to ask. His voice almost nonexistent as he frowned, trying to remember how he had wound up like this. He looked to the side, not noticing the worried look that Vivian and Sherman exchanged. He saw John sitting on the floor a little ways away; cradling what appeared to be Ruby, sleeping in his arms. He noticed the blood coating his sister's body through blurred vision, and his eyes narrowed. Trying to bring her into focus.
"Wha–?" Luke groaned. Lifting a heavy hand to briefly touch his forehead. It was then that he noticed the blood splattered all over her arm, and matted to his chest and torso. He struggled to sit up despite the spinning in his head and the restraining hand of Vivian.
"Let him be." Ruby whispered softly to Vivian, finally coming to in time to see Luke trying to sit up. Vivian looked at Ruby in desperation, but did as she asked. Her hand dropping away to clench in her lap. Watching her son closely for any signs of passing out.
Luke closed his eyes against the vision of the room tilting around him at impossible angles. Waiting for it to pass. Steeling himself against the sensations.
When he finally did open his eyes, he remembered where he was. Looking around him, he saw the rather large puddle of blood and water encircling him. Sticking to his soaked jeans. Feeling a small amount of heat at his wet back, he looked back behind him at the glowing embers in the fireplace… And remembered what had happened.
"Oh no…" Luke let out a moan as he closed his eyes against the memory of what had happened; Tyler and the Hunters breaking in without them realizing it, confronting him and Sophia. Him crouching down in front of her protectively. His only instinct at the moment to protect her, and the feel of her fingers clenching on his bare shoulder, trying to anchor him to her. The sight of the barrel of that rifle coming up and firing. The sound of Sophia's screams, as the world exploded into white-hot pain, and then everything going black…
He opened his eyes to look around the room. Struggling to come to his feet. Vivian let out a small cry of denial, even as Sherman and Matt came forward to grasp at him for support as Luke tried to steady himself. Feeling the tightening in his chest like an extremely sore muscle, but barely spared the angry looking pink scare a second glance.
Shawn was laying down on the couch, looking slightly pale as he held a small cloth against the crook of his arm.
Luke looked down at his own arm and the small trickle of blood coming down from a pinprick placed over his vein, and he realized what Shawn had done for him. But right now wasn't the time to thank him for it. He still wasn't sure how he had managed to survive through what he just had. That bullet had went in too close to his heart… he still remembered the feeling of it tearing through him… and the sound of feminine screams still echoed in his ears.
Still fighting the blackness hovering over his mind, and the blurriness of his vision still clinging, as he reached yet again for his voice. "S-Sophia… They've taken her. I… I have to find her. We've to get her back."
******
The time went by unbearably for Sophia. It felt like it had been hours, but yet it had, in truth, only been a few minutes, before the door into her 'cell' was opened, and two men stepped forward. One was the dark one from earlier, the other was one she hadn't seen before, but judging by the way he carried himself, he appeared to be the one in charge. She studied him as surely as he was studying her. He looked like your traditional well-to-do gentlemen. Late fifties, early sixties. His short hair liberally doused with salt and pepper. Looking at him, Sophia realized just how deceiving looks could be of a person.
To see this man was to disbelieve the age-old dream that good and evil were clear-cut. This man, who looked like he had just stepped out of a family magazine, was indeed, a cold-blooded killer.
One had only to look deeper into those eyes to see that truth.
"Who are you?" Sophia was the first to speak. She wanted to know whom she was facing, and she wanted to know him by his name.
The older gentleman smiled politely at her, as if this was nothing but a casual meeting out on the streets… instead of her being chained to the wall like an animal, and him standing in finery that held trace amounts of blood sprinkled on them. No doubt from him 'interrogating' Presley.
"I'm guessing introductions are in order." The man mused to himself. "My name is David Van Halen. I believe some of your kind have already met my brother."
Sophia thought back on what her father had told her of Arthur Van Halen, and his capture of both Ruby and John, forcing a transfer, that, in a way, had been a very good thing. Considering John's recent Flip.
Spotting the recognition of the name in Sophia's eyes, David smiled at her in cool delight, like he had just made a new best friend. "Ah, so I see you do know of whom I'm talking about. A pity, it really was, to hear about his death yesterday in that Sanatorium you sent him to back in Seattle. A real shame. They really need to be more careful of how they mark their drugs. You never know if you're giving the patient the right thing."
Sophia remained still. Giving no outward signs of her inner turmoil. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. His man had just had his own flesh and blood killed and he found his death amusing.
To realize that this was what her species was faced with made her sick beyond belief. They were the unholy ones… not the Skinwalkers.
David stepped closer to her. His eyes sweeping up and down her body. Noting the tear of her sleeve at the shoulder of the arm that Tyler had twisted so badly, and the state of her bare feet. Already healed from their cuts. He continued as if unaware of the shudder of disgust that rippled through Sophia's body under his perusal. But the glint in his told her that he had seen her fear… and he reveled in the taste of it.
"I would ask you who you were, but Blondie over there in the corner already informed us all about you, little one." He tilted his head in the direction of the darkened corner that Presley was hiding in, and Sophia could hear the other girl's heart rate speed up from being mentioned.
"Sophia," The older man rolled her name of his tongue in a way that reminded her of another time, another place, when she had been captured, bound and gagged, and tossed into a cold bathtub to await being slaughtered… it wasn't one of her fondest memories.
"What do you want, David?" Sophia ventured to ask. Proud that her voice didn't tremble, didn't stumble over the words.
David cocked his head at her. "What makes you think I want anything from you?"
Sophia arched her brow and tested her bonds, drawing his attention to the manacles.
"Ah, yes. So sorry about that." The dark, taunting humor in his eyes saying anything but an apology. "But you can understand the position I've found myself in. My men are a little antsy about the idea of having a…" He paused dramatically, looking her back over very carefully as he stepped closer. Towering at least a good two feet over her, his eyes making her skin crawl. "…white female running around loose." He had the gall to look somewhat embarrassed. "I'm so sorry about that, but they can be a very difficult group to deal with at times."
Sophia couldn't help but bare he teeth at him when she answered. "My heart's bleeding for ya."
The older man laughed. "Oh, don't worry. It soon will. It soon will."
Sophia tossed all premises away of her trying to appear calm and unruffled, and glared her hatred at him. Eyes flaring bright gold. Yanking again on her bounds.
David tsked. "Now, now. Is that any way to behave towards your host?" He turned to look at his companion. "Maybe you would prefer to be left in Eric's company instead, hmm? He did such a wonderful job of 'taking care of' your friend there. I'm sure he'd be well capable of doing a much better job of entertaining you than myself."
Sophia tilted her chin up defiantly. "You would have to chain me up like this, before you could torture me. Don't you realize what that makes you? A coward!"
David studied her words thoughtfully before answering her. "It would if I was talking to a human woman, rather than a female Bitch. But seeing as how you're just an unholy creation of Evil, you have no right to discuss morals with me." His hand shot up to back hand her hard across the cheek. Despite the obvious strength he possessed, that strength was still human, and the blow barely turned Sophia's head. It still pissed her off. His hand reached up to grasp a handful of her hair at the roots, her body rebelling against his disgusting touch. He yanked her head back, and leaned his lips closer to her ear. Sophia thought she would vomit right then and there.
"And to answer your previous question, you have nothing that I want. You friend over there provided me with more than enough information to see about the destruction of your entire species, once and for all!" his tone started to increase with its ferocity. Sophia winced at his loud, calloused words against her unprotected ear. His other hand came up to encircle her throat. The almost civilized façade from before disappearing from view as she looked into the eyes of the Leader of the Hunters, and the most dangerous being she had ever had to come across. Deaths of hundreds were in those eyes. The lust for blood ran through him like hell-fire, and she knew that he would never stop coming after her people till every last one of them was dead. And then she pitied the next group, human or otherwise, that he would focus on, because she knew he would never stop. He was addicted to it. He bathed in it. Pain and destruction was the only thing he lived for. In all its forms. His entire existence.
"No, you will provide me with something far more precious." David's voice went back to being a whisper, his cold fingers stroking the curved expanse of her exposed throat, causing bile to rise in her into her mouth. The taste heavy on her tongue. She closed her eyes in a wince at the sudden pain in her scalp as he twisted his fingers deeper into the mass.
"You will provide me with the pleasure of your death." He continued on. "And with you, the death of your barbaric species' vision of hope." Giving her another sharp pull on the hair, he snatched his hand away as if she repulsed him. Taking with it several hairs yanked painfully out by their roots. She opened her eyes again to stare at him. Lips pressing tightly together as her body tightened against the restraints. She wanted nothing but to launch herself at his throat, and tear him to pieces.
But to do so would make her just like him, and Sophia knew she didn't have it in her to become a killer.
David shook his head at her. "I still can't believe that a little teenage girl like you is supposed to be the savior of your species. But it doesn't matter anymore. Pretty soon, you'll be dead, and with you, any possibilities of your Pack surviving yet again, and escaping out clutches!" With a snarl, he turned his back and made his way to the door, Eric close behind him.
Before leaving though, he pointed out to her the clock placed high on the wall. It read 9:55
He turned to look back at Sophia, his past anger and lust for pain having disappeared beneath the surface of the well-to-do gentleman once more. The change shocking to Sophia, for it was like she had been faced with two completely separate people.
But that cruel light in his eyes was still present as he looked gloatingly at her. "You have till midnight in which to live. At which, you're luck will run out along with my hospitality, and you'll be executed." He smirked at her. "So sorry for that."
With that, he turned and left. Leaving Sophia there screaming out insults as she thrashed against the chains holding her.
Finally, after a few resentful minutes, she sagged against them, her body almost a dead-weight in defeat. She couldn't get loose, and there was no way she could save herself. She leaned her head back against the blood-stained wall behind her, and allowed the tears to flow unchecked down her cheeks. Her silent pain visible only to the crumpled body of the Skinwalker female in the corner. Her eyes too, filled with sorrow as they never left Sophia.
…the form of the white wolf will appear once again… But to battle the oncoming Darkness, its soul will reside… not in the shell of One… but in that of Two…
******
Luke was still stunned by what Ruby had just told him. He consciously placed his palm over the healed wound in the left, upper portion of his chest. His finger absently rubbing over the newly developed scar. Something told him that that scar would be there even years from now. Unlike others that found their way onto a Skinwalkers' body that would disappear within a few weeks, a life threatening wound would almost always leave a trace of the proof of something that maybe they shouldn't be forgetting anyway, anytime soon. When they were so much stronger, and so much harder to kill, it made many of them forget just how fragile their lives could become with a well-placed bullet or blade.
And all it took for them to remember that fact was that little, permanent scar.
"Where's Sophia now?" He decided to start with what was the most important at the moment. He leaned back against the fireplace, arm resting on the mantle as he waited for some of his strength to return.
"I don't know." Ruby replied honestly. Her and John had moved to the loveseat opposite the couch, and he had draped an over-large throw over them both. She was nestled into the side of his warm body, face still pale. Healing Luke had taken a lot out of her, and that had already been on top of her holding a connection to Sophia over such a long distance. She was mentally and physically exhausted. The still-healing wound in her thigh burned and throbbed from the strain placed on it, and she knew that John's shoulder wasn't feeling any better at the moment.
"I severed contact with her before focusing on healing you, and now…" She raised a pale slender hand to her forehead and everyone in the room could see how it was trembling. "My mind is so fried I can't make contact."
Sherman spoke up for the first time in awhile. "These are all new and undeveloped abilities that Ruby as well as Sophia have discovered within themselves. If you remember, Sophia passed out pretty much the same way Ruby here just did after she pulled Skyler out of Flip limbo. Now, once they start becoming more used to their abilities, then they'll be able to rely on them without the fear of being so completely drained afterwards. It's like a new muscles that has to be carefully and slowly strengthened over time."
Ruby frowned at him. "Yeah, but it's not like either Sophia or myself have the time right now to 'strengthen' our gifts, so what do you suggest we do till then?"
Sherman shrugged innocently. "Carry around a big pillow?"
Ruby rolled her eyes at him and then fell back against John's side. Too tired to argue.
Throughout their conversation, Luke had become silently reflective as he leaned his weight on the mantel and studied the front door where it still hung open, having allowed the cold air from outside to filter into every aspect of his home like a silent enemy of the north. Not even the heat from the embers at his back could even hope to compete with the sudden drop in temperature. But he didn't feel it, he wasn't even aware of anything but the burning desire to find Sophia and have her safe again at his side.
Matt and Vivian both watched him cautiously. Seeing the hard and dangerous glint to his sea green eyes that were now beset on by his emotions, like the oceans to a storm. John saw it as well, and within it, saw a reflection of himself when Ruby had been threatened. Snared in that near-fatal trap they had fallen into only…
Had it only been last night?
Luke tilted his head towards Ruby when he saw how worn she was. She wasn't capable of holding a mind-link with Sophia, or even capable of attempting it for only a few minutes at the current moment.
So, he closed his eyes to feel her out on their private merge…
…only to find their link gone.
Luke's eyes flew open as a cry of denial flew to his lips. No! She couldn't be dead. He would have felt it if she had!
Not if you had been unconscious at the time, devastating logic pointed out.
"Luke, what's wrong?" Vivian asked. Seeing the look in her son's eyes. It wasn't one she'd forget anytime soon. He looked as if his soul had just been wrenched forcefully from his body.
"Sophia," He breathed out, voice catching hoarsely. "I–I can't feel her through our link."
Vivian's eyes widened at the meaning behind his words, and she looked towards Matt, seeing how white and still he had suddenly become.
Turning away from the sight, she swallowed painfully and took a step towards Luke. "Is she de–?"
"No." Ruby answered firmly. She leaned forward to lock her eyes with her brother's. Calmness and assured belief burning in the silver depths, locking onto the haze of pain and shock reflected in those stormy ones. Traumatized by the loss of his mental link to his mate.
"Luke, Sophia is very much alive. You have to believe me. Believe that I know what I'm talking about. My connection to Sophia is still there, and I would know the second anything happened to it. Even though I can't reach out to her at the moment, it is not stopping her from reaching out to me."
Luke blinked, and that cold shield came back down over those expressive eyes and he nodded once. Sensing that his sister wouldn't lie to him. She was right, she had to be. His heart was still telling him, despite the fears of his mind, that Sophia was still alive.
"Then why can't he feel her?" Matt asked suddenly, sensing that there was more here than they were being told.
Ruby let out a pent-up breath and ran her fingers through her hair, pushing the tangled mass back from her face. Her face drawn and pale.
"I
think it had something to do with the bullet that Luke was shot with. Or,
rather what the bullet had been dipped in."
Luke stood up straight. Eyes narrowing. "What do you mean?"
"I had originally thought that the reason why your body couldn't stop the bleeding, was because the bullet was silver. I could sense what it was, so I started to think that they had some type of silver that we hadn't heard of before. Something that did do to us what the human werewolf legends believe. But when I was healing you, I discovered that it wasn't the silver that was keeping you from healing, but a type of poison that the bullet had been dipped in. It was fast acting and had moved through your body in such a way that… I had wondered if it had had any other purpose than to stop your wound from clotting to stop you from bleeding to death. I can only guess that it's double purpose was to block your ability to communicate with other Skinwalkers, so that way you couldn't interfere with them taking Sophia. Tell me, can you even reach out to the common pathway?"
Luke stared off in the distance, the clenching of his jaw and the flicker to his eyes the only proof of the inner struggle within him raging to be turned lose on those that had done this. He shook his head no when he found that mental path cut as well. He couldn't stand this! Not being able to communicate on the mental pathways was like he had lost his ability to speak or hear. One thing no Skinwalker wanted to be faced with was the loss of their unique abilities. Death was more preferable than that trauma.
"Damn it!" Sherman muttered as he began to pace in a small circle, He had already figured out that the Hunters had been experimenting with things they shouldn't. Things of a biological sense against the remains of the Skinwalker species, but he had only realized now just how advanced they had become in their plans to weaken the Pack.
Vivian placed one hand on her hip and raised the other to rub at her forehead. Her mouth opened several times like she was trying to find the right words to say first.
"Is this… permanent? I mean, will he be able to use the pathways again?"
Ruby nodded slowly, "I don't think it will be permanent, seeing as how I managed to push the poisons harmlessly out of his body, but I have no idea how long it will take before those lines are open again."
"Great, just great." Matt grumbled. "So until then, he's vulnerable."
Ruby looked at him calmly, a smile turning up the corners of her mouth comfortingly. "We're all vulnerable at the moment, Mr. Donner."
Luke started to shake his head. He wanted to run outside, he wanted to scream out at the night sky, he wanted to do anything but what he was doing at the current moment, which was nothing.
"Not as vulnerable as Sophia is. And that's what we need to be dealing with right now, trying to find her. Ruby?" he turned to look at her. "What else did you find out?"
Luke listened as Ruby began to describe everything she could to him. A niggling concern flitting in the back of his mind, a question that he desperately wanted answered.
Like how had the group of Hunters and Tyler managed to sneak up on them in the first place, without them knowing about it? Without them sensing them?
******
Sophia watched the clock as the short and long hand slowly crept its way across the plain sterile face. Hearing every tick as one second closer to dying. She didn't know what had happened to Ruby and the others, because every time she tried to reach out to Ruby, she couldn't get through. It was like this thick heavy cloud blocking her way. Smothering her every time she tried to move through it. She feared the worse.
"So... you really are a white wolf?" Presley's tentative disbelief surprised Sophia, and she looked down from where the clock was, to see that the severely battered girl had managed to get herself up into a sitting position. The only thing covering her nakedness was a man's simple flannel. She leaned her bruised back up against the wall for support, wincing. A fine layer of cold sweat dotting her forehead from the exertion. Sophia cocked her head at her and tilted an eyebrow at her in bemusement.
"You saw it yourself. You saw me Change in front of the whole Pack at the Meeting."
Presley closed her eyes for a moment, slightly rolling them. "Yeah, but, I still couldn't believe that a… that you…" She trailed off, suddenly uncertain as to how to continue.
Sophia couldn't help but chuckle at the other girl's sudden discomfort. Funny how nothing had ever stopped her before when it came to tossing around insults.
"What? That a half-breed could be a white female?" Sophia's mouth twisted at her sentence. "You know, once upon a time, that phrase was an insult. But it isn't one to me anymore. You know why?"
Presley looked at back at her. Listened to the calming frankness of her voice, and shook her head.
"Because I'm proud to be part human, and not for the ways you might think. Not because I have something against those that are pure blooded. But because, being my mother's daughter gave me more strength then you realize. More control over my wolven abilities, and a much better perspective of the human race that most of the Pack seems to have. I've been human. I've been on the other side of those taunts and jeers that you seem to aim at most of the 'ungulates' as you call them, and I've stood my ground against those remarks. Those beliefs all my life. I know the value of the human race that you and most of the Pack seem to have forgotten. But, I've been Skinwalker too. I always have, and I've seen the responsibility needed to deserve that pelt. Not only do we need to respect our own kind, but those that are human as well that would probably stand at our side if it ever came down to it."
Presley kept her face averted. "I'm sorry for those things I said. About your mother. I–I didn't mean them."
"Yes, you did." Sophia disagreed softly. Seeing how the other girl flinched at the truth in Sophia's words. "But I forgive you."
Presley looked back up at Sophia, and a small smile reflected in her gaze. A smirk replaced it as she teased Sophia.
"This still doesn't mean we're friends, zoo-bait."
Sophia's lips twisted up at her sardonically in reply. "No, never that."
Presley chuckled, but was cut short as she began to cough again. Sophia's eyes narrowed at the sound. What she needed was to get herself and Presley out of here, for every minute that passed by was another minute closer to their deaths. Sophia knew that Presley had out-lived her usefulness to David Van Halen, and would most assuredly be executed right alongside Sophia at midnight. Sophia wondered briefly what was going to happen. How they were going to do it. Did they have some kind of ritual, or were they just going to put a bullet in their brains and get it over with? Something told her, that whatever it was, it wasn't going to be the latter. That would be too merciless for a bunch of men that seemed to enjoy inflicting as much pain as possible.
"Sophia, they did more to me than just take away my ability to Flip… They severed my ability to communicate telepathically."
Presley's sudden statement was a surprise, but not a shock. No telling how many things horrors they had up their sleeves for their species, what with the latest technology available to anyone with enough money to line some pockets with.
When Sophia started to answer, the opening of the door interrupted her. Presley shrank back, as Sophia's heart began to pound. Her gaze flying back up to the clock. It wasn't even 11:00 yet. Had they decided to kill them early?
Sophia cautiously watched as a man entered the room, shutting the door silently behind him. Her eyes narrowed as she recognized him as the one from earlier. The one that had led her into this room with his buddies in tow. The guy with the black ponytail and chiseled features accented by chips of black onyx for eyes. He would have been beautiful, if he hadn't been so cold. He was dressed simply in just a pair of black jeans and a long-sleeve black top. Dark hiking boots upon his feet that made no noise upon the concrete floor as he took a few steps closer.
As his gaze swept over first her and then Presley in calculation, he seemed to make a decision about something, and turned towards her.
Sophia watched him through frigid eyes as he came closer. She pulled harder at her bonds. There was only one reason why he would have come in here without wanting anyone else to see or hear him, and one reason only.
"Don't even think about it!" she spat out as he came to a stop less than a foot away. She yanked harder at the manacles, wanting desperately to rip his face apart as he cocked his head to the side and had the gall to appear amused at her struggles.
"Brave words coming from the one chained up like an animal, and about to be sent to the slaughter." He commented softly. His voice firm in its encasement of silk. His hands came to rest on Sophia's hips, and she was shocked at their unexpected heat. She had thought they'd be cold like the rest of him.
"They may just kill me in the next couple of hours, but I assure you, I'll be more than willing to take you down with me if you try anything!" Sophia snarled. Eyes flickering bright fire.
"Hmm," he chuckled dryly as his hands started to slide up her sides. "I have no doubt that you would, Skinwalker."
Sophia let out a hiss as she tried to kick out at him, but her blow was deflected by one well trained to do so. She thrashed yet again as his hands started to slide up her arms, bringing his body in closer to her exposed one. She had never felt so violated or helpless as she did in that moment, and she knew it was only going to get worse in a few minutes. Tears of hatred burned in her eyes as she stared back at his coolly un-moved ones just several inches away from hers. Like she was nothing more to him than an interesting specimen under a microscope.
As his hands came up to cover her defenseless hands, Sophia shuddered, and knew that she couldn't stop him from pinning her there. Couldn't stop any of it. Closing her eyes, she steeled herself for the inevitable. Preparing for the sensation of him tearing into her body without permission. The violation that she had no way of stopping.
Instead, she heard the sound of a click as the manacles were released from around her wrists, and the sensation of them falling away as her arms fell limply to her sides. Blood rushing into them, filling up the deadened nerves and chilled skin with burning heat. The pain caused her shoulders and arms to cramp in protest of being held in one position for so long.
Sophia opened her eyes and stared back into that of her prisoner/rescuer with complete and utter shock.
He smiled at her ruefully as he stepped back and out of her personal space. Knowing full well what she had originally thought he had come to do.
Sophia rubbed at her bruised wrists absently as she watched him approach Presley. He pulled out something that glittered strangely in the shadows, and before Presley or Sophia knew what he was doing, he had plunged a needle into the young girl's arm, pulled back slightly to make sure he wasn't in a vein, and then depressed the plunger.
"What did you just give her?" Sophia demanded to know as she quickly paced forward after him. Stopping only when he stood back up. Coming together all in one fluid movement. Sophia swallowed but held her ground. No wonder they called them Hunters. She had never seen a human move the way they did.
"Something that will combat the drugs already poured into her system. She should be able to make the Change in about ten minutes."
"Why are you doing this?" Sophia looked at him in bafflement. "Why are you helping us?"
"Shh. Be quiet. There isn't a lot of time, and there is a lot to be said before you leave. In five minutes the shift of guards will change, and Freddy, the one who guards the back side of the building, always takes a relief session out in the woods before assuming his post for the next four hours. It should be enough time for you two to make good your escape, if we time this just right." He held up a hand when Sophia started to open her mouth to say something. "No. I told you to be quiet. I have information that is vital to your Pack if you are to be prepared for what David Van Halen is plotting."
Sophia studied the seriousness in his eyes and nodded. "I'm listening."
"Okay, first off. The two drugs that were pumped into that one, where designed to shut down the telepathy and well as the ability for you to Change that all Skinwalkers share. They both have been mass-produced and there is more than enough of them to go around for the remainder of your species."
Sophia felt a tremble race up her spine, but she didn't reveal any outward signs of her distress, as she continued to listen. Hanging on his every word. The knowledge she would learn from him just might save her Pack.
"Second, you might have noticed when you were captured, you couldn't sense anything out of the ordinary till they were right on top you, am I correct?"
Sophia frowned to herself, remembering how odd that had been. She had thought it was because her and Luke had been so absorbed in one another, and they had let their guard slip. She nodded slowly.
"That's because of this." He pulled out a funny shaped black disc from under his shirt where it hung on a leather cord. It glimmered in the muted light of the room as Sophia studied it.
"It's some type of mineral – and don't ask me what – that basically interferes with your sensory of the person wearing it. It basically acts like a shield. Any who is wearing it, cannot be picked up by the Skinwalkers senses. It's been used since the Dark Age, when your species barely managed to survive the Hunters' attacks."
Dawning comprehension went off inside Sophia's memory. "So that's what the power was that the Hunters had held over my ancestors, that had allowed them to destroy so many of us. And they hadn't even realized it."
He nodded his head, affirming her words. He looked over to Presley who was currently trying to stand up. Her strength starting to return.
"I don't know what was in that needle." She commented dryly, rubbing her arm absently. "But do you have another one?"
He shook his head. "Nope. Besides, give it a few more minutes for the full effect to kick in. Pretty soon you'll be back to normal."
Sophia shook her head slightly, glancing from Presley to the man standing across from her. "Why was an antidote created for those drugs?"
He shrugged. "The same reason any antidote is made for a created biological threat. To hold it over the head of the infected as an enticement for gaining what one wants." He looked away from Sophia to glance at his watch, and then back to the door.
"Okay, it's time I got you two out of here. Can you support her till she gets her legs back under her again?
Sophia nodded and went over to sling Presley's arm across her shoulders, hoisting the girl's weight up, as they moved in behind him.
"What's your name?" Presley asked. Wincing at the pain in her abused body. He didn't even turn to look at her.
"My name is not important."
"It is to me." she countered.
As he pulled out a pistol from the back of his waistband and checked it, he looked over at the two girls. His gaze dancing over Sophia's before coming to rest on Presley.
Was it just her, or had Sophia seen a slight flicker of warmth in those black chips of ice when they came to rest on the petite blond?
"Call me Damien."
Presley quirked her brow at him. "Is that your name?"
He smiled then. An honest-to-goodness, real smile. "To some it is."
With that he turned back around and cautiously opened the door.
Sending up a prayer, Sophia and Presley followed closely in behind him as they stepped out of the concrete room, and into the nearly black hallway. The door shutting behind them, closing out the memories that both Sophia and Presley planned on forgetting about if they made it out of this alive.
******
Sophia had never felt so relieved as when all three of them stepped out of that building and into the night air. Granted, they weren't out of danger just yet, but on the same token, she wasn't chained to a wall anymore, and that made her very happy.
Damien quickly herded them towards the back. They arrived just in time to see a shadow of a man slinking off into the woods.
"Right on time." Damien muttered. Pushing them deep into the woods in the other direction. Finally he came to a stop. "Okay, this is where you two are on your own."
Presley protested this. "What? Aren't you coming with us?!" She was finally standing up on her own. Most of her wounds from the last torture session were almost healed. The few nastier ones about halfway there. She looked better than she had a couple of hours ago, but with such a vivid array of purples, blues, yellows and greens decorating her nearly naked body, she had no doubt seen much better days.
"No, my path lies here, with them."
"You
can't be serious! They'll kill you for helping us escape!" Presley didn't want
him to remain here. Not after he had risked so much to save them.
"I would only slow you down if I went. Besides, they won't know if you were assisted or not in your escape. They don't even know that I was anywhere close."
When Presley would have continued to argue, Sophia held up a hand to silence her. "Let him be, Presley. I'm not any happier about it, but it's his decision to make."
Presley looked like she would have preferred to argue about this, but instead, she nodded her head slightly in agreement. "What's the plan?"
Sophia looked back over at Damien, before turning to Presley. "We'll split up. You cut through the woods and make your way as quickly as you can back to the Mansion–"
"The Mansion is where you were captured earlier." Damien cut her off to point out.
"I know. It's called hiding in plain sight. They won't expect that. Besides, we won't be there long."
Sophia turned back to Presley. "Tyler Creed has turned, and it's possible he's not the only one of ours that has. Trust no one unless it is Luke, Vivian, my father, Sherman or Ruby and John. Go to one of them, Presley. Not to your family or friends. Not yet. Just make it to one of them. Start running, and don't stop. But be careful. The Hunters have been placing traps around Wolf Lake–"
Again, Damien jumped in. "Stay away from the east side and you'll be fine."
Presley nodded. "What are you going to do?" Her question was pointed at Sophia, even though she took her own sweet time pulling her gaze from Damien's.
"Don't worry about me. I'll be going straight to the Mansion as well."
Presley nodded again as she quickly shed the over long shirt that one of the Hunters had tossed her after being tortured yet again this afternoon– had that been Damien then as well? – underneath it her body was bare, and her muscles started to shift and bones started to reshape as she took on her wolf form. Unaware that when she had pulled it off, a portion of the tail had caught on a tree limb jutting out, ripping a strip of the fabric away.
Presley's eyes never left Damien's as she started to Flip. She had had no idea how pleased she would have been to see that he wasn't the least bit disgusted or fearful of the sight. In fact, he seemed to watch it with a large amount of interest, and even a little bit of awe. She thought back on what Sophia had said earlier about respecting humans as well, as some would have the courage to stand by their side if given the chance to know their secret. And she had been right. Those words had proved to be prophetic in the appearance of Damien.
"Run." Sophia prompted gently. Urging the girl to turn and go deeper into the woods.
Giving Damien one last look in her wolven pelt, she turned away and lit out. Her lithe gray body cutting through the underbrush without a sound, as she pressed on for speed. Paws flying over the ground in rapture at being able to feel the wolf within her once again. All the memories of the past few days melting away as she glorified in being free.
But one memory did stick with her though. That of a beautiful human male with eyes of black stars.
Sophia watched Presley disappear into the depths of the forest, before turning back to look at Damien.
"Are you sure you won't come with me?"
Damien lips curled ever so slightly at her concern. "I'm sure. You better get going yourself." When he made a move to step away, Sophia placed a restraining hand upon his arm.
"Wait. Before you leave, I have to ask you… Why did you do this for us?"
Damien looked back at her for a moment, and then tilted his head up to look at the sight of the crimson moon leering at them from above.
"I am a descendant of one of the top warrior Hunters of the Dark Age, when my people nearly drove yours to extinction. That lineage is something that I have been told time and time again to treasure. But the one thing that our history edited out about my Ancestor, is that he fell in love with one of your species."
Damien looked down at the surprise he saw reflected in her eyes at his statement. He shrugged one shoulder slightly. "I guess she changed him. He fell in love with her, and his loyalties shifted to that of the Skinwalkers. But both him and the female that he had loved didn't make it through that time. Didn't get to make it to the New World when what was left of your species came here, to Wolf Lake. But, in part, one aspect of them still lived on."
"A child." Sophia finished. Tilting her head up to study him better. "You are descendant to not only a legendary Hunter, but his Skinwalker mate as well." Strangely, it all made sense.
Damien nodded. "Of course, that blood is heavily diluted by now, but it's still there. Along with the loyalties I feel towards your Pack. I know what the Hunters here are doing is wrong, and I figured that if I could do anything to slow them down or save a life or two of your species, then this… façade would be well worth it."
Sophia looked up at him and smiled. "Thank you."
Damien nodded. "Yeah well, don't get yourself captured again or all this will have been worthless." With that, he stepped away and headed back to the building. Careful to stay out of sight from the newly placed guard.
Sophia watched him go, before turning back around to head into the woods. She had only made it a few yards, when her connection to Ruby suddenly reattached. Feeling weak from relief, Sophia quickly bombarded her with questions.
'Ruby!' What happened? Why couldn't I reach you?'
The sound of chuckling came across the link. 'Because I was busy saving that good-for-nothing mate of yours.'
Sophia paused as she rested a hand against a tree, Anxiety filling her. 'Saving him…? Is he okay now?'
'He's got one hell of a headache and is about ready to tear this town apart to find you, but he's going to be okay. The bullet he was shot with contained a type of poison that not only was keeping him from healing, but it also paralyzed his telepathy.'
'Yeah, I ran into something similar with Presley. She's currently heading back to the Mansion. We split up so she'll be coming from a different direction than me.'
'What direction are you going to be coming from?'
Sophia didn't answer, instead, she filled Ruby in on what had happened. About her finding Presley, to talking to David Van Halen, to the appearance of Damien.
'Well, if at least one thing has come from all this, we now have somewhat of an idea of what we're up against. I'll be sure to tell everyone what you just told me.'
Sophia rubbed her head tiredly, seeing her goal up ahead. 'Alright. Look, as much as I'm dying to figure out what exactly you did to heal Luke, I'm going to need to break off. This long-distance thing is starting to give me a headache and I can't afford that right now. Do me a favor though… tell Luke I love him.'
'Okay, Sophia. I will. Please don't let anything else happen to you, and find your way back safely.'
'Don't worry, I'll be there before you realize it.' Sophia pulled herself out of the tree line and into the vacant open. Walking down the bank to the lake's edge. Listening to the soothing way it lapped at the earth beneath her bare feet.
She stood there for a moment. Taking in the expanse of water stretching out in front of her, and the tree line visible on the other side. The tree line, which just happened to be between the Mansion and the Lake… A tree line that was a good mile away across the waters of Wolf Lake.
Looking back up at the unnatural moon gleaming down at her, she sighed. Knowing she didn't have much of a choice.
'I found a short-cut.'
With that, Sophia pulled out of the mind merge, and resolutely stepped into the water's edge.
******
Ruby frowned slightly at Sophia's cryptic remark as she pulled herself out of the merge. Her head already swimming for having held the contact as long as she did.
She sank back against the loveseat, and reached for the bottle of aspirin resting on the end table beside her that Shawn had fetched for her from the bathroom's medicine cabinet. Quickly swallowing a few.
"Is she okay?" Luke asked anxiously. Pacing back and forth in front of her.
"She's fine. In fact, she's better than fine. Her and Presley have already escaped."
A few sounds of relief came from the general direction of Matt and Vivian, as Sherman spoke up. "Presley is with her?"
"Not exactly. They spilt up. Going two different directions. Sophia said that they had some help from a Hunter named Damien. He basically saved their lives."
Luke closed his eyes in relief and flopped back down on the couch. Still a little light-headed, but thanks to the patch-up job that Ruby had given him, he was steadily gaining back his strength, if not his telepathy.
"Where is she now?" he asked quietly. His head still resting against his palm as he muttered the question.
"She didn't tell me exactly, only that she'll be here soon."
Luke nodded. Frustration evident. He needed his mental link to her. He needed to talk to her. Hold her. Know that she was safe, or he was going to go mad. The lack of their private connection cut him to the bone. Slicing him right through to where his heart was. That pain wouldn't ease till he had her back with him.
Ruby steeled herself for what she had to say next. "There are some other things I need to inform you of though, before she gets here. She found out some things about the Hunters and what weapons they have against us."
Seeing that she had everyone's attention, she began to repeat everything that Sophia had told her.
******
Damien held his head up high as he casually walked down a separate corridor hidden within the small complex that had just recently lost its purpose. He could hear some of the men gathering what few items that were in the building in some of the rooms that he passed, in their preparation of leaving within the next hour. Leaving for some pre-destined location that none of them had yet to be informed of.
Having changed from the casual outfit of earlier, his recently replaced boots-of-choice made clicking noises against the tile from the impact of the heel. A black leather duster swirled out behind him as he made his way further down the hallway. Lean hips and muscular thighs encased in leather pants of the same color. He had replaced the simple long-sleeve shirt with a black turtleneck that clung to a perfectly formed chest like a second skin. The ever-present gun strapped at his hip, was in plain sight through the opening of the duster. His eyes once again frigid chips of black diamonds. No emotion whatsoever painted across his expression as he neared the end of the corridor, a hand reaching out to turn the knob on the door there. Once it had swung open, he stepped inside.
"Damien," David Van Halen greeted from where he was seated at his desk. Looking over some piece of information or of the like on his private laptop. He slowly closed the lid as he studied the younger man as he sat down in a chair across from his boss. Leaning back in a casual position, fingers interlaced in his lap, and legs spread out in front of him. One ankle hooked over the other. An expression of boredom glittering in that icy gaze. The lines of his mouth sensual, yet at the same time extremely cruel.
David couldn't help but smile at the younger man's complete lack of fear of his superior. While the other Hunters almost cowered in front of their leader, this one treated him no differently then he did his orders. No emotions and complete lack of any humanity. It was something that David had contemplated killing him for, if it wasn't for him being one of the best Hunters that he'd seen in a long time.
That and the fact that the boy was his son, and would one day take his father's place.
Blood ties could be quite pesky at times.
David leaned back to observe the insolent posture of his son, and cocked his head to the side. Steepling his fingers together contemplatively.
"Did everything go as planned?"
David plucked off a piece of lint from the fabric of his turtleneck stretched over his abdomen nonchalantly. Causing his elder's jaw to tighten at his indifference.
"Of course." Damien's tone was now noticeably insulted. He looked back up at David.
"I always carry out my orders to the letter. You know better than to even ask me that."
David continued as though he hadn't heard the insult coming from his offspring's lips.
"And the injection…?"
Damien sighed in exasperation, as he rolled his eyes upwards to the ceiling. Tilting his head back to rest on the top of the chair. Studying the water stains on the ceiling.
"…was injected into the blonde, as ordered. Don't worry." Damien dropped his head back down to look at his father mockingly. "Your microchip is in place."
"I'm surprised that the dark headed one didn't give you more trouble than she did."
Damien shrugged. "Yeah, well… she was a little bit more interested in getting out of here before midnight." A rare-but-brief smile flitted across those lips. "Did you have to become so melodramatic with that bit?"
David raised an eyebrow. "It produced the desired affect. Now, she's going to go back to all her friends, tell them about the drugs and stones we have at our disposal, start a panic, and will then set the entire Pack on the run."
Damien tilted his head down and looked at his father under the lock of long black hair that had fallen into his face.
"Are you sure it was a good idea for me to tell her all that stuff? I mean, if it's going to prompt them to go on the run…"
"The microchip in the blonde will enable us to track their progress. As it is, they'll probably head north, across the border into Canada. And as soon as they're a far enough distance from Wolf Lake…" David spread his hands out to the side, grinning. "Hunting season begins."
Damien smirked humorlessly. His tone mocking. "Whatever happened to killing the humans as well that lived around the Skinwalkers? Those that have seen who knows how many strange occurrences in their boring little lives?"
David shrugged his shoulders. "Those days ended when their technology became too strong. As much as I would prefer, wiping out Wolf Lake isn't an option. And it won't even have to be one when the Skinwalkers all leave."
David stood and came over to stand in front of his son. Pulling on his coat in preparation to leave. His gaze calculative as he studied him.
"You know, I only told you about the mistake that our Ancestor made because I wanted you to realize his weakness to keep it from ever happening to you. I'm I going to regret my decision?"
Damien threw back his head and started to laugh. The sound chilling enough to make even send a shiver up his sire's spine.
Still chuckling, Damien looked up at him. "You know better than to even ask that question, now don't you?"
David shrugged indifferently. "Just making sure."
All amusement fled, leaving Damien's eyes black with shivering coldness so fast that David had a hard time not taking a step back from the animosity glowing there.
"Don't ever question my loyalty again to the Hunters, Father. Or I might be forced to show you just how little I have of it for you." Despite the soft, dangerous quality to his words, David couldn't help but be pleased at Damien's words.
"Well spoken, my son. Well spoken." With that, he opened the door and started to strode on out.
"What makes you think they'll run? I mean, they have it pretty good in this little town for them to want to give that all up without a fight."
David paused in the doorway. "Because they've never done well under pressure. They'd rather run with their tail between their legs, than risk confronting us and losing their unique abilities. One thing they can't stand is to be weakened to the state of humans. And one thing we can't afford is for them to find out the truth about the size of our ranks."
David turned away, leaving Damien sitting there, staring at the bare wall on the far side of the room. Reaching into his pocket, he slowly pulled out a small strip of flannel. Fingers absently playing with the material as shadows of memories danced across the usually frozen surface of his obsidian eyes. Temporarily causing them to thaw, if only for a moment.
******
A few minutes later, after Ruby had become silent once more, the heaviness in the room built till it could have been cut with a knife. Luke was still sprawled on the couch next to Shawn. Both of them looking around at the others as they all tried to comprehend what Ruby had just told them.
Matt placed his palms over the mantel, and was staring down into the still glowing embers. Barely even seeing them as Vivian stood at his side. Her hand unconsciously wrapped around the security of his wrist. Sherman stood at the doorway. Arms folded across his chest, and his head bowed. His heart heavy with the knowledge of just how dangerous the weapons of the Hunters had become.
"So," Vivian was the first to break the silence. "What you're telling me is, we can't sense them, so therefore we can't stop them from ambushing us. We can't use our telepathy to communicate with each other because they can take that away from us as well. And if those two weren't bad enough, they have two other drugs that have the power to keep our wounds from healing, and assuming our true forms." Vivian started to shake her head. Chuckling sardonically, her hand slid down off Matt's shoulder, and she crossed her arms in front of her over the simple terry-cloth robe that she had pulled out of the hallway closet.
"Basically reducing all of our talents to nothing. And making us as easy to pick off as the humans." All sarcasm fled as Vivian fought within herself to make a decision. Looking at everyone else in the room. "Well, I'm not going to let that happen to us. I won't watch this Pack fall apart."
"What do you purpose we do?" John spoke up for the first time in awhile. His arms was still wrapped securely around Ruby's bare shoulders. Finger playing absently in her hair.
Vivian looked away from them to glance outside the broken window into the dark forest beyond that had been their home for so long. "As soon as we get Sophia back, we need to move her and Ruby to secure locations. As soon as that's taken care of, I'll alert the Pack to these dangers we've just spoken of. Then, I'll contact everyone on a personal note, in order to avoid Tyler overhearing it."
Matt turned away from the fireplace to look at her in confusion. "What do you mean, what personal note?" He saw Sherman moving in closer out of the corner of his eye, and Matt had a bad feeling that he knew exactly what Vivian was talking about.
"Contact them about what, Mom?" Luke asked, turning to look at them both. Bare arm slung over the back of the couch.
Vivian's gaze softened a little when she looked at her son. She turned back to look at Matt. He wasn't going to like this. None of them would. But right now, it didn't seen as if they had a choice. She wouldn't risk the extinction of her people. And as much as she had tried to fight this, it had really been the only option available since the presence of the Hunters had been revealed. She had been foolish to believe otherwise.
"About the immediate evacuation of the Pack from Wolf Lake." She looked grimly at everyone in the room, and them shook her head in disbelief at her own words. Having never thought she would ever say them.
"We're running."
*****************************************
While I am typing this, it is currently past one in the morning, and I'm about to sue my Muse! I'm still mad about him tricking me with these last two, and I don't plan on forgiving him anytime soon. (Male muse currently standing tall, arms folded arrogantly over his chest. *Yeah, let's see how long it takes you till you're crawling back to me. You know you need me.* Me shaking fist at Muse threateningly. *Hey! YOU'RE the one that kept me up this late. I was supposed to be in bed four hours ago! I wouldn't be counting too heavily on your value to me, seeing as people have been known to do crazy things when they're sleep deprived!* Muse raises brow at this, but has the decency to release me from my computer for the night, and crawl back into the hole in which he came from. Me brandishing my Omni Spiral notebook over his hole, preparing to 'whack' him if he sticks his head back out again anytime soon.)
Oh, man. This was like the ep. that would never end, let me tell you. I still can't believe I did more than double the writing for the two-part ep. and in only a week. When it always takes me at least two weeks to do half of what I've done here. I have never been this exhausted from writing a story before. Despite how much fun it's been.
Anyway, after this, there will be the finale episode, followed by the shorter epilogue that will wrap everything up on a softer note, seeing as how the next ep, is going to be explosive, and is going to end as such.
'Course, that is the Plan, which my Muse seems all to well inclined to change on me whenever the mood strikes him. So I've given up on trying to promise anything.
The next part will be Chapter 13, Ep. 20 – "Destiny Of A Myth" (The myth being the Skinwalkers, of course)
Hopefully I'll get it out for all of you soon. Until then, don't forget to leave a review for me. Get descriptive, as those reviews ALWAYS make my day. Tell me what you're favorite part was, or if there is anything else that you want me to touch upon in the series before it ends. Let me know if anything is still confusing for you, and I'll do my best to flesh it out for you.
Oh, and don't forget to tell me what you think of Damien…(wicked grin) He is what happens to you at one in the morning, when you've had way too many spice drops (you know, those small, different colored chewy cones that are frosted with sugar? Mostly found on gingerbread houses and Christmas delights.) Oh, and eggnog. Don't forget the eggnog. I could main-line the stuff. To me it's the best part about the Holidays! (grin)
Take care! Until next time…!
(Sapphira)
