((My goal was to post this chapter on the 14th, but ff.net shut down, so it's not my fault))
Dedication – To all the lovers out there, young in body, and/or at heart, on Valentine's Day! You lucky people, you! (wink) Hopefully the early release of this chapter will show you just how much all of you are in MY heart…
Author's Note – Just so there won't be any confusion, those of you that are stopping by this virtual series' official home, I consider it prudent to inform you, that, four of the episodes were given new titles, and they are as followed:
Virtual Chapter Four – Was "Moon of Revelation", now it is "Revelations"
Virtual Chapter Five – Was "Stars of Passion, Part One", is now "Actions Measured By Consequences"
Virtual Chapter Six – was "Stars of Passion, Part Two", is now just, "Stars of Passion"
Virtual Chapter Seven – "Trial By Moon", is now "Trial by Moonlight" (This one is tentative… it may be given a completely different title later on.)
Also, ALL the summaries were given a "face lift" for better eye-catching potential on the home page of Phoenix Virtual Television.
But, despite the small changes made, all the text is the same. Nothing has been changed in the actual episodes. Eventually, when I have the time to do so, I will make the changes listed above to the episodes posted at ff.net themselves, so expect that to happen in the near future…
And okay… this episode is another two-hour one… Because I refuse to be delayed any further from getting to the finale, WHICH WILL BE THE NEXT EPISODE!!! … Even if it has to be a three hour event… =-p
Don't forget to review and tell me what you think!
~~~
Summery – As Sophia is lost in the embrace of the dream realm, she will come face to face with her ancestor, as the past and present meld… Ruby will deal with a stunning revelation…Presley is drawn deeper into her attraction towards Damien, but when the "Darkness" strikes, and the final battle begins, what will his true motives reveal?
~~~
"So what happens now?" Damien inquired simply as Presley and him walked through the forest. Having abandoned her car at the Diner. If everything went the way it appeared it would, she wouldn't be needing it again, anyway.
Presley glanced down at her watch, a small frown creasing her forehead. "The sun will set in a few hours. I have a feeling that Matt and Vivian will want to move quickly, and begin the evacuation then."
A muscle jumped in the side of Damien's cheek. "What about the children? Those that have not completed the Change?"
Presley glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. Well, that comment helped answer her question on just how much he knew about her species.
"What about them?"
"How will they survive the journey?"
"Even though they haven't successfully made the Change yet, their bodies are still very adept at surviving in harsh conditions. Even those situations that would prove to be too much for human children."
"Are they strong enough?"
Presley's lips tightened. "Hopefully. We'll do what we can to make it easier for them."
Damien let the subject drop. They continued to walk in silence.
He hadn't seemed surprised when Presley had told him that she would rather walk tonight, than drive. And inwardly, Presley had been flattered that he had offered to join her.
As she made her way through the thick foliage, her fingers brushed up against the various tree trunks like the caresses of a lover saying a final goodbye, and, in her mind, she really was.
This forest had been her home. Their home. This town had been her life. She had always thought that she would never leave it, and now the prospect of doing just that was unsettling. It was like losing sight of an integral part of herself, and she wasn't quite sure on how to deal with that.
But she was glad that Damien had come with her. Even if it sometimes felt like they were on opposite sides of a large cavern. When the differences between the two of them, and their lifestyles, history, and even their destinies seemed almost insurmountable.
And then there were the times like when he had watched her Flip. His eyes gazing at her in admiration of her ability. Her beauty… The vision of him sitting across from her bed, waiting for her to awake, and the way he had looked at her then…His eyes staring into hers, drawing her in deeper and deeper into their depths as he had kissed her. The taste of him still lingering in her mouth like a tormenting phantom. Just a blurry, faint reflection of the real thing.
And it was those times that she wondered if they really were that different at all.
"What are you thinking about?" Damien asked after awhile of watching her movements through the forest. Observing the almost primal grace in the way she moved through the foliage.
Presley let out a sigh, and looked towards him, eyes darkened with emotion. "I'm leaving my home. Most likely forever."
Damien's black eyes softened gently in sympathy. "I know."
He seemed so completely different when they were alone, Presley marveled. Sensing how close his body was to hers, almost protective, but yet at the same time allowing her the right to her space.
Not many guys she knew were like that. Not with her.
He didn't offer any other words of comfort, and she was glad for it. He just silently supported her as they slowly made their way through the forest aimlessly. Not really going towards any destination or location. They hardly ever spoke, for there was no need to do so. Presley was showing him her world. The world that she was being forced to abandon.
After about two hours of this, he found out that she had been leading them to an overhanging cliff. The view below of the small town nestled into the wild, snow capped mountains. Such a sure reflection of the primal spirit of the town nestled within.
Presley stood there for a moment. Memorizing the view. Wanting to remember every tree, every building. Every ripple present in the Lake. The reflection of the setting sun sinking deeper and deeper into the embrace of the horizon shining in the water. Lined with the silhouetting shadows of the jagged mountains.
The sunset was flaring bright and bold, the colors almost painful in their raw and untamed beauty. Tendrils of color spreading out farther and farther across the sky. Growing dark at the opposite end. The night proceeding diligently as it slowly began chasing the brilliant shading away. A testimony left from the sun, that while it may be forced to concede to the approaching darkness, it would always come back, in yet another blaze of glory, to force the blackness of the night back into hiding. For neither could dominate the sky for long, in this endless war of countless battles, countless days, and countless centuries.
This memory would be something that she would always carry with her. Its beauty and wildness never growing dim or fading with age. Forever as perfect as the moment she was in.
And there was only one ting that would make that moment more bittersweet than it already was.
Turning to look at the man standing beside her, so silent as he too, observed the view, she studied his profile. The chiseled beauty of his features. The paleness of his skin, and the liquid night that was in his eyes. Black hair pulled tightly back from his face in the ever-present ponytail. The mass restricted and guarded. Much like himself.
With that thought in mind, she reached her hand up. Fingers brushing up against the silken strands.
Damien turned his head to look at her inquisitively, but didn't make any move to halt the caress of her fingers.
Bringing those fingers up to the strip of black leather wrapped so tightly, she began to loosen it. Fingertips gently prying it loose.
He could have stopped her. She was surprised that he didn't. Her intentions were clear as to what she was doing, and she expected to feel those strong, beautifully sculpted warm fingers wrap around her wrist in the similar restraint that he had his hair held in, but that sensation never came. In fact, he never took his eyes off of her or tensed against the slight pulling sensation of the wrap releasing. Sliding down the thickly bunched strands, and slipping free.
He watched her, his face unreadable, as her fingers combed through the black thickness. Reveling in the silken texture.
Pulling away, her hand dropped back to her side as she studied him.
Oh my.
Before that moment, his beauty to her had always been like an ice or marble sculpture. Exquisite, but yet at the same time detached. Aloof. Restricted. Cold to the touch, and completely unreachable. Untouchable.
That was why every time he had touched her, it had sent surprising shock waves through her to her very core. For in his touch she had felt fire. Felt passion. It was a living, breathing, writhing thing, just beneath that thick impenetrable layer of frigid ice and stone and restraint.
But when he had let her release his hair, she had cast aside that façade. And she wondered if he had ever let anyone get close enough to do that. To so quickly and effortlessly remove the almost-perfect illusion he had constructed around himself.
Leaving in its place an erotic vision, which she never would have believed would have been this powerful.
He didn't just overwhelm her... He shattered her.
He stood in front of her, the light from the receding sun glowing brilliantly in his black eyes. A living flame glittering there that melted the last remnants of the thick coat of ice that shielded his very soul from view. Burning in his expression. An intense play of shadows and light shifting in the structure of his face. Bringing his pale-as-marble skin to life.
A sudden breeze sent the loosened tendrils of his hair flying back. The cascade of the large mass falling around his broad shoulders and caressing the very air as it whipped around him.
He was raw. Untamed. Like a large jungle cat that had finally been released from its prison. Passion, fire, and ice melding into one entity.
And that entity was him.
In that moment, he was as primal as their surroundings. As dangerous as the darkness beginning to descend.
He's still a part of the Hunters, one part of her mind screamed.
He's a part of me, Her heart cried out in retaliation.
Words couldn't have described the way she had felt when Matt had admitted to knowing Damien's lineage. A lineage that Damien had calmly informed her of, once they had left the Diner.
Her head was still reeling with that revelation.
But now, looking at him, her own personal angel and enemy rolled into one, she had never seen one that looked more the part of her species than he did in that moment. No matter how far removed that bloodline was from his predominate genes, it was still there. Still present. Just under the surface, but with a subtle difference.
The members of her species had always worn their primal force as a cloak around themselves. Reveling in the rightness of being able to do just that. Living by that.
But Damien was that force. He embodied it. Breathed with it. Pulsed with it.
And, it was in that moment that she began to understand just how dangerous playing with fire could be.
And yet its burn was nonetheless exquisite.
This time, his kiss wasn't as controlled or precise in its moment, as his arm suddenly looped around her waist, bringing her body up against his unyielding one. Mouth coming down on hers forcefully. Recklessly. Passionately. Bruisingly.
Presley let out a small cry in shock at the masculine feel of his body pressing into hers. A cry that ended on a whimper as she surrendered to the aggressive passion radiating from him, as his hand buried itself into the mass of blond curls. Supporting her head, while at the same time insuring that she didn't flee from the earth-shattering connection that was forming between them.
Nothing could have been further from her mind.
The fire shooting through her veins caused the display of the final moments of the sun's setting to pale in comparison. It danced along her skin, burned in her body, and raced through her mind. Mimicking the motions of his tongue as it rasped against her own sensuously.
Her hand clung to the back of his neck, fingers brushing into the released silken mass of hair. The other clung to the fabric over his heart, feeling the way it pounded against her palm. It's rhythm beating in tune with her own. She could feel the metallic disk hanging from around his neck. Still tucked securely under his shirt.
She wanted to rip it off. Remove this last little barrier that kept her from experiencing his emotions, his reactions. The barrier that kept her from sensing the desire that he was feeling.
But she also knew that it was too soon for him. His life had been spent in the shadows. His every move tightly controlled and monitored. A life spent in training from the moment he could walk in order for him to become a cold and mechanical killer. And she knew that he had revealed more to her in the last few moments than he had ever planed to reveal to anyone throughout his entire life.
And it all had come about because she had loosened the bond holding his hair.
She didn't know if her senses could handle it if she removed that disc. That one last shred of control. That one last link that he sported from the life he had left behind, but was still very much a part of who he was.
And she knew without a doubt that it would be this day – or this night as it were – that would define the man he would become.
Her fingers dropped away from where they had been tracing the line of the disc. Yes, it would just have to wait for another day, another place, and another time.
Damien slowly pulled away. His eyes blazing down into hers as his thumbs gently traced the lines of her face. As he leaned his forehead against hers in an attempt to regain control, she could hear his ragged breaths, the racing of his pulse, and stubbornness flared up from inside of Presley.
Oh no, you don't. She thought, and she tilted her lips back up into his. Kissing him deeply, without thought as she clung to him, forcing him to give in to the moment as he continued to kiss her back, as the sun disappeared behind the horizon, and night began its descent.
And the blood-red moon began its triumphant rise once more, to reign in the darkness.
******
The first thing that Sophia was aware of, was that, in this dream, she was no longer in the middle of a village. No longer surrounded by the carnage and death that she had feared she would experience for a second time.
Instead, she was standing in the middle of a forest. Fog tendrils wrapping themselves soothingly around her lower legs, trees reaching high into the night sky, in which a pure white moon glowed brilliantly against the backdrop of the stars that looked like diamond chips glittering against the black velvet of the universe.
The air was pure. Containing no tint of the smoke and ash, the burning flesh or blood. It was crisp and cool. Heady with the scent of pine and rich earth.
And she was standing there alone. Cloaked in the embrace of the welcoming forest. She couldn't help but tilt her face up lovingly to the night sky. A calm stealing over her heart that she hadn't felt in days, weeks, months. If ever.
Reaching out with her senses, she bathed in the sight, scent, and sound of the woods. Listening to a brook babbling nearby, the sound of the night animals hunting for food. Rustling in the underbrush. Hearing the brief, haunting call of the owl as it sought its mate. Listened to the sound of the rabbit nestling deeper into its hole. Seeking to remain invisible till morning.
But as peaceful as this all was, Sophia was suddenly hit with a discordant note. Something wasn't right, and it was interfering with the serene moment.
Looking around carefully, studying the play of the moonlight and shadows spilling across the forest floor, and the lines of the trees, it suddenly clicked with her what was bothering her.
She couldn't hear the wolves. Not a howl or a cry. Not a single sound of the underbrush rustling as they slipped through unnoticed in the welcoming darkness, or the sound of their fur rasping up against the bark on the tree-trunks. Not even the barest hint of their pheromones or musk on the wind. Nothing.
Frowning, she took a step away from where she had momentarily been rooted, planning to step deeper into the cloak of the trees in order to seek them out, when movement from the shadow closest to her caught the corner of her eye.
Turning quickly towards the intruder, she took a step back. The fine hairs at the back of her neck bristling in alarm.
The intruder stepped forward, and the shadows that she had been submersed in fell away, revealing her identity to Sophia.
Sophia swallowed nervously, but yet, at the same time, she could feel the muscles uncoiling from their dying nervousness as she acknowledged the woman's presence.
"Hello, Sophia." The woman greeted her gently. Voice soft and beautiful, yet strong.
"Are you...who are you?" Sophia stuttered slightly. Eyes widening as she took in the woman's appearance. She was no longer dressed in that filthy, torn rag of a dress… her body was no longer covered in slashes and blood. Her hair was no longer matted and dull, but glowed a rich mahogany and fell in curling waves down to her small tucked-in waist.
Her skin was pale and flawless. Shining like captured moonlight. A dress of dark blue clung to her body, stunning in its simplicity.
The woman smiled. Eyes warming. "As I said before, I am the past."
"Are you Rianna?"
The woman rose one delicate shoulder in a small shrug. "I have gone by many names over the centuries, Sophia. But yes, this is the form that belonged to the Rianna that you speak of."
"What do you mean? Are you her ghost?"
Rianna began to laugh. "No, of course not. Rianna's soul is departed from this world. I am no ghost. You might say though, that I'm the embodiment of her memories and abilities as a white female. I carry within me ALL the memories of the white females of your species, from the first one that was borne so long ago, till you and Ruby of the present."
Sophia frowned. "I still don't understand."
Rianna sighed. "Suffice it to say, that I'm a part of all of those chosen to lead their Packs as white females. The abilities and gifts that come from being a white wolf, stem from this part. From me."
"You choose who will be the white female?"
Rianna – or the thing that wore her skin – shook her head. "No, that doesn't come from me, but from a much higher Power, and is decided long before birth." Rianna paused for a moment before continuing. "Consider me the subconscious of your wolven nature. A nature that you already know is much different from the other members of your Pack. A nature that has helped you from the beginning by instructing you in what was necessary behavior on your part to establish yourself within the higher ranks of the Pack."
Sophia arched a brow. "So you're my guide?"
Rianna smiled secretively. "After a fashion."
"Why haven't I dreamed of you before?"
"Make no mistake, these dreams are not the normal way in which I communicate. I live within you, Sophia, or, within the part of you that is wolf, and you are already aware my placement within your mind. And that, in a way, I have been assisting you throughout the last few weeks. My presence was spilt due to the Prophecy, between both you and Ruby. A part of the white female's gifts given to you, the other part to Ruby. Only together, with your strengths combined, can you achieve full strength. And the reason why I have contacted you is because what I had to tell you, couldn't be done by any other option."
"Why did you show me that other dream? Make me re-live the past?"
"Because it was imperative that you see the truth. That you understand the carnage that the Hunters are capable of inflicting. What they will inflict again if given the chance."
Sophia shook her head slightly. Eyes bright as she watched the 'woman' across from her. "But we are leaving Wolf Lake. The Pack is already preparing for an evacuation. We depart tonight."
"That is why I'm contacting you. To inform you that no matter what you do to try to run from them, you will not be successful. You will have to face them. Fight them. Your people escaped your destiny once before, when you could no longer handle it… you will not be able to do so again."
"Why are you telling me this? Why haven't you made contact with Ruby? She's the elder white female."
Rianna smiled again. "But yet it is you that brings your line of ancestry to the forefront of this challenge. You are the descendent of Rianna and her mate. And it is you that wears the crystallized flame around your neck. Make no mistake, you were chosen for a reason, Sophia."
Sophia automatically raised her finger self-consciously to the necklace, and felt the chilled faceted surface of the crystal beneath her fingertips. Her hand dropped back to her side.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
Rianna closed her eyes briefly, as if listening to something that Sophia couldn't hear. A moment passed before she opened her lids again.
"There is not enough time left to answer all of your questions, Sophia. All of this will reveal itself to you in its own time. Just realize that the gem you wear around your neck is not just an ornament. It is a symbol of the white wolf, and has been worn by the white female down through the ages of your species. Rianna was not the first, and you will not be the last. And as such, it is more precious than you could possibly imagine, and in more ways than one."
Sophia acknowledged the seriousness of the older woman's tone, and nodded slowly. Not speaking. She studied the woman's form, now that she was closer, and noticed that her moonlight colored skin wasn't as flawless as she had originally believed. Faint white lines criss-crossed over her bared forearms, like fine spider webs. The scars tracing paths across her exposed throat and upper chest. Shimmering in the moonlight.
Looking closer, she studied a single line cut across her cheekbone. Remembering the torn and bloody flesh that it had once been, and felt a shudder race up her spine at the memory.
Those scars had been permanent. Something that Rianna had carried with her long after the last remnants of the Skinwalkers had pulled together in order to leave the Old World behind. Badges of her courage in that dark period of their history, and Sophia realized that she must have not been the only one that had carried such tributes for the remainder of their days.
"Something tells me, that this is not the only thing you wished to tell me." Sophia responded carefully. Eyes flying back up to look into hers as Rianna smiled sadly.
"You must prepare the Pack. Warn your father of the upcoming battle. For there is no way that your species will be able to run from them a second time."
Sophia's chin rose a notch. "Then we'll fight them."
Rianna shook her head slowly. "Yes, you will fight them. And you will lose."
Sophia blinked. "Then why are you telling me this, if there isn't a chance of our survival?"
Rianna held up a slender finger. "Ah, but I didn't say that there wasn't a way to defeat them, Sophia. I just simply stated that fighting them, in a battle, hand-to-hand as it were, will not end this conflict. It will, in fact, ensure the destruction of your Pack."
Sophia's eyes narrowed. "Then what will work?"
Rianna tilted her chin up higher as her voice grew stronger. "Remember this, Sophia. There is a link running through the fabric of all the Hunters. A common thread tying each and every one of them together. Bound by blood and tradition. Sever that thread, and you destroy the Hunters."
"So they can be destroyed?"
"Of course. They are not immortal." Rianna replied simply. Not elaborating further.
Realizing that that was the extent of what Rianna would say on the subject, Sophia nodded again. Tucking away that bit of information for a later time.
"What made them like this? What causes them to hate us so fiercely?"
Rianna sighed again. This time, her image seemed to shrink. Her face going darker as she reflected on what Sophia could only imagine as being memories spent in hell.
"You might say that it is their destiny to hate us. You can say whatever you wish, about them being envious of our gifts, hating our beauty, and wanting to destroy us out of jealousy. Destroy the reminder of what they could never be. But the truth is, Sophia… this is what they were born for. The Evil purpose in which they were created for. There is no other available option left open to them, but to follow their nightmarish existence, and turn ours into a living hell."
Sophia frowned. "But they're not all evil." She argued. "Damien's ancestor was mated to one of our own. And Damien himself saved my life and Presley's back at the warehouse."
"Yes," Rianna conceded. "Yes, Damien's ancestor was. But he was also a Hunter, and one of a very strong lineage from within their ranks. He was just like them, Sophia. Just like them all, before he met Cassandra and because of his love for her, was able to turn away from the call of his destiny. But that is not to say that it wasn't a very difficult time for him. It is not to say that there have been those from within their ranks that have wanted to leave. Have wanted to stop the carnage, only to fail when the insidious call became too great for them to rejoin their brothers. Those who didn't have the value of a very powerful bloodline to assist them. Nor the strong mental bond with a very powerful female."
"Cassandra?"
"She was Rianna's younger sister."
Trying to ignore yet another reference to the fact that she was not actually talking to Rianna, but something that was projecting her image and memories, Sophia took in a shuddering breath, and cast her eyes downward. Studying the earth in front of her. "Is this your way of warning me that, no matter what Damien's intentions may be, he is still a danger to us and himself?"
'Rianna' didn't reply. But her silence was answer enough.
"Okay…I'll take that as a yes." Sophia breathed out. Running her hands through her mass of dark hair. Pushing it away from her face, to where the long strands cascaded down her back. "It just seems so unfair."
"It is the way things are, and the way they have always been. Which is why it must stop now."
Sophia's gaze shot back up to Rianna's in disbelief. Hands dropping away from her head to slap against her thighs uselessly. "And you believe that I'm the one to stop this?"
Rianna smiled again. Lips turning up secretively. "You will not be alone, Sophia. And your gifts are only just starting to come to life within you. Nonetheless, they will show you the way. Remember, these are the gifts that I gave you, because I knew you were the stronger one to handle them. Just like I gave certain gifts over to Ruby's possession, because she would be better suited to them than you would yourself. You two truly are two parts of the same whole, but yet, at the same time, so completely separate from one another. Diverse and unique. And it is these qualities that you both will bring to this time in your Pack's history, that will save them. But you must not be afraid of them, Sophia. Of what will be happening around you, as well as what will be happening within you. Don't try to block them out, like you tried to block out these dreams. Because to do so would most assuredly destroy everything that has happened over the last centuries… all working up to this critical final moment."
Sophia felt a jolt of fear run through her at the older woman's hard words of caution, but she made no comment.
Rianna's gaze softened again. This time, she reached out a slender hand in comfort and Sophia felt the coolness of it brush over her cheek. The sensation of it that of sheer mist, insubstantial. Not the brush of skin upon skin that she would have expected.
"And don't be afraid. This is what you were born for. What was meant to happen. I know it's frightening. I know it's painful, but nothing happens unless it was meant to. And I will always be with you."
Sophia was aware of two things. One, was that she could sense Rianna pulling away. Voice fading as it drifted on the surrounding fog, and two, the sensation of being slowly released from this place. The ties that had momentarily bound her being cut free one by one.
She didn't want to go, she didn't want to leave. But, looking up into the dark depths of Rianna's eyes, she knew she didn't have a choice in the matter.
"But I am afraid." She blurted out in desperation. "I don't know what to do!"
"You will learn, Sophia. As those before you had to learn."
"I don't think I can do this."
Rianna shook her head gently. "You don't have a choice. You can't choose what destiny you will be given. You can only fulfill it. This is something that your mother understood."
Sophia would have continued to protest, if it hadn't been for the reference to her mother. Mouth snapping shut in surprise, she could only look at Riana in confusion as she felt those ties become fewer and fewer.
Now the forest surrounding her was fading away. Her vision darkening till only the sight of Rianna standing in front of her was visible. But even that, too, was being swallowed up by the oppressive shadows.
"Remember," Rianna whispered gently, her hand coming up yet again as she stretched out those pale fingers of mist to the crystal hanging from around Sophia's neck. "You will not be alone. Abilities you never could have dreamed of will rise to the surface to aid you, and powers that your Clan have believed dead ever since the migration to the New World, will also become known. The Hunters are not the only dangers that you are faced with, they are not the only "Darkness" shadowing your people…A mystery of the Pack's past will be revealed and answered, and all of this will happen through you, Sophia… So do not forget…"
Sophia barely heard that final sentence, so consumed with the sudden glow that was radiating from Rianna's fingertips. Hovering mere inches apart from the crystal. And the answering glow coming to life from within the pendant's core.
Looking back up at Rianna in shock, she let out a gasp as Rianna's fingertips met the crystal, and a brilliant white light exploded outward, taking with it Sophia's view of Rianna as her senses were swallowed up by the strength of it. Severing that final tie… Sending her spiraling away from the dream world with an intensity that could only be likened to being set adrift in a ocean being bombarded by a ruthless and savage storm. Swimming in a blind attempt to escape the extreme, surging current as it pressed her higher and higher into startling consciousness…
******
Sophia jerked awake. Lungs instinctively filling to maximum capacity, as her shocked and very confused senses tried to take stock as to where she was now.
Instead of the sight of the smooth white ceiling of her bedroom, she was looking up at one made of dark and oppressing rock. Chiseled roughly and simply broken away in others. The view unfamiliar. Where was she now?
And then it came back to her. She wasn't looking up at the ceiling in her bedroom, because that ceiling had been burned down. Along with the rest of her home. She was in the underground secret quarters of the Brewery. Hidden there till the Pack was ready to evacuate.
The memories of the dream quickly followed those of where she was, as she was bombarded with the feelings of displacement and lost time. Similar to what one usually felt when you took a long afternoon nap. Uncertain as to what the time was, or even what day. Wondering just how much of life had passed you by without your knowledge, and the feeling a less than pleasant one as it clung to your uncertain and muddled senses.
"Sophia?"
Sophia frowned slightly against the brightness of a lamp turning on nearby, and quickly turned her head away. Letting out a groan as she did so.
"Sophia? Oh, thank God, you're awake. I was so worried."
Sophia felt a slightly calloused palm stroke her hair back from her forehead as she turned to gaze up at her father kneeling over her. His face even more haggard than she remembered it being the previous night.
Sophia's frown deepened as she saw the almost panicked glint in her father's eyes. "Daddy? Is something wrong? What happened?"
Matt chuckled. Looking almost close to tears. "Baby, you've been asleep for almost five hours. Luke called us on the phone when he couldn't get you to wake up. I came as soon as I could, but you were still out of it for so long."
"Five hours?" Sophia repeated. Rather dazed at that revelation. In the dream, the passing of time had only felt like a few minutes.
"Sherman told us that you would probably wake up on your own, given time. But I was still so worried." Leaning over her, he briefly pressed a kiss to his daughter's forehead before stepping back. His hand still tightly clasping hers as Luke stepped forward. Hand coming to rest on her hip as the other gently rubbed her cheek. "Hey, sleeping beauty… you scared the shit out of me with that performance."
Sophia smiled weakly. "I didn't exactly give you any warning, did I?"
Luke grinned at her, but it was a pale shadow of his normal devil-may-care expression. His eyes had a faintly haunted look about them.
"I couldn't reach you on our mental pathway. I thought I'd lost you again." Although his words were spoken lightly, Sophia heard remnants of the fear he had experienced when he had been unable to rouse her.
"I'm sorry I scared you." She reached a hand up to brush it over his cheekbone reassuringly, before letting her arm drop back to her side. Luke closed his eyes at the innocent contact, before reopening them. Their depths unnaturally bright.
Something flitted through her mind like the brush of butterfly wings. And it wasn't Luke or Ruby. Frowning slightly, she studied the memory that suddenly came to the forefront… A fragment of what 'Rianna' had said.
…your gifts are only just starting to come to life within you.
Looking up at Luke, in sudden, dawning comprehension, she reached her hand out again. This time, touching his forehead.
Listening carefully from within herself, and using their private link as leverage, she found the blocked public mental pathway that connected Luke to the other members of the Pack. Found it, and gently pushed – using an ability she didn't even think was possible up until just a moment ago – to press light into that heavy cloak of shadow that was sealing him off from the rest of the pack, pressed it, and removed it.
Her hand dropped back to her side once more as she smiled tremulously up at him. Reading the surprise glittering in his eyes, and then the massive amount of relief that he felt on having one of his wolven senses returned to him. He had been unable to contact help in their traditional way when she had passed out, and she could still read the uselessness he had felt because of it.
He didn't say anything, for there wasn't anything to that needed to be said. Taking her hand in his own, he squeezed it in thanks and gloried in the feeling of his mind finally being free. If he hadn't had his mental connection to Sophia the last 24 hours, he probably would have gone crazy.
Sophia took in a deep breath as she slowly looked around her. It was impossible to tell what time of day – or night – it was, as she was still underground, but the memories of the dream were starting to come back to her. Memories that she wished wouldn't, because then she would have to face them.
But it wasn't exactly like she had a choice in the matter, anyway.
Letting out another groan as strength quickly began to return to her limbs, she pushed herself up. Ignoring the steadying hand that her father offered to her, as she leaned her back up against the couch that Luke must have placed her on. Grimacing, she looked down to where she felt a cool dampness spread over one portion of her side, and she disdainfully studied the large soda stain soaked into the fabric. Her skin underneath feeling rather sticky from the carbonated liquid.
"What time is it?" She asked quickly as she looked up at her father as he stood. Eyes clearing slowly as she finally got them to focus.
"Ah," he looked down at his watch, turning the face towards his gaze. "Almost nine o' clock at night. The sun set a few hours ago." He looked back towards Sophia. Expression grim. "How are you feeling?"
Sophia glanced over at Luke as he sat down beside her, his hand reaching out for hers, seeking contact. He looked back at her expectantly, observing her expression.
Sophia turned back to look at her father, mouth pressing together into a thin line. "I'm fine. I don't think I'll be having another one of those for a while."
"Luke filled me in on what has been happening since last night. The dream that you had. Sophia, why didn't you call me?"
Sophia's lips turned up slightly at the exasperated tone to her father's voice. "You had too much else to worry about, then having to deal with my problems. Besides, there was nothing that you could have done. I know that know."
Luke's eyes narrowed slightly. "What happened this time?"
Sophia shook her head slowly in disbelief. "Luke, even if I had the time to tell you, I'm not sure I could. But this time… it wasn't as horrible."
She looked back up at her father. Remembering what "Rianna" had told her. "We have to prepare for the worst. From what I can tell, our chances of leaving the Hunters behind are slim and none. We may have to face them."
Matt crossed his arms over his chest and nodded slowly. "Yeah, I would have expected as much. Is there anything else that you can tell me?"
Sophia shook her head. "Not anything that would make any sense at this time."
Matt nodded again, glancing back down at his watch. "Well, the evacuation will begin shortly, we need to go."
Sophia's heart felt like it skipped a beat at his words, but she nodded resolutely. Slowly standing up, she was rather pleased that her legs didn't give out from underneath her.
Looking around, she noticed that Luke and Matt were the only ones with her.
"Is Vivian with the Pack?"
"In a manner of speaking. She's wrapping up the last minute details, and helping some of the families prepare the children. This won't be easy on them."
Sophia pushed her tousled hair back away from her face. Expression grim. "Tonight won't be easy on any of us. Of that I am certain"
******
Barely thirty minutes later, Sophia found herself walking through a remote part of the forest. Her father and Luke close by, as they all quickly made their way deeper into the heart of the forest.
They were heading towards the valley where the Meeting had been held only a few days ago. It's location a good one, for it was already some distance from the town and its human dwellers.
But, as Sophia's ears proved, the humans would be talking about this night for some time to come. It was common to hear wolves crying out their song, and the people of Wolf Lake – or, primarily, those that didn't have pelts to exchange their skin for – had even come to expect it. But tonight, as she listened to the chorus being sent up around her, she knew that, even though the human population may not have been privy to the answers to the mysteries surrounding their shared town, how could they not sense the difference in tonight? In the utter sadness of the howls as the members of the Pack prepared to leave their home forever. Leave the one place where they had felt safe and protected from the rest of the outside world.
Letting out a sigh as she turned her sights up towards the blood moon that had decided to reappear once the sun had set, and her mouth thinned into a grim line. The song of the wolf would not be the only thing that people would be remembering from tonight. She turned away.
"We can't leave together." Sophia whispered under her breath, but her father heard her.
"No, we can't." he agreed solemnly. Eyes dark with the weight of the Pack's future upon his shoulders. "Vivian is giving the instructions. We're splitting up the Pack into small groups. We will all take separate paths, and hope that nothing goes wrong. Maybe if the Hunters succeed in getting some of us, they won't be able to get all of us."
"What about them finding out about the location where we are heading?"
"I haven't given it."
Sophia looked over at her father in surprise, but then dawning comprehension took its place. "I see. How do they know where they need to go?"
"Each group has been given a separate location to reach, apart from any other. They are to monitor the use of their words over the public mental pathway, until they reach their specified point. They will remain there until I send word."
"How many groups are there?"
"Around forty. Only Vivian and I know where each group is going, and where, ultimately, our new home will be."
Sophia was silent for a moment. She understood his reasons for doing all of this. To keep the Hunters from catching them all, and, to keep them from finding out the other groups' locations in case one member was captured and tortured for that information.
Sophia bowed her head. Sending up a silent prayer for those who might have to be faced with such an atrocity.
"How were you able to find out the various locations of safety, as well as the site of our new home?"
"Vivian and I had a discussion with the Elders of the Pack this afternoon. They're more familiar with the Upper Territories, and Sherman disclosed a particular location where the entire Pack would be able to hide in safety. At least until we figure out what our next move is. It's supposed to be in an extremely remote area, but well supplied with animals and springs. And a massive chain of underground caves and naturally formed tunnels."
"How would he know about this place? I thought the Pack never left Wolf Lake once we settled here, fresh off the boat."
"Good question." Matt muttered. "And one he didn't seem to be all that inclined to answer."
"What about the Pack's young? The ones that haven't Flipped yet? They will need more care and provisions than those of us that have completed the Change."
Matt's smiled wryly. "One thing our Pack has learned, and learned well over the years is the value of money to our survival in the world of humans, and how to handle it. Besides, most of what the young ones will need; meat, clothing, shelter, can be supplied fairly readily by the forests that we will be moving through, and the abilities we possess."
"They will be frightened." Luke warned, speaking for the first time. "It's been a long time since the young of the Pack have had to move freely amongst those of us with our pelts on."
Sophia's lips tilted up in the corners, as his words brought back another memory, another time, when she had asked him to show her what the Change looked like. Remembered the combination of fear, heady excitement, and awe as she had watched him shift. It had been one of the most remarkable moments of her life, and a memory that she held near and dear to her heart.
"They will adapt." Matt answered simply, ducking under an over-hanging tree-limb in inky dull red darkness of the forest. "They don't have a choice, and nether do we."
******
By the time Matt, Sophia, and Luke came to a large overhang overlooking the meeting grounds, most of the Pack had already assembled. The remaining members were continuing to slink out from the bushes both in wolf and human form. Joining those down in the valley. Matt started down towards them. Leaving his daughter standing there, giving her a moment that he couldn't afford to spend with her.
Sophia felt a pang of nervousness hit her low in the gut, as she watched him walk towards the Pack. The last remnants of what had once been a race of thousands, was narrowed down to those she saw preparing themselves for the journey ahead.
Taking a few moments to study history in the making, she took it all in. The valley hadn't changed since the Meeting a few days prior, but it felt like it had been years since she'd been here last. And although the grass, trees, rocks, and mountains were the same, they felt slightly ominous with the crimson moon shinning brightly overhead.
And she saw more than one pair of eyes drift up cautiously to study its progress as it crept along the clear night sky.
She just prayed that this would be the last night she would ever have to see it.
Looking down into the massive valley, her eyes carefully memorized the forty something groups she saw forming. Each one having been given the information on where to go to wait for further instructions.
"This is really it." She breathed out in disbelief. The serious actuality of the situation hitting her hard like a ton of bricks. "It's really happening."
She heard Luke take in a deep breath, but he didn't answer her. There was nothing he could say that would make this moment any easier, so he just shared it with her. Moving closer, she felt him seek out her hand in a similar fashion to the way he had several months ago. Before the death of his father… That long ago night spent listening to Miranda's singing...
It was hard to believe that it was all ending. All changing.
Looking over at the proud young man standing so calmly beside her, he met her gaze. Pale green eyes glittering steadily at her in the surrounding night. An anchor amidst the turmoil.
And, hand still gripped tightly in his, they began their descent to join their Clan. Leaving behind the memories of Wolf Lake.
******
Ruby looked up from where her and John were standing, and smiled faintly when she saw Sophia and Luke approaching them. Not even noticing how the various Pack members she passed, stepped out of her way in respect.
Without speaking, Ruby and Sophia embraced. Emotions running high on all sides as the two men that they loved watched on. Expressions resolved yet grim.
Slowly parting, Sophia looked around her. Recognizing most of the faces she saw. They were all nervous, even though they were doing an admirable job of hiding it.
Ruby studied the younger woman in front of her carefully. Concern visible in her silver eyes. "How you holding up?"
Sophia looked back at her and returned a version of the slight smile that Ruby had given her a few moments prior.
"I'm okay, I guess."
"And the dreams?"
Sophia didn't blink. "They're won't be any more."
Ruby frowned but nodded slowly, and releasing her hand, moved back to stand close to John, who was watching the happenings around him cautiously. His nervousness about the alieness of this situation apparent. Sophia looked back at him reassuringly, and then back at Ruby.
"You ready for this?"
Ruby shrugged carelessly. Her attitude reminiscent of the old Ruby that everyone knew her for. "Bring it on." She answered deadpan. Lips twisting wryly as she leaned into John. Resting her head against his chest. Letting his chin fall to rest on top of her head, his hands came up to gently rub her arms in comfort. Knowing full well that her emotions were running far higher than she was letting on. But Ruby was nothing if not good at pretending to be something other than she was. After all, she had had a lifetime of experience doing just that. Even with him.
Watching as a few Pack members walked by, Ruby's lips twisted even further when she caught the looks that they shot John. Her snorted, as she chuckled dryly.
"Something tells me I'm not exactly Mr. Popular around here." He murmured against the tiny shell of her ear. Ruby just shook her head, still chuckling humorlessly. "Get used to it, babe. It's gonna be that way for a while."
John felt his jaw tighten reflexively, but didn't respond to Ruby's statement.
Just then, murmuring began to run through the Pack like the steadily growing hiss of a snake, causing the fine hairs on the back of Sophia's neck to stand up. Quickly stepping over to where she could see what the fuss was about, her eyes widened at the sight of Presley coming through, looking extremely nervous and on edge. But she wasn't the object of everyone's attention.
Damien was with her, looking as calm as ever. At his side stood Matt, Sherman and Vivian.
Quickly moving forward, she came to stand by her father, but her eyes never left Damien's. Remembering back on what Rianna – or the essence of the white female – had told her.
"Damien…" Sophia trailed off, still stunned to see him there. He gazed back at her coolly, waiting for her to finish, and Sophia shook her head slightly before answering. "I'm glad you came."
Some of the ice in Damien's eyes thawed as he suddenly swallowed. He nodded his head slowly in thanks for her acceptance.
Turning her gaze towards Presley, she couldn't help but quirk a brow at how tense the blonde was. Looking for all the world ready to take on the entire Pack if someone made one wrong move. Suppressing a grin, she turned to her father.
"Thank you." she said simply. Knowing that he would know what she meant.
He just smiled gently at her, before turning his attention the rest of the Pack. All standing round, tense, and waiting for their newly elected Alpha to speak. And more than a few of them were exuding hostile emotions towards the human in their midst.
Sophia's jaw clenched, and she moved closer to Damien protectively.
"I don't think this is going to go over very well." Vivian muttered darkly to Sherman. Not that happy with the circumstances of the Hunter herself.
Sherman shrugged, studying the hard-edged profile of the mysterious young man. "Something tells me its not the first time the boy has been in hot water."
Abandoning the small group. Matt stepped forward. Observing the separated groups of his Pack waiting for him to say something.
He purposely skipped the topic of Damien's presence.
"You all know what is happening tonight. What has to happen. The evacuation of Wolf lake was something that I had hoped would never happen, but now, it is becoming a reality." he paused for a moment, as if searching for the right words. Looking at everyone, his eyes were clear and calm despite the tension in the lines of his legs and back. "You all know what to do. What to expect. I dare not allow us to remain all together for very much longer, so if there are any last minute questions, please make them known now."
It didn't take long before a lone figure moved his way through the crowd so everyone would see him clearly.
Buddy, Tyler's right hand man, stood there recklessly. Challenge glittering in his eyes.
"I really don't understand why we're running in the first place. Wasn't it you that was going on about how important it was to remain in Wolf Lake and protect the humans just a few days ago?" The way his lips twisted distastefully on the word 'human' caused a muscle to jump in Matthew's cheek, but other than that, he gave no other outward expression of annoyance.
"That was before we discovered the weapons that the Hunters had at their disposal. If we remain in Wolf Lake, we will either be killed or exposed. Most likely both. We can't take that chance. As for the humans, we can only pray, that when we leave, we will draw the Hunters away from the town with our departure."
"But who is to say that they even have these weapons that you've mentioned?" he argued. "Especially when you've only got the word of that blonde bitch."
Sophia could sense the sudden blackness admitting from Damien as he bristled at the insult thrown at Presley, and before he did something that would cause this whole situation to explode out of hand, she quickly stepped forward.
"And what of me? Are you calling me a liar?"
The entire Pack tensed at that, as they turned their eyes towards Buddy. He eyed some of them warily.
"I would think long and hard before answering that one, if I were you." Vivian pointed out from her position beside Matt. Eyes hardened visibly as she stared coldly at the punk.
Sophia didn't know what his answer might have been, but Buddy was smart enough to keep his mouth shut. Even so, she caught the look of animosity he threw towards John. Frowning slightly to herself, she made a mental note to keep an eye on him over the next few months. Without Tyler around, he'd be pushing to take his boss's place.
And the last thing the Pack needed right now was another Tyler.
"Alright…" Matt stated calmly. "If there is nothing left to say, then it's time to depart."
Turning away from the Pack, he came over to where Sophia and Luke were standing. Ruby and John just a few feet behind them.
Stopping in front of his daughter, Sherman and Vivian also close by, he began to give the final orders.
"Okay. Sherman will go with John and Ruby. Vivian, I want you to take Luke and Sophia. I will follow behind shortly after making sure that everyone is out of Wolf Lake and the valley, and on their way. We don't want to risk leaving anyone behind. Don't wait for me. Go to your locations and wait." He turned to look at Vivian. "I'll find you then, once I know that everything is proceeding the way it should." Starting to turn away, he was confused when he felt a iron-clad grip place its hold on his arm. Turning towards his daughter in surprise, he looked down at her.
Sophia looked back resolutely. "No. We stay together. Ruby and I stay together."
"Sophia," Vivian cautioned.
"No!" she shot that word towards Vivian, before turning back to her father. Eyes bright and clear, but burning with conviction. "We have to remain together. This isn't an option."
Matt studied his daughter. Gaze searching. "Why? Why isn't it, Sophia?"
Sophia hand fell away as words spoken to her in the dream suddenly came back. Ringing through her mind, along with the mental image of Rianna as they were spoken from her lips.
My presence was spilt due to the Prophecy, between both you and Ruby. A part of the white female's gifts given to you, the other part to Ruby. Only together, with your strengths combined, can you achieve full strength.
Shaking her head a bit to clear it, her eyes refocused on her father. "You're just going to have to trust me."
How could she explain it? How could she explain to them what had happened in that dream? That the person she had talked to, wasn't really Rianna, but something completely different? Some thing that lived within her? How could she explain something like that, in a way that they could understand? You had to live through it, experience it, to believe it. And even then, she only knew it was true, because she could now feel it. She could feel the intelligence and cognitive abilities of the white wolven aspect of her Skinwalker abilities. A calming presence somewhere deep in the back recesses of her mind. Only surfacing when necessary, but still very much present.
Maybe one day she would try to tell them. Maybe. But it wasn't going to be tonight.
"I agree." Ruby suddenly spoke up. Thumbs hooked in the belt loops on her jeans. "It's probably for the best anyhow."
Matt looked between them both. "You realize the danger you'll be putting yourself in? This is the whole reason why I kept you two apart for the last 24 hours. We can't risk losing both of you."
"We're not planning on getting lost." Sophia commented firmly. "And we're stronger together. I can't explain it to you, not now, but you've really just got to trust me on this."
Matt let out a sigh. Running his hands through his already heavily tousled hair. "You realize that I could just order you two to go your separate ways."
Ruby shrugged, a faint grin tugging at the corners of her mouth. "By all means, if you think it would do any good, but I highly doubt it would."
Sophia smothered her own smile, and turned to look at her father innocently.
Matt shook his head. "Fine. If you two are staying together, then I know better than to try to separate you from John and Luke. You'll all leave out together."
"What about Presley and Damien?" Vivian asked quietly. Looking towards the couple standing a little ways away.
Matt started to answer, but Sophia cut him off.
"He comes with us as well."
Matt raised a brow at this. "Are you sure?"
Sophia shook her head again as another memory from the dream came to the surface.
…It is not to say that there have been those from within their ranks that have wanted to leave. Have wanted to stop the carnage, only to fail when the insidious call became too great for them to rejoin their brothers. Those who didn't have the value of a very powerful bloodline to assist them. Nor the strong mental bond with a very powerful female."
That had been an all-out warning from 'Rianna', and one she knew better than to try and ignore. Damien may want to leave the Hunters, but did he have to strength to do just that when it came right down to it? Was the small dose of Skinwalker DNA running through his veins strong enough to help him defeat his programming, as well as his birthright?
Ether way, she needed to keep him close. If nothing else, then in case she would have to link with him to pull him through it.
"Yes, I'm sure."
Matt nodded. "Then Damien and Presley will go with all of you. Agreed?"
Everyone nodded. Everyone, except for Vivian, whose face suddenly seemed more drawn than a few moments prior.
Matt stepped forward to pull Sophia into his arms. Sophia fought back tears as she hugged him back.
"I'll be right behind you, baby." Matt whispered. Throat husky with emotion. "Just stay safe till then."
"You be careful." Sophia murmured back. Tears stinging her eyes. She wasn't her father's sole responsibility anymore. Now, he had to look after the entire Pack, which meant one large final sweep of Wolf Lake and the surrounding area, to make sure that everyone was safely out.
Pulling away, she brushed the tears off of her cheeks before he could see them, and smiled tremulously back. Matt's palms came up to cup the sides of her damp cheeks, having seen the tears despite her attempts to hide them.
"I wish your mother was here right now to see just how beautiful and strong a woman you've become." he stated gently. "She would be so proud."
"She is here, Dad. In her own way."
Matt nodded, agreeing with his daughter's words, before slowly pulling away. Looking over at Luke, he nodded again, and turned away. Beckoning Vivian to join him a few minutes in order to say goodbye.
Taking a deep breath, Sophia turned back to look at Ruby, now standing only a couple of feet away. Ruby looked back, one brow arched. "Okay, would you mind filling me in on what happened during the dreams?"
Sophia opened her mouth, but couldn't find the words. Shaking her head weakly, she answered. "I don't know how to explain it."
Ruby's eyes narrowed as she tilted her head to the side in contemplation. "You know you don't have to."
It took Sophia a moment to catch on to what Ruby was implying, and the frown knitted across her forehead smoothed. Nodding, she reached out a hand to Ruby, at the same time she reached out across their private mental path. Ruby did likewise, merging her mind with Sophia, so she could see, hear, smell, and feel what had happened in both dreams.
She became rather pale as she experienced the horror of the first one, and then frowned when she experienced the second. Carefully studying everything that 'Rianna' had said.
At the same time she was doing that, Sophia detached. Having no desire to relive some of those moments with Ruby. Waiting for her to finish, Sophia floated unobtrusively in Ruby's mind. Picking up some of the information that Ruby had compiled about her own unique healing abilities.
Wondering briefly if she had some of those same gifts, Sophia sent Ruby a brief mental question, and quickly received an preoccupied agreement as Ruby continued to study Sophia's memories of the dreams.
Having gotten Ruby's permission, Sophia quickly figured out a way to filter down into Ruby's body. Aiming towards the still healing torn muscle of her thigh, where Ruby had not yet healed the damage herself.
Because this ability was still strengthening, Ruby didn't want to waste the energy she had recovered since saving Luke, that might be better served elsewhere later on. But if Sophia could heal the damage herself, then Ruby wouldn't have to, and then she wouldn't be encumbered by the still-healing wound.
But that isn't what happened. Instead, something else that Sophia hadn't been prepared for. And it was only then that she remembered back on another comment that had been spoken to her in that last dream.
…your gifts are only just starting to come to life within you. Nonetheless, they will show you the way. Remember, these are the gifts that I gave you, because I knew you were the stronger one to handle them. Just like I gave certain gifts over to Ruby's possession, because she would be better suited to them than you would yourself.
This wasn't something that required a go-ahead from Sophia. She didn't know what this new talent was, or what it was trying to reveal, but it was hurtling her forward, taking a completely different path in Ruby's body than she had had mapped out originally. Spinning her down and beyond any possibility of controlling it as it brought her closer to whatever revelation it would bring. Forcing her senses to expand on pathways that she didn't know existed, forcing her to search out… something.
And then Sophia felt it. A second life-force within Ruby's. A small yet steady flicker of energy that was rested comfortably in its oblivious mother's womb. A secret that no one had yet to discover, not even the couple that had given it life… Till now.
So baffled was Sophia by this new gift, she didn't fight it as it automatically scanned the incredibly small fetus, using a gift that there was no way she would know how to use if the white wolf within wasn't guiding her movements carefully. Checking it for any signs of problems or malformations. Showing her how to ascertain the tiny creature's condition, before also carefully demonstrating how to slowly disconnect without harming the fragile fetus.
And then pulling her along another path – like an adult calmly leading an unresisting child – to where yet another life force beat strongly and secure. So in sync with its sibling to such a point where Sophia wouldn't have been able to make out its existence if she hadn't had a little help from this mysterious source.
Still feeling completely shell-shocked by this ability, Sophia hesitantly probed the second fetus. Scanning it in the way that the white wolven essence of her nature had just instructed her to do, before also gently disconnecting.
One final sweep of Ruby's womb, and she was out. Hurtling back up the way she had come. Still remembering the sensations of being surrounded by those two gentle presences. And still very uncertain about this new 'gift' having been presented to her.
As she left, she could have sworn she heard 'Rianna's' teasing laughter flitting through her mind.
******
Matt and Vivian walked in silence for a moment; both of them had concerns that were weighing heavily on each other's mind. Finally, Vivian pulled Matt to a stop.
"I don't want you to go by yourself. I want to remain with you, at your side, as is my right."
Matt reached out a hand and cupped the side of her cheek. Thumb gently tracing her cheekbone reassuringly.
"You can't, V. You know that. I need you to stay with the others, not only for their safety but your own as well. I can move quicker and deal with any arising situations faster if you're not with me. I can't worry about what might happen to you if things go badly."
"That's just what I'm worried about! Things going badly." Vivian clarified. Feeling trapped and powerless. "Damn it, Matt… I've already lost one mate in the last year… I don't want to lose a second one."
Matt swallowed painfully, but his eyes remained clear and doubtless. "You have to do what is expected of you, Vivian. What is required. If I don't make it back, then it's up to you to keep the Pack safe. You're still partly their leader in their eyes." He caught her chin in his fingers when she would have turned away. Staring down into her eyes, he demanded her compliance. "V, you have to."
Closing her eyes, mouth slightly trembling, she nodded slowly. Agreeing. Knowing that he spoke the truth. This thing was bigger than just them. Bigger than all of them. So much was at stake, and they couldn't afford any loss of life.
Matt let out a pent up breath and leaned forward, capturing that mouth with his. Kissing her goodbye.
"Go on," he whispered as he pulled away. Distancing themselves. "Just walk away, Vivian. Don't look back."
Soul in her eyes, Vivian suppressed the tears she felt burning under her lids and did as he instructed. Turning away, she began to walk back to the group. Head held high.
But despite his request, she couldn't help but turn back once to look at the spot where he had been.
He was gone. A pile of clothes left in the dirt to signify his Change.
And he had left no clues as to which direction he was heading. Just in case she had tried to follow him.
"Damn you, Matt Donner. You better come back to me in one piece." She whispered. Her voice almost choking on the words as a single tear tracked its way down her face. Quickly brushing it away, she turned back around, squared her shoulders, and started putting one foot in front of the other.
******
"Excuse me?"
Sophia forced a smile. "I'm afraid so."
Ruby blinked. "And you know this how?"
Sophia shrugged. "I guess it's one of my gifts. I know I'm right, Ruby. You're pregnant."
Ruby shook her head. Looking for all the world like a wrecking ball had hit her. John didn't look all that great either. Presley and Damien were doing their best to remain inconspicuous, but even Damien was studying this exchange with a vague sense of interest.
"That's impossible. John and I haven't… I mean, while I was in… that is, we haven't…" she trailed off desperately. Eyes going wide.
Sophia looked back at her wryly. "That still doesn't mean that they're not there. Believe me, I know. I felt both of them. You're pregnant."
Ruby shot a look over at Sherman, who was showing far too much amusement at the whole situation than what would have been warranted. "How the hell did this happen, Blackstone?" she shot out in frustration.
"Hmm?" Sherman looked back innocently. Pretending as if he hadn't heard Ruby's question. "Oh, yes, well… I really can't say."
Ruby's voice lowered to a growl as her eyes narrowed to quicksilver slits. "Can't or won't?"
He shrugged. "The ways of the Wolven are mysterious ones, Ruby. If you two haven't mated while in wolf form, then it most likely happened when John Flipped."
"But pregnancy only occurs from a Flip when the female is the one Flipping. Not the male. And besides, I would have known if I was ovulating."
"Would you?" Sherman asked calmly. "What with everything you and him had just been through? Would you have really noticed if you were?"
Ruby opened her mouth to answer a most definite yes, but then snapped it closed with a click. Uncertainty glimmering in her eyes as she looked down at her stomach. A pale hand coming up to rest over her abdomen, as she let out a breath. Eyes still wide and dilated with shock… And a little bit of fear. Being a mother was definitely not something that she had dwelled on often. Especially in the last few years.
"And even if you had known, would it have changed anything that had happened? And as for pregnancies occurring rarely from a Flip, and only happening when it's the female party making the initial Change, well…" Sherman began to chuckle. "There's a first time for everything."
Wide silver eyes looked back at him, before blinking and turned to look towards John. Hand dropping away from her stomach.
Sophia stepped away self-consciously. Rubbing the back of her neck as she came over to stand by Luke.
"Great." she muttered, rather embarrassed. "Just what I always wanted to be. A walking, talking pregnancy test."
Luke suppressed his grin, and wrapped one arm around her waist. Pulling her close as she buried her slightly mortified face into his chest.
Vivian walked up, looking rather confused as to why everyone had such strange looks on their face. The last few minutes spent with Matt forgotten.
"What's going on?"
Luke spared Sophia the responsibility of answering. "Ruby just found out she was pregnant."
Vivian's eyes widened in disbelief. "What? What do you mean, just found out? How – ?" Vivian cut off her sentence when she noticed that Sophia had yet to take her face out of its hiding place.
"Oh."
A rather indelicate snort was heard from Sophia's end, and Vivian had a hard time suppressing her grin, despite the circumstances of the moment. She turned towards everyone else, and cleared her throat pointedly, setting aside her amusement.
"Well, a fascinating as this all is, we need to get moving. Now."
Ruby nodded quickly. Looking almost relieved at the distraction offered. John stepped over to her side, as quickly pressed a kiss to her temple. She looked up at him, searching his expression.
"Are you okay with this?"
John shrugged. "I always imagined having kids eventually, just not this soon. But yeah, seeing if we manage to actually survive the night, I think we'll make pretty interesting parents."
Ruby grinned weakly, and quickly pressed a kiss to her mate's lips. She couldn't even begin to imagine what kind of a mother she would be. But John was right. If they could survive this, then they could survive anything. As it was, these babies were a part of her and John. And that alone made them all the more precious. Even if their timing had been less than perfect.
She suddenly bit her bottom lip nervously as she looked at Sophia, who had finally disentangled herself from Luke.
"Are
they okay?
Sophia felt a flush rise under her skin, but answered nonetheless. "They both appear to be doing just fine."
"Could you tell whether or not they are…"
"Male or female?" Sophia supplied. "No, not yet. It's too soon. In another few weeks… maybe."
Ruby nodded and let the subject drop.
Turning to look back at the surrounding valley, Sophia's eyes swept its length. It had already emptied out fairly rapidly in the last twenty minutes. The last few remaining groups beginning to filter out.
Gaze coming to rest on the sight of a few of the children, her heart felt heavy. She could easily read their expressions of fear and confusion. Most of them were unable to understand what was happening, and those that could tried to put on a brave face. Some of the really small ones were already riding piggy back on their older siblings who were also forced to walk on two legs instead of four. All of them bundled up and prepared for the long walk ahead.
They kept their chins held high and their manner strong. But she could see the uncertainty. The doubt. It was going to be harder on them than the rest of Pack, who had their wolven pelts to fall back into.
Turning away from the sight, Sophia brought her thoughts back under control. She couldn't worry about the others. Right now, her world didn't extend beyond her group and she had to keep it that way, or she would lose focus. And right now, that kind of mistake could get them all killed. From here on out, the other groups didn't exist to her, just as hers didn't exist to them.
Feeling a hand come to lay across her shoulder, Sophia turned towards its owner, and smiled softly at the reassurance in Luke's gaze, before he pulled away and began to disrobe. At least she had him. In the end, that was all she could ask for.
Stepping over to the side, she quickly removed her borrowed clothes. Keeping her eyes away from the moon above and the sudden clouds that were moving in to obscure its strange glow.
But before her muscles could even begin to tense with the oncoming Change, a frantic couple came running up to them. Their group standing a short distance away. The only other one besides theirs still in the valley.
The wife reached out to Vivian first, eyes dark with barely suppressed hysteria. "We can't find our son!"
Sophia felt like the ground had just given way from underneath her. Presley and Damien were standing nearby, having moved closer in when they had thought they were preparing to leave. Presley was in a half state of undress, and Damien had been pulling on a pair of dark leather gloves. Smoothing them over the backs of his hands. Both of them stopped what they were doing as did the rest of the group at the news.
"Oh, no." Ruby breathed at the same time that Vivian began asking questions. Eyes hardening.
"Where is he? Why isn't he with you?" There was a healthy amount of censure in her voice, and the couple swallowed guiltily.
"He was staying over at a friend's house this afternoon. The family said they would bring him with them when they came to the valley, but when they got here, they said that Danny had left their home a couple of hours ago. Saying that he was coming home, but he never did, and now, we don't know where he is!"
Vivian clenched her jaw. Wanting nothing more than to lash out at the parents for their lack of attention, but realizing that the woman was so close to a nervous breakdown, that it wouldn't do any good.
"He's probably at your home, waiting for you. Matthew is already doing a sweep of the area. I'll let him know to pick up your son. In the meantime, you and your group will just have to remain here in the valley till he returns with your son."
"Don't contact Matt." Sherman spoke up quickly. "He still needs to do a sweep of the area, and he can't do that efficiently enough if he has to lug young boy around. I know where this particular couple lives. I'll go fetch the boy myself, and bring him back to the valley."
"Matt ordered us to leave the valley together." Vivian argued.
"I don't answer to Pack law, and you know it. Besides, we don't have a choice. We can't risk that this boy might not be the only straggler, and Matt has to move quickly to ascertain that."
"Matt still won't like it, Sherman."
"Then he doesn't have to know, does he?"
When Vivian started to argue further, Sherman broke her off. Tone biting. "I'm not asking your permission, Viv! Get over it. I'm going. And don't wait for me. I'll hook up with that old fleabag when he comes back around."
Vivian let out what sounded suspiciously like a growl underneath her breath, but gave up trying to argue with him. "Fine, but you better make it quick."
Watching for a moment as Sherman quickly walked away, heading back towards town, she turned back to the couple, and jerked her head towards their group. "Stay together till he returns, but remain out of sight."
Not waiting to see if they would follow her order – and knowing full well that they would – she turned back to look at John, Ruby, Luke, Sophia, Presley and Damien, and took charge. "Alright, let's head out."
Sophia looked around her nervously, before allowing her body to shift. Bothered by this change of events. Her father was already putting his life on the line. Sherman had just left, and now there was a group stranded in the valley till one or the other returned with the young couple's son.
And there were so many reasons why these were all very bad situations.
******
It was a strange group that was currently following an unmarked route, to an undisclosed location. Quickly cutting through the wild overgrown foliage and trees… Efficiently slipping across springs and brooks. Surrounded by the nocturnal sounds of the forest. A group comprised of five wolves and what appeared to be two humans.
Presley had changed her mind about shifting and joining the group in wolven form, when she realized that because Damien didn't possess this luxury, it would have left him in a rather awkward situation. Instead, she had opted for walking along beside him to keep him company as they made their way deeper into uncharted and unfamiliar territory.
For the most part, they remained silent. Damien was very quiet, unnaturally so, even for him. She guessed that this wasn't very easy for him either. He had chosen to leave behind everything he had ever known. And not only had he left, but he had joined up with the enemy. Giving away secrets that the Hunters would most likely kill him for if they ever found out where he was.
Presley wasn't going to let that happen, and she didn't think that Matthew Donner would either. When he had agreed to letting Damien join them, he had, in essence, brought him into the fold of the Pack. Which meant that as long as he didn't betray them, he was entitled to the safety and protection of the Clan, and only the Alpha could remove it.
Although Presley knew that there must have been a great deal on his mind, she had no idea of the complexity of the battle that was currently waging war from within the traitorous Hunter. She had no idea of the complexity of Damien's training, or the intensity of his programming. Programming that had begun at the moment of his conception.
Damien was struggling with an inner demon that he was already starting to believe he would never be free of. And the further he walked away from Wolf Lake, the more the battle intensified. Screaming in his mind, freezing through his veins, and burning in his skin.
But only the shuttered expression to his black eyes and the small tick in his jaw was testimony to his inner conflict.
Crossing over a particular rocky area, Presley's foot accidentally wedged between two ground slabs of stone, causing her to trip. Seeing her start to tumble, Damien quickly lunged. Wrapping his arm around her caught waist and bringing her back safely up against his chest. Her foot coming loose from the crack.
Presley caught her breath as she placed her feet back underneath her again. Taking her weight off of Damien's arm. Turning to say thanks, her pulse jolted in surprise as his mouth descended on her parted lips. Stealing her words away as his oh-so-talented tongue quickly slipped through to taste her.
Presley let out a silent moan, and kissed him back. Her hand coming up to frame the side of his cheek.
The kiss was over almost as suddenly as it had begun. Almost as if Damien had been using it as an attempt to momentarily escape the emotions warring within him.
But Presley had no way of knowing that.
Reluctantly pulling away, she smiled up at him. Fingers tracing his jaw-line as he looked down at her. His arm slipping away from its death grip on her waist, palm caressing the curve of her lower back before falling away completely. A small smile turned up the corners of his mouth, as he felt the way she shivered against the contact.
Making the first move to put space between them again, he took a few steps up the steep incline they were in the process of climbing, and held out his hand to her. Pulling her up the rest of the way.
Presley really didn't require his assistance, but the temptation was too great to be able to touch him again.
Once they had made it over the top of the incline, surrounding wolves waiting for them, he dropped her hand, and let her take the lead again. Knuckles brushing over her hip as she went by, almost as if that minimal contact aided him in further pushing back the dark recesses of the powerful, insidious demands being made on his loyalty.
As Presley slipped on past and continued walking, it was a few seconds before he followed. Eyes glittering and pensive as he watched her walking away. For a moment, the stark horror of the battle he was fighting from within reflecting in his face.
But then he was moving, and the reflection fell away. His face once more expressionless, as he quickly matched the distance between himself and Presley, as if the slip-up had never even occurred.
But that still didn't mean that one of the white wolves pacing a little ways in front of them hadn't been watching. Seeing it for what it was.
******
Several hours later, they were still walking. Following a mental map that Vivian had been supplied with. The red moon was high overhead, occasionally shadowed by clouds as they quickly slipped by in the midnight sky, the glow shinning through the vaporous particles, while the eerie cast filtered down through the thick trees overhead. Mocking their progress.
They all did their best to ignore the haunting spectacle.
Sophia hadn't realized just how ram-rod stiff Damien's body had been, till she slowly saw that stiffness begin to ease its grip. While the going had been tough for him a while back, he now seemed to be loosening up. Still alert, but breathing less restrained. He grasped Presley's hand loosely in his own, as they picked their way over the rough uncultivated terrain.
Feeling relieved herself, Sophia was glad. Whatever problems he had seemed to have been experiencing, must have faded as they put more and more distance between Wolf Lake. His eyes had lost their hardness, and the muscles around his mouth had softened. Those same lips occasionally curving upwards at something Presley said or did.
Satisfied, she turned her wolven eyes back to the earthen floor, stretching out in front of them. Luke paced right along side her. His darker pelt rubbing up against hers almost playfully whenever he got the chance. It has hard not to be happy in this moment. Content with simply living moment by moment in their animal pelts. It was hard not to enjoy one another's company as they moved across the foreign lands as one group. One Pack.
Despite the fact that each hour saw them further and further away from Wolf Lake.
Coming to a small clearing, Vivian paused, bringing the group to a stop. Wolven eyes sweeping the area as she mentally checked off their location.
Sophia padded over to stand beside her, her manner questioning.
'Where do we go from here?'
Vivian shook her fur out, dislodging a few bits of leaves and debris that had caught in the thick soft silver gray pelt.
'We continue to head northeast. We need to get a few more hours in before taking a break.' she turned her wolven head towards Sophia. Light brown eyes glittering. 'You realize that we won't be able to rest long. No more than thirty or forty minutes. We need to put quite a few more miles between us and Wolf Lake before this night is over.'
'I understand. My only concern is Damien, but he's very physically fit. He doesn't seem to be experiencing any tiredness.'
Vivian's dry laugh could be heard over the mental path. 'How can you tell with that one? He's more guarded than most of our own kind.'
If Sophia had been in human form, she would have smiled. 'True. But he's definitely holding his own.'
'Humph. We'll see if that's still the case in a few days.'
Chuckling across the mental pathway, Sophia turned towards Luke as he came up beside her. Pressing his muzzle into her ruff. Sophia rubbed her fury head back against his affectionately. Looking over to see Ruby and John standing close together just a few feet away. The contrast of the difference in their pelt color striking against the background of the darkened forest.
Turning back around when she sensed movement, they all followed Vivian as she paced out of the shadows of the alien forest and into the clearing. Tall grass and weeds partially obscuring their view of each other, but still remaining close as they made their way across.
Glancing up at the sky out of habit, Sophia suddenly came to a stop as the others kept on moving. Momentarily oblivious to the fact that she had paused. Turning her wolven head to the side, as her eyes searched the night sky, a sudden sense of foreboding overcame her.
Thick clouds were moving in to gleefully obscure the vision of the crimson moon. Completely obliterating its arrogant glow. Plunging the surrounding valley and forest into darkness barely penetrable by their advanced sight.
Sophia's stomach sunk like a brick as familiar words flickered through her mind.
…Your people escaped your destiny once before, when you could no longer handle it… you will not be able to do so again…
With dawning realization and horror, Sophia quickly sent out a mental warning. But by then it was too late.
Loud pinging sounds were heard going off all around them, followed by the muffled sound of impact against fur and the flesh underneath.
Spinning around in confusion, and a desperate sense of panic, Sophia tried to pinpoint the location of their attackers. Suddenly feeling something sharp and painful burrowing its way into her pristine white flank, she let out a yelp. Teeth automatically snapping at the small dart protruding.
She heard Luke call out to her across their mental pathway as she felt a horrific burning sensation start to spread throughout her entire body. The darts weren't drugged with a tranquilizer, she realized. It was something else entirely.
Body trembling violently in pain, it didn't take her long to figure out what that something was, when her body suddenly started shifting of its own accord. Despite the desperate attempts on her part to maintain her wolf form, her body was quickly changing back into that of its human appearance. Weakening her, and leaving her at a disadvantage without the use of most of her enhanced abilities.
Laying crumpled on the ground, completely naked, Sophia quickly brought her no-human head back up, tying to make use of the slightly poorer vision that she would now have to deal with, in order to locate the others.
All of them had befallen the same treatment. All being shot with one of the darts. Even Presley, who had been in the process of Flipping in defense when she too had been hit. The painful, burning sensation of being forced to change back into another form against your will all too familiar to her.
Coming to their feet, they were forced to move in closer to one another, sensing that they were completely surrounded and being herded together for ease of control.
A bright floodlight suddenly flickered on. Momentarily blinding the group before aiding them in seeing their attackers.
Sophia heard John and Luke growl under their breath. Instinctively moving to stand in front of their mates. Damien stood close by Presley, hardened black eyes tracking movement at a very fast rate, before coming to rest on the man standing about thirty feet away contemplatively.
Sophia's heart thudded painfully in her chest as she recognized David Van Halen. Someone she would have preferred never to have see again. His manicured hands were clasped loosely behind his back, and well-groomed head tilted to side as if observing a vaguely entertaining show.
Lips twisting mockingly, he raised one hand from its hiding place, and gave it a slight twist. Signaling his men to reveal themselves.
They all watched as the Hunters melted away from the tree-lines. Some pooling away from the shadows on the ground. Others dropping from various heights in the trees. Suspended by cables that writhed ominously against the backdrop of the foliage revealed by the blinding whiteness of the floodlight like slender black tentacles.
Every one of them was packing weapons. And every one of them had at least one pointed at the group of Skinwalkers they had successfully surrounded.
Slowly, David began to clap. Everyone is the group turned towards the sound. Bodies all tensing in various degrees of defense and reckless hatred.
All except for Damien, whose eyes narrowed subtly as he observed the situation at hand. Expression revealing nothing.
"It has to be said," David spoke mockingly. "How ridiculously entertaining your performances have been, and how utterly foolish you were to honestly believe that you were doing something that I hadn't already predicted you would do, long before we ever even begun. I'm guessing strategy isn't a concept you're familiar with, so allow me to elaborate… Strategy is when you know your enemy better than they apparently know themselves. Strategy is when you figure out what your opponent's next decision will be, in response to each individual move that you make, long before you make them. Strategy is when you have manipulated them so far beyond your original expectations that you begin to lose interest in the battle, simply because it has become so utterly predictable. Really, I expected better from the descendents of the group of your foul species that evaded our radar during the 1600s."
"You shouldn't." a new, but sickeningly familiar voice spoke up from the shadows as a new form fell away from the shadows. Swaggering over insolently. A mocking twist to his lips as he surveyed the group. "Taking into consideration just how shallow the gene pool has become in Wolf Lake, it's any wonder that they've been able to manage as long as they have."
"Tyler." Vivian hissed. Eyes flaming with her hatred.
Tyler inclined his head towards her as if she had greeted him. "Vivian."
"You unimaginable son of a –"
"Now, now. No need for compliments." David interrupted. Looking rather pleased with himself. "Tyler here found himself unable to resist my offer when I originally approached him, in return for his services. You can hardly blame him for following orders."
"Like trying to kill my son?" Vivian seethed. Body trembling with restrained aggression. Barely suppressing her desire to launch herself at that traitorous neck.
Tyler chuckled cruelly, amused at the way her eyes glowed with hatred at him. "No, baby, call it a bonus. A perk to the whole arrangement. The real deal, was to insure your demise, but you've done a fairly good job of that on your own, without any assistance from my end." Tyler's hand swept over the clearing in emphasis, before turning back to look at her. Lips still twisted up in amusement. "But that still doesn't mean I would want to miss the show, anyhow."
"You see," David drawled out, interrupting the present conversation. "One thing that you didn't consider was the fact that a transmitter was injected into that blonde's arm. A microchip that has allowed us to track your movement, and predict your path for the last 48 hours. And although you may think that the remaining members of your Pack are safe, I assure you, it won't be that difficult to locate them either. Especially considering that we now have the newly elected Alpha's mate in our possession."
"You're mad if you think I would reveal anything to you!" Vivian spat out. Tilting her chin up in defiance.
"Oh, I highly doubt that to be true. Something tells me after you've experienced my hospitality for a few hours, you'll be more than willing to share your information."
Sophia heard another growl come from Luke, and she turned to look at him. His body tensing as if in preparation of attacking.
"Do you realize just how much you seem to love the sound of your own voice?" Ruby suddenly asked, sensing her brother's rising animosity, and seeking a way to defuse the situation before he got himself killed. One hand propped up on her naked hip. Dark hair falling in waves around her shoulders, as her silver eyes gleamed coolly and disdainfully back at David. Refusing to look at Tyler even though she could sense his eyes burning a path into her.
David began to laugh. A deep throated sound that rose the hairs on the back of Sophia's neck. Unwittingly,
she reached up to grasp Luke's hand with hers. He clenched her fingers tightly in his grip. Linking them together. Nether knowing what was going to happen in the next few moments, but knowing that it wasn't going to be good.
"…there is no way that your species will be able to run from them a second time."
"Then we'll fight them."
"Yes, you will fight them. And you will lose."
Sophia closed her eyes.
"My dear," David bit out. "I believe I am entitled to enjoy the words I speak, for it marks the end of a century old war between my species and your unholy one. I have always had the upper hand, of course, but to finally see all my planning fall into place… well" He chuckled suddenly. "It just makes a person feel all warm and tingly."
"Don't think this is over." Sophia said through bared teeth, finally opening her eyes. Drawing everyone's attention to her for the first time.
David just smiled secretively to himself. Eyes dark and malicious as he waited for the inevitable.
"Actually," Damien suddenly spoke up as he stepped away from Presley, never even sparing her a second glance as he moved away from the group. Eyes never leaving David. "That is exactly what we think."
Sophia felt the way her heart suddenly sank to the ground, and the ripple of shock that vibrated through the combined mental pathway, and fisted her hands at her side. Nails biting into her palms, as she watched Damien draw closer to his leader. Looking as if everything was right in the world.
"…this is what they were born for. The Evil purpose in which they were created for. There is no other available option left open to them, but to follow their nightmarish existence, and turn ours into a living hell."
"Damien?" Presley whispered. Face going white as she watched him walk away from her. Disbelief and dawning horror written clearly in her eyes, as her heart felt as if it had literally been ripped from her chest.
Damien did turn back around to face her and the group, once he pulled abreast of Van Halen. Cocking his head to the side, he studied her methodically. Eyes black chips of cruelty and ice. Lips curving tauntingly.
"Presley," he drawled out. Voice hard and cold. "I would like you to meet my father."
David chuckled as he saw those words sink in with the group of Skinwalkers. Relishing the moment with a passion. "Oh yes… another example of strategy that my boy here understands very well... Deception."
Presley flinched slightly at the callousness in Van Halen's tone, but her eyes remained locked on Damien's now completely unfamiliar ones. Realizing she had never known them to begin with.
"So it was all just a lie." She stated simply, mouth twisting in disgust. "Everything… It was all just a game to you? An act? It meant nothing?"
Damien shrugged. "You ever hear the story of the frog and the scorpion, my dear Presley? No? Then I shall tell it to you. One day, a frog was sitting by a river. Along came a scorpion, who wished to cross to the other side. He knew that the only way he could do so, was if the frog gave him a ride on his back. 'No,' said the frog. 'If I let you ride on my back, you will kill me.' 'No', the scorpion replied. 'If you help me to the other side, I promise I will not harm you.'
"So the frog agreed. But, about halfway through the journey across, the scorpion struck, betraying the vow he had spoken just a few moments prior.
"As the frog and the scorpion were swept down river, the frog cried out 'Why did you sting me, after you promised you wouldn't? Now, we will both die!' The scorpion replied calmly, 'I cannot help it.'" Damien broke off, eyes darkening perceptively as an unreadable smirk tugged at his lips.
"I'm a scorpion. It is my nature."
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(Looking up at the ceiling, rocking back and forth on my chair's skinny little legs and whistling far-to-innocently for my own good.)
TBC soon in Virtual Chapter Sixteen, Ep. 23 and the Virtual Season One Finale… no title decided upon at this time…
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Brief Note – I just wanted to let everyone know that there is a poll on the home page of Phoenix Virtual Television, for the most popular virtual series. Please, please, PLEASE go to www.pvtonline.com and vote for Wolf Lake! You don't have to sign in or sign up for anything. Just go to the home page, click the box next to Wolf Lake, and press submit. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!!! The owner of PVT is using this to get an idea of which shows are popular and which ones aren't. So far, Wolf Lake is holding its own, but it is desperately starting to need your help! Please, if you want a Virtual Second Season, go vote!
Also, don't forget about my Yahoo! Group that I built for The Virtual Seasons. This is a wonderful place to visit on a regular basis, and its really starting to come alive now! And my "Photos" section now has over 150 pictures, images, graphics, screen caps, and wallpapers. This is also a great way to talk to other fans as well as myself, as it's not really possible for me to do so here. Here you can ask me questions and leave speculations and I'll be sure to give you an answer… Not to mention I will once in a while give out hints on my plans for the Virtual Second Season which will, if all goes well, kick start late summer, early fall… So please, make sure you drop by, and become a member! I look forward to talking with all of you!
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wolflakevirtual/
And for heaven's sake, please review! The last chapter of this series received 194 hits, and only got 10 reviews… (mock glare) Does anyone else see a problem here? Come on, people! Step out of lurkdom and give me something. Shoot… I stayed up till 2:30 in the morning (I kid you not) wrapping up this chapter because I wanted to get it posted today. That deserves something, right? The more reviews I get, the more inspired my Muse becomes, which means the quicker the finale will be posted! And with the final episode, I'm going to need all the support I can get!!!
And for those of you that have reviewed… Thank you, thank you, thank you! You are all the best, and you keep me sane. Which is an accomplishment in and of itself! (wink)
(Sapphira)
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