CHAPTER THREE
I ran as quickly as I could. Fighting the urge to change into my wolf form, I hastily crossed the busy street, only stopping to dodge the speeding cars. To most onlookers I was just a blur in the darkness, a figment of there over active imagination.
A few horns bleared loudly and cars swerved to try and miss the speeding target. Only to quickly realise that they didn't hit anything and that there wasn't anything on the road. The drivers shook their heads and tried to wipe the sleep from their eyes before continuing on their way. Simply believing that it had all been an illusion of their sleep indulged minds.
I didn't pay any attention to them, it was a scene I had witnessed many times before, not to mention a scene in which I had participated in a couple of times. I didn't care if I caused any crashes. I only cared about making in to the Daybreak Headquarters and convincing the Drache's to not go forward with the promise ceremony. As I ran I tried to think of ways to convince them to call the marriage off. I thought and thought and thought but my mind was blank, I knew as the Millennium battle drew closer the Daybrakers were getting more and more desperate, this meant that it would have top be something big.
It was this that was causing me problems.
What would they class big enough?
The only thing I could think of was to kill. Killing in circle daybreak was something they didn't do. They were all about peace and safety and if I managed to break that they wouldn't want anything to do with my family or me.
As I continued to run I put the last parts of my plan together. Firstly I would fight my way through the guards, I would kill them to show that I meant business, and then I'd attack a Drache if I could get my hands on one. I knew that killing a Drache would create too many problems, problems that my pack and I could not erase easily. Due to this it would just have to be an attack and a warning. I needed a survivor to pass on the message.
Even though my plan had a lot of holes in it, I knew that if I didn't act on it now I would never do it. I would have preferred to sit down and plan things properly but I didn't have the time. I didn't want my pack involved on this suicide mission. I couldn't bare it if one of them got hurt.
It was my anger that allowed me to push back all morals, doubt and traces of guilt that I was feeling about killing again.
I would deal with my feelings in the morning.
If I survived.
Right now I had to concentrate on my deadly task.
Letting my hunting instincts take over I smiled evilly as I reached the large boundaries of Thierry Descouedres mansion.
Climbing the fence was easy, I had climbed much higher and harder than this in my life. I reached the top unnoticed and leapt to the earth below, changing into my wolf form as I descended towards the ground.
When I landed on the soft grass, it was on my right paws, not feet. My sleek black fur blended perfectly with the dark shadows and my hunting instincts allowed me to move quickly and silently. The only thing that give me away in the darkness was my bright amber orbs and the reflection of the moon on my glistening canine teeth.
Silently I prowled around the perimeter, only stopping to check for security. I was rather relieved to find no security cameras or wards, but this made me suspicious. Lord Thierry Descouedres had enough money to provide security for the whole world in the newest technology, so why wasn't there any here?
Dread filled my body. If there was no real security that must mean that the guards were the best. If Lord Thierry believed in their ability than I was in trouble. I had fought many skilled fighters in my time and I knew that this would be my hardest task.
Doubt filled me as I continued prowling around the perimeter, I silently argued about going through with my plan, but quickly decided that I had come too far to back down now.
Keeping to the shadows, I prowled, only stopping to study my opponents. As I completed a full circuit I had counted only four guards. Two male vampires, one male witch and one female shifter. I had studied them for a long time before moving onto the next, looking for strengths and weaknesses. I had immediately wiped the two made vampires of the list as they appeared to be very old and strong. The ease in which they moved showed that they were well-trained fighters and the smiles on their faces convinced me that they were talking telepathically.
The witch, I noted, would have to be last. I had never fought many witches before and in my animal form I could sense his power without even trying. I also knew that Witch fire would call a lot of attention and make a surprise attack on the others very hard.
The only one remaining was the female shifter. She was a wolf, that much I could tell. Her wide amber eyes give it away and the way she prowled when she walked was a true sign. She was rather small and delicate looking, but I didn't let that fool me. I new smaller and more delicate fighters that were lethal opponents, one of them was in my pack.
I watched her silently and waited for her to pick up my scent. Even though I knew I was going to kill her I still wanted to make the fight honourable. There was no honour in fighting dirty.
I watched as her ears twitched to pick up sounds of movement, finding none, she breathed deeply to pick up foreign scents. It was then that her posture changed and she become more alert.
She knew I was there.
Growling low in my throat I stepped out of the shadows and into the light, feeling fully confident I continued my slow pace towards her.
This fight was going to be easy.
I approached her slowly and deliberately, knowing that she could sense my power and strength. I was slightly surprised and disappointed when she didn't even flinch. She was either too confident in her fighting ability or she had faced much worse than one angry black wolf. Narrowing my amber eyes I growled louder, challenging her. The vibrations washed over my body and soothed my nerves as I prepared myself for an attack.
It felt like minutes before she reacted, when really it was mere seconds. Her body tensed and she turned fully to face me and then she began to change. I have seen many werewolves change shape in my company before but yet again the change before me had me mesmerised.
Her body tensed, ears twitched and eyes widened and became more alert.
What happened next would just have appeared as a blur to humans, but I watched the change happen as though it was in slow motions.
It happened in seconds but it felt like minutes to me.
Before my very eyes I watched as her entire body went through the stages of shifting. Her face began to change-the flesh moving and bones rearranging, cheekbones became broader and her mouth and nose elongate and jutted. Ears became thinner and longer-more pointer and hollow like a shell.
Almost immediately individual course hairs sprouted from her lightly tanned skin-with my excellent eyesight I could see the odd silvery-brown hairs force their way through the pores of her skin. Soon her face was completely covered and I noted that the rest of her body now sprouted the same coarse hair-the same hair that replaced her specially made clothes.
Her eyes became flatter and the liquid amber pupils shifted and extended to a point that there was no white left. The same eyes, now animalistic, reflected the moonlight straight back at me. The green-orange reflection sparkled as her eyes narrowed in concentration and determination.
Her body became thinner-if possible and more stretched out. I could hear the bones and cartilage popping as her body began to set itself in a much more delicate shape. Her back arched and shoulders became more prominent. Legs and arms shortened and lengthened-muscles and tendons and joints formed and adjusted. Fingers retracted and nails thickened and lengthened- dark sharp claws replaced them.
A second later, her body fell forward- arms that were now legs hit the ground with a thump. Her lips pulled back to reveal smooth deadly teeth- incisors especially designed for cutting flesh, two-inch long canines followed by teeth made for slicing and tearing.
A bushy tail lashed furiously at the end of her spine as a low growl erupted from her throat-the vibrations shook her body and her unusual silvery-brown fur stood on end.
My challenge had been answered and a second later we leapt.
Her body was small and delicate, no match for my much larger and stronger one, and as we collided in mid air the force of my body impacting with hers sent her spiralling to the ground with a muffled yelp.
Our bodies descended towards the ground-a mixture of black and grey in a twisting snarling heap. The only sounds that could be heard were the clinking of our teeth, tearing of fur and our outraged growling.
I ignored the pain as her right paw connected behind my left shoulder, her sharp claws ripped through my delicate skin and I felt the wetness of my blood seep steadily through the torn flesh. I didn't bother to acknowledge it as I was already reacting. My left front paw struck her in the face and I had the brief satisfaction of hearing her yelp as our bodies finally hit the ground.
I landed on top of her-my right front paw clawing deeply into her left hind leg as it absorbed most of the impact and I heard the satisfying sound of a bone cracking under my weight.
However my satisfaction was short lived as the grey wolf below me didn't seem phased by her injury, sure she yelped in pain, rather loudly in fact, but it didn't stop her from attacking me back ferociously.
Twisting sharply to her right, she managed to fight her way from beneath me, using both her front paws and her teeth she quickly attacked and I had to retread to avoid her lethal claws and canines.
As I jumped backwards I bared my teeth and prepared to leap again, this time I was going to aim for her neck, one quick bite with all my strength would rip through her delicate throat would cut of her air supply and make her choke on her own blood. If I couldn't get to her throat I was going to aim for her stomach. On all wolves these were our most vulnerable points, those as well as our legs. I had already taken care of her hind leg and there would be no way that she could pounce on me again. Right now she was very vulnerable and she knew it. Without the use of her back leg she was in no it shape to fight, there was no way that she was going to be able to balance herself in order to defend or attack.
She now stood facing me panting heavily, teeth bared and yellow eyes blazing, she growled angrily.
It was at that moment that she gained my respect.
Not once did she show her pain to me. Her broken leg still touched the ground, holding her weight even though it must have been hurting dramatically.
And she never backed down even though she knew she was going to loose.
I clenched my jaw tightly and weighed my options. I didn't want to kill her, but part of me knew I had too. The strength and determination she showed me would have made any warrior proud and I respected her greatly.
I hesitated, my eyes never leaving hers and I think it was at that precise moment that we came to an understanding.
She must have seen the uncertainty in my amber orbs and for a couple of moments we just stared at each other as parts of silver-brown and black fur floated to the ground around us.
I nodded my head in a sign of honour and respect, and her eyes widened as she realised who I was. Immediately her head bowed in a sign of recognition and understanding.
I had to continue fighting . . . it was the only way.
I give a warning growl before we continued to fight.
I ran as quickly as I could. Fighting the urge to change into my wolf form, I hastily crossed the busy street, only stopping to dodge the speeding cars. To most onlookers I was just a blur in the darkness, a figment of there over active imagination.
A few horns bleared loudly and cars swerved to try and miss the speeding target. Only to quickly realise that they didn't hit anything and that there wasn't anything on the road. The drivers shook their heads and tried to wipe the sleep from their eyes before continuing on their way. Simply believing that it had all been an illusion of their sleep indulged minds.
I didn't pay any attention to them, it was a scene I had witnessed many times before, not to mention a scene in which I had participated in a couple of times. I didn't care if I caused any crashes. I only cared about making in to the Daybreak Headquarters and convincing the Drache's to not go forward with the promise ceremony. As I ran I tried to think of ways to convince them to call the marriage off. I thought and thought and thought but my mind was blank, I knew as the Millennium battle drew closer the Daybrakers were getting more and more desperate, this meant that it would have top be something big.
It was this that was causing me problems.
What would they class big enough?
The only thing I could think of was to kill. Killing in circle daybreak was something they didn't do. They were all about peace and safety and if I managed to break that they wouldn't want anything to do with my family or me.
As I continued to run I put the last parts of my plan together. Firstly I would fight my way through the guards, I would kill them to show that I meant business, and then I'd attack a Drache if I could get my hands on one. I knew that killing a Drache would create too many problems, problems that my pack and I could not erase easily. Due to this it would just have to be an attack and a warning. I needed a survivor to pass on the message.
Even though my plan had a lot of holes in it, I knew that if I didn't act on it now I would never do it. I would have preferred to sit down and plan things properly but I didn't have the time. I didn't want my pack involved on this suicide mission. I couldn't bare it if one of them got hurt.
It was my anger that allowed me to push back all morals, doubt and traces of guilt that I was feeling about killing again.
I would deal with my feelings in the morning.
If I survived.
Right now I had to concentrate on my deadly task.
Letting my hunting instincts take over I smiled evilly as I reached the large boundaries of Thierry Descouedres mansion.
Climbing the fence was easy, I had climbed much higher and harder than this in my life. I reached the top unnoticed and leapt to the earth below, changing into my wolf form as I descended towards the ground.
When I landed on the soft grass, it was on my right paws, not feet. My sleek black fur blended perfectly with the dark shadows and my hunting instincts allowed me to move quickly and silently. The only thing that give me away in the darkness was my bright amber orbs and the reflection of the moon on my glistening canine teeth.
Silently I prowled around the perimeter, only stopping to check for security. I was rather relieved to find no security cameras or wards, but this made me suspicious. Lord Thierry Descouedres had enough money to provide security for the whole world in the newest technology, so why wasn't there any here?
Dread filled my body. If there was no real security that must mean that the guards were the best. If Lord Thierry believed in their ability than I was in trouble. I had fought many skilled fighters in my time and I knew that this would be my hardest task.
Doubt filled me as I continued prowling around the perimeter, I silently argued about going through with my plan, but quickly decided that I had come too far to back down now.
Keeping to the shadows, I prowled, only stopping to study my opponents. As I completed a full circuit I had counted only four guards. Two male vampires, one male witch and one female shifter. I had studied them for a long time before moving onto the next, looking for strengths and weaknesses. I had immediately wiped the two made vampires of the list as they appeared to be very old and strong. The ease in which they moved showed that they were well-trained fighters and the smiles on their faces convinced me that they were talking telepathically.
The witch, I noted, would have to be last. I had never fought many witches before and in my animal form I could sense his power without even trying. I also knew that Witch fire would call a lot of attention and make a surprise attack on the others very hard.
The only one remaining was the female shifter. She was a wolf, that much I could tell. Her wide amber eyes give it away and the way she prowled when she walked was a true sign. She was rather small and delicate looking, but I didn't let that fool me. I new smaller and more delicate fighters that were lethal opponents, one of them was in my pack.
I watched her silently and waited for her to pick up my scent. Even though I knew I was going to kill her I still wanted to make the fight honourable. There was no honour in fighting dirty.
I watched as her ears twitched to pick up sounds of movement, finding none, she breathed deeply to pick up foreign scents. It was then that her posture changed and she become more alert.
She knew I was there.
Growling low in my throat I stepped out of the shadows and into the light, feeling fully confident I continued my slow pace towards her.
This fight was going to be easy.
I approached her slowly and deliberately, knowing that she could sense my power and strength. I was slightly surprised and disappointed when she didn't even flinch. She was either too confident in her fighting ability or she had faced much worse than one angry black wolf. Narrowing my amber eyes I growled louder, challenging her. The vibrations washed over my body and soothed my nerves as I prepared myself for an attack.
It felt like minutes before she reacted, when really it was mere seconds. Her body tensed and she turned fully to face me and then she began to change. I have seen many werewolves change shape in my company before but yet again the change before me had me mesmerised.
Her body tensed, ears twitched and eyes widened and became more alert.
What happened next would just have appeared as a blur to humans, but I watched the change happen as though it was in slow motions.
It happened in seconds but it felt like minutes to me.
Before my very eyes I watched as her entire body went through the stages of shifting. Her face began to change-the flesh moving and bones rearranging, cheekbones became broader and her mouth and nose elongate and jutted. Ears became thinner and longer-more pointer and hollow like a shell.
Almost immediately individual course hairs sprouted from her lightly tanned skin-with my excellent eyesight I could see the odd silvery-brown hairs force their way through the pores of her skin. Soon her face was completely covered and I noted that the rest of her body now sprouted the same coarse hair-the same hair that replaced her specially made clothes.
Her eyes became flatter and the liquid amber pupils shifted and extended to a point that there was no white left. The same eyes, now animalistic, reflected the moonlight straight back at me. The green-orange reflection sparkled as her eyes narrowed in concentration and determination.
Her body became thinner-if possible and more stretched out. I could hear the bones and cartilage popping as her body began to set itself in a much more delicate shape. Her back arched and shoulders became more prominent. Legs and arms shortened and lengthened-muscles and tendons and joints formed and adjusted. Fingers retracted and nails thickened and lengthened- dark sharp claws replaced them.
A second later, her body fell forward- arms that were now legs hit the ground with a thump. Her lips pulled back to reveal smooth deadly teeth- incisors especially designed for cutting flesh, two-inch long canines followed by teeth made for slicing and tearing.
A bushy tail lashed furiously at the end of her spine as a low growl erupted from her throat-the vibrations shook her body and her unusual silvery-brown fur stood on end.
My challenge had been answered and a second later we leapt.
Her body was small and delicate, no match for my much larger and stronger one, and as we collided in mid air the force of my body impacting with hers sent her spiralling to the ground with a muffled yelp.
Our bodies descended towards the ground-a mixture of black and grey in a twisting snarling heap. The only sounds that could be heard were the clinking of our teeth, tearing of fur and our outraged growling.
I ignored the pain as her right paw connected behind my left shoulder, her sharp claws ripped through my delicate skin and I felt the wetness of my blood seep steadily through the torn flesh. I didn't bother to acknowledge it as I was already reacting. My left front paw struck her in the face and I had the brief satisfaction of hearing her yelp as our bodies finally hit the ground.
I landed on top of her-my right front paw clawing deeply into her left hind leg as it absorbed most of the impact and I heard the satisfying sound of a bone cracking under my weight.
However my satisfaction was short lived as the grey wolf below me didn't seem phased by her injury, sure she yelped in pain, rather loudly in fact, but it didn't stop her from attacking me back ferociously.
Twisting sharply to her right, she managed to fight her way from beneath me, using both her front paws and her teeth she quickly attacked and I had to retread to avoid her lethal claws and canines.
As I jumped backwards I bared my teeth and prepared to leap again, this time I was going to aim for her neck, one quick bite with all my strength would rip through her delicate throat would cut of her air supply and make her choke on her own blood. If I couldn't get to her throat I was going to aim for her stomach. On all wolves these were our most vulnerable points, those as well as our legs. I had already taken care of her hind leg and there would be no way that she could pounce on me again. Right now she was very vulnerable and she knew it. Without the use of her back leg she was in no it shape to fight, there was no way that she was going to be able to balance herself in order to defend or attack.
She now stood facing me panting heavily, teeth bared and yellow eyes blazing, she growled angrily.
It was at that moment that she gained my respect.
Not once did she show her pain to me. Her broken leg still touched the ground, holding her weight even though it must have been hurting dramatically.
And she never backed down even though she knew she was going to loose.
I clenched my jaw tightly and weighed my options. I didn't want to kill her, but part of me knew I had too. The strength and determination she showed me would have made any warrior proud and I respected her greatly.
I hesitated, my eyes never leaving hers and I think it was at that precise moment that we came to an understanding.
She must have seen the uncertainty in my amber orbs and for a couple of moments we just stared at each other as parts of silver-brown and black fur floated to the ground around us.
I nodded my head in a sign of honour and respect, and her eyes widened as she realised who I was. Immediately her head bowed in a sign of recognition and understanding.
I had to continue fighting . . . it was the only way.
I give a warning growl before we continued to fight.