I'm back! Whew, I'm glad the worst of that's over. The first manuscript is officially finished, now I just have to edit the whole damn thing. But I'm taking a break from that right now so I thought I'd come back and see how everybody's doing. I apologize that my first chapter back is from this story (since most people prefer Quest for the Ardoneh). I'm suddenly bored of that one due to its simplicity. I don't know, I like being able to talk with these characters more I guess. Anyway! Enough of my chattering. I've got about three more minutes before I have to go to class so- without further ado!

Enjoy

Disclaimer: damn I've been bad about this! I don't own MKR or the characters therein -I really don't see why we do this. It's a given!

chapter 5: The Gathering

What the fuck! Has Lafarga absolutely lost his fucking mind! Geo is gone already (either gone or dead, take your pick it doesn't matter)! We have other things to worry about. So I'm one year short of being old enough for the gatherings, I'm the one on the inside! Don't I have two classes a day with the soon-to-be-leech-queen? Yeah! I think so! Ascot wonders why the hell I'm always late for last block, here's why. I'm tailing that parasite through downtown after lunch. "Oh, but she won't make any moves in the daytime." You ass! That's exactly when she makes her moves. Her fuck buddy stays back to keep up appearances while she gets her drones in line. She knows we wouldn't expect her to do anything in daylight! But you're all worried about a good friend you chased out just because he wanted to break all barriers between him and a woman.

Yeah I know, I'm supposed to be the one against liaisons with humans. But so long as you're careful, there isn't a problem.

What? What's that look for? Huh? What do you mean 'back the truck up'? Me? Yeah, I'm fine. How? (Sigh) To make a long story very short, I almost bled out and... blacked out. No I didn't 'pass out'! No I didn't 'faint'. Let's see how you do when you loose all but three out of seven quarts of blood. Yeah, Ascot left that out 'cause he was too busy watching to make sure he didn't trip than to look back. Anyway! Getting back to the point. Mom woke up, not a scratch on her, I blacked out, Eagle used his head and played on Fuu's sympathy to get her sister to heal me. Naturally the older sister didn't want us hanging around so we split. Eagle's dad pulled some strings and got an old high school buddy to smuggle out two blood transfusions and brought 'em down. Thing is though, this guy got a good look at my mom and smelled she was single. So he's staying at a hotel two miles away with "two" things in mind: keep an eye on me (my 'condition'), help out with the Hikaru issue, and what he didn't mention, sniff out my mom. Watch yourself hot dog, I'm not above having you fixed.

So does that answer your question? Oh that one. Well come on, let's have it. What's up with Ascot? Well in the last week he's been chasing his tail and a certain blue hair (literal, not the slang sense). They've hit it off quick. Heh, he thinks he's being sneaky. Thinks I'm still too far out of it not to notice him slipping his hand around her shoulders. HA! I almost yelled "brakes!" one time. He had the guts to whisper the usual in her ear and almost tripped over himself to kiss her. Yeah that flopped as I thought it would, but she thought it was... I hate this word... cute. So she decides to kiss him as kinda an "A for effort" deal. Not only does she almost get to the point where she's eating his tongue, but she did something that brought a gleam to the hall monitor's forehead. Wasn't till later I figured out she was just putting on a show 'cause I was watching. Heh, I've done worse with the women I've fooled around with. But despite what Ascot has told you, I don't sleep with any of them. What? Caldina? ... Yeah, okay, you got me there.

But that's beside the point. It's finally Saturday. Ascot's blown off rocking at Eagle's flat to go off to some burger stand with her. So that leaves me, Eagle, and Zazu. We're taking a break for a steak lunch, compliments of Mrs. Vision (since Gabriel's arm is still in a sling and he hates grilling left handed). I'm having to eat mine like finger-food since I've still got three or four holes in my shoulders and a few more broken bones than I bargained for (the witch only got me stable). Maggie's gone back inside for the potato salad, chips, dip, and all that stuff. Zazu's not all there since what happened to Sara (I can only assume she's a parasite by now). Eagle's looking at me, then gives the nod toward his dad.

"Lafarga any closer to calling another gathering?" Eagle asked as he nonchalantly took a swig of his coke.

Gabriel sighed, "Who's to say." He added sternly, "Not that it matters to either of you since you're both too young."

"Just what makes us too young?" I challenged.

Gabriel leaned in with a warning in his eye. "A law your father set before he died. When you're seventeen you'll be old enough," he said, leaning back. "Even then you'll be tested."

"Heh, no wonder the females have slim pickens," I muttered.

I heard Gabriel let out a warning growl.

"No seriously," I continued. "Have you counted how many 'mature' males this pack has now? Geo's exiled. Dad's dead. So that leaves Lafarga, you, Rudy, and Ethan. You and Lafarga are already mated so that leaves the two of you out. Of course, I'm not counting your buddy from Tokyo, the lame ones: Aki and Tye, and the loner: Marik- who's never around anyway."

"Dad," Eagle broke in. "Clef's just worried about what's gonna happen when Arkill finally crumbles and gets sprinkled in the pine box. Hikaru's next in line."

"What about-" Gabriel never got to finish.

Eagle shook his head, "Lantis knows where his blood's hottest. His brother's been MIA for the last month. So that just leaves that pirate woman -Zeri... something- with her first mate and the twisted sister."

"Sisters," I corrected.

"Sisters?" Eagle asked. "I'm not counting Hikaru."

"The ex-blonde's twin," I said. "I caught her scent outside the house just yesterday."

"They found a replacement for Presea?" Gabriel asked. His face was pale and he reeked of anxiety.

"Oh yeah," I said with a nod. "They don't screw around."

"That's why we need to start going to the gatherings," Eagle said as if on cue. "Clef and I know Hikaru better than any of the pack."

Gabriel was somberly nodding his head. He picked up his tea and muttered over the rim, "I'll see what I can do."

Our timing couldn't have been sweeter. Mrs. Vision came out just a second after Gabriel finished talking with three plates stacked up her arm (like those Mexican waiters) and two bowls of chips somehow arranged under her other arm. "Who's hungry?" she asked with a smile. Gabriel immediately perked up and looked completely oblivious to the wheels still turning in his brain.

Eagle dashed up to help Maggie but she shuffled away from him saying, "You'll make me drop 'em before you could get 'em off my arm!" So he got pointed to one of the chip bowls and took that.

"Now that's talent," Zazu said.

That was the first and only sentence he said all through lunch. Poor kid. I checked on him from time to time and he was just poking at his steak; Maggie had gone through all the tricks in the book to cook it with all the seasonings and keep the meat as raw as possible. He kept glancing up at the tree branch we all last saw Sara when he thought no one was looking. Twice I... never mind, you get that the kid's a wreck.

Nobody really felt like jamming afterwards, myself too sadly. My shoulder had taken all the damage I cared to give it. Eagle and I both were too focused on what would happen if Gabriel somehow got us into the next gathering. So I split and headed for home at seven- how the hell time flies!

Now I'm almost home and here comes an eruption of someone laughing. I just shake my head and hurry for home. My mind's pulled its little trick in reminding me who's scent I picked up the other night. The smell of mom's cooking blocked any chance I had of picking up anything. But there's the laughter again when I reach the front steps. It's not a menacing laugh, but it's still too close for my coiled nerves' liking. I tried not to let my head snap around, but the laughter erupted again; this time, five feet from me. My nerves cooled immediately.

Ascot was standing on the sidewalk, his hands in his pockets with her arm looped through his. She beamed a wide grin right in my face. I just smirked and shook my head. Mom's cooking shot up my nose and I took a deep whiff. "I take it you both ate?" I asked.

"Yeah, why?" she asked, throwing a... no that doesn't work- Let's just say she sounded like one of those blonde cheerleaders.

I shrugged, "Just curious."

"Curiosity killed the cat," she retorted then turned to Ascot as she lifted up on her toes.

"Ah, but satisfaction brought him back," I quipped.

"Feh, whatever," she scoffed. She turned to Ascot and smiled, "I'll see you Monday?"

"Yeah," he said warmly.

I turned my back as they leaned in to kiss. Once I gently twisted my wrist to get a look at my watch (slings are shit! And playing with a bad power arm isn't good for it either, I know). No sound except for one contented sigh. The aroma from the kitchen hit me again. I couldn't take it anymore. "You walking her home?" I asked. "Or are you gonna cut your balls off and give 'em to her too?"

"I can walk myself home," she snorted.

"I'm sure," I said. "But are you sure you want to walk home, alone, at this time of night?" I was trying to give Ascot a hint, but the dickhead didn't get it.

For some reason I didn't get the snarling sarcasm from her again. "Should I be worried?" she asked sincerely. Apparently, she wasn't so stupid.

I turned. "This neighborhood's usually pretty good, but I've been hearing an old clunker cruising the streets about this time. You know the one I'm talking about bro." He nodded. I looked at her. Her face was pale and her pupils shrunk. Her heartbeat was quicker too. I shrugged my good shoulder and smiled. "It's nothing to worry about. From the sound of that engine it'd keel over before it could accelerate if you were to run from it."

She smiled. Huh, for the first time I could see something worth attention.

I smiled back, shook my head, and looked at Ascot. "Well, you've eaten, I'm hungry, and she's gotta walk home. And if you won't walk her home, I will."

Ascot wrapped an arm around her waist and walked off.

As soon as I stepped in the door the phone rang. Mom answered then hollered for me. "Clef, phone!"

I picked up the receiver in the living room. "Got it!" I called. "Y-ello?"

"Clef?" a gruff voice asked.

"Speaking."

Several deep, growling breaths, then nothing. "You got balls kid, I'll give you that."

"I'm sorry, I don't remember tee-peeing anybody this week."

"Caldina, you fuck."

"Oh! Hello Lafarga."

"You won't be so nonchalant Thursday."

"And what's Thursday?"

"You're gonna call in sick-"

"Tell me doc, is it fatal?"

"Could be," he growled.

"Yeah, well, you were saying?"

"Call in sick, and be at Gabriel's at eight."

"So then-"

click!

I pulled the receiver away and looked at it. "It's a date."

"Clef!" Mom called. "Get yer ass in here or I'll eat this myself!"

This was like a roadrunner move. I dropped the receiver, it somehow landed back on the hook, and bolted for the kitchen. I hit my chair so hard I winced and almost slid off the other side. Mom howled as I checked myself and looked up with anxious eyes at the plate she was hanging over my head. I waited then looked at her with the saddest puppy eyes I could manage. "Now that's just cruelty to animals."

Again she howled then laid the plate down. I wolfed mine down in one gulp while she slowly ate her stir fry. Baby rabbits... yum!

That night couldn't have gotten any better! Mom was happy. I was fed fat and content. We were talking and laughing like we used to in the old days when we were waiting for dad to come home. It was perfect. Then it all shattered with a knock at the door.

I didn't think much of it. Mom jumped up and bolted for the door. She answered with that flirtatious, excited giggle only women can do. A deep groggy voice told her to keep it down, that he had a headache. My back straightened at the very instant his voice hit my ears. It was Maximus (I didn't bother to learn his last name), a.k.a. "Max," Gabriel's friend from Tokyo. So I might owe my life to him, I thanked him and expected him to be on his merry way. If only. The hound smells no male scent except for mine and Ascot's in the house and even I can catch the scent of Mom's excitement from across the house. Max says he's tired then starts herding her up to the bedroom before she can say anything else.

"Night ma!" I hollered.

"Oh!" she said. "Goodnight Clef."

"Who's the kid?" Max asked, thinking it was too low for me to hear.

"My youngest-"

"Never mind (smooch). Go on up, I'll be there in a sec."

"M-kay!"

She hurried up while his heavy footsteps came down the stairs and across the linoleum floor. Big boots. Probably size thirteen. Steel toe. He came in and circled around to the fridge on my left and helped himself to one of mom's remaining beers. He took a big swig then leaned against the counter. "So you're Kate's boy?" he asked then a brick hit him. "Oh yeah! How you doin'? That arm feeling any better?" He turned and helped himself to a mouthful of the stir fry. "Mm! Good stuff!" He licked his fingers and raised the beer can as if to toast to something. "Well! You let me know if you have any problems." With that he walked off.

Fine specimen huh?

I started to help myself to seconds then suddenly lost my appetite. The entire neighborhood could have turned their stereos up full blast and it wouldn't have blocked the creaking springs. Teens with gutter minds tend to have better hearing than most (but you shouldn't when it's your own mother!). Still, I had to get outta there before I did something stupid. I knew I couldn't kick him out with a bad arm, besides, he would be easily twice my size in fur. I dumped my dishes in the sink, grabbed some green, left a note for mom, and split. I turned and looked up at mom's window. "Guess his headache's better," I muttered.

Max stayed and acted like he was the fucking pack leader! Ascot didn't care. As usual the little shit was out with his new bitch kitty. Monday night he came home with the bushiest tail you'd ever seen! The grin almost wouldn't fit on his face. Talk about zero to sixty. She cooled off a bit on the sarcasm too. Tuesday she tried coming over to Eagle's flat to hang out. I don't think so meat, dudes only! Thing was, Ascot decided to be a dick and said he wouldn't play if she couldn't be in the basement. I don't know which made my power arm itch more: strangling him or the need to jam.

You may or may not believe what happened next; I know I didn't.

She sat on the couch, swinging her foot while we played some of our favorites from Aerosmith, Van Halen, and Kansas. She let out a whoop when we tore the ass out of "Just Push Play."

"I gotta admit," she said when we were debating the next song. "Your good Clef. I've never heard anyone scat like Steve Tyler. You know any Fleetwood Mac?"

"Go your own way with it," I said, figuring she wouldn't get it.

"Okay," she said, "you know Fleetwood. What about STYX?"

The guys chortled. "Look," Eagle said, "we eat, breathe, and sleep any rock from the 80s up. We know Journey, Bon Jovi, Boston, Pink Floyd, Led Zepplin, ZZ Top, STYX, Aerosmith, Van Halen, Kansas, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Tom Petty, Alice Cooper, Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath, REM, Golden Earring, Dire Straits... need I continue?"

She shrugged.

"Alright then," I challenged. "Give us a group or artist."

"Okay... play me some Deja Voo Doo then we'll see if you can tear the ass outta Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay like Michael Bolton did."

I grinned, "You're making this too easy on me, bitch."

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"Calling me a bitch. I appreciate it."

I exchanged a look with Eagle then turned to Ascot. He paled visibly. What have you been doing pup? I knew since yesterday that he had knowledge of her in the biblical sense. What I wanted to know was how excited had he gotten? With his inexperience with bitches, I figured the chances were pretty good that he'd gone overboard and wanted the most out of it. And for us boys with the extra gear and a twitchy stick-shift, going all out in fur is pretty damn likely. I decided not to push it at the moment. I had to stay on good terms with Gabriel and this might blow the breakers if I let it out. Besides, I didn't know just how smart she was. My instincts told me though, she knew all of us weren't what we appeared.

I shook my head and chuckled. "Whew!" I said. "Good thing I gotta pussy for a brother. Most guys woulda taken my head off for calling their girlfriend a bitch."

She just swung her crossed ankle and smiled.

"Then again, most girls would take that as an insult."

Her smile broadened. "I'm waiting," she said.

Zazu started us off and Eagle and I went into the guitar intro. Her eyes didn't leave my face until I hit the first note, then they closed in languorous ecstacy. I tracing red dotted lines over her body, in case that had to be done. For Ascot's sake, I hoped I would be able to avoid it. She knew. It was unmistakable. He'd gone overboard and she loved him for it. He told me in gym once that she loved werewolves and hated vampires. At the time I'd given him the go-ahead. He knew the rules, I thought.

I called a drink break after Deja Voo Doo. I stayed in the basement and watched her and the gang file upstairs. Ascot stayed tentatively between me and her. She complimented me on the way up and said she'd toss a Dr. Pepper down for me. I just nodded. Zazu followed like a zombie after one longing look at Ascot's arm, wound protectively around Umi.

My stomach flipped. "Shit!" I muttered.

"What?"

Eagle. I'd forgotten he was still down here. Glancing at the stairwell, I looked back at him and beckoned for him to sit. I kept one ear open and made my point quick. "Hikaru'll come after her," I said.

As expected, he looked at me like I was punch-drunk-stupid. "What?"

"Same thing like with Sara," I explained. "Look how attacking her took the bounce outta Zazu's step."

He shook his head. "But why Ascot? Hikaru knows he's not a big influence on the pack."

"Exactly!" I whispered. He still didn't get it, but I knew he'd remember a saying my father was notorious for. He'd drilled it into my head along with the fact that it was the case 99 of the time. I leaned forward as the sounds of feet came down the stairs. Pinching my finger and thumb together I mouthed the word, "Small."

The light went on.

Things always start small before they become BIG problems. Dad used to say.

We didn't play anymore. Maggie shouted that Zazu was expected home for dinner and here it was already five. Sodas in hand, we grabbed our stuff and headed out. Zazu walked home on his own. I was stuck with a shitty view. I walked behind the lovebirds until they turned toward her house. I shook my head. "Man I hope I'm wrong."

Eight o'clock. Max hasn't shown up yet. Mom's down in the den watching the tube, waiting for that knock on the door. I'm upstairs, sitting in the middle of the floor, staring at the carpet. My mind's torn between the physics book by my knee, my notebook of things I should be getting fresh in my mind before Thursday, and the cell phone in my backpack. Ascot's probably still at her house or within easy distance of turning around. The windows are open but there are no smells from the outside. I'd caught a whiff of the black-haired pirate a few blocks after I left her and Ascot. Nothing around the house.

My hands are interlocked under my chin and my elbows are on my knees. I rested my left hand on my knee and said to myself, "The pack." Any loyal wolf would let the vampires eat her heart and call his brother back to the den. That would be best for the pack. She wouldn't be a strong asset if they vampirized her. She'd be easy to kill. Ascot would be dead behind the eyes but the pack would be together. Safety in numbers. That was how we operated. We kept to ourselves, used humans if they amused us, then broomed them. We never put our needs or those of immediate family above the needs of the pack. That was how we survived. Humans who found out what we were had to be disposed of, and what better way than letting our enemies make her one of their own?

I looked at my right palm and said, "Ascot," then added, "and the bitch who was mistakenly born human." Even though I was the younger of the two, I took responsibility for him. He'd rarely had a relationship with anyone who lit him up the way she did. He was happy now, just like mom. What kind of brother would I be if I abandoned him? 'Sorry bro, there's other bitches for you to mate with.' Yeah, that would go over real well. Then there was her... Much as it may not sound like me to say this, she's okay. And personally, I thought it would be a waste for someone like her to become a parasite.

I reached for my cell and dialed Ascot's. Two rings, four. "Pick up you little shit," I muttered. No answer. The voice mail kicked in.

"I ain't here, leave a message and I'll throw you a bone."

I smiled. I'd given him the idea for that.

Beep!

"Hey bro," I said. "Hope you've got reusable condoms." I lost the joking tone in my voice. "Stay where you are tonight. If her parents come up for her, hide in the closet or under the bed. Anything goes screwy over there, you give me a buzz." I flipped the phone close and pressed it to my forehead. "I'm gonna go to hell..."

My phone rang at least twenty minutes ago. So what? Watching her fight sleep was worth missing any voice mail. The lights were down low with the sheer, lavender scarf she'd draped over the lamp in the corner. Sweat glistened on her forehead and just above her smiling top lip. I resisted licking her forehead for favor of what I'd missed between her breasts. She took a deep breath and sighed. I scooped her up and pressed my forehead to hers so our noses would touch too. That was how I told her I loved her when I was in fur.

At first, it had freaked her out a little and we kept the lights off. Then on when she realized my eyes would glow in the dark. Then she just kept her eyes closed. She stayed tense and I went back to skin. She relaxed and let me bite her neck and shoulder. She said she liked that so I bit a little harder, still careful not to break the skin. Thank the Moon I didn't lose control when she returned the favor.

Entwining her hands in my hair she whispered, "Okay, I'll try again."

"I don't want to scare you," I said.

"So long as I can see you through your eyes, you won't scare me."

I got off the bed and crouched on the floor, keeping my eyes on the carpet as the change morphed my shape. She slid off the bed and sat in front of me. I wanted to make sure she knew I couldn't hurt her. It was like a kitten sniffing around an Irish Wolfhound. Then, finally, after exploring the texture of my fur, she took my head in her hands and lifted my eyes to hers. I begged her not to scream this time. She didn't. She nodded and said, "Okay, now how about we work back up to this point." I nodded and she stopped me suddenly. "Wait, lay down." I spread out on my stomach. She combed my back with her fingers and ran her hands over my tail. I was too scared she would reject me to get hard. "Roll over." I obeyed, drew my clawed hands up like a dog begs for scraps, and she sat staring at me. "Now change back." Again, I obeyed. I took this as a very good sign, but I wasn't about to overstep my leash. I stayed on my back and waited for her next command as her eyes swept over me. I closed my eyes and prepared for the worst.

Then she was straddling me and had her lips pressed to mine. "You can't talk when you're like that can you?" she asked.

I shook my head. "I love you," I whispered.

She smiled. A VERY good sign. Hunger flickered in and out of her eyes. "Just... you can bite, but don't draw blood or leave bruises."

I shook my head frantically, "I'd never hurt you."

She nodded then smirked and ran her hands up over my chest. Leaning down, she whispered by my ear,"You know, one of the things to do in the Kama Sutra is to act like an animal, sounds and all."

Fill in from there...

Still, I'd been holding out for the bathroom and decided to check my mail while I was at it. I reversed the change and kissed her lips. "I'll be right back," I said. She moaned but couldn't hold on to me. She closed her eyes and I picked up my cell and walked into the little bathroom connected to her bedroom. She had one nice place!

My brother's icon of a flashing middle finger blinked at me from the voice mail screen. I selected it as I peeled the used condom off and pitched it in the trash.

"Hey bro," he said. "Hope you've got reusable condoms." I chuckled. Then he sounded serious. "Stay where you are tonight. If her parents come up for her, hide in the closet or under the bed. Anything goes screwy over there, you give my cell a buzz." -click! End of message.

I hit 'Replay.' It sounded just as weird as the first time. What was he talking about? I had known from the beginning he was really against me being with Umi. Now he was telling me to stay the night with her! Was mom going apeshit again? Was he having someone over? Was I in trouble? No, wait, 'anything screwy over here.' I looked out the bathroom door at Umi. Was someone going to come after us here? After her? I ground my teeth at the open window. Flushing quickly, I wiped off and went to the window. "Brr!" I said and I closed it" I didn't think it'd get this chilly tonight."

She giggled. "And you're the one with the fur..." Then she sat up and sauntered over to the bathroom, "My turn." She closed the door out of habit. I sat on the bed with my cell still in my hands. Was someone after her? After me? Was I putting her in danger simply being with her? My stomach twisted and I felt like I was about to start bawling. Get a grip! She'll be out here soon and you don't want her to think anything's up. She knows what you are, that doesn't mean she has to know what Clef suspects. I don't know where that came from. But whatever it was agreed that she was smarter than me and would start guessing if I let anything slip.

The toilet flushed and I tossed my cell on my backpack as she opened the door. She pulled a silk bathrobe from the peg behind the door and pulled the sash down tight to show off her waist. I let her know I appreciated it.

She smiled against my neck, "Can you stay for dinner?"

Her parents were out of town for the week, so there wouldn't be a problem with them. I wondered for a moment if I should go home to see what was going on. That passed quick. "I could stay the whole night if you wanted me to," I said.

She had me back on the bed before I could blink.

Thursday, finally! I called in sick, using some fabulous acting skills if I do say so myself. Strangely enough, Ascot called in too. Poor pup, he had his legs run off again yesterday. Mom knew about it, she just shook her head and laughed. Good, Ascot had the green light. Unfortunately, any time I mentioned Umi and asked how far he'd shown his belly (out of curiosity to evaluate her character I guess), he got skittish and changed the subject. I was starting to wonder if she'd gotten him pregnant with all the mood swings. That may not seem like a mood swing to you, but for Ascot, that's a definite change in the wind.

The Gathering was called for Gabriel's house. He didn't have to be to the firm until two because of his arm (a "hunting" accident to get in better with his father-in-law as the story went). Lafarga and Caldina were already there when I got there. Eagle greeted me at the door with a don't-fuck-this-up look. I turned into the living room and wouldn't you know it? The whole fuckin' pack was in town. They'd even managed to track down Marik in Arizona and he was lounging in one of the easy chairs with a bottle of Budweiser between his legs. The cripples, really just the slow ones, Aki and Tye were playing poker on the coffee table. Aki was grinning and kept glancing over his shoulder at the two blondes, the Twins, Sadi and Dominique, who weren't at all interested in the second-to-last little dog. Rudy and his new bitch shared the couch with Mom and Max. I clenched my teeth when I noticed his arm draped across her shoulders just so that his hand hung over her breast. Ethan, "Indian Wolf" as was his nickname, sat cross-legged on the floor with no drink beside him. Ascot walked in behind me and took a seat with me and Eagle at the corner table and waited for Lafarga to start. Gabriel and Maggie snuck in and took the last love seat.

Lafarga stood with his back to the cold fireplace and faced the room. I could tell the same thought ran through both our minds, the pack had shrunk since dad's days and we were still without a true leader. "First things first," he said gruffly. "Who's dead and who's otherwise not here?"

The list of dead was long: four pups. The parents of the dead offspring had wondered around like zombies for a few weeks before they disappeared all together. Geo was the only 'mature' one who wasn't here and no one knew if he was the fifth on the dead list or whatever number on the missing. That didn't take too long.

Marik fixed his purple eyes on Lafarga, "Just why are we here?"

Lafarga turned to me, "Well Clef? ("smartass" -but he didn't say it)"

Marik's eyes widened. "Wait a minute!" he roared. "You're Clef? Damn! You grew up pup!"

"Yep," I said. "And you went the stupid route. Shut up and listen Marik."

He nodded stiffly, "Yeah, you're like your old man alright. You definitely got his mouth."

"Too bad you didn't learn from his intellect..." I muttered.

He got to his feet, "Okay smartass! Tell me!"

I smiled. "We're here to decide what we're gonna do when Arkill goes 'poof!' Which I'd say he's probably a few nights away from."

Tye folded his hand, took his beer, and leaned back nervously. He kept his eyes on his face-down cards; the wheels were turning on something other than poker. Wetting his lips, he spoke with his usual inferiority complex. "Maybe... it might be best if we went ahead and considered Hikaru as the leader," he said.

"What are you talking about?" Aki asked, staring down at the only one who was below him.

Tye shifted away from Aki and continued, even softer, "Wuh-well," he stammered. "Someone told me that Arkill has lost control of the clan, he just doesn't know it."

Everyone except Ethan laughed. Aki punched Tye's shoulder, causing him to flinch and clutch his arm. "Who the hell told you that?" Aki howled. "Like vampires go senile!"

"This is nothing to laugh at!" Lafarga snapped.

From the corner of the room came the voice of reason. Ethan set his coal black eyes on the opposite wall and said in a voice that would have made a madman bow. "Their leader is not senile," he said. "Arkill never was."

Ethan was the oldest of the pack and had run with my father back when he was alpha. Ethan was dad's advisor and right hand man. He had the swiftest feet and the sharpest teeth in the day and judging from the size of his arms, he hadn't lost that edge. But I knew he was harmless, at least to his own. When I was old enough to speak and understand words, he told me stories while he sat on the floor with me and handed me legos. He wasn't in town when dad was murdered. When he came back and heard the news, he sold all his stuff and bought a pair of cross trainers. After everything had a temporary pigeonhole, he threw a backpack over his shoulder and headed for Arizona. He never mourned dad, not while he was around us anyway.

"For the time being he still has control of the clan," Ethan said. "But the only vampire who is loyal to him has fled the city with a blonde human girl for companionship."

"Zagato," Marik muttered. He scratched his thigh, at the exact spot where Zagato had once hung him upside down with barbed wire.

"Tyler is right," Ethan continued. Tye looked up with sparkling eyes and accidentally raised his head higher than Aki's. Aki snapped at him and he curled up. Ethan's eyes narrowed and Aki bowed his head reluctantly. "We must assume Arkill is already dead. If no vampire of his clan is loyal to him, then he is dead. We will target the red-haired vampress. She undoubtedly has a plan for the clan and will recruit additional muscle."

Marik jumped up. "And what makes you think you can make the decisions, "Indian Wolf"?"

This brought up the next point of the gathering.

Ethan nodded. "You are right. No beast or bitch has a place aside from primitive pecking order. For our pack, there are two options: democracy or alpha."

Marik snorted. "Democracy doesn't work for humans!"

"No, and it has not worked for us," Ethan said. "That is why there has always been an alpha."

"So who is the alpha?" Ascot asked.

I clenched my teeth and waited for someone to snap at him. We were supposed to just sit in on this one. The only reason I'd said anything was because Lafarga called me out -and I don't care for Marik, either.

"That," Gabriel said, "is what we need to figure out. As I figure, the method stays the same -as it was as of old. My only concerns are with when? And where?"

"The sooner the better," Marik said as he swirled the beer in the bottom of his bottle. "We have to start considering our options." He raised his hands and gestured to the whole room. "Let's face it, we don't have the power to fend the leeches off."

"Not all of us can just drop our lives and run with our tails between our legs," Caldina growled. "Besides, some of us can't put in for job transfer or anything like that." She nodded at the three of us. "Those boys have got lives here. And Ascot! Why, I think he's more tied up here than any of us." She smiled. Ascot turned into a cherry.

He scratched the back of his head. "Uh... about that," Ascot said. "I know where my loyalties lie." He didn't say anything else; he didn't have to.

One thing from me then I'll get back to the main event. Really, this is a question for you. If your brother or sister was like Ascot and they finally got the break of their life, they'd keep to the bottom line right? I knew this was going to come up sooner or later and I figured Ascot would be all fang and claw. So then, who the fuck was this dick and what had he done with my brother?

Lafarga took the consensus. The older males agreed on the next full moon for the alpha ritual. Max pretty much bullied his way on the roster. And despite the normal rules, all males were supposed to fight. But I wasn't going to wait almost two weeks to sharpen my claws. Lafarga called the brief Gathering to a close and the Twins slipped from the room first. The rest went on down memory lane, reminiscing about the good ol' days. Tye and Aki resumed their poker game. Maggie and Ascot went to the kitchen for refills and chips. I followed as quietly as I could, looking like I was going to help. Ethan flicked his eyes up at me as I passed then set them back on the opposite wall.

"Hey, Mrs. Vision," I said as I smiled and gripped Ascot's arm. "Sorry, but we've gotta peel out." I leaned in to her ear and whispered. "We've got some errands to run for Mom."

She grinned. "What errands?" she whispered back.

"Shh..." I hushed. "Just stuff for a jus' 'cause reason."

She nodded and giggled. "I'll make something up."

I smiled. "Thanks." Dragging Ascot, "Come on bro. We've got some errands to run!"

Oh yes... "errands to run." Next chapter you're... nope. Note to self: you're not putting previews in this one! That's why it's taking me so long on Quest for the Ardoneh. Not that I'm holding my breath but, I'd like a few reviews please. Come on! Starving artist here! Please? -oh that's enough begging! lol