So...*cough*... ummm hi?
I totally know this update is way, way, way past any type of due date that I would be happy with, but I will admit that I was struggling a lot with the scenes in here. I found myself getting all worked up about how difficult it was and then would procrastinate to get 'er done! And of course life is busy, work, home, yadda yadda...
But, a break in work life had me able to finally take on the walls that were holding me back and thrust myself into the chapter. This story is written in my head, I can see it happening in real time ALL the time, so fear not, it is finished (in my head), just not in black and white yet. But sometimes I get in a huge funk, start to doubt myself and things kinda crumble, like the cookie I am currently dunking in my milk.
And to be honest, I really didn't want to write any notes here at the beginning, cause my brain says "nobody cares anyhow". But... here I am, ranting and raving in the beginning chapter notes with some sort of hope that maybe, just maybe, some reader takes pity on me and leaves a comment/note for me or something... *now laughing at my weak attempt*
Okay, enough wallowing from me, this chapter I am pleased to announce is twice the length of my regular chapters, as there is SO much happening now as we are now over the "peek of the story" and coming to a close soon!
Honourable mention to a buddy, KuramaKyubi for proof reading for me as I struggled going through the various areas in the chapter, it was GREATLY appreciated :D
Those of you reading Stand by Me, the next update will be soon!
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~~Utakata flashback~~
The musty smell of the damp soil filled his nose and he had been smelling it for so long he felt he was going to be sick. His muscles were cramping up while he continued to huddle in the darkness under the floor.
It was quiet now. His mother's cries have long stopped and ten year old Utakata waited for his mother to open the trap door, telling him it was time to come out, time for them to move – but nothing had happened.
He pressed his face into his knees still, the echoes of his mother's cries, begging the intruders to leave, their heavy thumps of boots and banging about while his mother cried out still ringing in his ears.
It wasn't the first time something like this had happened. His mother always managed to come get to him afterwards.
When the noises of people woke him up suddenly, he noticed that sunlight was shining through the small openings through the floorboards.
"Holy shit–" a voice called out. Heavy footsteps walked over the floor and Utakata held his hands over his mouth again. He squeezed his eyes shut, squeezing his knees tight into his body when another voice called out.
"Whatever happened, hopefully it isn't still here–" the other voice spoke out.
Utakata tried to sense his mother, but there was nothing but quiet. Again he called out through his wolf over and over, but was met with darkness and silence. He hiccuped a sob.
The floorboards opened suddenly and Utakata felt something grab the bag of his bag, he was being lifted away from the damp earth and back into the small home where he and his mother were staying.
Frightened and frantic, Utakata began to kick and squirm, trying to escape whatever hold that was on him while being lifted from under the floor.
"Woah, easy kid, not gonna hurt ya," a male's voice called out. Utakata did not register the voice though, his body still in panic mode and flailing out trying to get away. He was unceremoniously dropped to the floor. His body immediately began to scramble backwards, his body coming to a stop in the corner of the room. He immediately grabbed his legs again, squeezing himself to try and be smaller before his eyes began to focus on what was around him.
Though he and his mother did not have much other than this one roomed home, things were knocked over, broken and not in the original place before his mother had him go under the floor. The two men then knelt before Utakata, giving him his space but looking him over carefully.
"Hey kid, what's your name? You live here?" one man spoke out. Utakata said nothing.
"Looks pretty spooked. Did you live here kid?" the other man spoke up. Again Utakata said nothing.
"Do you know what caused this kid?" the one man said pointing to the floor and walls. Utakata's eyes skimmed the area and could see claw marks littering the floors, the walls, and practically every surface of the small room. His body shivered uncontrollably. Sure he knew what caused the claw marks, but his voice could not be found.
"Hey kid, do you live here? Did you see something?" One of the men spoke again. Utakata did not say anything and continued to eye the room, seeing the disarray of furniture, claw marks etched into almost every surface.
The two men stood up, scratching their heads and looking from the small boy to the room. "He has to know what happened here. Somehow he got into the crawl space, or someone put him there."
"Let's call the preacher over, maybe he can talk to the kid."
Utakata bolted for the door while the men weren't looking at him. He managed to get out into the sunlight, his legs pumping hard to get him away. His heart was pounding so heavily it pushed fear into his mind. All he knew is that he had to get away. He would try and find his mother, she had to be somewhere, but he couldn't stay there in the house. It wasn't safe, always run and hide, his mother always said. Don't trust anyone. He didn't look back as he pushed himself across the fields.
~~end flashback~~
Utakata shook his head suddenly when he felt Konan touch his arm gently. He saw her worried look upon her face, her arms clutching Iawi closely to her chest.
The memories of when he last saw his mother, when he last was somewhere that he was loved and cherished. From that moment on he was alone, learning to live on his own and always moving, hiding and recalling letting his wolf guide him mainly through his life. He knew there was a darkness deeper within him, but it scared him when it rose. He learned to suppress that other feeling down deep, and allowed his inner wolf to come up to comfort him. It was his wolf that offered comfort and safety. That other feeling, never offered any type of solace when it made itself known. It was like a dark evil entity that constantly remained hidden in the shadows but at times would make itself known. Enough to strike fear into Utakata's heart but he was always able to keep it subdued.
~~elsewhere in the cabin~~
Kimimaro sat up straight suddenly, who was still sitting on the edge of Kyuubi's bed encased in Kyuubi's arms. His omega stirred up suddenly in fear, he felt it, it jerked through his consciousness so fast that his heart thumped widely against his chest. His ears were listening carefully, his eyes flickered about the room.
"Kimi?" Kyuubi whispered out. Kyuubi was startled from the sudden movement of Kimimaro. The two had shared another kiss and the alpha was reeling in the warmth that emanated through him, from the sweetness that was coming from the omega.
"S-something, I-I – not sure," Kimimaro stuttered out. His body was beginning to shiver with fear and he racked his mind trying to focus on what this sensation was. He understood fear, but this – this was something much more fierce and stronger. Strong arms folded around him, but it didn't quell this feeling. He remembered being in the forest for so long, alone and deathly afraid in the first few weeks. All the smells, sounds and feelings were so new and having not been ever on his own after he escaped his captors, the fear that riddled him was intense, but not like this.
"Kimi, can you tell me what's wrong?" Kyuubi rubbed Kimimaro's back gently,
"Something, out there," Kimimaro turned his head to the nearby window. "I-I don't really know, but it's not friendly."
Kyuubi stood and walked to the window. He peered out into the darkness, his wolf eyes taking in the terrain but saw nothing. His alpha didn't appear to sense anything else. "I don't see nor sense anything Kimi. Are you sure?" Kyuubi continued to look out as he spoke.
Kimimaro hugged himself and shivered. "Something's there," he whispered.
….
Sasuke roused from his sleep, his omega poking at him mentally enough that he was woken. He reached out mentally, could feel his omega heightening his sense of – sense of … caution? fear? Sasuke rubbed his eyes and sat up, his eyes looking into the darkness of the room. He continued to reach out mentally to his omega, questioning and trying to determine the emotions it was releasing. His hand automatically went out to the empty cold spot on the bed beside him. Naruto wasn't back from the Christmas Gala at the Uchiha's yet, which wasn't surprising, he didn't expect Naruto to be back before midnight. Naruto was quite understanding of Sasuke not wanting to go, though Naruto didn't want to leave Sasuke alone, but the Uzumaki pack was convincing enough to the alpha leader that they would be here for him. After all, it was only Naruto attending, everyone else in the pack and the other wolves that had been staying were all home.
A shock went through his senses and he snapped his head towards the window before getting up. Something was out there, he knew it, and it was familiar. He tread quietly to the window, keeping to the side in the shadows and looked out. He couldn't see anything, but his wolf was wailing and practically clawing at him to escape. Unconsciously Sasuke's hands went to the slight swelling of his stomach as his eyes continued to survey the landscape. Being on the second floor of the home, he could see quite far and nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but his wolf wasn't satisfied with his eyes seeing nothing. Quickly Sasuke discarded his sleeping clothes and got dressed. He needed to investigate further.
Sasuke got to the bottom of the stairs to find Utakata, Kimimaro and Kyuubi coming together as well. Kimimaro looked spooked and Utakata appeared to be anxious looking about the room.
"What's going on?" Kyuubi asked calmly, his arm around Kimimaro's waist and looking between Utakata and Sasuke.
"They are out there," Utakata whispered harshly. He was wringing his hands nervously and bouncing on each foot restlessly.
"Who? What?" Kyuubi asked, sounding more impatient.
"You need to leave, get somewhere safe," Utakata shot back quickly, eyeing Kyuubi with a glare.
Kyuubi responded with a low snarl, baring his canines at the other wolf. "Tell me what's going on," he growled.
"Kyuu–" Kimimaro whimpered quietly.
Sasuke stepped up between Kyuubi and Utakata. He gave Kyuubi a glare, a silent warning to the alpha before turning to look at Utakata. "What do you sense? I sense something too," he firmly stated.
"I sense something too," Kimimaro whimpered out, his head tucked into Kyuubi's shoulder. "What is it?"
"Vampires are out there," Utakata hissed at the others. "You need to leave, now!"
Sasuke's eyes widened. It made sense. He sensed the vampire he and Naruto met up with outside the club.
"How can you be so sure?" Kyuubi demanded. "I can't sense anything!"
"No, he's right," Sasuke turned to look at Kyuubi. "My wolf was sensing it earlier. We need to get the others."
Kyuubi just stared at the dark haired omega, his lips pinched into a frown. After a moment he nodded his head, "right. Sasuke and I will go get the others. What about Konan and Nagato?"
"Konan is still here with Iawi. I'll go inform Nagato," Utakata stated and moved to leave.
"Kimi, stay here, I'll be right back. Sasuke, let's go," Kyuubi ordered and Sasuke nodded his head.
After a few minutes, the groups of wolves were gathered in the main living room. Quickly they discussed what needed to be done and were planning their defenses. The Uzumaki pack was huddled together while Nagato sat with his mate and pup, Kimimaro sitting on the floor between the two. Utakata stood by Sasuke quietly, who was also standing with the Uzumaki pack as they discussed.
The sound of something pounding against the front door and porch startled everyone.
At the Uchiha Manor…
Naruto clenched his teeth as he was yet again introduced to another elderly Uchiha member. Tsunade had wasted no time in introducing him to Uchiha's and offered him no break from it. He swore he had a kink in his back from all the constant bowing he was having to do.
He glanced over at Itachi and Deidara, who seemed relaxing, eating and having a good time. Well, Deidara looked to be having a good time with his smiles and laughter, whereas Itachi looked as stoic as ever. But at least those two Uchiha's got to eat when they wanted while Naruto was trapped in his responsibilities as a clan leader. He sighed mentally when he realized he needed to respond to a comment made directly at him.
His phone was vibrating in his pocket, he figured it was Sasuke probably wondering when he was coming home. But he was unable to look at it, having been reminded sternly (he would add) with the promise of pain by his baa-chan of his current responsibility. Any phone play could wait. As he animatedly made short talk with the person before him a sudden grasp on his shoulder made his heart jump. He just managed to stop himself from yelping out in surprise.
He turned his head to see Itachi staring at him with a serious expression that immediately concerned Naruto. Naruto raised a brow and frowned at the Uchiha alpha, "Itachi? What is it?"
"Naruto, come with me, I need to discuss something with you most urgently." He looked over at Tsunade who glanced at him with her brow raised in question. "Please excuse my interruption, but if I could speak to Naruto for a moment." He bowed his head to the elder Uzumaki. She frowned but nodded her permission.
Naruto could hear the seriousness of Itachi's voice but there was also a vibe of urgency. He nodded his head and followed Itachi through the crowd to another room, leading Naruto inside and then closing the door.
"Itachi, what's the pro–"
Itachi held up his phone to Naruto's eyes.
Naruto saw a text message screen that was identified at the top as Sasuke.
'Danger Come'
The message was the last one on the screen, time stamped that it was sent about ten minutes ago. Naruto quickly fished his phone from his pocket, unlocked it and saw that Sasuke had sent him a message. The exact same words were sent to his phone, time stamped at the same time as Itachi's.
Naruto quickly dialed Sasuke's phone, clenching his teeth and running a hand through his hair. The phone went directly to voicemail and his fingers squeezed the phone so hard it was in danger of breaking. "Fucking hell, he's not answering!" Naruto growled out and started to push past Itachi. "I need to get there now," he growled out, opening the door with more force than necessary and not waiting for Itachi's response.
"Meet me at the doors, you are not going alone Naruto," Itachi called out in a growl following Naruto.
"I can't wait Itachi! Sasuke's in danger!" Naruto snapped back.
Itachi grabbed Naruto's arm and released a growl in response. Naruto turned, shoving the other alpha's hand off his shoulder roughly and exposed his canines. "Don't!" Naruto barked out, his hands clenched.
Itachi glared directly back at blond alpha, showing that he wasn't intimidated at the least. "Do not think that I do not care for my otouto's safety, Uzumaki," Itachi snarled in retaliation.
Naruto breathed out heavily, snarls were lacing his breath while he stood off before the other alpha.
Both alpha's glared at each other, neither one backing down from the other, their alpha dominance aura emanating throughout the corridor they were in. The aura caught the attention of Obito and Izumi, who entered the corridor behind Itachi. Both Uchiha wolves stopped a few meters behind Itachi, watching, waiting…
"My mate is in danger! Let me go!" Naruto growled out. He glanced to see the two Uchiha behind Itachi, his alpha's instincts were pushing at him that they were a threat.
The elder Uchiha took a deep breath and dropped his shoulders. "You are not going at it alone Naruto," Itachi breathed out calmly. "We will go together, but not alone. We will bring Kisame and Hidan. Can you understand we all care for the safety of Sasuke and your pack." Itachi kept his stance neutral, hoping that the young alpha would be calm enough to listen to reason.
Naruto blinked several times while processing Itachi's words. His inner alpha still howled and clawed within, demanding he take action now because his pregnant mate was alone, vulnerable and in danger. Biting his bottom lip and rolling his head to release the tension in his neck, he forced his alpha down and focused on Itachi's words. He then nodded his head, "I'll let baa-chan know I need to go and meet you at the front doors." With that he turned on his heel and went to find Tsunade.
Itachi let out a quick sigh before turning to see his cousins, who were now approaching him quickly. "Tell Kisame and Hidan to meet me at the front foyer immediately. I will explain the situation when I get there." Obito and Izumi bowed in response and quickly headed off. Itachi turned to go find Deidara, he needed to let his mate know that he needed to leave.
…
Within thirty minutes, the six wolves, Naruto, Itachi, Hidan, Kisame, Obito and Izumi were coming from the Uchiha manor and raced through the forest, dodging trees and clumps of bushes. Their breaths heavy as they pushed through the darkness and snow, the moonlight peeking through clouds now and then highlighting their way.
Tsunade was slightly annoyed at the fact Naruto was informing her he had to leave, Naruto whispered to her that someone was happening at home, explained the text message and Tsunade pinched her lips in thought. Naturally she was wanting to attend with him, but settled when she learned that Itachi and others would be going with him.
'You let me know immediately what the issue is. DO NOT think that you should take on any serious dangers on your own Naruto. Think smart when it has to do with your pack and mate.' The look she gave was a serious and compassionate look as she squeezed her hand protectively on Naruto's arm.
Hidan and Kisame met with Naruto at the front entrance, Itachi came shortly afterwards with Obito and Izumi. Naruto had nodded appreciatively at the other Uchiha wolves, just somehow knowing they would be of service to him since the omega Uchiha was his mate. The small group went over a quick game plan and headed out. The group didn't know what to expect, so it was decided that they would spread out around the Uzumaki lands surrounding the cabin and determine what the issue was. Naruto's alpha was pissed as fuck, wanting to go in teeth and claws bared, but Naruto held back, his human mind trying not to panic and think logically.
It was going to take at least a couple hours for the small group to make it to the Uzumaki lands at full throttle and Naruto could only continue to hope that the pack was strong and use their years of training to be successful against whatever it was that they were faced with. His wolf continued to reach out to his omega, but was met with nothing but silence, which did nothing but frustrate his alpha more. But Naruto bit back, knowing that he was quite the distance away from Sasuke, but the closer he got he should be able to sense him. Too bad his alpha didn't understand that.
…
A lone figure stood within the snow within the trees, a fair distance from the Uzumaki household, a small grin on his lips as his eyes took in the figures within the home. The wind would often pick up the silvered hair stands and flutter about the smooth marbled skin. He could sense the group of wolves within the home begin to become on edge.
How intrigued he was to sense that the half breed from so long ago that his clans suspected was no longer of this world, was also within this land. 'Within those four paper walls,' he sneered inwardly. Yes, the other clan leaders would be pleased to know that this product had somehow survived.
"Master," a shrilly light voice whispered in the breeze.
The silver haired figure turned his head slightly, indicating that he was listening.
"The deed is done master," a giggle followed. "I can feel their panic. Can we move now?"
Golden eyes flickered to the smaller form that moved beside him, her brunette curly hair bounced in the soft wind. She had a smile on her lips that stretched past her fangs as she clapped her hands together quietly but excitedly.
"Patience. We must take the time step by step. Position is the key here." He turned back to look at the cottage in the distance. "Did you deliver the gift?"
The smaller form nodded her head quickly, her hair bouncing about. Her golden eyes looked fondly back at the master. "The dog that needs to be severely punished and terminated is in there. It's been so long master, their essence pumps through my ears making me thirst." She panted out, clutching her arms over her chest.
He gave her an impatient growl and she immediately curled into herself in submission. "Ensure the others are in their position and await my command." The smaller vampire nodded and bowed before whisking off in a blink, no sound came from her movement, only a small swirling of snow where she stood was the only indication that she was there.
He smirked when his eyes fell back upon the cottage, the lights coming from the windows reflecting off the snow covered ground. He would wait, for he knew those dogs couldn't resist coming out of their den to inspect what danger lay without their walls. He folded his hands together and continued to stand and watch.
….
Kyuubi stalked to the front door, his ears and senses on high alert. Something had pounded on the door and porch, but there were no more noises. Kiba, Hinata and Sakura were poised behind him, listening and sensing as well.
"I can smell blood," Kyuubi whispered while he quietly stood to the side of the front door. The others hummed in agreement behind him. "I can't hear anything, nor sense any movement, get ready," Kyuubi hissed out quietly.
His fingers grasped the locking latch and flipped it down, and he slowly opened the door a crack. The scent of blood pushed through the opening, causing the wolves in the room to cringe.
Sakura gasped, her hands flying over her mouth and her eyes were wide. Hinata turned her head and closed her eyes. Kiba ran to stand in the way of the open door beside Kyuubi when he opened it more, releasing a small growl from his lips.
"Who the fuck!" Kiba snarled out as he looked onto the front porch to see a mutilated bloody mess of fur.
"Is this a sick fucking joke?" Kyuubi growled out, grabbing the door from Kiba's hands to close it.
"It's a notification," Utakata spoke out. All the wolves turned to him. "It's the messenger to let you know your fate. It's a sick way of them showing their ability to destroy."
"Everyone take your positions," Kyuubi barked out. "Transform and be ready! You all know how to destroy them, stay in pairs and back each other up!" The other Uzumaki nodded their heads and went into another room to transform. "Nagato, take Konan, Kimi, Iawi and Sasuke to the cellar."
"I will help the pack fight them off," Nagato spoke firmly, standing tall and stood before Konan and his cub, jaw clenched tightly.
Kyuubi wanted to disagree, but his mind raced quickly, thinking about the best tactic to take until Naruto could get here. "Okay, Konan, take Kimi and Sasuke to the cellar."
"No, I can fight. You'll need me–"
"No!" Kyuubi barked out at Sasuke, who snarled in response to him. Though he really didn't know Sasuke, he was his pack brother's mate and be damned if he would let something happen to him. Naruto would murder him!
"How dare you," Sasuke snarled. He was never used to someone giving him orders and certainly he wasn't going to start now!
"This is not a negotiation, go to the cellar, NOW!" Kyuubi snapped at Sasuke, his eyes flashing colour, the alpha releasing pheromones of authority. Sasuke stepped back, his omega status shocked at the alpha demand yet he submitted. Sasuke growled angrily in retort but said nothing else.
Konan and Kimimaro stepped up to Sasuke, Konan touching Sasuke's arm lightly. "Come Sasuke, quickly, we can find the weapons we need down there." She pleaded with him, Iawi still strapped close to her chest, thankfully still sleeping.
Sasuke felt his own wolf plead within him when he laid eyes on the defenceless cub. Clenching his teeth tightly and closing his hands into fists, he succumbed to the feeling and nodded his head. "Hn," he grunted out and turned on his heel. "This way."
With the omega's heading to the cellar, Kyuubi turned to Nagato. The pair nodded at each other and began to shift.
Sasuke led Kimimaro and Konan down the stairs after securing the cellar door behind him. The smell was of earth and moisture, situated several feet below the ground and was a storage for the pack's various items. Keeping the lights off, Sasuke pointed to some blankets and chairs located in the far corner of the room. There were not any windows down here and Sasuke silently thanked that there were none. He got Konan settled with Iawi, and a blanket and Kimimaro settled in beside her.
"Stay here while I get some items together, in case we need them," he firmly spoke out. Konan and Kimimaro just nodded their response. Sasuke returned shortly with several wooden stakes in a small bag. He thought it was silly to prepare such a thing, but Kiba had insisted on having them handy, just in case, you never know! Kiba's voice rang out in Sasuke's memory. Suddenly, Sasuke was thankful for the loudmouth's idea. He also placed down before them a large tool box.
"The wooden stakes are the best to use against them, but only if you have that chance to shove it through their chest of course," Sasuke said plainly. Yup the fairy tales were true about the wooden stakes but who wouldn't die with a sharpened piece of wood shoved through their heart? "But heavy blunt objects should help to slow them down." Sasuke opened the tool box and began pulling out heavy metal objects. "Hammers, wrenches, tire arms, screwdrivers should help." He pulled out the heavier metal tools, laying them before Konan and Kimimaro. "Just remember to keep away from their bite, strike at their throat if you can. That will at least slow them down enough for another blow."
Konan nodded and Kimimaro stared at the objects, his eyes filled with fright. The silence upstairs was deafening and Sasuke leaned close to Kimimaro, cupped the back of his neck and pulled the small omega close enough so Sasuke could place his forehead against the other.
"Hey, we'll get through this. I'll protect you and you are a strong omega, like me," Sasuke whispered to the other. "And Konan here is a tough omega too." Kimimaro just whimpered quietly and shook his head briefly. "We will stay together, especially for Iawi. He needs to know how strong we are." Kimimaro released a hiccup and leaned against Konan, who in turn kissed his crown. Sasuke grabbed the tools, placing them within close range, the bag of wooden stakes just behind them all. The omegas then sat, listened and waited.
….
The wolves turned off the main lights inside the house and turned on all the outside yard lights. Hinata and Kiba stayed close together, covering the east side of the house, Kyuubi and Nagato stayed together at the west side of the house and Sakura was with Utakata at the centre of the house. All the wolves paced in small circles in their area, with each other within their sights. They would not let anyone be alone for a second. Their noses twitched and their ears stood straight up as they looked through windows and watched for any movement.
"Why are we waiting for them to come to us? Why not us go out there and surprise them!?" It was Kiba, growling through the bond.
"Stay put! That's an order!" Kyuubi growled out.
"But we're just sitting ducks in here for fucks sakes!" Kiba howled out again, anger rising in his thoughts.
Kyuubi didn't answer him this time. His thoughts were a flurry of thoughts, as he went over fighting tactics in his head. His alpha instincts were on fire and raging through his system. To protect, to kill those who threaten, to destroy anything that wanted to hurt his pack, his brother and sisters….his omega, his alpha purred out. Kyuubi shook his head quickly, his red fur fluffing up as he processed what his alpha had just come up with. 'His omega?' His inner alpha purred out again through his mind and growled out at the thought of Kimimaro getting hurt.
The sound of smashing glass pulled Kyuubi's alpha to the forefront of his mind, alert, ready to attack and he ran to the other room where the sound came from. He saw the end of Hinata's tail going through the broken window, and it was obvious that she was following after Kiba.
'What happened!?' he barked out frantically as he jumped through said broken window himself. 'I ordered you to stay inside!' Kiba didn't answer, he could hear the beta wolf snarling, his wolf must be focused on something.
'He saw one! I couldn't stop him!' It was Hinata barking out through the bond.
Kiba was pushing through the deep snow, his wolf snarling angrily and Kyuubi could hear the giggling of something jumping about.
"Here puppy puppy," the voice sing songed out and Kiba snarled louder as his wolf leaped high into the night sky. The large shaggy brown wolf clapped his jaws about, spittle flying about as he tried to grab a hold of the creature. Snow swirled about as he turned about, snapping at the figure that continuously dodged his clapping jaws and swiping paws.
Hinata covered his flank as best she could, her wolf's body twisting and turning, jaws snapping out where the figure zoomed by her head.
Kyuubi snarled loudly with a bark as he watched Kiba and Hinata before him trying to grasp the figure that continuously dodged their attacks with lightning speed. 'Fucker! Practice formation, remember what we trained to do!' Kyuubi called out through the bond as he tumbled into a turn quickly to snap at the figure that was eluding Kiba and Hinata.
Hinata howled out in surprise as her wolf body was suddenly hit with force that sent her flying through the air and into a large tree. Her scream echoed through the bond and her howl etched the air with the pain that she felt.
'HINATA!' Kyuubi called out, making a break for where the female beta wolf had landed. His paws clawed at the frozen ground while pushing himself hard when he saw a figure charging at Hinata, his jaws opening wide ready to attack.
Kyuubi snapped his jaws at the figure, managing to catch it within his jaws and he clenched down hard. A shriek was heard from the figure and the vampire wailed and began punching wherever it could hit Kyuubi. Kyuubi stopped instantly and shook his head wildly, clamping down on the vampire hard and feeling satisfaction as the being began to fall apart in his mouth. The wailing continued as Kyuubi stopped, pushing the creature's head under one of his massive paws. He pushed his paw down towards the ground and pulled back hard with his jaws.
An agonizing wail echoed through the crisp night air with a crack and a sickening rip, then it was quiet. The massive red wolf opened its jaws, releasing what was left of the creature in his mouth, lifted his paw and he snorted out loudly seeing what was left of the vampire he had just literally torn apart. The vampire's remains began to sizzle and smoke, before immediately melting into ash into the snow covered ground.
Hinata limped over and licked Kyuubi's muzzle. 'Thank you,' she hummed out and whimpered in submission. Kyuubi's head nudged her and gave an appreciative snort.
Kiba had continued his pursuit against the figure that he was chasing, his teeth clacking with each snap at the figure when he got close. 'God damn fucker,' he grumbled out. The giggling continued until Kiba's breath was stolen immediately and his wolf body was pounded into the cold snowy ground. His wolf could only cough out trying to catch his breath and breath through the agonising pain that had pushed on his back and the frozen ground pounded into his rips. 'NNGGHHhhhh….' he whimpered out through the bond. He struggled to get up but the figure began to punch at his body and he heard giggling.
Kyuubi and Hinata both turned quickly when they heard Kiba's cry and sprinted to where the shaggy brown wolf was struggling against two vampires that had him pinned.
'Kiba! Hold on!' Kyuubi called out as he ran, Hinata at his side.
Kiba struggled to get on his feet but the two vampires were fast, throwing blows and then moving before Kiba could get his teeth on them. They had managed to pile drive him straight down, effectively damaging his back and ribs in the process, which left Kiba struggling to keep his breath and movements.
"I can't wait to taste you puppy," one of the voices sang out. "Maybe I'll take what's left and make you into a jacket!" Cackles of laughter lifted into the air.
Kiba howled in pain when several blows were sent to his head, his body falling hard into the ground and then punched again to be slammed into a frozen tree. His wolf wailed in his mind in agony, calling out the pain as Kiba tried to keep his eyes open. The pain was becoming too much and he felt a slight sense of despair that this could be the end.
Golden eyes watched with interest several metres away as the vampires managed to get some of the dogs out of the house. His lipped peeled back, giving a sadistic grin of his teeth and fangs before he began to move away from the three wolves and headed closer to the house. "There's only a couple more in the house that need to be taken care of," he whispered out. A blur came up beside the figure while he walked slowly and carefully through the snow. "Go help your brothers with those three while the others work on the ones left in the house."
A small giggle erupted lips and the smaller female vampire nodded her head eagerly with a smile. Her dark curly hair bobbed before she took off to help her brothers that were killing the brown wolf. She could see the other two wolves charging towards her brothers, "eeeee! I wanna play too! Thank you master!" She skipped off through the snow.
The long silver hair vampire nodded and lifted his hand, giving some signals into the night. He hummed slightly and smirked again as he saw several more of his clan begin to stalk towards the house. It was a very pleasing night indeed and he couldn't wait to get his hands on that halfbreed.
…..
Sasuke listened intently to the noises above. The omega's had heard the commotion of the broken glass, the wolves leaving the house and the noises of the scuffle outside. Kimimaro whimpered and huddled closer into Konan and Iawi. They could hear Nagato and Sakura still upstairs.
The growls and scratches of the large paws on the floor had the omega's perking their ears and looking up at the darkened ceiling. Something had caught the attention of Nagato and Sakura, and Sasuke could sense the danger outside the walls of the home. Utakata was still upstairs as well, he was at least still close to the two other wolves.
Sasuke bit his bottom lip tightly in thought. He knew he couldn't transform in his current condition, the risk to his unborn pup was too great. Though he had transformed earlier in his pregnancy, history had shown the more along an omega was, the higher the risk later in the pregnancy to the pup if the omega was to transform to a wolf. He couldn't risk anything happening to his pup now, instincts were practically overflowing his mentality.
"Kimimaro," Sasuke whispered. The small white haired omega lifted his head, those sea green eyes wide with worry. "Transform. You can protect Konan and Iawi in form, if something happens."
Kimimaro nodded his head and moved to another part of the room. Sasuke watched as Kimimaro's transformation was swift and his snow white wolf appeared. The wolf curled around Konan and Iawi immediately. Sasuke nodded his head in approval and grabbed a couple wooden stakes and shoved them in his back pocket, listening to the noises upstairs.
Sakura began growling as she stared through one of the windows. 'Something's out there, I saw it briefly,' she called out through the bond. Nagato only whimpered and Saskura belittled herself for thinking Nagato could hear her. Only pack members could hear each other through the bonds but Sakura turned her head to Nagato and let out a huff. Nagato understood immediately and moved to stand near her, his ears pointed forward and his nose twitching quickly. Something was walking outside around the window, both wolves could hear what sounded like a scratching noise against the outside wall.
"Here puppy puppy puppy," a smooth deep silky voice whispered out. "I got a nice bone for you." A deep chuckle vibrated through the air as the scratching sounds still continued on the wall. "You have some friends out here that will taste just lovely," the voice mocked.
Sakura growled quietly as her eyes watched the walls and listened to the sound. Another ticking noise suddenly came from the far side of the room and Nagato whipped his head around behind him. Something was tapping on the outside wall and Nagato turned his body to look at where the sound was coming from.
"Tsk tsk tsk," another voice whispered through the wall. "Don't you want to help your friend?" The voice continued to whisper out, the tapping noise continuing along the outside.
'Shit,' Sakura cursed. 'There is more than one out there.' She began to worry about Kyuubi, Kiba and Hinata, as they were out there already. Were they okay? She shook her wolf head and snorted. Of course they were! She let out a huffing noise to Nagato, indicating that she was on the trail of the being outside the wall, she stepped to the side, making sure she was back to back with Nagato. Nagato responded with a huffing noise, informing her that he had her back and was ready.
Utakata stood near the kitchen, his ears listening closely, his heart beating rapidly as his inner wolf begged to be released. But the darker entity within was slowly brewing deep in the recesses of his mind, bubbling excitedly and it was beginning to scare Utakata. He leaned against one of the walls, holding his closed fist to his chest, trying to catch his breath, skimming his eyes around the area to see the danger outside. Sakura and Nagato were still on this floor, he could feel the vampires around the building, and he knew the omega's were in the cellar. He didn't know what to feel. He felt fear for his new found friends, but the dark entity was calling, calling for their blood, their fear and a feeling of hunger was building in the back of his throat. He could feel his wolf howling in rage, wanting to let go, but it was slowly being pulled back by the dark entity. Utakata didn't know what to do to stop it this time…
"What a pleasant surprise…" a voice flittered into the room Utakata stood in. "And to think that we had lost you all those years ago."
Utakata's breathing quickened and his eyes widened and moved to where the voice was coming from. It was still outside, but almost in his head, he mentally winced as the voice continued.
"How happy to see you all grown up…so strong, so beautiful and so ready to take your place," the voice continued.
The voice was smooth, silky, beautiful and almost hypnotic. Utakata closed his eyes, fear pounding in his head as his mind was suddenly directed back to when he was a child. He pulled his closed fists up to his mouth, desperately trying to hold back his whimpers and gasps. Behind his closed eyes he could see and smell the moisture, the darkness, the voices and sounds that haunted him throughout his childhood as he desperately called out to his mother.
"Can you feel it? The need? The desire that sleeps within you?" the voice continued out.
The voice slammed at Utakata on all sides of him and he dropped to his knees on the floor, holding his hands now over his ears, sucking in his bottom lip tight to suppress his cries. The sounds from the past and present were beginning to surround him, and his wolf was becoming quieter and quieter as it howled in agony within him, like it was getting swallowed up.
"Come now precious, you can become so powerful," the silkened voice called out. "With what you have developed over this time, I can feel the power coming through you so strongly, I can almost taste it!" The voice became stronger and louder, sounding powerful with each word.
Utakata shook his head repeatedly, his eyes squinted shut, tears starting to escape and his body trembled helplessly. The dark force within him was beginning to grow, swallowing up every bit of light within him, and his wolf snarled and howled in his mind, sounding quieter and quieter by the second and with each word the voice spoke out. "No…no, stop, please," Utakata whispered out between his clenched teeth. He tried to reach his wolf, but his mental fingers found nothing but dark space. The darkness was rising, he was frightened, his mind was back to that of a small child, his mother's cries echoed in the darkness as he hid huddled in the dark…
…..
Kyuubi grappled one of the vampires that was clawing Kiba's back, his teeth chomping hard and fast on the vampire body. The cry of pain was music to his ears and he felt the bones breaking beneath his teeth when he rolled to the ground. He would not let this one escape and the thought of ripping it to ash made his alpha wolf howl out with excitement.
Hinata managed to snap at another vampire that was trying to break Kiba's jaw, but only caught its leg, the vampire's hands still clenched tight to Kiba's muzzle. Hinata pulled at the vampire, but its grip was so strong, the vampire pulled on Kiba's jaw who howled in agony when the vampire was wretched hard by Hinata's jaw. Thankfully the vampire's leg was ripped off by Hinata's jaws but the damage was done to Kiba's jaw as the vampire still clung to the wolf.
'Kiba! Oh my god, hold on!' Hinata howled out as she whipped a 180 and charged at the now one legged vampire. With her teeth snapping, she tried desperately to get at the vampire, but the being didn't even slow down a fraction, even though it only had one leg. It hissed out friercly, lunging towards Hinata, its claws slashing out and dodging her snapping jaws with ridiculous speed. Hinata desperately tried to catch the vampire, her eyes glancing to see Kiba on the ground, moving slower as there was another vampire had moved in on him. Kiba moved as best he could, whipping his head about and rolling his body, trying to keep the other vampire at bay. She eyed the one legged one that she kept trying to capture, before she decided to abandon it and headed for the one that was currently on Kiba. 'I'm coming!' she called out, turning her back on the one legged vampire.
She leapt into the air, her mouth wide and ready to grasp the vampire on Kiba, her eyes focused solely on that dark venomous being. Sudden pain ripped through her back when her tail was grasped and her body was slammed into the ground. Her breath was stolen from her, stars bloomed behind her eyes from the pain of hitting the frozen ground and her tail being yanked strongly. She didn't know if her tail was still connected with the pain she was experiencing. She felt a strong blow to her head and ribs, she cried out in pain and agony, trying to move herself away from the pain.
"Bad puppy, bad puppy," a voice cackled out with each hit onto Hinata's body. "Perhaps breaking your mouth off before I destroy you will teach you a lesson!" Hinata continued to bark and wail with each blow, twisting and trying to snap at her abuser, but failing.
"Let me have a taste too! The bitch took my leg!" Another voice called out angrily. It was the one legged vampire, moving in closer, a determined look of anger on his face.
Hinata panicked, she didn't know where this other vampire came from. She briefly wondered how many there were and if their pack had any sort of a chance.
'HINATA! Hold on!'
It was Kyuubi's voice howling loudly through the bond. Hintata felt relief for only a fraction of a second before the next painful hit came. Hinata's wolf called out to the alpha, its voice failing quickly and rapidly while Hinata continued to attempt to catch one of the beings between her jaws. She could feel the corners of her mind beginning to blur, she fought against losing consciousness, but the blows to her head and body continued, painfully so, now as two vampires took their shots.
Kyuubi lept hard at, his jaws immediately latching on to one of the vampires that was plowing his fists into Hinata's ribs. He again felt the pleasure bones breaking between his teeth, the cries of the vampire and he shook his head hard and fast, before dropping his head, and placing one of his paws on the vampire's head. He ripped his head up fast, feeling satisfied at hearing the ripping sounds of the vampire's body. He quickly chopped at the body still left in his teeth, gave it a hard and fast shaking before dropping it to the ground. The head was still beneath his large paw, and he huffed out in delight watching the vamp's body begin to turn to ash.
"You're fucking dead dog!" The one legged vampire howled out after he delivered another hard blow to Hinata's head and tossed her body over his shoulder into a large old oak behind him, causing the beta wolf to fall unconscious.
Kyuubi's hair stood on end across his back, he lowered his head, his eyes glaring hard and directly at the one legged vampire, a snarl escaping his lips that curled up over his teeth. The golden eyes of the vampire glared in response and a hiss escaped his lips. The two eyed each other, glaring, snarling, tense, waiting for the other to make the first move.
A whimper in the bond broke Kyuubi of his glaring match off and he sprinted forward quickly. Kiba was still fighting a vampire, thankfully only one, but he was badly wounded and Kyuubi didn't know if Kiba could hold on. Hinata was now out cold and vulnerable to any other vampire that may be out there. Kyuubi felt rage build within his apha, images of how the vampires were strong, fierce, fast and catching his pack members by surprise. His alpha thought of Kimimaro, with the others, in the cabin, were they safe? The thought of the rest of the pack, in the house, in danger, had his alpha explode in red heat through his eyes.
With an ear piercing howl, Kyuubi's wolf exploded forward toward the one legged vampire with such speed, the vampire only had time to open his mouth in a hiss, before his head was taken clean from his body and within wolf jaws.
Kyuubi landed several feet away from the still standing body of the vampire and he clamped his jaws shut, once, twice and three times before spitting out the mutilated remains of what was once the vampire's head. He turned, his eyes glowing as if they were on fire, settling on the headless body still standing in the snow. The body twitched slightly, its fingers spazzing out, before the body began to dissolve into ash. Kyuubi snorted out a loud satisfied sound before sprinting off towards Kiba.
Kiba was getting tired quickly, his wounds needed more time to heal but the vampire still inflicted fresh ones whenever it could. Kiba snarled and snapped, turning back and forth, trying to capture the rogue vampire but to no avail. His inner wolf was howling out in frustration and Kiba struggled to keep on his feet.
A swift blur flew over him, surprising Kiba that had him falling backwards onto his haunches, but the feeling of the alpha had him relax instantly. Kyuubi had practically flown through the air at breakneck speed and had the vampire between his jaws. Kiba breathed out in relief as Kyuubi finished off the vampire by ripping it apart quickly so it would turn to ash. The young alpha trotted back to Kiba and nuzzled him.
'Are you alright? Were you bitten? Can you walk?' Kyuubi called out quickly through the bond and began to sniff Kiba all over his body.
'I'm good, but Hinata!'
Both wolves quickly headed towards the fallen beta, who still lay still in the snow at the base of the large oak.
….
"Come see what I go for you little puppy," the voice called through the wall. Sakura's hackles raised while her lips lifted to show her snarling teeth at the window. "Looks like your little friend here has had enough," the voice cackled.
Sakura gasped slightly and sniffed the air frantically. 'Kiba? Hinata? Kyuubi?' her mind frantically called out, but no answer was heard.
"This little beta gave a good fight, tsk tsk. But what a wonderful flavour!" The voice giggled loudly and scratched at the outer wall again. A loud thump on the wall had Sakura leaping for the window, her snarls echoing through the room.
'NO!' Sakura's mind was in a panic at the thought of one of her pack members dying at the hands of one of those MONSTERS! Visions of Kiba or Hinata, lying motionless as the vampires had their way with them, had her thoughts go red. The thump on the wall only provided her with visions of their lifeless bodies being thrown against the house, just as the mutilated wolf body was earlier.
She slammed herself into the window, breaking through easily, her mind fogged with rage and revenge.
Nagato turned quickly, watching as the beta wolf leaped outside through the window, he only briefly wondered what was going on before going with her. She must have heard or seen something to suddenly charge like that. Not even stopping to consider the situation, he lept through the window, close on her heels.
Sakura landed in the soft snow, her eyes scanning the area quickly, looking for the vampire that was possibly responsible for hurting any of her pack members. Nagato quickly fell step behind her, his huffs and puffs of noises leaving his nose that appeared to ask her questions on her sudden move to the outside. He didn't stop looking about as well for the dangers that were apparent outside of the cabin.
Sakura snarled out in response, her head whipping about to the clapping noise out in the field. Nagato whipped his head around to see a tall thin figure with long brown hair, golden eyes dressed in a sharp outfit, not made for winter. The being was clapping his hands slowly at the two wolves, giving a sneer as well.
"Ah, well done little puppies, well done. Didn't think you had it in you to come outside and play," the voice was silky and smooth, deep and dark at the same time that floated through the air.
Sakura snarled again and Nagato joined her. Both their hair stood on end across their backs and their teeth showed at the vampire with warning.
The figure placed his hands on his hips and tilted his head with a smirk. "Such tough little puppies. You want to end up like your friends so bad too?" The figure then crossed his arms over his chest, and placed a finger on his chin. He looked up briefly as if in thought. "Your little friends were certainly easy enough to destroy," the figure snarled out with a psychotic grin. He licked his lips and then wiped them with the back of his hand. "They didn't taste all that great, but still, it was worth the taste."
Sakura had heard enough as she charged at the vampire. She was raging with hurt and sorrow, anger and disbelief that the vampire had killed her pack members. When they didn't respond to her in the bond, her inner wolf wailed out in pain, riddled with the thoughts and visions of Kiba, Hinata and Kyuubi being torn to pieces and eaten.
The vampire grinned widely before leaping up and dodging Sakura's attack when she ploughed through the snow.
Nagato, sensing Sakura's pain and anger, charged with her, snapping his jaws at the vampire that leaped into the air effortlessly. As he leapt up into the air to capture the being, he was hit from the side with blinding force that had him howling out in pain and surprise. He found himself hitting the frozen ground with such a force that he blacked out.
Sakura roared in anger when she turned in the snow, seeing that a vampire had slammed Nagato into the ground. She dug her claws in and charged the vampire that was now lying on Nagato and punching his body relentlessly.
She didn't get far when a force slammed her head into the ground, stars crashing behind her eyes from the force. Her wolf howled out in agony from the pain and Sakura struggled to keep herself conscious.
"Now now little pet, play nice," the vampire's voice echoed through her fogged mind. Her ears were ringing from the pain from the blow and she struggled to get to her feet. The force left her neck, and she managed to shake her body and her legs shook as she stood back up. She became panic-stricken when she saw a vampire holding Nagato's unconscious wolf body by the ears and petting the fur with a sadistic grin while staring at her. Another vampire stood to the far left of her, giving her a smirk as he rubbed his closed fist on his suit jacket. "Now then, shall we learn a new trick?" the vampire sneered at Sakura. Golden eyes glimmered with excitement towards her and Sakura looked between Nagato and the vampires. She and Nagato were trapped…
….
Sasuke stood suddenly, his inner wolf picking up the movement of the creatures upstairs. His heart pounding quickly and hard against his chest as his wolf howled in fear. 'Stop it, we can't be afraid!' he belittled his wolf mentally. Kimimaro whimpered out when he noticed Sasuke's quick and nervous movements.
"Sasuke, what–" Konan whispered.
Sasuke held his hand up, a quiet request for her to remain quiet, his eyes still trained on the ceiling above. He moved quickly and quietly to the bottom of the stairs, standing just to the side of it in hopes that if someone opened the door he couldn't be seen. The long stockings of onions and garlic hung around his head, he held a tire arm in hand tightly as his eyes watched and his ears listened to any movement upstairs.
The crash and cries had Sasuke's heart practically leap through his throat. He turned to see two figures had broken through the ceiling and landed near Kimimaro and Konan, baring their fangs, claws and hissing threateningly.
Kimimaro had leaped up quickly and stood before Konan, bearing his teeth, his fur raised on its ends as he growled towards the two vampires. Konan scrambled back, Iawi clutched close to her chest and she released her own growl, which sounded small compared to the white wolf standing before her.
Sasuke didn't have a breath to take when one of the vampires lunged at Kimimaro, successfully grabbing the younger omega by the next and pushing them into the wall at the far end of the cellar.
"Kimi!" Sasuke screamed out while watching the action happen before him before he could even consider his next move. Without thinking, Sasuke charged after Kimimaro and the vampire that held him within its grasp. "Bastard!" Sasuke growled out, reaching out his hands to grab the vampire that held Kimimaro's neck tight. His hands grabbed the vampire's hair and Sasuke felt some satisfaction at the surprised hiss he heard from the vampire's lips and the ripping feeling he got from pulling the hair. The vampire turned and swiped at Sasuke.
"ARGH!" Sasuke wailed out. The burning through his arm surprised Sasuke as he howled out in pain and surprise, but he didn't let go of the vampire's hair. But he quickly manoeuvred himself out of the way of the vampire's claws and punched with all his might into the vampire's back. A sickening crunch was heard and felt under his knuckles, and Sasuke's wolf snarled out in pleasure. The vampire shrieked out and released Kimimaro, leaping to the side, away from the two omega's. Kimimaro fell to the floor, his legs shaking from the assault on his neck but still managed to get up on his paws. Sasuke crouched before Kimimaro, his teeth bared and body ready to pounce on the vampire.
The vampire hissed out threateningly, its golden eyes glaring at Sasuke and Kimimaro and it swiped its claws out continuously, as if trying to deter Sasuke from attacking it. For a fleeting moment, Sasuke chuckled as he immediately thought that the vampire was nothing more than a tough feral kitten.
"SASUKE!"
Sasuke whipped his head over to see Konan fighting off the other vampire with a hammer and her claws. Iawi was tucked behind her, under a shelf and was crying out hysterically. She was pushed on her back on the ground, but she managed to have her hands gripped tightly on the vampire's arms, holding the being at arms length from her but she was losing strength quickly.
Sasuke released a growl as he leaped towards Konan, his thought only on saving the omega and Iawi. He managed to get his hands on this vampire's hair and flung the body with all his might. The shriek of the vampire was satisfying to hear as the vampire was thrown across the room, slamming into a large cabinet against the wall. A sudden bark had Sasuke turn again, seeing that Kimimaro was now trying to grapple the vampire he was first dealing with. Sasuke quickly looked at Konan, who was gathering up Iawi in her arms, trying to soothe him. But they weren't out of the woods yet. The vampire that he just tossed into the wall was already getting to his feet, snarling and hissing out threatening sounds. The vampire Kimimaro was dealing with was dodging the wolf's jaws easily and throwing punches into the white wolf in a teasing manner. Deciding quickly that Kimimaro was doing alright and thinking of Iawi first, Sasuke charged the vampire that he threw into the wall.
With a cry of a growl, he threw a punch towards the vampire who hissed in response. The vampire dodged Sasuke's punch and managed to counter a punch in the back of Sasuke's head. Sasuke snarled out at the impact, but he managed to turn back and grab a hold of the vampire's waist before it got away. He wrestled the being on the floor, trying to get the upper hand of the creature.
The breaking of the cellar door crashed down the stairs, startling everyone for a fraction of a moment. Konan looked over to the stairs, her eyes glaring at the creature that slowly made its way down each step. She glanced to her right, Sasuke continued to struggle with the vampire he had in his clutches. Looking to the left, Kimimaro was struggling with the vampire that continued to grab at him. Kimimaro would get the vampire in his jaws but it would escape just as quickly. The two wolves were detained and Konan stood with Iawi in her arms, with another vampire coming directly into her view.
"Ah, what have we here?" the sickenly sweet voice whispered through the air.
Konan saw the petit vampire come into full view, with dark brown hair and curls. Her golden eyes sparkled with interest, her fangs came into view when she smiled sickenly at Konan. She shivered slightly at the sight and stepped back, but was hit with a wall. Kimimaro's warning barks towards her were cut off as the vampire continued to hold him back.
The curly haired vampire hesitated on the last step into the cellar, her eyes glancing to the left and right briefly before settling back on Konan. "I smell a tasty treat, fresh and young, something I haven't had for decades." The curly haired vampire sneered out when her eyes fell on the pup wailing in Konan's arms.
Konan snarled defensively when she realised what the vampire was referring to.
The vampire rolled her eyes and tsk'd. "Oh don't be so defensive, I'll have you first so you don't have to watch." She then cackled out, dropping her head back with laughter.
Konan gasped out as her breath was taken from her when a hand was around her neck and her body was pushed up high against the wall. The vampire had moved so fast, Konan had no time to react, Iawi shrieking suddenly in her arms. She kicked her feet, struggling to get some footing at the same time clutching her babe in her arms and trying to gasp for air.
"Such a delicious meal that I will have this day," the vampire seethed out through her teeth, whispering maliciously. She took great pleasure in watching the she-wolf gasping for breath between her fingers that tightened slowly around the neck. "And your small piece of meat will make a fine dessert." She trailed her tongue up Konan's cheek before licking her lips. "Devine," she purred out, eyes rolling into the back of her head as she savoured the taste.
Konan gasped desperately for air, her mind in full blown panic at the situation she was in. She could hear Iawi wailing in her grasp, the corner of her eyes starting to go grey. She could feel her consciousness wavering fast. Suddenly she was falling to the ground, her arms holding Iawi defensively as she rolled, her lungs inflating fast and furious as her body tried to breathe in air as quickly as possible. She glanced through her tear filled eyes to see Sasuke snarling out and trying to get a hold of the curly haired vampire.
The cellar was a mess of snarling, barking, howling, cries of pain and crashing of articles everywhere. Konan rolled over Iawi, putting him on the ground beneath her as she tried to get her bearings as soon as possible so she could help Sasuke. Her inner wolf howled to be released and Konan leaned down to kiss Iawi on the forehead. "Shh shh my love, momma will protect you." With shaking arms, she shoved Iawi under another shelf and tearfully pulled herself away from the crying pup. She clenched her hands into fists and squeezed her eyes as she released her wolf into a transformation. Within seconds she emerged in her full wolf form, fangs bared and muzzle dripping with saliva. She barked loudly before leaping onto the curly haired vampire that had Sasuke pinned to the floor and ready to bite into his neck.
Sasuke was shoved to the side in surprise when the vampire was ripped from his body. His body shook uncontrollably as he blinked and looked about, seeing the massive dark purple haired wolf start to attack the curly haired vampire. The vampire shrieked in surprise and pain when Konan had started to attack her. But the curly haired vampire was quick and was able to manoeuvre around the majority of Konan's vicious attacks. With war cries, the vampire flipped and dodged, throwing herself at Konan with every inch given.
Sasuke shook his head to clear his thoughts quickly, he could hear Kimimaro still growling out and his snapping jaws on the other side of the cellar and he knew he needed to get back in there. The vampire he had taken on early had finally dropped and not moved so he was able to get to Konan. He stood on his legs that trembled, but he bit his lip knowing he had no time to get soft.
Iawi's cries broke him of his thoughts. He turned round quickly to see the vampire that he thought was done, limping towards the shrieking child tucked under a shelf against a wall. Rage erupted in his mind as he lunged towards Iawi before the vampire could get his claws in the pup. He cried out in pain when the vampire's claws gripped into his back as he threw himself before Iawi. The vampire hissed out trying to take a bite into Sasuke's neck, but Sasuke managed to kick behind him fast, blowing the vampire back against the far wall. He gathered up the wailing child and tucked him into his chest tightly. His inner wolf emanated an intense and strong protective instinct of the child in his arms and Sasuke looked frantically around. His only thought was – escape!
Kimimaro and Konan were rolling and thrashing about, their growls and barks making deafening noises in the small space. Each had a vampire that was refusing to go down, therefore their fights were intense. The vampire he had just kicked across the room was getting up out of the debris it had fallen into and Sasuke could feel the fear that he wasn't going to be able to protect the pup and himself, especially since he couldn't risk his own pup by transforming. His wolf slammed into his senses, seeing the stairs open that lead out of the cellar, Sasuke grasped Iawi tight and sprinted for the exit.
…...
Kiba and Kyuubi quickly got to Hinata's form, lying in the snow. They nuzzled her gently, she was breathing but it sounded haggard. Kyuubi and Kiba gently sniffed about her body, checking for serious damage and both of them sighed in relief at finding none. Her body was banged up for sure, but should heal quickly and she must have been knocked unconscious when she hit the tree.
Kiba licked at her head and muzzle, whining slightly, urging her to wake up as Kyuubi kept watch. They were a few miles away from the cottage and with their sudden departure, he was worried about the rest of the pack. He perked his ears forward and listened carefully. They were too far to pick up on the bond and his wolf began to mentally pace in fear.
'We need to get back, we are too far away to pick up on any of the others,' Kyuubi said. 'And judging how these guys play dirty, I wouldn't doubt that there are others just waiting to launch an attack on the cottage, if they haven't done so already.' He grimaced mentally at the thought.
Kiba whimpered out again, trying to wake up Hinata. 'Go on ahead, I'll wait here with Hinata,' he called out in response.
'NO! I can't leave two in this position. There could be more just waiting to make a move on us already!' Kyuubi barked back, turning his head to glare at Kiba.
Kiba just whimpered again, lowering his head in submission. With Kyuubi being the second in command of the pack and Naruto not here, his beta wolf could help but submit to the red haired wolf.
Kyuubi snorted out a noise of approval before looking back towards the direction of the cottage. With his ears perked forward, he listened carefully for any noise that could give him a vision of what was going on back at the house.
Hinata whined out as she began to open her eyes. She yelped suddenly when she realised where she was and struggled to get up. Kiba was at her side immediately, using his head to help her stand. Kyuubi turned to walk up to Hinata, his eyes taking in her appearance.
'What happened? The last thing I recall…' she whimpered slightly as she stood on her paws, her body quivering with the strain.
'You fought valiantly is what happened,' Kyuubi answered quickly through the bond. 'But it isn't over, we need to get back to the cottage. No doubt there are more vampires in the area and us leaving may have been the opening they were waiting for.'
'I'm sorry, it's all my –'
'Kiba! Knock it off. No time for that, besides we got rid of three of them!' Kyuubi barked out and both beta lowered their heads in submission. 'We need to go. Hinata, can you walk okay?' Kyuubi tilted his head, his ears falling back as he sniffed at the beta.
'I'm good,' she whispered as she stepped towards Kyuubi, hiding her limp the best she could.
Kyuubi knew that Hinata was most likely in a lot of pain and discomfort, but for the good of the pack, if she could walk, at least they were one up and not one down. 'Let's go!' Kyuubi turned quickly and started rushing towards the Uzumaki cottage, not looking behind him.
…..
Sasuke tripped his way through the opening at the top of the stairs, frantically looking left to right, rubbing Iawi's back as the cub continued to whimper in his arms. The cub couldn't help being scared and not knowing what was going on, he did what a baby would do, cry out in distress. But Sasuke nuzzled the small cubs face, purring the best he could to try and calm the small pup. Somehow, Iawi settled enough so his cries were now soft hiccups of sobs and Sasuke felt his heart go out in pain to the little one. He needed to protect this cub from the blood drinkers, protect his own growing cub and his omega wolf pounding ruthlessly on his mental self.
Sasuke took slow steps through the hallway, not knowing what to expect as he knew Sakura and Nagato were no longer inside the house. But where was Utakata? His answer was before him as he slipped into the room beside the kitchen.
Utakata was huddled on the floor, his head between his hands, his face slicked with tears and his whole body was rocking relentlessly. Sasuke eyed the other wolf curiously, scanning his body the best he could to see if Utakata had any serious injuries. He could see none. He slipped closer to Utakata, his hand slowly reaching out to touch the man.
"Well well, what have we here?" A voice broke through the room. Sasuke's eyes widened when he turned to see a tall slender man with long silver hair and golden eyes.
"YOU!" Sasuke hissed out in shock and stepped back, his arms pulling the cub in his arms even closer to his chest. Sasuke recognized the vampire from oh so many nights ago, outside Itachi's night club, when Naruto–
The vampire smirked at Sasuke's response and then looked at his fingernails in a bored look. "I'd say I'm pleased you remember me, but – meh, I'm not." He scoffed at the wolf. "But now that I see what you have and what you are expecting, suddenly my interest is intrigued." He slid silently and smoothly along the floor, moving closer to Sasuke with his eyes taking in the cub and the body of the wolf.
Sasuke lifted his lips into a growl, showing off his teeth and glared at the vampire. He tried to pull Iawi into his chest even closer, trying to protect the cub from the eyes of the vampire.
"Oh please, spare me the I'm a big bad wolf, look," the vampire blew out in a sarcastic tone flicking his fingers towards Sasuke. The vampire stopped moving and held Sasuke in a stare. "Originally I came for the red headed mutt, his justice will be met this night, as well as his other dogs for their interference with our clan. But now, that I'm presented with you and that," he jutted his chin towards the still rocking form of Utakata on the floor, "new ideas are taking shape." The vampire smirked again with a nod of his head before he quickly snapped his fingers.
Sasuke moved over to Utakata's form, his eyes not leaving the vampire that stood but a mere few feet away. He couldn't leave without knowing what was going on with Utakata. The wolf had already been through so much! And Sasuke felt the bond that was growing within the Uzumaki pack with Utakata's wolf, and he too felt a sense of pride and protective feeling for the other.
"Utakata, Utakata," Sasuke whispered out, his hand touching the wolf's shoulder. Sasuke could feel the wolf trembling uncontrollably and his heart ached sadly for him. He kept his eyes on the vampire who watched with amused eyes at the two. "Come on Utakata, I'm here with you," Sasuke whispered out again when Utakata didn't respond. Iawi let out a small wail and Sasuke jumped back, holding the cub into his neck, trying to let out a protective purring sound.
A vampire with long black hair had jumped into the room, landing quickly and silently beside the silver haired one. Sasuke's nerves were beginning to fail as his wolf suddenly became hyper aware of the utmost danger they were all in. The long dark haired vampire had golden eyes, just like all the others, pale flawless skin and red lips. It smiled at Sasuke and licked his lips.
"Yes master?" the black haired vampire purred out and rubbed his cheek on the other.
Sasuke took a few steps backwards towards the door he knew existed to the outside, his eyes not leaving the two vampires.
"Keep an eye on this one, he has something…that I think will be beneficial to us," the silver haired vampire purred out.
Sasuke took a chance and sprinted out of the room, heading through the house corridors in hopes to deter the vampire from knowing where he was heading before he could get outside. The cry from Utakata had him look back behind him, but not stop, he saw nothing but felt the pain in his chest at hearing Utakata cry out and not knowing what was happening. Iawi whimpered in his hold and Sasuke knew he had to get the pup out of here, so he kept running until he got to the door on the other side of the house.
The two vampires smirked at each other when Utakata jumped up and stood between where Sasuke stood and the vampires. His body trembled uncontrollably but he still managed to bear his teeth and poise for attack.
"Silly creature, you really feel something for such a filthy animal? How pathetic." It was the long black haired vampire that scoffed at Utakata. "I'll take care of it, master." He moved to give chase but the silver haired vampire held up his hand, halting the other's movement. Golden eyes peered back, giving a look of question.
The silver haired vampire tsk'd and looked at Utakata briefly before looking at the other vampire, "I think that creature may give an opportunity to further some research." Golden eyes peered back at the still shivering Utakata. "And our little prize here may benefit from it."
The long black haired vampire grinned before letting out a high pitched giggle. "I like how you think master," his voice chuckled out. "Understood." The vampire nodded firmly and moved silently past Utakata, letting out a snort of an unimpressed sounding huff in the process.
Utakata lunged as the vampire slid silently past him, letting out a charging cry in the process, but his body was slammed into the floor swiftly by the vampire. Utakata let out a wail from the pain from his head being slammed into the linoleum, and the black haired vampire hissed out a warning into his ear. "Patience little one, or I will not hesitate to finish the filthy creature off before bringing it back here as master wants." Utakata whimpered in response. The vampire gave a harsh push to the back of Utakata's head before getting up and leaving the room, following Sasuke's footsteps.
"Tsk tsk, what an unfortunate situation you have gotten yourself in." The silver haired vampire shook his head before kneeling down to where Utakata still remained on the floor. "How distasteful of you to forget where you belong." He stroked Utakata's hair gently and stared at the man for several seconds. "No matter," he spoke out suddenly while standing back up. "We shall have you back to full strength in no time." The vampire moved across the kitchen floor and tilted his head. The ruckus in the cellar was still happening and the vampire smirked. "Let us go and wait for the prize and let the others finish up here." He leaned over and grabbed Utakata by the scruff of his clothing, hoisting him up quickly to his feet. Utakata struggled against the hold of the vampire but the hold was like fighting a concrete wall.
Utakata whimpered at the assault, but his body was trembling uncontrollably, the darkness within him was steadily fighting painfully against his mentality and with his fear, it was all slowly overtaking him. His wolf had now been smothered, the fear had practically paralysed him except when he heard and felt Sasuke with Iawi close to him. He desperately wanted to protect them, giving into the enhanced emotion that his wolf had expressed to ensure their safety he managed to find the strength to ensure that Sasuke escaped with Iawi. Now the deep rooted darkness, that was cold and strong, was seeping into his mind, like a plague and he felt weak against it. He could no longer fight it, he was ready to allow it to take over, he was so tired…
The vampire dragged Utakata through the kitchen and out the kitchen door into the snow covered region, disappearing into the darkness, dragging Utakata behind him.
….
Sakura charged the vampire that held the unconscious form of Nagato, with her teeth bared and she prayed she could move fast enough. The vampire hissed threateningly at her while she charged as he pulled the unconscious wolf between himself and Sakura. Sakura managed to avoid hitting Nagato straight on but the vampire clenched the wolf tight when Sakura snapped her jaws at the vampire's head. Her paws ended up knocking straight into Nagato's body and she prayed she didn't hurt the other wolf too badly. The vampire decided that the wolf's body was too much of a burden when it dodged Sakura's jaws, threw the unconscious wolf's body to the side and swiped at Sakura's body instead.
Nagato's unconscious form flew through the air swiftly and crashed through smaller trees before falling and rolling into the frozen ground. Nagato didn't wake, his large furred body stopped in a crumpled form of fur.
Sakura growled out as she felt the vampire's claws slice through her skin but she didn't stop when her paws hit the ground. She quickly turned, snapping her jaws, in hopes to get a vampire between her teeth. Her thoughts quickly turned cold when she felt the powerful force of a hit her back, forcing her body to collapse downwards and another painful force hit her head that had her vision see stars. The pain exploded through her head and back, she felt her legs give out and the air in her lungs expelled. She felt the cold frozen ground beneath her, just barely, before more blows were felt to her body. She struggled to snap out at the attackers, but the continuous blows to her head left her blinded and in pain. She could hear the hissing and murderous cries from the vampires and fear enveloped her. There was no time for her to get her bearings as the blows to her body continued rapidly and her wolf howled out in agony. 'I–I can't…' she found herself apologising to her inner wolf. 'I'm sorry…so sorry.' She felt her consciousness begin to slip away, and she allowed it, as there was no pain in the darkness.
~~x00x00x00x00x00x~~
Whew... I hope this chapter was enjoyed.
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