Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire: the Masquerade Bloodlines, or the Wolf Among Us, nor do I make money from writing this story. Please support the creators and their products.
Chapter one
The dim lights flickered causing the shadows in the Los Angeles Chantrey, to lengthen along the halls. It was an eerie place, indescribable faint sounds echoed across the hall only disturbed by the storm outside.
A creaking broke the atmosphere as the entrance doors opened, and before even the dust could settle they were swiftly shut. A woman now stood in the entrance way, her dark shoulder length hair, black raincoat, and midnight blue ankle length skirt soaked from the rain outside.
Amelia Goldsmith, of the Tremere clan removed her dripping coat off a dark red t-shirt, and wiped her wet fringe out of her eyes. After hanging the jacket up she noticed a new item hanging in the hall.
"A mirror! When did Max have that put in?" She murmured, walking over to it. A young pale face with piercing green eyes, and long almost pitch black hair stared back. Amelia flashed a grin, revealing her true nature!
Where canines should be, two fangs gleamed in the Dim light. She sweeped her fringe back before it fell forward again, and headed deeper into the Chantrey.
Maximillian Strauss, Regent and Primogen of the Tremere clan, gazed into the drawing room's crackling fireplace, his hands clasped behind him. He stood so still that even the statues on the old downtown church would turn their stone heads, and stare in longing and envy!
He only stirred when the sound of the doors opened. Turning to face the newcomer, Maximillian schooled his expression.
"Welcome home neonate. I trust you were successful in your endeavour?" Maximillian said in his usual even tone.
Amelia strolled up to her primogen with confident strides. "The gift shop was closed, but I still brought back a souvenir" she responded gleefully while reaching into a stolen satchel, and pulling out three ancient pieces of parchment.
"You would think the Museum of Natural History, would have intensified their security since the last time!" She mocked with a wicked smirk, as she handed it to her Regent.
A slight curl of the lips was the only response she got from her adopted sire. While Amelia's last break-in to the museum, to retrieve the Ankaran Sarcophagus a few years ago had been impressive, the carnage she left in the museum's labs and storage areas had been of concern. Amelia's smirk vanished under the stare of the Regent. It had been no laughing matter at the time. While she had destroyed the security cameras the number of corpses and damaged left behind was still almost worthy of a Masquerade violation!
"Nevertheless neonate," Maximillian said without a shift in his tone, as if she hadn't said anything. "These texts of the Book of Nod, will reside safely in the hands of the Camarilla, and the Tremere clan."
With that he swiftly walked out of the drawing room his blood red robe billowing behind him, his childe at his heels with a sweep of her skirt, and headed for the Chantrey's library.
Briskly striding through the hall, Maximillian handled the texts as if they would disintegrate at any moment!
They remained in silence until they crossed the library's threshold, when the Regent finally turned to the young vampire with a stern gaze. "I trust this did not descend into a massacre this time?!"
Amelia suddenly found her shoes and the floor far more interesting before nervously responding, "I did have to slit a couple of the throats, but nothing more."
She did not want to have another lecture like the one the deposed Prince of L.A. Sebastian LaCroix, had given her after last time.
Her sire merely raised a brow, whilst giving the girl a hard stare over his spectacles.
"It had better be just a couple." He muttered, before turning his attention back to the ancient pages. Carefully he laid the parchments down, before heading to one of the bookshelves. "As I told you once before, there are some powers in this world that are best left undisturbed!"
This last statement caused Amelia to begin worrying her lower lip.
"Max?"
The Regent glanced back at his childe, who had her arms crossed with any curious, and slightly worried, expression plastered on her face.
"Are you saying that these pages… may have something to do with… Gehenna?" The last word coming out little quieter then she'd intended.
"I do not know neonate, but there is many a Noddist who would go to great lengths to obtain a single text!"
Walking to the desk, Maximillian carefully laid the parchments down, before heading to one of the bookshelves.
"If they are, then it is best that these pages are left for the shadows of time to cover!"
Taking this as a dismissal, Amelia was about to leave. The night had worn down, and with the day approaching, rest seemed most welcoming.
Just before she reached the library entrance, a hand came to rest on her shoulder.
"Just a moment Goldsmith, I have something for you."
Turning to face her sire, Amelia found him holding out a very old, very large, red leather bound tome being held out for her. Gingerly, she took it from him and studied the title. Written in shining gold ink were the words, The Paths of Thaumaturgy.
She looked up from the cover questioningly. He rarely ever used her name, even if it was just her surname.
"Your powers are considerable for one so young," Maximillian reminded her. "I believe you are ready. Use it well!"
After being dismissed Amelia made her way to her residence in the Chantrey. She tossed the satchel onto the bed and placing the book on her desk. Slumping into the desk chair, she let out a tired sigh, before looking at the time seeing that it was five in the morning.
'Better draw the curtains.' She thought getting up. Making her way around to reach window she pulled the dark red fabric across the panes, upon reaching the last one in tune reached her ears.
It was coming from a smartphone that rested on the bedside table. Picking it up, she checked the caller. A fleeting smile crossed her face as she accepted the call, "It's been a while Bertram."
"Just calling to say that you a nice job at the museum." Came the gravelly croaky voice of the Nosferatu, "Much cleaner this time round!"
Amelia just rolled her eyes as Bertram chuckled on the other end. She would never ask the obvious question of how he knew. The Nosferatu clan were the eyes and ears of the Camarilla, and Bertram Tung was one of the good ones.
"Very funny Bertie," she said sarcasm thick in her voice. "Did you want me to create a river of blood? Or uphold the Masquerade?"
"Preferably the latter," came the response. "Anyway, Amelia There is another reason I called. I sent you a little something via e-mail, thought you might find it interesting."
Frowning Amelia moved back to the desk chair, and switched on the computer. Opening her e-mails she began to scan for Tung's.
She made a mental note to scrub her inbox. Velvet Velour had a tendency to flood it with poetry, and there was the occasional warning from Therese Voerman. Finally finding the one she wanted, she opened with bated breath, wondering what Tung wanted her to see.
What had been sent wasn't a message, but a video. Clicking play, Amelia was greeted with a rather grainy image of a city highway later night. It wasn't a very long clip, but it didn't have to be.
Barely ten seconds in Amelia's breathe caught her throat! For what she saw was a seven foot tall man-wolf thing leaping from the top of a bridge, land on top of a car before the footage ended.
Her hands felt clammy as she gripped the mouse and phone. This was not good!
"Certainly something you don't normally see. Or ever want to see!"
It took a moment for Amelia to realise that Bertram was waiting for her to respond. Recovering quickly from the initial shock she played back the video, before her questions came tumbling out.
"Where the fuck did this take place? What the fuck is a werewolf doing in the city?! And that was the strangest looking werewolf I ever did see?!"
"Firstly, don't get your fangs in a twist. This was captured in New York," Bertram said, as if Amelia's outburst had somehow amused him. Then he became serious. "Secondly, I have no idea. It is highly possible that this one was experiencing their First Change." He paused before continuing. "Lastly, you have a good eye. I thought the exact same thing when I first saw this. However, it wouldn't surprise me if this turns out to be a new breed."
Amelia took a moment to ponder, thinking through the next question. "Where did you find this?" Then something else came to mind, "And why all or kindred are you showing me this?"
She received was round a chuckling before he answered. "To answer your first question, this was given to me by a Nosferatu brood in Brooklyn. As for your second… well, it's because there is interesting little story surrounding this footage!"
"I'm listening!"
"No doubt you've notice the quality of the footage?" A hum of agreement was all Bertram received. "Interestingly enough it was taken around 1986, the Brooklyn brood have been sitting on this for some time."
Before Amelia could ask why those kindred only now decided to part with this information, Bertram continued. "From what I hear when the Prince marched troops in to hunt down the flea-bag."
At this point Amelia was on the edge of the seat, memories of her encounter with one of the beasts ran through my mind. She waited with bated breath for Bertram to finish.
"Well… let's just say this mutt had a few tricks of its own, since there was no hide or hair of it."
A confused frown crossed Amelia's face. She leaned back in her seat, anticipation deflating like a balloon, "What do you mean by no hide or head of it?"
"Just that, the trail went cold in the Bronx borough!"
'How, do you lose track of something like that in a city with Kindred in nearly every nook and cranny?' Was all that was going through Amelia's mind before asking, "So are you calling me to say that this mongrel has resurfaced? After like… what… little over twenty years by now?"
"No, the Lupine hasn't been seen since." replied Bertram, "The Nosferatu Primogen however, ordered that the district be surveyed for a while. I must say… there were some very interesting findings."
"What sort of findings?" Amelia asked, intrigue evident in her voice. "Well?"
"Swing by my oil tank tomorrow night, and we'll talk then," Bertram said tauntingly. A beeping signalled the call had ended.
With a frustrated growl Amelia sent the phone to join the satchel on the bed. She then began rummaging through the desk draw for a box of cigarettes. Before grabbing a lighter out of a handbag that was hanging off the back of the chair, in which she was seated.
After lighting it, Amelia took a long drag and exhaled the smoke. Feeling her frustration begin to ebb away, the young vampire finally began to relax.
"Fucking Sewer Rat," she sighed and took another drag.
Hours later, far away on the east coast, the morning summer sun shone down on the city of New York. In the stifling windowless Security office of the Woodland's Luxury Apartments, Sheriff Bigby Wolf sat at his desk and pinched the bridge of his nose.
He was tired, the heatwave was getting to him and work was beginning to pile up. Despite three sleepless nights it seemed that the stacks of files ended up growing taller faster than it did smaller.
Putting a finished file with its brethren, he pulled out his box of Huff and Puffs. Just as he was about to light it, the door to his office burst open!
Leaning on the door frame, panting and sweating as if he had just run a marathon, his long blonde hair matted and unruly was the last person the sheriff wanted to see that day.
"Bigby!"
Jack Horner staggered in, sweat trickling down his face. Upon reaching the wolf's desk, he collapsed against it taking a moment to catch his breath.
After his panting fit, he looked up at Bigby. The wolf's keen eyes noted the frantic look on his fellow fable's face; he looked like he had seen a ghost.
"What is it Jack?" Bigby asked without looking up from his paperwork. Privately he was wondering what the trickster was up to this time. However, the look on the blonde man's face almost made his scepticism falter, the shock and fear in those blue eyes seemed genuine.
"Something… something terrible has happened," Jack said the urgency in his voice unmistakable. "It's… Rose Red!"