I scream, you scream, we all scream
'Cause we're terrified of what's around the corner
We stay in place
'Cause we don't want to lose our lives
So let's think of something better
Down in the forest
We'll sing a chorus
One that everybody knows
Hands held higher,
We'll be on fire
Singing songs that nobody wrote
Forest, by Twenty One Pilots, from the album Vessel, released in 2013
It did not take me long to find out what exactly had happened to the Pack. One of their eldest members of the Pack, father to Timber and the She-Wolf, who had not received a scent-name as of yet, had died as a result of the Vampire we were trying to take down. I left them to their preparations, promising to make contact with the arrival of my acquaintances, but also getting my pups accustomed to the new surroundings.
I had refused the offer of a shack to live in, instead expanding my own Den into a massive spiralling network of tunnels, so each pup had their own resting-place. The remembrance of the Elder was set to start at dawn, and even though I did not have a lot of experience with the elder, he was an indirect member of the Pack, someone who guided them.
Since I was a member of the Pack, and by the rule of bloodline, so were my pups, we would go and show our support, lingering in the background, as several non-shifters would be there. This was how I found myself in our Den, forcibly pinning down Heart and grooming her as she twitched and tried to escape from my grooming tongue.
She was still young, despite not being my youngest, and she was incredibly.. ticklish, a word foreign to us but was described as a fond sensation that can sometimes be irritable.
"Paaa"
I licked my rough tongue over her head, smoothing down the tufts of brown fur that decorated her head. I nosed her, as her brother, Noble, watched over her with a protective eye. I moved on to her lower back, and despite her being much older then she was when I adopted her, I still loved acting like a father to her, and grooming her even though she could do it herself.
"I know you can do it yourself, but indulge me? I have not seen you for a long time."
She groaned but turned towards her brother with a look that clearly read 'save me'. Sure enough, my observation was proven right as she crooned towards him, flicking her ears back and tilting her head in a wolfish manoeuvre.
"Come on, Artie. Help me here"
"You're on your own Melie. I've already been subjected to my grooming."
It was true. I'd gotten to him first. I was making my rounds round all my pups though, they had just been the ones I'd collared first. Pardon the accidental pun. I suppose I'd better explain how they got their nicknames- because it was rather difficult to get 'Artie' from Noble, after all. I suppose you will have to forgive me for another tale, but needs must.
You see, they were adopted, and while I did not love them any less, nor did my Mate, it played a significant effect on their backstories. Their original names were Arthur and Amelia. A little boy and a little girl, who we met so long ago. We met them several times and well.. they did end up saving our lives, or at least, those of my youngest pups at the time. I had been careless, and not adequately monitoring the humans.
They had managed to find our latest Den, and while we hadn't done anything to injure them or cause them harm, they still sought us out in an attempt to eradicate us. The two children were willing to go against the village they were born in, in order to save us. I still remember it like it was yesterday.
"Shadow!"
The younglings cried out, gathering my attention as I poked my head out of my Den, my beautiful Mate still recovering from the latest litter's birth. Whisper poked her head out alongside my own, as well as Peace, as she had taken a curious interest in the boy and his sister. I shielded the two of them instinctively before I pushed out my power and wrapped it around the two younglings.
I did not know much about their lifestyle, but I had grown to trust them, despite my general reluctance and distrust of every other human. These younglings had taught me a valuable lesson: sometimes I had to take a risk in order to gain a victory, and that not all humans were bad... it just took me a long time to realise it.
I let my anger over what happened to my mother and father and my previous pack blind me when I should have used it to fuel my desire to protect my Pack. Still, the younglings looked distressed in a way I had never seen them- whilst Arthur- the boy's name, as I had inevitably learned- was normally quiet, and his sister, Amelia was excited, neither of those particular traits were showing themselves.
In fact, they had almost swapped roles entirely. They were both huffing, looking tired as black marks haunted their eyes, along with a dishevelled look on their faces.
"The Village knows where you are!"
That caught my attention. My ears pricked up to full attention, and my fur bristled on my back in preparation for a fight. I turned to face Peace and Whisper, their eyes fearful. They knew about the murderers who could come in the night. I trusted the younglings implicitly since they had proved themselves time and time again. They were not wolf, but they were pack. And pack looked out for one another.
"Whisper, Peace, go into the Den and help your Mama to empty the Den."
They knew better than to question me when I had that tone, and they turned tail, dashing into the deep and dark Den. I slunk out, tail swishing aggravatingly, as I looked at the two younglings, this time in a clearer light. They were anxious, and I smelt no lie amongst them.
A series of whines and whimpers echoed through the tunnel, along with the pounding paws of my pack. I bowed my head to the younglings, and while my attitude was stressed and worried, they had done nothing to warrant my ire.
"Where are they coming from?"
Arthur's eyes flicked towards Amelia, who was trying in vain to remain calm, whispering something along the lines of not wanting anyone to die. I headbutted her, burrowing my head into her ribs, whilst licking her and crooning at her. Fear still escaped from her, and there was nothing I could do to calm her down.
"Amelia, I'm going to give you a really important job. I need you to help Drizzle get my pups to safety. Can you do that?"
She looked up to face me, and nodded mutely. I knew she had heard me though. Arthur looked at me appreciatively, as he turned and broke into a slight jog, as I followed behind. We ran like that for a few minutes, before he stopped abruptly, motioning for me to move forward.
We crouched down in the shrubbery, as a large group of humans approached, the scent of death hurting my nose even more than the smell that I knew as Vampire. It was jaded, not quite fresh, meaning the Vampire was not with them. They were somewhere else. I wondered if they knew they were fraternising with a Vampire- then again, it wasn't the first time where Vampires and Humans teamed up.
I kept my powers at a low hum, as they crept right past us, but in the general location of the Den. They waved sticks of red-hot, crackling furiously, sharp blades with the red edge of the red-hot decorating it, and were covered in several thick furs, that looked like it would provide protection against our fangs. I couldn't cover an area this wide with my powers without maintaining control over all of them, and taking them on as a group wasn't a viable option.
"How much do you think we'll get for their furs? I'm hopin' enough to have a drink."
I restrained a snarl, baring my teeth at them despite the fact that I knew they couldn't see it. The fact that they were just going to kill us for their own selfish gain- not to survive, but for unnecessary things- went against all laws of the wild, and against every instinct that humans, as fellow beings who live in packs, should possess.
I shrouded myself with my powers, allowing the light to playfully bounce away from my shadows, as I quickly told Arthur to stay hidden. While there was not much honour in sneak attacks, I placated myself with the fact that this was a pre-emptive move, and that they were going to do it to us first. Silently, I moved with the grass, stomach low to the ground as I crawled, watching the group of six with hardened, and darkened, eyes.
"I reckon that we'll get enough fer at least two rounds per person, provided we do it right.'
There was one man lagging behind the pack, not getting involved and acting like an omega. Gathering my powers, I used the natural shadows of the trees to reflect a small beam of light into his eye, originating from my right side. He blinked rapidly, before moving along towards it, where I coiled like I was about to hunt a grass-grazer.
Once he crouched down, inspecting the dirt for paw pads, I leapt, releasing the tension from my back legs, and lunging for his necks. He bowed down under my weight, my strength being far superior. My shadows enveloped us both eagerly, as I clenched my jaws on his throat, and tore them apart viciously, resulting in a spurt of blood that decorated my chest. The fear he had in his eyes stayed there forever haunted, as I turned away, knowing that I did not wish for Arthur to see it.
I took no pride in these killings, but my pack, my family, would always take priority. Dissipating the shadows from the body once I realised that it was secure, I prowled forwards, the group staying spaced out in groups of two, plus one who was now without a partner. Said man looked up, looking around in question for the man who I had no doubt killed.
"Where's John?"
"Probably havin' a piss."
In an attempt to split them up further, I mimicked a large, eye catching event, by manifesting a ball of shadow, and expanding it quickly, resulting in a large bang, something akin to what happened when the red-hot mixed with what the human's called oil. Sure enough, they looked at one another, sprinting towards it without a lick of caution or fear.
Taking advantage of that, I charged towards the next guard, slamming into him with my full body weight, and pulling him over with a large tug. The taste of the thick-fur was not pleasant, but I could just about take them down, provided I was careful where I slammed into. Once again, I placed my jaws to his throat, digging in with deep fangs, and tore his throat out, resulting in more blood to be decorated with, much to my displeasure.
The humans, by now, had noticed that something odd was happening, because they backed up and got into a circle, protecting themselves from all angles, but underneath. In an attempt to intimidate them, I let out a bloodthirsty growl, making sure to enunciate the hunger in it, and the ferocity that came when you angered a father wolf. Peeling my shadows back, I took advantage of their hesitation and lunged, my fangs outstretched.
One of them got their bearings back quick enough to attempt to strike me with one of their sticks, which I neatly dodged, and sent flying back at him with a sudden burst of shadow. I ducked under another one of their strikes, using my momentum to carry beneath his legs and turn sharply. I sank my teeth- or rather, attempted to- into his flank, but their thick skin resulted in no damage being done, and a very sore feeling jaw.
I quickly realised that I had no chance of penetrating it, so I flicked my head and loosened the plating some, before allowing my powers to sink me into the ground, and out of sight. Looking up as I prowled, I decided to test something out as they scrambled above me. They were saying something, but it was blurred and muffled.
Returning to the man I had somewhat torn the fur off of, I quickly used my shadows to creep up his legs, causing him to pull an amusing face as he quickly began to turn a deep berry-colour. None of his former allies wanted to grasp ahold of him- I assumed they believed it was contagious- and soon I dragged him under.
As he looked around with widened eyes and a look of shock, as I tore off the odd fur, and lunged for his throat, which he tried to protect with his hands. But since he didn't have sharp claws, I tore through them with my superior fangs, bringing him to the floor, and ultimately killing him. I pushed the body back up to the surface, placed as such so he would appear underneath one of the others. There were three more to handle.
They startled easy, their senses being insufficient compared to us, as we had not lived a 'domesticated' life. One man, who I assumed was the Alpha, lunged towards me with a red-hot stick, which scorched the grass it touched. I became aware of this fact after I burnt my feet- I had successfully dodged the red-hot stick, but not the smouldering embers that lingered after. I manifested my gift as a small ball, before throwing it at the red-hot, attempting to extinguish it by cutting off its fuel source.
The little embers that there were had managed to catch onto the grass and the trees, which was going to damage hundreds of our kind's- that is, the forest-dwellers- homes and kin. The shadow ball enraptured the end of the stick, and as the Alpha became sidetracked with trying to get it off- which wouldn't happen- I turned to the two remaining men- actually, one was a female.
With the blood decorating my face like the blood from a fresh kill, I must have looked an intimidating sight, but they did not let that deter them, and they charged me, two on one. With the red-hot flaring up around me, enticing me into a deadly exchange of weapons, I leapt over a swinging attack, while shoving the person behind me with my powers.
As she attempted an overhead strike, I nimbly moved out of the way, and lunged forwards, aiming for her feet in an attempt to unbalance her. The wind was increasing its tempo, the red-hot leaping higher and higher as the female fell to the floor, where I set upon her with the tenacity of an hungered wolf. Just as I finished, I became aware of the distracted human attempting to creep up on me, feet thundering against the grass and sounding over the wind with ease.
I ducked as the weapon swung emptily above where my head had once been, but he responded quicker then I anticipated, causing me to attempt to deflect the weapon with my powers. I concentrated it as a shield, black and deep as it surrounded me, and while it did not stop the blow, it deflected it enough so that I only got a skirting wound on my right flank. Sore, and it was dripping blood, but it was manageable, and the pain was negligible for the most part.
Tiring of the battle, I summoned my energy, realising there could be another group hunting forever close to my pack, and threw the shadows at them, engulfing them in a haze of purple, eating at them. Their screams never left my ears as I turned away to retrieve Arthur, intending on getting my pack and the two younglings I had unintentionally adopted out of here.
I didn't even pause to wash my fur. That was how pressing this was- and luck and fortune had never been on my side before.
It took me too long to eliminate the other group. My combat, although not my strength, was enough to eliminate them all without feeling or receiving many wounds. I was thankful for the fact that I had seen it fit to further train myself so I could protect my pack, my family. My Pups and Mate. The Vampire took me the longest to eliminate, being wily and strong.
It would not be felled in a single bite like the others, and there was no lifeblood to drain, no weak point to nurture. But eventually, I did it. Arthur slid onto my back as I sprinted at my fastest speed towards where I knew our Den was, the red-hot (fire, Arthur told me) eating away at the woods like it was nothing more than a nuisance.
Fellow creatures of the woods ran away in other directions, speaking the old tongue as they fled in fear, young supporting old, young carrying newborn babes and pups alike. I leapt over the red-hot as Arthur clung to my fur like it was the last thing he would do. It burned the pads of my feet, but I ignored it as I came out to my Den, which was surrounded by leaping red-hot and the fallen trees, a word, I learned, we shared between the common tongue and the human tongue.
Arthur leapt of my back, holding his arm to his mouth to stop the smog from entering his lungs, as I limited my breathing somewhat.
"Breeze!"
I called out, my heart thudding in my chest rather than staying its usual calm self. There was no answer, until a few moments later where she called out from within the Den, sounding stressed and anxious, but none the worse for wear. The strong smell of Vampire returned with a vengeance, as I curled my teeth and snapped angrily at nothing in particular.
"Arthur. Go help my Mate- Breeze. Go far from here, and hide. I have a Vampire to kill."
He knew better than to disobey me and instead went around to where our emergency exit was. Once he was gone, I quickly licked my wounds before turning my attention to the new Vampire. His pale skin was shining in the light, trying to deceive us from the natural predator he was. Too bad for him that I was also predator, and not a normal one either.
I bared my teeth, dropping down into a spry pouncing stance, as I stared him down with my different coloured eyes, and brought up my shadow power to aid me. This would not be easy, but as long as my pups and mate made it out safely, then I would be content. With that thought, we began our fight- me to protect, and him to destroy. It was a battle I would not lose, not again.
Author's Note
I will keep this incredibly short, because I am currently about to fall asleep at my desk.
QOTW: What is one random fact about yourself?
Me: I have all of my initials made up in elements. Chromium (Cr) or Caesium (Cs) or Carbon & Lawrencium (CLr), or Chlorine Sulfide (ClS)
Anyway, I've got to go sleep. Goodnight everyone and thank you for all of your reviews likes and favourites!
~Cait