Sarah POV:

When I opened my eyes for the first thing this morning, what I saw made me scream.

A pale face was an inch away from mine and instead of blood red eyes I saw a foggy ice blue. The strawberry-blond hair was slicked back and on the upper lip, there was a piece of bacon. Wait—Bacon?

Iggy stood back up and I sat up, staring at him like he had two heads. "I am Sir Baconlots!" he exclaimed in a terrible British accent. I stared at him for a few long, tense moments; then I tried to smother my laughter. I couldn't, so I snickered, and then snorted, and then I tipped my head back and laughed heartily, my hand banging on my knee.

Out of my teary eyes, I saw Iggy grin widely. "Okay, I have to give you props, dude," I said, still snickering. "That was awesome." I stood up on the bed and gave him a peck on the cheek, and then I dashed out of the room before my cheeks could give off heat.

I don't know why I did that, but it just felt natural. Like it was instinct. Why it was?—I'll never know.

Hm, I wonder if Guardian is up. Or Fang? Maybe he could tell me what had happened yesterday afternoon.

When I walked downstairs, I saw Dr. M and Ella sitting with the Flock—minus Max, Fang, and Iggy—at the table, eating. But when I saw how much they were eating, I almost choked from awe. I wish I could eat that much! I'm always hungry, but I can't eat all of that.

"Are Guardian and Fang up yet?" I asked them all.

"Guardian?" Iggy asked, coming down the stairs. I blushed and looked away.

"Wolf-Max," I explained. "I call her Guardian. It sounds better."

"Ah," Ella said. "That makes sense. Well, they're not up. Neither are Max and Lucas. Oh, I have to show you this, Sarah!" My eyebrows furrowed, I followed her up stairs. She opened the first door and poked her head in, motioning for me to do so, too.

What I saw almost made me laugh. I did snicker under my breath though.

Fang was sleeping alright. And it looked like he was having a very comfy sleep. Max was in the bed with him—not like that you perves! Get your head out of the gutter!—and his arms were around her waist, holding her to his chest. Her head was on his shoulder, her face in the crook of his neck, and her arms were around his chest. Fang's mouth was slightly open and I could hear him snoring a little.

But that was okay, because Max was snoring a little louder than him. Her mouth was wide open and she was drooling on his shirt slightly.

Ella and I retreated out of their room and I whispered to her, "Blackmail?" She pulled out a camera and said, "Oh, yeah."

I laughed evilly and took the camera out of her hand, opening the door again. I snapped a few pictures for good measure and retreated again, holding out the camera for Ella to take back.

"This is so good," I whispered excitedly, jumping up and down.

"Oh, you need to see this, too," she whispered. She went a couple of doors down and opened it, motioning for me to stick my head in. I did and what I saw, it was hi-lar-i-us!

Lucas was spooning Guardian. She was sleeping on one of her hands and the other was holding Lucas' hand in place on her waist. (Ha, that rhymed! Kinda… ) Guardian's legs were curled and Lucas' were curled under hers. His head was by the crook of her neck and both of their mouths were open slightly. Though, they didn't snore.

I've never seen Guardian look so vulnerable. I don't watch her when she sleeps, so I haven't noticed it before, but she looks normal when she doesn't have her mask on. Lucas had a slight smile on his face, like he was enjoying cuddling with Guardian. But I don't get how you could love cuddling a brick wall.

I backed out and shut the door behind me, smiling.

"Aw!" I said to Ella. She nodded and handed me the camera. I grabbed the camera and opened the door again. Only to get ambushed in a flurry of fists.

I screamed as I felt someone smack me upside the head. Hard. "OW!" I yelled at Guardian. She was standing there with her hands on her hips, her emotionless mask in its usual place. She held her hand out and I reluctantly gave her the camera. She turned it on and deleted some pictures. Probably the ones with Max and Fang in them. I frowned at her.

She handed the camera back to Ella who had come in behind me, and shoved us out the door, slamming it shut behind her.

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed," Ella muttered, frowning as she started down the hall. I quickly followed, wanting to get as far away from Guardian as possible.

…

Guardian POV:

I woke up to a musky, forest-y smell. It smelt good. Really good.

When I opened my eyes, I wasn't facing anybody, but I felt arms around my waist. And I was holding an arm there. When I looked over my shoulder, I resisted the urge to scream in shock—Lucas' face was an inch away from mine.

Calming my racing heart, I almost smiled at how peaceful he looked. We werewolves rarely get peace. And seeing Luke so benign and placid, it made me happy.

"Aw!" I heard. It was right outside the doorway. Silently getting up and trying my hardest not to wake Luke up, I made my way over to the door. See, Twin taught me some tricks, now I'm almost as quiet as him.

When the door opened again and Sarah walked in, holding a camera, and Ella following, I started faking punches—I don't want to kill her—and whacked her upside the head when she least expected it. She screamed, "OW!" and I scowled at her—or as much as you can scowl while being emotionless.

I held out my hand for the camera and she reluctantly handed it over, muttering under her breath about "Stupid Guardian" and "I was only trying to get blackmail". I turned the camera on, ignoring her mutters, and deleted the pictures of Bird-Max and Fang, when they were sleeping.

I almost smiled—but I managed to keep it hidden—at the two best friends, soon to be more. I handed the camera back to Ella and shoved them both out the open doorway, slamming it with a sharp bang!

I heard their footsteps leave after a moment and looked back at Luke, who was sitting up, rubbing his eyes. "Max?" he questioned, dropping his hands and squinting at me through blood shot eyes. "You okay?"

I nodded and made my way over, sitting on the bed beside him. "What was that all about?" he asked me, yawning hugely.

"It was nothing, just some little sister and sister's-best-friend stuff. Well, Ella isn't Sarah's best friend. Iggy is," I growled. I wasn't sure if I liked him or not, but Sarah seemed to like him and I respected her on her decisions. If she gets hurt, she'll know not to pick guys like that again and learn from her mistakes. That's the biggest part of the learning process in our training.

"Okay," Luke yawned, plopping back down on the bed, closing his eyes.

"Breakfast," I said in a sing-song voice. His eyes snapped open and he jumped up, changing his shirt and pants. I don't care if he changes in front of me—it's not like he doesn't wear boxers. I yawned again and got up, too.

Grabbing some random—plain—clothes, I started changing. Luke didn't care if I changed in front of him, either. He's actually seen me topless. And that is another story for another day.

When we entered the kitchen, everyone was there, eating. I grabbed a plate and silverware, loading it with hash browns, eggs, and pancakes—I couldn't have the meat, I only eat it raw.

I sat down at one of the empty chairs and when I was half way through my breakfast, I realized that everyone was staring at me. "What?" I asked through a mouthful of food. Sarah was the first one to break the silence.

"What happened yesterday?" She asked. I shrugged, taking another bite of my pancake. I didn't want to talk about me in pain.

Suddenly, I got a feeling. Fang was awake. I could feel his confusion and surprise when he found Bird-Max sleeping on top of him. I then felt his elation and love for her after he got over the shock. I almost smiled, but I refrained from doing so.

Fang and Bird-Max were perfect for each other.

"So how was your sleep, Guardian?" Sarah asked. Guardian?—that's a new one. I've heard Wolf-Max, Max, Wolfy, Cub, Master, and Sweet, but I've never heard Guardian.

"Great, another name," I muttered under my breath and Luke snickered. I whacked him upside the head—Max and Fang entered the kitchen, grabbed plates, stacked them tower high with food, sat down and started eating—and he glared at me, snickering ceased. "It was fine," I said emotionlessly.

Sarah grinned maliciously at me. I narrowed my eyes slightly at her and continued eating.

The radio was on and when the song Lucky by Colby Callai came on, I said, along with Lucas, Max, Fang, Iggy and Sarah, "Change this song."

Nudge, Gazzy, Angel, Dr. M and Ella burst out laughing and us best friends stared at each other. The laughing went on for several minutes and when it died down, we continued eating in silence, not looking at each other. I refused to look at Lucas.

"Hey Lucas," Iggy said after a minute of silence.

"Yeah?" Luke said, raising an eyebrow and glancing at me.

"Isn't tonight the full moon?" Iggy asked. Twin raised an eyebrow at me slightly. I swear my eyes darkened considerably. I glared at the table, and then looked up.

I glanced around at all of the faces staring at us. I got up and nodded, making my way to the door. "I'm going out," I said, walking onto the deck, closing the door behind me. I ran a few steps, then jumped up and phased, hitting the tree line and plunging into the forest in front of Dr. M's house.

Every month on the full moon, we turn into huge wolves—bigger than when we phase at will. Our canines are longer and sharper; our fur is thicker, we're taller—a lot taller. Almost as tall as a one story building—our senses were at their best and we ran faster. All in all, we were a lot bigger and better.

But it all comes at a price.

Our tempers were out of control and we're most likely going to hurt someone. I really didn't want to hurt anyone. Well, unless they're vampires. I don't mind.

I went into town, phasing back to human before I walked into public, of course, and found a clothes store. I had to get my attire fixed. The other clans and packs recognize me as the Guardian of Devil's Tail if they see me in my usual attire and they see the pitch fork with the devil's tail wrapped around it. The outfit is basically like my uniform. I need to wear it so others recognize me.

When I found a black tank top, I moved onto the pants. They had light and dark cargo pants and since it was warm out, I chose light. I then got my combat boots since I left them at my original home.

When I paid for them out of my one hundred dollars I saved for necessities, the lady gave me an odd look, but didn't comment. I was glad; I didn't need to start a fight. I could just ignore it like Twin, but I'm not like that. I retort back with a sarcastic comment—though without emotion, dur!—and I'll most likely get security called on me in only a few moments.

I walked into the forest, grabbing the clothes out of the bag and stuffing the change in my pocket. I quickly dressed in my attire as I was walking, stopping only to put on my boots. Then I started making my way back to Dr. M's.

When I walked inside, I was ambushed by a brown haired eleven-year-old and a light brown haired fourteen-year-old. "You went shopping… without us?" Nudge and Sarah yelled at the same time.

"And you didn't even get good clothes! What is with you and cargo pants?" Sarah scolded me. "You look like a freaking boy! The only way to tell you're a girl is because of your face and boobs! And the boots! Why the combat boots?"

"Exactly!" Nudge yelled, cutting Sarah off in mid rant. "She's right! Why do you insist on not having a single fashion bone in your body? Why can't you be like Sarah? At least she has some sense, even if she's still pretty bad."

"What?" Sarah yelled, turning on Nudge. "I do, too!"

"Not really, sorry sweet," Nudge said sweetly, pinching her on the cheek. Sarah growled and I saw her hands curl into fists.

"All right," I said, trying to change the subject. This was going downhill way too fast. "This is my uniform. I'm required to wear it."

Sarah and Nudge stopped and turned to me, eyes wide in horror. They both gasped and said at the same time, "I can't believe they forced you to wear that!"

I shook my head and separated them, pushing them in opposite directions so I could walk inside. Well, more inside than I really was.

Everyone was in the living room, sitting on the couch and talking. When I walked in, they quieted, staring at me. I sighed a little dramatically and went upstairs. "Wait—Max!"

I turned and looked back, only on the first step. Lucas was standing up and looking at me with cautious eyes. "What are we going to do tonight?" he asked me. "Are we going to leave? You know full well that the vampires will come tonight, knowing we'll be unstable. What are we going to do?"

I thought about it, coming back into the living room. I leaned against the wall by the window and said, "We'll keep perimeter around the house. Nothing can get past us and if it does, the Flock will be in here so they can help protect Sarah. I haven't taught her anything yet, it isn't the right time," I added to the looks I got. "Yes we'll be unstable, but we'll most likely kill any vampires coming our way. If we leave, they'll just follow our sent and take—most likely kill—Dr. M and Ella because they're human and we've been in contact with them." A look of uncomprehending horror took over all of their faces, except for Lucas'. "I'm… sorry… that we got you into this mess Dr. M. Truly I am. But if we leave now, you'll be in more danger. I really don't want to be around you guys when we phase tonight, but I'll do whatever it takes to guard Sarah. I'm not the Guardian of Devil's Tail for nothing," I said, looking pointedly at Lucas. He rolled his eyes and nodded, getting the message.

"Fang, I trust you, Iggy and Max to guard Sarah. I don't want anyone leaving her side. I have to, but that doesn't mean that you don't. Will you keep an eye on her?" I asked the three oldest of the Flock.

"Don't worry, Guardian," Iggy said. "I'll protect her with my life."

I stared at him, studying his face for anything other than seriousness. But that's all I got. I nodded, accepting this, and then remembered that he couldn't see. "Thank you, Iggy. I trust you will."

"Twin," Fang said. I looked over at him. "We will take care of her. You don't need to worry," he said. I nodded, feeling his sincerity and truth.

Just then, Nudge and Sarah burst through the door. "I have good fashion sense, don't I?" Sarah asked, pointing to herself. I sighed and nodded. "How would you know, Miss Cargo Pants and Combat Boots?" she asked me snottily. Try saying that five times fast.

"I told you, this is my uniform," I said.

"You have a uniform?" Max asked. I nodded.

"Does Lucas?" She asked.

"I do when we go to formal parties," Luke said, "Other than that, no."

"Then why do you need one?" Max asked me.

"Because she has no fashion sense. She needs help," Sarah said, while tapping her finger on her face, beside her eye.

"No, it's because other clans recognize her as the Guardian of Devil's Tail," Luke explained for me. I nodded and made my way back upstairs, letting him explain it all to them.

Tonight's going to be a long night.

And we have school tomorrow.

…

Fang's POV:

When I was done with the mental conversation with Wolf-Max, I took Lucas by the arm and led him away from the others. "What's going on? What was all that staring about?" he asked me. I waited until we were in a safe distance away from the others.

"You know how we have twin telepathy, though an advanced version?" I asked him. Realization dawned in his dark blue eyes. They were so dark that they were almost black. "Yeah, she was telling me about how she and my Max are more alike than I think. She said that they both love two guys, they both don't give an inch about fashion, and they're both leaders. What I'm curious about are who the guys are that they love."

"It's kind of obvious that your Max loves you. But who does my Max love?" he asked. I stared at him. "What?"

"She loves you," I said simply.

"What, no she doesn't."

"Yes, she does, and stop denying it before we're forced to argue like three-year-olds."

He sighed and nodded, accepting it, though he was still a little ambiguous about it. "But the question is, what are we going to do?" he asked.

"We make the first move," I said.

He nodded and opened his mouth to say something, but got cut off by my Max yelling, "Flock meeting!"

"I should get back…" I said, pointing that way and I started walking, Lucas in step with me.

"We make the first move," he muttered under his breath, leaving me amused. Max raised an eyebrow at me, and I shook my head, mouthing 'I'll tell you later.' She nodded and turned back to the Flock.

I certainly will tell you later, I thought. I'm making my move, Max. Watch out.

…

Iggy POV:

"Don't worry, Guardian," I said. I felt her stare and I said, "I'll protect her with my life."

And I was serious. I would protect Sarah no matter what. I really like her and I can't make my move if she's hurt.

"Thank you, Iggy," she said. I almost smiled in satisfaction. I knew that she wasn't just talking about me protecting her. She was giving me permission to go out with her sister. "I trust you will."

"Twin," I heard Fang say. It's so rare to hear Fang speak up and when he did, he drew attention to him like a magnet. I'm pretty sure that all eyes were on him. "We will take care of her, you don't need to worry."

I could almost see Guardian smile. Well, I knew that she wasn't going to; I just wanted to imagine it. Don't brick walls have graffiti? She could have emotion on her face like graffiti on a wall, can't she?

I will never understand the twins.

I heard the door slam open and two pairs of feet pound on the floor. "I have good fashion sense, don't I?" I heard Sarah demand. I smiled, bemused. She and Nudge were arguing about fashion in the kitchen and I could hear every word. Gosh, I really liked Sarah. She could argue about anything and she was so sweet you could cry and she was just as inappropriate as me and as funny as me! I think I've finally met my match.

I ignored the rest of the conversation and thought about all the places I would take her if I wasn't a blind-mutant-bird-freak. "I'm leaving," I heard Guardian announce. I heard her footsteps go up the stairs.

"Max, do I have good fashion sense?" Sarah asked. I snorted.

"You're asking her? She's got as much fashion sense as a dog!" That earned me a whack in the head, delivered by Max. I scowled in her general direction, hopefully getting her in the eyes.

"Fang?" she asked. "Do I?"

"Well, as Max would say, 'I've got a great fashion sense and I play a mean harmonica'." He said.

There was another smacking sound and I believe that Max whacked him in the head as well. "I think you do—better than both the Max's," Gazzy said. And I heard another smacking sound. Man, Max is on a roll!

"Nudge, let's just let it go. I have good fashion sense, but you're the best. How about that?" Sarah said.

"Okay," Nudge said. I heard their footsteps fade away to the kitchen. I followed, wanting to get a start on lunch. And to be near Sarah. Maybe…