Author's Note: Happy New Year, Everybody! Hope you have had a good time!

I want to share my writing process with you this time. I hope you don't mind.

1. I listened to this song:

.com/watch?v=NbRgoLl1s6Y

the whole time as I wrote this chapter. Sorry, can't hot link it, you have to copy and paste, and please write youtube in front of .com if you want to listen to it.

2. Besides writing, photography is one of my hobbies. I put the pictures of The Towers on my profile (Debbie's Tower 1 & 2), so you see what Debbie saw. The pictures are shot by me. The same building from different angles.

3. Have I told you that my real lover is not a vampire, but a werewolf? I love wolves, I don't understand vampires, not so really. But after Gary Oldman (God, I love him!) played as a vampire, I have a changing heart, a bit, yeah... anyway, I try to use the physical description of wolves for werewolves. For me, wolves are the second most majestic land creatures after the horses.

4. International Union for Conservation of Nature put Maned Wolves (Chrysocyon brachyurus) on their endangered species list. So I think, I'd like to introduce you to this 'red fox on the stilts' creature. Some says they are potential chicken thieves, but I think it's not fair. The only 'animal' that can be labeled as thieves is humans. The rest, it's a matter of survival. Oh, and for those who believe that their eyes can be used as lucky charms, please, that's not only moronic but also put the maned wolves in speedy extinction!

5. The Moon phase that I wrote in this chapter is based on real moon phase at that time (November, 1939) Yeah, I know. I am a detail-oriented person. Can't help it.

6. This chapter is beta'd by Northwoman. Thanks, Love!

Chapter Eight

Debbie's Night

Sookie pushed him and said, "You'd better leave now."

"Or?"

"I can't guarantee we won't lose our self control."

He smiled, teasingly. "That's something I want to see."

"I warned you," said Sookie, walking to the door. "My friends do not take intruders lightly."

Those blue eyes were blazing, but the smile stayed; creating an eerie look around him.

"If that's what you want," said Sookie, forcing herself to sound as normal as possible. "I open the door now." She turned around and opened the door.

Sam's face looked all twisted. Somebody is in the room.It wasn't a question. He knew. He went inside. "Where is he?"

Sookie looked around, surprised. There was nobody there. The window was still open, but not that wide anymore. Eric had left the room, without traces or even noise.

"You should not open the window," he went to the window, poked his head out and then closed it. "Where is Debbie?"

Sookie wanted to point out the bed, but Sam snorted. "A children's game like that will not fool me, Sook. She knew she shouldn't leave you alone. I'll pull her tail, if I have to, to make her understand it's not one of her adventurous nights. There are too many things at stake here."

"You know you can't tie her down. We have only fourteen day's time, Sam. If King Russell is here, I am not sure if I can do whatever I want."

"It doesn't mean we can be careless," he said. He looked at her. We are dealing with vampires and werewolves, Sookie. Vampires I can predict, but not werewolves. They are wild, impulsive and uncontrollable. Vampires all over Berlin must have looked for Alcide now, and I don't know how long he can hide.

"Why?"

It will be full moon soon.He will come out of his hiding place; he has to. Sam sighed. When he comes out, I am afraid, the vampires will get him.

"When will it be?"

He looked at his watch. Today is November 18th. I saw the moon waxing in the sky already. From the size of it, I think in eight days we will have the full moon.

"Eight days?" Sookie shook her head. "That's not enough."

Sam looked at the window. "I hope Debbie knows what she's doing. It will not help us at all if she gets into trouble." He walked to the door. "Close the window, Sook. She knows where the door is, she as might well use it."

Then, he left the room.

Sookie leaned on the door. Eight days to look for Alcide before the vampires could find him. She didn't have any clue except the name of a street. She knew neither where nor what to look for.

Knock, knock.

Sookie looked towards the sound of the tapping. The vampire grinned from one ear to another. He was either crazy or suicidal, she thought. Sam could hear him, or worse, Arne could hear him. However, Sookie had a feeling, she would not be able to get rid of him easily.

She went to the window and lifted it.

"Morning will come soon," he said. "Meet me tomorrow."

What for? Did he think she was that stupid? But her mouth opened and said, "Where?"

"The church, after sundown."

Sookie rolled her eyes. When else?

"Don't be late, I won't be there forever." He moved away. "Alone. I don't want to see that dog of yours circle around your legs."

Then, he disappeared. Sookie went to the window and tried to catch a glimpse of him, but there was nothing. The wind that blew strongly took some snow with it and left it on the window sill and the balcony. And yet, there was no trace at all, as if nobody had been there.

Sookie felt her blood run cold. Had it been real or a hallucination only? If it had been real, why were there no footprints? Desperately she looked at the window and sighed in relief, when she saw the traces of fingers. It had been real; it had not been her hallucination after all. And the lack of footprints... it was either he was very light or he could keep himself above the ground. She snorted. Yeah, right, a vampire who could fly... dear Jesus! If he could fly...could it be he was the one she had seen some days ago?

She grabbed the edge of the table and forced herself to sit down. Dear Jesus...Eric Northman, a vampire who worked for Nazis and he could fly. Her head was pondering. And he knew why she was in Berlin. Did he really know, or was he only saying it?

The window was lifted with force and a red figure jumped in, hit the lamp whilst at it and then rolled on the floor. Soon that figure changed into Debbie. The bright light from the lamp showed a horrible scene. Blood was all over her back and there were scratches everywhere. Her eyes, which were still orange, were dimmed.

Sookie took off her sleeping robe and covered her. "Debbie... what happened?"

"Call Sam...now..."

Without waiting for a second command, Sookie ran to Sam's room. That man rushed to her room as soon as she mentioned Debbie's name.

Debbie was sitting on the bed, when they entered the room. Her hand, which was holding a cigarette, was covered with scratches. The other one, which fingered her hair, was shaking. Her legs were bleeding, and her feet were covered with mud. Other than that, she smiled. "A rough night, Sam; nothing more, nothing less."

"Fool!" Sam hissed. "Your blood leads them right to us!"

"Sam Merlotte!" Sookie came to Debbie. "How can you say that?"

"I'll need fresh towels, Sook. Could you be nice...,"

"Yes, sorry." Sookie took a towel from the cupboard and gave it to her.

Debbie took the towel and rubbed her hair. Some red spots stained the towel. "Bastard," she cursed. "He ruined my hairdo."

"Debbie...," Sookie sighed. She wished, just once, Debbie would stop acting so tough. Her hands were too shaky to hide her real feelings, and honestly, it made her look pitiful.

"What happened?" asked Sam.

"I got ambushed," Debbie sucked the cigarette, absorbed the smoke long and slow, before she let it out. A strong and horrible cough came out from her mouth.

"She needs some rest, Sam. We can talk about it tomorrow."

"No, no...," Debbie shook her head. "The sooner Sam knows, the better it is.

"As I told Sookie, I went out to investigate the church in front of us. My instinct tells me, it's more than just a church. The priest, the gardener and the flying bastard...,"

"It was a vampire," cut Sookie.

Sam and Debbie looked at her. "How do you know?" asked Sam.

"I just do," said Sookie, turning away. "I read minds, remember?"

Sam's eyes narrowed. He didn't believe her, but he didn't say anything. In his mind, he mumbled. Obviously, he forced himself not to say anything.

"Anyway," Debbie continued. "The church was empty tonight. I climbed in and wandered around the inner yard, but I didn't see or smell anybody. I decided to walk to the East because there are many buildings which look like some government's buildings, you know, from all the damned flags in front of them or on the top of the roof. I was so close to tearing one of them down and shoveing it up their asses, until I remembered, I am a stranger here. I don't know anything about the city. Who knows, I might need their help one day.

"Around one block from here, I saw a black Mercedes entering a building complex. I know it's crazy to think it was Edvard's, I mean, we are in Germany, after all; the country, which produces the cars; however, my instinct told me to follow it. Now, I rarely follow my instinct, and when I do, normally I get into trouble. Yet, tonight, I decided to do it.

"I don't know what building complex it is; it's red and looks old. But then again, many buildings here are old. Its board says Kranken...kraken..."

"Krankenhaus," said Sookie. "Hospital."

"I thought so. There's this particular smell coming out from those buildings, a mixture of disinfectant and pea soup. Call me a weirdo, but for me, the smell of sick people is like the smell of pea soup, you know the sweet and a bit sour smell, especially if they put too much lemon thyme in it. And if they are near their death, they smell like rotten egg. You know, like when you soak your pea too long...,"

Sookie cringed. Now, she wouldn't be able to eat pea soup without imagining sick people anymore. Thank you very much, Deb!

"Anyway, I decided to enter the building. I don't trust Edvard. I don't like the way he's been following you with his eyes and I don't like the way he sneers at me. Something tells me, that bastard has not a decent bone in his body.. But before I went a step further, a strong wind lifted me off the ground, and the next thing I knew, I was smashed against a tree trunk. Without being able to control myself, I changed form into human.

"My head was heavy; my breaths were short and I was struggling to get on my feet again, when a cold hand grabbed my neck and lifted me in the air as if I weighed nothing. I scratched his hand and tried to kick him, but it was useless. He was too strong for me. Everything was starting to get black when I managed to say, 'P..please...'"

Debbie's hands were shaking as she lighted another cigarette. After some inhaling and blowing smoke, she continued. "You probably know, Sam, I rarely beg. What I had in my head at that time was, I didn't want to die in this cursed land, unknown and naked like some hookers on the streets of New York. If I had to die, then the very least this vampire could do was to know my name, or at least cover me with his jacket.

"And it seemed to work. He let me go.

"'Sit,' he said in English, like to a dog.

"He is the same height with me, but the way he stood, and the way he looked at me, made me feel small. He is young or at least looks young. You know, we can never be sure about their ages, until they open their mouths and you hear the jargon they use. Anyway, I didn't want to challenge him, so I sat. I felt his strength already. Whatever his age might be, he's not the kind of person you want to mess with. His face looked familiar, but I didn't remember where I had seen him.

"'Look,' I said. 'I have no quarrel with you, and I don't intend to. Let me just mind my business, and I'll leave you to yours.'

"'You do not have any business here, and take my advice, don't start having any.'

"'Thank you, but I am sorry, I have to refuse your advice.'

"He straightened his figure and crossed his hands over his chest. I knew, if he decided to raise his hand, I'd die before I could blink.

"'Mister,' I said. 'Before you do anything, at least, please, hear what I have to say.'

"'Listening.'

"'I don't know what your business is, but I can assure you I didn't mean to interfere with it. The reason I wanted to enter that place over there, is because I saw somebody I know entering it. I don't know him well enough, but enough to know he will do only harm against people whom I like, my company.'

"'How many of them?'

"'What? The people whom I like?'

"'Your company.'

"'Two, three with me.'

"'Are they your kind?'

"'No. One is human and the other is a shifter.'

""His eyes blazed under the dimmed amber light from somewhere behind me. 'A were, a human and a shifter. What company you have.'

"Wait until I tell you we work for a vampire, I thought, but I decided not to.

"'You're not from here.'

"'No, I am from America.'

"'What business is this of yours that caused a were from a new world to travel so far?'

"I almost chuckled. The way he asked was strange; I'd never heard somebody ask like that before. It's almost like a sentence in a play or something.

"'Answer me. Don't you dare lie to me.' He spoke in a soft manner, but you wouldn't miss the coldness in his voice. His gray eyes blazed stronger than before.

"'We are looking for a werewolf.'

"To my surprise, he looked surprised. 'A werewolf?'

"'His father wants us to get him out of here.'

"'And how will a company of strangers be able to fulfill that quest? You can't even master the language.'

"'Stupid me, right?' I tried to loosen up the situation, but failed. He didn't seem to be impressed by it, or he didn't have any sense of humor at all. 'One of us, the human, can speak German.'

"'And he's only a human. He can't sense either weres, shifters or vampires.'

"'Trust me, Mister. You ain't want to mess with her...' Oh fuck. I realized, that was a mistake. I am sorry, Sookie."

Sookie shook her head. "It's all right, Deb," while Sam muttered under his breath, "Stupid, stupid, stupid!"

"Thank you very much for making me feel worse, Sam," Debbie smirked.

"What happened then?" asked Sookie.

"His attitude changed suddenly. I have a strange feeling he knew something I didn't. He looked less alarmed than before. 'A woman, you say?' he said. 'What can a female human do to a vampire like me?'

"'The better question is what can a vampire like you do to a female human like her?' I tried to raise my stake by giving him a bluff. Sorry, Sookie to use you, but at that time, I could only think of getting out of there alive. (Sookie nodded.) You won't be the first vampire who surrenders to her. Even our king can't do anything against her, and I can tell you, our king is the oldest and the strongest among his kind in our area.'"

"You said what?" Sookie widened her eyes. "That's...that's..."

"Exaggerating, I know. But that's what we say, Sookie. The weres believe you have something besides your telepathic power that makes King Russell treat you the way he's been treating you. Because if it was only the telepathic power he was after, he wouldn't keep you that long. Would he, Sam?"

Sookie looked at Sam. "Sam?"

"I don't know what the other shifters say, since I rarely meet one, but yeah, that's what I think."

"And all this time nobody said a word," Sookie sat down. Her knees were suddenly weak. What kind of power did she have?

Debbie grabbed her hand. "I am really sorry, Sookie. But I didn't have any choice."

Sookie swallowed her spit. She forced herself to nod. "Then, what did he say?"

"He turned his back on me and said something in a foreign language. I didn't know what it meant, but anyway I shivered. We were not alone. There was somebody else with us. I was scared. I couldn't sense this other person. On second thought, I couldn't sense the one in front of me either. It seemed like all my senses were gone, it's like when I was with King Russell. He must have been as old as King Russell or even older. And whatever he said, it could mean only one thing. He tried to get you.

"'Hay, look!' I got up. 'Leave her alone, she does nothing to any of you. She comes here to do a favor for her friend. She doesn't want to interfere with whatever business you are conducting, and she never will!'

"'Eric!' he said. 'Don't touch her.' He said in English, as if he wanted me to know what he was talking about.

Sookie felt her head pondering. Eric...whoever that vampire had been, had something to do with Eric's sudden appearance in her room.

"Did he come here, Sook?" asked Debbie. "Did I send that Eric character straight to you?"

"No," Sookie lied.

"Thank God," Debbie sighed. "I wasn't sure, you know, because when I asked him, he said, they are vampires. They have ways to find a human. As a were, surely I know that."

"All these wounds," said Sam. "Did he do that to you?"

"No. He let me go, but he warned me not to enter the hospital. He didn't want me to ruin something which has been under his surveillance for years.

"After he left me, I looked around and realized I didn't know where I was. I was under a chestnut tree surrounded by empty squares of land. From the gas lamps, I have some idea where I was. It was definitely a park. In the distance, I could see two towers, like two giant hats pop out in the dark. I remember seeing those two towers from here, and I decided to go in that direction, and from there, maybe I'd have a better orientation. All I'd have to do is follow the pea soup smell, and I'd find the way back to this house.

I shifted myself back to a fox and ran as fast as possible to the two towers. I didn't want to risk the chance to meet him or any other vampires again. But before I managed to reach any street, I smelt a familiar scent, a combination between the smell of a skunk and human sweat."

"A weremane?" Sam's eyebrows met in the middle. "I never thought there was one, at least not in Europe."

"A what?" asked Sookie.

"A Were maned wolf," said Sam. "They smell like skunks."

"What is a maned wolf?"

"It's neither a fox nor a wolf. It has the head and fur of a wolf, the ears of a hunting dog, and the body of a hyena. We call them foxes on stilts," by 'we' Debbie meant the werefoxes. "Because their feet look like stilts," she said when Sookie asked her why.

"Or it could be a human, smoking marijuana," said Sam. "They also smell like skunks."

Debbie's face looked hard. Her hands, which had been still for some moments, were now shaking again. "I wish it had been." She sniffed, inhaled her smoke deeply, and sighed as she released the smoke. "I wish it had been, Sam.

"But they were not. I smelt bad news when I saw them going out of the bushes. There were six of them. Five of them circled around me, and one sat on his back feet. He was the biggest of them all. He was about seven feet in length, his fur were combination of gray, black, rust and silver...,"

Clack, clack...Debbie tried to light her match, but in vain. She was too shaky, and the cigarette, which was dangling in her mouth was shaking like a leaf, being blown by the wind.

Sam took the match and lit it for her.

"Thanks," said Debbie. "I've seen and heard many things but not like this wolf. He was huge; his fur was dense and short. But the scariest of all, his eyes are red."

"What?" Sam's jaw dropped.

"That's what I thought, Sam...," said Debbie. "In fact, the other wolves have red eyes, too. Most of them were in dull gray and silver lining. They were smaller than their leader, but their eyes were as red as his."

Sookie looked at them both. "Is it unusual for a werewolf to have red eyes?"

Both of them nodded.

"I've never seen one," said Sam. "Most of us have yellow eyes, and some have bright yellow eyes, almost whitish. The werewolves of Mississippi have strong yellow almost orange eyes, but they are very rare. Some say, they are extinct, and some say they are one of the oldest werewolf tribes. You know one of them, Sookie."

"You mean... the Herveauxes?"

Sam nodded. "Deb, are you sure it was not orange?""

"Of course I am sure it was not orange. Having orange eyes myself, you can believe me Sam, I know orange when I see it."

"Sorry," said Sam. "I want to be sure. Go on...,"

"The way they moved and looked at me...there was only one aim I could see in their eyes. They were going to kill me. It was just a matter of when and how. What an irony, I thought. I had been freed from death by a vampire, only to be sent back by my own kind.

"But I wouldn't give it to them that easily. If I must die, then heck, why not bring one or two of them with me. I know, Sook, you would say, at least I should try to talk to them, but if you saw the way they looked at me, you'd know, there's not enough words in this world that would be able to change their minds.

"They moved in circles over and over again, but none of them showed me their teeth. They didn't even make a noise. It was as if instead of being circled by werewolves, I had been circled by trained dogs. They were waiting patiently for something. Perhaps the leader's command; perhaps my guard. But whatever it was, they continued moving in circles and not an inch closer to me. You know, there are not so many times in my life, in which I was so terrified I could not even make a sound...," Debbie sniffed. "... tonight was definitely one of those times!

"Whoever or whatever they are, Sam, if they are the ones Alcide Herveaux messes around with, we will have not so many chances against them. I had never seen werewolves so organized and disciplined, holding their ground the way they were. It is as if they were bred straight from Nazi ground...," Debbie snorted. "Nazi werewolves, yeah, that's more like it."

Sookie and Sam looked at each other. Mr. Herveaux called them 'Nazi Werewolves'. Did Debbie know about it, or was it just a lucky guess?

"What?" asked Debbie. "I know, there's no such thing as Nazi werewolves...but I can't find any other word to describe them."

"How did you escape?" asked Sam. "I know you're a strong and capable woman, Deb, but from the way you told me, it seems not possible for you to escape by yourself."

"That was what I thought, too. Then, I heard a howling, a long and high-pitched howl, which was answered by other howls. The park echoed the howls, and soon I felt myself trapped in a cave. My chest was heavy and my head started turning. Even then, I saw the red-eyed werewolves still in their positions, circling around me.

"Then, one by one werewolves came out of the bushes. Somehow I was relieved to see their eyes were yellow. Whoever they were, they were not part of those Nazi werewolves. It wouldn't be easy for me to get out of there, but at least, now, I had a chance.

"One of the werewolves made a deep growl, I didn't know which one of them, but the voice was something I'll never forget for the rest of my life. It was similar to the sound we made when we pressed our mouths with a glass and then we tried to scream. And before I knew it, the yellow-eyed werewolves charged the Nazi werewolves.

"I didn't know how long it went on. I felt their bites on my body and it burnt. Their teeth were buried deep, inside my flesh and they would've succeeded in tearing it, if the yellow-eyed werewolves hadn't come to my assistance. It went on and on, and the longer it lasted, the more I realized they had been ordered to kill me. One or two Nazi werewolves would charge me, while the others would stop the yellow-eyed werewolves from helping me. I felt their paws on my face, my back and when one of them transformed into human, grabbed my tail and smashed me to the ground, I could only think, well, this is it, now. Twice, I had been smashed into something tonight. As quickly as my body could regenerate from wounds, twice being smashed like that would give impact to my bones and it would take a longer time for me to recover.

"Everything started to turn. I couldn't see them anymore. Vaguely, I heard growls and I felt hot breaths touching my face. Then, slowly everything was black.

"When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw, was a pair of feet. I tried to get up, but a man's voice stopped me. 'Lay still. You're wounded.'

"'Where are we?' I asked.

"'Under the Lessing bridge.'

"'That's very helpful.'

"'I forgot you're not from here. It's around seven minutes away from where you are staying.'

"'What...?' I forced myself to sit down. There were a man and a woman in front of me. The man was kneeling down, whilst the woman stood some steps away from us, alert to our surroundings. 'How do you know where I am staying?'

"'Nothing can escape from a Mackenzie," he shook his head to the woman's direction. "You're safe now, but I suggest you go home.'

"'Thank you,' I said. 'But I still don't know where I am or what I just fought.'

"'From here, you walk about 250 meters to the north until you reach Alt-Moabit Street, then you turn left. You walk straight for about another 200 meters, then you are home.'

"I smiled. Germans and their precision was not that bad after all. 'The werewolves that attacked me...what were they?'

"'Vampires' slaves,' he said. 'You'd better go now. The longer you stay here, the easier it will be for them to track you.' He walked away.

"'Wait,' I said. 'I am looking for somebody. His name is Herveaux.'

"He stopped. 'Never heard of him,' he said, without turning around.

"'If you do, please tell him, his father sends aid, and tell him to find us.'

"He turned around. 'I suggest you to leave, Miss. It's not safe for you or your friends to be here. Leave Berlin, while you still can.'

"Then, he and the woman changed into werewolves and left."

Sam looked thoughtful. "A Mackenzie, he said?"

"Yes."

"What is a Mackenzie?" asked Sookie.

"A werewolf tribe from Mackenzie Valley, Canada. They might not be the strongest one, but they are the most patient packs I've ever seen. They will chase you and drive you until you are exhausted. And if they target you as a prey, you won't be able to escape from them."

The room became quiet. Only the sound of Debbie's breaths filled the air.

"One thing for sure, though," Sam's voice strangely sounded cheerful. "We are not alone in this."