Author's note – Since Darren's changing Larten's history, I'm changing a lot in the original story, in favour of a lot more Arra involvement. So sorry to disappoint to anyone who really really wanted them to meet whilst she was working as Evanna's servant
The next few weeks were both amazing and awful.
Larten and Wester treated Darren as their own, the three forming their own small, bachelor pack within the cub group. Whilst Larten's weight plummeted and his addiction to all things self-destructive thrived, Darren and Wester were always on hand to lift their sick-coated friend out of the gutters and take him home when he completely passed out carelessly in the early hours of the morning. Vice Versa, Larten would defend his companions with a fiery temper, not afraid to challenge anyone who gave Darren hassle in the pack.
Darren truly knew he was in safe hands when, in a particularly superstitious town, he landed himself in a jail to be trialled for witch craft. That night, Larten and Wester charged through the entire fort, fighting off the authorities with a juvenile glee. They freed Darren as well as several women who were being tortured for apparently causing crops to fail and children to die.
Yup, Darren certainly had lucked out that he and Larten and Wester had gelled so well. Wester especially treated Darren like a second brother.
It came as no surprise that Tanish wanted them out of the group. Larten was a liability, stronger than Tanish and backed up by two close friends. If Tanish wanted to remain in charge of his pack then Larten had to leave.
What a blessing it was when Darren and Wester and Larten announced their leave from the Cubs. Larten hadn't been keen on the Scotland idea but with a lot of heavy persuasion on Darren's part, was convinced.
Scotland.
It was cold. It was miserable. It was horrible. Yet Darren loved it. As he and Larten finished diving in Loch Ness, another failed attempt to find Wester's monster, the two took in an icy breath.
"I am freezing," Larten chattered, hands under his arms as he and Darren waded into shallower water, trudging heavily. Their feet was now accustomed to the rough, jagged stones of the Loch bed but it never once stopped them cutting up.
"Me tooooooo," Darren shivered, mumbling as he pulled of his soaking shirt and dumping it in the water; he was going to mimic Larten and Wester next time and go completely naked; he loathed the feel of wet clothes clinging to him. "Where the Hell is Wester anyway? He said he was going to just going for a shit."
"Probably still attempting; he is very shy," Larten laughed, taking the final steps out of the freezing water and shaking himself like a dog. He used one of their balding towels and dried himself up before slipping on his trousers and slippers. He looked out over the expanse of freezing, murky black water, "Why are we even here? There is no monster, the Loch is massive and there are so man nooks and crannies that we will be old before we even complete half of the search."
"Then why are you too chicken to swim out into the very middle of the Loch?" Darren pointed out, knowing full well that Larten, like Wester and Darren, was afraid of the possibility that a sharp set of jaws would shoot out of the water and gobble him up whole.
"I am not a strong enough swimmer," Larten lied, throwing Darren the towel to dry himself off with, "Besides, I do not see you out-"
"Guys! Women!" Wester suddenly gasped, having charged down the rocky beach towards them.
"Scottish Women?" Darren turned up his nose.
"No!" Wester snapped, "Vampire women, training just up from here."
Both Darren and Larten started at Wester wide eyed before charging silently towards where Wester had just come from.
Larten said in a low whisper, "So is this where you have been?"
"Yes, been watching them for hours," Wester admitted, neither male commenting. Vampire women were so rare, to find a group of them training one another was almost legendary. Especially to three boisterous, hormonal young adults like themselves.
They slowed down at Wester's order, creeping slowly forward with eagerness in their eyes. In the distance, they could hear the women shouting and groaning as well as very loud splashes.
"What if they spot us peeping?" Larten commented, suddenly nervous.
"What are a bunch of girls gonna do?" Darren sneered, the group hiding behind a boulder on the beach. "But just in case, meet back at the cabin?"
"Aye," both men nodded, gulping slowly as they carefully peeked over the jagged edge.
"Holy mother of Christ," Larten gasped out in utter amazement.
Before them stood six women, all vampires, all completely naked as the day they were born. Larten didn't know where to look. They were ferocious women, not like the whores the three were used to. Each was very masculine; toned and bulky with a very defined six pack and thick, powerful legs. They weren't shapely at all, very boyishly built. Still, the smell of the female vampires drove the boys mad.
"Look at that blonde!" Wester moaned softly, grinding his hips against the rock with a pitiful whine.
The women separated into two groups, one dark haired vampiress swimming out into the freezing cold water and leaping up upon one of five timber logs floating on the surface. She took on a fighting stance, willing a second vampiress to swim out and challenge her on the logs.
"Are they going to fight?" Darren asked with baited breath, eyes wide like the other two. Indeed, both women began sparring. The dark haired women seemed to almost dominate the other, casually leaping from log to log before grappling and knocking her off.
"Who's next?" she yelled loudly, puffing out her chest as she whipped her dark hair over her shoulder, "Come on! Surely one of you feels up to fighting Arra Sails!"
Darren gasped out loud and suddenly closed his eyes tightly. Leering over Arra suddenly didn't seem right; after all, that was his Mentor's bird.
"No one? Well, then I guess you are cowar-"
"I will fight you, Ms Sails,"
Wester and Darren suddenly ducked down as Larten stood up tall and proud, stepping out from behind the boulder and bowing.
"If you feel up to it, that is,"
Arra's grey eyes narrowed as the male approached. "How long have you been hiding there?"
"Long enough to know I can take you out with ease," Larten boosted, pulling off his shirt and tensing, trying to show off his own toned body. "Will you fight me?"
"Get your trousers and shoes off and get your arse out here now." Arra boomed, her ego filling the entire valley they were stood in. As Larten abided and stripped down, he carried himself with arrogance and pride, wading out into the freezing cold water before gradually swimming to Arra's side. He pulled himself up onto the log and nodded a 'Hello'.
Before Larten could take on a stance, Arra had round house kicked him in the ribcage, kneeing him hard in the groin before hooking his front temple.
Larten stumbled back, nearly falling into the water but managing to hook his legs around the log's girth, in absolute agony from the unfair smash below the belt.
"Foul!" Wester roared furiously, the other vampire woman gasping, realizing that they had been being peeped on. "That was an illegal Bar move!"
"Might I remind you, Sir, we're on logs and not bars," Arra sniffed, "Anything goes,"
"Still! You can't just whack him there!" Darren also snapped, standing beside Wester with the same livid expression.
"I can do what I wan-" Arra started but was cut off as Larten charged forwards, scooping her up and literally just throwing her off the log. As Arra splattered to the surface and swam back, Wester and Darren cheered. "Best two out of free,"
"Deal," Larten grinned, learning from his mistake and taking up a defensive stance before Arra was even back on the logs. He didn't wait either to attack, throwing a spinning kick at her and following through to another log. Arra merely ducked out of its path and dropped to the pads of her feet like a panther. She stalked around Larten, trapping him at the edge of the furthest away log and meeting him in a fast, vicious, fight.
He punched.
She harder punched.
He whacked her breasts.
She cursed loudly and smashed his balls.
He kicked out in fury.
She kicked harder.
He stumbled back.
She advanced and smacked him hard with her heel into his gut, knocking him clear out and into the water.
"One all!" Arra declared, tying her hair back and sorting her stance as she waited for Larten to surface. When he didn't, Wester and Darren approached the water's edge curiously.
"Larten?" Wester called out, searching the water almost frantically.
"Larten?" Darren yelled out too, frowning.
"Larten?" Arra called out as well, concerned mildly that she would induce real harm onto one of her opponents. "Larten?"
As she bent over to dip her head into the water to search for him, a hand shot out from behind her, spanking her backside hard and with an almighty 'Wallop!' that saw Arra thrown forward in shock.
Larten's grinning head appeared above the surface of the water beside Arra's, the vampiress livid.
"What the Hell?" She spat, kicking out at him even in the water.
"I win," Larten declared.
"You weren't even on the log! That doesn't count! Get back up there and fight me fairly!"
"I do believe you said that anything goes," Larten cooed teasingly, making his way to the beach.
Arra was completely speechless, wading in the water like a complete fool, unsure what exactly to say in retort. For once, she had actually been beaten, albeit by a very dirty tackle but still; she had stated the rules were non-existent so he had won…fairly? She glared at the beach furiously, burning a hole in the back of Larten's head.
"Where are you guys going? I want a re-match," Arra said adamantly, swimming fast to be at Larten's side.
"We are off before the sun comes up. Would I be able to tempt you in coming back with me? The house is a state and we could use a female of worth to clean it," he teased.
The intense pain he experienced in that very second should have come as no surprise as a very young Arra grabbed a tight hold of a very young Larten's testes and squeezed with such a furious vice grip that Larten had to be carried by his boys back to their log cabin.