A/N: I don't own Vampire Diaries. Thoughts are in Italics.
Damon's point of view
Three days have passed since the Founder's party. Things in the Fading Echo pack have gone back to normal. The patrols haven't noticed anything unusual and Aspen and Natala are back to acting like brother and sister. And, I continue to keep my brother's life a living hell of course.
The recent events are still on my mind, constantly creeping into my thoughts, making me think that one of the surrounding packs will start a war. Ayden's pack is only one that wants trouble. The others are small and appreciate us being here. They're tired of Ayden's pack. His pack doesn't have any rules and he allows his wolves to go on to other pack's land. The last thing we need was war. There are many lasting effects from war besides just a lot of bloodshed. It breaks down one's will. The losses leave holes that can never be filled. War eradicated one of my previous packs and it got Aspen's parents killed. And if a war starts, Stefan will find out my secret. Recently, I decided to find out where I got the wolf gene. Turns out I have an ancestor on my mother's side that was accused of being a werewolf. I assumed that no one knew about it since it was never mentioned.
Aspen and Natala had to patrol this morning, so I'm the only one awake. While they're sleeping I'm going to go visit someone. I told her that I wouldn't tell anyone that she was in town, but that doesn't mean that I can't contact her.
I found her in a motel near the town limit. It was three in the afternoon when I got to the motel. She was staying in room 3B. When she opened the door, she was surprised to see who was in her doorway.
"Damon, what you doing here?" Anna whispered.
"I'm here to make another deal," I answered.
"Come inside then. We can't talk out here," Anna suggested, opening the door wider, her eyes scanning around past me.
Her room had two twin size beds and tiny a bathroom. One of the beds was covered with suitcases. Certainly the musty, crusty, roach motel vibe. By the way the suitcases were scattered about the room, Anna didn't know how long she was staying in town. I took a seat on the empty bed.
"What's the new deal, Damon?" Her tone was sharp and short with no time for bullshit.
"I have the crystal that Emily created, and I'll help you get your mother out of the tomb on one condition."
"Which is?" Anna sighed.
"You find me some info on the surrounding packs," I declared.
"Let me get this straight, you want me to spy on animals that could easily rip me apart," Anna repeated, scoffing with disbelief.
"Mainly the Light Shadow pack, but yes." I confirmed. "The alpha's arrogance is eventually going to get him killed. I'm worried that they'll try to start a war with my pack."
Anna was quiet for a few minutes, contemplating her thoughts intensely. Her eyebrows furrowed as she sighed heavily. When I was sure she was going to reject the deal, she spoke up.
"I'll do it, but only for you. You gave me a warning that night. I want to repay the favor. Plus, freeing my mother is a really good bonus." We shook hands to confirm the deal. "If I hear anything concerning you, I'll give you a heads up."
"I'm not living at the boarding house. I live in a house just a few minutes away from here," I answered, not wanting her to have a run in with my little brother.
"I'll find it," Anna responded. I started to walk out the door. "Thanks for the help."
I hesitated for a moment. No one outside the pack has liked my help. I smirk. "You're welcome."
On my way home, I drove by the school with no real hurry to get home. From a distance I saw Stefan and Elena helping out at the car wash. I could go over there and ruin the disgustingly cute moment of Stefan sealing the deal with the girl, but I need to get back home in case there's news.
When I got home, Aspen was on his laptop, and Natala was watching TV. I saw that Aspen was looking at possible Crimson Heart sightings. The Crimson Heart pack is one of the greatest packs in all of history.
There are legends that say they keep peace between packs by traveling around the world and checking up on some of them. No one knows exactly who are in the pack.
"Any sightings?" I ask Aspen. The website he uses is disguised as a conspiracy theory website. Wendigo and Bigfoot sightings they call them. The shapes of the animals they capture in the photos are nowhere near the size of either creature though.
"In the Netherlands mostly. People are guessing who the members are. There's a lot of talk about a guy named Avery and a girl named Eden. They say that those two might be the betas," Aspen answered.
"I'd love to meet them," said Natala looking up from the TV.
"Everyone wants to know what they know about being a great pack. Especially alphas," I commented.
"It must be hard being in that pack that tries to keep their identities a secret," Aspen added. That's every werewolf's dream, meeting the Crimson Heart pack. The Crimson Heart pack stopped one of the most violent pack wars.
I was around when the war was happening. It took place during World War II. A war to cover another, it was perfect. German wolves would eradicate packs in surrounding countries in a single night. When they got deeper in the surrounding countries, the Crimson Heart pack were summoned. They recruited wolves from around the world. The German wolves' leader was forced to surrender from the sheer amount of wolves trying to kill him. He was never seen or heard from after that. Neither have the Crimson Heart pack.
It's almost impossible trying to find them, but every wolf is on the lookout for them. Finding them is like finding a unicorn, hard and unlikely in any lifetime. They have to find you, not the other way around.
The rest of the night was quiet. Aspen, Natala, and I decided to watch the fourth Fast and the Furious movie. The Crimson Heart pack was still in the back of my mind making the movie hard to watch.
