Chapter 42: Bad Moon Rising

"If I fall in a giant mud pit or I get stuck in a trap, I swear you better run for your life"

Marcel held his hand out and Violet grabbed quickly as she slid on the log she was trying to get over. She gave him a look as he caught her balance and he laughed quietly while she was not amused. After the vampire trio came up with their plan, it took a few days for it to start going. They agreed to put the bear traps back out for the other wolves to get caught in. They warned Hayley and her pack so they knew to keep their eyes open not to get caught in any. It was a smart plan to try and catch an enemy wolf and see what they were doing with the Strix. If looks could kill, she had just given him a death glare.

"I'm sorry but I find it funny that every time you come out to the swamp, you find something new to complain about. Next it will be that the trees are too close together"

"I probably wouldn't have cared but it has been pouring rain all day and this is one of the last things I want to do in the mud"

The last days it stormed like crazy so they waited for it to die down before checking any of the traps. According to Lucien, the wolves had a witch do a spell which let them turn whenever they desired. It was dangerous to be walking through the swamp when it was getting dark but it could also lure them out if they picked up on their scents. As they made their way through the Bayou, they passed a few of their traps and all of them were empty so far. They both held flashlights close to the ground making sure they don't step in one.

"I don't want to spoil the fun but how did we not catch one wolf?"

"Maybe they haven't come this way yet, they can't possibly know what we are doing"

The vampire couple had dressed similar in jeans and dark jackets to camouflage more. They had mud on them that would splash up on their ankles and their boots were completely covered with dark, wet mud. They made light conversation on random things as Marcel constantly checked the time to make sure they weren't going to be out too late. As they continued, it got quieter and he shushed her and grabbed her wrist to keep her from walking. She looked at him as he looked around.

"I thought I hear something…"

"I didn't hear anything, I think you've been out here for too long and you're starting to lose your mind"

Violet pointed over to the next trap and they approached it slowly. They would clearly see if someone was trapped in one but that didn't mean there couldn't be blood on it. If one got caught then figured a way out, at least they'd have some sort of clue. But when they came to the spot, it was nothing but grass and mud. They looked at the spot puzzled and she bent down and touched the cold ground.

"Did you look at the map wrong?" Marcel asked.

Reaching into her back pocket, she pulled out the piece of paper and read it carefully. "No, we placed a bear trap right in this spot, you can see the print in the mud" She held the flashlight closer to the mud and you could see a faint pattern in it.

After hearing an owl hoot a few times, they hear a noise of something snapping. Marcel whipped around with the flashlight hitting a spot of trees. The moonlight didn't give off too much light and neither did theirs. Violet slowly got back to her feet and checked in her direction. They should have been out of there only twenty minutes but now there was a new mystery. Checking in every which way, there was no sign of anyone or anything.

"I say we ditch this and come back tomorrow morning" She said looking at the empty hole.

He shushed her quickly after hearing another noise. Pulling her closer to his side, he flashed the light towards another pair of trees which once again proved to be nothing. Marcel had said something to her but she didn't hear a word after she heard a growl in the distance. They were out there hunting the wolves, not the other way around. Violet blinked and cocked her head to her right as she saw amber glowing eyes staring at them. Gripping his arm, he looked behind him and saw the same thing.

"On the count of three, run to your left, I'll be right behind you. We need to lead them off track and make our way back to the car. One…"

Once Marcel counted to three, he threw the flashlight in the other direction and the vampires sprinted off to their left and made their way through the bayou with a wolf or wolves on their tail. It was hard to see where they were going with Violet shaking their main source of light. Cutting past a few trees, they could tell how many wolves were after them at the moment it had been five. It wasn't like either of them could call Hayley for back up either considering they wouldn't have cell reception.

"I can't see where I'm going!"

Violet called out glancing behind her and he told her to just keep looking forward and run. Looking back in front of her, she kicked a log that must have fell over during the storm and stumbled after it. Losing her balance and her feet, Violet slid through a mud puddle and fell onto her back with the mud splashing everywhere. Marcel slid as well trying to stop himself after seeing her fall. Slipping onto his side, he landed right next to her and grabbed her around the waist to pick her up. Not even being able to brush themselves off, they had to keep running unless they wanted to be a chew toy. Hearing a few howls behind them, Marcel looked in every direction trying to think of something.

"We need to split up…You take right and I'll go left. We'll meet over by the river bend and then I have no idea what" Marcel started breathing heavily. "We'll have to cross through the river; they won't step inside of it"

"What? No, I'm not leaving you. What happens if something goes wrong and I'm not there to protect you?"

It was in a sense funny because it should be Marcel saying that to her, not her to him. But through all the years they have known each other, Violet had always had his back through thick and thin. She wasn't about to leave him to fend for himself in the swamp even though he could make it out. It was interesting that she was more concerned for him than she was for herself.

"Listen to me, the only way we can make it through is to split up. I'll meet you at the river"

She turned to him, looked him in the eyes and kissed him before taking off to her right. Every bone in her body told her not to and just to follow him but if that was the only way to keep the wolves away from them then that was the way to go. Violet sprinted but slowed her pace after hearing a growl behind her. Ducking behind a tree, she used her vampire hearing to see if she could hear where Marcel was. As she saw golden eyes behind her, she took off again but stopped dead in her tracks when she saw a wolf in front of her. Trying to catch her breath, she kept her eyes on him and didn't make a sudden movement. It wasn't until she heard Marcel's yells that she took off to the left.

"Marcel! Where are you?" She could hear him yell but it was hard to tell where she was going in the dark. She had dropped her flashlight when she slid in the mud so she could only rely on the moon.

When she found him, he was sitting on the ground gripping a trap. Zooming over, she saw the blood covering his hand and right foot. He had been caught in one of the traps that they had set out; problem was they didn't put it there.

"That's what they did; they made it a mine field. They moved the traps around the swamp and led us out here so we know how it feels to be bait"

Violet mostly said that to herself and she looked at his foot and the trap. They had both tried to pry it open but once they touched it, it was soaked in vervain. Pulling her hands back, she slipped off her jacket, wrapped it around the trap and tried to open it, it still wouldn't budge.

"You need to go Violet…"

"No, I'm not leaving you out here to fend for yourself. I'm going to figure out a way to get this off" When she got a better look at it, she realized that even if she got him out, she would have to carry him back to the car, there would be no way to make it through the river.

"Violet…" Once she heard her name, she looked at him and swallowed hard. Shaking her head, she couldn't just get up and go. The wolves had them exactly where they wanted them. She tried once again but failed when she saw the wolf just a few feet away. The wolf had growled and bared his teeth and she vamped out showing her fangs. Marcel tried to reach for her but she zipped off and grabbed it, tackling it to the ground. The wolf had yelped and she yelled when it landed on top of her. Holding him back and turning her head to the side, she tried to kick it off before it tore into her neck. Marcel had tried to free himself but he just focused on her making sure nothing was going to happen. Kicking the wolf off, she jumped up before being knocked right back down by a wolf that seemingly came out of nowhere. Even though she was a vampire, their strength had matched their own so it wasn't easy to just win.

She struggled to get him off and she clamped her eyes tight as her hands went around the wolf's neck. She yelled and tried to tighten her hands to snap its neck but there was so much fur in the way that it was hard to. All of a sudden, the wolf was pulled off of her and its neck snapped and tossed to the side. When she opened her eyes, she saw Lucien standing there with his hand out. Violet took it thankfully as he handled the other wolf that she had kicked off earlier. The growls were louder and that's when there were three coming at them in the distance. Lucien did his best to hold them off while she got Marcel out of the trap. Even though they had vampire healing, the wound went all the way to the bone which meant it was going to take longer to heal. Once she popped it open, she gripped him around the waist and yanked him to his feet.

"Go straight ahead, I have a car waiting and ready for the both of you…Go!"

She had felt bad for leaving him there but did as he said and zipped to the silver car park a few seconds away. Whipping the door open, she helped Marcel into the back and waited for Lucien to show before closing the door. "I'm going back for him, keep the door shut"

Before he could protest, Violet was gone in a flash. She saw a wolf ready to jump on him and she zipped over, ripping his heart out in midair. He turned around surprised to see her as the wolf number had grown to ten. They both nodded at each other and took off back towards the door. Lucien jumped in the driver's seat and Violet hopped in the back to check on Marcel. Hearing the doors lock was a slight sense of relief but they needed one last scare to pop up. Right before Lucien pulled away, a wolf had jumped at the backseat window attempting to break it.

"Now do you believe I'm on your side? I just saved you both from a pack of hungry wolves"

Marcel sat up, looked at her and then to him. Violet smiled faintly then padded Lucien on the shoulder as a thank you gesture.

"We should do that again sometime…"

Lucien looked back at her before focusing on the road. Marcel gave her a look and she laughed faintly trying to lighten the situation. "Next time, don't go into the Bayou without back up let alone in the middle of the night. Were you really wanting to get yourselves killed?"