The Vampire's Harvest

168

You reach out and snag the stem of the broken crystal cup, whose shattered rim has created a circle of sharp, menacing points. You hold it out before you as if it were a dagger and a handful of the humans surrounding you smirk with amusement.

Then the first person launches towards you.

You strike out and dig the razor sharp crystal into your attacker's side. They screech with pain as you withdraw your bloodied weapon. The assailant's hands grip the wound, their teeth clenched as they stumble backwards.

The circle has gone from smirking optimism to wary uncertainty. However, one human gets confidence in your diverted gaze and strikes out. You catch him at the corner of your eye and you swing your crystal weapon toward him. Though you fail to stab it in, the sharp edges slash through his arm and send drops of blood across the floor.

So you continue, slashing and stabbing, keeping the attackers at bay. And for awhile this succeeds in keeping you and your sister safe from their onslaught. However, they eventually learn the patterns of your movements and the circle tightens around you. You then feel a rush of movement and you curl up against whatever attack is coming. Yet, you fail feel the sting of a well placed fist or the pain of a sharp kick. Curious as to what brushed against you, you unfurl yourself and find your opponents now cowering on the floor and bleeding. They appear to be maimed, but alive, with most only sporting a gash against their arm. This includes Ailisa, whose fine dress remains intact even though she's grown pale from the blood pouring out of her forearm.

Just as you begin to put together the pieces to the puzzle, you feel a sharp pain surge through your shoulder. You look up to find a honey colored muzzle pulling away and once your eyes connect with the werewolf's, you know it to be Gianette. You see a smile in the gleam of her large, dark eyes and you return it with a nod.

You two, however, seem to be the only ones feeling any happiness at that moment. Many of the humans are now writhing on the floor. Ailisa twists and contorts, her muscles bulging and contracting. Her dress tearing ever so slightly as she wriggles.

As the humans shriek, you hear the sound of footsteps banging against the marble floor. You look to the door to see the vamps, wounded, but victorious. Gianette whimpers, but she remains sturdy and taut by your side. In that moment you begin to feel her venom forcing its way through your veins.

It doesn't take long for the vamps to realize their human supply, a source of blood that could replenish them after battle, has now been tainted and absolutely ruined for their needs. Furious, the exhausted vamps take up their charge towards Gianette. However, their hesitation and exhaustion, gives you the time you need to finish your transformation.

Together with Gianette, you fight off the decimated vamps and their drones, who have also come in from the battlefield. You even get a few of the other newly bitten wolves to join your side as the call to the pack is strong within Gianette's venom. Those, like Ailisa, who are still hanging on to the visions of their past don't join the combat. However, they don't join the vamp's side either. Instead the saddened villagers, now caught in a wolf's body, huddle up against the wall and watch on with wet eyes.

By midnight, you've slaughtered the bunch and though Gianette lost the pack she so recently joined, she finished their mission and in doing so converted enough people to start a whole new pack.

Those that answered Gianette's call went with the two of you to the outskirts of town. There you and Gianette establish the pack and spend your days protecting the town from further vampire influence. As time goes by, the villagers grow accustom to their new life and enjoy the freedom it brings. Those in town, who haven't learned to live under their own free will, eventually join the pack, finding the tribal atmosphere fills the void the vampire massacre left. This even includes Ailisa, and the other wolves who failed to submit to the pull of the pack early on. She still hasn't healed from her loss that night, but Ailisa proves to be strong and resilient, and eventually becomes an invaluable member of the pack.

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