Counting Our Stars • Tyler Joseph •

Chapter 18

         
(A/N: Heyyy! Two updates in one day?! This and my other Tyler fanfic, Cold Outlines! Love you a and please don't forget to leave a vote and comment! I truly enjoy reading comments and replying to them!)

•  Claire  •

Her breath came out in ragged gasps as she bent over, her hands on her knees.

"You could have warned me." She grumbled in-between breaths. Brad simply cracked an amused grin as he watched her, his arms folded across his chest.

"I did, you didn't believe me." He replied.

"Yeah, well, it's not everyday that I'm being carried by a mythical creature that has super speed." She muttered crossly, finally catching her breath and stood straighter.

It was the day after Brad had agreed to support her plan. He didn't agree with what was happening either. So now, the pair were standing outside of the wolf pack territory.

"Why are we waiting? Let's go." She said, taking a few steps forward but Brad held out his arm to stop her from trekking any further.

"We can't just walk on their land without good reason." Brad said, his arm falling back to his side. Claire scoffed and gave him a bewildered look.

"Brad, my...my friend is dying and that's not a good enough reason? This is Tyler's family!" She exclaimed in exasperation as her arms shot up in a 'seriously' gesture.

"I understand you're frustration but we have to tread carefully with this." Brad reminded her.

His posture straightened as the rustling of leaves and shrubs was only a few feet from where they stood. Claire gasped in wonder as four huge wolves stalked from the shadows of the undergrowth. The one in the lead was a oversized black wolf that was flanked by a smaller tan one, a light brown one and a pale gray one. The black wolf slowly drew its lips back in the beginning of a snarl, its haunches sinking in a defensive posture. Brad held up his hands.

"It's okay, I've come with news of Tyler. He's very sick and we need your help." He explained, his words coming out slowly as if he were speaking to a group of young children.

Claire stayed silent, wondering if the creatures even understood English in their wolf form. Her curiosity was answered when the tan wolf whimpered quietly and took a step forward. Worry evident as the wolf's shoulder fur began to rise and it emitted a low groan as it rested its head against the black wolf.

"The black wolf is Tyler's father and the pack Alpha, Chris and the tan one is Tyler's mother and Alpha female, Kelly. I'm not sure about the other two." Brad explained quietly. Her heart began to race as she watched the wolves turn away from them and retreat into the shadows. She looked at Brad, fear rising in her chest. Where were they going? Did they not care what happens with Tyler? Brad shrugged uncertainly at her.

"I guess that's our signal to follow them. Climb onto my back, and remember to close your eyes and try to take small breaths this time." He teased and turned his back to her, crouching down a little so that she could climb onto his path. Once she was settled, everything became a blur.

     •     •     •

The two stopped in a clearing and at the far end were tall houses with the same cabin-like exterior to all of them. People were seen streaming in and out of every building, some stopping to greet one another and others continuing on with their day. The pack had their own secluded community away from the humans and it seem to be a will diverse system.

This was where Tyler had grown up. This was his home.

No one seemed to pay them any mind as they hustled about, couples were walking hand-in-hand and parents towed their children by their hands as they walked. This was amazing! It was then she realized, Tyler had been silent about his up bringing in childhood home. She couldn't fathom why because this seemed to be a great community to grow up in.

"Here comes Chris and Kelly." Brad's remark snapped her out of her thoughts and she stood a little straighter, she was about to meet Tyler's parents for the first time and she hoped to make a decent first impression even if it was without Tyler by her side.

"Greetings, welcome to our home. My name is Chris and I am the PAC alpha and this is my mate, Kelly. We understand you know where our son is? Who is this? Why is there a human with you?" Chris question, giving Claire a curious once over and a smile remain on his face.

Claire suddenly felt awkward and nervous under the gazes of the wolves. She averted her gaze from them, down to the ground and then back up at them. "M-My name is Claire. Tyler and I are close friends from school. I know all about the world he comes from." She said, hoping that would come across as a relief because she did know the truth. She had guessed right because they both gave her a friendly smile.

"so you are the Claire that our son has engrossed himself in. It is very lovely to finally meet you, unfortunately, under these circumstances of course. You both may follow us to our home and we will discuss Tyler's whereabouts." Kelly spoke, motioning with her hand for them to follow them.

Brad and Claire followed closely behind Chris and Kelly as they followed the pair into their home and the four of them set at the dining room table.

"Can I get either of you anything?" Kelly offered.

"I'll take water please." Claire replied. She shifted nervously in her chair, her hands twisting and fidgeted in her lap as she awaited for the discussion to begin. She hoped this was the right call in getting the wolves involved to rescue Tyler.

"You mentioned Tyler being very sick? What do you mean by that? Who has him?" Chris asked, a deep frown on his face. His eyes flitted between her and Brad, waiting for one of them to reply.

"Josh has captured him and he is planning on creating a hybrid army, and as you know, that is a very dangerous move. He is mixing Tyler's blood with pure wolfsbane in order to create a super potion. He has started to inject a few vampires with his experiment. They have taken so much blood from Tyler that he is barely surviving now. He needs to be rescued very soon or he will die." Brad explained, his tone serious and worried. Both Chris and Kelly stared at Brad and her and Claire watched as Kelly covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes filling with tears.

"my poor baby boy..." Kelly whispered, wiping her eyes quickly. She placed a bottle of water in front of Claire and sat down across from her, next to Chris.

"then we need to come up with a plan to get him out of there. If you say that he is this sick, it's going to take a long time for him to recover. Wolfsbane is pure venom to our kind and I can only imagine what damage it is doing to him on the inside." Chris muttered sorrowfully, his dark eyes drifting down to the table.

"I suggest taking a whole patrol with you and I will lead you straight to the location where they are holding him. It is crawling with vampires but I know there are a handful of us who do not wish Tyler any harm and we would be willing to get him out, no matter the risk." Brad said.

"I will gather a few members that are our strongest and we will set out at dawn. We will ambush the location and the vampires that you know you can trust can help us fight our way through." Chris said. Brad nodded in agreement. Chris then turned his gaze to Claire.

"I think it would be better if you stayed here with Kelly. I don't want to have to explain to my son that you were killed or injured. He seems to be very fond of you and he will need you throughout his recovery."

"You will be safe with me, I promise. And it will give us a chance to learn about one another." Kelly told her, giving her a friendly smile. Claire couldn't refrain from smiling back at her. She seemed really great.