Alternative Alpha

Chapter Twenty-Three

Stepping forward a few paces, cautiously remaining aware of my surroundings, I pause to watch him disengage himself from her. Purposefully turning her back to me, they stand side by side as he keeps an arm wrapped around her midsection. He continues to stare, unblinking, with an annoying smirk that dares me to make the first move.

"Are you okay, Marree?"

She does not respond just as she does not move. Yet, the fear I sense from her is quite real. Perhaps she is under a vampiric spell, if there even is such a thing, one that keeps her paralyzed while her frightened consciousness is unable to retake control of her body.

They are only several yards ahead, yet at the same time they seem so far away as I mentally assess my physical hardiness. Can I take on a vampire? If lore is correct, they are powerful. Correction, make this a confrontation with two vampires. One is sneaking up behind me.

The smell, which I am now associating with them as vampires, is strong and unmistakable. As silent as this vampire is behind me, I figure their scent will always alert me of their presence.

Being agile due to cheerspark practice, I shift to the side after the vampire lunges at me. She, although not the DJ, flies past me and topples to the ground where she momentarily resembles a tumbleweed before majestically sliding to a halt on bended knee and a hand on the ground before her.

Her advantage gone, I perceive slight irritation in her expression. Either this, or she is constipated. The latter is unlikely, but it still lightens the mood from my perspective.

Also according to lore, our two species are supposed to be enemies. If my sense of smell was inferior, I would think they are merely human. They are not extremely pale and there is nothing otherworldly in how they present themselves. The only distinguishing aspect I can see, anyone can see, are their fangs.

Funny how Willum or Gare did not inform me of vampires and their existence. Just leave the new wolf clueless, right?

"You are more than you appear to be," he says as his gaze seems to probe me for a clue.

The female, possibly related to the boss but not necessarily, displays her fangs and hisses at me as the muscles in her legs and arms tighten. It appears as though she is going to lunge at me, but it makes no sense to do this if I am aware it is about to happen.

Unless…

Something heavy lands on my shoulders and kicks me in the back, propelling me forward to send my knees crashing to the ground. The surprise of it makes me yell out in shock instead of pain. Slamming the palms of my hands into the ground, I prevent my upper body from collapsing. Although this position might be good if I am at the bottom of a pyramid, it currently leaves me at a disadvantage to my attacker.

Do I try to roll over and crush the smelly vampire beneath me?

No, I have a better idea. The vampire on my back is not sinking its teeth into me yet, but I figure it is only a matter of time. What happens when a vampire bites a werewolf? As I contemplate this, I perform a push up exercise. Unaccustomed to doing it on my knees, I can manage.

With my nose nearly touching the dirt, feeling the strain coursing through my muscles, I push against the ground and send myself up into the air. Rising, tree branches and foliage beat against me. The loss of extra weight is immediately noticeable as I begin to feel gravity take hold of my body instead.

No stranger to being in the air, usually due to the advanced acrobatics of cheerspark, I orient myself to see where the ground is located in order to ensure a solid landing on my feet. When I do touch the ground, an impactful sound does not reflect an imperfect settlement that results in me wobbling to maintain a standing position.

Before I can regain control, or even look around, something hits my back again. The encounter is not as devastating as before. This time I manage to stay on my feet. But the vampire wraps its limbs around me, introducing an entirely new problem I have to solve. Spinning around, looking for any other threats, I do not see the female who was ready to lunge at me earlier. A whiff of the arms wrapped around my chest informs me that it is her who is attached to me like a leech ready to feed.

Her arm scrambles to maneuver itself beneath my chin and around my throat. Finding a nearby tree, I turn my back to it and run backwards into it. Even though she is the cushion, the collision is still jarring for me. Also, the violent, bone breaking crash does not loosen her grip despite the scream that escapes from her throat.

At least her arm seems to have forgotten its mission for my throat. Using the opportunity of her momentary disorientation, I bend my knees and use force to propel myself back into the air. This time, the goal is different. This time, there are no tree branches in the way. With more control over what is newly possible for my body, I place myself in a supine position as I begin to feel gravity do what it does best.

Tightening all of my muscles, I brace myself for contact with the ground. The smart thing for her to do is release me in order to roll out of harm's way, but she tenaciously clings to me. Stubborn.

Her as a buffer does not leave me entirely unshaken. My vision blurs, but I manage to roll away from her when I no longer feel the tight embrace of her unwelcome limbs. It takes me a few moments to get my bearings and a few more seconds to return myself to a standing position.