The Last of the Twenty: Broken Pawns

Chapter 37

The hunt didn't take long. Over a decade of nearly nightly hunts had taught them well. The three wolves moved as a unit, tracking in a nearly grid-like pattern through thick swamps and marshlands. They were after the biggest prey they could find. A single animal equals a fast hunt, and a fast hunt is exactly what was needed.

Daniel led the hunt, a white streak of fur against the steadily growing darkness of twilight. Wes and Dillon flanked closely behind, ready to spread out and circle around any prey unlucky enough to wander into their paths. The threat of an upcoming battle and the dangers that entailed were buried deep in their minds, replaced by the unbridled euphoria of hunting in their animal form. Nothing in life came close to the freedom of giving into their basis instincts and allowing nature to guide them.

Suddenly Daniel picked up a scent. He let out a howl, a signal to his brothers that prey was ahead and the chase was on. Whether or not the animal they were chasing heard the howl made no difference, there was nothing in these woods that could outrun the pack. Wes and Dillon spread out and ahead as Daniel slowed his pace. He would take on the animal head first as his brothers came in from the sides.

Daniel burst from the underbrush and into an opening in the trees to find a full grown black bear standing on its hind legs in an attempt to smell his adversaries. The bear had at least a hundred pounds on Daniel and enough strength to pose a serious, if not potentially deadly, threat to anything that dared face it. He never slowed his pace. Like a white specter of death he charged straight at the waiting bear. It saw him coming and dropped to its front feet, popping its jaw in warning. Daniel didn't hesitate, he ducked down at the last instant and lunged up at the bear's throat. His power and momentum lifted the bear's front legs off the ground as the animal bellowed out in rage and pain. It managed to feebly get its front claws into Daniel's fur half a second before Wes and Dillon lunged in from the sides and helped Daniel bring it down.

The fight was over in moments.

They ate quickly, tearing large chunks of meat off bone and swallowing in a single motion. Bear was good, a lot of fat and a lot of meat. They would need that in their systems before the night was over. By the time they were finished there was little left for the coyotes to finish off. Daniel looked up into the sky, the moon was just starting to rise. If they hurried they could probably be back at the inn before anyone else. It would give time to clean up and let dinner settle down before the nights more dangerous hunt began.

They took off straight for the inn. With the sun fully set the need to remain in the thickest parts of the forest to remain hidden was gone. They ran a nearly straight path to the inn, covering the miles in a matter of minutes. A few hundred yards away from the inn Daniel brought himself to a skidding stop, teeth bared. His brothers caught up and stopped beside him, curious. Although they didn't have as developed a sense of smell as Daniel, they knew from his behavior that something was wrong.

"What is it?" Dillon asked.

Daniel glanced sideways and gestured for them to wait before taking off into the night alone. He was within sight of the inn in a matter of seconds. He stopped in a thick tangle of brush and lowered his body as far as he could, attempting to hide his white fur from prying eyes. He could smell them before he could see them. At least two vampires were circling the inn with slow and jerky movements. He could sense both their desire to break in and attack whoever they found and their frustration with their own restraint. They were under orders.

One of them turned, looking from the inn to the few houses on either side. The vampire looked hungry, it glanced between windows with the lust of a child looking at Christmas toys in a storefront. Daniel watched its movements, noting how much effort it was taking the vampire to hold its ground. Curious, Daniel almost attempted to sneak in for a closer view, wondering what could be powerful enough to hold back the instincts of such a killer.

As the vampire turned back towards the inn Daniel got his answer. He halted his progress and ducked down, ready to back out and take off the moment the vampire had its back turned again. Its eyes were flickering red. As the vampire turned its back to him he took his chance. Backing out of the thicket as silently as possible, Daniel tore off into the darkness and back to his waiting brothers. Less than five minutes had passed when he found them, the agitation obvious in his eyes as the moonlight reflected off them like gems. "Vampires, at least four of them. They've surrounded the inn."

Wes and Dillon looked in the direction of the inn and growled, the hair on their backs standing on end. "We can take care of them," Wes said, "We'll take them out one by one. It'll be easy."

"No." Daniel said, "It's not worth the risk. If even one of them escapes they could warn their master about us, and we'd lose any advantage we have."

"Their master?" Wes asked.

Daniel nodded. "They're possessed by some dark magic, it makes their eyes glow red and controls their actions. I don't know if the spell was cast by angel or vampire, and I don't care. I just know it's dangerous."

"What should we do then?" Dillon asked, the disappointment in the question obvious.

Daniel ignored his brother's disappointment, some things were more important than youthful pride. "We find the others. I know where they went. We'll find Ethan and Gabriel there before they leave and warn them."

Both Wes and Dillon faced the inn, the tension in their bodies making even Daniel want to spring into action. He knew they couldn't, they had to be careful. One wrong move from any of them had the chance of bringing their enemies down on them before they were ready. The last thing they needed was to become overwhelmed before they were all together. Wes and Dillon weren't true alphas, and therefore didn't have the generational memories engrained in their minds.

He may not have known about angels, but Daniel knew what happened last time creatures like this made an appearance. It the first time his pack had made contact with Ethan and his maker, Pierre. Between their mistrust for each other and anger towards the deaths of their kin, both vampire and werewolf acted with haste to nearly disastrous results. He wouldn't allow that to happen again, this time they did things right. "Let's go." Daniel said. The order was final, and both Wes and Dillon knew it. Their tales and ears dropped as all the tension left their bodies. They would not cross their brother.

The three wolves ran off into the darkness, unaware that a flickering pair of eyes were tracking their progress. High above a small girl clung to the sticky branches of the tall pines, holding back far enough to prevent the wolves from smelling her yet close enough to follow their progress. The scent of the girl was on them, even if only slightly. The others could stay back and hope the girl would arrive, but not her. Unlike the others she was turned as a child, and as such held a childlike desire to please her master, no matter what it took.

And if they led her to the girl, her masterwould be pleased.