An Unlikely Alliance

Chapter 4: A Peace Offering

Luka wandered through the forest absent-mindedly, thinking about the fight between him and the demon. He had smelled it before he saw it, yet it managed to land an arrow in his shoulder before he could do much. Of course, he tore it to shreds with his claws afterwards, and got a second arrow to the leg in the process. "How could I have been so stupid as to be taken down by a petty demon....." he chided himself.

The smell of wet deer fur filled his nose and his legs stiffened. He immediately forgot about the demon and morphed into wolf form, eyes glowing green as he sprinted after the scent. It took him a minute, but he finally caught sight of the animal. He found himself staring at a healthy young buck with shiny velvet fur, and was about to pounce when out of nowhere, everything around him got brighter. The sun must've come out from behind a cloud, because the wind shifted as well, and the deer bolted at the smell of him.

Luka morphed back into werewolf form, and just as he did, he spotted a light shining from beyond the tree line. He jogged toward the clearing, and he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Laying in the center of the field was a girl. Her pale white skin sparkled like diamonds in the sunlight, her shiny raven black hair tucked into the back of an emerald cloak. He noticed two objects beside her: A metal crossbow and.....a pair of demon horns. Luka froze. No, not just any demon horns. He could smell it from there; those were the horns of the demon who had shot him.

But he was too curious to just stand there. He crept closer to the sleeping beauty, already knowing in the back of his head just who she was. When he got within a foot of her, she stirred and turned over, her face illuminated by the soft rays of the sun. She looked so gentle and innocent in her sleep, but he could see the fangs poking out of her mouth.

The girl yawned and blinked, her indigo eyes piercing the light-colored landscape around her. Luka backed up quickly, claws at the ready. Her eyes went wide in surprise when she noticed him, but then she smiled warmly, "Well hello, Alpha. Fancy seeing you here." She sat up and stretched, bits of grass spotting her hair. Luka was dead silent, cautiously stepping back and baring his fangs.

The girl reached out, and Luka hissed as her hand neared the crossbow. But, to his surprise, she grabbed the pair of demon horns instead. She held them out to him, "Here, take them. I have a feeling that these should belong to you." He wanted to take them, but he stilled his hand, not trusting her one bit.

She frowned, setting them down, "Oh, don't be like that. You already know who I am...not to mention WHAT I am. I don't care about the relationships between vampires and werewolves.....I just wish you guys wouldn't glare at me like I was the most horrid monster in this world."

Artemis stood up, picking up her crossbow and strapping it over her shoulder. She eyed his bandages, "I wish you luck, though those wounds seem to be healing quite fast, if you can still transform in that state." She started to walk towards the trees, leaving the horns behind. She gave him a sad look, "If it makes you feel any better, I made him regret ever laying a finger on you."

Luka realized she was talking about the demon and lunged forward, taking her wrist. Artemis turned to face him, taken aback by his sudden reaction. His eyes darkened and he quickly let go, "Uh...t-thank you.....for saving me that is. Shadow thanks you as well." She laughed slightly, "I'm guessing Serena not so much." He didn't understand how she knew their names, but he grinned, "Not so much. She's a bit overprotective."

Artemis took his hand in hers, "I do not regret helping you. And...I wish I could stay and talk, but I should get back to my own home before my uncle comes looking for me. Dasvidanya!" He strangely understood what she meant and waved her goodbye as they parted ways. After she was out of sight, he laughed, "Maybe vampires aren't so bad after all!"

Ironically, he walked into camp beaming, and the other werewolves stared at him in confusion. A few whispered to each other worriedly. "Is he okay? I heard he was badly injured in a fight." "Who cares, we never get to see him with his shirt off." "He stormed out half an hour ago, but he looks pretty happy now. Did something happen while he was out?" "Probably. The Alpha always has something to do outside the pack, you know that."

Luka tuned them out, grinning as he walked to his tent in the back. Once he was inside, he placed the demon horns on top of his headboard like a trophy. But just as he set them down, someone else entered the tent. As if by instinct, Luka could feel the blazing yellow eyes burning on his back.

"You need somethin' Reaper?" he asked without bothering to look behind him. "Nothin' really. How you feelin', Alpha?" said the werewolf leaning against the tent pole, a cigarette smoking between his fingers, which Luka could easily smell. "Great, but I'd feel better if I didn't have the overpowering smell of drugs up my very sensitive nose. What have I told you about bringing that stuff in here, Grave?"

The smell disappeared a second later and he heard the cig hit the ground outside. "Thank you." Grave shifted his weight, moving the tent, "Tsk. Ya know, you've got to be the cockiest Alpha out here. I still don't understand how you got me to follow orders." Luka grinned, "I agree with you there." He picked up one of the horns and turned it over in his hand.

"What'cha got there?" Grave mocked as he glanced over Luka's shoulder. He almost slipped when he spotted the horn, but he flailed and popped back up. "W-what the hell?! Is that a demon horn?! How'd you get ahold of that?!" Luka chuckled, "First off, yes it's from hell. Second, yes they are from a demon. And third, I uh...got them from a friend. A little compensation from the thing that did THIS to me." He pointed to his bandages.

Grave stood up straight, rubbing his forehead, "Let me guess, those are the horns of the demon archer that you had beef with a while back, aren't they? That's why they haven't turned to dust by now." Luka turned and gave him a condescending smirk, "That would be one logical explanation." Grave rolled his eyes, his scar rippling, "And this level of sass is why I chose you as my Alpha."

"Everything all right in there, Luka?" said a voice from outside. The door flap of the tent rustled and Serena poked her head in. Grave scowled, his usual menacing expression, "All good here, Elsa." She glared at him, "Oh look, gargoyle's here too. Should've guessed from the cigarette smoldering in the grass out here." Luka sighed, "At each other's throats again, I see."

They both stopped and straightened up, looking at their feet. Luka smiled, "Thank you. It makes job a lot easier when my pack TRIES to get along without me saying something about it." The two grumbled insults under their breath, but walked out together without further incident.

Luka sat down on the side of his bed, glancing at the horn in his hand. "I'll never understand why you chose to save me." he said to the empty air, "You are one strange vampire, Artemis Bloodfang."