An Unlikely Alliance

Chapter 8: An Open Invitation

Luka yawned loudly and stretched out his stiff limbs, rolling off the side of is bed. As he fell, his legs got tangled up in the blankets and yanked him sideways over the edge. His head hit the ground with a thud and he groaned, his head throbbing painfully as he slid to the floor.

Out of the blurry haze of red, he saw the tent flap open and a pair of dirty grey sneakers approaching. Luka craned his neck to see a blurry mess of grey hair and a glint of yellow. "Ey Starwing, you okay?" He made a weak noise in reply. The figure shook their head and yelled behind them, "Yo Sparky! Come over here!" His vision cleared a bit and he realized that it was Grave kneeling over him. Luka managed a smile, "Am I dying, Reaper?" Grave rolled his eyes, "Drama Queen."

A bright-eyed kid bounded into the tent, tail wagging happily. "You called for me?" Luka gave a small wave and Grave sighed, "Idiot hit his head again." The kid smiled, "The usual then!" He put a hand on the back of Luka's head for a few seconds and the pain disappeared. He sat up, grinning, "Thanks Lil-bro. I owe ya one." They fist-bumped and the kid trotted back out.

Grave grabbed him by the hand and helped him up, "Verin's a good kid. He'll do anything he's asked to without question, no matter how ridiculous it may be. You made the right choice there, Alpha." Luka traced his eyelid, remembering that day, "Yeah...still hurt like hell though..." Grave blew a raspberry as he held the tent flap open to walk out, "Yeah yeah, you walked it off anyway."

Luka walked over to his bed, pulling a green tunic and a pair of trousers from under his pillow. Once he was dressed, he slid on a pair of brown boots and headed outside.

The camp was quiet, the small campfire sending sparks into the air. He waved to Foxtrot, who was prowling around the border on patrol duty. Sabrina watched from the trees, probably bird watching. He could see Grave smoking out by the storage tent, while Shadow and Serena where chatting with Verin in the medical tent.

As he drew closer to the campfire, he smelled something strange. The unmistakable scent of vampire. Sabrina and Foxtrot must have noticed it too, because they both came out into the open, ears flattened. Sabrina morphed into wolf form, her ruby fur bathing the camp in red. Luka walked up behind them, bracing himself for a fight.

But lo and behold, it was then that Artemis came jogging out of the trees, seemingly winded. She wore a tight black Victorian-style blouse and an elaborate black hoop-skirt, her raven hair fixed in a braid with an amethyst hair clip.

"Lu...ka..." she gasped, bending over, "I...found...you!" Sabrina and Foxtrot growled, but he just busted out laughing. "Pffft, ha ha ha ha ha! What's with that fancy getup? You look so formal!" Sabrina looked back at him like he was insane. By now the others noticed the scene.

Artemis took a step forward, but Foxtrot snapped at her, baring her fangs defensively. Luka patted her back, "Down girl, she's a friend." Foxtrot morphed back into werewolf form, her purple eyes glistening, "The heck do you mean, Alpha?!" Shadow and Serena came up behind him, "You're kidding. You know who she is, right?" Luka turned around and backed up next to Artemis, putting his hands on her shoulders, "Sure do. Artemis Bloodfang, Pureblood Princess and honorary demon slayer, who just so happens to be one of my newest friends."

Everyone was speechless. Artemis smiled politely, "Yes, that would be correct. I'm truly sorry if I startled you all with my unexpected appearance. It was not my intention." Luka grinned, hiding a mini nervous breakdown, "So let's not get our fur in a bunch worrying about it, kay?" They all backed down, whispering to each other in confusion.

Artemis took Luka by the arm, whispering in his ear, "On the other hand, I came all the way over here for a reason. I have an important favor to ask of you." She pulled him over behind the large oak tree that Sabrina had been perched in, looking up as if to make sure that no one was watching them from above. "I need your help with something, but it's extremely dangerous and stupid." Luka tilted his head, his tail wagging ever so slightly, "I like the sound of those odds." She gave him The Look, "Be serious, wolfboy. This is about my father." Luka froze, dead quiet, "Oh..."

Artemis frowned, "Exactly. Lord Bloodfang has directly ordered me to return to our estate in the Vampire Kingdom, across the mountains. Sadly, I already know that if I go alone, I might end up tearing him to shreds and burning the whole house down with him." She paused, hoping she wouldn't have to ask directly.

Luka sighed and leaned against the tree, "So...you want me to come along as an escort?" Artemis bit her lip, "You can hide your ears and tail, right?" He rolled his eyes, "I suppose, if your very life depends on i-"

Artemis threw her arms around him, pinning him to the tree, "Thank you! You're a lifesaver!" Luka's face lit up red, and he buried his head in his shoulder, "N-No problem....." She stepped back, blushing, "Oh, sorry." Luka stood up, walking around the tree, "Gimme a sec, I'll be back." He jogged over to Shadow and Serena, and she had a murderous look on her face. Before they could say anything, he blurted, "I know, I'm sorry. It's all kind of sudden. I met her a few days ago, and she gave me a really cool peace offering. I'm chill with her, and she seems chill with you guys."

He then locked eyes with Shadow, "But...an urgent matter has come up, and I have to go take care of it. I might be gone for five or six days, depending on the travel time. I want you two to take the pack on a hunting trip down the southeast border. They seem bored with my lazy leadership."

Serena pouted, "So it WAS her then. She's the urgent matter you have to take care of. That's why you kept her a secret." Luka went quiet, then chuckled, "Gods above, no! She was just monitoring vampire activity by the border. She came to report some Pureblood movement in the other side of the woods. I'm going to investigate. That IS my job as an Alpha, considering the other packs don't care. You understand that, right?" Serena's eyelashes were laced with white frost, "Fine. Do whatever you want, I'll go tell the others." She walked off, dragging Shadow with her.

Luka sighed, "She saw right through me.....I hate lying to my best friends....." He pushed the thought out of his head and sprinted towards his tent, snatching his deer fur vest off of his nightstand and tossing it over his shoulder. As he jogged back to where Artemis was waiting, he slid the vest over his arms and smoothed it down flat. She eyed him, tapping her arm impatiently, "You ready yet?" Luka nodded, and they set off on the path leading North towards the mountains.