The Vampire's Harvest

13

You take hold of the pistol as one of the wolves retrieves your other weapons. The wolf eyes the weapon in your hands with uncertainty, but doesn't say a word as she walks out of the ring with your rope and pin. You brace yourself in a fighting stance as the alpha looks over you once more, his brow raised with curiosity.

"A trial by blood is a trial of honor," declares the alpha. "Go!"

Just as your ears register the start of the fight, Daniel is already sprinting forward, darting in a zigzag line before taking a swipe at your arm. You recoil from the blow, your stance stumbling, though your hand tightens around the pistol, keeping it firmly in your grip. You regain your footing just in time to spot Daniel making his next pass. You manage to dodge, but only by the skin of your teeth.

He moves quickly, but his speed is unwieldy and he needs time to halt his momentum forward in order to turn around. You narrowly escape his next pass, but this time you're prepared for his turn around. As he takes his time arching around the circle and repositioning himself for his next strike, you balance your core, spreading your legs and bending slightly into a strike position. You don't think you'll have more than just this shot. His speed is so quick that a miss will likely result in your weapon being knocked out of your hand.

He has you in his sights. He races forward. You duck under his swing and aim the pistol for his torso. It looks like it will land a solid blow against the speedy wolf, but in the time it takes you to pull the trigger and for the bullet to leave the barrel of the gun, Daniel is already out of range and the bullet soars towards the ring of wolves, who have already parted to make way for the rogue projectile. Stunned by the recoil of the gun and dazed by the missed shot, you don't react in time as your opponent knocks the gun from your hand and then throws you to the ground. A quick kick to your ribs finishes you off.

"Enough!" says the alpha, his declaration a deafening boom. "We will be sending many to their grave tonight, but I'll not have you be one of them."

Daniel stops his attack immediately and joins the circle without a word. You, however, lay on the ground, clutching your side and breathing hard as your heart pounds against your rib cage. The alpha hovers over you, looking down with disgust curling his lip.

"Gianette, you will remain here and make sure this pathetic lot stays out of our way."

"Y-yes, my alpha."

You look over to where your sister remains in the wake of the pack. Already the others race forward and towards the town, not wasting a single moment further. The alpha passes by Gianette, gazing at her with a vicious stare. One she attempts to meet, but fails to hold.

As for the coven, some look relieved to be forcibly kept outside of town, while others, particularly Ferris, bite back their own rage over their stolen conquest. You think to go over and apologize to your friend, to reassure him that it's better this way, but you know he'll undo your weak excuses with one word — Kinley. Whether the wolves fail or succeed, Ferris will not find closure in vengeance.

So you sit alone in the clearing, neither welcomed by the coven nor comforted by your sister. And it's there that you sit until the pack limps back to the clearing, their bodies torn, their fur ragged, and their numbers decimated.

Before them is the large, silvery wolf that had bitten your sister, the alpha. He's now missing an eye, but he still stands strong before his pack. When he spots Gianette, he snaps his jaw, whimpers, and howls, before he heads into the woods with his remaining wolves following behind him.

"The battle was a draw," says Gianette through tight lips. "We're leaving."

It's then that you realize, your sister's wounds had healed and that the bite she suffered was not one out of malice, but of initiation. Her transformation was not as smooth as the alpha's, her face stretching with pain as her jaw lengthened, her limps snapping into place as they reformed into the legs of a wolf, and her skin burning red as fur pushed it's way out. However, not once did she cry out. Now a fully formed, golden blonde wolf, she races forward without so much as a glance towards you. And then she is gone.

Over the coming year, Ferris continues his plans for vengeance. You are no longer a part of those plans, but you hear rumors of his growing rebellion. However, the vampires do not forget the wolves' surprise attack and with the following Harvest Ball, they bring extra security. Ferris is captured and killed, along with his coven.

Everyone you hold dear is gone.

***

You've found one of the unsuccessful endings for this branch of the story... Why not go back and see if you can find the best weapon to use against Daniel!