Running with Wolves

The dead winter leaves crunched under your rapid step, westward towards the path Flora told you to stick to. The dark finger-like branches shimmered in the eerie silence where the She-wolves screams once were.

You pulled out your phone, quickly pressing the name next to the bird emoji in your contacts.

It barely rang for a second before it was answered.

"Boss, what the hell is going on, I thought I heard screaming!?" Moonie questioned.

"-I've found the path to Woden, we've got maybe 5 minutes before the wolves come, can you call on Rudy and Cleo?"

"What? I mean I could try but-- I'm not the boss, Charlie, and those two are old-school, they don't use telephones. If I put out an SOS now it might not reach them, the only call we always hear, unconditionally is always yours."

You slowed down, trying to get your bearings, the woods were thick and hard to navigate in the shadows, even with your senses. This would be a difficult battle in enemy territory on terrain that they had likely mastered "Okay... how do I do that?"

"I was reborn a blooded, Charlie, it doesn't work like that for vampires like me. They could be miles away and... I have never put out a summons that strong before."

Your throat rumbled in a low hum of annoyance, you couldn't shake the loud feeling that this was yet another obstacle meant for Him, not you, not now.

■ You are so lost, lover-boy. Forget all of them, let us wash ourselves in these hound's blood, they taste ever so sweet don't you think? like the smooth one: Flora. ■

"This is nothing but a hallucination brought on by prolonged starvation. I will beat you and I definitely wont let you fuck me over by turning me into a mindless killer. After we hear what Woden has to say, Vlad will be back, and you will have been nothing more than a bad memory."

"Charlie, Charlie will you say something? I can't just sit tight here, one werewolf is all it takes Charlie, please answer me!"

You looked at your claws; sharp as razors, licking the tips of the fangs hidden behind your lips, the time for honour was over, to defeat a beast, you had to use every little trick your mind could think up.

Pressing the phone against your ear with your shoulder, you walked out into a long winding path, tightly enclosed by thick brush; the west-path "I will call Cleo and Rudy, I need you to get here as fast as you can, about 3 miles northwest of where you're parked, you'll find a densely covered path, I'll keep moving from there, make sure you catch up."

"Okay, I think I can do that. Please be safe, I'll be right there!" The line closed, and you looked ahead with determined crimson eyes.

Pressing onwards you sharpened your focus. The way forward was winding, seemingly endless, but the walls of brambles could prove useful in cutting off any kind of chase, running like a madman wouldn't help, just like Flora said that trying to outrun them wouldn't work, but what if you outsmarted them instead?

"Mhalia"

You bit into your wrist, drawing out your backpack in blood as you moved in a fast walk down the spiralling path.

The Bullets in your clip popped free into your warm hands, scrambling to rip the silver barrels free from the ammunition. Each clip held six rounds and you had six clips total. Storing this much with what you understood to be eldritch Blood Magic was becoming taxing; each item was transformed into a spindling droplet of blood which travelled through the bloodstream, but after storing nearly anything you thought you might need in an emergency, your veins felt full, the inner flow slowed to an uncomfortable pace.

Two clips remained full, just in case you needed to shoot, the other four you emptied in your haste, also removing the other silver shells.

"Come on Drake, it's simple chemistry. This is the easy bit, the hard bit though..."

You thought to your self, struggling to even picture how summoning other vampires would work

"...It's gotta be a subconscious thing, maybe it's like telepathy? CLEO!? RUDY!? CAN YOU HEAR ME, I NEED YOU, QUICKLY!"

No response.

Clutching the many silver shells in your right hand, you unzipped you backpack with the other, shuffling though the books and other crap, to find a metal box inside; your lunch box. For once you thanked god that your appetite for normal food had been so poor over the past week or so, you'd managed to accumulate 6 sandwiches, 12 slimjims, a couple of Oreos... but most importantly "Yes!" You smiled, pulling out the three or four oranges clumped at the bottom, as weird as it was having your 'carer' pack a lunch for you that you never touched, it seemed there were upsides to such a thing after all "Daisy, wherever you are, I fucking love you!"

Grasping the water bottle within you pulled up the rucksack, shooting spit at it from between your lips and rubbing away the sweat from your forehead on one of the straps before throwing it with all of your might, out into the ocean of trees.

Here is where you stopped, emptying the water from the bottle and shaving the skin off of the oranges as quickly as you could, so that you could squeeze out their fragrant juices one by one into the bottle.

After roughly measuring the amount of citrus juice with the ridges on the inside of the bottle, slowly you dropped the silver casings inside, and tried to figure things out from there.

"Okay, now I just need to concentrate the citrus into Nitric Acid. Come on, Drake, think."

An echo swept through the woods, a long ominous howl that made your head whip back... it was a heavy, laughing howl, monstrous but familiar "Flora, she's coming." but... it wasn't just her, another howl; deeper, angrier followed by another that was faster and more urgent, her 'brothers' were coming too.

It was difficult to tell with the echo and distance, but you estimated that flora was 2 miles away, the others: another 2 miles from her. Assuming a werewolf was faster than a blooded, they could be here in less than three or four minutes, the chase was on.

This wasn't the time for an executioner, brute **** wouldn't do the trick... Vampires though, they had tricks of their own, You took some of the blood from the earlier rune you had made, and began drawing on the metal bottle.

The Blood-Rune was strange; a magnifying glass surrounded by eldritch writing; yet another lost memory come to the surface. You once again tried to search for the right words "Magnitude: Focus!" not a god damn flicker "Ummm, Shit. come on come on..." You were a Vampire, you knew this, you knew the words, just on the tip of your tongue "Magnify: Concentrate."

Red sparks illuminated briefly as the orange juice became darker, thicker, the mixture, with the final ingredient: your palm which you heated very carefully with the fires of the sun, cautious to maintain the temperature as to refute a violent reaction. A swell of victory filled you, as it began to bubble energetically, a angry brown foam and mist spewing out of the bottles mouth as the water content was rapidly evaporated, leaving a pale silver liquid that filled about half of the metal bottle.

This reaction was imperfect, but by design. With gentle hands you poured out the excess liquid, leaving a small amount of crystals in the bottom, just enough for what you planned.

You put on the lid, careful to keep it protected from the light and placed it in the empty slot on your belt, smiling darkly "Yeah Science." You whispered, continuing onwards in your subtle trek towards the cabin that Flora claimed was the home of the man you would seek, Woden Black-feather.

The Air of danger grew as you felt a powerful presence, it's animosity filled every space like a miasma of untold ruin.

Growls and howls could be heard in the distance, along with... the heavy but sharp roar of a powerful machine, pulling itself over soft dirt at a blinding pace, Moonie was coming.

You used even the smallest of ideas to call on Cleo and Rudy. Not a single one seemed to bare fruit, it seemed that the summons wasn't initiated mentally, at least not in any way you could call on command. Time was running short, as the roaring sound of rushing tires and bounding gargantuan feet drew ever nearer.

Feeling frustration set in, you took as deep a breath planting a knee in the dirt sliding Lugh; still sheathed, from your belt, leaning into it for support.

The wolf-blood still bubbled in your stomach, flooding you with an insidious energy. It was difficult to ignore the small anxiety and lust for blood, the thought of conquering your enemy lingered deep in your mind, you hungered for it.

They were less than a half a mile away now, and the wrathful roars followed by horrible barking filled your ears as you opened your bloody eyes and stood.

The body of Lugh's blade erupted with flame, which kissed the unsettled air with its orange tendrils, two ivory orbs quickly emerged from the treeline in the distance.... with no signs of slowing.

You sighed "I just wanted to go on a date for fuck's sake. Oh well." You muttered as a black silhouette smashed out of the underbrush, the headlights were on now and blindingly bright as they quickly rushed towards you.

The Apollo was a sleek shadow, its thick tires tearing through the dirt as a blonde head; mania painted on her pretty face, stuck out of the drivers side window "I CAN'T STOP, THEY ARE RIGHT BEHIND ME!!" Moonie screamed in panic.

Shrouded in an eerie calm, you stood in the path of the Apollo, unmoving and still as an undisturbed pool. Even as the headlights filled your vision, you simply closed your eyes and reminded yourself sternly that Drakes do not fear, Drakes do not compromise.

"OVERDRIVE!"

Your knees craned as they became swollen with muscle, and in one carefully measured jump you flipped backwards in an arc. Time felt inconsequential, you felt the Apollo slipped in from beneath you. Twisting around in a spiral, you dipped down placing one foot on the cars roof, slamming down the other just in time as the harsh rush of momentum pulled you rapidly along with the upgraded supercar.

The wind pushed on your body, but Overdrive hardened you against the sudden gust as you hoisted up you flaming sword, standing as a sentry, ready to battle whatever came next.

You expected monsters, but what came busting out of the shadows in less than a second, was beyond that; this is where you would see a fully formed werewolf for the first time.

A ear-piercing screech pierced the air as a huge pair of slobbering jaws bigger than any you'd ever seen opened right in front of you, lined with a heavy set of dirty jagged canines that seemed easily able to tear a man's upper body clean off.

Inhuman, soulless eyes widened in a wild wrath, threatening to clamp down on your head and rip it free.

You brandished one of your guns in a split-second reaction and pushed it out into the massive beasts path... that's when you noticed something, the hulking body of the beast wrought with unnaturally thick muscle; was covered in a thick coat of red-grey hair.

"Flora."

Gritting your teeth, you steered the barrel of your gleaming pistol just a little left of the Wolf's open jaw and in an instant, the muzzle flashed, a split-point silver bullet exploding out of the Beast's cheek. The Werewolf yelped like an injured pup, tumbling violently back down to the ground, before springing up again and shooting out in pursuit on its warped hind-legs.

The sky above stirred, swept over with dark clouds which surrounded the full moon, droplets of rain began to fall. You were shocked by the cruel malformed shape that Flora had become.

It was all warped muscled, rapped around a lean and narrow form which galloped with an unnatural speed.

Against what you expected a werewolf didn't completely resemble that of a humanoid form, the sight of the canine hock, twisting her legs into powerful instruments of travel. Her head was sleek, covered head to toe in a long coat of bloody charcoal grey, her bulging bloodshot eyes fixed on you, as she gnashed her teeth; a chaotic motion of gums and huge teeth.

She bucked forward on her long arms, kicking off into a smooth, lightning fast sprint towards You.

"Can't this thing go any faster?" You called, watching the Flora-Wolf quickly gaining on you, bloody flaps of exploded skin hanging from its snout, doing nothing to stop it from furiously hunting for another shot at the tall dark figure holding a flaming sword; unleashing a cloud of embers as it flowed through in the wind.

A panicked New Zealand accent cracked as it flew out of the car window "Not if you want us to stay on four wheels!"

The Flora-Wolf was inches away, gargling and snarling as it's own blood dripped from its long canines, before leaping up once again. it's long arms stretching out, claws thick as hunting knives came streaking towards you with the speed of a guillotine.

Gritting your teeth you caught the blow with the flaming body of your sword, sending a deafening clang that erupted with embers. The Beast did not stop on account of the fire, throwing it's arms forward in relentless attacks, each nearly sending you flying off the Apollo's roof.

With each clash of sword and claw, your arms violently wrung, quivering at the goliath shock of the Wolf's hammering attacks, only just parried away: inches from cleaving you in half.

Twisting on your heel, you anticipated the next attack, swinging around with all of your **** to smash the final attack upwards; leaving a narrow opening.

You clenched your fist, sinking your claws into the palm of your hand, drawing more blood and painting a crimson symbol in the air. You were going to speak the incantation for the rune that would put an end to this right away "Dragon's breath: Azure inferno" but looking into the Monsters eyes, one green, one yellow, you hesitated "Hellfire: Hot flash!"

A darting flash of insidious black flame streaked from your fingertips, threatening to scorch the Wolf's face. But it was quicker than expected dipping its huge head just in time so that the fire bit into one of the Wolf's long ears, reducing it to a smoking mound of flesh.

It seemed that the beast would fall back, but instead it opened it's jaws, yowling so loudly that your ears popped.

Eyes opening wide as a sharp impression of incoming danger swelled in your throbbing chest.

That's when it came, another, much larger face, malformed and scarred with course, tough black fur exploded from the black wall of brush, twigs and leaves smacked into your mask.

The gigantic black shadow towered over you in the milliseconds that it flew in from above. It's furious Blue eyes opened wide with a mindless wrath.

Thrusting up your aching arm, the flame of Lugh spiralled as you swung the roaring inferno out in front of you. A surge of **** heat filled the space between you and the two werewolves, one coming from below, the other swinging in from above.

Both were kissed by the relentless heat, eating away at their fur and singeing their eyes as the Monsters fell backward, screaming in pain but catching themselves in the dirt despite their horrible burns.

"Can they even feel the damage I'm doing!? no amount of injury is stopping them."

You huffed heavily, your stomach burning as rune and magic devoured every drop of the blood that Flora had gifted you. Arms shaking and trembling, you gasped as a shattering pain suddenly echoed through your shaking fingers.

You couldn't do this alone, not for much longer, these wolves were everything Moonie promised and more, never before had you felt anything with such unmatched aggression and wild power, at this rate the Bloody-grey she-wolf, and the hulking midnight short-furred brute would claw out the tires and eat out both of your hearts.

The rain was just a pitter-patter before, but now grew heavier, stronger, splashing against your leather coat and metal pauldrons; sizzling as it touched your red-hot sword.

"Charlie, they're gaining on us again! You have to call Cleo and Rudy now!!" The blonde pleaded, swerving around another corner which nearly made you tumble off of the Apollo's slick roof.

"I-I can't, I don't know how!" You cried, wrought with anxiety of what these ferocious hunters would do to Moonie once they got to her.

"Don't you get it, none of do! you just have to go with the flow, trust your gut and you'll get us through this, come on, the cabin isn't far now, I can smell Woden's old Marlboros from here, you can do this!"

**** was coming, the pain of the steak shot through your chest, Daisy ripping the vitality from your body in the bath, it all came flooding in. You were afraid of ****, having felt it's cold touch before, Hilde had taught you to fight with your head... but now the emotions that took hold of you became dominant, unable to be ignored.

In fear, we are reduced to our primal selves, logic becomes secondary. It was in this cauldron of pride, horror and determination that you felt the gentle red-waves, churning in the depths of your soul in the waking world for the first time.

Images squirmed in the back of your mind, a vast sea-bed of deep blue, filled with the shattered forms of shadowed figure; evasive to your memory like the last impression of a strange dream. When You felt that draw, remembering the place that you went to in your sleep, you had a gut feeling that this was what you needed, not logic, but pure primal emotion.

Holding the image in your mind, you imagined yourself diving into the infinite sea of blue, which boiled with heat, thrashing down to the bottom so violently that the scolding water peeled away your skin; leaving behind a cloud of blood which stained the azure with streaks of cruel sanguine.

Your cries bubbled to the surface, the pain was unbearable, but eventually you reached the bottom where the shadowed silhouette of a huge group lingered. Against all odds you dived deeper, fixed on two shadows with their arms open to the sea around them.

By the time you reached them, the deep water around you was pure crimson, and with hands; their skin boiled away, wrapped around the two figure's necks and with the last of your spirit, you whispered into their formless ears.

"I need your voice, and I need your gun, come to me and together we will fight until the end. I summon you, Rudenia, Claudia, help me."

Your eyes shot open as the world flooded back in, the cold rain dripping on your skin, which was entirely intact.

The Wolves galloped closer, and yet, when you searched for the fear, you found a steadily growing confidence.

Hoisting up your sword, you smiled "Come on then Poochies, the time for walkies is over."

The Flora -Wolf, slightly charred and wounded, followed by the broad monstrous Black-wolf both curved out, separating in their paths to cover each side of the Apollo. In a flurry of tooth and claw the monsters attacked each side of the vehicle, and so you drew one of your pistols and **** your broken fingers to tightly grip Lughs handle as you divided your focus, swinging the flaming blade in counter of the she-wolf, smashing her attempts to slice the rims into ribbons.

Quickly you dipped to the right, your gun boomed as a bullet exploded out of the Black-wolfs wrist, another sinking deep into it's shoulder.

The wounds sizzled loudly as the silver viciously ate into the deep gashes, the Black-wolf growled in pain. But in spite of all of that, the Wolves dragged their bodies along, causing dirt to fly up into the weeping sky.

"Hey, Lassie. Heel!"

Pushing all of the blazing power of Overdrive into your leg, you kicked Flora's jaws away the rain in your dripping hair whipping back out into the air. Locking your eyes on the slashing in a smooth motion at the black bicep of the Black-Wolf, splitting the tough skin in a gaping blackened wound.

You spun and weaved with all the skill and precision you could, defending Moonie with all of your might before-

Despite being loose and floppy, a black taloned hand suddenly sunk into the black bumper, the cars' engine stammering in protest as the Wolf pulled itself towards you.

A white hot pain suddenly dizzied you, the hard presence of something thick and sharp cutting deep into you right shoulder blade. The flesh became numb as your blood sprayed out on the Werewolves snarling faces. You clamped in a scream, unable to hold Lughs handle as you felt a rush of dizziness blur your vision.

The Black-Wolf... let out a low cackle, as Lugh slipped out of your hand "No..." You grunted, watching as it fell away.

"Raaaaargh!" Roaring with inhuman tones, you pushed your gun back into its holster and wrapped an iron grip on the wolf's bloody wrist, crushing it with supernatural ****. As it whimpered in pain as it's bones cracked, you cried "Mhalia!!"

The Black Drake vanished in a spray of blood and throwing your head down you opened your fanged jaws and clamped your white teeth around Lughs flaming blade just before it tumbled out of reach.

The She-wolf saw her opportunity, thrashing towards your neck with an open maw... but your smile gleamed across the handle of the sword, and in a spur of the moment reaction, you pulled up your head and felt the sensation of metal sinking into flesh.

The She-wolf made a terrible squealing sound, gore spilled on your cheeks... as it looked in pain and distress in one eye, and flaming steel in the other. You heard a small pop as you rent the blade away, flesh and viscera coating the air momentarily, before the She-wolf fell backwards, the picture of it's writhing body quickly disappearing as you and it's companion sped away.

"Sorry, Flora. You've been nothing but fair, but I will not let you tear us apart. I hope you understand when we meet again."

Groaning at the symphony of agony in your sliced shoulder, you tore the Black-wolves' claws free. In a bloody rage the Black-Wolf grasped your leg with crushing ****, forcing you to hold the both of you on the cars momentum.

Gnashing jaws tried to bite at the nearest limb you had, threatening to catch a hunk of flesh which it soon would at this rate; Your form was a nexus of hurt now, the fatigue would soon get the better of you.

Although, the wolf's eyes twitched and your eyebrows shimmered as an echoing cry echoed from above the trees "YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAW!"

You looked up and smiled deeply as a feminine form flew out into the moonlight, her long etched rifle glittering in the silver beams, as she aimed it mid-air at her target and fired.

The Black-Wolf's own shoulder blew out as a bullet streaked through it's flesh, forcing it to let go, only just able to catch itself on those warped hindlegs.

Rudy flew at great speed towards the Apollo, threatening to miss the car by a hair, though you shot out your free hand and grasped at hers, the Wendigo flipping dexterously beside you "You look real beaten up, Cowboy, your all tenderized ya idiot, should 'a called me sooner" She pushed her back against your chest, bracing your injured form against hers, as she looked down her sights at the already recovering werewolf.

It's muscles swelled as it shook with rage, bulging so heavily and unnaturally that it **** the wounds closed; it's mobility, although still shambling, was restored.

"I've never been so happy to see you, Rudy." You muttered breathlessly, the Dirty blonde turned her head and winked a little crookedly but her face shone in the moonlight like a loony cherub. "Where's Cleo?" You asked, the Powerful black-Wolf getting stronger and faster the angrier it became, gaining on you even faster.

Rudy took shots at the Wolf, but with the element of surprise lost, the Beast zig-zagged to the left and right, almost blurred in it's speed despite the weight it carried.

A loud crack sounded just ahead, and as Rudy missed her sixth shot, the massive wolf going to bite at the back chassis, a dark figure in an Egyptian mask burst from the brush with the heavy trunk of a small tree.

Flipping with unfathomable acrobatics, Cleo slipped the log into the wolf's jaws, blocking it from getting near the two of you, it's teeth embedding deep into the wood. Then in one fluid motion, Cleo reached through dust and splinters with both hands.

Spilling over Rudy's shoulder, you caught Cleo's black jacket so that both of her talons could clamp into the Werewolves head, the beast making a deep gargling sound as the claws sunk into it's temples.

The scarlet gleam of Cleo's haunting eyes fixed the Wolf in a momentary trance "FILTHY DOG, YOU WILL FOLLOW US NO MORE, YOU WILL BE A GOOD LITTLE HOUND AND FETCH!!!!"

An otherworldly wave seemed to crash into the Wolf's mind as she lent back and kicked the stick in it's maw out into the treeline. it's eyes became distant and lucid, as it relaxed and looked out to the log's path, a path that it quickly pursued; abandoning its reasoning at the command of Cleo's Mystar power.

Pulling Cleo back, the three of you fell on the cracked rear windscreen. You let out a pained sigh as the Black haired vixen quickly observed your wounds "By the blood god, what the hell are you doing!? fighting one werewolf alone is stupid, but TWO, ARE YOUBLOODY MAD!?"

"O-Only... on the weekends hehe-ow."

She frowned at your humour, biting her thumb and running her dark blood around the messy gash in your shoulder. Slowly the pain subsided and the numbness overtook the ache "It severed you brachial artery, if you don't get blood soon..." Cleo paused with worry.

"You're gonna want to keep that sword arm, right Cowboy?" Rudy asked.

"Woden can help him! his presence is real close now, I can feel it." Moonie shouted from the open window.

"Don't you three pay attention to anything, I sensed three dogs not two, one just ran off momentarily, something must have distracted it?" Cleo explained.

You nodded, throwing that scent-covered rucksack was a good call after all "You think it's far off?"

"Knowing your shit-luck, I highly doubt it Cowboy-" Rudy stopped, all of you went quiet, as you felt an overwhelming presence, sharper and more pronounced than the others. That's when it came, springing into the air, surrounded by an aura of broken branches and moss as it's long spindly form lingered in the air.

You looked up at it, framed by the circular grace of the silver moon as it spread its incredibly long arms. This Wolf was different than the others, the hair on its body was short, but a long mane of sand-blonde hair flowed down its spine, ending at it's incredibly long tail.

It's long, narrow arms craned back as it continued to rise into the sky... and when your eyelids closed in focus, the picture of what it held in its long fingers became clear.

"Hey! guys look, I thinks that's the cabin just ahead!!" None of you paid attention to Moonie's words, watching in realisation and the Wolf's momentum slowed and as it fell, it began to spin faster and faster and faster until...

You turned quickly, shouting as loud as you could as the Beast bolted the heavy boulders in each hand towards you like a cannon ball "MOONIE BANK LEFT NOW!"

But it was too late, the rocks whistled they moved so fast and with perfect accuracy, the first smashed into the car's left back-wheel taking it clean off... and the second, colliding directly with the smooth bonnet.

One minute you lay on the back of the car, but suddenly, You, Cleo and Rudy all flew through the air, with broken pieces of plastic and steel, shattered glass from the windows as the Apollo's ruined body spiralled through the air with the three of you to follow.

It was all you could do, to exhale Overdrive away and inhale so that you could whispered "Forevermore"

Silence. Time began to slow, and as you lingered in the air, you opened your eyes, seeing your undead companions floating in slow-motion.

You watched the werewolf masterfully land on it's sure-feet, looking up at you with eyes of deep blue, which gave you a strange kind of Deja-Vu. It flew forward as you watched it grasp at two of the large rocks scattered along the path.

It pressed them hard in it's palms, crushing them into pebbles as it wound back to throw yet again.

"Sssssshhhhhiiiit." You whispered, but grasped Lugh from your mouth ready to defend from what inevitably came next. The rocks burst in fragments from the Yellow-Wolf's claws, exploding in every direction, threatening to tear anything they touched to pieces.

And so You shifted your weight, floating weightlessly in this timeless place, where you began to cut and slash at rock after rock, protecting your companions from a swarm of killer rock.

Looking back, you saw it, a large grotto enclosed by the trees... sat in the middle was a large lodge, the perimeter surrounded by a ring of Violet flowers.

You had lost Vlad and so Forevermore began to slip from your grasp, yet you held unto the thread just long enough to pull yourself, Cleo and Rudy behind the Apollo so that the remaining rocks smashed harmlessly into the vehicle.

Your grip was lost; the howling wind becoming audible, the two vampire ladies cries slipping back in, the hard velocity booming against your body.... as you were all consumed, by a loud crash; the world stolen away, as everything went black.