The demonologist and the dawn.

John Constantine held the sprig of Wolfsbane between his fingers outstretched for everyone to see, its effects strong enough that it kept all the werewolves from coming a meter of him. Taking a step forward, the horde of wolves took a step back. Moving deeper into the cave, the man slowly took steps forward, finding himself encircled by the large wolves. Then he was surprised when three giant werespiders skittered into view and hissed at the presence of the mere plant leaf, its effect the same as a pepper spray to them.

“Great… I hate spiders…” With clicking claws and mandibles, the drider-like creatures sneered at the trench coat wearing man, specifically at the leafy branch between his fingers. Hearing something large lurch behind him, John quickly turned around and nearly took a step back when he was nearly struck by a trio of weresnakes, their coils going tight and defensive when they noticed the wolfsbane in his hand. “Easy peasy now, just looking for the big man here, no one gets hurt unless they do something rash.

“WHAT THE HELL IS THAT SMELL?!” Roared a familiar voice, one he recognised but found strangely deeper, like she had a cold. Turning to the source, John was forced to crane his neck back to look up at the towering Kryptonian werewolf stomping into view and given space by the other lycanthropes in the pack to approach the intruder.

“Aw fuck me… He got you too Power Girl?”

Recognizing the man, Karen placed a claw to her snout to drive off the scent of the plant, looking down at Constantine with tear filled eyes. “Yes, its me! Now can you put that thing away. I feel like I’m going to throw up!”

“Not until I get some reassurance that your hairy friends aren’t going to take a bite out of me.”

“No promises…” Hissed Huntress, eyeing the man until Karen gave her a look that gave no quarter. “Fine, but I keep an eye on him.”

Putting the plant in his pocket, John stood his ground when it looked like he was going to be surrounded until Karen fell to all sixes and roared out, stunning the pack of lycanthropes still. “Good… So, where’s the boss man? Where’s Bruce?”

Lifting her head and perking her ears, Constantine thought he spotted a smirk on her snout when she looked down at the magician. “He’s busy.”

“I’m sure he is, let me guess, hard at work chasing his tail like the lot of you hydrant pissers?” Ignoring the growls from the lot of werewolves as he pulls out a pack of cigarettes and lighting himself one, the man followed Karen’s gaze and pointed towards there with his cigarette grasping fingers. “Look, this is important, the League thinks he and all of you have gone nutter and are rampaging the streets, then Dracula shows up claiming he’s here to put the whole lot of you down like a pack of wild animals.”

“Do we look like wild animals to you?”

Turning his attention to a smiling albino wolfess running in circles nearby, Harley eventually fell to her back, laughing and rolling around. “Don’t think this isn’t over, I’ll catch you sooner or later you!” She accused at her waging tail before her attention fell to Power Girl and Constantine. “Oh, hey Pee Gee, who’s your friend? Can I bite him too?”

Shaking her head out of embarrassment, Karen moved to guide John to where Bruce was. “Alright, you win.” Giving the pair room to move, the pack parted back to their own dealings, keeping an eye on the cave’s guest as he and their alpha female moved deeper into the cave to speak to their pack leader. Getting a better look of the place, john found that instead of being dark and barren, the cave was lush with forest plants and even some trees, for a moment he forgot he was in a cave and not wandering lost through the woods. “Let me guess… Magic?”

“Phh… You’d be better at telling ME that, ask Aloe Vera when you meet her, she’s with him.”

“Aloe Vera?” Taking a long drag from his cigarette, John dabbed the ash on a patch of purple flowers and kept following the massive blonde Kryptonian wolfess. Eventually they came to a corner of the cave where it took all of John’s will power not to chuckle, seeing a pair of massive wolves curled up together while red furred puppies squirmed and cried on the floor. Lighting himself another cigarette, John brought his fingers to his mouth and whistled to get their attention. Immediately the massive black wolf awoke and sprung to his feet, his claws brandished before he snapped attention to the trench coat wearing magician at the entrance to the lair, with a smirking Karen behind him.

*

Meanwhile back at the Watch Tower…

Looking out into the opening dawn rising over the Earth, Diana breathed a sigh of relief when she noticed the bright green light of the Green Lantern return from deep space. Heading to the airlock to join him there, Diana smiled when it appeared Hal had returned with what she had requested in his hand. “Hal, welcome back, have you returned with what I’ve asked?”

“Yeah… Still don’t understand why though, I mean… Whoa!” Feeling his hand being tugged forward, Wonder Woman was able to catch him as the purple light in his clenched hand intensified. “Well if you want this thing go ahead, seems to REALLY like you.” Dropping the ring into Diana’s open palm, she closed her hand around the indigo lantern ring before it found purchase to one of her fingers. Surprised that it took a significant amount of strength to keep it from worming free and doing just that.

“The Indigo Lantern ring is pretty fickle; it’ll either go to someone with a lot of compassion in their heart… Or none at all.” Seeing the smile on the Amazon’s lips staring into the purple glow, the man chuckled. “Guess it likes the former coming off you than the latter.”

Even if not around her finger, Diana could feel the power of the ring call out to her, a soft melody of compassion, empathy and kindness she was keeping trapped in the palm of her hand, to her it felt wonderful. “Thank you, Hal, but this is not for me.” Giving the Lantern a hug and swiftly tuning back to the Watch Tower observatory, Hal stood there scratching his head. “Really? Then who?”

*

“Did I catch you at a bad time?” Chuckled John as he watched the red wolfess stretch and yawn, lounging on her side with her cubs while Bruce calmed down, moving up to address the man.

“I made it specifically clear for the League NOT to get involved, why are you…”

“You never followed the rules of the League Bats, not when it didn’t suit you and neither have I.” Taking another drag of his cigarette, he continued. “I leave the tights and cape wearing bullshit to the others, they don’t know the REALLY serious dark stuff that creeps under the bedsheets like you and I do.”

“I never dabbled in dark magic or demonology.”

“And yet you made a name for yourself wearing black and sporting pointy ears… Where’s Zee?”

“Zatanna…” Lowering his head and narrowing his eyes, Bruce walked closer to the magician, suddenly feeling ill just being near him. “When Dracula came to Gotham, he made plans to have people who were both knowledgeable of the city and of me under his control, twisting them into vampire ‘brides’ at his command.”

Narrowing his own eyes, Constantine flicked the half-used cigarette out of his fingers. “Now you best not be fucking with me Bats! Are you saying Zee’s been turned into a pale bloodsucker?!” Looking back to Bruce and the other two wolves but not getting an answer back, John turned and stormed out. Making his way back where he came, Constantine ignored the looks of uneasiness the rest of the pack gave him as he lit another cigarette and marched his way out of the cave, that is he would have until a massive black claw gently held onto his shoulder to keep him from moving.

“John, I’ve been making plans to deal with Dracula AND save Zatanna, but you’re not going to help her right now.”

“Oh really?” Scoffed John, swatting the heavy claw off him and taking a drag from his cigarette. “And why’s that?”

“Because its just about da…” Almost in unison, the entire pack began to sigh and look lethargic, several falling to their knees and exhaling as if they had all been holding their breaths up to this point. Within seconds, everyone around the demonologist began to revert to human form; claws, fur and teeth changing back to human hands, feet and hair right before John’s eyes. Watching Bruce, he could see the 13-foot-tall wolf collapse to his knees and shrink, tonnes of muscle deflating as his claws receded back and his face transform back to normal. In the span of just 2 minutes, the horde of lycanthropes had all transformed back into a crowd of tired and naked humans… All except for one.

Looking down at the crowd of people regaining their bearings, Karen stood with one of her claws at her hip and a look of boredom on her snout, then her eyes locked with the confused Constantine looking up at her and she pretended to look down at herself in shock. Two of her claws going to her face in shock while her lower arms jokingly tried to cover herself.

“Oh no… Mine’s busted.” Rolling her eyes, she turned and walked back into the cave, tossing her hair behind her.