The sound of the Sasha coming through didn’t bother Markus in the slightest he had been expecting her to come through after firing off his pistol. He turned to Sasha and smirks a bit crossing his arms over his chest. “Just keeping you on your toes.” He turns back to the forest and waves his hands “Humans in our hunting grounds.” He takes a deep breath and puts his hands in his pockets before turning his head as he hears quite a bit of noise coming from the other side of the house. “Sasha stay with Val.” he leaps up to the roof over the balcony and goes charging across the shingles cracking. As he came to the edge of the roof he takes a leap spiraling down and landing on his feet with a heavy thud. The acrobatic he was using could likely be seen from the forest line.

After landing Markus turned around the pistol in his hand as he looked towards Vashti standing right in front of her and pointing the pistol at her. “Stop right now.” he says with a growl his lip pulling up a little bit as he spoke. He started walking towards her keeping the pistol leveled at her. “Lay down.” and without even waiting for her to comply he quickly demanded. “Who are you? Why are you here? Are you with another pack?” The gun was cocked and ready to fire and he had some very painful hydrashok rounds loaded into it. He spoke like he deserved to be listened to, like anyone he spoke to should do exactly as he said.

Vashti had begun to run; her back leg popping with every stride as she rounded the corner of the building. Glancing over her shoulder she kept watch to see if the man in the glass followed her, only barely hearing the thud of feet against earth. Turning, she came face to face with the barrel of a gun.

Brown eyes going wide she slid to a stop on her hindquarters; hair bristling over her shoulders and gaze rising to see a tall man glaring down at her. At his command to stop she lifted her lips in a low growl, but when he demanded she lay down.....to submit to him....she realized just who she was dealing with. An Ulfric.

Growl suddenly dying in her chest Vashti took a step back and was surprised to feel her tail pressed tight against her underbelly. Her ears followed example and lay flat against her skull, before she made a small whining sound.

It was agony, putting herself to the ground in front of the man and submitting to him. But he demanded it of her as an Ulfric should.....and she had to obey if she valued her life.

Laying there, staring at snow she made a small noise, "Vashti......is my name...."

She made no mention of her pack, nor why she had been there. Her pack meant nothing now.....and part of her didn't even know why she came to investigate this place.

Going silent, aside from the occasional whine, Vashti dared to look up at the man.

Acacia watched as the dark wolf suddenly took off down the length of the house, she'd picked up the light tap on the screen door and seen the figure that stood behind it.

As she stood half in the open, she was unsure whether she should follow the retreating bodice or not before she'd suddenly perk up. The sound of metal tapping metal in a chinking rhythm made her look off along the further foliage, barely hearing that mixed tune of crunching snow.

As she stood stiffly where she was staring off at what could easily be nothing, she figured one intruder was enough. She didn't want to know if another was lurking about, but she couldn't tell if she looked right over them without knowing. Before long she heard the heavy voice of the Ulfric speaking. This caused her head to drop slightly, wanting to see what was happening she shook out her scruff and began to lightly trot through the snow, completely emerging from the tree line and moving through the open, ears falling back then perking up once more as she neared the location of the sudden confrontation.

A grimace almost spread on her maw as she saw the were on her stomach, tail wedge between her thighs, visibly hugging her undercarriage while her ears buried themselves within the equally toned fur upon her cranium, no one stood up against an Ulfric, except maybe another or someone who'd already gone against his enforcers.

Acacia lightly stood a few meters off, listening with focused ears as she gently puffed a warm breath from her nostrils, she was entertained by the happenings and tried to keep that to herself as she remained out of the way, not wanting to get in any form of trouble herself.

William could tell the locals were interesting people. Seeing a man sprint off the roof of the cabin caused the hunter to raise a brow at the unusual sight. "Ten points.." William sarcastically thought to himself as the man jumped off the roof. He knew something was going on, but he couldn't see it from his position. This prompted the hunter to stand up, snow crunching under his boots, and chains to chink against one another.

He began to move along the edge of the forest, keeping an eye on the house at all times. William spent his time wondering what had prompted a man to dash off their own roof like that. Maybe it wasn't his house and he was caught trespassing, or sleeping with someone's lover. That could explain the gunshots, but those were a while ago. No matter the reasons, he witnessed a shirtless man run like a bat out of hell over the house.

Eventually, he saw the man and a wolf in the clearing. William knelt down beside a tree, taking in the sight. The man had looked as if he was ready to shoot the wolf, yet the wolf displayed unusual behaviors towards the man. Something didn't feel right here. Men don't jump off buildings to shoot wolves, and they also wear a little more clothes in the snow..

He had not expected the demeanor the wolf before him to be so submissive, but so she was. He would accept that. He lowered the pistol and his angry demeanor left as he uncocked the pistol and and slid it into the back of his pants. Within two steps he crouches down in front of the wolf and stares down at her. “Well Vashti, as you seem to not have a pack or a reason for being here… I suppose it would only be polite to invite you in out of the snow for now. Perhaps meet some more of your kind.” He stands up and points at Acacia and waggles a finger for her to come closer. “Would you mind showing our friend around the house.. Introduce her to folks… Make sure everyone knows she is not of our pack but is a guest for now… Share some clothes with her let her bathe if she wants give her some food. You know the deal.”

Markus frowned a bit and his nose wrinkled. He gave no indication to call for other wolves as he stepped off to the side and took in a deep sniff his nostrils flaring as he did. He turned his head his nose giving him almost pin point accuracy in the cold weather where it was easier to catch scents on the wind. His eyes narrowed a bit as he seemed to be looking right at William his composure like that of a wolf defending it’s territory ready to attack, his muscles taut his hands curling into fists for a moment, but he didn’t charge out didn’t leave. If anything it would be more ‘if you’re man enough come and get some, if not screw off.’ intimidation technique he had picked up from a life of crime before becoming a were.

While laying before the Ulfric Vashti's thoughts had gone wild. Memories of her last moment with her pack resurfaced and for a rare moment she felt afraid.

The last time any male showed aggression to her was when her pack's top member, a ruthless male set to have her as his mate, nearly beat her to a pulp on the ground. After she had rejected him there wasn't much she could do but fight the larger beast off and take his blows.......she had been lucky then.....

But, she heard rustling and shifted her eyes to the man. Vashti was almost surprised to see him kneel before her and speak.....his tone much softer then before. His words...now THEY were surprising. He spoke of her as If addressing a guest......why?

Intrigued Vashti's body relaxed and she slowly, steadily, got to her feet. Raising her stiff hind leg in the air she flicked her ears foreword. Clothes.....a bath....food? Was he really offering her those luxuries?

Following his attention she saw a second wolf behind her; a she-wolf with bright ginger fur. At this Vashti tilted her head, then turned to the Ulfric.

Staring at him in surprise she let out a breath of steam....she definitely hadn't expected this to happen. Heck maybe it WAS a good idea coming down here.

Marrec Olivier

He was up and moving at the sound of the gun shots, sleep a distant memory. Sasha is with him, he thought calmly, but he still moved with considerable speed towards the stairs, only to pause at the sound of growling and the movement of multiple furred bodies nearby. He was turning in that direction when the Geri showed up, her eyes the eerie pale blue of her wolf form. She spotted Marrec immediately, her brow wrinkling in the beginnings of a scowl.

“What's going on?” Her voice was deeper than normal, edged with a growl just waiting to slip into a fuller, more threatening sound.

“The Ulfric must be warning someone off – he does that. There's some noise outside, though,” Marrec mentioned as he moved to slip past Sam and see for himself what was going on. The woman shot him a withering glance before cutting him off, her long legs allowing her to devour the distance between them and back door of the house. Marrec followed in his more leisurely fashion, hardly concerned with all the dominant body language being used against him.

As the two werewolves approached the large sliding door that spilled onto the deck of the house, they found Aldo to be blocking a large chunk of the door with his body, apparently entranced with the commotion outside. Marrec spotted the Ulfric outside, but didn't see Sasha skulking nearby, and suddenly his curious expression became one of utter seriousness. Ignoring Sam's attempt to talk Aldo out of the way, Marrec used a well-placed elbow to shove the other man out of the way. Without waiting for either of the two werewolves to react, Marrec yanked the sliding door to the side and stepped outside, only to find himself towering over the unknown wolf.

Immediately assured that Markus was safe, Marrec slipped quickly away from the door and crouching wolf so that he stood to the side of the Ulfric, his body language bearing the threat of harm should anyone come too close. Dark eyes tracked the direction of the Ulfric's gaze, following it to the second interloper. Perhaps the cold was bringing strays to them, he thought with some amusement.

Sam Carroway

After Marrec shoved his way outside with appropriate haste, Sam followed in his wake, deviating to the opposite side of the door so that the new wolf was somewhat surrounded. Her posture was slightly crouched and aggressive, the gleaming hue of wolf eyes staring with alien quality out of a human's face making Sam appear even more predatory. Despite Markus's acceptance of the wolf, the Geri's form thrummed with a readiness to pounce, should the stranger offer violence.

When the slick sound of a sliding door opening came to ear Vashti shifted and turned to see two figures appearing from the house. They moved to surround her and she held back a snarl; wanting to keep the Ulfric calm yet not helping but lifting her lips to show her teeth.

Tail still clamped downwards she caught the female giving her a fierce look of withheld hostility. Vashti tensed at this as well and squinted, before averting her gaze and forcing herself to remain down......the woman was obviously higher ranked judging by her actions....Vashti had to be careful if she wanted to keep her head in this place.

Watched silently as the Ulfric began to speak, pointing to Acacia and waggling a finger she slowly began to approach from behind the strange female, ears forward as she made mental notes of everything, "Tour the House, Introduce, Guest Not Pack, Clothes to Wear, Bath and Food... Got it, I think..." realizing he'd probably heard all of that she dipped her head slightly and then would suddenly glance towards the emerging pair of more dominant pack members, she herself visibly slunk lower to the ivory sheeting below at the sight of the Geri.

At this point Acacia would slowly move past the submitting wolf, looking in her direction she gave a light gesture of her muzzle in a motion to follow, barely waiting to see if she did Acacia began to take long strides, head hanging just below shoulder height and tail dragging just behind her as she didn't look back. Just from these actions it was obvious she wasn't too confident nor was she too high up the pack chain.

She'd guide the guest more sooner towards the guest section of the building, mostly for the ability to shift away from the others and also for the collection of clothing before introducing her. She'd listen for the paws behind her, the odd beat audible from the lame leg, though Acacia didn't do much since she was given orders and being, well, visibly one of the lowest ranking wolves, didn't want to stir any problems.

As she neared the area of interest, the cold snowy earth would suddenly change to the chilled wooden porch, and slowly over time, the oddly pelted werewolf would begin to cringe, back arching tightly and head falling between her fore limbs that now stretched forward, her eyes wide open filled with partial pain from the changes her body had to make, these were the beginning stages of shifting, though it varied widely from were to were and their ability.

There was only the softest whimper of protest when Aldo felt himself elbowed out of the way, but he dared not complain and simply watched them go. With a glance at the water he'd started to heat up and a split-second decision that another cookie was not yet in order, he followed Sam and Marrec out of the door with a slowness that could suggest either carelessness or the very true fact that Sam Carroway scared the living hell out of him. Keeping his human form, he lowered himself a bit as he approached the Ulfric- that was just good manners.

Silently Aldo joined the crowd of werewolves gathered around the intruder, whose name he hadn't caught. He gazed curiously, looking perhaps slightly less silly without a cookie lodged in his teeth, and wondered what she looked like as a human. But that was no way to think, was it? After all she did look injured, not to mention harmless, so he just put his hands in his pockets and hoped that Markus would continue on his streak of not killing the werewolf who had given him a hilarious quizzical look that was most likely a result of his sweet tooth. He slouched just a little in hopes that he didn't look threatening to any of the werewolves, whether they were of his pack or not.

He watched Acacia guide the newcomer away, and wondered whether to follow. Hell, why not? He had water boiling and cookies. He stretched and went back inside.

Vashti looked up when a fourth figure joined them....this one the man from behind the glass door.
Blinking she stared at him, now slightly less comical with no food in his mouth. He just kind of stood there.....silent.

Then, realizing her guide was moving away Vashti made a small sound of surprise. She limped foreword and fell behind the other she-wolf.
Falling into silence she kept close to the other were. Her hind leg ached but that didn't keep her from nearly stumbling over the ginger furred female.

Reaching one of the building's wooden decks, they seemed to be in the area where wolves regularly transformed; where clothes were stashed at the ready and privacy was provided for those left naked after changing.

Even now, Vashti saw the change begin to take place across the other were's body. At this point she came to a stop and watched; wordless as the wolf slowly turned human before her eyes. Soon she too would turn.....and reveal her human form to her new aquantances......it would be the first time she turned human in quite some time.

Sitting down on the wooden planks Vashti glanced back over her shoulder where they had just come.

Glancing around the tree, the hunter felt a stare colder than the snow around him. There was little doubt that the people and the wolves he watched in the clearing were in fact werewolves. The sight was just too unusual for it to be anything normal. William felt that the large man knew he was there, and he didn't see a reason as to why he should remain hidden anymore. He was never one for waiting in the shadows anyway. William pushed himself back up again, chains rattling once more against his shield.

The hunter stepped around the tree and stared back at Markus, with an almost smug look on his face. After all, he did have the amusing pleasure of watching the man launch himself off the building. William took several steps forward, now standing out in the clearing before coming to a halt. With his hands at his sides, he continued to scrutinize the large man before him. The other wolves seemed to lower their heads around him, so he clearly was high up in the hierarchy, perhaps even the Ulfric too.

The hunter bowed his head respectfully to the man before him. Although part beast, William felt it polite to acknowledge the power he held still. He admired a good leader, even if it was one he still might have to potentially kill.

The woman lay in bed for sometime after her Ulfric left with his drink in hand, a light sigh breathing lightly over her lips and dancing across the pillows at the sudden chill of the winter air that came in through the open balcony door. Of course her eyes were closed as she rolled onto her back, her naked body concealed by the heavy blanket that was thrown messily over herself and the rest of the bed though it was strangely empty without the man there and instead of staying long she threw it off and stood, easily finding her footing on the floor she was so familiar with. Her smooth skin remained unscarred even after her long years living in packs, save for a single slash across her face, a scar that followed onto her eyes and had blinded her permanently upon receiving it. A hunter had given it to her and she'd never seen the carnage that had become of his body when they had found him. At first it had been terrible not being able to see and her father had wanted to keep her though she had insisted upon going still, sworn that she wouldn't be useless and she never had been. She was great with the others, amazing even as she resolved issues without much problem at all and always found herself coming back to the Ulfric, wherever she had been with whoever had been escorting her. It had taken a long time before she'd really learned the territory and after a while she had figured out a few places she could go on her own, a few places that Markus had frequented back then.

Using on slender hand she picked a shirt off the floor and looked around for her panties - the ones she hadn't worn since dinner the night before with other pack members though she had lost them quickly when the two had gone back to their room. She sighed, giving up on finding them and slipped the shirt on over her head, the one Markus had been wearing the night before; it was big on her, easily covering her naked body while she stepped out on the porch in time to hear three loud gunshots. "Markus?" She questioned while she pulled her light pink hair out from under the shirt. She lifted her head slightly and smelled several other wolves on the wind a two different human scents adn assumed that's what he was worried about. She didn't say anything as he gave Sasha an order and jumped off of the balcony to confront one of the wolves who had been on their territory.

"If he needs you go to him. I'm plenty safe inside the compound."

@The Emperors Blade@The Muse of Eru

Sasha

Sasha stood, conflicted. Markus was her Ulfric and had given a command, but in doing so had allowed himself to go unprotected while she stood and watched his mate. Despite Valerie's confidence in the safety of the compound, Sasha did not quite agree – Valerie was Markus' weakness, and was therefore a primary target for anyone seeking to weaken the Ulfric prior to challenging him or simply killing him. Despite the distance, Sasha concentrated on that part of her mind that linked with the other werewolves – it was weaker in human form, as if the telepathy worked best in the simple wolf's mind. She could, however, gain a vague feeling of where they were, as if faint echoes of their voices were drifting her way, though it only worked with mind voices that she knew well and heard often. By this method, Sasha found Marrec and Markus to be in close proximity.

Stroking a long, thin blade that was strapped to her forearm and hidden beneath the black long-sleeve she wore, Sasha gave a quick shake of her head that sent her hair rustling around her shoulders.

“Marrec has him. I will stay with you.”

Waiting a moment for the other female to shift, Vashti finally stood and limped slowly foreword. She might as well change now and get it over with.

Putting a rather tight expression on her features the wolf stretched out somewhat; lowering her head and laying her ears back as she focused her control on the form of her body.

Slowly, a sharp pain tingled down her spine and she arched her back as the first changes took place.

Bone shifted and began to rearrange themselves, while others took a completely new shape. Fur gradually melted away and exposed bare skin to cold, then disappeared altogether.

The body overtaking this change writhed in pain and discomfort. When it came time for Vashti’s left hind leg to turn she stiffened and let out a weak whine; muzzle and skull deforming before taking a more humanlike shape.

The change ended quickly, and where a wolf once stood on the deck a young woman now kneeled. Long brown hair hung in waves around her head and hid her face, while her limbs remained stiff and unmoving.

A soft sigh sounded, “I swear it gets harder the longer I remain wolf.”

The figure shifted, then sat up. Long arms lifted to gather the locks of brown before flipping it to one side; revealing a gentle face, deep brown eyes, and dark lips turned up in an ever so subtle smile. Her long neck twisted this way and that to make a few popping sounds as joints were reestablished.

Slowly, Vashti sat up and stretched, then got to her feet and shivered in the cold. Oh the advantages to having fur…..

Her body was very long in most ways; her limbs slender but not without an undertone of muscle. She had a rather fit physique.

Slowly, Vashti tested her left leg. It throbbed in human form but not nearly as badly as it had while in wolf. Give it some time and the damaged joints would relax; giving Vashti full use of her leg once it did. Traveling through the snow for days on end wasn’t the best for it.

Looking up with relieved and happy brown eyes Vashti strode swiftly towards a large cabinet set against the house’s wall. In it she assumed were the pack’s clothes.

Opening it Vashti found smaller drawers built into the main compartment, and pulling one out she found a set of what she assumed were female clothes at first glance.

Vashti smiled and removed both a pair of blue jeans and a comfortable looking green shirt. She held them each up to her body to compare sizes; nodding when it appeared as though they would work.

As she pulled the jeans up around her legs Vashti let out a grunt, directed to the other female, “Thank you…..for letting me raid your pack’s clothes….”
Fastening the pants up though she realized with a chuckle that the legs fell just short of her ankles; not quite as long as she needed but they would work.

Vashti then tugged the shirt over her head and ran a hand through her waves of brown hair. She would prefer having it in a braid, but that could wait.

As Acacia shifted her body cringed at every shifting bone, she didn't look too painful in the beginning and as fur began to recede within what appeared like pale skin the clear sound of popping bones back within place could be heard. This and that molded into one another or split for whatever was required. Some bones changing completely, others simply re-sizing or maneuvering about.

When she regained her human figure a short moment quicker than the other she was standing and hunched over like she was ready for a marathon. She'd slowly direct herself upwards, figure slender and decently shorter than most, probably the shortest around as she reached to lightly flick auburn strands from her sight. Turning slowly as she rolled her shoulders, popped her knees, ankles, fingers and even neck as she watched the darker, larger female reach full human form.

Hues of bright, almost unnatural emerald fighting sapphire appeared to dance over the figure before her, that was before they quickly slammed shut and the petite figure shook her head, pale skin almost translucent as she shifted, and coated in a few places by brightly colored ink that appeared to be flowers, butterflies and generally harmless things. Allowing the guest to find clothes first was priority, though she allowed that bare figure to shudder somewhat in the breeze she maintained herself decently before moving with elongated yet slow steps towards the cabinet.

She pulled out a pair of Khaki brownish-yellow cargo pants, looking oddly at them for a moment she huffed, "Over-sized men's clothes," before slowly sliding them onto her figure, stepping in one by one. The sleeves of the fabric longer than her legs as she barely seemed to care and simply grabbed a belt from a draw of spares to fasten the pants around her waist. Before long she found a button up blue plaid shirt, surely this didn't suit the feminine figure, but she made little vocalization in her transition.

As she buttoned up the torso section she began walking towards an entrance-way, "Are you wanting a bath at all?" She questioned softly in a soft tone, it was almost like a whisper, like she barely tried to speak up. Her eyes glancing over her shoulder to see if the larger figure followed or not, "Or, are you wanting something to eat? You look like it'd be a blessing, some hot food that is..." she continued on barely leaving room for answer.

As she approached one of the various entrances to the building she'd carefully reach to latch her porcelain digits around the door-knob before opening it to reveal the warmth of within, waiting for the darkly haired and toned female to enter she'd soon begin pointing things out, still a distance from the main lounge where most gathered, she labelled things quickly almost like she wanted the role of being a guide, being in charge for this, to end.

"Oh, I'm Ace ... I don't think I caught you're name?" Soft lips of a natural light pink shifted as she spoke, head rotating as she peered behind at the stranger as they moved.

Vashti put her hands on her hips and smiled as she slowly followed behind 'Ace'. At the mention of food she chuckled and shook her head, "I'm Vashti......and no....food would be a very well received blessing right now."
She followed her through the building's entrance and went wide eyed; staring at the interior like a kid in a castle, "Wow....." This place was so much bigger than anything her old pack ever had the privilege of owning.....

Stride slowing she got caught up examining the furniture and other objects, before going still and catching a scent on the air. It was warm....accompanied with the faint but detectable smell of raw meat. Undoubtedly it was the kitchen.

Shoulders tensing Vashti stepped foreword, next to Ace, then past her. Walking up ahead she followed her senses, until arriving at an open door.
Peeking in she grinned when she found a very large dining room, and what looked to be the doorway into the kitchen.

Glancing back at her guide she smiled, "Would you mind if I took a look?" Already she was itching to enter and get to work....if she had to cook for herself, fine.
Shrugging she sighed, "I don't mean to barge in and take over everything......just been a few days since I've had a good meal...."

Aldo stood around awkwardly in the kitchen while the two women went to change both clothes and bodies. He wasn't the kind of person who would try to watch, but he did have to actively try to keep it off of his mind. Taking the hot water off the heat, he was a little irritated by now at the way his mind had wandered. He got out a tray and three mugs, made the hot chocolate and tipped a generous pile of both chocolate chip cookies and oreos.

When he turned around, there was a very pretty woman in the doorway who he assumed was the wolf from earlier. Oh, god. He couldn't do this. Nope, nope, nope. His hands grew just a little clammy and tightened around the tray, and he didn't--couldn't--make eye contact. "M-maybe you could sit down and..h-have some hot chocolate while I dig you up some f-food?" Nice fucking going, idiot. At this rate you'll die even earlier.

Hearing footsteps, Vashti turned and blinked when she saw someone at the back of the kitchen.....the man from behind the glass?
Standing straighter she looked at him for a moment; sizing him up and taking note of his every feature. He was actually pretty handsome....when he wasn't snarling past a mouthful of cookies.

At the sound of his stammering words she couldn't help but chuckle and take a step foreword, "Hey calm down. I don't bite....usually..."

She moved even closer and smiled at the warm mugs of hot chocolate, "I'm sorry if I startled you....when I was at the door....Hadn't expected to meet so many other people...."

She nodded at the mention of food, "I can help you with the food if you want. I'm Vashti."

Dracul looked down at the corpses below. The corpses of the two werewolves she had killed. If there were two then there were probably more. Probably a pack. Dracul looked at the footprints in the snow. She followed them from above.

After a while Dracul spotted a large cabin. Presumably the pack's home. But Dracul wasn't foolish enough to try and attack an entire pack alone. Instead she would quickly return to her home, grab more bolts and daggers and then wait for a single vounerable werewolf.

Dracul sped back to her home and grabbed what she needed before going back. She stayed close to the cabin, but not too close. She was just outside of eyesight of it, that way if anything left the cabin Dracul would have a good chance of getting them.

Dracul thought back to why she became a hunter. Her only friend. A great person. Who had been hacking with Dracul in the woods. And then it happened. She had been attacked by a werewolf. Dracul had been ignored by the wolf but her only friend hadn't been so lucky. After her death Dracuk decided to hunt werewolves. She was sure that not all werewolves were terrible but she couldn't help but hold a grudge against their species.