[IC] Bitten

[Nephriel]

It always started the same way, irritability and mood swings... a fever. Then came the chills up and down my spine, the shaking in my legs, and the sensation of bees under my skin. No matter how much I ate I stayed hungry and the urge to be doing something, anything, so long as I was moving became unbarable. All of it only built and built until it reached the peak during the full moon and even my thoughts got hazy. Usually, I could Change at will or choose not to. Usually, I had control over my other side. The full moon was the one time where I didn't have a choice... and the one time I didn't have control... That scared me.

Ironically, though I've always been what I am and I'd always suffered from the fevers, hunger, and irritability around the full moon... I'd never actually gone through a Change until recently. See, females of my kind are a bit of a rarity. As a rule, human women don't survive being bitten and Changed... The strain is too much on the mind and body, even men die on occassion. Before me, only ONE female had ever survived the Change. Her case was an odd one, she'd been a survivor... An orphan jumping from one abusive home to the next, who had learned to overcome being a victim. She'd been in peak physical condition, mentally and emotionally strong, and the one who had bitten her had also been a bit... strange for our kind. He was an orphaned male werewolf who had spent most of his life living in the marshes of the bayou, and had gone through his first change as a pre-pubecent child... also unheard of in our world. So, it was chalked up to odd circumstance... a combonation that would probably never happen again.

Later though, through the help of the lore the Ijiraat had collected (a type of shifter) the pack discovered some answers to their mystery... According to the Ijiraat, it was likely that the male's parents had BOTH been werewolves, it was also likely that the woman's father had been a mutt who'd been living among humans and trying to blend in. Eventually, they had twins... a boy and a girl. Both of their children were werewolves and the both had gone through their first Changes young. I'm like the woman... I'd had a mutt father, a passing salesman if you will, I didn't know his name and neither did my mother since it had been a one night stand... One of many. I'd gone through most of my life not knowing what I was or why I seemed to always get sick around the full moon... Not until I'd been bitten. Like the woman, I'd survived... barely.

A group of mutts, nonpack werewolves, had taken me in. Normally, mutts don't run together. They're loners and usually troublemakers who don't like following Pack rules, but this group was different. The only reason they are mutts is because they don't feel like settling down and joining Pack life... Recently, however, there have been deaths following us wherever we go, half eaten bodies. Someone is trying to frame us for man-killing... someone with a vendetta. Now, the Pack is hunting us down as any possible risk to the secret of our kind's existance is a crime punishable by death... If my little group doesn't soon find out who is causing the deaths we may face full on war with the Pack, an outcome no one wants.

The Change was on me now, cutting off my thoughts of the Pack and pretty much everything else. The pain was intense, bones compressing as muscle and tendons rearranged themselves... Fur sprouted along the body as I fell to my hands and knees, spine elongating to a tail and joints popping and snapping as my body twisted and arched in ways human bodies can't... My vision danced and faded in and out as my eyes changed to see as a wolf sees... different hues and colors. A gargled sound of pain escaped my lips as my skull elongated, sprouting a muzzle... Soon came the change in nose and ears, hands and feet, skin feeling like it was being torn to bits... and then it was over. The whole process took maybe fifteen minutes if you did it often enough and had enough energy. If you were tired and hadn't done it in a while it could take up to an hour of stopping and starting over and over and unimaginable pain. The only good thing about the Change was that once it was done and the pain faded, the endorphins from finally being DONE with the pain and the adrenaline of the experience flooded you making the searing pain a delicious ache that made you want to RUN. Forgetting the troubles of the day, I tilted my head back and howled... answering cries of MY pack sang back to me from all around the woods. Once I had their locations it was time for a game of hide and seek, it was a good way to get our urge to hunt out without hurting anyone... and the fact that we were currently on a wildlife preserve meant we were safe from hunters and could probably track down a deer later in the night....

My wolf thrilled at the idea of chasing down actual prey after having been pent up in my human shell for so long... I sniffed the air and howled again, a kind of marco pollo to see who found me first.

[Dragonbud]

To Luca the Pack was more then just a group of ragtag mutts working putting up with one another in order to survive. They were more like a family for her. She had lived alone for far too long before meeting the Pack. She had gone from being the only child of her loving parents, to a werewolf orphan living alone in the woods. Luca often was kept up at night, haunted by the memories of her early years as a werewolf. In the times she frantically killed and ate everything in her path. The constant fear and anger as Luca was unable to control her own instincts and the need to hunt to kill. In my times of guilt and my resentment for my past mistakes, it was nice to be part of a pack.

But this Pack wasn't like a normal one. There was no pecking order. Even though Luca was the youngest and smallest, she wasn't kicked around by the older members. She wasn't forced to eat whatever scraps the others left behind. They hunted with each other, for each other, and it lead to a rather healthy bond between them all. They all looked out for each other. It was almost like Luca had a family again. A family made up of multiple fathers, mothers and siblings.

One thing that her Pack mates were unable to stop was the pain of the Change. Luca could only blame herself for the pain she was forced to endure every time she changed. After years of suppressing her need to change it became more and more hard as well as painful and time consuming. Her first time being forced to change by the moon filled her with hours and hours of pain. And even after changing many times since then, it's still pretty difficult and painful. Luca often tries to be near her trusted pack mates when she changes, it's almost a comfort for her knowing her friends are nearby.

Even now as she changes, she knows some of her friends are in the area, but the pain still hits her like a ton of bricks. The stretching and reforming of bones, the morphing of skin as fur shoots through it, the stabs of pain as her spine and limbs reform her shape. Luca tries to muffle her grunts and sounds of pain as tears threaten to spill over her eyes. She tries to tell herself that eventually it will get easier for her, and soon she would get to go hunting with her friends. The whole process takes nearly forty five minutes. And Luca dreaded every second of it.

But eventually she was finished. And god did it feel good to be changed. Luca pranced around in a circle, jumping up and down with joy. She let out and excited howl in response to the members of her Pack. She could tell them all apart by the tones of their howls. Luca let out another joyful howl as she trotted towards the others, excited to play and hunt.

[Cow Horse Chic]

Svan wasn't like the rest. She had come from a generally loving home and a pack. She knew how they worked and their intricate spinnings. Her brother had been with her during her first years as a werewolf after her father died. The pack who had killed him had tried to turn the same fate upon her. It hadn't worked. Her brother had protected her as best he could while she ran. She didn't escape without a bite though. He had taught her not to resist, to enjoy the dual nature she now carried and it worked well for her. She spent much of her time voluntarily as a wolf. Because of this she changed swiftly and much earlier in the night than anyone else.

She lay on a small rock outcropping, her odd colored coat set her apart from the other wolves in the pack. Her wolf was content to wait for the others. It did not spend all its time cooped up inside a human skin as many of her group chose to do. The howls were beginning to rise all around her now. Two others aside from herself had already made the painful transformation. She could already taste the copper warmth of blood in her mouth and licked her lips. Her nose told her that it was Luca and Rylee that had made the change.

It made Svan a little uncomfortable that their little nomadic group was mostly made of females. They all tended to be slightly smaller and less bulky than males. Males were nice to have around for protection, that much she was sure of even if she didn't trust them. They were all back stabbing cowards as far as she was concerned. Her father had owned up to having children with a human woman. He'd found out a little late about her and her brother Niall but he came and retrieved them when they were still very small. Raising Svan amongst the pack as one of their own though she could no change and run with the boys she could almost always fight just as well as anyone in her age group. She learned to scrap and fight early and now she was no different. An old hand at fighting though she was still young.

[Whirlwind]

Haven was by a clear creek on the preserve, cupping her hands and splashing a bit of water onto her face. It’ll be fine, it’s always fine after she thought to herself as her heart began to race faster in concordance with the dipping of the sun. Once it was gone and the full moon shone brightly through the sky, Haven let out a little whine, blue eyes wide while her body began snapping and changing. The process was long and the same each time, but she didn’t know if she’d ever get used to it. But once it was done, she laid on her stomach, very dog-like, with her eyes closed. She felt her heartbeat, her mind racing with new thoughts, nose full of new smells, body aching to act on different senses. Her ears suddenly perked up at the sound of a howl. Rhyle she identified the tone. Then Luca. She opened her eyes and wagged her tail, knowing that a game was ensuing. Getting up on her paws, she barked happily, prancing in a circle. Stopping, she realized unless someone was close they wouldn’t hear the barking; she had to howl. She started kneading the dirt in front of her with her front paws before letting out a loud but short howl, easily identified as hers, before bouncing off, tongue hanging out. She circled around until she found a blackberry bush and her eyes lit up. She settled down behind the bush for a moment, silvery muzzle peeking out now and again to snap off a berry before disappearing again as she ate it.

[Pathfinder]

The air was a little chilly, not super cold but it was quite noticeable when you weren't wearing any clothes. Standing stark naked in the forest, Garret was idly chewing on a piece of jerky as he awaited the change. It was a habit he had formed shortly after his first change, it seemed to help keep him calm during the initial blood lust that fallowed. Over time, the blood lust vanished but he still kept the habit as he didn't have a reason not to. As he walked through the forest, Garret began to turn his gaze skyward and couldn't help but smile at the glimpses he got of the stars. As he swallowed his last piece of jerky, Garret began to whistle a tune he had heard on his radio. After about a minute of that, he let out a swear as he remembered he didn't lock his car. With a sigh, he hoped that nobody took his clothes.

However these thoughts were pushed back into the depths of his mind as the change came upon him. Falling down to his knees, Garret let out a his of pain as his muscles tightened and twisted. Growling, he felt his hands turn to paws and spine grow more into shape as he was forced to stay on his knees. Sounds of changing bone and pants of pain filled the air as the change hurried along. Idly, Garret was thankful for his habits of regular transformations throughout the month. After about nine minutes of excruciating pain, Garret got up on his paws and began to run through the trees as the pain was forgotten. Soon, howls of the other members came flowing into his ears and Garret began to wag his tail in excitement. Digging his paws into the dirt, the massive wolf let out a long, deep howl as he called out to his pack.

Shortly after he heard answers and happily he dashed off to the closest sounding one, Luca. Her howl was as distinct as the others, each with their own little vocal quirks. As he sprinted towards Luca's howl, Garret's paws dug up and flung loose dirt as his heavy weight made his claws dig into the soil. However it was just a part of the experience and Garret happily ran through the forest, his paws making deep thuds as he did so.

[Dragonbud]

Luca trotted through the forest, occasionally letting out a howl as to let her friends know where she was. Luca had a bad habit of getting herself in trouble. Wither it be getting spotted by hunters or running out of energy and feeling too hungry to move on. Luckily, they were on a reserve so hunters shouldn't be too much of a problem. And she had eaten before changing, a habit she picked up after spending time with Garret. So her energy should be fine until the pack went hunting together, an activity they often shared with each other when they all changed.

Something dawned on Luca as she ran through the forest, something that caused her to growl with frustration. She had remembered to remove her clothing before changing. She had ruined way too many articles of clothing by forgetting to in the past. She even recalled folding them nicely too. The problems came from the fact that she left them in the woods where she changed. Luca felt horribly embarrassed, hoping none of her pack members stumbled upon her clothes.

She would just have to remember to find them before changing back.

Luca then turned her attention and senses back to the world around her, not wanting to get attacked suddenly. Luca paused for a moment, sniffing the air and listening all around her. She had heard the howls of her friends, and the sound of heavy feet made the wolf near her obviously Garret. Luca let out a short howl, running towards him. Luca jokingly called Garret the mom of the group, it's his fault for being so protective.

Soon Garret came into view, Luca letting out another howl to let him know she was there. Garret was one of the largest members of the pack, and Luca was easily the smallest. It was almost comical to run along side him.

[Nephriel]

Rhyle sniffed about for a few moments, listening to the others answer her call before she trotted off in the nearest one's direction. She sat down and gave a wolfish snort, a sort of laugh, when Haven's nose poked through a bush to snatch a berry. She trotted around the bush and nipped the end hairs of the girl's tail playfully to get her attention then pranced up and bumped shoulders with her, a silent 'come on, let's find the others.' Then, she sprinted off a short distance, turned and bounced around like a puppy... encouraging Haven to race with her to find the rest of the group.

She sprinted off again, hoping Haven would follow as she looked about and eventually almost ran over Svan before managing to skid to a halt. She gave an apologetic whine and sniffed the air again, looking about and hoping maybe the other girl would have an idea where Luca and Garret were. She knew she'd heard them close together but wasn't sure where.... She was eager to get off to hunting tonight. It wasn't often they got to actually hunt prey instead of wind themselves down with tag or stalking each other on their runs. Rhyle wanted to see if she could still manage it.

She sniffed at the ground and whined again before giving another howl, another call of Marco she hoped that Luca and Garret would answer with a Pollo. In the meantime though, she entertained herself by teasing Svan who was far too serious most times. She nipped at the other girls legs, darting in and out agilely as she tried to goad the other girl into returning fire. Mentally, she reached out... giving up her silence to talk to the others.

Luca... Garret... where are you two? I'm with Svan and Haven was right behind me.

It came in handy to be able to communicate telepathically to other werewolves.... All it required is that you knew them so you knew who to reach out to and that they were within five miles of you. Pack members could often communicate much further, spanning about ten miles but this was because their Alpha tied them together. Since this group had no Alpha and they were rarely that far apart, five miles was plenty.

[Whirlwind]

Haven’s ear twitched with every new howl, panting happily between bites of berries. Just as she was chewing one, she felt something grab lightly at the hairs on her tail. With a ‘yip’ she jumped up on all fours, muzzle a little purple from berry juice before barking once in a greeting to Rhyle. She nodded when the other girl bumped her shoulder, understanding they were off to find the others. Haven quickly sprinted after her, already wanting to race before Rhyle even encouraged it. Anytime she would edge ahead though, Haven would playfully sneak on her belly for a few seconds and then get up to sprint again, far behind, over and over.
When they ran into Svan, Haven barked happily once more, before howling a warning to the others that their minutes were numbered as they were being hunted. Haven sniffed the ground as Rhyle played with Svan, hoping to catch some sort of scent. Someone was close, but all she could smell was wolf, not who it specifically was. She rolled around in the dirt for a second, just to let out some adrenaline before getting back up, tongue hanging as silly as ever. She spread out about 40 yards from Svan and Rhyle, going in a circle around them so she could spot if one of the others came running this way.

[Cow Horse Chic]

Svan peeled her lips back to reveal the set of cream colored teeth offset against black gums. She made no verbal reply to the younger girl, she would play at a later date. Tonight was for hunting. As she settled back down in her spot on the rocks she could hear Rhyle calling out to Garrett and Luca. They would be hear in a minute or two. She raised her head, twisting her ears searching for movement other than their running. She could hear several smaller creatures scuttling out of their paths but nothing large. She often missed the snow from her homeland. It was almost always snowy in the northern areas where she had roamed with her brother for several years after they'd made their escape at a young age. Packs were trouble. Always.

Unlike the others in the group Svan knew love, though her mother had died shortly after she and Niall had been born her aunt had taken them in. However, once her father had learned of their existence, an agile baby girl and a strong baby boy both with his brilliant blue eyes, he'd come to retrieve them from their aunt. Explaining he wanted to take responsibility for them especially if the boy carried the same odd genes he carried. Her father had taught her to fight and scrap and use what few advantages she had against the werewolf boys to the max. He had taught her to run, run for her life if it ever came to it and he had taught Niall how to hold off multiple opponents so she could run. He loved them, even if they had been an accident.

Svan shook her head a bit, clearing the memories from her mind. They would do her little good tonight amongst this group of people. They were learning to love though, and to be loved as well. She stood up and shook her coat out, ignoring Rhyle's attempts to get her to snap and lash out. They would be off and running soon enough. Never soon enough for Svan.

[Pathfinder]

After breaking through a clearing Garret was happily assaulted by the runt of their little pack, Luca. With a bark and a yip, the two began to circle, jump, and generally being dorks before running off towards the others. As the pair ran through the forest, Garret found a moment to gain some amusement at the size difference of the two. Garret dominated all of the others in size and this was most apparent with the runt. Giving a humorous snort, Garret continued running at a steady pace as Luca's stamina wasn't the best. Filing that info for a talk on a later date, Garret just enjoyed the feeling of the air across his fur.

Luca... Garret... where are you two? I'm with Svan and Haven was right behind me.

Garret knew that the whole telepathy thing would always catch him off guard as the suddenness of it caused his jog to falter. Stopping for a second, Garret focused and said "We're not far, your howls are getting closer. We'll get there in about a minute or two if we really book it." as he began to get his jog back. He was about to start sprinting when an idea came. With as much of a smile as a wolf could pull off, Garret stood his ground as he said "Hey Luca, wanna race?" Pondering for a second, Garret continued with "Last one there has to...do the dishes."

By principle Garret hated doing the dishes or using plates, strictly eating and holding things with only his hands. However he knew that Luca would be up for it. I mean what wouldn't a teenager do to weasel their way out of a chore or two?

[tsubasa]

Ivan stood next to his daughter a short ways from his car but far enough into the brush that no one would see them. He looked at her, "This will hurt," He told her his hand on his shoulder.

Natalya rolled her shoulder, forcing his hand to drop to his side. She glanced up at him, "I know. You've told me."

"I'm just trying to prepare you, Natashka," Ivan said softly, his Russian accent soft in his words. Natalia groaned, "My name isn't... Natasha or Nata or Natashka, it is Natalia."

Ivan sighed, the girl had been arguing this since almost the moment he had told her who he was, "Natalia..."

"Thank you..." She said quietly, her arms crossed. She looked to the sun and saw it dipping down under the horizon and glanced at her father. He gave her a small nod before his face tightened slightly. She watched him as his morphed lowering to the ground. He did not make a sound despite saying the amount of pain that was endured in transformation. He was on his knees when a pain shot up her spine. She cried out, no going back now... Everything ached, she could feel muscles stretching, bones breaking and reshaping. It seemed to last forever before she was on the ground, looking through different eyes. Ivan was staring down at her, ensuring she was okay. His fur was turning white around his face and the scarring was almost unseen under all the fur. The pain that had over taken her slipped away and the endorphins sped through her. All she wanted to do was hunt and kill and run. She got to her feet and started to run, she was stopped a moment later though by her father. He ran in front of her and growled. The wolf in her immediately back down and she lowered to her stomach. Ivan watched her, not moving. He would have to keep his eye on her through the night... He could not leave her alone. He tilted his head back at let out a howl before looking at Natalia, he nodded.

Natalia stood slowly and after a moment, let out a howl of her own.

Leo, who had been stalking Rhyle through the forest after he found her, was trying to find the best way to make his entrance. First, he needed more people. Sure enough Rhyle found Haven and Svan, who seemed unamused as always. He grinned and pounced into the group, over the ladies and landed carefully in the centre. He looked at them all and straightened when he suddenly heard his father's howl. He looked toward that sound, his tail up. A moment later, a second softer and distinctly female howl resonated through the air. His tail dropped, his father had managed to find his sister.

[Nephriel]

Rhyle lifted her lip in half a snarl in surprise till she realized it was Leo who'd jumped in on her little group gathering. She snorted at him, half rolling her eyes and bumped her shoulder against his in a playful greeting before nipping at him playfully as punishment for surprising her. She heard Garret's response and wagged her tail somewhat, flicking her ears when she heard Ivan's howl followed by one she didn't recognize.

She knew who it probably was, he'd told them all where he planned on going when he'd left and she also noticed Leo's tail droop. She nipped his ear to get him to cheer up before taking a seat and waiting impatiently for the others to catch up. When Garret and Luca finally arrived she pranced impatiently from foot to foot.

We should meet Ivan and his daughter, they're deeper in anyway so it'll be a better place to begin the hunt... Unless you're coming our way already Ivan?

The handy thing was you could speak telepathically to the whole group and not just one at a time, it was like conversing aloud with no voice. She bumped Leo's shoulder again and spoke only to him this time, excluding the others.

Cheer up, it's hard to adjust at first but she'll be fine, besides... we could use another girl in the group. It'll be okay Leo...

[Dragonbud]

Luca yipped and barked with glee as the two of them joked around for a few moments. Luca occasionally tried to playfully bump shoulders with Garrett, but because of his weight and height advantage, she ended up just bumping herself around more then him. Luca normally just stuck to running circles around Garrett as he spoke with the others. She loved the telepathy, but often forgot it existed. It was just something she had been a part of as long as she could remember.

Luca... Garret... where are you two? I'm with Svan and Haven was right behind me.

And then Garrett gave her a very interesting offer. She hated doing dishes, much like most other teenagers. “Oh man Garrett, you know I can't turn down a bet that awesome!” Luca continued to prance around Garrett as she spoke to the pack members on the other end of the telepathic line. “Hello Rhyle! Hello Svan! Hello Haven! We are on our way! And when we all get back home tonight Garrett has to clean everyone else's dishes!”

Luca gave a final little hop, kicking her front legs up, as she sprinted forward. She didn't even wait for Garrett to say go, she didn't want to do dishes so she was going to give herself as much of an advantage as possible. Luca knew she was fast and nimble, being so small, but that also came with the price of having a small force of endurance. But sprinting for a few minutes shouldn't be too hard, especially when such a high bet was on the line.

It felt good to be free.

[Stitches]

It hurt.

If everyone else thought they'd have fun playing hide and seek, then let them, Walker didn't give a damn. He pressed his muzzle onto the opened tube of antiseptic cream, and pressed his lips to the foul smelling substance to slowly and clumsily smear it over his shoulders where the lines of red oozed blood like glittering rubies in the light of the full moon.

Let them, let them. Walker didn't care.

He dragged his sore body to a black, smooth pond and washed his muzzle in the still waters. His eyes narrowed at the filthy amber ones glaring back at him...the burst of endorphins made him restless, a bloodlust pounding through his veins but his mind was holding him back, making his body shudder with the physical strain of remaining still.

Walker didn't like his wolf side, the pair of them didn't get along well. The transformation was, is and will be incredibly painful; more so because of his wolf's urge to escape, driving him to the point of digging his nails into his flesh and beating himself up just to transform. He always got so...angry, as if his years of being the weakest were his fault, and his body held the scars from the Pack and from himself and from other beasts.

Walker put his nose to the air and sniffed. He could make out each and every scent, and the origin of every one. His keen eyes cut through the night and made out tracks and disturbed vegetation, trails leading to rabbits, deer, mice. Walker took some time to get up and hunt down a nest of rabbits, killing the parents with a swipe of the paw, devouring the younglings nearly whole. He felt the hot blood pour down his throat, the bones crunch in his powerful jaws, the fur from the skin tickling his nose as he ate everything and left no edible parts behind.

Full and with sated bloodlust, Walker limped back to the pond and howled. It was a bitter, mournful wolfsong; the melody of Walker, reverberating through the misty treetops. He didn't use telepathy, he actively blocked it out, refused people access to his mind. If they wanted to find him, he'd reveal his location when and where he likes and let them come.

His howl was his challenge - come find me, it taunted.

[Nephriel]

Mikhail was human still, after all his years as a wolf he has found a control in has calm that few others managed. Yes, the moon still called and yes... as time went on he would be forced to change if he did not do so willingly on his own. He did this every time they shifted, making sure the rest of the bunch were safely turned before he shifted as well.

He heard their howls, one in particular standing out and followed by a stranger just after.... Ivan was back with his daughter. Then, after all the others had died away another howl went up... He sighed softly. He knew the voice. Still a human, sweat glistening on his forehead from the need to change, he headed towards that last howl and grimaced when he caught sight of Walker.

"You know the change would hurt less if you did not fight it my friend... Why do you insist on hurting yourself like this?"

His words were traced with a letting accent... definitely Russian in origin. He grimaced as a spike of pain raced down his spine. Still, he was hesitant to change. He knew well that Walker would refuse to hear him telepathically and Mikhail has always respected his wishes.

"If you do not wish to hunt with the rest of us tonight I will respect that... but pushing the others away will not aide your cause. They consider you part of this family now..."

Another, more insistant pain seared through him and he leaned his shoulder against a tree.

"I will take my leave... think on what I said? We need to stick together now more than ever...."

With that he left walker and made it deeper into the shadows before struggling from his cloths to avoid ruining them and dropping on all fours as the change hit fast. Once shifted he howled and then headed for the others. He stepped out of the bushes to find Rhyle, Haven, Leo, Svan, Luca, and Garret.

Glad to see most of you are here.... ready to hunt?

[Whirlwind]

Haven was still running around her friends who had found each other happily when Leo suddenly pounced between them. She let out a series of surprised and excited barks, bopping around playfully until they heard two more howls. One Haven recognized right away, but the other, a female howl, was new. Her ears twitched as she tried to think who it could be, but she just blew through her nose in confusion before turning to the others and tilting her head. Leo looked sad but Haven, whether from too many drugs killing her brain cells or just being too excited for them to start hunting, wasn’t putting two and two together until Rhyle spoke to them that it was Ivan’s daughter. Ohhhh yes yes, I want to meet her! Haven said happily back to Rhyle, when Luca’s upbeat tone entered their minds to say hello and that Garrett was cleaning the dishes. Haven let out a wolfish chuckle, not responding to her friend but eagerly awaiting her arrival with Garrett.

Her happiness was interrupted by Walker’s bitter, taunting howl though, that made Haven wrinkle her nose. Oh Grandpa… she telepathically sent to him, teasing him even though she knew he wouldn’t appreciate it. Soon everyone but Walker was there or on their way, with Mikhail ready to charge the hunt. Yes! she responded to his question, digging her claws into the dirt in front of her and sticking her tail up in the air, wiggling it as if to pounce.

[Cow Horse Chic]

Svan watched and listened to the excited chatter but as she stood up she heard soft footfalls in the forest behind her. She swung around, ears pinned to her head, white teeth bared and glistening as the jaws of a much larger black wolf closed on air. Snarls reverberated through her chest until she recalled that the amber eyes matched her brothers. She narrowed her own eyes as she looked at him.

'You could have warned me you were on this continent Niall.' She snarled telepathically to him. Their telepathy was particularly strong being twins, and thus covered a much larger range than what their little rag tag "pack" was managing at the moment. Her brother looked very much unabashed over nearly hamstringing his own twin as well as unafraid of the group of wolves she was with.

He moved towards her and attempted to rub his cheek against hers but she snapped her jaws at him. 'Mikhail, everyone, this is my twin brother, Niall.'

---

Niall was quiet, nearly as quiet as his sister could be when she was trying. He could hear the excited yips and barks of the little group of wolves she was hanging around with apparently these days. He thought she had given up all trust in pack life. There was a security to it but there was also many dangers that came from living with that many other wolves. This group was pushing the limits of social chaos it seemed. Generally he and his sister had a sense for each other, whether it came from being twins or simply family he wasn't sure.

It had taken him a while to find her this time though. They had been apart for almost two years now. Last time he had seen her she had run from a fight on the border of Russia and a small country called Estonia. From there he hadn't been able to find her afterwards. It had stormed and snowed and there had been a near complete white out. He had finally gotten wind of rumors of an odd colored wolf with amber eyes in America and had come to see if they were true. Apparently she had come here after that fight to lick her wounds.

Clearly she thought he had just left her or that he was dead. There was probably blood everywhere in the snow still when she came back to look for him. 'Svan, do not fret so much. I have been looking for you since we got in that fight in Russia. He then turned towards the others and dipped his large head. He was not and exceedingly tall wolf but there was no doubt about the muscles that rippled beneath his black coat. He had little notches taken out of his ears and scars scattered across his muzzle and face. He was with out question a fighter. 'It is lovely to meet you all. Even over the mental links most wolves shared Niall had an accent, an odd mixture of Norse and Russian. Svan carried the same accent only much fainter.

[tsubasa]

Leo's attention was pulled away from thoughts of his sister joining the group, and the already large shadow he stood in growing, by Rhyle as she nipped at his ear. He gave her a small wolfish grin before his mind returned to his thoughts as she spoke to the others and his father. He shifted his weight between his feet, not really wanting to see his sister and wanting to see her all at once. His father had just found her, hopped in his truck and drove off, leaving them with little information other than 'I'm going to get Natashka, Lev.'

It infuriated him and excited him all at once. He heard Rhyle's voice in his head and looked at her. She read him completely wrong, thinking he was worried about his sister over how this would effect the small amount of attention he already got from his father. He did not tell her though, not wanting to complain. Instead, he nodded his head slightly, I don't know about that. I sometimes think there is more than enough estrogen in our little... family.

He smiled at her again, his tongue hanging out slightly. Ivan's voice came through to them a moment later.

She wishes to run. We'll be with you soon.

Leo sighed and looked at Mikhail as he joined the group. He nodded his head to the man who and had joined together with his father to make this group. The two of them were doing a good job at keeping order as well. His attention was caught by the arrival of another unknown wolf. He growled at him as he seemed to attempt to attack Svan. However, after a few moments the tension diffused and Svan introduced them all. Leo didn't know how he felt about it....

[Stitches]

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[Stitches]

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