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Finding Pride

By Kyvr

Author's Note: Sorry for the deception, this not a story about the Eyes of Tyr, but it takes place in the same "world" where the pack resides, and in fact takes place in the nearest city to their territory. Keep an eye out because the pack might be mentioned, even if they don't make an appearance.

They say that cats and dogs don't get along, but I got along just fine with a pack of werewolves when we skulked our way down the cavernous tunnels beneath the city of New Haven. The Shadow Guard was a professional acting pack, serious buzz-cuts and trained squad demeanor. To them I was wild factor: a mercenary with a full wild mane. I let them take the lead, made sure I wasn't in the way. It was the first time I worked with them and I knew that I had only a short time to earn their trust, the special kind of trust that soldiers who were watching each other's back needed to have. It was a slow journey down into the tunnels, enough time to impress them with my quiet acknowledgement of their hand signals and know exactly where they wanted me and what they wanted me to do. Once a soldier always a soldier.

A shadow war was coming to an end in New Haven. The kind of war that was fought behind the scenes of the normal everyday backdrop of human life, without knowledge of vampires and shapeshifters. Vidkun, the vampire Lord of New Haven, was dead. I mean the kind of really-permanent-not-coming-back dead. Vidkun used to rule over the bloodsuckers of New Haven, until he went insane. The kind of insane that was backed up with frightening power that made everyone nervous. Like all vampires Vidkun needed to ‘Rest' every few hundred years or his mind would start to deteriorate- which he didn't and his mind did. Unfortunately his loyal followers, devoted undead bureaucrats all, took their sweet ass time doing anything about it. Vidkun had a unique power that made his insanity all the more dangerous; any vamp that tasted his blood instantly had a powerful mental, psychic bond with him. Only the strongest were able to break free of the bond while the weaker ones became pathetic, subservient husks ready to heed his every crazy-ass whim. Unfortunately those strong enough to break the bond were few and far between, so they needed help if they wanted any chance in hell in taking Vidkun down. That's when they went to the Wolf-Brethren packs of the city and proposed an alliance. For a long time the relations between the bloodsuckers and the Brethren were ice cold at best. Now they were fighting side by side. Nothing like an unholy powered madman to bring everyone together.

I came late to the party. Vidkun was headless and rotting before I was summoned to the city by a good friend of mine to do a special favor. They were hoping that with Vidkun gone the almost-mindless husks that used to be normal bloodsuckers (as normal as they could be) would recover. Well, it just goes to show how life can be a bitch sometimes. The husks were running rampant, still clinging to the last psychic commands of their dead master, receding to the dark places of the city and squirming like the leeches they had become. The surviving vamps and Wolf-Brethren knew their territory well and it was only a matter of time to locate all the nests and organize ‘cleaning crews'. That's where I came in; I was part of a cleaning crew with my own little mission to fulfill: Find and kill my friend's sister.

The Shadow Guard were definitely what you would call ‘city-wolves'. Their fur was styled short and functional, no long hair or fluffy tails, all dark colors and hard staring eyes of those trained in close-urban combat. Each one of them were handpicked by their alpha, each had training and experience in SWAT and tactical teams. They wore combat web gear over their fur pelts, belts and straps holding equipment and weapons. They were armed with short, thick machete-like blades strapped to their calves and four of them carried large revolving barreled guns, used to shoot tear gas grenades. Tear gas doesn't work well against vampires, but phosphorous flares do. It wasn't hard to picture them in full tactical gear, carrying riot shields and submachine guns, but I guess they gave into their true feral nature just a bit by giving up the armor so they could feel the air of their fur.

Among a pack of buzz-cut, gear-wearing, dark pelted werewolves I definitely stood out. I wasn't hopeless keeping stealthy in the darkness. The short, brown fur that covered my body didn't gleam with its usual golden shine. The thick, wild halo of long fur that surrounded my head was a definite give away that I was not exactly ‘part of the squad'. They never did say it but I already knew the criticisms that the Shadow Guard had for long hair. It gets into your eyes and can be grabbed by an opponent. They may be true, but I was used to it. Plus, anyone with enough balls to try to pull this lion's mane would be very, very sorry- almost as sorry as the guy who tries to tell me to shave it off.

The only things I wore was a good strong belt holding up knee-high camo shorts (underneath was a large, custom cup- got to protect what's important, right?). I'm not a total feral, I do believe in being prepared- it's been drilled in my skull. Usually I would have my duffel bag with me filled with all sorts of usual gear, but at the time I was over 30 feet below ground skulking along with six fully armed werewolves in a not-so-wide tunnel. The less I had dangling off of me the better. I had my usual battle bracers, covering my forearms in thick, tough leather and blunt, metal studs over my knuckles. On my belt was a good-sized zip pouch carrying the essential gear and a thigh holster on my right holding a good heavy-caliber pistol. Bullets don't do much to an undead body, but a good shot would stagger them. Plus I never get tired of the stupid, surprised look on the face of my enemy when the big, muscled lion man forgoes using his talons and fangs and just shoots them. Always good to keep them on their feet.

For this special occasion I had a katana sword, strapped to my back by a cloth cord, held in a well-traveled wood scabbard. Katana swords are usually not my choice of weapon. Their great, don't get me wrong, but I prefer a thicker, wider blade that compliments the strength of my wide forearms. The katana I was carrying was not mine though. It was a family heirloom, passed from generation to generation of the Hayakawa family. Its blade was still superbly sharp, but its hilt was a simple black-iron disc, and its handle corded with strings still smelling of sweat from the many warriors that had wielded it generations past. It was a special sword, given to me for that night by a member of the Hayakawa family to kill a member of the Hayakawa family. When I donned the sword I was worried it would be bouncing off my back, making all sorts of noise, but it nestled nicely into the thick mane hair that traveled down my back.

The tunnels we were padding through were old maintenance hallways, built decades ago and forgotten. All cities had a lot of underground, lots of places forgotten and paved over, but they were still there. The tunnels were hot and stuffy; the air struggled to blow in. We couldn't resist the urge to open our muzzles and start huffing and puffing softly, letting our tongues cool. When we came to a metal maintenance door at the end of the hallway we stopped, and the pack's alpha, Beranger, motioned us to take positions.

 Beranger lifted a paw-hand to his right ear, "Guards in place." The ear pieces we wore were altered slightly to fit in our larger, animal ears.

We waited a few eternal moments as the other teams checked in.

Suddenly a hushed voice spoke through, "This is Loner."

I didn't know at the time who ‘Loner' was, but I figured that, whoever he was, he was really good at being stealthy. He was beyond the door we were at, right in the vampire's lair.

"Large group. Most of them napping in the car nearest to Guards and Alpha."

‘Alpha' was the call sign for the Haven Conglomerate pack, the ruling Wolf-Brethren of New Haven. It was led by a savvy businessman of an alpha, Cedric Morningstar.

"We'll stick to the plan," Cedric's stable voice said, "Flares first, then harry the stragglers. On ten."

Cedric began counting down. Beranger got the four gunners to the door. Heavy anticipation chocked the air as the sound of Cedric's counting continued with the emphasis of metal sliding against cloth as the wolves drew their blades. Leaning against the wall and fighting the nagging urge to pop my talons from my paw hand I reached back and drew the katana. It slid out silently and gleamed defiantly against the darkness.

I let myself relax and not give in to the instinct to hold my breath, letting my muscles get as much strength and comfort as possible. Holding the long handle of the katana in my right paw hand I let the blade drop, its shining tip almost touching the floor.

At the count of "10" the door was kicked open with a complaining metal squelch. The burning salty stench of rot flooded my nostrils. The wolves were quickly out the door in orderly tactical fashion, taking just the right amount of moments to size up their targets and let down a rain of pink-white globs of burning rain. The launchers made a deviously simple and soft "blommph" sound. The screams of the husk's shrieked in the air.

The launchers only held eight flares and they were a bitch to reload. As soon as we heard the launchers clunk on the ground we stormed in and joined the fray.

I let the wolves go first, taking only a moment to appreciate the beauty of the dark hunting shapes homing in on their prey in an ancient dance of battle. I joined eagerly, the wind of my powerful movements brushing through my mane. I had to keep control of myself, keeping that oh-so-tempting part of my savage soul to let lose, roar, and prove to the world nobody should mess with you under control.

The vampire-husks were in disarray, panicking wildly from the bright glares of the phosphorous flame. A good number of unlucky ones had flares burning in their torsos. Vampires usually look just like humans. Some even manage to get healthy complexions and hide their fangs well. These ‘husks' were definitely something else, definitely corrupted both mentally and physically by Vidkun's power. They had the bodies of Holocaust survivors, ribs poking severely from pale, blue-veined skin. Most of their hair had fallen out and their eyes had sunken in and turned red-black. They seemed to have devolved, forsaking proper clothing and wearing rags or nothing at all. I had a brief realization that I had known some of these vampires, some of them actually good, decent-enough people for bloodsuckers. They all had been corrupted, incapable of even speech, hissing and shrieking in mad rage. They have taken refuge in this old, abandoned subway station, a single subway cab sat rusting on the track.

The Shadow Guard, along with the other Wolf-Brethren and allied vampires who joined the hunt, were making quick work of the husks. The Guard had formed a simple but professional circle, hacking away at stray enemies while keeping their backs to each other. Unfortunately they didn't take into account the ones who could crawl along the ceilings.

I've seen a vampire do it once before. They crawled with gangly limbs along the broken tiled ceiling, undead mockeries of spiders with their fangs bared. They were ready to pounce on the pack, jump right into the middle of their wide circle and take them from within.

I was there before that could happen. Holding the katana in my right paw-hand as I ran, I let the blade trail behind me, letting momentum rise. As the first husk dropped from the ceiling, he only had a millisecond to be surprised as I curved the blade up and sliced him apart from groin to shoulder. I had almost forgotten how fluid I could be with such a light blade.

The second husk dropped to the ground a second later. I twisted my body on the toes of my foot and swiped the blade across his neck, slicing it neatly.

The third dropped behind me. I turned just in time to see it lunging at me, a spiteful mad smile on its fanged mouth. I brought the blade up, planning the pierce the tip through its body, when a wide blade swiped through half of the husk's head from behind.

As the husk's lifeless body slumped to the floor, Beringer and I shared a brief nod.

The battle was dying down when a loud, desperate shriek echoed through the chamber. Heads turned towards the lone, slender figure standing on top of the subway car. Unlike the other husks, this one had most of her straight black hair that still had an odd, clean shine to it. Although her eyes were sunk in and blood red, she still had her pale Asian skin. She wore a tattered silk white dress that was stained with brown and red streaks. A tarnished gold locket hung from her thin neck. Her face pleaded with a painful anger.

Several Wolf-Brethren moved toward her.

"No!" my roar echoed, "She's mine!"

I bounded towards the subway car and landed on top with a powerful leap. I lifted the katana blade to my shoulder leaning backwards, ready to make a lunging swipe when...

"So," the husk spat in a strained voice, "My sister's cat has come for vengeance."

I didn't let my confusion play on my face. The husks could not speak, they could only rage and skulk.

"Aiko," I said firmly, watching as her face twitched in remorseful recognition.

"Aiko," I repeated, she winced as the sound of her name cut, "Your sister sent me."

"Impossible!" she spat, shaking with barely-held rage, "She is dead! I saw to it!"

"She survived."

"No! This..." she held a weak finger up to me, "...is a lie! You will not bend me! When Vidkun comes for me..."

"Vidkun is dead Aiko. It is over."

"No!" Aiko screamed. She grabbed her hair with clawing hands, fighting conflicting thoughts, "He is alive! You lie! You lie so I will betray him! I cannot betray him..."

"You're stronger than this Aiko," I said, resisting the growl building up in my throat, "Others have been strong enough to break his hold, you are..."

Her scream drowned my words. Aiko was never the fighter that her twin sister was, but she still had a graceful, cunning way of doing things. She used to be the more political of the two, the one wheeling and dealing with the elites. Now she was reduced to shrieking madly and charging head on, her small hands stretched out with talons topped by broken fingernails. Aiko was gone and could never go back, reduced to a mad dog that had to be put down.

The ease of her execution was degrading. The momentum of her mad charge driving the beyond razor sharp blade to pass through the neck as if it was a misty breath. I would love to say that there was a change in her eyes in the last few seconds of her unlife, that some fragment of hopeful peace shined in those hollow, rage red eyes. The truth is I never saw her eyes, whatever emotions they might have betrayed, as her head left her neck behind with a clean cut, and rolled off the subway car. The sound of flesh and bone bouncing against cement echoed throughout the chamber twice before the body finally slumped down.

The golden locket slipped off the severed neck and clanged against the metal roof. I bent down quickly to snatch it before any of the black blood oozing slowly out of the neck stained it. It was a tiny oval of tarnished gold. With a single careful finger I pressed the latch and it popped open to reveal two black and white photographs, wrinkled and stained with time, of two young Asian girls, twins with bowl-shaped haircuts. One looked stern and serious, while the other had a slight curl of a smile on her face.

I wrapped the locket tightly against the sheathed katana before slipping it onto my back. I wouldn't have to use the blade again. Grabbing Aiko's body I hopped off the car, and threw it towards the pile of husk bodies the Brethren were collecting on the floor. The dead husks were already rotting away, flesh and bone trickling into brown dust.

The place was filled with Wolf-Brethren and a smattering of allied vampires. They were cleaning up, keeping a decent distance from each other. My part was done and I was planning to just slip out when a familiar, and unwelcome, voice called out.

"Gavin, please, don't leave so soon."

Before I turned to face the man who spoke I stifled an angry growl in my throat, rubbing the top of my muzzle between my eyes to relieve the tension.

I turned to see a vampire dressed in a suspiciously clean grey business suit. He was a 1920s high-rise business man who stepped out of an old photograph and reluctantly added a little bit of color. His black hair, with respectable grey temples, was slicked back. He had the pale skin of a long-lived vampire, with hints of blue veins dancing under the unliving flesh. His eyes betrayed his inhuman nature, I knew he often used special contacts to cover up the milky off-white eyes of a dead man who could not see anymore, but those eyes looked at you anyway. His average looking face was tarnished by the emotionally dead flesh that conformed to it.

Matteus was one of the two new vampire Barons of New Haven. He had to work the hardest to earn the trust of the allied vampires, because he is a direct blood child of Vidkun and used to be the Lord's top go-to-guy, handling the Lord's nightly affairs. Many rumored he shared his blood father's insanity, but he was one of the first voices of decent went Vidkun went overboard.

I said nothing to him. I just gave him the best stoic, I-don't-care look a lion's face could muster.

"I wanted to thank you personally for doing a great honorable service for Dark Sister Raven," he said with a slight bow of his head. It might have looked nice and courteous to some, but I saw through it. I was watching a man who forgot how to be human and was now a corpse going through the motions and forgetting to rot.

"Raven does not need you to thank me," I dead panned, "What honor there is in cutting her sister's head off is between Raven and I, and no one else's business."

It's hard to piss off a guy who had forgotten how to feel emotions. His dead face revealed nothing as he bowed again, "Nevertheless, I feel it is necessary as Baron of this city to extend hospitality towards you. I do not wish for Raven to think I am not ungrateful for your service..."

"Hospitality?!" my growl threatened to turn into a roar as my blood boiled, "I had a good taste of your hospitality the last time I was here Matteus. I really, really don't care for it!"

Everyplace you go there are rules to the land. Some of them can be really odd, and when the rules are made up by creatures that can change shape or live hundreds of years on end then you'll get the oddest rules to go by. One of those rules that vampires loved and loathed to follow was the ‘recognition of service' that goes along with the ‘acceptance of hospitality'. What I had done was a great service to one of the top vamps of the town, and now the leader of those vamps was honor-bound to offer me lodgings and food (whatever form they could take). If Baron Matteus ‘failed' to offer me hospitality than it would be one more reason for his ‘loyal subjects' not to trust him- and he was on thin ice already. Of course when I so delicately rejected his offer of hospitality and didn't refer to him with his ‘proper' title, I was essentially spitting in his face and pissing on his shoes.

Matteus took it all like he always did. His dead face betrayed nothing, although I knew that he was pissed with me. I guess it was something he was getting used to, he had to beg on his knees and kiss some dirty feet to still be on top while having close ties to the big insane head honcho that was just killed a week ago. Dealing with me was just another grievance on the pile. After a few all-too-silent moments, he let out a long sigh.

"Perhaps," a quiet but commanding voice said behind me, "My hospitality will not be so...rejected."

I turned to face the other supernatural face of New Haven, Cedric Morningstar of the Haven Consortium pack. A city wolf to top all city wolves, Cedric had the power and the will to form a loose alliance of over a dozen packs throughout the city. It used to be an alliance to keep an eye on the vampires, but things were changing.

He was a tall, lanky wolf, with grey-white fur that darkened to an almost bluish-black at the sides and bright yellow eyes. His muzzle was longer and more pointed than a typical Wolf-Brethren.

"In the interest of keeping our alliance with the vampires I will gladly assume this responsibility towards our honored guest," Cedric addressed Matteus.

Another heavy silence fell on us as Matteus regarded Cedric with his dead eyes. With a single brief bow Matteus swallowed whatever residual pride he had before turning on a single foot to walk out. The werewolf and I watched as the new vampire Baron left out of earshot.

"I don't blame you," Cedric said beside me, "That...thing makes me uncomfortable as well."

He had no idea, but Cedric and his wolves had earned a lot of brownie points from me that night.

***

I was one of the few people who could call the Dark Sister Raven by her real, human name: Keiko Hayakawa. We met years ago, when New Haven was run by a more sane Lord Vidkun. I did a few jobs for her, mostly hunting down rogue vampires who were out of control and had to be put down. History would reveal that some of those rogue vamps were actually some of Vidkun's early attempts to play around with his new-found blood power. Keiko was a kind of sheriff of New Haven, keeping vampires in line and out of the scrutiny of human authorities. She was good at her job, and was also good at keeping a good distance from the more political side of the bloodsuckers. It was for that reason that Keiko avoided being another one of Vidkun's blood slaves, unlike her twin sister.

If my tastes were different I could definitely see Keiko and I being a more involved item, but I wonder what factor prevents us from being more than just trusted friends: the fact she's undead or the fact she's a woman. Nevertheless throughout the missions we went through we developed the kind of relationship cops and soldiers get from grudging through the patrols and the trenches together.

A week ago Keiko had experienced a betrayal that nearly killed her. She was lured by her sister into a trap where she found herself surrounded by a burning building. Vampires don't go well with being surrounded and engulfed by fire (who does?), but Keiko is a tough bitch. Over 80% of her body was burned and charred, but she made it out with pure grit and stubbornness. She might have gotten out alive but she was down for the count. That is why she called me in and asked me the favor of killing her sister with the family sword. Technically I owed Keiko nothing, but she was the kind of friend I wanted, that I respected. I was a loner, a nomad, so I needed all the good friends I could get.

It only took an hour to get out of the abandoned subway station and clean myself up. Brethren of any type feel most comfortable in their true hybrid form, and I was no exception, but if you are walking around the city you have to take the precaution of putting on the human skin. I was used to it, feeling just a little bit of an emotional itch as I walked to the collection of mausoleums where Keiko was housed.

In my human skin I am a tall, broad muscular man with tanned skin. I came from a whole mixture of descent, a splash of Germanic with Native American with European and then some. I got a good square jaw covered in a thick goatee and my nose is large and slightly hooked on my face. My eyes are dark brown, though I like to let them shine golden by letting my true form express itself a little. Shapeshifters can do stuff like that with practice. My long, thick auburn hair that cascaded down my back was a definite giveaway to my true nature if someone was in the know. That night I tied it up in a lose ponytail that rested underneath my shirt, giving the illusion that my hair was much shorter. I was wearing a dark t-shirt and cargo shorts that night because the summer had come early, and I looked like a lone jogger out at night with a large duffel bag bouncing on his back, taking a nice jog through the cemetery. Yeah sure.

One thing about vampires who been around for a while is that most of them had, or could get, lots of money. The smart forward thinking ones had all kinds of side projects going on, ready for any contingency. Keiko was one of those vampires. She had safe houses, armories, and contacts throughout the city. The one where she stashed herself was not the most original, but I guess she had figured a safe house in a cemetery had a good ironic logic to it.

The mausoleum looked like the other cracked dark marble structures around it. When I opened the door and stepped inside I was in a hallway shaped like a cross, with tall brick walls each with coffins set into them. A single light shone from the right hallway. Toby, Keiko's human servant, already knew I was here because of the hidden sentries throughout the cemetery who notified him of my arrival. If I was unwelcome I would not have gotten that far.

I heard Toby's heavy footfall approach and I stood patiently as his massive frame turned the corner. Toby was every inch an Italian thug, wearing a buttoned up shirt and suspenders over his bulky frame. His tiny dark eyes regarded me quickly, his bald plate shining even in the weak light. He looked like he just got up from a nap.

With a single nod he led me down the right hallway and into a deep alcove where a massive dark bluish metal coffin sat, with rubber tubes connected to it leading to several nearby unmarked canisters.

The coffin lid was open.

The first time I saw Keiko in her injured state I couldn't help but grimace, but now I was prepared. As I stepped up to the coffin I heard her weak voice call out, "Hey, Gavin."

She once told me that decades ago she had a strong Japanese accent, but over the years it just melted away. I couldn't help but smile at her casual greeting, considering the setting and all.

She was floating in a coffin filled with blood-nutrient water, with only her neck and face poking above the water. The entire left side of her body was burnt and charred like a steak left on a barbecue for several hours. If she even tried to move her left arm, fused with melted flesh to her torso, it would have probably of broke off from the effort, assuming there was any working muscle left to move it. The left side of her face was similarly charred, her left eye had ruptured from the heat and flesh had melted over it. Her nose and mouth had been mostly spared, along with the right side of her face with her right eye. The untouched flesh was more pale than usual, but still smooth along with her exotic dark eye. Preserved fragments that make the horror of the burnt body even more horrible.

After a long silence of looking down at her I lifted up the katana so she could see it. "It's done," I simply said.

I have seen vampires cry. Depending on if they fed recently they could cry blood red tears, or nothing at all but would still make the moans and motions of sobbing. Keiko only blinked once and nodded her head carefully, causing slow rippling waves in the blood-nutrient bath.

"Thank you Gavin," she broke the silence, "You are truly a... friend." It was the first time any one of us said it out loud. Before then we considered ourselves more comrades in arms than friends, but it was hard to deny that our relationship changed when I cut off Aiko's head.

Another silence would have followed if she hadn't of noticed the locket hanging off the katana. Her one good eye widened and she gasped, "My God I had no idea she still had that."

As I unwrapped the locket I could tell Keiko was fighting the urge to sit up and grab it, but she didn't dare to compromise her weakened body. She was good at swallowing her pride as I opened the locket and held it close enough for her to look at.

"I remember the day it was taken," she said with that small, ironic smile of hers, "We just got off the boat, the first rich Japanese family in America, buying a photo from a street photographer."

"Thought it might be important," I said simply because I couldn't think of anything else to say.

With a sigh Keiko nodded and I returned the locket to the katana, which I handed to Toby.

"I owe you Gav, owe you big," Keiko's serious but soft voice echoed in her blood-watery coffin, "and I'm going to start paying you back right now. I want to give you some advice and I want you to think about it."

I crossed my arms and a sarcastic smile spread on my lips, "Really? Some advice. I suppose you know the key to my soul."

"That's right you arrogant ass listen up," she coughed slightly but swallowed it, "Stop with the ronin act and settle down Gavin."

The comment hit me hard. The smile wiped off my face as I frowned. She knew exactly where to hit me.

"Look," she said in a softer tone, "You're a good guy Gavin, a great guy. You don't deserve to be wondering around the world, one place to another, with no purpose in mind. I don't know what your problem is, but I know you're strong enough to face it. Deal with it and start building something you can be proud of. I don't care what it is, but, Gav, you are literally a lion without a pride. Were all social animals, and you're more social than most, you just can't admit it. Find yourself a good man. Hell, find a whole bunch of good men and set up a nice harem. Things are changing here Gavin, a lot of room for you to stay in and make your mark."

My face flushed with realization. Keiko was a strategist, she knew exactly what to say to get to me. She was smart enough to notice how I acted, how I would watch a good looking guy across the way with a quiet desperate look, how I would grumble about staying in one place to long. She didn't need to know about the other stuff, about how I would sleep at night, wherever I was, and grasp my pillow close to me, wishing there was someone else there to hold. All this stuff I kept deep down and hidden, but I knew she was smart enough to figure me out. Usually I didn't let people get close to me to notice these things. She was revealing it all to me, making me get a good hard look at myself. Some would consider it a great insult, but I value strength and dedication, and she was doing me a favor by calling out my weakness. I would rather have a friend reveal my weakness than an enemy. But...

"Wait a minute," I said shaking my head, "You just want me to stay here, keep your allies close so you can secure your power base."

"Just because I'm a conniving vampire bitch doesn't mean I don't care about my friends," she said without hesitation.

I didn't come to New Haven expecting someone to question how I lived my life. A part of me wanted to hate her, yell at her to mind her own business, but the reasonable part of my brain was telling me that she had a point.

"Just," she continued, "Try it out. Stay here for a month, see what there is to offer you. Money won't be a problem, I've made sure of that. At least stick around so when I get back up on my feet you can tell me in person what your decision is."

After taking a few pondering moments, "One month," I repeated her.

"I'll be back up in a month," she confirmed.

Toby, standing silently nearby, grumbled, "Three months mistress, at least."

"One month no less," Keiko hissed.

"No," Toby grumbled, not impressed by his master's bravado, "If takes more than one month for you to get your color back, something better than crispy bacon, then you're staying in there for more than just one month."

"Toby," Keiko softly hissed, "I swear to God I will kick your ass..."

"Good," Toby interrupted, "You can kick my ass after you get better and only when you get better. Make it the first thing you do, I don't care, but you are hurt mistress and I'm not letting you out till you're back in fighting shape."

"This," Keiko huffed, "is not how a typical servant serves his master," her face got softer, "but I expect no less from you Toby."

I turned to face Toby, "You're devotion is really adorable."

His face screwed up, "Ah, sorry. I not into guys."

I didn't mean the comment to flirt with him, and he really wasn't my type, but I gave him a smile and a wink anyways. He shook his head and grumbled something under his breath.

"Don't try to make me laugh," Keiko winced fighting back a chuckle, "it hurts like hell."

"Mistress, please," Toby pleaded, "I know it's important that you talk to Mr. Jarvis but you really need to get to...sleep."

By ‘sleep' Toby meant the hibernation that Keiko would go under as she was immersed in blood, willing her body to heal and reconstruct itself. The healing, as Toby said, would take months.

"Think about it Gavin," Keiko said as Toby approached the coffin to make sure everything was ready.

"I will," I promised her as the coffin lid shut.

The next time I would see her was four months later.

***

The Morningstar Resort was a large hotel set in the less developed area of New Haven, where a large band of thick forest touched the city. The building was the offspring of a large city hotel and rustic cabin, with large log-like supports between brown-red large brick wall covered in ivy. It was cloaked in massive trees and surrounded by a thick brick wall fence. Only the specific invitation of Cedric Morningstar could you get in. The cab that dropped me off was not even allowed into the grounds. It had to drop me off at the gate entrance.

I was impressed with the room I was given, Cedric had obviously designed the place with Brethren in mind. It was essentially a large open room that acted as living, dining and bedroom all in one, the only other room was a large bathroom tucked to the side. The focus of the room was a tall, two-story high window overlooking the view of the forest and the city. The line of trees curled upon the city limits, embracing it with a leafy arm. I guess that's what Cedric method and way of thinking was, achieving a perfect balance of urban and wild.

Immediately below the window was a large roughly circular bed topped with a cushy mattress with no headboard, topped with a collection of pillows. The light fixtures were soft but bright, looking like dull silver candelabras. The left side of the room had a small circular dining table with a crescent shaped couch surrounding it. The television was hung so it could be viewed from the bed. A large brick fireplace dominated the right side of the room, a set of logs stood unused inside it.

I was escorted up by a human bellboy. I learned later that Cedric kept the humans under his employ somewhat in the loop about the existence of werewolves and other such things. Usually we are very paranoid about such things and one of the most common rules followed by many supernatural beings was avoiding human discovery. Fortunately we had a lot of tools and abilities to help us, from magical spells that could make a human mind forget to subtle media and political connections that could encourage silence. On top of all that there was always the reliable human ability of denial. Even if one of the human servants of Cedric's hotel tried to go public, they would have a hard time finding anyone to listen to them who wouldn't think they've gone off the deep end.

I had just put away my meager collection of clothing when Cedric knocked on the door and entered the room. Like me Cedric was wearing his human skin covered in a black suit with no tie. He was a fit middle aged man of definite European descent with well-tanned skin and a professional power posture. His grey-white hair was neatly trimmed and complemented the well-formed goatee on his chin. His hawk-like nose was more hooked than mine, reflecting the narrow, pointed muzzle of his true form. He regarded me with a polite but cautious smile, his dark blue eyes sizing me up.

Behind him was another Wolf-Brethren in human skin. I didn't recognize him, but I didn't get the impression he was a bodyguard. He had a good athletic build, definitely a good runner with good-sized calves and legs. He had one of those faces that will hardly ever age, keeping the boyish look until he's well into his forties. His chin was dimpled and his smile was full of charming enthusiasm. His brown-black hair was messy in a fashionable sense, keeping out of his bright, clear green eyes that looked at me with a unmistakable exuberance. He was wearing a blue t-shirt that hung loose on his body along with ripped up jeans that revealed his smooth white skin underneath.

"Mr. Jarvis," Cedric began, but I held up a hand to stop him politely.

"Please, Gavin is fine."

Cedric nodded, "Gavin of the Lion-Brethren, as ruling Alpha of the Wolf-Brethren of New Haven I welcome you with great honor to our land."

I shook his outstretched hand, "With honor I accept."

"Well," Cedric said as he broke the handshake, "I hope the room is to your liking, you are officially the first Lion-Brethren to reside here. All the servants are at your disposal if you need anything."

Cedric paused, letting his shoulders loosen, "Gavin, to be honest, I don't have time to play a good host."

I nodded, "Your city has just gone through a lot, and you've got a lot to do and not enough sleep."

"Yes," Cedric nodded with a grateful smile, "Thank you for understanding."

I let myself think for a moment, "Cedric, I'm sure your wolves can handle everything, but you're aware of my skills. I'm...going to be staying here for a while, so...If you need anything from me, don't hesitate to ask."

The alpha wolf went stiff with suspicion. I didn't blame him. Here I was, a strong predator, probably strong enough to give him a good fight if I wanted to, and in one statement I declared not only to stay in his territory but also I subtly suggested he wasn't good enough to hold it without my help. His mind worked like any good alpha's mind would, thinking of all the angles and scenarios, trying to place me in them and where I fit. He was not sure if I was a threat.

"Do you do this on your own, or through the Dark Sister Raven?"

"Raven and I have a friendship, I won't deny that. But I do not serve her, and I don't answer to her," I paused, and after a moment of thought I lowered myself on one knee. I was almost a foot taller than Cedric and it helped to show I accepted his position.

"In all honesty Cedric," I continued in a submissive, friendly tone, "I want to try to be allies. What I have seen of your allied packs impressed me, showed me that you would be good allies to have, not only for your fighting ability but your stability and honor as well."

Cedric's eyes had turned into the bright yellow of his true form, but he remained in his human skin. He stepped forward and grabbed me by the arm lifting me up gently. He kept his arm on mine.

"I would be an idiot not to consider that," Cedric admitted, "And I would be an idiot not to admit I could use someone like you. Consider yourself a friend of my pack Gavin. I won't lie, some will be suspicious to you, but with time, I think we can both benefit from this."

We exchanged smiles and he let go of our embrace.

"In the mean time," Cedric continued, "Jonah here will be your...company for the evening."

Now it was my turn to become suspicious. Warning bells went off in my head as anger and disbelief started heating my blood.

"What do you mean?" I said carefully.

Cedric sensed my growing anger and must have been confused, "He is here to make you more comfortable. The new Baron Mattieus explained to me that you preferred..."

"I thought better of you Cedric!" I roared. I turned my back on him and started pacing the room. My fingers curled, my claws begging to be released.

"How much are you like him?" I growled, "Are you just two sides of the same coin? Willing to slave away your lesser..."

"How dare you!" Cedric growled, his yellow eyes blaring, "Don't compare me to that stinking corpse! Have you gone insane! One moment you are asking for my support the next..."

We growled at each other, fangs erupting out of our human mouths.

"Wait!" The young man, Jonah, called out. As he jumped in between us he seemed so little, standing in between two bristling were-creatures ready to let the fur fly and give into their rage.

"There obviously been a misunderstanding here!" Jonah turned to me, "I don't know why you thought so, but Cedric did not force me here to be your...consort. I came on my own free will."

I saw in the young man's eyes that what he was saying was true. Old anger was surging in me and I had to stifle it like a man. I also had to stifle my pride, which is very hard for a lion to do. Closing my mouth and willing my fangs to retract I fell to the door, my knees thudded against the hardwood floor, bowing my head bowed in submission.

"Alpha," I called out to Cedric, keeping my eyes to the floor, "I...beg for your forgiveness. I...I am idiot. It's just...you drudged up an old wound, something that happened...something personal...oh, hell...you deserve an explanation."

"Yes," Cedric growled hard, "Yes. I. Do."

I lifted my head and met the eyes of the raging alpha, "As you know I did some work for Kei...Dark Sister Raven in the past. One time when I completed taking down a rouge vampire, Matteus, acting as Vidkun's representative, wanted to...thank me. He offered me hospitality, just as he did tonight. But I accepted...then. He gave me a room in a hotel...not quite as good as this one. Then he...he sent me a young man...a blood slave,"

A blood slave was a human being who was addicted to vampire blood, and just like any other drug addict would do anything to get their next fix.

"When I asked him why he was sent to my room," I continued, "He told me that he was there to please me, that he would do anything I told him to do. You have to understand...he was...pathetic...thin to the bone...crazed out of his mind...he was refused not only blood, but food and sleep, told he wouldn't get any if he didn't...pleasure me. He wasn't even gay. He cried and sobbed the entire time he was with me...didn't believe me when I tried to tell him I wasn't going to. He was totally convinced I was a monster and I was going to...rape him. I tried to help him...feed him...but he just whimpered and cried. Once he actually tried to force himself on me...screaming...desperate to do anything. I got out of there and never looked back. I've...I hate Matteus for that...when I explained my...disgust he simply shrugged. He is a monster...he thinks everyone is as monstrous as he is and thinks nothing of...whoring others. When you told me he...informed you...I lost it."

A bit of the rage died down in Cedric's eyes, but he was still boiling over. Clenching his fists he walked over to the fireplace. He picked up a single log and held it in his hands.

"That...conniving...manipulative...fucking...leech!" He roared as he ripped the log apart with his bare hands. His clothing bulged as he body begged to change. His fingernails thickened into talons.

"He did this of purpose!" He yelled at me, "That stinking corpse! I knew I should have never listened to him! After all we have worked for he is still playing his petty power games! And I fell for it!"

Cedric forced himself to close his eyes. He exhaled slowly, his clothing becoming loose as he willed himself into the human skin. When he opened his eyes they still shined with feral intensity, but his voice was calm.

"It was Matteus who told me you preferred males," he said as he came over and helped me up, "He said nothing of what had happened before. I should have been more...suspicious of his motives...but I apologize Gavin. I let my temper get the best of me. I have hardly slept in a week."

"I apologize as well," I added, as we shared another handshake.

"An interesting way to start a friendship," Cedric sighed.

"Look at it this way," I smiled, "We now know both of us should keep an eye on that bastard, and not trust a word he says."

"Absolutely," Cedric agreed, smiling as he walked to the door, "I have some much needed sleep to catch up on. I need to clear my head so I don't start trusting a dead man's words again."

With that Cedric left the room, leaving Jonah and I alone.

The young man sighed and headed towards the door, "Look," he said putting his hand on the doorknob, "I understand if you want to be alone...we kinda got off on a...weird foot."

"Wait," I surprised myself by stopping him, "At least tell me why you came here, to see me. I've never met you before."

"Well," he leaned on the door, "Not in person. You probably heard my voice though, I was ‘Loner.'"

"You're the one who tracked down the vampire's lair?"

"Yeah, and hid my ass enough to scope it out."

"Impressive. Plus you got in between two raging shapeshifters who were about to go ballistic on each other."

"I do what I can. I not the fighter you are..."

"Don't sell yourself short," I found myself interrupting. The more I looked at Jonah the more I felt a warm urge play inside of me. He was a very good looking guy, leaning against the door, spreading his body out, unconsciously showcasing it to me. My mind wandered, trying to rip off that loose t-shit by mental effort alone.

"I got my talents," he continued, "Anyway to answer your question. Simply, I was interested. I've never met a Lion-Brethren before and I saw you briefly during the battle. I told Cedric I was interested in providing you with some company, whatever that means. I'm...a curious person. I like to get to know people and I find you interesting."

"Because I'm a werelion?"

"Among other things," he admitted, "I've met with Raven a few times and she talked about you briefly, but never went into detail. I knew you were interested in guys, and well, that's what I'm interested in to, so..."

"You came here for a one night stand?"

"Maybe," he admitted but he seemed...sad...at the prospect, "Truthfully I'm really interested. If you just want to talk, that would be great. I...I could use someone to talk to. Someone that doesn't know me...I'm here for me as much as I am for you."

I studied him for a few moments, trying to get a bead on the young man. He didn't seem desperate, but there was a kind of lonely, lost look to him. Maybe that is what he saw in me, another person trying to make sense of a changing world.

"Alright," I said, "I'm not much of a talker."

"That's okay," he said lifting himself off the door, "I... could really use the company."

"Me too," I found myself admitting. We looked at each other, staring into each other's eyes, trying to discover the source of that undeniable attraction that was growing between us. After a few awkward moments we both broke out in nervous smiles.

"I ordered some food," he finally said, "Hope you like pork chops."

"Great," I walked over to the dining table and sat down, my body sinking into the hard plush of the couch. Jonah sat across from me, keeping his charming smile. I tried to return the smile but I felt awkward. It had been a long time ever since I tried doing something like this. I felt pathetic and weak, and I didn't like it, but there was something...irresistible about Jonah.

"So," he kept his charming smile, "Tell me about yourself. I'm sure your got more than a few interesting stories."

"Oh no," I teased, "In all fairness you should be the first one to spill his guts."

"Fair enough," he chuckled, "What do you want to know?"

I shrugged, "How long have you lived here?"

"I've been in and around New Haven all my life. Grew up in the suburbs, went to the inner city schools."

"The average American childhood?"

"Doesn't exist. No, this city might seem all okey-dokey on the surface, but it's got a lot of secrets, some buried some right out in the open. Even as a kid I had knack for running into them, people used to accuse me of sticking my nose in places where it didn't belong, but I had a knack for being at the right place at the wrong time."

"Is that how you were made Brethren? You were caught by someone who gave you the Soul essence?"

"Actually, I'm a True Soul."

Most Brethren were born as Latent Bloods, a normal human being that had a certain genetic marker or ‘Blood' that was inactive until a Brethren came along and gave them ‘Soul' essence- usually blood, but it could be saliva or semen. When the Blood and the Soul came together the human's Brethren heritage would take form. In some rare cases certain Latent Bloods would go through the change and become Brethren without the receiving the Soul essence. They were called True Souls and they usually possessed strange powers, even for Brethren.

"Really," I said, "Bet it was awkward."

"Kinda," Jonah sighed and looked down, "To tell you the truth it happened 3 months after I turned 16. I was...ah...," he made a jerk-off motion with his hand.

I laughed, "You're kidding!"

"Yep. I was enjoying a nice copy of Men's Fitness, all alone in my bedroom. Didn't even realize I changed until...well...blamo," he spread his hands out in an exploding motion, "Then I promptly freaked out."

"Did you hurt anybody?"

"Oh, no. I actually was pretty quick to start enjoying it. You know how it's like. Like you were meant to be. By the time Cedric and his pack found me a week later, I had things pretty in control."

"You're lucky," I commented, "For some it's more...complicated." I looked down at the table cloth. I've revealed too much too fast to those beautiful eyes.

"Yeah," Jonah continued, noticing my discomfort, "Before I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. After I Changed, well, square peg in a square hole. Unlike most Brethren I had the ability to blend in, you know, play human. I can trick most vamps and warlocks. That's what I did. I got to know the city, the shadow underground. I saw firsthand how Vidkun's vamps ran things. Some of them were decent people, mostly the ones who kept to themselves. But Vidkun...he had it set in his head that Brethren...along with other people who weren't human and weren't vamps...were meant to serve them, like they were some God-appointed rulers of the underworld. For most of my life I was out there, getting close to the bloodsuckers, mostly working through their blood slaves. I scoped out safe houses and havens, pretty much became the top intelligence guy for Cedric, finding out all the vamps secrets while playing in their schoolyard."

"That's impressive," I nodded, "Did you ever have to...you know...take one to keep the cover."

He raised an eyebrow, "So you've been in the intelligence game...But no, I have never had to play the willing vampire blood donor. I've been ready to go that far. I'm glad I've never had to, don't get me wrong. The thought of some undead parasite sucking my..."

He shivered, "Anyway, I was the eyes of the pack. The blood slaves all knew who I was, at least what I wanted them to know, and some of the vamps too. I had contacts all over the city, almost endless, perfect information channels. Now...now things are different. We're buddy-buddy with the vamps," he sighed.

"You will still need to keep an eye on them."

"Yeah, but now I've been ousted. We're all friends now remember? All those vamps who knew me as the friendly human now know I was the wolf in their midst...literally. Most of them are dead, turned into mindless husks, and the ones who survived don't trust me...at least not as much. A few understand, but...you know...they're going to be keeping their distance for a good long while. So now my precious information network has huge holes and is not really needed anymore."

"It's like that after a war. Things change and you got to change with them."

"I know," he nodded, "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad it's over. I'm glad that I'm actually looking forward to being...myself...instead of some cover identity. I just...deciding what to do with myself."

"What about your pack?"

"They're not my pack. Not really."

"What?" Brethren were very social beings, most of them gathered in groups and formed iron-clad bonds.

"I was under cover remember? I spent more time in the city among the vamps and their ilk than with my pack. Most of them accept me as the Loner. A few actually think I'm...corrupted...although they won't say it out loud."

Jonah paused for a few moments, looking down at his crossed arms resting on the table. A realization hit me.

"That's why you're talking to me," I said softly, "You're...not close enough to them to talk about your problems, your thoughts. So much so you've come to a complete stranger."

Jonah sighed and shrugged his shoulders, giving me a cute aren't-I-pathetic smile. "Don't know if you can tell but I like to talk," he chirped sarcastically.

"Thank you," he sighed, "It feels good to talk to someone and not lie every single sentence. I was a chatterbox when I was under cover just as I am now, and...I told a lot of lies. So many I had to start writing them in notebooks to remember...like fake diaries. It felt really good when I burnt them all."

"You must have some idea what you want to do."

"Well...I definitely want to stay in New Haven. It's my territory, I fought for it. I don't know...I got this one idea...it's kinda...silly."

"Go ahead."

"Well I got a private detective license. It was useful when I had to explain sometimes why I was interested in certain things. I'm really good at digging stuff up, finding things out, and this city has more of its fair share of unsolved mysteries. Over the years I know there has been a lot of innocent victims, some from the vamps but other things as well that the humans have no idea about. Innocent victims that were stuffed away and forgotten, with their loved ones having no idea what happened to them. I want to start an agency where I can take on cold-case files, you know, the ones the police have given up on. You'd be surprised how many people go missing a year and are never found because of more...supernatural reasons, things the police can't touch because they don't know. Well, I know. "

His eyes darkened, "I want to find them. I want to be able to tell their families where the bodies are, give them that small comfort. I know I won't be able to that for all of them, but I want...need to try. And for some of them...I will hunt down the bastards that killed them."

A light growl trickled from his throat as his hand clawed light on the tablecloth. Without hesitation I reached out and grabbed his wrist gently, rubbing my thumb over the hot, smooth flesh of his hand. For a few stunned moments he stared at our connection, until he placed his other hand on top of mine.

"It sounds like...you experienced something like that before," I prodded softly.

"My sister," he sighed sadly, "When I was eight years old she was...abducted when she was walking back from school. Taken by a biker gang. My family had no idea what had happened to her for over six years until a police raid of a biker house, in a whole other state. They found her...drugged up... a sex toy that had been passed around all those years. She survived but...today she still lives with my parents...agoraphobic. Can't step outside without having a full blown panic attack."

"What you want to do," I said staring into his wet eyes, "Isn't silly at all. It's going to be hard. It's going to hurt like hell sometimes, you're going to see people at their worst and you're probably going to piss some people off. But it will be totally worth it Jonah. Very honorable. Anyone who says differently is an utter idiot."

His mouth opened to say something but some stray thought made him shut it. Still looking down at our connected hands he lifted his top hand and began caressing my arm. It had been a long time since I had contact like that. The feeling of his hand brushing the hair and caressing the warm flesh of my arm made by heart race with hot desire.

Desperate for more I unraveled our hands and shifted over closer to him on the couch. He took the invitation, sliding closer, resting his head on my arm that I stretched out on the back of the couch. His musk, the wispy scent of a breeze over water, danced in my nostrils and caused my body to relax...although other parts of my body got more...tense.

It is amazing how quickly two Brethren, with our superior senses and instincts, can instantly attract one another. We are not known for our long courting or dating. One whiff and we know that there is something...irresistible about the other. Sometimes it works the other way around, you would see someone you'd think was attractive enough but then you get a good sniff and then, POW! no way that's happening. That didn't happen with Jonah and I.

"It's been a long time for me," I said, my eyes turning into their true golden form. My human skin was getting very itchy.

He looked at me with his wild clear green eyes, "Me too."

The soft knock on the door echoed throughout the room like a gunshot. Jonah's growl turned into a chuckle as he reluctantly got up from the table and got the food outside the door. I didn't hear what he said to the service person on the other side of the door, but he was very...brief.

The pork chops were delicious, I couldn't recognize the spices used but they definitely favored a carnivore's palate. I'm not much of a wine drinker, but the red wine went well with the meat. We both ate quickly, pausing a few moments to at least try enjoy the meal...and the company.

"Well," I said wiping my mouth with a napkin, "I guess it's my turn." My teeth had grown sharp and my skin was hot, fur begging to be released.

"You don't have to," Jonah said finishing his wine, "You've done enough by just listening to my problems."

"It's only fair," I said reaching to grasp his hand, begging for some connection, "Besides you don't want to be selfish do you?"

He only answered with his charming smile as he pressed his face against my arm.

"I was an army ranger," I began.

"Figured you had to be ex-military."

"I was part of a reconnaissance team assigned to the area around Mogadishu back in the ‘90's."

"You mean that Black Hawk Down stuff in Africa?"

"No, I wasn't involved in that, but it was the same situation. We were there only to observe and report, couldn't shoot until we were shot at. We were there to feel out the political situation, to find out all the rivals of the warlord of the time. It was pretty stupid actually. I was trained to track down and shoot to kill, and my first assignment was to waltz into a city filled with people who couldn't hardy speak English and ask them nicely if they would tell us the names of crime lords and wannabe tyrants among them. But that's Washington for you.

Anyway our assignment was almost over when we were ambushed by a group of thugs who dragged us away to be questioned by their leader. Their leader was a big behind-the-scenes player and Lion-Brethren."

"Really?"

"Oh, yeah. So you can imagine what happened when I laid eyes on him and got a whiff of his...musk. I was totally confused. He questioned us, asked us who we were and what we were doing. We didn't give him many answers. It took every ounce of my willpower to...resist him. The team was let go after a day, but...he made me stay. He had me...summoned to his bedroom where...he took his true form and revealed what he was...what I was. I was gone...totally subdued...his musk and my instincts were overpowering. Despite all my training I found myself...totally at his mercy...my instincts were screaming to get the Soul from him and I would do anything to get it. Fortunately he was an honorable man, he didn't make me betray the army by telling him...classified information. No, all he wanted to do was...do what our instincts were telling us to do. So there I was, in the middle of a hostile territory captured by a mysterious warlord...having sex with him...and turning into a werelion...flip-flopping my entire life. I was inducted into his pride. When I met with them I was...disappointed, although I hate to say it. His pride...all of them were females."

"He was..."

"Bisexual yeah, but I was his only...male. It didn't impress his Queen that he took me in. From day one she saw me as a threat, like I would seduce him away from her. Turned out she shouldn't of worried about me at all."

"What happened?"

"The first thing he asked me to do was train his human followers some basic stuff like military squad tactics, nothing too hard core. I went along, still...captivated by him despite my better judgment. Because of me his troops we better trained then most of the soldiers in the area, which were literally people who had AK-47s shoved in their hands and told to just pull the trigger. Anyway only a month after I joined up the King started to do some...interesting things. For one he never had sex with me again, even though I wanted it. I figured the Queen had put a tight leash on him and declared me off limits. Then he started...revealing himself to the human troops...showing them his true form...telling them he was a powerful...avatar of some African god that would ensure their victory and create a single, powerful tribe that would dominate the area. As much as I...I don't know if I loved him but I was definitely enthralled...I...challenged him. I told him I was leaving the pride because I didn't want to be anywhere near when he started getting...bolder. I wasn't as powerful as I am now, he would have cleaned my clock if it was a straight up challenge, but..of all things...the Queen supported me. Not because she saw me as a threat and wanted me gone, but because the King wasn't...taking her to bed as well. I guess he didn't want to lose two lovers...so he let me go."

"What happened to him, and his pride?"

I shrugged my shoulders, "They must've kept hidden because I haven't seen his face in the news. Once I straightened things out with the army I was off that continent."

"What did you say to the army?"

"The best lie is one that is half truth. I told them I was captured, which they knew, and that I was forced to train them."

"They didn't arrest you? I heard military courts are brutal and pretty straightforward on that kind of stuff."

"They are, but you got to understand the politics. The US and UN were only there, for the most part, as observers. If word got out that a US soldier trained locals in fighting, it would look bad. It's the kind of thing the CIA does, and they make sure no one hears about it. So, in exchange for keeping my mouth shut, they allowed me to get an honorable discharge, and well, that was that.

I spent the next decade of my life wandering around, using my skills for people I thought deserved them. I not...wasn't just some merc who would do anything for some cash, I...have standards."

"That's a long time being alone."

"Yeah."

Jonah lifted an all-too-slow hand to caress my face, tracing my thick goatee along my square jaw. I leaned, following the arm attached to the hand, until our hot breath mingled. Our lips drew closer as my eyes stared into his, frozen by the lusty heat surrounding us.

"Not like this," he said, his voice cracking.

A treacherous but cute smile played on his face as he launched himself out of his seat and out of my reach. As he ran to the bed in front of the huge window he flung off his t-shirt.

"Let's get more comfortable shall we?"

I was absolutely thrilled to get his see his muscular, lean body, just the right, smooth definition of pecs. Wrapping around his shoulders and edges of his torso were black, curving lines.

"You'll see what the tattoos are all about!" He yelled as he unbuckled his pants.

Then it hit me, he wasn't only getting naked he was...

"Hey wait!" I said pointing to the window, large enough to allow anyone out there to see who, and what, was in the room, "Shouldn't we..."

Jonah laughed as he walked around the bed closer to the window, his pants slipping down his legs.

"One-way mirror," he explained as he tapped on the glass.

"Why didn't you say so sooner!"

Usually I like to see a handsome man strip his clothes off, but at the time I was busy ripping off my t-shirt and twisting out of my shorts. At least I got to see the aftermath.

Jonah sauntered over to me, white-grey fur already flowing in soft waves out of his smooth flesh. As we met and pressed our bodies together his body was covered in a full white-grey pelt with black markings totally identical to his tattoos. My hands thickened, fingers widening to grow in the retractable claws as I caressed his fur. With a sigh he caressed the short gold brown fur that grew over my thick chest. As my paw-hand caressed his jaw it erupted slowly, following my finger, out into a canine muzzle covered in winter white fur that made his black muzzle lips stand out wetly.

I craned my neck as my thick, broad muzzle pushed out. My dark russet mane cascaded from my head, spilling down my shoulders and back. I flexed my body, thrilled to get rid of the human skin and feel the power of feral muscle and fur. I was as I was always meant to be.

Jonah's face, completely and beautifully canine, looked up at mine. His shining green eyes widened, and his jaw went limp.

"You're," he stammered, "You're beautiful."

In the full light of the room, Jonah could see me in all my majesty. I towered over him by a good half foot, my body rippled with golden brown furred muscles. My broad chest lifted slightly with my excited breathing. My long tail, tipped with a large paintbrush of dark fur, swayed freely between my wide foot paws. Thick, bushy puffs of dark brown fur grew on my forearms, my knees and my groin, standing out from my shorter fur. My head was definitely leonine with a broad muzzle filled with sharpened teeth. My eyes were shining golden suns surrounded by a wet band of vibrant black. A thick goatee of black fur spread on my broad chin and mingled into the fur of my mane. My mane dominated my head, spreading like a halo of dark rose brown fur that parted naturally down the middle, with a ring of black fur around my head.

Jonah was a beautiful creature on his own. His white-grey fur contrasted against the curious, spiral patterns that wove around his shoulders, down his torso, and (most...delectably) his buttocks where his fluffy tail, covered in winter white fur, wagged slowly. He was short for a werewolf, making his athletic body give him somewhat of a stocky appearance, but there was no denying he was a creature built for agility and stealth.

It was then that I fell in love with Jonah. It sounds selfish but it was how he looked at me that made my heart go out to him. His eyes shined with adoration, drinking in the majestic vision that was...me. The way he looked at me, saw the beautiful creature that I was, made him all the more special in my eyes. My light reflected in his eyes drew me in and connected us.

For eternity we embraced each other, fur on fur, muscle against muscle, musk mixing in with musk. I felt him reluctantly push away, weakly, just enough to separate our torsos. I welcomed it, taking advantage by lowering my pawhands onto his ample, furry buttocks and getting a playful yelp when I squeezed them.

"Wow," Jonah breathed. He was looking down at our crotches, meeting together in the middle.

Our members, engorged and wet with hot arousal, pulsed against each other, slick flesh slipping against vein and pubic hair. It was my turn to drop my jaw when I saw Jonah's cock. I had seen black skinned cocks before but his was completely night black, hard and fleshy, the large oozing head almost kissing our belly buttons. Except its color and size it looked human.

Jonah was transfixed by the sight of my cock. Gently he reached down, using a single fingertip to follow the thick, wet red-pink shaft down to the thickened base where it emerged from my sheath. The fleshy base was puffed out and covered in thick, wide spines. As his fingertip pressed against my spines I couldn't help but moan. The spines are not as tough as they appear; they are like light, fleshy leaves with nerve endings that drive you wild.

"Sorry," he said when I moaned louder and shivered.

"That," I rumbled, grabbing him and flinging him towards the bed where he landed, "Was not something to be sorry for."

Before he could recover I lunged and covered him with my thick, warm body, pinning his arms down. My mane enveloped us as I caressed his muzzle with mine, licking those soft, silky black lips. With a growl Jonah pushed his muzzle against mine, opening and locking our mouths together, letting each others tongues dance and taste each other.

Breaking the kiss with a soft roar I lowered myself on his body, rubbing my head in his thick fur as I stopped to lick his fleshy nipples buried underneath the fur. When I got to his waist I had no hesitation as I engulfed his shimmering ebony cock with my muzzle. I felt his body tense and heard him cry out a growling whimper as I relished in the spicy warmth of his cock. I loved the feeling out the member along my tongue, the velvet skin and ridges of vein. I loved the brazen, desperate way Jonah grabbed my head, finding himself caressing it as he was discovered the surprising softness of my mane. When I started brushing his screaming cock along the ridges of my inner muzzle he let out a sharp howl that sent an electric tremor through me and made my own cock twitch. I was rewarded with the taste of Jonah's special spice.

"Fuck," Jonah writhed in the sheets, "Not yet...uhhhh...not yet."

Reluctantly I let his cock slurp out of my muzzle. I fought with my inner raging sex beast to not lick and slurp that wet cock waving stiffly, brushing against my face. Rubbing the sides of his body in long, strokes, feeling the fur slide between my fingers, I let my lover have a few moments to relax and control himself.

Gradually, with his tongue hanging limply out of his muzzle pulsing in quick huffs, Jonah flipped himself over onto his stomach. Looking over his shoulder his eyes, darkening with animal lust, met mine.

"I...want...to...feel," he growled heavily as he raised his Adonis-inspired rump and used his paw-hand to slide up his crack and grasp his tail, "What...those...spines...feel like," he completed between huffs.

Who was I to deny such a desire? With the speed of a starved predator I buried my muzzle in between the fleshy, furry mass of his butt checks, his fluffy tail resting on his side my face, its white fur mingling with the dark rose fur of my mane. I didn't see his tail hole, I didn't need to. I could smell its fleshy warm fire musk, and feel its soft, wrinkled lips brushing against my muzzle. Slowly, with strong, long licks I brought delightful torture to my love. As his growls became sharper, I pressed my eager exploring tongue inside of him.

With one final departing whiff I lifted my head and placed my paw-hands on his cheeks, spreading them. Relishing in the glory of the all-too-wet tailhole I inched my finger closer to get him ready when...

"Never mind that," Jonah growled, his filled with emerald fire, "just...just...fuck me."

The words, so defiant, so eager drove my instincts into a rage. With a snarling roar I lunged down, grasping his paw-hands with mine as I covered his back with my muscle-bound body. Without any guidance except pure, lustful instinct my cock found its target on the first thrust, not stopping for a nice kiss, just piercing into the raging hot, tight connection of my lover's body. With a second roar that shook the walls I slapped my groin into his body.

Not to be outdone, Jonah growled defiantly, thrusting his hips into my groin, taking my huge, unforgiving shaft, engulfing it until my spines touched his entrance. Shocks of orgasmic lightning stunned us as the spines did their job. We went into overdrive.

Biting down on his shoulder and wrapping my arms around his body I lifted Jonah up until we were standing on our knees, still thrusting and panting. Jonah's cock danced with the thrusts, spurting random jets of clear precum on the sheets.

A stray thought glided through my instinct dominated brain: I thought that if, just if, that window wasn't a one-way mirror, anyone who would be looking at us, two majestic beasts fucking, facing the night sky overlooking the city, would have gotten quite a eyeful.

I erupted inside of him, taking only a few eternal seconds for me to realize when the orgasmic knockout hit my brain and made my body tremble. By some miracle the window didn't shatter from the great roar that I announced my sexual dominance to the world.

Sweat ran underneath my fur as Jonah slid off me, my cock sliding out tightly. We shared an erotic chilling shiver as the spines blossomed out of him, followed by tiny rivers of white seed. He laid down on the bed, a contented smile on his muzzle. He sprayed out his body, his cock resting hard and wet on his groin as he looked at me with dog-who-has-a-bone eyes.

I took only a few moments, squatting on my knees and pawhands on my hips, breathing in hard. With a long, heavy breath I felt the awesome energy return to my muscles. I looked down at my lover, surveying his lovely body he had so generously laid before me.

"Wow," he breathed, "I swear you look like you can...go again."

"I could and I will," I growled reaching down and grasping his hot cock, "Lion's are known for having...stamina, but I'm not greedy...you haven't gone ‘blamo' yet."

"You," he said, confusion playing on his gorgeous face, "You want me to..."

"I'm not greedy," I repeated, "And really," I turned around and straddled his body with my smooth, muscular ass inches from his muzzle, "Can you resist this?"

His only response was the sudden wet and warm feeling of his tongue lapped at my tail hole, mixed in with the oddly erotic wet-cold touch of his nose on the all-to-sensitive flesh connected to my tail. I felt my hole pulse as he gave it a few good laps. Suddenly he stopped, and bit down lightly on the base of my tail. As I gasped at the sudden nerve-jumping sensation, he wasted no time in sliding a finger into my tail hole. My growl transformed into a long, keening moan as he found just...the...right...spot.

My legs were trembling from squatting to long and being bombarded with pleasure. I let myself ease down on all fours, letting my tail point up in obvious invitation. I heard Jonah sit up, keeping his finger inside me. I looked back to meet his lustful eyes. He got on his knees and grasped his cock with his free paw-hand, holding it into the light so I could see it in all its ebony, shiny glory.

"I have a surprise for you," he growled, adding another finger into my tailhole.

"I think...oooh...I think I like your surprises."

A devious smile spread on his muzzle as he removed his paw-hand from my butt and pointed down at his crotch. Following with confused eyes I looked at his pulsing member. It changed. Its human-shaped head widened and became pointed, but the most interesting change was the base of his shaft swelling and rounding until it became a canine knot the size of an orange.

"It can get bigger," he assured me with a bit of drool dripping from his tongue, "I can make it bigger...when I get inside you."

"I'm always," I said, resisting a gulp, "up for a challenge."

I admit it, the knot frightened me as much as it excited me. Since Brethren could take the form of their animal, and everything in between, it took only some practice to shapeshift desired parts over others. A part of me was fully aware how...submissive this made me, but when the pointed tip slowly pierced me and slid in filling my hole, I never felt more right. Besides, just because I could be submissive didn't mean I couldn't be aggressive.

With a snarl I jumped back onto Jonah's cock, surprising him to the point that he let out a yelp. With a growl he punished me for the surprise in the most delightful way by thrusting his shaft in. I bared my fangs, my muzzle wrinkling as I shook my head vigorously, proving I was still a man, still a great manly beast who was going to take it all and not complain one bit. It was pure machismo and sexual eagerness rolled into one.

"Oh my god," Jonah growled above me, continuing to pound my ass, rubbing my back with his free paw-hands, "Even your back is sexy."

I could feel the knot struggling to get inside me. Pain mixed with pleasure as I was stretched, but it didn't seem enough. With a frustrated growl I pushed back hard. Jonah collapsed onto his back and I sat on his waist, with his cock still pulsing inside me.

"Having...trouble?" I huffed as I carefully rotated myself on his hard cock. We both moaned at the odd but nerve tingling feeling of my sphincter rotating around his screaming cock flesh. The huge knot rested patiently at my entrance.

Looking down at him I used my great muscle, grabbing hold of the mattress as I ground my ass into the knot. I growled against the pain and focused on the surreally ecstatic feeling of being completely filled. There was no sudden pop. There was just the sudden realization that my ass had taken it all in.

With the knot engulfed, Jonah became a slavering lust beast, drool whipping from his muzzle as he made every tiny thrust count. The knot bounced and stretched inside me, getting thicker with each thrust. My eyes went wide and my jaw went slack as the sensation of being utterly and completely full spread through my body. It was a special, unique orgasm that exploded from the belly and traveled throughout the nerve endings.

Jonah had cummed so hard that even the all-so-right tight connection between us couldn't hold it in. The knot popped out of me with a grand shower of white pleasure. Jonah began to let out a long howl, lost in the pleasure of it all, oblivious that my cock was spurting its second volley of semen all over him.

Carefully, tightening my knees on the sides of his body, I flopped down sideways onto the bed. I was all too aware as the rest Jonah's cock slipped out, the sudden sensation of open air hitting against my wet, used hole making me shiver.

Jonah let out a long contented growling sigh as he laid into my body. I embraced him, lifting my shoulders onto some pillows and letting my wolf hug my body. I would be his pillow that night.

I watched him as he gradually fell to sleep, totally spent.

I took in a heavy breath. My tail hole and my knees were a bit sore, but I was ready to go at it again.

Oh well. With practice my wolf would be just as...vigorous as I was.

***

I didn't sleep much that night. I laid there with Jonah cuddling my body as the sun rose over the city. I had thought a lot about my future and where I should go and what I should do. I was transfixed by the sleeping wolf on my body, watching him let out happy growls in his sleep.

The sun was high in the sky when Jonah woke up. His beautiful green eyes opened slowly, then blinked several times as he looked up at me.

"Oh my god."

I could imagine what he saw. With the sun behind me in the window the heavenly light spilled through the rose brown veil of my mane and shined angelically against my the brown-god fur of my body.

The sun hit him as well, lighting up his grey fur with silver fire. I couldn't help but brush the fur, feeling the softness and heat of the sun's rays. We stayed there in the frozen warmth of the sun, enjoying one of those peaceful moments that would get you through the hard times in life.

"Jonah," I said, keeping my voice low in fear of breaking the tranquility, "I don't want this to be a one night stand."

"Neither do I," he said without hesitation.

"I want to stay," I admitted, "but not only for you, but for me. I think your...idea...is a good one. Good enough for me to ask if I could be a part of it."

"Of course," Jonah exclaimed, "How the hell could I say ‘no'? Number one, you're a trained tracker, best warrior I've ever seen, and have ties to this city all ready. Number two, you are sexy as all hell and

we definitely set a precedent last night."

We shared a chuckle.

"So now I need a place to stay," I said.

"Well, again, of course you're coming to stay with me."

I shook my head with a smile, "It's amazing isn't it? Our kind moves so freaking fast. Imagine all the dating and courting we would to do if we were human, just to get to this point."

"Makes it easier," he sighed, "Sometimes I suspect it's because that we were built for...violent lives. We don't have the time for subtle romance, we just get to the hot, steamy and important stuff right away."

Jonah fell silent for a moment, "There's something else I've been thinking about."

"Shoot."

"There's a Wolf-Brethren pack that lives in a town east of here. They aren't the largest pack, but they're all...men...and lovers. I always wondered...if I could try doing that."

I couldn't help but smile at the idea, "So you want to do some...recruiting?"

"Keep an eye out," he revised, "I don't care if we called a pride or a pack, whatever. I just..."

"Don't want to be alone," I finished for him.

We went back to enjoying the morning, letting the sun heat our bodies and bring its brief respite into our lives of skulking shadows. We found each other after a long journey of solitary duty.

It was time for a change.

Time to find pride in what we could do together.