Fateful Blackouts

There is a dead silence as we step over the brink of the soft green grass onto the wet ground that will lead us into the forest. Now, my immediate concern is that we are not met by two of the Crimson Shadow Pack. This alone tells me that what lies and awaits us is not something that I am going to like.

But I shall push that aside and hope for the best as I have said to myself that fear shall not get the better part of me. Yet, as we are slowly making our way towards where the pack lives, I have Edward tapping me on the shoulder.

Well, I nearly fucking die. However, as he shows me what he has in his hand, I truly wish that I was dead. My dear beloved has phoned him at least twelve times since we have left the car, now I tell you, that is definitely a fear that I am feeling.

That has to wait for we are just around the corner of where we should be, but…

"I smell blood." As I pause, the faces of Connor and Ethan turn pale. "I smell a lot of blood."

Then Connor softly whispers to me, "Is it human?"

With another inhale of swift air, I only but shake my head, "No, it is animal."

And with absolute haste, I turn that corner to where I would normally find the pack having their cheerful chatter. But as I step my first foot down, I slide down and catch myself from dropping into a pool of what seems to be only blood covering the ground.

Behind me, I watch as Ethan rushes past me, and he nearly falls smack bang into it himself, but when Edward finally comes treading by carefully, he gasps in horror. And god, how I wish that I did not look into the direction he is facing.

In front of us lies something that can only be described as a blood bath, a pure slaughter, and cause of malicious death. There are the bodies of the Crimson Shadow Pack scattered around, not even in their wolf form, but still, as much as a human that they can possibly be with their skin ripped to pieces. Men, women, and dare I say, but children, they are all dead.

It takes Connor, the Windchaser boy, to come and state the obvious, which I do not wish to face, "This was done by a wolf."

I only but drop my head in horror, and as I compose myself, "Someone killed them all, one of their kind came and slaughtered them like animals."

Then as the last syllable reaches the tip of my tongue, there are moans that can be heard from deep with inside their camp, so it is with keen senses that I try to find its location. When I finally step past a big rock that is surrounded by thick brush, that is when I see him, and here is where the confusion sets in.

"My god, Connor, what happened."

From behind me, I hear the Windchaser boy come rushing over to me. Yet, I know, but I cannot help but chuckle at him. "I meant the mutt. Is there not something else I can call you while we are on this hunt?"

"Well, I always have like the name Dean."

"Well, fine, just help me with this man." Though I soon see myself being looked at strangely as I help a very wounded wolf from the muddy ground.

Then as I have him sit up against the rock, Ethan looks at me, "How do you know that it is your friend?"

"My dear Ethan, every man has its scent, and I do not refer to the cologne that you wear. And in any case, he has unmistakable hazel eyes. Now, my concern here is, why has the man not turned back into his human form?"

"Now that I cannot answer for you," Ethan says as he steps closer to inspect his wounds. Then he continues, "These are quite deep. Is he the only Alpha around?"

"Yes, and he would have told me if some other had stepped onto his ground. We have a treaty that he knows he needs to uphold, no matter how much he would like to take things into his hands."

"I am sorry to break this to you," Ethan says as he starts poking at the wolf in front of him, "I think that your friend has been trying to deal with something himself. Now, if you give him a few more minutes, then he would turn."

I only but cock my head and question his remark, "How do you know that for certain?"

"These wounds are very fresh. I can easily guess that we only missed this attack by ten minutes."

And so we wait in anticipation as the angst sets in for my dear wolf friend to return to his normal self again. But as the seconds tick and it seems to be taking for far too long,  the panic sets in that there is the possibility that one of us is going to have to end his life. This is a thought that my new called friend, Dean, wishes to accept.

But just as soon as he starts flipping that dagger, I step one step closer, and in utmost amazement, we watch as the hairs of the wolf slowly start to disappear back into his skin, his claws roll back and form perfect hands. But the most astonishing of it all is watching how his animal physique distorts back into that of a human. It does all seem so fascinating, yet, it looks agonizingly painful.

Then as he becomes fully aware of his surroundings and the pain sets in, his sharp scent sets into motion as he senses our presence. With what is almost immediately, he jumps to his feet, but much to my horror, I forget that they do not return back with at least some stretch of cloth on their body. Edward only but spins around, and soon after him, Roberto follows.

I only but burst out in laughter, "One would swear that you have never seen a man naked."

Well, that earns me the glance of every man present, "Perhaps, not."

So once the mutt, yes I am settling on that, but once he is able to speak, I look at him rather pissed, "Do you care to tell me what has happened here?"

He looks at me in horror, then next, I wish that the man never spoke, "Sebastian, I think that I did this."

The echo of my voice travels through every crack and crevice, "You did what? Please repeat that."

"I think I killed all of them."

With only but shock, I swallow rather deeply for air, then when I think I would not faint, I speak again. "I am sure that I am not understanding you. Did you say that you killed your own pack?"

"Sebastian, yes, that is what I said. I blacked out, and next, when I came back around, everyone around me was dead."

"My dear friend, you are a lot of things, but you are not a ruthless killer. Now tell me, are you the one that has been killing all these people outside the city?"

The mutt but only shakes his head, "I don't know."

That is my patience that snaps as I step closer to him, and from deep in my throat, I growl, "You either know of you do not. Now, I am not asking you again, and do not give me the bullshit that you do not know. Did you or did you not kill your pack, and are you not the one that is running around and feasting as it pleases you?"

"Sebastian, I told you that I do not know." Then he stops, and he senses the very same thing that I catch coming through the air.

There is only one word that escapes my lips, "Mirabelle."