The Vampire, The Mute, and The Daredevil

Werewolves. That was a weird time, so to speak. Sophrima never understood why they just put "were" in front of "wolves" and decided that was what they were. She personally hated the term. They were hybrids. She preferred that, it was a prettier word. Sophrima liked pretty things. She liked her pretty dress with the stars on her skirt, she liked the cut sleeves and the shiny belt. She liked the pretty umbrella she had found on the street, it was as dark as the Ether and it sparkled on the inside. She liked her pretty friends, the little pups she had adopted into her pack. They called her the alpha, she liked that. They called her a queen, she adored it. They called her their goddess, she was in love. She loved feeling needed. She loved feeling wanted.

Sophrima had given her two pack members each a title. Eros was the beta. He was her right hand man and he always knew what to do. He also happened to be left handed. Kandiy was the lead hunter. She was great at it, and she always brought back the best food. Together, they were a family. They took care of each other. And Rima could only hope to build her pack, to build her army. They'd run into other wild wolves from time to time, ones that fought her for dominance. Being a child, and a female, meant she wasn't at all scary to the older wolves. But that didn't stop her. She wasn't afraid. She had never felt fear in her life. Her only duty was to protect her pack, nothing more, nothing less.

It wasn't long before other wolves began to hear about her. They wanted to know why this little girl was marking her territory, and how. Eros stood by her side through thick and thin. He growled at any wolf, fox, rabbit, bird. He would stay awake at night while the girls slept. He was aware that if anything happened to Sophrima, all responsibility would fall on him. He couldn't lose his best friend and take care of himself.

One night, when the moon was full and round, Eros made himself busy with digging out their den. They had claimed an abandoned burrow that was hidden inside a hill where a tree grew. It was spacious by now, after they'd done some long renovations. Eros, however, knew they were growing. He wanted to make sure they could house as many wolves as they may ever need. By the time he popped his head out of their little burrow, it was almost dawn. And then he heard the hissing. Quickly, Eros shifted into his human form, blue hair falling over his face. He looked unkempt, yet it fit him more than anything else would have. With a quick dash, Eros was making his way to the noise, only to find an interesting sight.

Three kids, around his age, were sitting in the middle of the forest. They were so close to their home…and something was strange. Eros pinned it quickly. Their scents, for one thing, were wild and canine-like. Or at least, two of them were. The other smelled an awful lot like metal…but Eros focussed on the two sitting closer together. A little girl sat, her skin tan and her hair a muted ginger, so curly it seemed to bounce off the ground with its length. He wasn't paying attention to that though. He was more interested in the fluffy red ears that rested on her head and the matching tail. Another wolf. And the boy she sat beside, with the darkest skin and rows of braids on his head, had ears as well.

Eros wondered where they had come from, as they both looked like they'd never seen a forest before. The way they were huddled together, big eyes. The girl wore a turquoise green dress, one that matched her eyes. The boy had on a hoodie and sweats, his light brown eyes scanning the place. It wasn't until he spotted Eros that he seemed to say something. Both the girl and the other child turned to him, and he felt the need to back up.

This kid…had blazing red eyes. Two fangs peeking out from his lips. They weren't werewolf fangs though. These were just two, very long fangs that pointed out his mouth, easy to sink in. His skin was paler than the moon, his hair was blacker than the night. He wore a long oversized t-shirt with the words "Listen to them. Children of the night. What music do they make.". Eros quite liked that shirt. In his arms was a stuffed animal, a black and red bunny that seemed to be a crochet. The boy stood, the other two following shortly. He was Kandiy's height, while the other boy was taller than Eros and the girl was his height. They were all just kids.

As if on cue, Sophrima and Kandiy came running into the clearing. Sophrima held her umbrella over her head, her dark eyes fluttering between the group of kids and Eros. She stood tall, looking more like a teenager than a seven year old girl. She twirled her umbrella as she walked, her skirt swaying and her hair flowing. Her tail swept out and didn't tuck, not even when the other boy seemed to puff out his chest and challenge her authority.

She simply scoffed, lifted a delicate hand and flipped her hair, rolling her eyes and smiling. Her cute little face never faltered as she giggled at the three. She easily pulled the girl towards her, brushing calm hands through her hair. She leaned into Rima. Rima then inspected the one that smelled like metal. He was shaking, and he seemed to be trying to hide from the sun. He would freak out everytime he felt the light against his skin. Rima pulled him into her, keeping the umbrella up over his head. She walked over to the final kid next. He must have been guiding them, but he was no alpha. He showed fear of the other animals. He was afraid of her.

"No need to shake," her voice came out as soft as possible, "are you all hungry?"

"Y-yes!" The red-eyed boy spoke quickly, taking an elbow to his side from the tall male.

"Kandiy, food." Rima turned to her pack mates. Once Kandiy had rushed off into the wilderness, she pushed the boy gently over to Eros.

"Den?" He questioned, getting ready to go back.

"Yes, be quick," and finally, she locked eyes with the guy, "Sophrima, that's my name."

"I'm…" he hesitated, looking around quietly, "I'm Noah. This is Irene, she does not speak. The other one was Levi…"

"How old?"

"I'm seven, so is she…" he glanced into the distance "Levi is eight."

"You need to rest."

"N-no, ma'am, please give our friend-"

"Rest, we will talk first. I have some questions for you." Sophrima spoke with finality. You wouldn't have been able to tell she was seven years old if it weren't for her voice and stature.

Sophrima decided then and there that these children were going to be hers too. She was going to take them into her pack and give them a home. It was the right thing to do in the end, as she'd eventually found out about their recent experiences. The three of them had been on the run from some cops in their city and ended up in the woods overnight, cold and tired. She fed them before she ate and she made sure they had enough room to sleep. They were grateful.

Sophrima was grateful. She loved the pups, and she was glad to have them as her companions. They worshiped her every move and decision. She was going to keep them safe and find them a home. A real home, amongst the world. She didn't care how long it would take, she was going to do it. They were going to have good lives. They weren't going to stay wild forever.

And then, a few years passed by. Sophrima and the other wolves were now ten years old, traveling the road together. They had left the forest a year ago after Sophrima had received a letter. She didn't tell anyone about it but Eros, coaxing the others that they would need to leave as soon as possible. She had an uneasy feeling all the time now, her heart raced in her chest whenever she heard a noise coming up.

She had stolen a phone. Yes, she knew it was bad, but she had to. She had to get them to safety. The phone currently showed her a map of where they were headed. She had found out how to get a job, for all of them. A family owned business. Apparently the person who owned it was doing some shady stuff and didn't have time to check their ages or qualifications. Rima would have to take care of that.

They had signed up to work at a club…which was strange. No other employees. It would be just them, a bunch of kids who didn't even know what a club was. Maybe she should have thought this through…no! This was going to work, it had to. She had no other options. She was going to get them into school, buy them a home, and they were going to be happy.

They had to be.

(Sorry for the short chapter, there wasn't much time to write today, next moonstone chapter will be much longer!)