By Phillip G Cargile
“A vampire in the Den of the Pack!” Thrall’s yellow eyes strained with Fury, his face forging the contours of the change of the bone structure underneath his skin. He cocked his head back and roared in defiance. In that same moment of release of the anger, he composed himself and stood statute once again before his Alpha.
Ajax remained composed with no response effect of the outburst. “Fortunate that you not only teach restraint but practice it,” Ajax spoke coming to his feet from behind the massive desk.
“Does my Alpha’s Elder Beta’s knowledge of this?”
“What the whole of the Elders knows or do not know is for their good and the good of us all.” Ajax came to stand nose-to-nose with Thrall, he sniffed Thrall then spoke. “You have been my Beta before there was Elder Beta’s to draw council when wolf roamed wild, we challenged every Den. You and I spilled the blood of wolf to create the Pack.” He turned away from Thrall and back to the room. “When vampire and wolf met for the first time we showed our strength, if not for the vampire’s fear of humans we would have destroyed all vampires.” Ajax released a loud growl. “We stood shoulder-to-shoulder when I signed with my blood to forge the covenant.” Ajax turned back to Thrall. His fist clenched in the generated energy of his resolve. “You and I, Thrall we are the Pack. It is our vision that has survived wolves and we will take that vision into the next thousands of years to come. Yes, we need the vampires. For now, but as any keen hunter our time will come from patience.”
A soft pulsation of Thrall’s wrist brought his hand up to the watch. “The vampire is here.”
Ajax straightened himself. “Go and meet our—guest.”
***
Ola stepped from the vehicle and then stood looking at the rock structured building. From the vehicle behind him his familiar Doctor Clark came standing a few feet from clutching a medical bag to his chest.
“Do not worry yourself so, Doctor. You will not be harmed.” Ola said.
“Your safety is more secure than mine,” Clark said scanning the fog layered grounds. “These are wild animals, wolves. By nature, they are not only unpredictable but territorial.”
The front door opened and Thrall stepped out to make slow careful strides down the steps. He looked to Clark, sniffed the atmosphere about him then snorted. The smell of fear that oozed from his frail body was as displeasing as his rounded shoulder posture. “You stink of fear human,” Thrall said with a guttural growl.
Ola gestured to the open door of the SUV, to summon two occupants to exit. A girl and boy draped in black robes gathered on either side of him like any child introduced to a new environment would cling to their parent. This behavior was nothing of the sort as much as these were not children of the human description.
“Thrall.” Ola smiled looking him over. “I smell an odor of discontent on you, old friend. Do not concern yourself I have no desire to pollute the sovereignty of your Den. The invitation is merely to gather information as well as fragile material. Did not Ajax explain?”
Thrall’s eyes flicked to Clark and then to the two children. “The weakling human may enter but not these abominations.”
“Oh, I am afraid my friend I must insist that they do, you see I am not at all comfortable placing myself in the wolf’s Den, as it were.”
Ola saw Thrall’s eyes twinge from what he knew was the result of a push of a suggestion by Ying. Thrall felt the pressure at his temples from the invisible force from the female child. In response Thrall released a loud growl, which startled the child to shrink closer to Ola’s side
“Do not waste your time on that one my dear. Thrall has a strength of wolf beyond his animal instinct. You’d only result in giving him a headache.” He gave his full attention to Thrall. “It is the others that have fewer capabilities to restraint that concerns me.”
Thrall searched to make eye contact with either of the children, then spoke to Ola. “You will keep their minds in their skulls, or I will rip their heads from their shoulders.”
“Agreed.”
***
“Mighty Ajax.” Ola bowed, his eyes remaining on Ajax. “I bring you greetings from Keket.” He stood erect, to continue. “I have not been graced with your presence since the Rif war. What an event, yes. Resulting in the Covens coming to one accord.” He looked Ajax carefully up and down. “Ah, and you still look as mighty as ever.”
Ajax came closer, his attention scanning the eyes of the vampire and then to the two on his side.
“My children as it were. Unfortunately, I have not been so blessed as to have my own by way of copulation as you. I understand you have reared litters surmounting of one or two hundred pups.” Ajax maintained a concentrated glare. Ola gave a gesture to introduce the two twin Asian children. “Ying and Yang, given to me as a sacrifice from a Mongolian tribe leader by their own father. The likelihood of them being turned was minimal.” Ola leaned in to speak with a whisper. “Nor would they have been much of a satisfying meal. I decided against that and sought to beat the odds. With children, it’s always a risk. I am very pleased they survived to become something very special. The hope of every parent.” Ola released a smile. “On that subject. I have met your son, Drake. A fine young specimen, of wolf. I am sure he will make a powerful Alpha one day.”
Ajax spoke, his mouth exposing his canines, eyes stark yellow. “Vampire, your every word smell of deceit. I will have no tolerance of your poisonous acts to infect the Pack. We are bound by my blood on the scrolls of the Covenant and the Pack will abide by it. But if you are to bring harm to the Pack, we will bring death to you by teeth until there are no more vampires.”
Ola smile diminished only slightly to be added with a concentrated glare. “Still mighty.” He paused to speak again. “That is why I am here—mighty Alpha.”
***
Despite Ajax holding up his hand to still any provocative action, the two-Den mothers growled and posture to pounce. In that same second, the effect was like that of a high-pitched whistle to their sensitive hearing. The female wolf’s aggression claims to soft whimpers. Not by the actions of their leader but by the mental assault upon them by the two miniature vampires.
Ola stepped forward to the thing that lay on the gurney. The body of once was a teen human had morphed into something that was out of a myth. The body modeling of a wolf but in the physical biped body structure of a man.
“Oh my,” Ola spoke looking over the dead wolf.
Clark gingerly moved closer opening his medical bag. He then removed a collection of instrumentation than began examining the carcass.
“This is the wolf brought to you, by Drake. How long ago was he brought to you?” Clark asked.
One of the Den’s mothers answered. “Yes, six hours ago. The Fury burned out of control. He transformed completely into this wolf form, then died.”
Clark said his attention on his examination. “Did you feed him? Any meat of any animal?”
Thrall answered for the two Den mothers that stood in a daze of whatever hypnotic power radiated from the vampire children. “No. To feed when the Fury is at such a fever pitch will only drive the newly bitten wild.”
Thrall turned his attention to the two miniature monsters. Their eyes swirling in a red hue concentrated on the two Den mothers.
Clark finally removed a blood sample then mixed the blood in a smaller containment. Finally, he then examined that mixture. Two minutes passed until he stood to address the three of them. “As suspected, the virus is progressing with the newly infected as I suspected. The desire to kill becomes madness. I suspect he died not from the virus but shock. Not allowed to express the desire to kill or any satisfaction of meat.”
Ola looked to Thrall and Ajax. “This is not good my friends. I will of course need this body for examination. No word of this should spread among your Den.”
Ajax spoke. “These two Den mothers are the only ones who know of this wolf’s condition. No one else has cared for this wolf or have knowledge of his existence.”
“Very good,” Ola said. The two Den mothers lurched with a rush of pain; Ajax knew was inflicted upon them by the two vampire things in the form of human children.
They howled in agonizing pain, transforming eyes to yellow, fingers to claws, facial hair washing across their faces. Once the invisible energy had completed its purpose, they both fell to the floor still. “Now only we know.” Ola grinned.