Derek and Bryce stepped into the jazz club. Derek gapped in awe as he saw fancy waitresses and cocktails. There was a large clear white lighted bar in the club where thousands of women resided and many booths where males scoped out willing participants to be billed and cooed. In the back laid a standard casino with so many slot machines, Las Vegas would crush a melon in envy. Next to it was a booth where customers talked and pressed buttons to find their match. At the booth, Bryce pointed to a dapper young gentleman wearing a tux with a loose tie, sipping a chilled coke and looking straight at them as if he knew what they had come for. The boy was also young and not much older than him. He had burning brown eyes with a gold tint that glittered occasionally in the light when he had turned to him. He had scraggily pointy hair with blond tips at the top and a winning smirk on his face that made most of the women in the bar blush and giggle as he approached them. For the first time, Derek saw Bryce give a wide grin as he shook the young man's hand and gave him a firm hug. Derek saw a strange symbol on the boy's right ear. It was a silver cross with a glowing circular flame around it. What was it about these interesting trinkets they carried, that made him look so dull? Bryce most real his hold as the teen asked: "Who's the newbie?"
"He's a newly assigned Civateo that Romulus asked me to train. He is claimed to be the chosen one." At that the boy tisked."Seriously, man. This is the guy they have chosen to release us from the hold of Lucian?" Bryce gave a short nod. "Well, welcome to the Icefyre, Mon Ami. My name is Keith and I am the part-time manager of this club." Derek reached to shake his hand before being swept in a bear hug from Keith. "We are all friends here so theirs no need to act stiff. Like Bryce over here." Bryce only gave a short laugh as he grabs a cherry red stool seated at the booth. "Well, Derek, it seems like our tour around the town ends here. At least, from the Chicago part of it."
"What? But Romulus said-"
"Romulus said you needed to learn more about what you have become and to tour the Civateo regions. But he never said who could give you the tour of the other regions."
"So, there are more of you?"
"Yes. Two in fact. There are the Vulks and the Glaurungs. Since I'm only allowed to reach the Glaurung and not the Vulks ,I can't transport you, as a strict rule. "
Bryce turned and stared at a small group of girls. One of them was a tall brunette who looked new to the club. She was probably just some customer who had stumbled in; unaware of what club she had really gotten into. "It's been a long time since I saw her around," Bryce said as he turned to Keith, who rolled his eyes. "Go work your magic. But leave the leggy blond to me." Bryce only smirked and nodded before heading over to the booth to where the girls were. Keith motioned for Derek to come with him, leaving Bryce to tend to some unfinished business.
****
Derek follows Keith to the Wolfric pack in the main forest away from the Darkhavenger. But when he arrived the rest of the Vulks looked none too happy about the new arrival. As always. Everyone in the Wolfric pack turned and growled, with some even licking their chops as they eyed him like a tasty morsel. Perfect. Looks like he and Keith stopped by just in time for dinner...and they were the main course. Keith stepped in front and threw his hands in surrender. "It's ok," Keith said after calming the angry pack "He's a friend of mine. We're here to see Zeff."
"But who is-"
Keith delivered a swift blow to his gut. But then what else is new, Bryce had already given his ego a punch where it hurts, why not his gut?
With a smirk, one Wolfric woman answered his question "Zeff is the leader of this clan by birthright, you dirty winged rat." Derek sighed in exasperation. He had had his fair share of awful name-calling throughout the day. The Darkhavenger clan had made there point clear that he was unwelcome there, now the Wolfric clan hated him and wanted his spinal cord to pick out their carnivore teeth once they were done chewing up his remains. He looked down in defeat; there was no way he could win this battle. Keith sensing his apprehension clasped his hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry the Wolfric clan and the Darkhavengerclan despise each other. That's why it's up to you and my clan to restore peace between them. For now, my clan has tried as much effort as we could to keep us together. Now, thanks to you, choose one, we will be able to accomplish our goal. "Suddenly everyone on the Wolfric kneeled and bowed to the ground. Keith instructed Derek to do the same as not to insult them. The man before them had wavy dirty blond hair, light brown eyes, with thick even eyebrows. His chest was dripping wet over his wet navy green pants that were held together by a tan white rope. He was partnered with a girl about Keith's age wearing a black two-piece bathing suit. She was tall and tan with strikes of white hair blended in her soft charcoal hair. "The name is Zeff. And this is my second in command Scarlet. We had to teach a new Vulk the whereabout of her newfound powers. Their so powerful I think we might have a new clan leader in our mist, no?" he said casting a glance toward the one named Scarlet. She was beautiful. With full lips and a hot temper and a motivation he would kill for, she probably was just Keith's type. Judging by the way her soaked hair curled out with a fiery fierce look she gave him, she was also a force to be reckoned with. She nodded before Zeff in reverence before Keith stood up and worked his womanizing magic on Scarlet. "SO you both came back from the nearby sea," he said leaning close to her. "Have any fun without a partner?" he whispered enticingly in her ear, she shrugged him off. "Pardon us; we just came back from surfing a big wave. And yes the Vulk I am training was promisingly fun. Too much fun, she doesn't take anything seriously."Derek rolled his eyes. The new Vulk sounded like someone he knew all too well. How he wished he could tell her the truth.