The next day, Alannah was walking to Theo's room when she stopped. Theo was shouting very loudly at someone on the phone.
"Where the bloody hell are you? You are four days late as it is! Do you know how bad this looks? " Theo roared. There was silence whilst Theo listened and then he said, "I understand that you have syndicate issues, Kurt. I get it. But I am running out of excuses and Anastasia is running out of patience! Anastasia has already drawn a list for Alannah to accidentally meet before the winter ball. Before you ask, I had to approve them. She is my daughter, for God's sake. She would rather she just become a Mad Dog leader... well get your arse here before it is too late.... she won't wait around forever and you already pissed her off! " With that, Theo hung up the phone.
Alannah waited a few seconds before knocking on the door.
"Enter," Theo said, and Alannah opened a door to see a very frustrated-looking Theo.
"Everything alright, Dad?" Alannah asked.
Theo smiled and said, "Yes, of course, sweetheart, I just had a phone call with a Mad Dog that was a little frustrating!"
"Ah well, you are on holiday and too much stress is bad for you!" Alannah said, "Playing along," and Theo grumped in reply.
"The first season snow has fallen, which has gotten the locals and a certain pair of Nine Tails very excited. So I was wondering if you wanted to help me defeat my foes in a battle to the death." Alannah said cheerily.
"Sounds like fun, but sadly I have some work to do. Maybe later, OK? " Theo said, hugging Alannah.
"OK, no worries, I'll see you later!" Alannah said with false happiness as she turned to walk out of the room. When Alannah had closed the door, Theo muttered, "Sorry, Princess."
============================================
Back in London, Kurt slammed down his phone in pure frustration. "Of course, Anastasia had a list of men ready and keen to meet Alannah! " He thought bitterly. Alannah's was like an answer to Anastasia's and Dimitri's prayers! A blood descendant who was also an Evans was an outstanding fighter and could win round against every man she met. What wasn't there to like?
"If only she was a normal girl," Kurt said with a sigh. It would make things less complicated and they would be married by now. But no, he had to fall in love with a lioness and bear descendant! A love so strong that it hurt to be away from her and the thoughts of another man touching her drove him crazy at night. Sleeping, of course, was out of the question. It seemed even his body was protesting at the fact that he was not near her.
James walked in and saw Kurt's face. "Call to Theo, did not go well? Is she OK? " James asked.
"She is up and about. Theo is trying his best to stall, but the bears are not known for their patience. Anastasia has already made a list of eligible men she wants her granddaughter to meet, " Kurt said.
"Ouch! Well, this news will be most welcome! We found out who was responsible for hacking into the mainframe of The Magpies, "James said with a smile. The Magpies were a Northern gang who were Kurt's oldest and most trusted allies. Someone had tried to hack into their mainframe and requested Kurt's help personally. Kurt could not refuse, even if it meant being late to Moscow.
"Who?" Kurt said.
"A company called Stoneboarder, they are an IT company that specialises in defensive and counter hacking programmes," James said.
"Stoneboarder? Why have I never heard of them before? " Kurt asked.
"Because we won several large contracts from them," James said.
"How large?" Kurt asked.
"A cool 50 million dollars' worth," James said.
"Well, that is enough of a motive. Why go after the Magpies?" Kurt asked.
"That is the question, isn't it? My guess is to show how weak our systems are compared to theirs, " James said.
"Or?"
"Somebody knows far too much about the gang world and was trying to cause issues between you and your allies," James said.
Kurt snorted, "It would take more than a cyber hack to do that!"
"Yes, but they don't know that. Anyway, I took the liberty of sending the findings to The Magpie's and sent them a complimentary copy of our latest software. Brian just called to thank us personally, and they will now investigate on their own. In other words, we are free, so get that arse on that jet! " James said
Kurt jumped up, realising he was finally free to see Alannah. "Is the jet ready to fly?" He asked, trying to keep the excitement from his voice.
"In 15 minutes, Boss, let's go get your girl!" James said with a wink, and Kurt smirked.
============================================
If Alannah was honest, she was a little hurt by Theo's rejection, but she soon got over it when the snowball fight started. It was the twins and Adam, versus Matt, Bruce, and herself. They were having a lot of fun, and needless to say, with Alannah's strategy skills, Matt's stealth and Bruce's excellent aim, the other team did not stand a chance!
It was going well till Aiden hit one of the men in the group accidentally. The man was over 6 feet tall and in a military-style uniform. He turned around and strode up to Aiden. The man then proceeded to shout aggressively in Russian. Alannah, who was closest, got there just in time to catch the man's arm before it landed a punch on Aiden.
"Why don't you go pick on someone your own size?" Alannah said it in perfect Russian.
"Who are you?" The man snapped.
"None of your business. Now step back and I promise not to kick your arse! " Alannah said, and the man laughed.
"What is this dude's deal?" Aiden said, and the man stopped.
"Ah, so you are English! No wonder you need a weak woman to defend you! " The man said it in perfect English. The rest of his group were walking over, laughing.
"Hey, buddy! I am Canadian and I don't need anyone to protect me! " Aiden snapped back.
"He is right, my friend, first appearances can be deceiving," Matt said as he walked over with Bruce. They would give this guy a standoff if he wanted one!
The Russians laughed again. The leader said, "Do you know who we are? We are the Black Bears, the best fighting group in Russia. For breakfast, we eat tiny little maggots like you.
Do you know what I heard? Yap, yap! Yap! Is that how you strong men fight in Russia? Do you get your opponents to submit through boredom? "Alannah said.
"Be careful, little girl." The leader said dangerously
"Or what? One last chance: walk away! " Alannah said, squaring up to the leader.
"Or I will teach you a lesson you will never forget. If you want a fight, I will bloody well give you one! " The man snapped.
"So you are challenging us?" Alannah said
"Yes!" The man roared, expecting her to back down.
"Well then, I, Alannah Seaswell of the Nine-Tailed Fox, the primary fighting gang of the Triads and China's ranked number one gang, graciously accept your challenge. "I of course, also accept on behalf of the rest of the Nine-Tails," Alannah said with a smile.
"Oh sis, I knew you would make this holiday more fun!" Ethan said, smiling.
"What do you mean, a fighting gang?" "The leader said with a laugh."
"Let's hope you are not this slow in the ring! " Alannah said
I can't wait to smack that smile off your face! I will see you in half an hour on the west side of the estate. Follow the path until you get to an outbuilding.
"Normal rules?" Alannah said
"Yes, Don't be late, unless you get frightened. " The leader said as he motioned for the group to walk off to get ready.
"Please tell me you brought our weapons," Alannah asked.
"Of course!" The Twins said it in unison.
"Only you could pick a fight with the Black Bears, Alannah," Bruce said with a sigh.
"Theo is going to kill us!" Adam moaned.
"Only if he finds out. Now let's go and have some fun, shall we?" Alannah said with a smirk.
Half an hour later, they were standing in the combat ring with their weapons. Xan had kindly gifted Alannah another Tussen, guessing (correctly) that she would get into trouble. Alannah wanted to test it before a big fight, so she opted for her fan swords.
"It's good to see you, babies," she said when she took them out of the weapons chest. The Black Bears were eyeing up the Nine-Tails and vice versa. The coin was tossed, and the Nine-Tails won.
"Twins, you go first. They think you are weak. Show them otherwise and surprise them, "Alannah said in Mandarin. The twins nodded and smirked as they walked into the ring. The Black Bears laughed as their two fighters entered the ring.
"I am Marcus and this is an insult to fight such punny boys," Marcus said.
"And I am Igor, and I also think it is an insult!" Igor said
"I am Aiden," Ethan said.
"And I am Ethan. We don't give a fuck what you think! " Aiden said. Alannah rolled her eyes. The twins often did this to confuse their opponents. It worked nearly every time. No one could tell the difference apart from the Nine-Tails.
"Fight" The Match The official shouted, and they all got to it. The twins had selected their favourite weapon-the short sword. Light and agile like themselves, it was not too long before the first blood was drawn.
"Match over... first blood drawn by Nine Tails!" "The official shouted."
"What! I haven't even started! Aiden, why did you have to ruin our fun? " Ethan moaned as they walked back to the group.
"Because he is supremely sensible, unlike you!" Bruce said
"Next match, Maxim vs you!" The referee pointed at Matt.
The Maxim weapon of choice seemed to be a long spear, whilst Matt's was the chain.
"Why do I get the pig sticker?" Alannah smirked as she saw her friend enter the ring.
"I am Maxim and I.." Maxim started
"Yes, I know! I am Matt. Could we please get started? I am awfully cold and want this over with, "Matt said.
Ohh, is the little fox all cold? Bless "Maxim taunted, and Matt sighed.
"Fight!" the referee shouted.
Matt dances around the ring whilst swinging his chain. This is what Matt is known for: his rhythm and agility. No matter how hard Maxim tried to stab Matt with the stick, he always missed. Alannah knew her friend was playing with Maxim.
"Stop messing around and get him a Maxim!" The Black Bear leader roared.
Matt smiled and said, "Yes, please get this poor little cold fox!" This made Maxim roar with anger and move faster. Matt saw an opening and went for it. He swung his chain and it wrapped around the spear. Matt gave it a sharp tug and the spear went flying into his hand. Matt then twisted it and slashed Maxim's arm lightly. Blood poured down.
"Terribly sorry, but I was getting cold!" Matt said as the match was called to a close.
The stunned referee declared, "Nine Tails 2, Black Bear 0-3 matches remaining."
"Ah, they have finally started to look worried," Bruce said, and Alannah smiled.
"Who do you fancy?" Adam said
"Hmm, I'll go for the blond-haired one. I want to see how good their chain work is, "Bruce said.
"Careful, you only have a dagger," Alannah said.
Yeah, more than I need. "See you in 5 minutes," Bruce said with a wink as he walked to the ring.
"I am Bruce, and I am pleased to meet you," Bruce said with a bow.
"I am Pavel and I am going to destroy you," Pavel said.
"That probably sounds better in Russian, as I am not really into Anaal," Bruce said, and Pavel looked shocked.
"Fight!" The match official said Within 5 minutes, it was all over. Pavel never got his rhythm going and Bruce threw the dagger, which scraped Pavel's neck.
"Nine tails win!" The match official shouted,
Wait!! I Vicktor challenged Alannah to a sudden death match! " Vicktor shouted,
"Why should I? We just wiped the floor with you! " Alannah shouted back.
"Honour? Or do you have none? " Vicktor shouted,
"I accept!" Alannah shouted back.
"Weapon?" The match official asked
"Don't do it, Alannah!" Bruce said in Mandarin
"Freehand," Alannah said.
"Are you insane? That man is bigger than Juggernaut! " Matt snapped
"Yeah well, if you want to make your mark, go for the biggest kid in the playground!" Alannah said as she walked calmly into the ring.
"I must admit you have got balls. I like that," Vicktor said.
"Thank you. Oh wait, I don't care about your opinion of me! " Alannah said sweetly.
"Fight!" Match The official shouted, and there was complete silence as the two fighters got into their stances. Alannah could tell that Vicktor's strength was wrestling-her weakness.
Use my energy against me, Alannah! Let me do all the work and strike when I am tired. Don't let your eyes fool you! Just because I am bigger does not mean I am more powerful, "Tao had drilled into her.
Alannah took a deep breath and slowed her heart rate.
Aren't you going to make a move, little fox? Or are you too scared to move? "Vicktor taunted. Alannah did not respond and remained focused. Vicktor continued, "What little fox? Do you hide behind the men and let them fight whilst you service them? "
"Why, you fucking bastard!" Aiden shouted as Bruce had to hold him back.
Did I hit a nerve there? Are you their whore, little fox? " Vicktor said, and Alannah remained still.
Vicktor had a lot of patience and tried to ram Alannah. Mid flow, Alannah dodged the attack and used Vicktor's momentum to send him flying. Vicktor roared with anger and again tried to run and grapple with Alannah. This time, she grabbed his arm and threw him over her hip. She jumped back before he got a chance to grab her legs.
"Oh, you've got some nice little tricks; I'll give you that little fox," Vicktor said as he jumped to his feet. The silence was all he got from Alannah. She could tell he was winded.
Vicktor threw punches at Alannah, who moved quickly for them to miss. She saw an opening and high-kicked him in the ribs. Alannah was satisfied when she heard a crack, but Vicktor was quick enough to catch her leg. He swung her around and threw her into the air. Alannah hit the ground with a thud, and she winced. Yeap, that is going to hurt tomorrow, she thought as she got up.
"How did that feel, little fox?" "Vicktor he said as he came at her. Alannah had enough and, much to Vicktor's surprise ran toward him. She timed it perfectly, so she used his leg as a springboard and did a flip in the air, whilst her foot made contact with his nose. She landed and turned.
Vicktor's nose was well and truly broken, the blood pouring down his face.
"Match won by the Nine-Tails!" The match official shouted, and the nine tails roared with happiness. Alannah bowed as a sign of respect to her opponent.
"You are one mean fighter. Please accept my apologies for any disrespect," Vicktor said as he held out his hand.
"You guys are not too bad yourselves," Alannah said, grabbing his hand and shaking it.
"What are you guys doing here?" Vicktor said
"A long story!" Alannah said with a smile.
"Well, why don't you all come back to ours so we can swap war stories?" Vicktor suggested.
"Why not?" Bruce asked.
"Why not indeed?" Alannah said she doubted anyone was going to miss her.