[b]Chapter Four[/b]
"A vampire?"
"How did it find us?"
"The den isn't safe."
"I'll rip its damn head off!"
"Do we know where the stray is?"
"The children..."
"Fuck fuck fuck fuck."
You stand among the pack, listening to their questions, cries, and curses... as well as some other sounds which are decidedly less human.
When you look around, you see bright eyes, sharp features, and a lot more hair than usual. Even Elma, normally one of the calmest in the group, has removed her signature horn rimmed glasses and tucked them into her breast pocket - a sure sign that she is close to shifting.
The Alpha is standing on a chair in front of everyone, expression calm. He's holding the letter from Blackwell.
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"We have twelve hours until the meeting," he tells everyone. "That gives us time to prepare."
"Prepare for what?" You don't see who asks the question, but it's the first thing that manages to silence the crowd since the Alpha finished reading the letter.
"That's something we have to decide," the Alpha answers.
"We should kill it," a voice interjects.
"We should at least hear what it has to say," another protests.
"You want to be nice to the vampire that threatens us?"
"It's just a letter."
"On the doormat of our den! Where our kids play! This Blackwell is telling us he can get through our patrols. It's a threat!"
A chorus of angry growls.
You can feel the rage of your packmates, how it's flowing between them, feeding into each other, muddying together, and growing stronger.
protectprotectprotect
packpackpack
hunthunthunt
killkillkillkill
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"Enough," the Alpha says, not shouting, but in a voice that somehow fills the entire room. Instantly the psychic calls stop. Everyone watches, and waits.
"We are going to talk to this vampire," the Alpha announces.
"You can't be serious, cousin!"
A sharp look from the Alpha is all it takes to silence the protest.
"We're in a city now. We can't act like we did in our old territory where we were the only paranormals for miles around. We have neighbours, vampires among them. If we rip up the first thing that approaches us, then we'll be telling everyone that hears about it that we're hostile... and they'll treat us like that. We won't be safe here."
Around you a few people move and sigh... but no one speaks up.
"We came here for a better life," the Alpha continues. "Jobs. A school for the children. I'm not throwing that away for one vampire."
A reluctant murmur of agreement.
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