Chapter 2: Chapter 2

Unsure of what to do, Elance flexed her muscles and struck out with her leg suddenly, catching her father at the back of his knee and he buckled, just enough for the next oddies to land at the top of the stairway. Stunned by the impact, they lay there for a second, their slanted hypnotic eyes staring into the depths of her soul.

She looked around and her eyes landed on her dagger, a few inches away from her. Elance stretched out to grab it.

Without warning, the weight of her worst memories crashed on her. Replaying in her head as if she was hallucinating.

"Don't stare at them. It's some form of dark magic." Hogwash cried.

When the animal leaped towards her this time, Elance was prepared. She raised her arms and got it clear. The silver dagger sank to its hilt in the creature's belly. She twisted her arm, feeling a sense of satisfaction at the howl it gave.

Quick as lightning she took out her dagger from its stomach to hit another just on its head. The room zoomed out in front of her. Elance shook her arm to get some of the gooey green liquid off her skin.

Her eyes strayed to the animals heaping around them and a confused look spread over her face. None of the oddies had died. They had bled out some greenish goo that spread over the expensive Persian carpets, ruining them.

Yet none of them looked like it was weakening with time. Not far from her, her father was leaping nimbly, swinging his silver sword expertly in a dazzling arc as the animals heaped in a trail, following his movements.

A sheen of sweat shone on his forehead. There was not the slightest indication of exhaustion apart from this. She stood with her back against the banister, quickly calculating what would be the next step.

Despite his supernatural strength, it was clear that he was going to tire out soon. Maybe not as soon as she expected, but after going through these creatures for the third, maybe the fourth time.

He descended the stairs slowly and Elance knew she had to act fast.

"Father, we've got to leave!" The sound of her screaming was drowned out by the hoarse howl of the oddies, hurting her ears. She bounded down the stairs after him, carefully stepping over the rejuvenating animals.

They only had as much escape time as the unconscious oddies had to relaunch their attack. She reached him and placed an arm on his, in an attempt to jolt him out of his blood lust.

"None of them are dead. We've got to go," She said urgently. The remaining oddies had their backs towards the door with soft whines escaping their throats as they looked on, unable to leave even though they looked visibly frightened.

Elance had her eyes trained on them. Daring any of them to come any closer to where they stood.

"What do you mean?" Hogwash growled and turned to take a look at the carnage behind him for the first time that night. As if controlled by a remote, one of the oddies leaped towards them.

The sound of her dagger slicing into bone was satisfying, until she heard the growl of her father beside her. Her stomach felt raw as she turned to see his fingers begin melting into the same gooey liquid that oozed from the wounded oddies.

It had gotten a spike into him despite how fast she had been. Without waiting for any more encouragement from him, Elance turned her back towards him, she gave a deep growl and transformed right in front of her father.

"You've got to change. That's the only way we stand a fighting chance…" Elance muttered. Her voice was surprisingly steadier than she had imagined it would be considering the fact that the Alpha of their pack was steadily losing a hand.

"I am not leaving the rest of the pack in this room stuck with these things," Hogwash hissed. The pain was evident in his voice and she bit down on her lip to keep herself from crying.

A nightmare was playing out in front of her. One that she had no idea how to manage or stop.

"They are only waiting for the rest to get back up! Can't you see? There is no longer a pack. We could stay here out of loyalty fighting these...things for an entire night and they would keep getting back up."

Hogwash shook his head. "They would have stayed loyal to me, to the end. Even in death. There is no Alpha without a pack!"

"And there is no pack without an Alpha!" Elance growled. "They would have wanted you to remain alive even at their expense. We can't hold the forte any longer!" Her growls shook the room and she wagged her tail, leaping and yipping to get his attention.

"You can't ask me to leave. Go on without me! That was the plan from the start. These are my men we are talking about!"

She absorbed that for a minute. "This is your daughter we are talking about. And the promise you made to her mother!"

Hogwash returned her growlings with one of his, uncomfortable that she had brought his late wife into this. They never talked about her. They were all wise enough to ignore the subject.

All Elance knew of the woman who had birthed her, apart from the fact that they looked so much alike that it did hurt him to look at her sometimes, was from the bedtime stories he told her when he thought she was deep asleep.

"She did make you promise to look after me and I see no way you are going to do that by committing suicide alongside your men tonight. There is no way you are going to get revenge for these men and their families either by getting killed. I'm not going to do it for you!"

She did not wait for his response. Drawing her arms back, she closed her eyes and pushed her body forward, leaping right over the heads of the oddies at the door. Elance stood outside the open door, watching him closely. Waiting for them.

His fangs lengthened and she watched his face contort in pain as he tried to switch himself to his wolf form without success. Finally, unable to effect the easy change that came to all of his kind without effort, he hung his head low, unable to look at her in the eye.

Elance leaped back in as quickly as she had. Straightening her

Tension sang in the air as they realised that none of the creatures were going to give chase. They had been manipulated by someone. Elance could not think of any single person who would want an entire pack wiped out and the uncertainty made her fidgety.

Together, they watched the rest of the oddies spread into the mansion, growling excitedly at the free reign they had been given.

"They are following orders," Hogwash muttered. His head was bowed towards the ground as he let the pain wash over him.

"Yes, they are. Whoever gave the orders is not too far off from here. He or she is going to realise we got away. No one knows what else he has in his arsenal. What other monstrosities are being bred around here."

"Give me a minute."

Elance held back the tears stinging her eyes as she watched him limp forward, his forearm now a stump at his side to say prayers for the dead pack.

"May the wolf bane bloom and Autumn moon shine

This song I will pass along as the pack bonds."

Elance made an effort not to hum along. She had no plans of performing the rituals for any of her friends not until she had gotten them the justice they deserved.

The rest of his words went over her head in a haze as she stood watch, thinking of all the men who had died without a chance. Who would never get a chance at a proper funeral.

"It is time to go, El." Her father's voice jolted her out of her reverie and Elance sighed. She had zoned out again while standing watch. It was unlike what any of the other men would have done.

"I can hear you now, Elance." His voice had a note of warning to it and she sighed.

"Where do we go from here?" Her voice was quiet and realisation dawned on her that her life had been taken from her in some seconds. They had moved from being elites, at the top of the chain to common wanderers that could be taken on by any pack. Any lone wolf.

"Nowhere. Everywhere. Where the …."

"... wind leads us." She completed. The quick smile he flashed her did nothing for her mood. Holding out her arm, she let him settle his weight on her. Looking away when she noticed the pain and shame in his eyes.

It was certain. This was happening to her and there was nothing she could do about it. At least, not yet.