• I licked the last drop of blood from my lip and raised my nose to the wind, searching for another victim. I was still hungry and needed something more substantial than a fox. I smelled a great number of things but the doe caught my attention the most. I took off at a steady gate heading west, keeping my nose in the wind. I changed my direction heading more toward the south. About a dozen or so yards from the doe I began to close in, I circled in a general counter clockwise direction. About three yards away my pace slowed to the point where I was almost frozen. I took cautious steps, eached spaced by about a minute. My heart slowed and time itself seemed to stop. I could see the doe now. She walked almost as slowly as me, her nose smelling everything. A small growl erupted from my throat. The wind began to blow toward the west and carried my scent right past her. Her ears perked up and, as if on cue, she took off. The growl grew to a full roar as I vaulted over a small group of bushes and sprinted after her.
    Like her death, the chase was quick and short. Seconds after begining I caught the fragile animal in my jaws. The thin skin on her throat was easily pierced by my razor sharp teeth. I got her to the ground and with one sharp jerk, ended her pain. The rest of the pack thought I was very fast and caught my prey quick 'for a girl'.
    With anything I hunted, even something as small as a hare, I hated to prolong their suffering more than was necessary. With most I made it my first priority,after catching them,to break their necks. Most times it happened when I sank my teeth into their throats,biting down so hard that it just happened,but sometimes I had to make an effort to end it.
    I did my best to completely strip the carcass of all its meat and was on my way. I could still feel the pain of hunger deep in my stomach, but chose to ignore it. I turned to the east and started for town. It had been an easy night compared to some when my prey had put up a fight. I knew I would sleep well. As I came within the general vicinity of town I pulled it in. All my anger, forced back into my heart. I could feel the fur falling from every inch of my body and the familiar agonizing pain, that felt like fire burning through me. As the change progressed my sense of gravity began to change and I quickely pushed myself up onto my to hind legs. I hurried forward, remembering the large Oak with a hollowed out base. I found it after a few more minutes and grabbed the jeans and shirt. I headed into the vast city and followed my usual route to the house. As I got closer,even as a human,I could smell them. My Brothers and Sisters of the Pack.


    "Hey Ebony where've you been?" Thomas practically shouted, glancing over his shoulder toward me.
    "Be quiet," I said lightly slapping the back of his head. His fluffy blond hair way pulled back into a braid that ran to the middle of his back. Halfway down it began to fade to black. His eyes were as dark as the night outside the window, as was every young werewolf. He had a fairly impresive build for such a young werewolf and he made sure people knew it. He always wore undershirts that were too small and baggy loose jeans. He couldn't have been any older than seventeen. Even he was not sure how old he was. Every time someone was made into what we were...they didn't remember their human lives, or past lifes as we called it. They might have glimpses and daja'vu, but nothing more.
    "You of all people should know," he continued, not bothering to pause his game and look at me, "that it's fracturing the third rule when you hunt without the pack. It's like slapping Niko in the face."
    "You of all people should now," I said leaning on the back of the couch and whispering in his ear, "that I'm second in command. So don't piss me off. And I'll deal with Niko."
    "Just because your high in ranking doesn't mean it's okay for you to break the rules."
    "Yeah but I have a better chance of getting off easy." Even as I said it I didn't believe it. I'd done it more than once and it was bad enough doing it a single time.
    I walked around to the front of the couch and sat down next to him. "Where is Niko anyway?" I asked.
    "Probably sleeping," he said.
    "As should you be," I said standing up and stetching. I walked slowly into the kitchen, waiting to see if he would throw back some witty comment. When he didn't I continued, "You know Thomas...your one of the youngest in the pack. You need to sleep and eat more than us older ones because the hunger, the fatigue, it's always worse when we're young." I grabbed a two-litter bottle of Mountain Dew out of the fridge and joined him again on the couch. I twisted the cap off and took a long swig. For the first time I noticed there was no one else in the room. "Thomas, please tell me you didn't wait up for me."
    "I did," he admitted finally turning off the game, " you took longer than usual and I was worried that you were hurt. I mean you were gone pretty long."
    "Yeah, you looked really concerned," I said waving my hand at the game system. His expression was pained and he threw the controller at the T.V. hard enough the break it, but the screen stayed intact. I jumped and set the bottle on the coffee table. "I'm so sorry," I said reaching forward the hug him, "I didn't mean that."
    We hugged for many minutes then I pulled back when I felt his lips on my neck. I held his chin in my hands. "Thomas," I started looking for the right words, "You know I'm fighting against Isabel and Brea for my side by Niko. I love you," I said but regretted it when I saw his face brighten with hope, "but you should know that it's like a love I would have for a brother."
    He lowered his hand and slowely blinked. A single small tear ran from the dark pearls . "Why can't this work?" he asked looking up and taking my hands in his, "why can't we be together?"
    "You know the answer to that...I love Niko."
    "But how do you know that he loves you? After all he might end up with two other women. With me I don't want anyone else....you don't have to fight for me."
    "No," I said pulling my hands out of his grip and hugging myself, "I know he'll pick me....I'm far better than Isabel and Brea for many reasons. His decision is already made."
    He stood and headed for the dark stairs that lead to the second story where all eight bedrooms were. At the foot of the steps he turned to me. "How can you be so sure?" he asked and turned heading up the dark stairs. Minutes later I was asleep on the couch my face drenched in tears.




    "Ebony can I talk to you?" Niko asked from the foot of the stairs. His hair was almost exactly the same as mine, just as dark but not as long. While mine went down to the small of my back his ran just past his shoulders. He was the only werwolf I had ever heard of that had golden eyes. School had ended the week before for most of the youngbloods and it was summer. Unlike vampires we didn't mind it. If I had continued to go to school, into college, I would have just gotten my Bachelors Degree. At the age of seventeen I haden't looked at a textbook for three years-though I had studied subjects at the library that had benefited me more that my twelve years in school.
    "Yes, Niko," I said standing up from the couch and starting toward the stairs. I past by David and met his eyes for a split second. He's laughing, I thought. The smirk in his eyes were clearly visible. Besides a few of the others, including myself, David was one of the oldest in the house. He had rich chocolate colored hair and piercing green eyes that made any women uncomfortable.
    I followed Niko up the stairs to the bedroom at the end of the hall.When you enter Niko's room for the first time you would see it as more of an office than a bedroom. Only after several minutes would you notice the small door off to the left and the other room. It held a small bed and nothing else. When you left the hallway and you entered his room you would see the huge mahogany desk and velvet covered chairs off to the right. The walls were painted a color so close to that of blood you'd think the walls were drenched in it. Behind the chairs on the wall was a small T.V. He took a seat at his desk and motioned for me to sit in one of the two velvet chairs. He pulled a file out of a draw and opened it and jotted something down. He sighed and closed the file. He folded his hands on the desk and leaned forward.
    "I'm sorry Niko," I said looking down at my hands which were folded in my lap. He stood and slowely walked around the desk to my side. I kept my head down and prayed he wouldn't be angry. I felt the gentle tips of his fingers on the top of my head and I slowly looked up. His smile was gentle and caring but his eyes were harsh and angry. When he diplayed both it made him look crazy. I gasped when I saw him and he stiffled a chuckle. He put his fingers gently under my chin and almost hooking them there then pulled me up into a standing position with such force it made me cry out in pain. I didn't dare try to pull away because I knew that would make him angrier.
    "You know the rules of this house. And you also know the consiquence of breaking those rules. They're very simple," he paused for a moment to turn away and look at the huge stain glass window at the other end of the room, "One: We don't hunt humans, don't taste as good as most might think and they're hard to cover up. Two: Never tell a human of our existence, unless you want them and yourself dead. And three: Never hunt without the pack. You well know this, is very severe, for instance, if you hunted a human alone, it would be punishable by death. Not taking into notice your rank."
    He released me and went to stand by the window, which was as big as the wall at the back of the room. His eyes glowed in the early morning sunlight and when he smiled his teeth sparkled.
    "I do love you Ebony. Especially your eyes, the soft blueness of them now and the ruby redness of them when you hunt. I won't let them kill you." He walked over to me and cradled my face in his hands. He gave me the smallest, lightest peck on the lips then dropped his hands.
    "But you must leave the house. You broken the third rule one too many times." He walked around me and started for the door.
    "But Niko," I choked out as the first few tears spilled over, "what about your marriage? Am I no longer a bride?"
    "No you are not," he said. He stopped but didn't bother to look at me. He continued out the door and left it open.
    Tank sauntered in and grabbed my upper arm pulling me out the door. He had mocha colored skin and black hair that was buzz cut and very soft. He had very light brown eyes, making them the first thing you noticed. He was very careful not to hurt me. With his build he could easly break my arm and though I'm sure he wanted to he didn't want to upset Niko. If you stood them next to each other, Tank would look like a grizzly bear compared to Niko, but strangly he was the big brother figure to Tank. It was like his personal goal in life to please Niko and keep him happy. Because of what I'd done, Tank was severly pissed off but didn't do anything because I had been 'forgiven'.
    Tank pulled me up another flight of steps and practically dragged me to my room. Adrea, my room-mate, almost had a heart attack when we came bursting through the door.
    "Pack," Tank growled and pushed me throught the door. He stepped outside and slammed the door.
    "Ebony, what happened?" Adrea asked jumpping off her bed and kneeling next to me.
    "I've been banished!" I sobbed.
    "For hunting alone?"
    I replied with a simple nod and stood. She did too and pulled me into a hug.
    "You helped me so much," she said after a few more seconds, taking my head in her hands. I hugged myself as she spoke, "you helped me cope with what I'd become and I'll never forget you for that." She joined in my sobbing and we embraced again before she began helping me pack.
    "I suppose Isabel and Brea will be jumping with joy," I choked out and gave a sad hickup.
    "Don't worry," Adrea said, "I'll get them to shut up with reason and sensibility." As she said each she held up a fist. A small laugh choked past my lips, only making me cry harder.
    "I don't want to see Ebony, I'm looking for Adrea!" a voice boomed just outside the door. Jasper, Adrea's mate, came barging throught the door and she jumped into his arms.
    "Your back!" she cried and kissed him.
    As they embraced Adrea's small 5' 1" frame practically dissapeared into Japers big arms and his towering 6' 2" height. His straight white blonde hair mixed nicely with her curly, strawberry blonde locks. At first glance they look like they might be brother and sister but when you look at the way they hold each other, you'd see that that was entirely impossible. At first you'd look at them and think they both had light grey eyes, but when you looked closely at Japers left eye you'd see that there was almost no iris or pupil. His eye was almost completely white, like there was a white film over it, leaving a faint grey circle in the middle.
    "What happened?" he asked when he saw my tear steaked face.
    "She's been banished," Adrea tryed to whisper, but I still heard it.
    "Oh, God," he said walking over and pulling me off the ground into a big bear hug. "You really have to leave?"
    I pulled out of the embrace and nodded.
    "You guys should go," I said looking at Adrea, "I've um...got some private stuff to pack."
    "Of course," she said nodding. "Come on Japer." He gave me a final weak smile and followed Adrea out. Tank stepped into the doorway and glared at me. He grabbed the knob and slammed the door closed.
    I glanced around the room and sighed. With no one else in it, it seemed so much smaller. I took a moment to sit down on the bed and take in the room I'd know for the past eighty-two years. I'd come here a dozen or so years after I'd become what I was. Because of it I hadn't aged a minute since 1894. Niether had any of my Brothers or Sisters. As you might have guessed, Niko was the oldest, at around four-hundred and thirty-something years old. Werewolfs around the ages of ten to thirty, were considered quite young.
    I walked slowly to the closet and pulled it open. After pushing aside all the junk, I pulled back a loose plank and set it aside.
    Tears sprang into my eyes as the one and only remaining picture of my family stared back at me. My young mother sitting in our family chair, my father and I standing behind her, each with a hand on a shoulder. My beautiful baby brother sitting happily in her lap.
    I had my mothers raven black hair and my fathers baby blue eyes. My brother had the traditionally striking blonde hair and blue eyes, which he got from my father. My mother and I shared the same dress, a white silk with copied patterns of rose. My father and brother both wore what had been the 'style' of tuxedo during my time.
    I jumped when the tear landed on the photo. I quickly wiped it away and put the picture into my bag. I grabbed the pair of gloves that I'd gotten from my father for my fourteenth birthday and put that into my bag as well. The final thing was the ruby ring my mother has recieved at my fathers proposal. Small diamonds circled the top of the ruby and two emeralds were found on either side, engraved into the gold.
    I quickly slipped it onto the ring finger of my right hand and grabbed my bag. I took a final glance around the room taking in my old quilt, which still lay on the bed, that had a werewolf picture sewn into it, which I grabbed at the last minute. I made sure there was nothing else on my side that belonged to me, then grabbed my suit-case from 1972, which was littered with peace signs and flowers, in my left hand and my new duffel bag in my right.
    I gave one last shaky sigh then took inch stride steps toward the door. I seemed to take forever to get to the door but that was what I wanted. I pulled it open ever so slowly and before the door was open even a foot Tank's chocolate colored hand darted in and grabbed my wrist, pulling me painfully through the door. I tripped over the door frame and almost went flying to the floor but Tank's grip on my arm stayed strong and kept me from falling. He released his grip once I found my footing and we started down the hall. I savored every second I had left of being able to walk throught this beautiful house.
    It was a few centuries old, Victorian, with three stories. It was creamed colored with black shutters on every window and a dying lawn out front. A big cluster of once beautiful rose bushes suffered in the garden area right under the front windows. It seemed like my heart withered just as badly as the house.
    When we eventually made it down the two flights of stairs, I was suprised to see two other pieces of luggage in front of the door. The only part of the person I saw holding them was the long blonde braid that slowly faided to black.