“I am not sure why he would not have told you that you are a werewolf, except that, perhaps he thought you would decide to search for your mother, and that would have been a very bad idea. It would have ruined the entire plan, and made all the work your mother and father did to protect you completely pointless. They were hoping the spirit would never learn of you. Your mother devoted her life to hunting the beast in the hope that she would destroy it, then be able to return to you. Also, he may have assumed that you were not a werewolf, if you didn’t exhibit any signs. As a human, he wouldn’t have known, and your mother left before you would have changed.” He sighed. “When the beast discovered your father and began poisoning him, your mother doubled her efforts and began recruiting all the help she could find. We knew if it had discovered your father, it would only be a matter of time before it learned of you, too.”

  “My dad is sick because of that thing?”

  Rast nodded. “Your father's blood is useless to the Black Walker, but that didn't stop him from harming your father in the hopes that your mother would give herself up. We were able to use a ritual to slow the poison, but we haven't found one yet that will stop it completely. I fear the only way to save your father is to destroy the beast.”

  Before I could respond to that, Farrah yelled a warning. It wasn't quite fast enough, as the Black Walker appeared out of nowhere and smacked her with one of his terrible long arms. She flew through the air, but before she hit, she transformed. Where Farrah once was, now a huge man-shaped beast stood. With the exception of a black stripe behind each of her ears, her fur was completely silver. She landed on her feet, her sharp claws ripping up the earth beneath her as she slid, and in seconds she was launching herself back at the creature, a mass of teeth and claws and fur, biting and dodging and leaping. She managed to dodge most of the Black Walker's attacks, but didn't seem to be doing much damage to it. Then one good swipe from the Black Walker ripped into her chest, and she yelped. Blood sprayed everywhere and I screamed, certain I had just watched my new friend die. She hit the ground with a thump that shook the earth beneath our feet, but didn't stay down. She howled, a long, loud call that was echoed almost immediately by other howls in the distance. Then, she launched herself at the beast again.

  Rast began chanting. Damon pulled his blades. I clutched my glaive in both hands. Damon and I exchanged grim looks, then charged into the battle.

  Damon moved so quickly that it was nearly impossible to watch him. A blur, he dodged and jumped, appearing above the beast one minute and under it the next, slicing with his swords. I charged in with my glaive, swinging it like a baseball bat, since the only weapon I had ever used before was a gun, and I had no idea how to wield what was effectively a stick with a sword on the end. I probably should have thought that through for a minute, but I was caught up in the battle. The Black Walker, even while being attacked by both Damon and Farrah, still managed to hit me, and I ended up on the ground a few feet away from my glaive, which was stuck blade down in the ground in the opposite direction.

  I heard a yelp and watched as Farrah ripped a piece of rebar out of her leg and limped back into the fight. I pulled my pistol out of my bag and started shooting, but the bullets were doing nothing. I watched helplessly as one of Damon's blades went flying, and then Damon was in the air, too. Each time they went charging in, and each time the beast sent them flying. It stared at me, casually tossing my friends around, and I started to get angry. Then the Black Walker hit Damon hard enough for him to not get up right away, and I saw red.

  One minute, I was standing with a pistol in my hand, feeling completely helpless, and the next minute I was my own fur covered ball of teeth and claws, snarling and snapping as I leapt onto the Black Walker. I ripped into it with my teeth, nearly gagging at the putrid taste that filled my mouth. I scratched at his eyes with my claws, letting my rage fill me and transferring the anger into my attacks. I could feel the beast's claws raking into me, too, but it was a sort of dull knowledge of it, rather than the sharp pain it should have been. A part of me knew that I was cut and bleeding everywhere, and that it wasn't normal for my leg to be dangling like that, and that I should probably be concerned that I could see bone from my shoulder to my elbow, but a much larger part of me didn't care.

  I could hear more howling coming closer and closer, and I watched out of the corner of my eye as Damon slowly got to his feet, grabbed my glaive and threw it like a javelin at the beast, but it was like I was outside of my body, watching a movie. I couldn't react. I was on a mission. My goal was to destroy this monster, and I wasn't going to stop until I did - or until I passed out, which is what actually happened.

  I woke slowly, blinking my way into wakefulness with two realizations. First, I was hungry. Second, something very heavy was draped over the entire bottom half of my body, and it had been there for a while. My right leg was completely numb. I opened my eyes to find myself staring into the face of a giant wolf, tongue lolling happily. When it saw that I was awake, it nearly licked my face clean off. Sputtering with laughter, I pushed it away, and it hopped off the bed to the relief of my right leg, which started to tingle as it regained feeling.

  “Oh, good, you're awake!” I heard Farrah before I saw her, because she entered the room carrying a stack of clothes and blankets so high that it towered over the top of her head. That was the moment when my brain caught up with the fact that I was not in my own bedroom, nor had I been sleeping in my own bed. The room I was in was small and cozy, styled like an old log cabin. It was furnished simply, with a bed, dresser and nightstand. My bag was sitting on top of the dresser, and my glaive was leaning against it. A full length mirror stood in the corner, next to the open door where Farrah was standing. A brightly patterned woven rug lay on the floor next to the bed, and the bed itself was covered in a giant, homemade quilt. There was a closed door that I assumed was a closet, and a window, but the curtains were closed, so I was unable to see outside. I had no idea where I was, what day it was, or what time of day it was, either. The door to the room apparently led to another room, but I couldn't see what was out there, now that Farrah blocked the doorway with her armful of clothes. “I see you met Hustler already this morning. He takes his guard duties very seriously.”

  The wolf offered me another happy grin, then whined at Farrah. She moved out of the way, and the wolf disappeared into the other room. Farrah unceremoniously dumped her pile of clothes onto the end of the bed, and I was barely able to get my legs out of the way in time. My right leg was now in full pins and needles mode, and it was not pleasant. I winced, trying to rub my leg awake faster, and asked Farrah where I was.

  “You're at the Caern. We brought you here after that fight last night. You're in one of the cabins, and you're welcome to stay here for as long as you'd like. Whenever you need it, this place is yours.” She grinned at me, then gestured at the pile of clothes. “I wasn't sure what you liked to wear, so I just brought everything we had that was in your size. Your old clothes are pretty much destroyed, I'm afraid. Take whatever you want from this pile, and leave the rest by the door, and someone will be by to take them back to storage.” She glanced down at her watch. “I have a class here in a few minutes, so I'm going to have to let you explore on your own, but I'll be sending the Baxter twins over to give you a tour and help you get acclimated.”

  She started to move away and I grabbed her arm. “Where's Damon?”

  She snapped her fingers. “Right, I knew I forgot something. He's fine, we have him down in the caves.” At my confused expression, she patted my hand. “Don't worry, it's not bad. The caves are protected, and they're also the only place that completely blocks the sun. He was alive and well when we left him there, and he said he would come find you when he woke up tonight. There was a slight incident with the hot springs, but now he knows to be more careful.”

  “The hot springs?” I was starting to feel like The Prince with my limited conversation, but in my defense, I had just woken up.

  “Yes, the hot springs. Actually, I would suggest you try them out, I think you'll appreciate them. Unfortunately for Damon, we perform a ritual every month or so blessing the waters, and we didn't think about the adverse effects that might have on someone of his...nature...before we suggested he take a dip. Thank goodness he just dipped a toe in first, or we might have been having a much more awkward conversation this morning!” She looked at her watch again. “Okay, now I really have to go or I'm going to be late. The twins should be here soon. There's a meal in the other room. Please, make yourself at home. This is your place. You belong here.” She gave me one last smile and a wave, then disappeared out the door.

  I eyed the mountain of clothes on the edge of the bed. I have never cared much about fashion, so after about two seconds of debate, I grabbed a pair of jeans that turned out to have a rip in the knee, and a blue tank top. Luckily for me, modesty was never much of an issue, as I realized that someone had to have removed all my clothes before putting me into the bed. All I wore now was a long t-shirt that, when I stood up, fell to just below my knees.

  The room I had earlier assumed to be a closet, actually turned out to be a bathroom, where I was overjoyed to discover a shower. I took my time using the facilities, pulled on the clean clothes, and ran my fingers through my hair in an effort to flatten it. When I stepped out, I nearly tripped over Hustler, who had stationed himself directly in front of the bathroom door, like he was waiting for me. He sat up and grinned at me, tail wagging.

  I knelt down in front of him and held out my hand. “Hello, Hustler. It's very nice to meet you.”

  Hustler lifted his paw and rested it in my outstretched hand. He bowed his head, and made a quick yipping sound. He leaned his head real close to mine, allowing me to look into his bright, intelligent eyes, as if he had something very important that he wished to say to me. Then he licked my face and made a chuffing sound that sounded suspiciously like laughter, and I fell in love.

  When I stepped into the other room, I saw that it was slightly larger than the bedroom and consisted of a living room area with a couch and a couple of chairs, and a kitchen area with a dining table. It probably should have felt tight and cramped, but it actually was quite cozy, instead. Someone had taken the time to make it feel like home, adding little touches like the brightly colored curtains and rug, and the throw pillows on the couch. A rack of pots hung above the oven, and a teakettle rested on the top of the stove. I felt very comfortable here.

  There was food on the table, and as my stomach growled loudly, I made my way there first. There was a large platter of different fruits; berries and melons, sliced apples and a couple of bananas made a colorful array of deliciousness that made my mouth water. A stack of about a dozen bagels stood next to a jar of peanut butter and a box of cereal, which had a handwritten note on it informing me that there was milk and juice in the fridge, signed with an F and an adorable doodle of a wolf.

  I tossed a handful of blueberries into my mouth, then scrounged around in the kitchen for a glass, a bowl, a spoon and a knife. I poured myself some juice, then took the glass of juice and the carton of milk to the table, with the bowl tucked under one arm and the silverware clenched in my teeth. It probably would have been easier to do each of those things one at a time, but that just wasn't my way. Hustler found a comfortable spot under the table, and curled up to rest his head on his paws and watch me. I made short work of the fruit platter and most of the bagels. I was almost done eating my third bowl of cereal when the front door was flung open and twin balls of energy came flying in.

  They didn't look much younger than I was; I guessed they were probably fifteen or so. They both had long, flowing blonde locks and bright blue eyes. Everything about them was identical, including the plaid skirts and matching red polos. I would be hard pressed to tell the two of them apart. Even when they spoke, it was usually at the same time, with the exact same tone and inflection on the exact same words. It was like they were speaking in stereo every time they opened their mouths, and they spoke so quickly that it was nearly impossible to get a word in edgewise. They were constantly on the move, too, tiny little tornadoes whirling around the room, making my head spin.

  I stared at them, my spoon halfway to my mouth, and they started with the onslaught of questions: Did I like the colors they chose to decorate the place with? Was the bed comfortable enough? Did I like the quilt? Did I find some clothes to wear? Was I really friends with a vampire? Did I really not know I was a werewolf until, like, yesterday? What kind of music did I listen to? Was I really being chased by a monster? Did I ever let my vampire friend suck my own blood? Did I know any other vampires? My eyes just kept growing wider and wider until I was afraid they were going to pop out of my head. Even Hustler gave a little whine and put his paws over his eyes.

  When they finally stopped talking, they both stood just in front of me, staring at me expectantly in identical poses with their hands on their hips. I set the spoon down back into my bowl of cereal and cleared my throat. “Yes, to every question except for the one about letting Damon drink my blood, because that's disgusting. Also, I listen to just about everything as far as music is concerned. I'm not picky.” They both nodded, then simultaneously opened their mouths to, I'm assuming, attack me with more questions. I lifted a hand up to stop them. “I'm assuming you are the Baxter twins that Farrah told me about?”

  They both nodded again. The one on the right pointed at herself and said, “I'm Sandra, and my sister is Kelly. We're both 15. We just celebrated our birthday a few weeks ago. We had a party at Quassy and it was awesome. Jordan, one of the other cubs that lives here sometimes, he ate, like, a million hot dogs and I thought for sure he was going to, like, throw up all over the place but he never did and then Elizabeth, another one of our friends...”

  Kelly continued. “...she jumped into the lake and did, like, a cannonball, but when she came back up, the bottom of her bathing suit was missing, and we all laughed, especially Elizabeth, and she wiggled her butt at one of the workers there and like, almost got us kicked out, which was even funnier, and then...”

  “...mom let us eat the cake, which was delicious, because she makes it half chocolate and half vanilla because I love chocolate, but...”

  “I love vanilla, so she does it half and half and then she puts all vanilla frosting on top because we both like vanilla frosting, and usually she just, like, leaves it like that, but this time she put sprinkles on it, too, and it was...”

  “...the best cake she's ever made for us, for sure.” They looked at each other and nodded in agreement. Then the one that I think was Sandra continued. “Anyway, Farrah told us we had to come out here and introduce ourselves to you and show you around the Caern so that you know where everything is...”

  “...and we have to introduce you to people too, I guess, so that you, like, know who everyone is, because we all know who you are, but she says you don't know much about the whole werewolf thing...”

  “...which is really weird, by the way...”

  “Yeah, really weird, but I mean it's still okay, like, we'll still be your friends and stuff, don't worry. She also said that we're supposed to leave the vampire alone, but we figure you're going to want to see him, right? So we can just show you where he is and then maybe you can let us talk to him because...”

  “...we've never met a vampire before, and it would just be totally cool of you if you would let us meet him and we promise that we won't bother him or anything, we just want to ask him some questions, that's all.” They stared at me expectantly, and for a glorious three seconds there was absolute silence in the room again. It didn't last long. “So can you? Please? Pretty please?”

  “Can I...introduce you to Damon? Is that what you're asking?” There had been so much thrown at me in such a short amount of time that I had to clarify.

  “Yes, Damon, the vampire.”

  I shrugged. “I mean, I can introduce you, sure,” the girls high fived. “But, he isn't going to be up until the sun sets. He's a vampire, remember? He sleeps during the day. It's going to be hours before he's ready for introductions.”

  “Oh, we know.” The girls flopped onto the couch at the same time. It was creepy. “We'll wait.”

  They were kind enough to let me finish my breakfast, bombarding me with more questions and telling me what sounded like their entire life story while I ate. When I was finished eating, I cleared the table and put my dishes in the sink. Then I gestured for them to lead the way. It was kind of nice being around the twins, because I didn't have to worry about making small talk to fill any awkward silences. There were no silences at all, awkward or otherwise, while they were around. Sometimes, I was worried they were going to pass out, since they never seemed to take a breath. It was amusing to me, as they took me around and introduced me to the other people staying at the Caern, the number of sympathetic glances I received, and how quickly everyone tried to get away from the two talkative girls.

  They took their touring duties very seriously. When we first stepped out of the cabin I was staying in, the girls led me down a tree lined dirt path, explaining that each of the cabins had their own path leading up to it, and all the paths converged into the center of the Caern, where everyone met for meals or soaked in the hot springs. If I ever lost my way, one of the girls explained, all I needed to do was find a path and follow it, and it would eventually lead me to where I needed to be. “Or, you could, like, just use your sense of smell,” the other girl offered, rolling her eyes at her sister.

 

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