Chapter 4

Ellie

That hatred for vampires boils hot in the hearts of my people. We hated them, their ways of life and the way they made us feel less of ourselves. For years, all my life, I've never seen any reason to harbour the same hate my people had for the vampires. I only saw them as a different species from us, because that was literally all they were. My people, the werewolves, said I smelt like one of them, like the vampires and I agreed. Even if I knew too well that I had no close idea of how I had their scent on my skin.

The damp leaves under my feet crunched as I ventured deep into the forest of Black Pack, the border with us and the Royalties. I was back to where I ran from. I let down my blanket to let Ee, my wolf, out. I named her Ee because of the obvious, the first letter of my name.

I closed my eyes, allowing myself to go deep into my senses while I let Ee out; I felt the thickness of her legs; they had gotten stronger. What a quick recovery. I shifted to my wolf so I could run faster on my limbs because I wanted to make it to nowhere on time. My senses heightened, ready to pick up the slightest noise while I ran deeper into the forest. The moon cast a little silver ray to the forest floor. Unknown to me. I had company; a firm hand touched my fur, and the bearer of the hand had a cloak over his head, hard for his face to be seen.

His scent, laced. Strange.

I was ready to swing into a fight for defense even if I knew the end would be a failure. But before I could lunge, the human-like figure pulled back and peeled off the cloak from his head; the horror I had switched to an unsure joy. Maybe I had someone by my side after all.

“Do notfret, child; come with me. Take this,” he drew out a large piece of cloth from the sack he held and swung it over my back…I had lost my blankets where I stood to shift, “Turn quickly; I'm taking you somewhere.”

Once I had shifted back, I held the blanket closely to my shoulder. “Murray, please tell me what's going on. I need to know why I bear the scent of a vampire instead of mine, I said sorrowfully in a soft whisper as I began walking in the direction he led me. “I'm as surprised as you are, but we could sort things out after I have successfully secured you… Hold on, child.” He said as we both stopped in our tracks, in the middle of nowhere in the dense forest.

We listened to the quiet sound of the night animals, “Someone else is here.” I shuddered from the strange presence I felt; I sniffed the air for the threatful scent, but my shattered mind wouldn't let me focus on the scent.

“The bloodsuckers,” Murray says in a whisper, like their heightened senses couldn't even pick up the quiet sounds of our heartbeats.

“Quick, Ellie, use this,” he pulled a tiny jar filled with…the same stuff I stole from Eamonn out of his sack, “This is deslir, it will mask your scent temporarily so the vampires won't be able to track us. Manny prepared it specifically, and I'm taking you, leading you under her protection to seek refuge.” He dropped a few drops of the liquid bearing a strong and pungent scent.

I didn't have much time to ponder on who he said made the deslir.

“This would do.” he cock the bottle and put it into his sack.

Creating portals was the easiest thing Murray knew how to do, at best in the Pack, and I was scared his knowledge of making portals might die with him as no wolf and the zeal to learn it. With a wave of his hands, a portal encircled by a red fire was created.

“Jump in and avoid the edges; the red line could slice your bones.”

I did as instructed, and he followed, sealing the portal behind him. All was done as quickly as possible, as the scent of the vampires grew stronger.

The portal opened up to a small cabin; it looked like we were still in the woods but in a different location entirely. The place the cabin was situated was void of any other building structure. No fence surrounding it, just a small wooden shelter.

“Walk with me,” Murray ordered, and I did. He was my only means of savior, and I'll walk with him to fire if only he assures me it would blow warm.

On getting to the wooden door, the only door visible from outside, it opened up automatically or magically, if I may say.

“Come in with the lady, Murray.” A female voice said from within the house, “I guess you only need my help when you're in danger; aside from that, you don't need your sister anymore.” The voice continued as Murray beckoned for me to step in.

“Forgive my bad behavior, sister,” he said once he plopped down on a wooden rocking chair. My eyes searched the room with just three candles as the only source of light for anything I could find familiar and less eerie. This place was already giving me the creeps, and if I had to stay here for a little while, I had to fasten up getting familiar with this place. “Manny, I've got a serious problem regarding Ellie.”

“Ellie, your goddaughter?”

Purple smoke appeared in front of where Murray had sat, and the woman bearing the voice that sounded within the house emerged from it with her hands resting on her hips.

“Yes,” Murray said, as he glanced at me. Both of them glanced at me, but one thing was for sure: their eyes lacked the look the other members of my Pack cast at me.

“She came back bruised from nowhere, bearing the scent of…”

“Van’s blood.” Manny finished,