Alexei felt a strong burning in his chest and screamed as it spread through his entire body. He tried sitting up, hitting his head instantly. I'm... in a coffin... he remembered being stabbed and then the pack around him as he died. He shook his head and then punched a hole in the casket, dropping dirt in on top of him as he dug his way out. Once he poked through the surface he teleported upwards planting his feet shakily on the ground. He felt his chest, feeling a long scar where he had been stabbed. It was night and the full moon shone a ****** red down on top of him. He was in the spot he had died, and there was a charred circle around his grave. What... what's going on?
He was answered by a burning pain in his back as two feathery black wings sprouted from his back. His eyes teared up during the process, the pain radiating throughout him. Once the process was done, he flexed the wings and spread them as far as they would go, stretching a few feet longer than his arms in either direction. This... this is trippy... He heard a burning sound nearby and looked to see the ring around his grave set ablaze.
He spun around, hearing a noise behind him. He saw a hooded figure standing there, waiting. Who are you? asked Alexei.
the voice echoed in his head, a raspy, deep voice dripping with poison. I am Death.
Alexei suddenly felt very afraid, for once in his life he was scared. Why have I been brought back to life?
Death gestured up to the moon and said, Mother Lupus says you are needed. You have work to do.
Alexei nodded and asked, What am I? I am no longer as I used to be.
Death seemed to laugh a little, You are more than Lycan now. You are one of a kind. A hellhound. You can still shift as you normally do, but now you have one more option. You will have to discover your own limitations alone. I am merely here to see that you understand the situation.
Alexei nodded again, and listened as Death continued, Your soul remains with me. If you fail to end this war, it remains with me, and you will become my servant. However, if you succeed, I will return your soul to you.
Alexei thought for a moment, then, I understand.
Mother Lupus will be watching you, Alexei. We all have faith in you.
Death faded away and left Alexei there alone. The wings began to disintegrate, leaving a few feathers behind. He shook them from his back and felt a shiver run down his spine as the wind howled.
At least its spring... He sighed, his shirt ruined by the wings and his cloak nowhere to be found. The moonlight brought to mind his pack, no doubt either at the Academy or at the frontlines of some battlefield. He decided he should locate shelter, and he felt he had enough energy to teleport a good distance before needing to rest.
Alexei waved his hand over the lock on the door of the safehouse, hearing heavy clicks as it unlocked. The heavy metal door creaked open and he was greeted by a familiar musk. He walked inside, his boots thumping on the concrete floor. This was an old Lycan hideout used by many when they traveled around the area, and there were a multitude of scents around the building. The walls were covered in names and messages from Lycan travelers, some of them familiar and others less familiar. He scanned over them and then took notice of some boxes near the back of the main room, where the musk was coming from. He walked over to them and opened the first one, finding his ******* inside along with some of his other belongings. The other boxes contained his cloak and his smaller weapons, but his ****** rifle and katana were nowhere to be found. He pressed the fur of the cloak to his nose, taking in his old scent and the comforting memories of olden times. He draped it over his shoulders after donning one of his shirts. He took out his heavy boots from the boxes and replaced them with the worn ones he had been buried in. As he did so, he hear the hammer of a pistol **** back and a familiar voice command, "Hands in the air. Do it now or I'll end you."
It was Jezabel Temptree, his old mentor's daughter. Alexei raised his hands in surrender. "Now what the hell do you think you're doing stealing this stuff?"
Alexei grinned a little and said, "I'm just reclaiming what's mine."
Jezabel jabbed the pistol in his back and said, "What do you mean, what's yours? That is definitely not yours. I guarantee you that."
He turned to her, hands still in the air. "Are you sure?"
She gaped at him and she dropped the pistol, throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him tight, "Alex." He hugged her back and she buried her face in his chest as tears sprang to life. "I missed you, Alpha, we all have." She pulled away and grinned, "Your hair's gotten longer."
Alexei grinned and asked, "How long have I been away?"
Jezabel frowned and led him downstairs, saying, "One year, three months."
Alexei gaped at her, expecting only a month or two to have passed. He looked at her and asked, "What about the rest if the pack? Are they here too?"
Jezabel shook her head, "Jenna, Fier and the betas are leading the attacks on the Slayers in the eastern states and the others are at the Academy. The others..." She trailed off.
Alexei frowned. "Where are they?"
Jezabel sighed. "Underneath the Forever Tree. Last time I went there... Alex... there's so many of us gone..."
Alexei nodded and asked, "What about you?" They arrived in the underground room where the food and water was kept, along with a living area and a bedroom.
Jezabel looked back at him and said, "I broke away from everyone so I could watch after my younger brother and sister. We moved to Detroit a few months ago, hoping the city would hide my scent. I'm only here now to send out my scouting report." She noted his confused look and continued, "Detroit is a big meeting place for Slayers. I keep tabs on their movements and I report it to the higher ups."
Alexei nodded, "How goes the fighting?"
She shrugged, "From what I hear, our side is holding strong, but the Slayers come out with new tricks every few weeks so we stay on our toes. Neither side can amass a big army without alerting the humans, so its all small skirmishes."
Alexei sat down on the small couch, after grabbing a beer from the fridge. "That's good I suppose."
Jezabel looked at him curiously, "How did you come back anyway? Everyone figured you were gone for good."
Alexei took a swig from the bottle and laughed, "I thought the same thing." He explained his encounter with Death and his message.
Jezabel chuckled a little, "Always gotta be different, don't you, alpha?"
Alexei chuckled and downed half of the beer, "I guess so."
He slumped back into the couch and finished the contents of the bottle before saying, "We should probably get some rest."
She nodded and went to the bedroom, leaving Alexei on the couch. He lay down and fell asleep quickly, though his dreams were filled with nightmares. Horrifying figures were attacking him, disfigured and uttering bloodcurdling cries. He dreamed of a long trail that split the forest in two, the trees harboring black shadows. A single lamppost sat on either end of the path, one at the entrance and one at the exit, neither providing much light. There was silence in the trees, not a sound was made. He ran, fear causing his heart to race. As he neared the end, he saw the Forever Tree, burned to a husk and broken. The cabin was worn down and dilapidated, with a deathly air around it. He walked up the long steps and into the dark place he once called home. He glanced over his shoulder and then slammed the door shut, locking it as he saw a group of horrid beasts coming closer. A single candle lit the room, and Luther was waiting there, dressed in a fine black longcoat. His voice was unnatural, carrying another voice with it. "Welcome back, brother."
There was a banging on the door, but Luther didn't seem to care, "Each one represents a fear of yours. Each one created by you, and now they're here to **** you."
Alexei took in a shaky breath feeling absolutely helpless, "I fear nothing."
There was another bang on the door and Luther laughed, "You shouldn't lie, Alexei. Especially when your fears are right there. There are six of them."
The door came crashing down and the disfigured monsters stalked in, claws clicking against the floor. They surrounded Alexei and loosed their horrid cries. Alexei quickly looked around for a weapon, seeing a long sinister scythe nearby. He grabbed it and prepared to attack. The beasts ignored Luther as he spoke, "If you want to get out of this, you'll have to face your fears."
The first monster hissed at him, then lunged at him, knocking Alexei's head against the ground, forcing a vision of himself, slaughtering his pack. The vision cleared and he roared, cutting the monster's head from its neck and getting up quickly, waiting for another attack. Luther nodded and said, "Your fear of losing your family."
The next monster attacked, loosing demonic laughter and cutting Alex's arm, spattering blood on the floor. Alexei had another vision, listening as Jenna broke off their relationship, seeing Fier being stabbed and then seeing her again, not knowing who he was. He shook the vision from his eyes and cut down the monster. Luther nodded again, "Your fear of losing the ones you love most."
The third monster ****** a sharp bone at Alexei, who deflected the attack only to have it graze his cheek. The vision this time was of the forest path, with the two lampposts at the ends. Alexei was standing in the middle of it and the lights began to flicker and fade. He opened his eyes and the vision faded, and he split the monster in two with the scythe. "Your fear of being alone."
The last monster opened its maw and spat burning poison in Alexei's eyes, the vision being the memory of Death, looming over him during his resurrection. The images faded and Alexei twirled the scythe around and cut the beast's head off, thunking on the ground. "Your fear of Death."
Alexei looked around, seeing no other opponents. He glanced at Luther, "Where are the others? You said there were six."
Luther laughed, and continued laughing until Alexei's skin crawled. He stepped forward, a sword in his hand. Alexei growled and realized that Luther was the fifth fear. He quickly cut him down, the body slumping to the floor. Nothing happened. Everything was silent.
Alexei looked around for a few moments before waking up, gasping for breath. His cloak and shirt were off, lying on the couch, and he was lying in a pool of blood. He scrambled to get up and felt the wings on his back. "Did I...?" He glanced around and realized the blood wasn't his. Horrified, he ran to the bedroom, bare feet leaving ****** footprints. He screamed when he saw her. Jezabel was almost dead, blood covering the walls and the bed in a sickening crimson and black mixture. She had massive gashes everywhere, and a bite taken out of her neck. She was crying, and Alexei rushed to her side, sickened and in genuine fear. She looked into his eyes and he knew that she was scared. She whispered, "You're a demon, Alpha... I saw it... this wasn't your fault."
Tears started streaming down his face, "I'm sorry. I didn't know! I'm sorry.."
She cried out a little and then quickly said, "Alpha... p-promise me you'll take care of my brother and sister. Please promise me..."
Alexei nodded quickly and shakily said, "I promise, Jezabel."
"Good... I'll finally be able to see my father again..." She took one last deep breath before passing away.
He picked her body up carefully, grabbing his cloak on his way out and took her outside. He shut his eyes tight and pictured the Forever Tree. He teleported there, the body still in his arms. He went to one of the trees circling the Forever Tree and dug a grave at the base and buried her. Using a spell, he enchanted a bed of red roses to sprout up around the grave in memory of her. He sat there, staring at the headstone he had made and thought back to his dream. It took him a moment to realize what his last fear was, "Fear of myself..." he whispered.
"Your demon side is quite... beastly, Alexei." He spun around and saw Death standing behind him.
Alexei had tear in his eyes still, "I don't want any of this... I don't want any more of the people I love to die..."
Death stepped forward and said, "Then you have to learn to tame your inner demon. Until then, you may end up hurting more than you end up helping."
Alexei collapsed to his knees and let his wings drape over him. "Can... can you make sure she finds her father?"
Death nodded, "This I can do." Death reached into the grave and pulled a bright blue ball of light from within. Jezabel's soul danced around between his fingers, pausing for a moment towards Alexei. He knew that she was looking at him and he whispered, "I'm sorry. I will never forget you. I am proud to have been your alpha."
She bounced around a little more before Death released her and she floated around Alexei a few times. Alexei reached his hand out, and she gently fluttered to his open palm. He felt her warm presence whispering soft encouragements to him before floating up to the heavens. He looked back at Death and asked, "How many more times will I have to say goodbye...?"
Death shook his head, "That I cannot tell you. Take comfort, young alpha. Goodbye doesn't necessarily mean forever. You of all people should know that."
Alexei nodded quietly and whispered, "Goodbyes are the gateways to tomorrow..."
The sun peeked out over the forever tree, its light dancing around the rose petals on Jezabel's grave. Alexei quickly teleported back to the safehouse and gathered all of his things, returning downstairs to the ****** scene that he had left there. He began breathing heavily, tears in his eyes as he paced through the blood, trailing his footprints in a crimson path. He clutched at his hair and screamed at the top of his lungs as he thought about what he'd done. He had killed one of his own, one of his packmates, part of his family. She trusted me... and... I.... I killed her... She didn't blame him but she didn't have to, he blamed himself anyway. He walked into the bedroom where she had died and found a picture of her little brother and sister lying on the bedside table. He whimpered a little and tucked the picture carefully into one of his cloak's interior pockets. He was about to leave when something urged him to stop and turn back. His eyes fell on the drawer of the bedside table. Kneeling down in front of it, he slowly pulled the drawer open, revealing her keepsafes. Her gun was there, along with a belt holster, which Alexei put on, allowing him some sort of protection for the time being. The next item that caught his eye was a key, which looked like it belonged to an old apartment. He put the key in the pocket with the picture and continued to search. The last item in the drawer was a silver locket that he recognized immediately. It was her father's, inside it were two pictures, one of Jezabel and her siblings and the other of their mother. He closed the locket gently and put it around his neck, tucking it under his shirt.
Alexei used the last of his energy to teleport back to the cabin. He shuddered a little, remembering the nightmare. Taking careful steps, he walked up the long staircase and into the cabin, finding no one there. He took a seat on the couch, relaxing for a moment. He turned on the television, which had been turned to a news station. He almost clicked away to another channel but something caught his eye. The story was covering the latest in a spree of killings in Detroit, all of them males. What caught his attention was one of the videos they showed had a Lycan in human form in the far background, surveying the situation. Alexei immediately recognized it as one of the Academy guards named Xera. He had been one of Alexei's students at the academy. Alexei shook his head and turned the channel, thinking long and hard about his next move. Nobody knew he was alive, and that would provide a certain advantage as the Slayers wouldn't be after him. The disadvantage being that he had no backup if something went wrong. Nobody would be looking for him. While mindlessly flipping through channels, he decided to go to Detroit and find Jezabel's siblings first, then move from there. He set down the remote, not paying attention to the television, and
