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[`silver]

𝐒𝐄𝐀𝐍 𝐅𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐀𝐇
tags; amos mentions; blue, charlie location; cabin in the woods word count; 1,553

Sean could barely recall anything past him shoving clothes into a duffel bag. Thick billowy clouds of smoke greeted his lungs. His mind had him thinking that he had become used to the fire he drew into them, but that was a fluke as his body shuddered into an embarrassing bout of coughing. Shaking his head, he growled loudly in annoyance, quickly scouring through his belongings for a few more things ranging from a sketchpad to a few pictures he’d torn from his collection, and previously decided to pin up to the wall. One of them distracted him enough that the choking scent of charred wood and lapping of heat above his head seemed to fall away—if only for a moment. Expertly drawn, sharp lines contrasted the bright blue accents showing windows, points of entry and exits, and most importantly, the screened in lanai and solarium. Purposefully hidden away, folded into four parts, he offered the meticulously drawn floor plan an expression unfitting of the environment collapsing around him. The softness that reached his eyes as he read the words ‘for Blue’, hardened the moment someone passed the threshold of his decaying room. Carefully tucking it into his sketchbook, Sean zipped up his belongings just as the roof began to groan above him, letting him know it wouldn’t be much longer until he’d be crushed by the weight if he didn’t get a move on soon. Not to mention the earful he might get for taking his sweet time as well.

Cold air swept into his lungs, fresh against the smoky particulates that had filled his senses with their cloying threat of sentimentality. Sure, the pack house was burning down into nothing, but deep down Sean knew there were only one or two members that he felt real concern for as he ducked into the last row of the van. What did bring a bout of surprise though, was how quiet Amos had been throughout the drive. A man of his caliber was normally lightening the mood with words of comfort or jokes directed towards the most shaken members, but Amos seemed internally torn up by something as his hands gripped the wheel with a different kind of strength. Even Charlie was tight lipped, but kept looking to the alpha as if she wanted him to say something to him. This whole situation was odd. A home doesn’t just go up in flames like that.

With a mental shrug, Sean noted whom had entered the van and proceeded to slouch in his seat a bit, long legs providing no support in helping him get comfortable for the long ride ahead. Keeping his bag in his lap, Sean rested his head against the nearest window, watching as flurries of white took reign of the landscape they were entering. Normally, snow would’ve been more of an exciting sight considering how rarely he got to see it, but for some reason, the longer they stayed cooped up in the van, the more agitated he was steadily becoming. His wolf had gone silent the entire time—so what was raising his hackles? The cramped space? The fact that no one was saying anything or even caring to break the ice? Annoying. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Sean sighed heatedly under his breath though it caught when the tires of the van slid a bit on the pristine road. Wait—did this van have snow tires installed? For how dull he could be to his surroundings, Sean’s instincts were suddenly being set ablaze when they entered this new, uninhabited area that was practically yelling at him to not make any wrong moves. He froze up in his seat, eyes blaring their wolfish gold as he fought with himself. It was nighttime, Amos was still taking them to who knew where, but something was kicking at him to open his mouth and say something. Warn him.

Just what did he want to warn him about? It was when Sean felt himself be lifted from his seat that a roar tore from his lips. “Amos!” A sharp stinging sensation paired with something hot welling down the back of his head stole Sean’s vision as he heard glass shattering around them. Metal groaned paired with the scent of burning rubber, his senses swimming from the impact to his head until he fell unconscious when the van had decided to do a barrel roll.

When he came to, a rusty tang greeted his mouth to which he grimaced at along with whatever he was laying on being ice cold. People had already begun to crawl away from the wreckage, Sean noting that Blue had been one of them by how his scent was distinct against the colder, less comforting taste of death that reeked from the shredded mass of metal they’d pulled themselves from. Wiping the blood that had slipped into his mouth from his nose with a shaky hand, Sean rose back up to his full height after reaching over to grab his bag that had so loyally remained at his side (he’d forgotten to unstrap it from himself before putting on his seatbelt). His dull gaze settled on the paling form of their alpha whom still sat in that damn driver’s seat, as silent as ever with all tension having left his body likely due to the release of whatever had been mentally shackling him during his last drive. You had to just go and die on us, huh? Without so much as a peep about where we were supposed to be going. He glared down at the body, nothing but contempt in his eyes before he patted his back pocket to ensure himself of something. I’m gonna need one of these later.

Sean caught up to the rest of the group after straggling behind, casting scrutinizing looks to their environment as the trees themselves seemed to be looming with a type of sinister air he couldn’t fully describe. They felt off - like the rest of this situation did. Charlie’s curt words didn’t help either, in fact, they stirred something in him. Their alpha was gone and now the leadership position fell to whomever was next in line. Sean would’ve been fine with this aside from the fact that he hated having to answer to someone else with a passion. She stayed in the back of the group, to which Sean easily caught up to and swept past even with the thudding in the back of his head reminding him not to overexert himself. He really couldn’t stand being left in her wake. Damn Amos for leaving them all like this.

Mason had easily infiltrated his way into the cabin that had so conveniently manifested itself into their view, Sean feeling his hackles rise again at the sight until the front door voiced its lack of use and welcomed them into its dusty gloom. His feet had him walking around the circumference of the wooden cabin, catching Charlie’s voice again that nearly had him snarling at the tone no matter how level-headed she was being. Stuck on the outside of the cabin’s wall paneling sat a gray metal box to which Sean promptly popped it open to expose the iced over contents inside. It wasn’t rusted, nor did it appear dangerous to use, so Sean simply cupped his hands over the breaker and puffed warm air over it to help loosen up some of the cold that had claimed it. All the switches appeared to have been placed in an ‘off’ position, likely to conserve whatever electricity was left humming through the generator it was connected to. Faded labeling acted as a directory to what each switch did to which Sean half ignored and decided to flip all of them on.

After craning his neck to confirm that the lights were now functioning, Sean closed the box securely so that it would weather the snow and ice a little better this time. With an annoyed huff at the realization that he’d just listened to their Beta’s demands, he ignored the biting cold and took a seat on the steps outside to ease his nerves. He drew out a small box from his back pocket, fishing out a lighter from his duffel bag and briskly snapping at the starter when it didn’t work the first few times. His rigid shoulders slackened ever so slightly when a flame winked at him, his eyes narrowing to slits at how bright it was against the stark white background. Drawing the familiar taste of tobacco into his lungs, he was happy to snuff out the crimson tang in his mouth and allow his mind to wander a little. He wondered how Blue was after all this—he wanted desperately to ask him, to know he was okay and that everything would be fine. Perhaps he could even tell him what his plans were about. The sooner he became Alpha the better, right? Charlie was never really one to really put up too much of a fight either, but then again, Sean’s outlook on most of the pack regarded them as more of an annoying itch he couldn’t scratch. You know that’s not true. 

“Shut up,” he murmured roughly to no one aloud, though his wolf stretching beneath the surface of his mind and body sneered otherwise.