elk creek, a werewolf roleplay

[Ashton_99]

⟸✯ᴄᴀꜱꜱɪᴀ ᴀʟᴅᴇʀꜱ-ʟᴏᴄᴋᴇ✯⟹
⟸✯The Newcomer ✯ She/Her ✯ Tags:Jackson/Huan/Frances ✯ Location:house ✯⟹

The rapid thud of Cassia’s pulse was bouncing around against her skull. It made it difficult to focus but not impossible. She leaned all of her weight onto three of her four legs while standing on the dark road with Jackson and Huan. The pair seemed to be communicating. Groggily, Cassia wondered what that was like. To hear someone else's voice in your head. She imagined it must be jarring if you weren’t prepared for it. Effectively unable to contribute to the conversation still she looked back at the crumpled heap that had once been a truck and felt a bit guilty. While objectively she knew that the blame lay with the nomad for the crash, she still felt responsible for Huan and Jackson getting hurt since they’d been out to meet her in the first place.

Perhaps it was stereotypical but she hated nomads. Memories of the past in her mind played like snapshots of some of the least fun moments in her life. Eventually, though the group started moving and she left the thoughts behind on the dark road with the remains of the old truck.

The rain had let up. Here and gone just as the nomad had been, though some of the clouds still stuck around. The ground was damp under her paws, and while she did her best to reach her senses out in case the vampire returned, the scent of her companions’ wounds clouded her attempts. Being towards the back of the group her gaze kept straying to the two. Over the duration of their slow walk, Cassia could feel her healing ability doing its best but it did little to ease the pain sending jolts along the side she had landed on. Getting thrown out of a moving truck onto dirt and rocks wasn’t fun, who would have thought? Her bitterness was a bit uncharacteristic but Cassia felt like she deserved some bitterness after the kind of night she’d been having so far.

Relief flooded her when a house came into view. Their destination- if the heavy, ingrained scent of wolves was anything to go by. The tall windows held a warm, inviting glow that promised all of the warmth and comfort that Cassia was lacking. She tried to move a little faster even if she was only half successful in the endeavor, following after Jackson over the leaf-littered yard but stopping before the stoop. Cassia wondered belatedly if there was some kind of etiquette about entering a pack’s home for the first time. It was with those thoughts that she missed the initial interaction at the door, at least until she was brought up. She still hadn’t had a chance to introduce herself yet, but given the tension, she figured now wasn’t the time for it either. All she managed was a nod to Jackson before she was being led off by the woman who had answered the door.

She hobbled after the woman, trying to keep up a decent pace. While she hadn't expected everything to be sunshine and rainbows, Cassia did feel like she was one for three as far as first impressions went. Maybe this was why not all wolves joined packs. It felt like an impossible challenge- joining a group of people who already had an established rapport with one another. With the Elk Creek pack in particular it seemed there was a distrust for outsiders prevalent among many of the members.

Jackson had been welcoming and that was significant coming from the leader of the pack but Cassia wasn’t exactly feeling the love. There was a stray thought in her mind, wondering how packs even stayed together with so many different personalities having to work together like they seemed to. But maybe that was why they all worked? Who could say, certainly not her. She’d only ever spent an extended period of time around one other wolf and the pair of them had been too busy trying to figure out how to be werewolves to worry about something as complicated as pack dynamics.

She distracted herself from the meandering trail of thought by studying the décor. The deer skull wasn’t exactly her idea of interior design but she had to admit it went well with the aesthetic of the house. Cassia was drained, but it was the kind of exhaustion that was so far removed that it looped back around to her being energized. It was only because of that feeling that she made it up the stairs without giving up halfway through. She made noises to make sure the woman knew she was paying attention for the duration of the little tour. The location of the bathroom and towels cemented in her mind as they passed them and into the unoccupied room. More than anything Cassia wanted to curl up and fall asleep on the bed but the dirt and blood she felt sticking to her person had her putting off the idea of settling down for now.

Belatedly she watched the woman as she gave her final bit of information before closing the door behind her.

Alone once again Cassia sighed though she got moving to get to the shower, transforming now that she was alone. The grime needed to go. She collected a pair of towels on her way to the bathroom before locking the door behind her. It was as she was putting the towels on the counter that she caught her reflection and cringed.

Oh I look awful.

There was dried blood and motley bruises forming where her body was trying to heal. Clumps of dried mud and the broken remnants of leaves and brush stuck to her skin and hair- her hair in a knotted mess that she knew would be a pain to detangle. Cassia tried not to spend too much time showering off, waiting until the water ran clear before she finally got out though she missed the hot water on her exhausted muscles already.

[Ashton_99]

«❖ᴇʟɪᴊᴀʜ ʙʟᴀᴄᴋʜɪʟʟ❖»
«❖The Healer ❖ He/Him ❖ Tags:Jackson/Huan ❖ Location:house ❖»

No one who worked at the Elk Creek clinic was a stranger to long hours. A dedicated (or as some might say, work-obsessed) man like Elijah Blackhill was certainly no exception. Unfortunately as of late, the extended shifts were made to feel all the longer because of workplace drama. It was inescapable. Who was with who and which person said what- the clinic was overrun with it. He felt like he was living in one of those cliche hospital soap operas. Elijah had finally just defaulted into nodding along and humming in the appropriate places whenever one of his coworkers came up to him to gossip or complain. Between the drama and his actual job as a doctor at the clinic Elijah had only really been home to shower and sleep the past few days, but he’d at least had the time on his lunch hour to see his brother. They’d even managed to get most of the way through lunch before his phone had rang and he had to go back.

But it had been hours since then and Elijah was finally able to clock out. He was already dreaming about all of the rest he’d be able to get for the next few days, his days off. With the smell of the citrusy cleaning products still stuck in his senses, he called a lazy goodbye to the receptionist, Ryan, and trekked out to his truck. It was a simple thing, not new or flashy. It had served him well enough the past couple of years, getting him to and from work even when the weather was bad. Elijah glanced to the distant treelines, gray clouds rolling in to mar the late afternoon sky. What a shame, he’d just washed his truck too. But at least if it was raining later he could use the ambient sounds as his own personal noise machine to fall asleep to.

On his way home Elijah decided to make a few stops along the way so that he wouldn't have to run errands on his days off. His first stop was the local grocery store. He strolled through the aisles at a sedate pace. His handbasket ended up being filled with two categories of food- the fruits and vegetables he knew he should be eating and all of the junk food he was craving. The fresh spinach and the family-sized pack of Oreos totally went together, right? Regardless it was as he was deliberating over candy by the checkout that a regular patient stopped him to chat.

Charline Hanson was a friendly older woman with straight graying hair and a bit of a hypochondriac complex. Their conversation went how it usually did. First agreeing that the weather was getting colder then assuring her that no, the mole on her wrist wasn’t something she needed to get checked out again before the topic that usually ended their conversations was brought up. Mrs.Hanson had a niece you see, Oh she was a lovely girl and you two would be perfect together!

Elijah had heard the same unsubtle hinting about a dozen times from the woman. He’d more or less decided to pretend he didn’t understand Mrs.Hanson’s intentions, instead smiling placidly and finding a way out of the conversation altogether. “I’m sure she is ma’am.” He pretended to check his watch, not actually reading the time despite glancing at it. “Oh gosh, sorry it looks like I’ve gotta run. It’s my turn to cook dinner and my brother is probably waiting.” That wasn’t really anything he and Luca had actually planned but it was a good enough excuse because Mrs.Hanson pulled him into a one-armed hug as a goodbye.

“Well alrighty, say hello to your brother for me, won’t you?”

“Of course, I’ll pass it along. You have a good one.” He watched her go until she turned down the bread aisle before picking up the candy he’d been trying to decide between and getting into line. Checking out wasn’t anything terribly complicated, he made idle conversation with the woman scanning his items and bid her goodbye accompanied by a yawn on his way out. He made one more stop at the post office to pick up a few boxes of the bulk supplies he’d ordered for the pack’s reserves. There were a few more errands he had to take care of but by then he just wanted to go home so he resigned himself to having to spend a day off running errands after all.

The drive up to the pack’s home was equally uneventful. His radio playing quietly. For better or worse Elijah was so familiar with the road up to the pack house that oftentimes after long shifts at work he checked out almost entirely while he drove. Still, without incident, he eventually arrived home, parking in his usual spot among the other vehicles belonging to different pack members.

Though his usual inclination would be to find someone in the house to hang out with for a bit, with the exhaustion making him look like a raccoon that gained sentience he was quick to drop the food he didn’t mind sharing in the kitchen before hauling his treats and supplies with him to his room right off of the sick-bay. Elijah’s room, in a word, was comfortable. He used lamps to provide a diffused glow instead of the overhead light and comfortable blankets and a lived-in clutter decorated the space. The man made sure to shower and change before daring to sit down, knowing that if he did he wouldn’t be able to get himself up again for a while.

Hours later Elijah had been moving in and out of sleep despite his exhaustion. There wasn’t anything bothering him but the restlessness was an unfortunate holdover from his years in foster care. It was something that still affected him even decades later. It was during one of the lazy, hazy periods of wakefulness that there was a knock at his door. The faint smell of blood accompanied the noise. Despite this Elijah was slow to get up, he finished shrugging on a hoodie before opening the door.

And there on the other side, he found the Alpha and Beta of his pack. He was instantly much more awake. Elijah squinted at them. Grimy, damp, and bloody. Fantastic. He pursed his lips as he considered them. “Do I even want to know?” He decided he didn’t, at least for now. Instead, he shuffled past the pair of them and led them to the sick bay. While washing his hands he was looking over his shoulder at the pair, trying to gauge who to start with. Neither was a pretty sight but he figured that with the concerned way Jackson was looking at Huan that he should start with the Beta.

He motioned for her to sit down on the bed and pulled up a stool to settle in front of her. Elijah ran, more or less, a catch all check up. Testing for concussion and broken limbs, checking her breathing, and seeing to the severe bruising and scratches focused mostly on her left side. Her healing was kicking in a bit but even then the injuries still must not have felt great. He spoke to Huan through the worst of it to try and distract her. Asking about her work and her latest designs, “Have you made anything new lately?” Her ability to make clothing was something that Elijah found incredibly impressive especially since he himself couldn’t sew anything other than stitches. When he was finally done he smiled at her, patting her leg, “there we go, you aren’t going to be one hundred percent for a little so don’t overexert yourself but you should be good with some rest.” He didn’t know how much of that she was going to listen to, but he hoped that his words would carry a little bit of weight as her doctor.

With Huan seen to, he motioned for Jackson to sit next. “So,” he resigned himself to the fact that something significant must have happened. Werewolves weren’t exactly breakable. “Give me the details, is this going to be a thing for a bit?” He motioned around them to the sick bay, late at night. With a well-practiced gentleness, Elijah cleaned up Jackson’s wounds, starting with the cut on his forehead. Head wounds always tended to look nastier than they were but even still he wanted to have Jackson on concussion protocol. Rest and only activities that wouldn’t stress him out too much. The chances of Jackson following that felt slim however, something was obviously weighing on the man.

[rigbees]

☰☰ 𝙃𝙐𝘼𝙉 𝙔𝘼 ☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰
☾ she/her . 31 . wolf pack beta ☽ tag. elijah, cassia location. house

Huan appreciates Jacksons concern, but she also knows that even if she were unable to walk she would hide that fact for as long as she could. Huan can barely process her own pain due to her overwhelming concern for the other two. She eyes the blood from Jackson’s forehead, and the way the new girl is unwilling to put all of her weight onto one of her legs. As the three of them walk towards the house, their slow pace caused by the injuries, Huan can’t stop thinking about what happened. She has no idea why a vampire would do that, especially with no follow up.

At first Huan had thought maybe the crash was intended to weaken them, so that they couldn’t put too much of a fight up as the vampire attacked next. She knows her and Jackson are valuable in this town, as the alpha Jackson must have been their main target and Huan happened to be there as some sort of backwards luck. Huan isn’t sure whether the vampire knows about the new wolf, or if that had been a coincidence as well. Either way, Huan has no idea why they would hit and run. Maybe it had been an accident, but Huan can’t seem to accept that as a possibility. Something is going on here, and the pack needs to be far more alert in the coming days until they figure out what.

The rain letting up as they approach the house is a silver lining, although Huan thinks it sort of ironic that the rain had bracketed the event as though it was intentional.

The scent of everyone as they finally arrive is a welcome one, and Huan relaxes a fraction, especially when she notices Elijah’s truck as part of the lineup of cars. He’s there, and even if they have to wake him up she’ll only feel mildly bad about it. Once she shifts back, Huan notices how gross her clothes are. Although she can’t really do anything about it right away it still bothers her.

Frankie answers the door, and Huan smiles. Frankie is the perfect one right now to be awake and aware of the situation. Huan chooses to ignore the concerned look Jackson sends her, not wanting to be the priority. As Jackson explains what happened, Huan tries to subtly examine him now that he’s in his other form, trying to tell if he has any more injuries that she hadn’t initially noticed. She can’t see anything extremely pressing, so she doesn’t try to rush the interaction.

When Jackson requests Frankie try to follow the vampire's trail, Huan nods to herself. She had thought the same thing when she noticed Frankie was awake.

Once it's all settled, Huan allows herself to be guided by Jackson. The exhaustion is starting to get to her, but she still casts a nervous glance towards the newcomer. She still hasn’t shifted, which is understandable when confronted with an entire house of strangers. This does not help Huan figure out her sizing for future clothes giving, but she figures she can just bring some options and hope for the best. She doesn’t want the girl to be in uncomfortable clothes for too long, especially after such a stressful event. They all deserve some comfort after all that.

After getting Elijah, who Huan assumes they did wake up based on his appearance, Huan allows herself to finally process the pain in her side. She slumps down in the bed as she’s indicated to go first. Huan appreciates Elijah’s distractions as he checks up on her, answering his questions with her usual excited tone, “I’ve been struggling a bit with a pattern recently, but before that I made a cool jacket. Actually, you should ask Luca to come see me because I think he would love it.”

Once they’re done, Huan breathes out a sigh of relief. She didn’t think it would be bad, but the assurance that she’ll be okay with rest makes her feel a thousand times better. Once she’s cleared, Huan stands up and starts to leave, trusting Elijah will get Jackson all sorted as well. She wants to go get the newcomer some clothes as soon as possible, and maybe a shower of her own.

Making it quickly to her room, Huan realizes for the first time that her bag had still been in Jackson's truck. Nothing of importance was really in there besides her notebook, but she does wonder if it's salvageable since she had a lot of ideas written down in there and patterns sketched. Ignoring the loss for now, Huan rushes towards her closet and grabs a few basic sweaters and sweatpants, stuff that can fit multiple sizes. With that settled, she walks with the armful of clothes to the bathroom, having heard the shower running.

Once at the door she listens briefly for any sign of the girl being busy, and then knocks gently, awkwardly shuffling the clothes into one arm.

“Hello? It’s Huan again, I have some clothes if you need,” she says a little loudly, so that she can be heard. After speaking she waits, wondering what the other will look like. Glancing down at her own mud filled clothes and messy hair, Huan realizes this is probably the worst first impression she has ever made. Hopefully the girl doesn’t get scared off by everything that has happened.

[друг]

🟆. ─────── 𝐅𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐒 𝐑𝐎𝐖𝐄

xxxxxxxxxxxx29, elk creek subordinate, tagging: Jackson mentioned: Cassia, Elijah location: house

As Frankie cleaned up her papers from the kitchen and made herself ready for what could have been a long night out in the dark, her mind should have been on the task ahead of her, but instead, she found herself thinking of the woman they had just welcomed into the house. She had looked rough, even with a coat of fur to conceal whatever bruises she must have endured when Jackson's truck had been pushed off the road. Frankie could recall her own reluctance to take everything that had been offered when she had first come to Elk Creek, although it had been right there, specifically hers to take. For her, it had been a stubborn desire to prove herself as independent and more than capable of looking after herself before expending any of the goodwill extended her way, but she did not know this guest of theirs. Had it been wise to leave her to her own devices with merely the knowledge of a healer in the house, or should she personally have taken the woman to see Elijah?
indentindentAs Frankie passed the foot of the stairs again on her way to the door, she hesitated for a moment. Would Jackson at least want to know of her condition in case she were to put off her injuries being seen to? Frankie shook her head at herself and continued on her way out, slipping out into the night and shifting onto four feet before the door had yet closed behind her. No, it wasn't any business of hers to meddle in, and she had told her about Elijah, after all. What the woman chose to do was her decision to make, now. A sigh slipped from the jaws of the brown wolf, breath clouding in cool air heavy with the passing rain. In spite of her reluctance to meddle, Frankie hoped that the woman would take care of herself. They all deserved that much.

The moon was bright in the sky, the time past midnight, as Frankie picked her way down the dirt road, first tracing the fresh — if waterlogged — scents of Jackson and Huan, with the novel scent of the newcomer mingling with their paths. She arrived at the place where the trail took a sharp turn to the left, off the road, and a few feet into the underbrush, she found the battered wreck of Jackson's truck. The driver's side door was barely hanging onto the frame, its underside stuck down into the dirt, and the window nothing but an opaque mess of fractured glass. A tree had stopped their roll into the woods, but on the other side of the truck, there was another dent struck deep into the faded blue body, which could have only come from their attacker colliding into the truck in order to send it off the road. The vampire's scent still hung in the air — faded, but there, clawing up Frankie's nose in all of its icy unpleasantness.
indentindentShe climbed the shallow bank out of the woods and back onto the road, taking a moment to orient before she was certain that she had locked onto the direction the vampire had gone after the crash, rather than the trail it had left before. Frankie followed the side of the road for about a mile before she once again descended from the moonlit road into the inky darkness churning amid the trees. A touch of concern rose to creep along her spine when she realized that the trail was leading her toward the town, but she resolved to remain calm. Most vampires were opportunists, and it would not strike against the revelers of a Friday night crowd. Only someone wandering alone in the night.
indentindentAfter the turn into the woods, tracking the vampire became laborious. It was not for the vegetation nor the dark, but the winding path it had deliberately traced through the forested foothills around Elk Creek, most likely in the exact hope of slowing down whoever might come after them, and in this they had succeeded. Frankie could not break into a run or she might lose the scent and forfeit any advantage they might have still had. It was clearly no newborn, to the benefit of the town, but unfortunately for the pack, it seemed clever even. Experienced, which meant this vampire had evaded capture before. As far as Frankie knew, this scent was not familiar to herself, nor had it been to Jackson. Not a newborn, but someone new to the area.

indentindentAlthough spring had come to Elk Creek, there remained patches of snow in the notches shaded by trees. The forest was eerily quiet, as if the passing of the vampire had frightened it into silence. Frankie knew that she was coming alarmingly close to the town when she passed by the moss-covered, rotting beams of an old dilapidated barn, sticking out of the soft earth. A part of the old outskirts of town, now partially replaced by a sparse suburb, but memories of what the town had been in the previous century remained in the form of these forgotten structures. Stones stacked atop a moss-shrouded stump marked the edge of where locals frequented without intentions to hike deeper into the park.
indentindentAs Frankie kept following the trail as closely as she could, she ended up wading through a shallow stream, ice cold from the winter. Residential houses rose right by the river it had branched from, and a low fog was rising above the waters, illuminated only by dim silvery light and the distant glow of scarce streetlamps from the road behind the houses. She did not realize she had been tensing the length of her body until the vampire's trail turned back away from the buildings, threading along a narrow footpath between the backyards and the edge of the woods. Back up the slope of a foothill, toward the boundaries of the mountainous national park.
indentindentThe day was beginning to dawn, a pale sun rising behind the peaks, painting the edge of the horizon the colour of peach and showering molten gold down into the valley of the town. For a fleeting moment, Frankie allowed herself to believe that they had made it through the night without incident, the passengers of Jackson's truck having been the unlucky victims of a passing vampire's dangerous curiosity, but then she smelled it. Metallic and tangy, rising like a tide from among the trees. Blood. She dropped the scent of the vampire, picking up her pace and racing after the stench of blood, until she broke from the woods into a clearing lit by watery morning light.
indentindentPerhaps an hour or two ago, it had been a campsite. Now a tent stood near the trees, torn open, items scattered all around, a cooler on its side leaking icemelt into the stamped ground. A body lay in the midst of it all, the source of the nearly overwhelming stench of blood — so ravenously attacked that it looked like the work of an animal. Frankie stepped into the clearing, body low and haunches bristling, but the vampire seemed as long gone as it had been from the site of the crash. The campfire that had been scraped into the ground was cold and dead, nothing but ash and the blackened remains of burned logs. The spilled blood was equally cold, dark against the earth. A handful of hours at the most, as she had initially thought.

Frankie's train of thought was hardly anything more than a string of curses as she spun around and launched into a full run, as fast as she could tear through the woods and back to the house. With the metallic odour of blood still fresh in her nose, she passed through sunlit patches of steaming grass and pines with their branches still dripping from the night's cold wetness. Lone birds were singing the early notes of the dawn chorus, as dawdling hares still patchy with their winter greys fled from her path. Such dark and heavy news for what should have been a beautiful spring morning. I need to tell Jackson before this gets worse.
indentindentShe charged across the yard and crashed up the steps to the house, shifting on the fly in the entryway. Her lungs were still burning when she barged into Jackson's room, not far down the hallway, where she found him draped across his bed in a t-shirt and plaid pajama pants, the morning light lancing in past the curtains. After the long night, he looked peaceful, but Frankie only gave herself a split second to feel bad about having to wake him up before calling his name. Jackson failed to rouse, and so Frankie grabbed him by the shoulder and shook.
indentin"Jackson!"

[друг]

↟. ─────── 𝐉𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐃

xxxxxxxxxxxxx32, elk creek alpha, tagging: Elijah, Huan, Frankie, all / the pack mentioned: x location: house

Jackson felt relief when Elijah's face appeared in the doorway, and he could not help the apologetic smile that overtook his face when he realized that he must have awoken the healer after all. Jackson had barely seen him in a while, but he could not blame the man for the long hours his job required, and all he could think of in the moment was how thankful he was to have actually caught him in the house — and how he had hopefully gotten at least some rest between work and them knocking on his door, bruised and bloodied. Jackson gave Huan's elbow a light touch to encourage her to follow the hoodie-clad Elijah first — although Jackson was not the expert in the room, he thought his cut could wait until they were sure that Huan would be alright. And while he was aware that being run off the road had not been his fault, he could not avoid feeling a hint of responsibility over it having been himself behind the wheel at the time.
indentindentWhile Huan was being examined, Jackson drifted into his thoughts as their quiet conversation washed pleasantly over him, and once Elijah had confirmed that she would be quite alright with some time and rest, Jackson let him move on to inspecting the cut on his forehead. He called out a good night after Huan, and hoped that she would get some rest as soon as they had gotten their newcomer settled. Obediently, he sat down where indicated, doing his best not to flinch and make the healer's work any more difficult when the antiseptic made contact with the wound. Although he had been expecting Elijah to ask what had happened, he let out a long, slow breath at the question. They had all been robbed of a peaceful Friday night after a long week.
indentin"We ran into a vampire on the drive back. Well, a vampire ran into us," he said, but his attempt to lighten the mood seemed to fall somewhat flat this time, with his mind being on Frankie. "It pushed us off the road, not far from here." Maybe it was the confidential atmosphere brought on by the sickbay, but he always felt as if he could confide in Elijah. Not that it was really in Jackson's nature to keep things from his pack in the first place. "I sent Frankie to follow its trail for the night. She's fast, but..." he trailed off, bringing a hand up to rub at the side of his bristled jaw. Call it instinct or experience. "I have a bad feeling. An attack like that — there must be something more going on."
indentindentJackson shook his head to dispel his worries for the time being, but soon regretted it as a pounding pain started within his skull. He grimaced to himself.
indentin"I considered sending a patrol out to keep an eye on the town until we could search the woods in the morning, but it wouldn't be fair. We're all tired and need some rest, or we'd just be exposing ourselves to unnecessary risk," he confessed. Losing one of his pack was not something he wanted to experience tonight.
indentindentWith Elijah all done, Jackson stood carefully and thanked him with a sincere squeeze of his shoulder, and parted for his room after promising to share whatever news Frankie brought in the morning with all of the pack. He was glad to be rid of his rain-soaked and muddied clothing, and although his bed was calling for him, he put in the effort of washing off and finding something clean and dry to wear, knowing that, in the morning, he would appreciate himself for having done it. Right after, he collapsed atop the covers of his bed and was asleep within minutes.


//

For the better part of the night, Jackson's sleep was exhausted and dreamless, but in the small hours, it became a hectic swirl of memories and images from the previous day's tumult. Then he was plunging off the road again, the world spinning with him weightless in the air, and the sound of crumbling metal and breaking glass loud in his ears. "Jackson!" He cracked open his eyes to Frankie looming over him, her hand jostling his shoulder. The dream was gone from his mind for a moment, as were the events of the night before, and he groggily stared up at her, blinking sleep from his eyes. There was a pine needle in her hair, and Jackson picked it out — to Frankie's great confusion.
indentindent"I have news, and they aren't good," she said and took a step back, a simultaneous unspoken plea for him to focus. At once, Jackson seemed to emerge from his hazy post-sleep state and sat up on the bed. He ran a large hand over his short hair, before rubbing it across his face.
indentin"Did you find our vampire?" he asked. The look he received in reply was grim.

It was only seven in the morning when Jackson called a meeting — all pack members, no exceptions. He could not bring himself to sit down at the kitchen table while waiting for the sleep-addled wolves to gather. Frankie was already making herself busy by finding their map of Elk Creek and marking the location she had found the body as best she could, while he walked the length of the table back-and-forth with a mug of steaming coffee in his hand and put together the parts of a plan in his head. While he could not make their guest take part in what was clearly a responsibility of the pack, a part of him hoped that she would attend the meeting for an idea of how they operated, and to find a silver lining in a solemn situation, to learn something about their ways in case she were to make the decision to join them.
indentindentAs familiar faces began to gather in the kitchen, Jackson stopped his pacing and put down the mug, and felt himself being taken over by a calm brought on by experience. They knew what to do, and they would handle this together, as a family.
indentin"Last night, Frankie followed the trail of the vampire who attacked us on the road." He spread the map across the kitchen table, then rotated it around for those on the other side to see. He pointed to the grove Frankie had marked down. "She found a body — the fresh kill of a vampire. Here, at the foot of the mountain, inside the borders of the park."
indentindentWhen he looked up from the map, his face was resolved. Serious. A single death was one too many, and they all knew it.
indentin"We can't let it happen again, and until we find this vampire, we will be patrolling the area, spread around the town to prevent anyone from crossing in without us knowing." He looked to Frankie, and she nodded, uncrossing her arms and walking to the map to trace the approximate path she had taken that night.
indentin"There was only one scent present at the crash site, but we can't know how many of them there could be for now, and whether they are nomads or possibly a small coven. Anything larger we would have noticed earlier. But I believe they don't know how many of us there are, either. The attack must have been a distraction to give them a chance to feed unbothered, but the way they had left the body was... hasty. It seemed to me like they weren't expecting for anyone to follow them last night, at least not until the morning. But all of this is speculation."
indentinJackson gave a firm nod, agreeing with the sentiment. "We need to gather more information. Numbers, movements, and if possible, how they came to Elk Creek."
indentindentFrankie moved her hand to point at the line of houses, placed between the border of the park and the town. "Considering how close to these houses the body was, we might only have a few hours before someone walks the trail and comes across the campsite. Even if not, we have to act like someone knows he was out there and will report him missing soon." She looked up at Jackson, and he could see that she did not entirely like what she was about to suggest, but something about the look in her eyes told him that they had little choice. "To the authorities, his injuries could look like the work of an animal. I'd say that the best way to deal with this is to spread the rumor that it was a mountain lion. It would buy us time to hunt down this vampire before there are more victims."
indentindentJackson considered her words for a moment, then straightened from where he had been leaning over the table. "There could soon be search parties or hunters looking for the lion combing the woods. We will have to keep our eyes and ears open while out there, especially during the day. We can't be seen." He looked to his beta, then their healer. "Huan and Elijah, go to the campsite and see if you can pick up the vampire's trail again. But approach carefully — there might already be people there." Frankie, and Luca. "Frankie, take Luca and trace a path around Elk Creek from here to the opposite side of town from the campsite. See what you can find." Finally, he pointed to a spot near the base of the mountain, about halfway between the destroyed camp and where he was sending Frankie and Luca. "We will meet here."
indentindentHis eyes searched for the newcomer's face among those belonging to the members of his pack. "I promised to talk to our guest, but I will come find you right after."

[`silver]

.

[`silver]

relos.

[Ashton_99]

⟸✯ᴄᴀꜱꜱɪᴀ ᴀʟᴅᴇʀꜱ-ʟᴏᴄᴋᴇ✯⟹
⟸✯The Newcomer ✯ She/Her ✯ Tags:Huan/Jackson/Elijah ✯ Location:House ✯⟹

As she had no brush of her own and certainly wasn't going to borrow an anonymous one from the drawer by the sink, Cassia was trying to make do with combing her fingers through her still-damp hair. She didn't know how she was going to make a decent first impression looking like she was. Though, she supposed the 'good first impression' ship had sailed around the time they got body slammed off the road by a vampire. It was as Cassia was finishing up that a renewed twist of pain emanated from her side. She cringed, deciding it was probably best she get to the pack medic sooner rather than later.

With the worst of the night over and the adrenaline faded she was exhausted, however. The thought of going back down the stairs and having to wander around in a strange space in search of the healer was wholly unappealing. If she were anywhere but a bathroom Cassia would be tempted to curl up right there on the ground and go to sleep.

A knock cut off the errant thought. Cassia perked up as if she was still in wolf form but her hand hesitated for a moment over the door knob. It was Huan speaking on the other side. Even while having gone to get treated for her injuries she'd remembered her promise.

It took a final, steeling breath before Cassia opened the door. She poked her head out, elated to find Huan there with a stack of clean clothes. She was an angel for this. A mud-covered angel. Now that she could Cassia smiled brightly at her and said as much, "Oh you're darling for this. Thank you so much!" Cassia took the clothes, mentally stamping down on the part of her that felt guilty about having taken the shower first after seeing the state Huan was in. "Just give me one moment and you can have the bathroom all to yourself."

She changed quickly. Picking random articles of clothing from the bundle Huan had given her. The sweater she'd chosen was baggy and she had needed to fiddle with the tie on a pair of sweatpants to make them fit right but soon enough she was set. Everything brushed awkwardly against the bruises and injuries up her side but she felt much better. Warm and comfortable. Cassia refolded the extras Huan had brought and took them with her out of the bathroom.

She was speaking before she even stepped out of the door, "I made sure to leave enough hot water for you and Jackson." The smile she shot Huan was full and bright, grateful. "I really am thankful and er-I was told directions to your healer but might I ask you to show me there before you shower? I don't want to wander where I shouldn't." And she probably would too, without a guide. An interesting picture or another strange piece of décor would catch her eye and she'd meander off to inspect it without a thought.

Then a thought struck her. The fact that she had never actually introduced herself coming to mind. She shifted the bundle of extra clothes to one arm and offered her free hand. "I'm Cassia by the way. Cassia Alders-Locke. It's nice to officially meet you."
---
Despite what she had been through the previous day, Vampires and meeting other wolves and all, Cassia had slept like the dead in her borrowed room. She’d hardly managed to make it under the covers after dragging herself back up the stairs to sleep. Waking the next morning to the sounds of others was novel, something she hadn’t experienced in a long time. She bid her time until a meeting was called, finding herself sitting in a small sea of strangers. No this isn’t awkward at all. Somehow it reminds Cassia of a first day at a new job- the anxiety and disconnection while everyone else seems to know exactly what they’re doing.

For the duration of the meeting, she only listened and nodded along, meticulously turning the information around in her brain in an attempt to find all the angles. At least, that is, she catches a choice of words from Jackson. Can’t let it happen again?! Sir? What does that mean? She had to bite down on her tongue to keep from vocalizing the questions. Gosh maybe I really did make a mistake coming here.

Her mind was so busy spinning that she only realized belatedly that Jackson had addressed her though not by name. Ah, right. He hadn’t been there when she’d introduced herself to Huan. “Uh, my name is Cassia and I’ll be… around then I guess?” She wasn’t sure if it’d be alright to try and go retrieve her car with how things were right now. A person had been killed, it wasn’t exactly time for errands, though she couldn’t stay in borrowed clothes forever.

[Ashton_99]

«❖ᴇʟɪᴊᴀʜ ʙʟᴀᴄᴋʜɪʟʟ❖»
«❖The Healer ❖ He/Him ❖ Tags: Jackson/Huan/Cassia(mentions Frankie/Luca) ❖ Location:House ❖»

With patience and skillful hands, Elijah worked diligently to clean Jackson’s cut even as the man spoke to answer his question. And what a headache the answer was. For the duration of the explanation, however, Elijah expressed very little. From what Jackson explained the attack seemed more than targeted and the implication sunk dread deep in his gut. He mulled the information over carefully, not feeling any better knowing that Frankie was out tracking the bloodsucker alone. While she could certainly outspeed the best of them, even the thought of the events of the past repeating themselves made Elijah feel nauseous. He finished patching Jackson up silently, consumed in his thoughts and deep in his worry. He hardly noticed when Jackson took his leave.

The den was cleaned on autopilot. As he disposed of the various bits of medical waste and wiped down the room, Elijah’s mind was spinning. A part of him wanted to shift and strike out into the woods but he knew that was reckless. He couldn’t afford to be reckless. When he had come back from medical school, he had made a promise to himself. A promise he intended to keep. So all Elijah could do was spin his wheels and wait. Jackson would come up with a plan, the healer had to believe that. If he didn’t Elijah wasn’t sure what he’d do. It was as he was staring blankly that there was a knock. His stomach dropped, half expecting it to be someone coming to tell him that the vampire had struck again and killed a packmate.

But opening the door revealed a roughed-up stranger. And Huan. He shot the pack beta a confused expression but was already shuffling the stranger into the den. “You know what, I’m not even going to ask this time. You go shower and get to sleep me and-” “Cassia.” “-right, me and Cassia will finish things up here.” The last thing Elijah wanted was for Huan to not get enough rest.

Despite his exhaustion, Elijah made a point to keep the conversation going between the two of them. Everything he did he explained so as not to surprise the woman. She was a decent patient, a bit twitchy but by the end that wasn’t a problem as she was practically half-asleep after telling him her story in pieces.

Though she had some gnarly cuts and a blossom of bruises stemming from shoulder to hip, Elijah could tell Cassia’s healing was working as best as it could. The only wound he was really worried about was a gash on her shoulder. It looked to be from something that she had landed on when she’d been flung from the truck. After wrapping the wound, he sent her off with orders to visit again to have her bandages changed or before then if she started feeling worse. The last he saw of her she was dragging her feet towards the stairs.

After cleaning up in the wake of what was hopefully the last midnight patient, Elijah stumbled back to his room. He was grateful that it was only next door, not sure if he’d have made it if his door were any further. The frame creaked as he dropped onto his bed face first. Across the room, there was a lamp he’d forgotten to turn off but it was a lost cause.

He slept deeply in the few hours he had left, though plagued by dreams- nightmares. Picking up his phone on a random night in the middle of the semester to find out his whole world had shattered. For better or worse he could not escape the memories until his alarm rang the following morning. Knowing the day would be busy, he couldn't even afford to sleep in. Elijah forced himself to his feet and got ready quickly.

Being one of the first to arrive at the pack meeting, he saved room for his brother. The expression he wore was grim but the dark circles had lightened some in the night.

One of his worst scenarios came true as Jackson shared Frankie's report. A person had been killed, a camper. The muscles in Elijah's jaw tensed as he worked to keep the wolf in him at bay. His mind had renewed its racing pace- a rapid evolution from fear to anger to determination. He crosses his arms and leans in to watch Frankie and Jackson point out areas on the map in front of them.

The call of his name, though, had him straightening his posture. Going out to a dead body in the woods wasn't his favorite idea but it needed to be done for the sake of the pack and Elk Creek as a whole. The meeting's conclusion saw him moving quickly to join Huan. If he had to be paired with anyone, he was glad it was the pack's beta. He trusted her but a part of him wished Luca was coming along with the two of them as well. The thought of his little brother out in the woods searching for a vampire was disheartening even though Elijah was doing the same thing.

If Luca had to be going with anyone else, however, he was glad that his brother was going to be with Frankie. She was resourceful and quick on her feet so Elijah knew Luca's back would be covered.

[rigbees]

☰☰ 𝙃𝙐𝘼𝙉 𝙔𝘼 ☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰
☾ she/her . 31 . wolf pack beta ☽ tag. Cassia, Elijah, mentions everyone location. house

The first sight of her makes Huan smile along, pleased to see the girl is at least okay enough to have a smile on her face. Huan takes the kind words to heart as well, glad to have been useful, “It’s really no problem,” she responds as she hands over the clothes. Huan is happy to wait, her own cleanliness not being a priority to herself at the moment. Her distrust of the newcomer has been completely wiped away after the events of the night, her protective instincts winning over. Especially now, interacting face to face, she seems kind and trustworthy.

When she comes back out, Huan subtly looks her up and down to see if the clothes fit. A little bit on the baggy side, she notes, and saves the information for later. If there is a later, anyways. The girl may very well decide it’s too dangerous here and leave as soon as possible. Huan is about to apologize for the too big clothes when the girl speaks, and concern is once again at the forefront of her thoughts.

“Of course! Elijah is our healer, follow me,” Huan says, beginning to guide the girl to Elijah. She wishes she had thought to bring her to him first thing, feeling guilty that she’d had to ask to be taken there rather than taken right away once they arrived. They’d all been in the same crash after all, and just because she seemed fine at first glance didn’t mean she wasn’t in pain.

Pausing once the girl, or rather, Cassia introduces herself, Huan smiles and shakes her hand, “it’s really nice to meet you, Cassia. You already know my name is Huan, but I’m Huan Ya, the beta of this pack” she responds, not remembering if her last name has been said yet.

Once they arrive, Huan knocks on the door, hoping that Elijah isn’t still held up with Jackson, or sleeping once again. Breathing a sigh of relief as the door opens, Huan can’t help but smile at Elijah’s expression. Once Cassia is shuffled into the room, Huan nods, remembering how gross she currently is and how lovely a shower would sound.

“Thanks so much Elijah! You take care, Cassia,” she says as her parting words, before leaving to finally shower and hopefully get some rest before what will no doubt be an eventful day tomorrow.

–

Seven in the morning is not typically the hour Huan likes to wake up by, but she’d really only been in a state of half asleep when the meeting was called, so she has no problem getting up to attend. Her anxiety causes her to be awake and alert in no time. Huan decides to make coffee anyways, knowing she’s running on empty and the lack of sleep will eventually catch up to her. She leaves the pot for anyone else to have some as well.

Huan sits down once the majority of the pack has arrived, holding her mug in her hands for the small amount of comfort the warmth brings her. She also finds comfort in her entire pack being together, looking at the familiar faces with a tired smile. She’s especially pleased once she sees Cassia’s face in the crowd, not having expected the girl to attend the meeting.

The smile drops from her face once Jackson begins talking, all her focus turned back towards him.

The news of Frances finding a body is a somber reminder of how serious this situation is. Huan places her mug carefully down on the table, not wanting to drop it and cause a distraction. She feels guilt well up inside her, despite knowing there was almost nothing she could have done on her own about the vampire.

Once Frankie takes over the speaking, Huan turns her attention towards the map, nodding along as she speaks. She hates the thought of a genuine vampire coven being in their town with none of them having had any clue, blaming herself yet again for something that she probably shouldn’t.

Huan continues listening as Jackson and Frances speak, not knowing how she feels about the mountain lion idea. While it would buy them some time, Huan can’t help but think of the eventual hunters entering the woods to look for the creature, and possibly running into the vampire. Worse, if it’s a coven. They could be serving the hunters on a silver platter. Not to mention, the possibility of a hunter seeing one of them in their wolf form, worst case scenario they try to go for both wolf and mountain lion. Huan holds her tongue, knowing that the two of them will have most likely thought of this and yet agreed that this is the right decision to make. Huan trusts Jacksons judgment.

At the sound of her name, Huan looks up from the map. She nods at her assignment, looking next towards Elijah. She can see the barely contained anger and determination written on his face. Elijah may not be the most expressive in their pack, especially not when compared to his own brother who Huan can read like an open book, but they’ve known each other long enough for Huan to be able to guess.

Which is why, when Elijah comes up to her as the meeting ends, she can tell he’s concerned for his brother due to their assignment. Huan places her hand on his arm for a second, “Everyone will be fine, we’ll make sure of it,” she says, nodding her head slightly in Luca’s direction.

“Let’s get going then,” she says, nodding in Jackson and Frances' direction as she quickly finishes her lukewarm coffee and places the mug in the sink. She’ll wash it the second she’s back. Just before she finally exits the room, she looks around for Cassia and then gives her a thumbs up and what is hopefully not a too wobbly smile.