Howling in the Streets{M} DamoniquexBrokecollege

[brokecollege]

Elisabeth took a moment to gather her composure before she lifted her muzzle into the air and howled. When she received two faint howls in return, the young girl dropped her head and looked over at her companion. With their portion of the plan now completed, she supposed it was time for all of them to meet Khlia inside of the den. Grigory, seemingly understanding this, took the lead in going to the den.

When they stepped into the center of the den, Elisabeth was unsurprised to see Khlia's naked and bloody form standing over a corpse. Surrounding her were the members of the Whiteclaws--the Alpha, the mothers, the pups, the elderly. And each of them looked angrier and more horrified than the last--no doubt because of the violent murder they had just witnessed. Elisabeth approached Khlia's side and took a seat, her cold gaze set on the weeping men and women. She remained relatively relaxed at Khlia's side, though when someone growled or made a movement, she was quick to look in their direction and assess the situation. When no threat was found, she relaxed and went about her business.

At the end of Khlia's little speech, two men in the crowd began to yell insults and profanities. While Elisabeth did turn and watch them, she made no move to stop them. It wasn't until one of them shifted and lunged towards Khlia did Elisabeth finally take action. Without the slightest bit of hesitance, Elisabeth jumped forward and knocked the wolf down in the middle of his lunge. They fell to the ground, both of them snarling and snapping at each other. The pair struggled against one another for nearly a minute before Elisabeth was finally able to clamp her mouth around his neck.

The attacker struggled to throw Elisabeth off, all the while he whimpered and whined in pain. He struggled, and struggled, and struggled before a loud crack sounded. Then silence. Elisabeth climbed from the attacker's now limp body, her teeth and muzzle soaked in his blood. Without giving the attacker another glance, she returned to Khlia's side and took her seat. The crowd looked at Elisabeth, absolutely horrified. Some fell to the ground and sobbed. Others looked away, their fists clenched in anger. But they couldn't blame Elisabeth. Nor could they blame Khlia. Because in the end, this was the life of a werewolf.

[Damonique]

Khlia retained her composure even as the lone fool charged her, observing his vain struggle against Elisabeth with amusement. She had to admit that the younger woman did have talent. When that was done, she turned back to the crowd gathered before her. Most of the civilians had already given up, falling to the ground or simply staring onward with the dead stare of defeat.

The remaining warriors looked to their Alpha, who hadn't moved from his position even as the brave soldier gave his life in vain, hands clenched in fists of impotent rage as it dawned on him that it was already over. The was no fighting, no bargaining. Just the end of his life, not with glory in battle or the contentment of seeing his chosen successor rise to leadership. Khlia smiled, self-satisfied.

"I'm feeling almost...generous. Or perhaps it's just pity. Those of you remaining, kill the old man. Tear him to shreds and piss of the corpse. He deserves it for gambling so carelessly with you lives. He isn't anyone's Alpha anymore, just look at him. Do this, and the warriors can scatter, go anywhere they please so long as it's somewhere else. The women and children may submit to your betters and be welcome as omegas." That last word was punctuated with all the derision it deserved. Little more than slaves, omegas served their superiors and lived off the scraps left to them. A life without value or honor, but still life.

It only took a moment for the words to sink in. The elderly Whiteclaw Alpha turned to his pack and prepared to bark on order, but never got the chance. One of the boldest warriors, who'd been snapping and snarling at the Fangs and Evertails moments before, tackled him to the ground, and four more, presumably that ones family, changed forms and joined in. And then more, each taking their turn inflicting a wound, and even once the Alpha was dead, they kept ripping and tearing, leaving a mangled corpse, just as requested. And then one of the hiked a leg, and then the next, the children following along at the encouragement of their mothers, inflicting the ultimate insult on the body of the man who had commanded their loyalty and respect moment ago.

And throughout it all, Khlia laughed...and laughed...and laughed, a wide, almost unhinged smile on her face as she saw it all unfold, laughing herself breathless. If Elisabeth had ever doubted for a moment Khlia Manes reputation, that was dispelled now. She was vicious, and dangerous, and at least slightly insane. Eventually the laughter died down and the woman regained her breath, turning to the younger female with a self-satisfied smile.

"You passed, take your pick of the prisoners. I'm sure Savic will be impressed when you present them to him."

[brokecollege]

Elisabeth couldn't believe just how brutal Khlia was. To kill the members of the Whiteclaw pack was brutal, but to order them to kill their Alpha and then submit themselves as Omegas was an entirely different kind of brutal. If nothing else, it was an insane kind of brutal. It didn't take long for the Whiteclaws to give into Khlia's orders. One by one, they all joined in to murder their Alpha. Before long, the poor old man was nothing but a heap of bloodied skin and bones on the ground.

The warriors who had joined in the attack scattered as soon as they finished the task, while the women and children remained glued to the ground. Elisabeth tore her gaze from the mess to look over at Khlia, who had finished laughing at the situation. She truly was a mad woman, wasn't she? Elisabeth transformed back into her human form, just as bloodied and nude as Khlia was. But, unlike Khlia, Elisabeth had a huge, bleeding bitemark on her shoulder. She, however, paid no mind to it. It hurt, of course, but she couldn't show the pain until she was alone.

Otherwise, she'd be seen as weak. And those who were seen as weak.. she glanced over at the Whiteclaws. Well, she saw what happened to those who were seen as weak. "I'll give my Alpha your regards." she hummed. She waved her men over before she gestured towards two women and a child. They were soaked in the blood of their Alpha, all three of them having been some of the first to join in attacking the man.

"Take them back to the pack grounds. They'll need to be examined and put into new clothes before being presented to the Alpha." she ordered. Her men nodded, grabbed the prisoners she had indicated, and dragged them from the grounds. The child fought with all his might against Elisabeth's men, while the women went along without struggle. They knew that struggling was useless, if not a fatal mistake. Even as they left the grounds, they could be heard attempting to quiet the sobbing and struggling child. Elisabeth gave Khlia and her warriors a final farewell before she followed her men back to their territory.

[Damonique]

When Elisabeth transformed back to her human form, Khlia studied her carefully, looking for her eyes to betray any hint of distaste at the Manes actions. And it was there, a well-concealed hint of fear and apprehension as the younger woman realized just who her Alpha had involved her with. Khlia didn't mind, so long as she kept her reservations to herself, Elisabeth could think what she wanted.

She turned her eyes to look the the brunette up and down now. While last night she had appeared composed and carefully put-together, this look seemed to her a more honest show of what Elisabeth Vaughn was. Not just the nudity, but the marring of dirt and blood on he caramel skin, the fresh wound on her shoulder made her seem more alive. Her brother would be jealous of the view.

"Farewell, Elisabeth Vaughn, until next time. Hunt-sister. Pack mate. You earned my blood." Khlia said in parting, and after her warriors had rounded up the rest of their new omegas, shifted back to wolf-shape and headed back the way they came to collect their clothing and motorcycles. Once she had her phone back, she'd call from Lucent to send a van and a few of the women to get the prisoners dressed, cleaned, and coached in their new duties.

Back at their compound, Khlia gave Lucent a full report of the evenings happening, and he couldn't be more pleased. Everything had gone according to plan, and while his sisters methods sometimes bothered even him, they the fear she instilled was a valuable asset. Her only orders had been to leave a few of the warriors alive to run to the Redmoons and the Freerunners and others who opposed them and spread the word, Khlia's own take on them had been even better.

Such a piece of showmanship, the trademark amorality of it all. And the Evertails had been witnessed, not just condoning, but assisting in and gaining from it. If it hadn't been before, their alliance was now set in stone...or written in blood, in this instance. Once word of this reached the rest of the Wolf-kin in the city, they would be hated as much as the Manes already were.

And of course, there was Elisabeth. While it was, as always, grudging, Khlia admitted that she and her warriors had handles themselves were and accepted the outcome without question. She had passed a test of not just strength and skill also of resolve and pragmatism.

-------

The next morning, a messenger arrived in Evertail territory. In fact, it was one of the captured Whiteclaw women, now dressed in a drab grey dress, a dog collar around her throat to indicate her station. While she was none too eager to meet with those who had helped in the destruction of her pack and the death of her kin so recently, she had no choice, and besides, it was what would be a rare opportunity to see her pack-mates that had been taken by the Evertail.

She humbly requested, on behalf of the Alpha Lucent Mane for his esteemed ally, the warrior Elisabeth Vaughn and a few of her chosen companions to join him for dinner. A limousine would arrive for her in the afternoon.

[brokecollege]

The rest of the night was spent informing the Alpha of the battle and organizing the prisoners into their new positions as Omegas. It was also spent, somewhat begrudgingly, bandaging up Elisabeth's wounds. She had never liked bandaging herself up, for she thought it to be even more painful than the wound itself. But when all was done, Elisabeth returned to her room in the packhouse where she passed out onto the bed.

The next morning went by as it usually would: Elisabeth went for her run, had a meeting with the Alpha, ate something for breakfast, and then gathered her men to do some training exercises. It was in the middle of those exercises when the Alpha, followed by a woman in a gray dress, approached her. She recognized the woman as one of the prisoners Khlia had took the day before. But, why was she here now? Elisabeth curiously crossed her arms over her chest as the woman relayed her message for the second time. "You're kidding," Elisabeth muttered with furrowed brows.

"He wants me to go to dinner with him? Me? Why?" she questioned. Savic shrugged his shoulders, being just as clueless as Elisabeth was. "I suppose the only way to find out is to go to dinner with him, Lizzie." the old man informed. He looked over at the Omega that they had sent and gave her a dismissive nod. "Thank you for the message. You may return to your pack." Then, he turned his attention back to Elisabeth. "He asked for you and a few of your companions. Perhaps he just wants to thank all of you for last night's battle," he suggested.

Elisabeth frowned. That might've been the case, but it didn't feel like it. She turned back to her men (who were still doing their usual routine) and raised a hand for them to stop. "I want Bryant, Adam, and Kellan to stop what you're doing and get ready for dinner with Lucent Mane." she called, "The rest of you will continue your routine with Foster as your guide. Do I make myself clear?" When her men had given back their reply, Elisabeth turned back to the Alpha. "I'll report to you after the dinner, sir."

Elisabeth then returned to her room and got ready for the dinner. She dressed in semi-casual clothing, as she had no idea exactly where they would be going to dinner. She didn't want to make a fool of herself by dressing too formally or too casually, so she supposed this would have to do. When she was finished, she joined her men outside of the packhouse. They, like her, dressed in semi-casual clothes. Though, unlike Elisabeth, they were excited about this dinner. They thought the meaning of it was to praise them for yesterday's performance. Elisabeth decided not to spoil their excitement by telling them that it wasn't.

After an hour or so, a limousine pulled up in front of the group. Her men began to practically jump up in down in excitement--none of them had ever been in a limousine before! They crammed into the limousine, giggling amongst themselves about the fanciness and beauty of it. When her men were settled into their seats, Elisabeth climbed in and shut the door. Here went nothing.

[Damonique]

The limo left wolf territory and entered the no-mans land of the city proper, too congested with the multitudes of humanity for their kind to operate openly, and beyond that, a richer part of it, buildings getting taller as if trying to outdo one another in their opulence. The luxury boutiques and up-scale malls that that served the well-to-do lining the streets.

After a slight delay for traffic, they reached their destination , a large and well-appointed Chinese establishment, built to resemble an oriental palace. No cut-rate buffet. The driver parked and let Elisabeth and her men out on the curb before speeding off to find parking. Inside, a smart-suited server opened the doors for them, looked the odd group over, and seeming to understand who they were, led them upstairs to a private room. While the humans dining in the main floor would be blind to it, to their more sensitive noses, the place was full of the smell of werewolf. But not their own European breed or the distinctly American scent of the Mane twins, but even more foreign, the white Siberian wolves of the east.

In the room, Lucent Mane was seated across the table with two of them, smaller Asian men with white hair in sleeveless tunics that displayed a multitude of calligraphic tattoo's covering their arms and necks, speaking to them in flawless Mandarin. Larger wolves stood at attention opposite one another at each end of the room, three of Lucent's Fangs on one side, two being the massive, bald Grigory and the female Lash who had fought beside Elisabeth yesterday, who nodded in greetings to the Evertails when they arrived. Across the room were three bulky warriors, similarly tattooed as their bosses who eyed the newcomers warily, suddenly finding themselves outnumbered, but relaxed when the leaders seemed unperturbed, standing and turning to look over Elisabeth and her men.

"Ah, Elisabeth, you finally join is. These here are Timur Jiang and Xian Chu, two of the three leaders of the Jurchen Clique, who have invited us to their fine establishment to discuss business of mutual interest. They were quite impressed with word of yesterday's victory." Lucent spoke in English, and the indicated Elisabeth and switched back to Mandarin, introducing her to their hosts. The two men gave the slightest bow in recognition at her introduction, examining the brunette until one cracked what was no doubt a joke concerning her appearance, from the chuckled of the other. Lucent didn't brother to translate, nor did he share in their amusement, instead giving a sharply pointed response in the same tongue.

Lucent found himself examining her as well. Even dressed plainly and unadorned as she was, Elisabeth was still a beauty, the white blouse contrasting well with her caramel skin,those amber eyes as sharp and inquisitive as ever. While he hadn't appreciated the tone of Jiang's comment, he had to admit it was accurate. After translating a few trifling pleasantries back and forth, he indicated the seat beside his own across from the Jurchen leaders for her to sit.

"Please, sit, make yourself comfortable. Food should be arriving soon, your men can join mine at the end of the table." He stated with a easy air, waiting patiently for Elisabeth to take her place, and shifted slightly in his seat to draw closer to her once she had, reaching up, quite uninvited, to brush aside a stray bang that had fallen across her cheek.

[brokecollege]

When they had finally arrived at the restaurant, Elisabeth was surprised by the elegance of it. She had expected for their dinner to be in something closer to an Apple Bee's than this, though she was in no way disappointed. It had been years since Elisabeth had dined at such a prestigious restaurant. She walked with her men inside of the restaurant, though as soon as they stepped inside, she froze. That scent--what was that scent? It wasn't her men, nor was it the scent of Lucent and his men. It was something else.

Elisabeth's eyes narrowed, and she warily looked around the restaurant. Whatever that scent was, she didn't like it. And neither did her men, though that was evident by their tense forms and furrowed brows. The same server who had opened the door for the group guided them up upstairs into a large, private room. While she had expected only to be met by Lucent and his men, she was surprised to find an entirely different group there as well. A group which bore the unfamiliar and unexpected scent she had picked up downstairs.

This wasn't just a dinner to commend their achievements, was it? It was a meeting. But if it was a meeting, then why hadn't Savic been informed? Why hadn't he been asked to tag along? She supposed she would have to ask Lucent those questions. "Alpha Mane." she greeted with a bow of her head. She then turned to the strange, tattooed men and offered them the same bow of the head. She gestured for her men to take their seats at the end of the table before she slowly, and cautiously, approached her designated seat.

As soon as she sat down, Lucent pulled himself closer towards her and then lifted a hand brush a strand of hair from her face. Elisabeth flinched in surprise, having not expected for Lucent to so boldly lay his hand on her. Even if he was interested her (which she was starting to believe more and more), she didn't think he would've touched her so openly in front of potential partners. The young girl cleared her throat before inching ever so slightly away from Lucent.

"If I may ask, Alpha Mane," Elisabeth began, her attention shifting from the table to the Alpha besides her. "Why were my men and I invited to this dinner tonight? A dinner like this seems fit for only leaders of a pack, not warriors like myself." She was no diplomat, no bussiness expert. She was only a warrior, a fighter, an enforcer. That was it. So why had she and her men been invited to this dinner in place of her Alpha?

[Damonique]

A knowing smile spread across Lucent Mane's handome features as Elisabeth questioned her involvement in this, cocking his head to one side as she moved to create a bit of distance between them, an eyebrow raised sidelong, questioning. As clever as the brunette could be, when she felt like it, she could be quite obstinate. Most in her positon would simply be thankful to be included.

"Because I want you here. Is any more reason required?" He stated dismissively, and then gave a shrug to indicate she didn't need to give an answer. "Savic has already been generally informed, but this negotiation is delicate. The Clique's do not operate like our Packs, there is no alpha. They choose their leaders in threes, one to deal in business and politics, one for warfare, and the last lives normally among the pack at all times, learning the hearts and minds of the multitude, acting as something of a spiritual advisor. They are truly the most civilized wolves I have ever met." He explained, then realized he hadn't exactly answered her question.

"Bringing another Alpha along would be an imbalance. I deal in politics, I needed a warrior to balance my views. And, well, you've met Khlia. Would you bring her to something like this? She lacks the patience to wait for a meal to be served, much less observe traditions out of courtesy. You seem more....refined. And speaking of traditions..." He trailed off just as the panel door to the private room swung open, and two slim young women, the same tatoo's and Asiatic features clashing with silver-blonde hair that defined the Siberian wolves, carrying between them a tray laid out with a exquisitely-carved jade teapot and four cups, placing one in from of Lucent and Elisabeth, and then the two Jurchen leaders and filling them to the brim.

Timur bowed his head and intoned a phrase, not in Mandarin Chinese, their trade language, but their natural tongue, Urghur, and Xian repeated it. Before he spoke the same himself, Lucent indicated for Elisabeth to follow along best she could. Then, together, they each took up their cups and drained them entirely. The 'tea', if one could even call it that, was scalding hot and almost chokingly bitter, though both lucent and hopefully, elisabeth, knew better than to show distaste.

Almost immediately after it had been consumed, a warm feeling spread from their stomachs outward. It felt as if the room had gone up ten degrees in a heartbeat, their muscles relaxed, and vision would begin to blur if one kept their eyes in one place for too long. Whatever the herbs the drink was brewed with, it was not for the flavor. While one could move, their bodies responded sluggishly, reflexes at half-speed. One couldn't help but relax, negative emotions seem to seep out of your thoughts.

Now it was clear why there was a need to bring bodyguards, none of the four who had tasted the drink would be worth anything in a fight now, not that one would want to fight when they were so at ease. Lucent had experienced this more than once and knew he detested it, hated giving up any sort of control over himself and his surroundings. But at the moment, he found it quite enjoyable, settling back into his chair and sharing idle chatter with the two Jurchen leaders before turning his gaze back to Elisabeth.

"They welcome all strangers with a cup of the Shueshui root. It makes it most difficult to lie, or become aggressive, among other things. Part of the reason why I couldn't bring Savic or Khlia...they both have too much pride to accept such a thing." He stated casually while the brunette warrior began to get used to the sensation..

[brokecollege]

Lucent's answer was... unsatisfactory and vague. One could even argue that it wasn't also an answer. She opened her mouth to speak and add her thoughts, but Lucent's dismissive shrug had her closing her mouth. The Alpha said to his response, explaining that the Clique did have just one leader. They had three leaders, each of which controlled a different aspect of the pack. There was a leader for politics, a leader for war, and a leader for the people. She nodded her head in understanding.

He then added his need for someone's knowledge of war, and how he couldn't bring his sister along because of her impatience and irrational ways. She nodded her head again. Ah, now she understood. As soon as Lucent mentioned "tradition," two blond women entered the private room. In their hands sat a tray, and placed neatly on that tray was a (rather beautiful) jade tea set. As soon as the women were close enough, they placed the jade cups in front of the four and then filled it to the brim with steaming tea. The leaders of the Clique, not paying any mind to the women, then spoke. But they were no longer speaking Mandarin.

Instead, they were speaking a language unfamiliar to Elisabeth. When Lucent began to speak it as well, Elisabeth followed suit. Unlike Lucent, her words were choppy and poorly spoken. But, at least she had tried. With the words now said, everyone, picked up their cups and downed the tea. It was hot and bitter, and almost made Elisabeth gag in disgust. She, however, refrained from doing so. If drinking this was a tradition (as Lucent had said), then she doubted they'd take too well to her gagging at the taste.

Besides, she reasoned, she had done and tasted a lot worse than this. She set the cup down onto the table, her cheeks becoming a bright red as her body began to heat up. Her body involuntarily relaxed, and her vision became blurry. What the hell?! She tried to move her body but found each movement she made to be slower than the last. Lucent, probably having sensed her surprise and distress, looked over at the young girl and explained why she was feeling so sluggish.

Apparently, the tradition they had just completed was the consumption of the Shueshui root, a root which made it difficult for one to lie or be aggressive. Great. That was exactly what she, lead warrior of her pack, needed. She slowly lifted her hands to her face to rub her eyes--he could have warned her about this. Then again, he could have warned her about this little meeting of his as well. "You are just full of surprises, aren't you, Mane?" she murmured.

The young girl leaned back into the chair before she tilted her head back with a quiet hum. Her dark hair, which had been left down, fell in time with which movement of her head. She wanted to be mad. Oh, she wanted to be furious. But this root--this damned root--prevented her from feeling anything but relaxed bliss. Her eyes closed somewhat involuntarily, while her pink lips parted to suck in a heavy breath. She felt so warm. Perhaps even too warm. "Is there anything else I should know about this root?" she quietly questioned. God, she hoped not. She did not want to be more vulnerable than she already was.

[Damonique]

The two Jurchen's were watching Elisabeth reactions with unrestrained amusement. While Lucent handled himself well despite the intoxicating effect, the Evertail lieutenant had no way to expect or prepare for this, and was still getting her bearings. He translated her question, and Xia said something and chuckled. Lucent seemed to agree before answering her question.

Just in their hosts amusement at her flushed and confused state, Elisabeth was doing her job, setting the white wolves at ease by her very presence there, a newcomer, someone interesting. Xian, especially, enjoyed meeting new people here so far from his home in Manchuria, and he tested out what few words and phrases of English he had learned form Lucent making small-talk with Elisabeth ad her men, fascinated by their every response, no matter how mundane.

"It is what it is, just as you are who you are, he said. Meaning it has a different effect on different people. Some sing, some laugh, some just fall asleep. And some find themselves...impassioned. Myself, it mostly just makes me giddy, or perhaps that's just you." He answered with a smile, and as if in demonstration, started laughing at his own barely-joke. His laugh didn't match his impressive frame and usually silky-smooth voice at all, a sound of genuine happiness that one could believe, unlike any of the words that came out of his mouth.

He and the Clique leaders got down to business, mostly just discussing and debating the ramifications of the Fang-Evertail alliance. Despite keeping themselves sequestered away from the usual pack infighting, hiding here in the heart of the city, the Jurchen seemed to know a little bit about everything that happened among the werewolves of the city, and were interested in how things might develop. Occasionally Elisabeth would be asked a question about her pack, it's territory, and most importantly, their resources, but was otherwise left alone, simply an ornament for Lucent's side of the table.

Before long, there guards joined them at the table when the food arrived, heaping platters of expertly-cooked dishes, meat and seafood of every variety suited to the canine diet, but also well seasoned and served with delectable sides. Several beverages were available, primarily imported beer and spirits. There was no end to the food, and their hosts made it free that if there was anything they or any of their men may especially want, it would be accommodated.