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killingmoon-rp-blog · 12 years ago

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CHAT EVENT 08: SUPER MOON

Summary:

2 weddings and 100 funerals (or almost-funerals).

The puppetmaster from Fox Hollow made himself known, in the form of 'The Groom,' who kidnapped Harley for a week and chained her up, treating her (apart from that) as his (in truth, dead) wife, Anne Marie, who had cheated on him with lycanthropes. As such, the keyholders were invited to 'The Wedding of Ms. Fox,' as 'Anne Marie' (Harley) was to wed the Groom. A series of events later, Evie shot him near-dead and Jesse finished him off, using Ash's key to free her. With the 'wolves shifting for the super moon, he ran off to meet them, leaving Harley with the 'foxes. The 'wolves held a 'wolf wedding,' with Kinsey announcing Indiana as Sigma. The 'bears found Josh missing from his house and had to fend for themselves; Jasmine looked after everyone, leaving her cubs in the babysitting care of Amelia, only to wind up with Amelia infected from cub Kyle's nibble. Amelia had her first shift. Apart from this, there were many injuries throughout the evening, with predators acting even more bestial than usual; Ash attacked the 'foxes, Shiloh nibbled the 'deer, Erick gave chase for the 'bears, Louis took a land mine for the team. A drugged Harley got pissed about a small wedding dress.

Full Script:

Thom was already at the farm, having stayed there the past few days at Indi's suggestion, but his fingers fidgeted nervously as he waited for the others to show up. He waited on the front porch, keeping a wary eye out.

Louis had been on edge the entire day, not even bother to turn on his computer and only contacting Colt. Restless, the man moved the rest of his supplies out to his Blazer to pack up for the night. He looked around the forest and then let his gaze rest on Snickers, who was sitting on the porch railing watching him closely, ears perked forward and tail swaying. He knew something was happening, Louis had no doubt, and gave a curt wave to the grey feline. With that, he made final checks on the locks of his house, then climbed into the vehicle. He'd armed the Blazer to the teeth for tonight, knowing full well that if anything went wrong tonight with the lycans, it would be his only chance at making it out alive. He wasn't stupid, there was no way he was sticking around near to even Colt once that moon rose. Not on this full moon. He shifted the vehicle into drive and pulled away from his private residence to make his way to Sleepy Hollow, expecting the worst as the sky began to fade to a brilliant hue of orange, pink and purple. It was all or nothing, and Louis didn't intend to back out of his promises to these folk. Not now, not ever. No matter the risk. Once he found a decent place hidden among the trees surrounding the property, barn in sight, he got out of the Blazer and grabbed his rifle, his .50 Cal, and a large hunting knife with ammunition on a bag he slung onto his shoulders. The original copy of the mapped-out area was also stored in the bag. Walking away from the black, well-hidden, vehicle, Louis stood in waiting for the others to show up. However, couldn't shake the ominous chill that made itself present on the back of his neck...

Indiana rolled her shoulders as she exited the farmhouse, making her way down the steps to where the pack usually gathered before the moon. She was on guard, but trying to keep a positive outlook about the whole situation. Noticing Thom standing nearby, she leaned up to him and rubbed her face against his greeting, "Hey Thommy. How are you, champ?"

Paris hopped out of her old chevy and closed the door, the cars body groaned from the shift in weight. Out in the cold night air, she leaned against her car and waited for the rest of the sleuth to arrive before besieging Joshes home. She let her mind drift to Evelyn, hoping the delta would be fine on her own tonight

Colt stood by the edge of the forest, his arms crossed over his chest and his jaw clenched. He was hidden from view and a safe distance from the ominous looking barn, but his olive eyes remained locked on it. The 'fox inside of him practically clawed to race forward, to break down the heavy door and pull Harley free from whoever had locked her there but the Alpha knew better, the only way to get everyone out of this alive was to play along with the madman's plan. And that meant staying back until Jesse got Harley out. He rolled his shoulders, the tight muscles of his shoulders stretching as he began to wait for the others to arrive. Despite the amount of planning that had gone into tonight, despite the maps and the vows, a sense of dread had been steadily spreading through the Alpha. It would be a miracle if they made it out of this alive.

Thom smiled as he brushed his cheek against Indiana's. "Hey, mama. Doin' alright. Little nervous, but we all got each other, right?"

Zachary came walking quietly down the way to the porch. The cigarette he held in his mouth burned down slowly, his hands in his shorts and his tanktop already damp.

The Groom had dressed Harley up in a lovely bridal gown. There were seed pearls on it, sewn in at the hemline. Her breasts were admittedly a little too large for the dress, and other places, as it seemed to have been owned by someone smaller than her, but only barely. The Groom placed a hand upon her cheek with a smile. He knew she wouldn't fight back—she couldn't. She'd been drugged. She could see, hear, understand—but was unable to move of her own volition. Even her mouth was slack. There was still blood in the corners of it, from the time she'd mouthed off to him, but generally he had treated her as befit a new bride. Before she had come with him to the Sleepy Hollow barn, she'd been in the basement of a building, in a room plush with rich decorations and furniture, pampered with food and anything else she asked for—except her freedom. The chains reminded her of that, even if she had been able to see daylight outside slit windows just above the ground line. He pushed the veil back from Harley's face where it marred her vision, lovingly.

Shiloh finally found her boots, shoving her feet into them and moving off from her bed. There was a building tension in her, uncertainty of the night that was here. She made her way out from her bedroom, brushing her hair back with her fingers and tugging the strands out from their braids that she'd done out of fidgeting. As soon as she stepped outside, she took in a deep breath of the night air that seemed to help calm her for a bit. Her eyes passed over the others, offering a little smile while still trying to get her hair out of it's tangled mess. "Hey guys." Her voice didn't have it's usual peppiness to it, but she still had a smile.

Harley would have flinched away if she could. Given the chance, she would have buried her teeth in his hand, preferably his throat, but his hand would work too. She just couldn't. The most she could do was glower and pour as much of the anger in her body into the expression as she could. Anger and a hell of a lot of fear. Because this scared her more than anything that she'd ever been through. And with the moon rising in a few hours, she was nervous. She wanted out of the room out of the dress, before the moon rose.

The Groom cupped Harley's chin and lifted her face to kiss him, and he held his lips there, softly, before moving in a kiss hard enough to bruise, and then hovering over the area, as if savouring the taste of the breath she exhaled. "Anne Marie, no one half as lovely as my Anne Marie," he sang in a lilting tune, as if to a song long forgotten but vaguely familiar, like something off of an old transistor radio. He raised her hand in a mute dance, toying with her as a child might with dolls, though this was not a game to him. He was lost in old memories. Harley's face was not the face he was seeing. "Anne Marie my darling, you should have never left me. I would have loved you as you were, the disease did not have to end us, my love, my love," he crooned softly, her hands elegant and long, like puppeteer's hands—or the hands that would use a sniper rifle, and had, two moons ago.

Thom turned to Shiloh when the girl appeared, pulling her into a hug and brushing his cheek against hers. "Hey darlin'," he said, though they had been together for most of the day. Over Shiloh's shoulder he saw Zach approach and inclined his chin at him. "Where you been hidin'?"

Amelia grabbed the ammo and gun off the top shelf of her closet. Setting the contents gingerly inside of her backpack, the brunette grabbed her keys off of her dresser. Slinging the backpack over her shoulder, she darted out of the apartment and down the steps that lead her to the parking lot. Glancing up at the sky, she took note of the illumination coming from the moon from all around. Swallowing thickly, Amelia got into her truck and pulled out of the driveway, heading to Jasmine's house. She knew that the woman was unamused by the fact that Evie had told her about the cubs, and while Amelia had then decided not to follow Evie after all, but rather watch the cubs, she knew that she had to let Jasmine know that she knew. Pulling into Jasmine's driveway, Amelia quickly killed the engine and slid down out of her truck. Holding onto the backpack tightly, the brunette walked up the sidewalk, knocking on the door she took a step back and waited for the bear to answer it.

Dustin made his way quickly to Josh's, nerves raking through his body from both the moon and Evie's text. He had wanted to go with her, to keep her safe, but he had a responsibility to keep the cubs safe and that was what he was going to do. Arriving at Josh's, he parked and hopped out quickly making his way over to Paris. "Tonight's not going to be an easy moon, Paris. You ready?"

Zachary: "Under a rock." Zach returned his friend's lift of the chin, smiling tiredly as he plucked the cig from his mouth to ash it off aside. The Delta snuffed the rest out on the bottom of his boot and pocketed the filter to throw out later, instead of just flicking it on Woodmere ground. Finally mustering a smile, he raised his arms to both Shiloh and Thom. "But it's good to see you. Both of you."

Harley squeezed her eyes shut, stomach churning at the taste of his mouth on hers. It was enough to make her want to vomit anything and everything that she'd eaten as of late. His voice grated on her shot nerves, green eyes flashing open to glare up at him again. Whatever he was on about...whoever the fuck Anne Marie was, she was lucky to have gotten away.

Indiana smiled back at Thom responding, "Yeah, we all have each other. We'll be alright, champ." She saw Zach come ambling toward them and gave him a wave, waiting until he came closer before greeting him as well. She stood, pulling the cigarette from his mouth so she could rub against his beard before handing it back to him and beckoning him over to the porch where the other 'wolves were waiting. Shiloh looked downtrodden, like she hadn't slept well in a few days, and Indiana moved over to envelope her in her arms gently.

Scarlett ran her fingers across the bark of the tree she was leaning against, her eyes on everything around her. She couldn't see the barn or anything else much than the forest around her but she was close enough. As close as she needed to be for whenever her brother and Jesse got Harley out of there. Her mind was partly back with the rest of the troop, wanting more than anything to know that they were okay and not doing anything stupid. But she also wanted Harley safe and sound. Scarlett looked up to the moon, sighing softly and sending up a prayer that everything would be okay and no one would die.

Jasmine wasn't sure if she was making the right choice letting Amelia look after her cubs for the night, but since the sleuth was all over the place she needed to be thinking clear without focusing all of her energy on her babies. She had to look after the sleuth too. Jasmine opened the door to let Amelia in. She was in a hurry and needed to get to Josh's in time. " Hey. I have to run. They're sleeping right now. Everything you will need is in the house. Just please take care of them okay? They mean everything to me." Jasmine replied holding out her house keys for Amelia.

Paris pushed off away from her car and me Dustin halfway up the path to their Alpha's house. Swallowing back the lump forming in her throat, she shoved her hands into her pockets to hide her nervous trembling. "I know, with everything going..." she sighed "I'm ready" she looked the beta in the eye. "I don't like this," she glanced up at the overbearing moon, "but I'm ready. Are you ok?" she wondered, knowing Dustin would rather be at Evies side tonight

The Groom left Harley's side just long enough to peer outside the barn, noticing movement in the distance. "Our guests will arrive shortly, Anne Marie!" he said, clapping his hands excitedly. He moved to do something—and then stopped abruptly. There was movement on the edge of the clearing. He tapped his lip thoughtfully and hummed, moving to one side of the room, bending over something that would be difficult for Harley to make out. "Tsk tsk, no one wants uninivted wedding guests. It's so very rude. Cover your ears." He squinted his eyes shut and then there was a loud, deafening bang; a land mine went off, most assuredly injuring at least one of the party who were not supposed to be there, if not killing them.

Amelia looked up when the door opened. Immediately, Amelia went into high-sensory mode. Standing straight, Amelia nodded curtly, taking the keys from the blonde. "Of course. Television high, blinds shut, got it," Amelia said, referring to Jasmine's last text that she hadn't answered. "Hey Jasmine," Amelia said, stepping up to the girl. "Be safe and come home." Offering a smile, she squeezed the young woman's arm.

Colt visibly jumps when he hears a loud explosion, his body tensing as green eyes dart around to find out where it came from. "Fuck, fuck." He ducks back, stepping further away from the bar and immediately pulling out his phone to send a text message to his sister.

The Groom himself was dressed in a most curious get up. He had on the traditional black tuxedo, though it definitely looked a little worse for wear, and had mud and dirt caked around the hemline of the pants. He wore a top hat made of the pelts of at least 6 different animals and while most tuxedos had a black jacket and tails, this jacket was also made of according pelts; he had clearly skinned more than his fair share of lycanthropes. He sweated in the heat of the South Carolina dusk, the tuxedo clearly a part of the show he was unwilling to give up. In his mind, Anne Marie had never died. He certainly hadn't killed her, no.

Jasmine nodded her head at Amelia before letting herself catch her breath for a moment. " I will. I'll make sure everyone comes home safe" she replied with a small smile. " Oh! The boy is Kyle and the girl is Gage." Jasmine dashed to her car and left to meet the other's at Josh's. She really hated being away from her cubs, but she knew they were going to be safe in Amelia's hands and not in the woods to get hurt tonight.

Harley furrowed her brows, eyes tracking him across the room as he rambled. Cover her ears? She couldn't fucking move. Her eyes began to roll until she realized exactly what he was saying. Then there was the bang and a strangled whimper trickled from her throat. Had he just? He'd just...Harley stared up at him in all of his furs and suddenly found herself feeling a hell of a lot more terrified than she had a few minutes ago.

Piper shivered as she climbed out of her truck, her gaze flicking to Tori in the passenger seat. She wondered if the other horse felt the caress of the moon inside her, a caress that was certainly more intense than the previous ones. Her gaze flicked up to the large moon in the sky, and for the first time in a while, Piper prayed to whatever diety there was, or maybe she prayed to the moon herself. She just prayed that they got through the night safely. "C'mon." She finally rasped to Tori. "Nick's waiting." She trudged away from her truck and toward the field that they had agreed to meet up in. Her steps were light, dainty even but that light didn't fill the rest of her. She didn't even relax a little until she saw the familiar mop of brown hair that belonged to Nick, leading her to offer him a strained smile.

Amelia "Gage and Kyle? Cute." Watching her leave, Amelia bit onto her bottom lip, her teeth sinking in. Entering the house, Amelia immediately locked the door. Drawing the curtains, she immediately turned on the television. It was on a children's show. Keeping it on the channel, Amelia took out her gun and loaded it. Gun at her side, Amelia did a check through the house, making sure that all doors and windows were locked up tight. Coming to the kid's rooms, she saw them sleeping. Quietly stepping out, she left the door open and sat down in one of the chairs in the living room.

Dustin without hesitation wrapped the older girl in his arms, rubbing her back soothingly. "I feel like I'm in hell right now if I'm going to be honest. Not knowing where Evie's going or what she's doing is killing me, but-" he trails off and takes a step back. "But I need to be here and help protect the Sleuth. It's what she wants me to do."

Evie approached the barn on foot, having taken a cab most of the way there. She had left everything important at home except for her phone, which she clutched in one trembling hand. In her other hand she had the golden key and, just in case, the envelope it came in with Wesley's name on it. She was looking around for Colt when she heard a boom, immediately dropping to her knees and covering her head. She stayed down for a few moments while it subsided.

Ash was buzzing with excited full moon energy. Rae may not have been able to join him tonight, but his curiosity wouldn't have let him ignore the messages any longer. Something needed to be done about this and if that meant following the puzzle, it meant following the puzzle. He'd tracked a couple of the 'foxes to the woods and stood within a visual distance of the barn. He stood stock still when the land mine went off nearby and his eyes darted to look where the noise had come from before slowly moving forward.

Jesse Tossing his jacket onto the front seat of his car, Jesse slammed the Mustang's door shut and then backpedaled from the vehicle, turning to walk towards the gravel road leading up to centuries old barn in the distance, with the gun he'd borrowed from Layla tucked under the waistband of his jeans above the small of his back. It didn't take long before the smell of 'fox hit his nostrils, along with the smell of man. He kept his eyes locked on the building ahead, a booming sound suddenly exploding across the air. Cursing out loud, he broke into sprint until he caught sight of Colt, glowering at him as he noticed the phone in the other man's hands. ”Stop diddling with your fucking phone, Sutton,” he growled before turning his head back towards the barn. ”Should have known this asshole's planted bombs all over the place. Fucking fantastic."

Shiloh looked at Thom, returning the hug and the brush of cheek. It was always good to see Thom since he wasn't around the farm far too often. The smaller 'wolf looked to Zach, laughing slightly. "Just saw you not too long ago, then you go poof." Shiloh was ready to just get away from the farm and do something, if anything. She was too unsettled. But getting away from the farm meant anything could happen. Feeling Indiana's arms around her, Shiloh returned the hug, a little unwilling to let go considering Indiana made her feel safe. She was like her mother when it came down to it. "Where's Kinsey? Figured she'd be out here doing head counts and making sure everyone shows up."

Flynn shut the light off in his room, his navy eyes sweeping around the room for a moment before heading down the hall and down the stairs, able to hear and smell the pack. Her heard the rough tones of Zachary, the familiar warm echo of Indiana and Thom's voice that rumbled with speech. He didn't hear the voice he wanted to, though. He didn't hear Shiloh's lilting words, but he saw her and the sight of her tired face was enough to stir the wolf in him with anger. He opened the door to the farmhouse and ambled onto the porch, giving a slight nod of hello before coming to a stop beside Indiana.

Colt glanced up when Jesse approached, eyes flashing in his direction. "I'm telling my sister to get the fuck out of here, Jones. I knew this son of a bitch was nuts but this is a whole other story. I'll keep a distance and once ya get Harley outta there, I'll take her to the den myself."

Tori climbed out of Piper's truck, her hands gripping the dashboard in front of her as she slipped out. The moon wracked her entire body, sending furious waves of intensity through her chest. Glancing over at her roommate, Tori offered a gentle smile. The moon was set above them, high enough to be seen from even the lowest of settings. "Right," Tori said, nodding. Following the other girl, she kicked away the weeds that clung to her calves. Alert, Tori watched out for any disturbances in the field. When they came up on Nick, a flutter of relief blossomed in her throat. "Hey stranger," Tori smiled, hoping to not come off as tense as Piper was.

Evie looked up and noticed Colt further up the path to the barn with another man that Evie recognized from town. She sprang to her feet and rushed toward them, glad to not be alone. "Colt!" she called so he would know it was her, clutching her key tight in a fist as she ran.

Paris squeezed Dustin's shoulder and offered him a small smile. As hard as things would be for the delta tonight at the mercy of such as strong moon, she knew she could not complain. She was here safe and sound, Evelyn wasn't. "Evie will be fine, she's smart, strong and she's not likley to do anything stupid. We know she won't be alone there" the blonde offered hoping to put Dustin s mind slightly at ease. "Jasmine should be here soon then we can go see Josh, maybe he's come up with a plan or something?"

Louis had lit a cigarette, and took a long drag from it before tapping it to let the ash fall. He stomped his foot onto the hot ash, smothering it. A strange sound, fairly high pitch and quiet, caught his attention, and his brown furrowed in curiosity. He turned, looking back at the blazer as his eyes went wide. Everything felt like it was in slow motion at that point, from his feet kicking off from the ground to flee, to the groundbreaking explosion that encompassed the vehicle in flames and smoke. The bomb flung the man, sweeping him off his feet and throwing him several yards away into the trees. He landed not ten feet from what appeared to be Colton and Jesse's position, one leg of his pants seared and still burning- along with a good amount of his flesh on his leg. He gave a long groan and used his rifle as a brace to pull himself up, then looked at the other two men. "Evening, Mr. Sutton... Mr. Jones..." He greeted through gritted teeth and a pained expression.

Jasmine drove as fast as she could to Josh's. In her head, she was late, even though the moon hadn't rose yet. She couldn't help but panic about being so far away from her cubs on the full moon, but she knew it was the safest thing to do for them. She just really hoped Amelia didn't have to use that shot gun tonight. Jasmine continued down the road till she pulled up to Josh's place. She locked her car and met the other's. A surprised look fell on her face when she realized some of the sleuth was missing. " Are we the only ones here? Where's Josh?"

Indiana released Shiloh slowly before turning to Flynn and rubbing her cheek against his where he stood beside her. Looking around at everyone, she exhaled a sigh of relief that they had all showed up and there weren't many of them yet to come. "Kins is somewhere around here, I can smell her. She must be doing something still, I'm not sure why she isn't out here yet." Shrugging, she began walking down from the porch and around to the back of the house where they usually met, in the clearing, calling out behind her, "Let's just go get ready and wait for her!"

Colt "Fucking hell, Harrow." Colt hollered, making his way over the human. His eyes moved back to Jesse for a moment, a sigh escaping his lips. "Ya best get yerself out of here. Ya ain't much use when ya go and get yerself blown up."

Nick drove quickly to the field not wanting to be late in meeting the girls. He was quite surprised when he found himself the first to standing in the field alone under the moon. Lifting his head, he stared quietly feeling the moon's pull on his body. Nick balled up his fist to keep the tremors away as he heard a car door shut and the girls making their way towards him. "Hello ladies," he drawled out, turning his head to look at them with a small smile. "Ready to get going?"

Thom was quick to follow Indiana's orders, knowing he'd be doing everything he was told to the letter that night. He fell into step beside Zach as they walked around the house. "Been goin' outta my mind this week," he admitted softly to his friend. "We gonna be alright tonight?"

Kinsey finally came out of the side shed that functioned as her gym, and though she was naked as the day she was born, that was hardly unusual for the dusk of a full moon. She knew the tales of the super moons, knew this one was going to be particularly difficult, not only for the Deltas she usually had to reign in, but also for the Betas—and for herself. She could not fail in this, could not fail to keep them safe. In the hand of the muscled blonde was a small brown box, generally unremarkable. Her eyes glimmered more gold than green in the evening light; it was no trick of the sun, though. The moon had that effect. There was nearly no green left to them. Her teeth were bared almost barbarically, but her mouth had the shape of a smile as she went to the area where her pack was waiting. Kinsey was rocks and water: nothing would shake her, not tonight.

Piper "Ready as I'll ever be, I reckon." She replied before hesitating. "Hey Nick, I told Tori this too. Maybe I'm just being dramatic but I got some family to think about so if something happens to me tonight. I need you to sell everything in my house and my house and then send the money to Sam and Emily Colvin in Wright, Wyoming. Well, sell everything but a little box in my bedside table which holds some photos and some items. See if you can mail that to them." She hesitated before looking a bit sheepish. "Not that I have any plans on going anywhere because I don't." Piper was damned sure not going down without a fight so she tilted up her chin and shrugged off her jacket. "Let's go."

Paris was glad to see Jasmine, but they were still missing some heads. Registering the deltas words, Paris realized she hadn't seen Josh in a while. "I though Josh was waiting for us inside," she shrugged. "Ivan has probably been with him. Evie is...busy" she trailed off looking at Dustin. She didn't want to risk upsetting him. "Should we go in? I don't want to wait out here all night"

Zachary rubbed his cheek against Indy's, before turning to grab Thom with one arm and Shiloh with the other, dragging them close to his sides though he was gentle while he did it. He grazed his stubbled cheek against either of theirs, keeping them good and close; where he could feel the warmth of family and the ever-present need to keep them safe. Spontaneously, he kissed Thommy on the shaved side of his head. "You don't even text no more, brother? Lucky I like you." Turning to Shiloh, he grinned sheepishly. "I go poof sometimes, sweetheart. Always just a phonecall away, though." After considering it a moment, Zach placed a kiss to the top of the younger Delta's head. "Always."

Scarlett felt and heard it all in one second. The ground shaking, her ears popping, the flames that follow. Scarlett had fallen hard on the ground, arms over her head till everything seem to settle and she could look up. It took her a moment to regain her senses before getting onto her feet with the help of the tree she'd been near. Her phone scared her, the vibrations of a text message. It didn't take her long to reply to her brother, but she stood there with a weighing decision. Did she really go back to the den, or did she stay? Bombs before anything even happened, she wasn't stupid. Scarlett eyed the torch land that she could barely make out, happy she'd stayed far enough back. The 'fox took a deep breath and took off running, waiting for the right time to shift.

Louis shook his head and chuckled, looking at Colton as he managed to stand up. "Don't you worry, Mr. Sutton... This is not the worst thing to come out of my services to your kind. Take my word on that one," he replied and waved Colton off. His expression suddenly hardened as he looked back the way he'd come at the burning vehicle, now completely useless. "/That/ is our biggest concern." He added grimly. "That was my ticket out of here once you all turned..." He muttered before he looked at Colton again, then at Jesse. "If you two can get your girl out of there and manage to keep a distance before you shift... I can go in and keep the Nutter busy so he doesn't go setting off any more bombs until you are all out."

Dustin gave Paris a light smile. "You're right, she is strong but not as strong as Ivan or Josh. I just wish it was one of them that was going tonight. She wouldn't even tell me what she was doing. Speaking of Josh, have you heard from him lately," he asked lightly. He snapped his head at the sound of a car door shutting and spots Jasmine making her way towards them. "I think we should. Surely he's just sitting inside waiting on us."

Evie caught up to Colt and the others, careful to stay on the path. She gasped when she saw the state the human man was in, she didn't know him but based on his words it seemed like he was here to help them. "Are you okay, sir?

Ash watched from a distance as he saw people join the alpha 'fox. If he got too close he wasn't sure what would happen but when the human flew into their group he shook his head and moved closer to the barn, as quietly as he could but just outside of his own range of smell of the 'fox for now. With the threats and the other messages and bombs going off already he didn't think it was wise for him to ignore them.

Jesse 's eyes stayed on Colt as the alpha 'fox made his way to the injured human. The werewolf remained where he was, choosing not to approach the human, watching the older man clinging to his rifle as he picked himself up from the ground. ”We're wasting time.” With an aggravated shake of his head, he turned towards the barn and began to stalk towards it, his hand slipping into his pocket to pull out the key, his fist closing around it.

Indiana looked up as Kinsey appeared form her shed, smiling and cocking an eyebrow at the box she was carrying. "Whatcha got there, Bee?" Moving towards her girlfriend, she brushed her cheek against the taller woman's and kissed her despite the mouthful of fangs she was sporting. Seeing that Kinsey was already naked, she took her lead and began stripping down as well.

Louis turned as he saw the woman approach, his brow lowering again. "Yeah, I'll live..." He replied in a gruff tone.

Tori "Good. You shouldn't have any," Tori said, bumping her shoulder into Piper's. Moving forward, without a word, Tori licked her lips which were salty, mostly from the sweat that dripped down her face, both from the heat, and the nervousness of the entire situation, but she wouldn't let the other two see how it was effecting her. She would be strong. For them.

Jasmine stared at the bears and before letting out a sigh. " He's usually outside waiting for us, but okay," the Beta said with shrug before walking ahead of the sleuth, to the front of the house not seeing any signs of Josh yet.

Flynn glanced toward the direction where Kinsey's smell radiated from. He ambled after Indiana a bit, stopping when he spotted Kinsey. Maybe it was a Mason thing or hell, it was probably just a Flynn thing but he took strength from his sister. She was a strong alpha, not letting anything rattle her and Flynn wanted to be like that too. He raised an eyebrow at the box in her hand but merely shrugged it off. His gaze went to Shiloh and he moved over to her, standing beside her so he could lower his voice to murmur near her ear. "Stay by me, Freckles."

The Groom [A note—The only 'safe' path for keyholders is the main path.... land mines are many places. The door to the barn is unlocked, which might be interesting, given the key situation, for people to think about. Each golden key is different, as they might notice when looking at the keys in one another's hands.]

Colt "I'm hopin' the son of a bitch will be dead by then." He murmured, his hand moving to tug through his hair. "Harrow, ya stayin' at your own risk. If ya end up dead, ya blood ain't on my hands." Hardened eyes shifted from the human to Evie, softening slightly at the sight of her. "Hey darlin'. Jesse here has one of the keys like you so I figured you two can head on in together. I'll be right out here doin' everythin' I can as long as the son of a bitch stops tryin' to blow me up. If ya hurry, you can catch him. Be careful, ya hear? Watch yerself and get your ass out of there if it gets too dangerous."

Shiloh looked over to Flynn when she took a few steps back after her hug with Indiana, biting her lip and kicking at the porch. She walked the way to get to the clearing, hands shoved in the back pocket of her jeans as she followed the others. It seemed like the moon was giving her a bounce to everything she did, a good feeling deep in her core, but at the same time there was the truth behind it all that was still unclear. Tonight's events. Shiloh needed to keep herself in check tonight more than ever. "Zach, you might look like a tough guy but you've got a heart of gold." The little 'wolf giggled, skipping off to get closer to Kinsey and Indiana. She was rocking on her heels in place when she felt Flynn beside her, turning her head and meeting eyes with him. "Always, Flynn."

Louis nodded to Colt and lifted the rifle up. "I'll keep clear. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." He replied, glancing at his leg. "He's fooled me once, I don't intend on letting that happen again." With that, Louis gave a nod to both the Alpha and the young 'bear before making a cautious movement toward the back of the treeline. He didn't intend to be blown up again, that was for sure, and steering clear of the barn's line of sight was likely the best way to do that.

Kinsey smiled when she saw Flynn and it made her heart hurt. She loved him so much. It didn't matter if he wasn't blood: he was more than blood to her, and every day he made her proud. She took Indiana in full on the mouth when her girlfriend offered her a kiss, and laughed when the other woman ran her tongue across Kinsey's sharp canines. The box Kinsey was palming was small enough to be unassuming, so she just shrugged when Indiana asked about it, almost casually. Overhearing the conversation about Zach, Kinsey said, "He's one of them good ones, I reckon. Gang all here?"

Erick felt a huge twist in his stomach as he headed out, feeling grim. Would tonight be the horrifying conclusion to the tale Pickens own psychopath had been killing? He left his car behind, key in hand as he headed out towards this "Sleepy Hollow" barn, unsure of what to expect. How many people had a key? How many would dare to show up? He didn't know. And as he found the place in question his stomach knotted, every parcel of his finely tuned instinct telling him there was danger there. Still, though he may've been a 'horse he tried to bring it his most protective instinct, that of a stallion protecting his herd and moved forward. Strangely enough the barn door was unlocked and he pushed it open, his heart beating in his chest, all senses on high alert.

Dustin silently followed behind Jasmine up the porch steps and into the cabin. It was far to quiet inside for Dustin's liking and he stuck close to the Beta. "It looks like no ones been home in a few days, Jas. Smells like it too," he whispered, taking a quick sniff of the air. "When was the last time either of you talked to him?"

Bianca was as usual generally excited about the full moon. Though she knew this time around it would be a super moon which could mean less control, she didn't mind, as she'd always fully embraced the 'deer... which ironically is what had allowed her to keep control the most. Additionally her ability granted by her rank and mastering of it allowed her to shift painlessly and she was looking forward to shifting even before moonrise, to enjoy dusk as deer naturally did, this being their most active period of the day. She headed out to the woods, her heart light, and her step eager.

Emma Lee knew what her orders were: get to the den and wait. Fucking wait. Patience was not one of her strong suits and neither was following directions for that matter. And that’s how she found herself playing lookout at the base of the tree near the den. Sav was already inside, but Emma couldn’t bring herself to shift yet. Not when she didn’t know if she’d be needed to help with Harley. Her eyes scanned the forest, before settling back on the path her troop mates would be using.

Paris joined the betas and assessed the atmosphere. "You're right. I don't smell any fresh trails" she sniffed the air again. "Come to think of it I haven't seen Josh or Ivan in a while. I just thought they were busy..." she deadpanned hoping someone might remeber something like Josh departing for some secret sleuth mission

Scarlett kept running, her eyes following the path she needed to go through to get there. She wasn't too far from it, but she wondered if she could get all the way there without shifting. Stopping for a moment, she caught her breath and then started running once more. The super moon was going to bring out a side to all of them and if Scarlett couldn't be helping with Colton, she wanted to make sure the troop was safe. "Just gotta get to the den, hold off for me there moony." Scarlett muttered, pushing herself till things started to get more and more familiar and she slowed down.

Jasmine tried to pick up Josh's scent from the house, it was far too faint to her liking. She nodded her head when she thought about the last time she had heard from either Josh or Ivan. " I haven't talked to them in at least two weeks. Josh is usually helping me with the cubs and he hasn't lately. " Jasmine said before turning back to the other's. " Have you guys heard anything about leaving or anything?"

Ash noticing another lycan move towards the barn before him, he watched as the door was pushed open without so much as using a key. Not seeing any immediate fatal danger, he moved in next to him and nodded.

Evie nodded at Colt's suggestion, looking over to Jesse who had gone on ahead. "I'll be careful. Stay safe out here, watch out for more surprises, okay?" She managed a nervous smiling before clutching her key and going off after Jesse along the path.

Piper grinned at Tori, taking solace in her presence before looking to Nick, tilting her head. "You wanna shift first? Or do you wanna wander a bit and shift. Maybe find some coverage?" She looked right up to the moon. Her horse enjoyed the expanse of the wide open space but the human in her wasn't too sure about shifting in the wide open. Especially not after what happened last time.

Colt took a few more steps back, lurking deeper into the forest but making sure that, though he was hidden from sight, his eyes could remain locked on the large door. He needed to be ready for the moment Harley broke free.

Erick turned around when his sensitive ears picked up on a sound, and he spotted someone else walking towards him. He vaguely recognized him, from seeing him in Pickens before. Ash? He swallowed hard his senses still so high strung it almost hurt to exist and he offered a smile. At least he wasn't alone. He held his key up, a questioning expression on his face. "You too, huh?"

Nick "Don't talk like the, cher. We aren't going to let anything happen to you, we're almost a herd remember? And I protect my family, " he says quietly, resting his hand on her shoulder. Looking over to Tori, and back to Piper he nods and turns to take off into the nearby woods. "I'd feel safer if we shifted first, but if you want to wander around first go ahead. I'm just going to leave my clothes over here though," he called out, pullling off his shirt and kicking off his shoes.

The Groom was curious to see Evie enter—though he didn't know her name—because he didn't recall giving her a key, but he shrugged in mute appeal and looked at Harley, and then the ceiling... almost in silent amusement... or did he put something in the ceiling? A wink from one of his eyes, he wouldn't tell. When he turned over to the newly entered guests, he was holding a loaded shotgun. "So good of you to come to our—ahem!—shotgun wedding," he said with a polite laugh, and gestured with the gun at them. "No need for any hasty movements. Please disarm yourselves and we'll begin."

Dustin shook his head as he made his way to the small kitchen, opening up the fridge and curling his nose up at the smell. "His fridge is filled with rotten food. Honestly, it looks like he hasn't been here in weeks. Which would also be the last time I talked to him or Ivan. I was so busy with work I didn't notice that Josh didn't text me back. This isn't looking good, girls. What are we going to do if he's gone?"

Tori glanced from Piper, then to Nick. The two were as different as night and day. Swallowing her comment, Tori opted for the wandering through the woods, then shifting. It might have been safer that way. The young woman didn't want to change being seen, especially when nobody knew she was a horse, and with the risk of hunters running around.. well, Tori would rather not get shot at. "I'm with Piper," she said, following the path that led into the wooded area.

Erick blinked a few times his eyes adjusting to the environment and he felt himself grow a little tense as a gun was pointed at him, but he remained calm, spotting Harley. She appeared... out of it somehow and guessed she was probably drugged, because if he knew anything about the dancer is that she wouldn't just stand there without a fight. He gauged the man, seizing up the environment before calmly stating "I have no weapons."

Shiloh reached out instinctively to grip Flynn's sleeve, her eyes having drifting back up to the moon. "I think everyone is here..." Jesse wasn't and that much was clear. It put Shiloh on edge with worry, hoping that he'd come out of this okay and if anything, with the 'fox. She looked back to Kinsey, raising an eyebrow. "What's with the box?" The curious girl asked, leaning forward as if that would give her a clearer view of the box.

Evie pushed open the door to the barn, surprised to find it unlocked and keeping her key in her hand. Her eyes widened as she took in the sight of Harley in a wedding dress and a strange man dressed in animal pelts, holding a shotgun at them as they entered. She froze in place, not wanting to provoke him to shoot her. "I don't have a weapon," she said, trying to sound brave, holding up her hands with her phone in one and the key and Wesley's envelope in the other.

Emma Lee heard the rapid thumping in the distance. Someone was coming. Pushing herself up from where she was sitting, she crept closer to the path. The familiar scent of ‘fox wafted her way, and she took off running to meet up with whoever it was. As she got closer, she spotted the familiar red hair of the beta. She sniffed again, trying to detect the scent of anyone else, but as far as she could tell, the beta was alone. “Yo, where’s Harley and the chief?” Her eyes flicked to the path behind the other ‘fox before landing back on a disheveled Scarlett.

Piper took comfort in his touch, offering him one of her first genuine smiles of the night before nodding to his words. She followed after him, seeing the appeal in his words. She pressed her tongue against the roof of her mouth, before eyeing the trees. She sighed before moving to do as he and started stripping. There might have been a time where she would have been bashful but not have a couple years of shifting. She pulled the elastic from her hair, letting loose her blonde hair.

Ash's senses flared as the other man acknowledged him, he too smelt like food and Ash quickly looked down at the key before pulling out his own. "That would be the one." His eyes picked up the small detail in the keys that were different and his head filled with questions. Moving to enter the barn, he looked up at The Groom with a gun and… Harley? 'What's going on?' he thought. "No weapons here either."

Flynn rolled his wrist, grasping the blonde's hand with his own. He rubbed his thumb along the top of her hand, stroking the skin there. Shiloh voiced his own curiosity about the box but Kinsey was never one to do anything she didn't want to do so if she didn't elaborate on the box, he'd be okay with that. He'd grown up with that. "Everyone but Jesse, and maybe Vanessa." He glanced around for the dark haired she-wolf and couldn't see her but maybe he wasn't paying attention.

Scarlett managed to get up the hill on the path and saw Emma, feeling much better but not by too much. "Not with me. Land mine went off before many people even showed up and Colt told me to get out of there. I need to make sure you guys are safe anyway, this is not going to be a good night." Scarlett reached the delta, looking around them with a sense of paranoia. "We'll need to shift in a few and keep in the den. We might go hunting, but we'll see."

Jasmine felt her stomach drop at the idea that they were without their Alpha and the other Beta. That meant Jasmine was the highest ranking bear around and while she wanted that in the beginning, this was not what she wanted now. " Were on our own tonight and then in the morning when look for him. We can't do anything now."

Paris checked the other rooms for any signs of life before finally making her way to Josh's bedroom. She dared not enter the alphas most private territory uninvited, instead she remained in the doorway. Placing her hand tentatively on the door she pushed it open and was disappointed by what she found before returning to Jasmine and Dustin. "It doesn't look like the bed's been slept in recently" she bit her lip and pulled out her phone dialling Ivans number "Maybe Ivan is running late and is still on his way?" she hoped, only yo have her call go steaight to voicemail "Never mind" she looked up at the deltas for guidance. "What do we do?"

Jesse: [i probably have to gtfo soon it's 4:15 for me and i have work in the morning but since the situation is what it is may can totally godmod jesse for plot purposes]

Emma Lee reached out and picked a piece of debris out of Scarlett’s hair before briefly examining it and flicking it onto the ground. “A fuckin’ land mine?” she asked, her voice rising an octave. “Jesus Christ. And you just left them there? Where some psycho is blowin’ shit up before things even get started?” Emma didn’t have a good feeling about leaving Colt and Harley alone. “Reckon we gotta go help them. I mean we can’t just leave them there.” Deep down, she knew Scarlett was right. She could feel her inner fox clawing to get free, but she just didn't feel right abandoning Harley. Or Colt.

Nick didn't take long shrugging out of the rest of his clothes, feeling his skin tingling with the soon coming change. Sweat beaded up quickly across his forehead as the night's heat touched his bare skin and he brushed back his bangs, keeping them from sticking to his face. Being a 'horse for so long now, Nick had gotten over his embarrassment quickly about being nude in front of others, but this wasn't like the other times. These girls were soon to be family and the thought did enough to him to send a small blush to his face. "Just to make this clear after we all change, we're heading close to the barn where Erick's at. Remember keep out of sight and keep quiet. We don't want anyone to know we're even remotely close to that place."

Thom glanced from Shiloh to their alpha, noticing the box in her hands and the way the moon was already calling to her wolf. "Anythin' we should know about tonight?" He looked up to the moon where it hung, low fat and yellow, in the sky above them.

Bianca as if in the blink of an eye, or the time it took to take a breath, within a single stride found herself in her doe form breathing in the air deeply before calmly and quietly walking down the forest, when she suddenly heard the sound of an explosion in the distance. Her ears wiggled worriedly and she blinked, her big velvety eyes shining with fear, her entire being startled with the sound. She darted off in the opposite direction bouncing over bushes and creeks, leaping over fencelines and fallen trees.

Scarlett ran her fingers through her after Emma picked something out of it, getting out the knots at least. "We are not going to go anywhere near there, Emma. That was just the start of it all and trust me, it is killing me that my brother--your alpha--and Harley are there, but we need to stay here." Scarlett walked up closer to the den, wanting to make sure to keep an eye on Savannah. "If--If the worst happens...it's either no troop or half a troop." Scarlett looked at Emma, the fear clear in her face but she was taking lead as beta and completely serious. "We will stay here and you will not leave my sight, do you understand?"

Piper averted her eyes from Nick and instead looked to Tori and then to the sky. She hadn’t necessarily been shy with her body growing up in Wright, having gone parking with a few boys, and she wasn’t really shy about being naked now, but she reckoned staring at someone while they undressed might be a little bit too invasive. Piper brushed her hair from her face and shivered again, feeling the 'horse's need to change with those around her. Despite the night, excitement filled her once again. She had a herd. She had a family. No more running around as the only horse. Piper would be lying if she had said that she wasn’t a little uneasy, but the burning need to become the horse overwhelmed that.

Amelia 's head snapped up at the sound of crying. Glancing over at the cubs' room, Amelia pushed herself up from the chair and padded into the room. The gun lay on a shelf, as to be out of the reach of the cubs'. The confusion that poured over their features hurt Amelia. "Hey guys," Amelia said, offering a soft smile. The sets of eyes went past her, to the doorway, where they surely thought their mother would come traipsing in. "Your mom will be back later, guys," Amelia explained, reaching down for Kyle as he held his arms up for her. The moon was high enough in the sky that she assumed they would be shifting soon, and in preservation of their cribs, Amelia opted for them to be on the floor. Setting Kyle down, Amelia moved towards Gage, who looked up at her. "Wow, I didn't know your daddy very well, but you're the spitting imagine." Scooping her up, Amelia set her down next to her brother. The two began crawling around, picking up the discarded toys that had neglected to be put in the toy boxes. A high pitched cry sounded from Kyle, which made Amelia jump up. Arms outstretched and ready to pick him up, the brunette immediately took a few steps back. "Yep, just going to let you do your thing," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. Immediately after Kyle's shift, Gage followed. In front of Amelia were the two cutest damn cubs that Mel had ever seen. They looked at Amelia, then took off out of the room, tackling each other as they went.

Kinsey nodded at the hearing that everyone was in attendance, heading toward the edge of the forest, talking as she went. "Jesse is off playing superhero tonight and if he lives, well, we'll kick his ass later," she said with a wry laugh that was almost a bark. "He'll just be the last to know." When they had reached the border of the field and the forest, she motioned for them all to stand in a circle and she opened the box she was carrying. There wasn't anything too special when meets the eye; she drew out one of the two things inside of it, the first being a strip of tawny grey-brown fur that had the smell of age to it; it was thin, about half of an inch, and not unlike a ribbon. Some would know what it was; others might not. "I have an announcement to make and I wanted you all here to hear it."

Tori averted her eyes as Nick began to shed himself of his clothing. Glancing over at Piper, Tori then glanced up at the night sky, just as her herdmate had done. Being naked in front of strangers was something that Tori didn't mind, mostly because she had slept around enough that it didn't bother the girl into being submissive, but with people she would see the next day? Deciding to go all or nothing, Tori continued walking forward. Covered by the surrounding trees, Tori began shedding off her clothing. Bunching them up in a heap, she hid them behind one of the many trees, not bothering to remember which one, she glanced over at Piper.

Louis found an easy-enough tree to amble up, even with his leg- which was now entering into the dull, searing ache stage -and set himself up. From the bag, he pulled out a brace for the rifle and it's scope. Setting that up on the tree, he fixed everything right so he had a clear view of the barn- though not as clear as he would have liked, but getting closer again was a big 'nope.' He loaded the gun and set everything right before finding aim on one of the windows that light was pouring from. He could see nothing except for several figures, two of those he recognized as Jesse and the young woman who had shown up after he'd gotten his arse blown up. The end of a shotgun was pointed at them, but beyond that he saw nothing. The bloke was smarter than Louis had anticipated, and all the Brit could do was sit, patiently, and wait for his time. If, and when, it came.

Dustin wrapped his arms around himself, confused and wondering where the hell his Alpha and other Beta had gone. He was upset for being left, and just angry enough to want to do something about it. "Jas is right. There's nothing we can do, but go to the river like usual and pray that there aren't any hunters out tonight, and between the three of us, if Ivan decides to grace us with his presence at some point, I wouldn't mind challenging him for Beta. Losing Josh is bad enough, but a Beta too? It's ridiculous," Dustin stated and heads for the front door. "Might as well get ready for the change, I can feel it coming soon."

Thom squinted in the semi-darkness at the strip of something that Kinsey held up, trying to make out what it might be. "That some kinda fur?" he asked, his nostrils flaring as he sniffed the air.

Indiana followed Kinsey towards the forest, rolling her eyes at her comment about Jesse, before taking her place in the circle that Kinsey had motioned for. She stood next to her girlfriend, watching her pull a strip of fur out of the box, and teased, "Are you trying to get a job at the news station? Why are you talking like that, Bee?" Suddenly, for some reason she didn't understand, she was nervous. What kind of announcement was there to be made? It looked serious and official, with the box and the strip and the way Kinsey was talking and made them stand.

Flynn nodded in response to her statement about Jesse, silently wishing the other wolf luck on rescuing his fox. His eyes narrowed onto the strip of fur, his entire body tensing a little. He knew that fur. That fur which was not so different from the color of Kinsey's own tawny black-brown fur, but Flynn kept silent. He kept silent an he waited for his siter to talk.

Shiloh walked with her eyes on the ground, counting her steps till they stopped and she looked up at Kinsey. She ran her eyes over their little circle while trying to keep her inner wolf down a little longer. With the super moon, it was ready to come out but she doubted it would be much longer. Shiloh found her eyes back on Kinsey, tilting her head to the side curiously while gripping Flynn's hand a little tighter. "What is it?" Shiloh asked, although Flynn was close enough to her that she could notice the sudden tension in him and that made her look to him.

Harmony had always heard the full moons made people crazy, and in Pickens that was painfully true. There was some crazy dude on the loose and she couldn’t help but think of some of her lycan friends, like Indi and Naomi and Jesse. And she needed a distraction. It was the super moon after all, and the lighting would be awesome for a night shoot. At this point, she didn’t really care what her subject was, as long as she wasn’t cooped up in the house, thinking about all of the bad things that could be happening. So, Harmony gathered up her camera and her keys, intent on just driving around in the hopes that inspiration would strike. Stepping across the threshold of her apartment, she locked the door behind her before making her way down the stairs.

Paris nodded and stumbled towards the front door, already the moon was threatening to tear her body apart, calling her 'bear forth and quelling her humanity. "Maybe Josh is by the river already?" she exhaled, knowing her words fooled no one. Josh was missing, Ivan was nowhere to be seen, Evelyn had most likely walked into her own grave and the moon was fast approaching its apex.

Nick could feel the change coming as his 'horse came closer to the front. He bent forward slightly as the oncoming change knocked the breath out of him and brought him to his knees. It was quickly after that he had fully changed. Once where he stood as Nick was now a tall, broad Buckskin waiting patiently for the others to change. He turned his large eyes towards the girls, blinking slowly as if questioning them as to why they hadn't changed yet.

Evie could feel her 'bear prickling under her skin as she waited for instructions from the man in the animal skin tuxedo. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself, but she was nervous and scared. Her thoughts turned to Dustin and the rest of the sleuth, praying that they were safe and that nothing would happen to them.

Piper stretched before relaxing. Excitement exploded in her chest even as her skin began to prickle with the need to shift. She stepped away from him to give him room to shift before she rolled her shoulders back, her body tensing and then relaxing. The ache that beat in her chest was soothed as the moon told her body what to do. The night ripped the girl apart, replacing the short female with a chestnut mare. The horse was ecstatic to be let free, nickering slightly.

Harley stared at the ones in the building, her eyes flicking from face to face as she tried to figure out why they were there. Her skin prickled and she could feel the sweat beading across her skin as her nerves kicked back in. Her throat worked as her 'fox quivered anxiously. She wanted to shift, wanted to get the hell out of here. But she was stuck here.

Emma Lee growled in frustration, her fox closer to the surface than she’d thought. But Scarlett’s words resonated with her. “I understand that you just want us to leave them there to fend for themselves,” she snapped. “Aren’t y’all always carryin’ on about how we’re a family, and that we need to stick together, and how we should always have each other’s backs and shit?” Reluctantly, she turned to follow the beta, her steps heavy as she trudged toward the den. Honestly, she didn’t know if she’d want to even continue being in a troop if Harley wasn’t in it.

Lucas had decided against going into the woods tonight, if only because of the fact that the he didn't really know what effect the super moon would have on the lycans. There was no need to stick his neck out unnecessarily tonight. There was other things that he could worry about, information he needed to dig up soon. Licking his lips, the hunter pulled his phone out and sent a quick text to Harmony, asking what she was doing tonight.

Tori watched Nick change in awe. She had never seen another horse change before, and there was something oddly terrifying, yet beautifully morbid about the process. Tossing a glance over towards Piper, Tori watched as the girl changed into a chestnut. So a buckskin and a chestnut, huh? Swallowing hard, Tori closed her eyes, feeling herself be ripped apart from the inside out. Her bones cracked and caved, allowing for the horse to move on through. The palomino ripped from Tori, and once the mare opened her eyes, she was higher up, looking at both Nick and Piper from a large set of eyes. Tossing her head to the side, she walked towards Piper slowly, rubbing her nose against the chestnuts' neck.

Kinsey looked at the ground briefly; why of all the things she'd done in her life, why was this the hardest? How did it all come down to this? It wasn't that she was unsure of her choice... it just seemed so final. She looked around at her pack, her family, and wondered what it would be like without them. Of them, without her. But Indiana would keep them safe. She saw the flicker of recognition in Flynn's eyes, and even that made her proud. He had good instincts, keen observations. She nodded, once, to him. It wasn't worth saying out loud, but to him, he'd understand. To the others, she said, "I have chosen Indiana Mason as our Sigma."

Jasmine nodded her head at Dustin's comment. She was slightly impressed with him taking matters into his own hands and if he did challenge Ivan for Beta, she thought he'd make a good one, so long s her position stayed safe. " Let's just get out of here before we shift. We don't need to draw even more attention. " Jasmine replied as she took a few steps back towards the front door. " Lets just hope he's okay and focus on it tomorrow. It wont do us any good otherwise."

Jesse (kinda) could feel his 'wolf rising to the surface, his hands balling into fists as he saw Harley sitting there, clearly unable to move. Pulling the gun from the back of his belt, he slowly placed it on the floor of the barn, coming back up with his large hands in the air and a sharp glare on his face. "There, no weapons. Just fucking let her go."

Scarlett stopped on the path, whirling around on Emma and letting out a growl. "Shut it, Emma!" Scarlett took in a breath, running her hands over her face like that would clear it all away. All the tension and the anger. "Please...," she started in a much more defeated voice. "I can't risk losing anymore people." Scarlett shook her head and started to feel her 'fox coming out much more. "Emma, I care about you even if it doesn't seem like it. Just trust me...if they're not here by a certain point...I'll make the decision then if we go or not." The ginger was reaching her point and started to undress, knowing she'd feel better once she shifted.

Flynn was happy. It was odd that he could be happy at a time like this, but he knew what that rare feeling of warmth spreading through his body was. He thought that he had fully come to terms with Kinsey being alpha, but he realized that while he had accepted it and knowing that he'd never be alpha, there had still been the twinges of utter want. There were no twinges of want now. He was proud to have his sister as alpha, and even prouder to know that Indiana was going to be the wolf queen. The queen bitch. His lips twitched with rare beginnings of a grin.

The Groom ignored the burly man's words and kept the shotgun well trained as he flickered his eyes over each of his guests, putting the shotgun at point-blank range of the heart of the first man (Erick); the Groom cocked his head toward Harley and said to him, "Thanks so much for witnessing our holy union. We have been in love so long that this just felt... inevitable." His smile was unsettling. "Do you have any blessings to give us?" And then his tone changed and his eyes darkened. "Or did you just come to fuck her again? Did you think you could take her from me?" He stepped back, just once, so that he could swing the gun at any of them quickly and still hit them dead in the chest, dead. "Any of you? Which of you slept with my wife? WHICH ONE OF YOU?"

Indiana watched Kinsey with interest as she looked down, sensing that something was happening inside the woman's head. She was half tempted to reach out and take her girlfriend's hand, but she knew better than to do something like that. Kinsey was strong, always the strongest, and she didn't need anyone to take her hand at times of doubt. Soon, there were words coming out of Kinsey's mouth, and Indiana found herself stunned by them in a way she didn't expect. She had always hoped for this, always wanted it, but never had she expected it would truly happen. She was Kinsey's now for real, truly and forever, and although she knew Kinsey wouldn't understand she couldn't help but let her eyes moisten with tears that she tried desperately to hold back. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to say anything, but she couldn't muster words regardless, only managing to exhale in disbelief. "Bee..."

Harmony trotted down the steps, one hand steadying the camera around her neck, the other clutching her keys and her phone. Just as she reached the parking lot, her phone buzzed in her hand, alerting her to a text. She paused in front of her car to read it before sending a quick response to Lance, letting him in on her plan.

Evie felt her eyes go wide and she instinctively look a step backwards from the crazed man with the gun. She still had her hands raised with her phone and the key to show she had no weapons, and she couldn't managed any words, she was too terrified. She just shook her head emphatically that she had no relationship with Harley, or whoever this man thought she was. She had to fight hard to keep her 'bear at bay, with both the moon and the tension in the barn getting higher by the second. She couldn't shift, not now, the man might shoot her if she did. She gritted her teeth and squeezed the key so hard that she hurt the palm of her hand.

Colt 's eyes lifted to the moon, watching it's steady climb higher and higher into the sky. The 'fox inside him quivered in anticipation, desperate to run free. This was the first Full Moon in Colt Sutton's entire life that he would be shifting alone. He had always been surrounded by a Troop, immediately met with soft bodies brushing against him in greeting. He clenched his jaw, pushing the urge back to shift as his eyes remained on the barn. He reminded himself that he wasn't technically alone. Harley, /his/ Harley, was just beyond the clearing, hidden inside that bar by a madman. And he would be here waiting to bring her to safety.

Shiloh hadn't realized that she'd been holding her breath and waiting to here just what was going to be the news. Something about this seemed different than any regular old news, especially considering what Kinsey was holding. The little 'wolf let out a breath when the words finally came out and her eyes instantly went to Indiana. This wasn't anything small. This was a big thing for the pack and for Indi and Kinsey. Shiloh bit her lip to keep from smiling too much over it all and saying anything seemed like it would ruin the moment.

Dustin pulled off his shirt, rolling his shoulders when they're free of the matieral. It was strange not having Evie by his side, seeing as they had always been together during the full moon since joining the Sleuth. He could feel his worry clawing at the surface to go and find her, but he was needed here more than anything, so he finished undressing and heads out towards the woods, in a full run, changing before he hits the tree line. He turns his head back towards the porch, waiting for the Beta and Delta.

Thom grinned at Kinsey's words, looking from his alpha to Indiana. This was good news, it was good for the pack and he knew that Kinsey couldn't have picked someone better for their Sigma than Indiana.

Harley felt relieved that Jesse was there because he was, well, he was Jesse. She was relieved until the nut started swinging the shotgun around and demanding to know who had slept with his wife. His wife? He meant her? Harley just stared, green eyes wide as she looked from Jesse to the nut and back, terrified. It literally felt as if her heart had stopped.

Piper responded in turn, nickering once more as she shifted her large body to rub her nose against Tori's next. The horse pranced toward Nick as well and rubbed her forelock against Nicr’s neck, before moving against with antsy tension. She wanted to run, to be truly free with herself. She took a few steps toward the large field, aching to stretch her legs out. She started forward at a smooth trot. Her easy gait letting the others with her be able to catch up with her.

Jesse (kinda) moved to take a step forward only to watch the guy come closer, swinging his shotgun around. A growl built in his throat that he couldn't contain, wanting desperately to get to Harley and get the hell out of there. "Look, I don't know what the fuck you think is going on, but that's not your fucking wife. That's my girlfriend and I fucking want her back. What's it gonna take?"

Emma Lee used every ounce of control she had to keep from telling Scarlett to fuck off and just go to Sleepy Hollow by herself. But she could see the toll this was taking on the beta. So she just followed Scar’s lead and started undressing, taking little satisfaction in the redhead’s answer. “And at what point would that be?” she grumbled. “Best be before the fuckin’ sun comes up.” With the pull of the moon and the itch to shift, Em was quickly losing what little patience she had left.

Lucas stared at the message on his phone before swearing. He sent a quick text back, telling Harmony to stay inside and that he was coming over. Ditching his notebooks and the information he'd been working on, Lucas snatched up his keys and phone before slipping out of his room. He shouted something over his shoulder to Jacob, to let him know that he was going to Harmony's before leaving.

Erick eyed the gun cautiously his inner 'horse stirring anxiously, growing a little claustrophobic and reacting to the scent of nearby predators. He shook his head slowly speaking with a calm voice. "No sir. I've never touched your wife." He thought it best to humour the man, until he picked a part the situation. "I do have to wonder though, why invite us?" He gave Jesse a sharp look shaking his head, trying to emphasize on his words to signify something else. "No Jesse I'm sure you're wrong, she just looks like Harley, right?"

Kinsey finally let the happy show on her face when her decision was met with equal happiness by her family. Tonight was their wedding—the 'wolf wedding, that was—the wedding in the sight of gods and men would be later. For Kinsey, tonight was what mattered. Almost awkwardly, if a part of Kinsey could show awkwardness, as she wasn't the best with shows of emotion or grand romantic gestures, she took the second item out of the box. It was a platinum gold ring; it had a same strip of fur about 2mm wide, ringed with the precious metal. The fur was more precious to her than the customized ring. She offered the engagement ring to Indiana with big eyes, and then turned to Flynn. "Would you...?" and held out the strip for him to bind their hands gently in unison.

Jasmine head out of the house and began to pull her clothes off. She was ready to shift and there wasn't anything going to stop her from it. She let her clothes on the floor as she shifted quickly. It was easy for her at this point and by the time she made it to the tree's she was on all fours as a bear. She looked around before walking further into the woods towards the river. She was the only one the sleuth had right now who could be in charge and she was gonna do her best to keep them all in one piece. She let out a small growl urging them to follow her.

Flynn now felt awkward, unsure of what Kinsey wanted him to do. Smiling from a distance was one thing but actually having to participate made Flynn uncomfortable. A feeling he wondered if Kinsey shared. Of course, he reckoned he couldn't bitch about it too much seeing as Kinsey had chosen him to do this. Brow furrowing slightly before coughing and nodding. "Yeah." He moved forward and gripped the strip gently, treating it with reverence. He carefully bound their wrists together, eyes flicking up to Kinsey's face. He knew she couldn't care of he approved or not but Flynn felt it was important that he did so he offered her another one of his hesitant smiles.

Indiana let a huge smile break across her features, unable to contain herself anymore as she rushed forward and nearly knocked her girlfriend down with a fierce kiss. Letting her eyes change over into their deep golden color, she let Kinsey slide the engagement ring onto her left hand and admired it for a moment before letting her shimmering eyes meet her girlfriend's -- well, fiancee's now. The way Kinsey had said her name, tacking on her own last name instead of Indiana's given one, had stirred something up inside of her that she couldn't quell and she was more than eager to continue with the rest of the ceremony; not that she even knew what would occur, however. Giving her hand over to clasp Kinsey's, she looked expectantly up at Flynn and waited.

Scarlett threw her shirt to the side, getting more and more aggravated. She needed Colt, she needed Colt to deal with Emma because she couldn't deal with the girl when she was on thin wires. Scarlett got herself down to nothing but didn't shift yet. "Emma, you will shift. You will stay in that den. You will /listen to me/. You will fucking realize that I'm trying to keep you alive!" Scarlett reached a hand out, gripping the girl's shoulder. "You are part of the family. It is my job to protect you right now. Rose would kill me if I let you do something stupid anyway."

Harley flicked her eyes to Erick's face at his words and motions before looking back to Jesse. If she could have conveyed to do what Erick was doing with a look, she was trying her best to convey that. So many predators being in the room doubled with the fact that there was a crazy with a shotgun pointed at Jesse, pointed at people that she didn't really understand what they had to do with anything, had her 'fox on edge. She wanted to shift, needed to shift more than she wanted or needed anything else.

The Groom didn't think Anne Marie was the sort to sleep with women, so the little one was off the hook. He prodded her with the butt of the gun, making her step back from the men. "Why invite you?" he laughed, a high pitched laugh, like he wasn't breathing correctly. "Why invite you?" he repeated, licking his lips. "Well, because one of you is gonna be a sad bastard when my bride and I eat your corpse for dinner for all the wrong you done us. And the others... well, I couldn't be sure. The fox doesn't always date the fox. Mrs Fox." He laughed again. "My lovely Anne Marie Fox! She wasn't always... but was it lions, or tigers, or bears, oh my!" He looked at each one in turn. "Was it horse—or cat—or wolf? I wonder. Since bear seems off the menu..." and his eyes came to rest on Jesse. He tapped his own nose. "I think we have a winner! Ding ding ding!" And he placed the butt of the gun underneath Jesse's jaw. "Not your girlfriend. My WIFE."

Zachary: "'Bout damn time we had us some good news." He muttered near Thom, hands on his sides and he watched Flynn, Indi, and Kinsey. It felt odd, for the Delta to be there in the moment surrounded by an unlikely family watching the beginnings of a 'wolf wedding'...but it felt /right/ more than anything else.

Tori dug at the dirt with her hoof, showing the restlessness of having been cooped up in her meat suit for far too long. Rocking her head from side to side as she walked, Tori watched as Piper then moved towards the field at a trot. Powering off instead of taking it easy, Tori felt the dirt kick up behind her as she began at a fast trot, then a gradual mark up to a slow paced gallop.

Harmony briefly debated whether she should do as directed and go back inside or continue with her plan. Looking up at the moon, she let out a huff before turning around heading back up the stairs to her apartment. Lance was on his over, and at the very least, she could convince him to go scouting for stuff to shoot with her. Once she was inside, she headed to the kitchen and sent him a message telling him the door was open. She grabbed a candy bar out of the pantry and hoisted herself up onto one of the counters to eat it and await for his arrival.

Nick shook out his mane as the two turned into mares and greeted one another. He quickly returned Piper's gesture and turned towards Tori to see the girl already trot of with Piper. With a knicker he follows slowly behind them, more concentrated on keeping them safe than letting himself run freely. Nick trots closely behind, turning his head this way and that, keeping his eyes and ears peeled out for danger.

Harley wanted to scream. The best that she got was a terrified whimper when the gun was shoved under Jesse's jaw. It wasn't that she wanted to eat anyone, she just really didn't want it to be Jesse that he shot. Her frustration at being unable to do anything skyrocketed, green eyes squeezing shut as tears pricked at the corners.

Jesse (kinda) felt his eyes melt into molten gold, his 'wolf just barely contained under the surface, as the psychotic man jammed the butt of the shotgun under his chin. Feeling his fingers extend into claws, he glanced briefly over to where Harley was being kept and caught the look she was giving him, although he didn't like it whatsoever. "What the fuck do you want from me, you sick fuck?" He ground the words out in a deathly low voice, not making any move to get away or attack simply for Harley's benefit. He couldn't save her if he had a hole in him.

Emma Lee ‘s eyes traveled from Scarlet to the hand on her shoulder, and back again. She nodded her head slowly in acquiescence, her ‘fox recognizing the beta’s authority even though the human side of her didn’t want to. “Fine, what the fuck ever,” she muttered as she continued to remove the last remaining pieces of clothing. She felt a little weird about the way Scarlett tossed Rose’s name out there, but she decided to let it go, not wanting to push her luck more than she already had. Besides, it was time to shift and her fox was more than ready.

Lucas felt some of the tension drain from his body when Harmony responded that she'd be waiting. There wasn't a chance in hell that he'd let her out into the woods tonight, especially not on a full moon. He let the speed of his truck drop, blue eyes watching the road as he drove.

Louis watched, every nerve at attention as he watched the scene play down through the tiny window. He watched the 'wolf, he watched the gun, and he waited. Sweat beads formed along his forehead and above his top lip, and he took in a heavy breath. He had one chance, just one, to get this shot right. He couldn't risk it until that son of a bitch moved into his sight perfectly. Louis's eyes held steady, staring through the scope, trying to suppress memories of moments like this with Svea from distracting him.

Evie hustled backwards when the man pushed her with the butt of his gun, glad to be out of the limelight for the moment but still bristling with nervous energy. As the man turned his attention to Evie's companions, her eyes flicked down to the gun that Jesse had placed on the floor when he came in. She looked back up, but their host seemed to have forgotten about it. When he shoved his gun under Jesse's jaw, Evie knew she would have to be fast, and she would have to be accurate. She'd only get one shot at this. As the man yelled about his wife, Evie lunged forward and grabbed the gun, springing to her feet and holding it with both hands. Her hands her surprisingly steady as she leveled the gun at him and she quickly squeezed off a shot into the man's chest. She was glad that Jesse had already turned the safety off, because she didn't think to check for it beforehand and it would have slowed her down. She pulled the trigger a second time, knowing this man couldn't be allowed to survive and make it out of this barn to terrorize the town and her family any more after tonight. She shot him once more in the chest, her breath heaving after as she watched him fall to the ground. She lowered the gun but kept it trained on him, watching to see if he moved.

Erick could feel his inner 'horse panicking, skin itching to shift to his animal form, the moon pulling at him painfully but he held on, licking his lips dryly. "I see. I understand your anger but," he looked as the gun was pointed right under Jesse's chin and mentally groaned. If he didn't bring back both Harley and Jesse alive, Layla would probably never forgive him. He didn't care for the 'wolf's reckless ways and he was most definitely not helping the situation. He tried refocusing the psycho's attention elsewhere. "Why don't we get on with the ceremony then? Can't have a wedding feast without a wedding right?" If he could only get him distracted long enough to make a grab for the gun...

Dustin fell in step behind Paris, so he could keep watch in the back. With his Alpha and Beta gone, the need to protect his family was strong inside him. He turned his head, catching the slight breeze that was occurring, but didn't find anything to be anything to worry about as he continues behind the girls until they reach the river.

Colt 's head snapped upwards at the sound of gunshots. "Oh fuck." He groaned, immediately taking off in a trot to move closer towards the barn. "Fuck, fuck, fuck."

Scarlett was satisfied for now and moved her hand away from the girl. With closed eyes, she let the shift come over her with ease, rippling over her body and releasing her inner 'fox. Scarlett shook out her ginger pelt, beady eyes looking over everything before waiting for Emma to shift so she could usher the delta into the den and out from the open areas. She just prayed that nothing was out there other than Colton and Harley.

Colt jogged over to the very edge of the forest, pacing back and forth anxiously as he waited for some kind of sign as to what was going on. His entire body was tense, the muscles coiled and ready to spring at a moments notice as his 'fox raged inside of him.

Piper was content to be in the lead with Nick bringing up the rear with Tori right in the middle. She felt better this way. Her pace at a trot was easy in the beginning but she wanted to go faster. Her trot quickened, propelling her forward with the sort of freedom that could only come from running. This was what she had been missing as a girl. As a human, she ran all the time to try and find that ease and abandon that came with running as a horse. Her pace increased into an slow gallop, the rain bouncing off her.

The Groom was too busy being surprised that the girl he'd discounted was—what was she doing? was it her all along?—and there was a bang and nothing made sense any more, and there was another bang, and he was on the ground, but he was clutching his gun, and he got off one round aimed straight at Evie's head before he howled in anguish the words, "Anne Marieeeeee," the sound of a man who had nothing left, who had lost everything, who had known betrayal, who had a life stolen from him and had to remake his own, and perhaps not a perfect one, but one that wasn't supposed to end like this, not in his wildest imaginings. He was supposed to have a happy ending. He was supposed to have a fairy tale wedding. He was supposed to love her. His eyes were drooping; it would have been hard for him to aim. His hat fell from his head and skittered across the barn floor. He stared at his guests with cold hate, coughing.

Louis 's eyes went wide as he watched the next scene play out, exhaling finally and staring through the scope. He looked down at his leg and debating on making it out of the tree. Then he looked up, at the rising moon. A shiver ran up his spine and he knew that there was likely nothing more that he could do without just getting in the way. But, how the hell was he supposed to make it out of here anymore? The Blazer was blown to bloody hell, and he had a bum leg. As far as he knew, wolves and foxes couldn't climb trees very well. He didn't know what the woman was, but he was a little worried to find out. Tonight's full moon was going to move them fast and strong, and their humanity wouldn't exist until dawn. Louis had no intention of shooting a lycan tonight, or ever for that matter, so it all came down to the next few decisions. Leave the tree and attempt to find a vehicle? Or risk deadly infection o his leg and remain camped out for the night until the others had made their way back to their loved ones.

Harmony sat the candy on the counter before checking the time on her phone. She was restless. It could’ve been the full moon, or the empty apartment, or the fact that she was waiting around with nothing to do. Hopping down from her perch on the counter, she made her way toward the door, figuring if she had to wait, she might as well do it outside. She exited her apartment and sat on the steps. Holding her camera up to her face, she looked at the outside world through her viewfinder, searching for signs of a familiar truck.

Jesse (kinda) wasted no time being shocked by Evie's move, only wanting desperately to get to Harley. Snatching the gun from the 'bear's hand, he leaned down over his bleeding body and pressed the gun between the man's eyes, squeezing off another shot and watching the light leave his eyes once and for all. Dropping the gun, he instantly rushed to Harley, checking her over for damage and trying to find a way to get her free from her chains. Inspecting the lock, he realized it was some kind of old fashioned thing and grabbed the key he had brought in, stuffing it into the lock to try to open it. When the key only got jammed, he ripped it back out and threw it on the floor, turning around and barking, "Give me your fucking keys! NOW!"

Jasmine walked ahead, guiding the bears to the river. Every so often she would glance back at the other's making sure they were okay. Thing's were in her hands now and she only hoped that wherever everyone else was they would be okay. Right now she was in charge and she was keeping everyone safe for the night. That was all she needed to do. Once she made it to the river, Jasmine sat down. The bear needed to just watch everyone else.

Kinsey was surprised by the ferocity she was met with from her girlfriend, and, not unlike her brother, Kinsey was—while very happy—somewhat going through the motions, not because she didn't want to or didn't care, but just because she wasn't used to having all eyes on her in quite this manner, in such a—for her—vulnerable situation. She wouldn't have trusted anyone but Flynn to bind them, and so with her face a mess of ruddy rosey glow from blushing, she watched as her little brother took the fur that had been her father's and wove it around their wrists to unite them, binding them symbolically by blood and family, just as the ring was a symbol of. Kinsey was grateful for the glance that Flynn gave her—and the supportive looks she caught from the likes of Thom and Zach, whom she wondered if they could feel her nervousness—as she went to perform the last part of the ritual. She unbound their wrists with her teeth and dropped to her knees in front of Indiana, tying it like a garter over her femoral artery on her left leg; then with her fangs, she bit into the thigh there, meant to leave a mark. The same as 'pack,' but different. The warning was plain: 'If you see this, you've gone too far. This one is mine.' When it was done, she howled, to signify the end of it, for the others to echo her, and for their hunt to begin.

Evie watched the man level his shotgun at her and she immediately dropped to the floor, landing flat on her stomach and squeezing her eyes tight, her ears ringing with the shotgun blast that blew a hole in the barn wall behind her. She was breathing hard and fast, not registering that Jesse had taken the gun or that they might need the key that was now underneath her where she'd dropped it. The adrenaline and the fear from shooting their host and getting shot at in return coursed through her and she couldn't hold it back anymore. She screamed out as she felt her 'bear clawing inside her to be free, desperately trying to hold on but feeling her body begin to change.

Lucas pulled into the parking lot of Harmony's building, spotting her sitting on the steps outside. His blue eyes rolled but he just parked and climbed out. Locking the door after himself, Lucas jogged over to where Harmony was sitting. "You should have stayed inside, Harm."

Tori watched as Piper moved past her. Nickering, Tori pushed forward, the rain pelting off of her back as she ran. Raising her head slightly, Tori reared up, kicking out her front legs into the air, letting out a loud whinny before dropping back down fully onto the ground. As soon as her front hooves hit the soil, Tori shot forward.

Emma Lee took a deep breath before allowing her muscles and bones to fold and snap, releasing her ‘fox. Once she’d completed the transformation, she stretched, her paws digging into soft earth beneath them. This was always her favorite part—the heady cocktail of freedom and power that washed over her after each shift. Her dark eyes scanned her surroundings and her ears perked up, listening to the familiar sounds of the forest.

Erick in the panic and confusion, the gunshots made his head ring and the fear just over took him. It was getting increasingly dangerous as he saw Evie shifting to her 'bear form, he knew he didn't have much time. "Jones," he barked, tossing his key at the 'wolf. "I'm gonna lure her outta here!" outrunning a 'bear would be no problem in his 'horse form but he knew if he didn't lure her away, everyone else in the barn could be torn to shreds. He finally let go of the stallion inside of him, bones cracking and snapping loudly as he landed on all fours, no longer a man but the silvery grullo mustang stallion he truly was. He snorted loudly and reared at Evie, neighing loudly to get the 'bear's attention before darting off down the stable aisle towards the door they'd all come through, bursting out of the barn.

Ash watched as the man questioned them, trying hard to keep a grip on his control. All he could think was that the 'fox was tied up and there was a gun pointed at them. The conflicting thoughts were raging through him, part of him excited by the thrill, another part of him thinking only about food. His 'cat was so close to the surface his eyes were golden but he turned his head quickly to watch the 'bear shoot at the mad man and threw his key over to Jesse as demanded they give them up. Ash stepped back to let Erick try and lead Evie out.

Harley wanted to flinch away, to scramble back and hide somewhere or just shift and run to the forest. Her heart was thudding in her chest and it made her body tremble, green eyes watching Jesse before looking back to where Evie was when she screamed. And then there was Erick but as a horse, attempting to lure the shifting 'bear away. She trembled again as her 'fox took in that the 'cat was still in here as well as Jesse. Harley might have trusted Jesse and her 'fox tolerated the 'wolf but on a full moon and in this situation, her 'fox didn't want anything to do with him.

Indiana let Flynn tie their wrists together, smiling warmly at the symbolism of it. She was Kinsey's and Kinsey was hers. No one could question that now and she never had to worry again about losing Kinsey to someone else's advances. Watching curiously as Kinsey bit off the fur and it was replaced on her own leg, she braced herself against her mate's head and hissed as fangs sunk into her flesh, marking her once and for all. Once the ceremony was over, she took great care placing the ribbon and the ring back in the box and hiding it underneath her clothes before letting the moon take her, black fur sprouting from her skin until she landed on all fours with a dull thud, joining Kinsey in a loud, joyful howl.

Evie felt the 'bear rip through her skin, more painful in the wake of the super moon and without her alpha to ease the change. She hadn't shifted on her own in months, she had gotten used to the safety and familiarity of her sleuth. She screamed until her face shifted into a muzzle, her body finally changing fully into a bear. The scents around her hit her instantly, her instincts ringing with danger. She wasn't safe, she was around enemies, and prey that smelled almost too good for the bear to resist. She bared her teeth and growled as the horse reared in front of her, her instincts taking over as she gave chase, bursting through the barn door in pursuit.

Amelia "I'm not sure if your mom wants you doing that!" Amelia rushed forward, tugging the bear off of the already scratch covered couch, Amelia set who she assumed was Gage back onto the floor. Meanwhile, the kitchen erupted with a series of bangs and clatters. "Kyle!" Amelia darted forward, Gage at her legs. She felt the cub's small teeth bite into her ankle, and Amelia had to remember not to kick the small creature away. In the kitchen, Kyle sat inside of a pan, and in his paws was a loaf of bread, which was falling out of its bag. "Kyle," Amelia groaned. Shelling out some pieces, she twisted the bag back up and put it far enough away on the counter, out of the cubs' reach. Picking up the pots and pants, Amelia put them back into the cabinet that Kyle must have opened when climbing to get to the bread. The sound of disconcerted bears echoed throughout the house. "Hey, guys! Come chase auntie Amelia!" Immediately, Amelia fast-walked to the living room, where the bears followed. Rolling over each other to get to Amelia first, the brunette bent down, scooping one of the cubs up. It gnawed on her fingers, then looked up at her with a large dopey-bear grin before wriggling free. Setting the bear down, Mel put her hands on her hips, watching as the bears scratched and bit at her legs.

Scarlett took a step forward toward Emma, licking the side of the 'fox's face before nudging her up toward the the den. Scarlett padded her way inside, looking to Savannah to make sure the girl was okay before sitting herself close to the den opening, but enough away that she'd be out of sight for those approaching. She needed to see her brother and Harley come home safe. The 'fox shifted her front paws on the ground, impatient as she started to pace back and forth.

Colt staggered backwards at the sight of the stallion tearing through the barn door met his gaze. The creature was quickly followed by a large 'bear that Colt could only assume was Evelyn, causing him to hiss softly as he ducked behind a tree, hoping that she was too distracted to catch his scent.

Harmony spied Lance hopping out of his truck and watched his approach through the viewfinder of her camera. When she deemed him close enough, she snapped a quick picture before lowering from her face. “I was tired of just sitting around the house,” she said, lifting a shoulder in a shrug. She pushed herself up and flashed him a smile. “Besides, no one ever messes with the girl holding the camera.”

Nick made his way into the river, keeping near Paris as he half-heartdly paw at a fish jumping out of the water. He wasn't hungry by any means, but he knew going the full moon without a meal wouldn't be good on his body. Growling lightly he easily catches one in his mouth and starts to chew.

Dustin made his way into the river, keeping near Paris as he half-heartdly paw at a fish jumping out of the water. He wasn't hungry by any means, but he knew going the full moon without a meal wouldn't be good on his body. Growling lightly he easily catches one in his mouth and starts to chew.

Jesse (kinda) caught Erick's key and nodded to the man as he saw the 'bear woman beginning to shift out of the corner of his eye. His 'wolf was clawing desperately at him, wanting to chase prey and kill enemies, but more than anything he knew he needed to get Harley free. Trying Erick's key and cursing when it didn't work either, he turned back just in time to catch the 'cat guy's key and shove it into the lock, exhaling in relief when it clicked open and fell to the floor. Quickly untangling Harley from the chains, he scooped her up in his arms and ran from the barn as fast as his legs could carry him, following the destruction left by the 'horse and the 'bear. "Sutton! Get the hell over here!" Pressing a quick kiss to Harley's forehead, he used his claws to tear off the ill-fitting wedding dress and placed her on the ground once he saw a 'fox running towards him. Unable to bear not shifting any longer, he ran from the spot towards the clearing where the 'wolves met for the moon and shifted halfway through his run, his blonde 'wolf coming through. Upon hearing the howls of his packmates, Jesse joined in with the sound and made his way towards his family. Seeing and touching and comforting Harley would have to wait until after this moon was done.

Ash 's eyes were firm on Harley as the 'bear and 'horse left. Part of him told him to chase after the 'horse, but the distraction of the 'fox was more than enough to keep his mind occupied. She set off all his senses, scared and vulnerable. "You need to get her out of here, man." He let out half his usual tone, half growl. His human side didn't want to chow down on the brunette, especially not with Jesse there, but all his 'cat wanted to do was pounce.

Lucas tucked his keys in his pocket as he walked up to Harmony. "So wild animals know that too?" he asked, one brow lifting in question. "C'mon let's go upstairs. I'll make you pancakes and you can show me what you've got on your documentary."

Shiloh crossed her arms over her chest, watching with a giddiness inside of her like a little girl. She just wanted to hug everyone now. The delta 'wolf twisted her body around, looking along the lines of the trees before sliding up to the moon. As happy as she was for all this and wanted to watch with teary eyes, another part of her was growing impatient and needing to shift soon. Shiloh turned back and watched Kinsey, taking in Indi's face every few seconds while Kinsey marked Indiana. The show was over with Kinsey howling and she closed her eyes before shifting, dropping down on her paws and letting out a howl to join in.

Louis having made it out of the tree, Louis had been weaving through the trees at as fast a pace as her could. That was, until he heard them. The neighing and the pounding of hooves in the dirt, the heavy roar of the bear on it's tail, and the scream from inside the barn. Louis's muscles tightened and he began the distressed process of looking over his surroundings for a way to get out of sight, and fast. Foxes and the horse posed no harm to him, not as much as the bear did. He watched Jesse dart from the barn with the girl in his arms, and watched him flee successfully into the trees in the other direction. That was one predator down, at least.

Erick streaked over the forest path, almost flying, the sensation would have been liberating were he not literally running for his life at this point. The Silver's hoofbeats resonated against the earthen forest path, careful not to stray from it, until he'd torn off the main property. Open spaces. He had to find open spaces to distance the 'bear more easily. Running through trees might have been easy for agile deer but for a 'horse it was an other business entirely. He knew the predator was still behind him, but if he could run fast and long enough, the 'bear would eventually grow winded and give up chase.

Colt propelled his long legs forward, relief practically crashing through him at the sight of Jesse with harley in his arms. He dropped to the ground next to Harley, pulling him quickly towards her as Jesse ran in the opposite direction from them, his 'wolf finally breaking through. "Harley, we've gotta get outta hear, okay? We're gonna shift and we're gonna run. We ain't gonna stop until the we get to the den. You run, ya hear me?" He leaned forward, pressing a small kiss to the top of her crown before finally allowing his 'fox to break free, taking Harley along with him in the shfit.

Flynn let out a howl to echo Kinsey's, the sound reverberating before his body shuddered with the need to change. It threatened to rip him from the inside out but it wasn't a bad thing. Instead, it freed him. It freed the wolf inside of him that admired the tradition and needed the hunt to feel blood in his teeth. The change came naturally to him, having been doing it all his life. Silver-grey fur sprouted over his skin as his fangs lengthened and his legs shortened. As he became the wolf, he nosed Shiloh's large head before stilling.

Emma Lee gave the ‘fox equivalent of an eyeroll when Scarlett nudged her toward the den entrance. She really didn’t feel like riding out the night in a confined space with the Wonder twins, yet again. At least they wouldn’t be able to talk her to death though. The ‘fox entered the den, her eyes assessing Savannah before she plopped herself down near the entrance. She rested her head on her front paws, and her eyes tracked Scar’s movement as the beta paced back and forth.

Thom put two fingers into his mouth and let out a loud whistle at the sight of his alpha and new sigmna. Before long though, the moon called to him and he quickly stripped out of his clothes, leaving them in a hasty pile before his 'wolf was pulled from him. He felt free and happy in a way that he hadn't in a long time. Though part of him knew that there could still be a threat to the pack tonight, his wolf was too happy and playful to care at that moment. He pounced on Shiloh, who was closest to him, nipping playfully at her ear and rolling onto the grass.

Ash was chasing before he even thought about what was happening, running after Jesse and his newly freed girlfriend. He was focused too much on the 'food now. He stopped just short of the Alpha and Harley's position and as they shifted he couldn't hold it any longer. Claws and fur sprouted from all angles, his left ear still torn but healed and a distinct bald spot in his shoulder.

Louis suddenly bolted, as much as his leg would allow, in the other direction. He had no idea which direction that was, though he figured it was better than the one the bear was barreling toward. Through the trees he went, all the while wishing he had been of more use to the lycans, and knowing he would have to work harder. This was not over.

Evie barreled along after the horse, crashing into the trees, shaking her head as branches scratched at her face. She passed by a scent that caught her attention briefly, but she was too focused on the horse ahead of her to pay it much mind. Her breathing was becoming harsh and rapid, the bear panting as she ran. The horse darted easily through the trees and Evie struggled to keep up in the thick woods.

Harley felt everything pass in a blur, from Jesse breaking the chains to carrying her out to ripping the dress off and watching him run away. And then Colt was there and he was shifting, which brought her along with him. They could go find the troop, find Scar and Sav and Emma Lee. Until she smelled the 'cat that was. Her body froze, ears flicking back to her skull though her lips peeled back from her teeth into a snarl. Fuck.

Erick finally bursted out of the woods on the main road, his hooves clip clopping loudly on the asphalt, and didn't hesitate to bolt down on it, heading towards the farmlands he'd pass by on his way to Sleepy Hollow in the first place. He picked up speed, his heart pounding in his deep chest and he tore into a field, slowly forgetting that he was anything but a horse running from a predator. The traces of Erick, the man were faint, fading fast in the moonlight and leaving place to nothing but the silver.

Colt growled loudly at the scent of cat, nudging Harley to begin to run. He allowed his voicebox to shift inside him, bellowing with all of his might in an attempt to scare the bobcat off as he nudged her closer and closer to the edge of the forrest. He continued his loud assault against the cat, waiting until Harley was a good distance ahead before starting to run.

Kinsey [OOC: THIS JUST IN. DUE TO HER INTERACTIONS WITH THE CUBS, AMELIA IS NOW INFECTED. THIS IS HER FIRST MOON.]

Scarlett slowed down with her pacing, looking at the other two girls before back out of the den. The 'fox trotted outside of the den, eyes on the path and trying to think of what to do. Colt would kill her if she took them anywhere near the barn, but at the same time she needed to know that they were okay. Scarlett looked over to the other two, letting out a yip to call them over. They'd meet the other two halfway.

Harley only had to let Colt nudge her once or twice before she was sprinting. She caught a trace of Scar from earlier and dug in, ears still flattened to her skull. Any other moon, she wouldn't have run away as easily. Fuck this. Digging into the soft soil of the woods, she let her 'fox side take over. Find the troop.

Harmony scoffed playfully. “Especially wild animals, which is probably why I can never find any to take pictures of.” She grabbed his hand and smiled up at him sweetly. “We could do that or… you could come with me, and we can just drive around, looking for cool stuff to shoot. We don’t even have to stay in Pickens if it makes you feel better.”

Evie followed the scent of the horse until she cleared the trees and found herself running on pavement. It felt awkward to her bear paws, used to the soft dirt and leaves of the woods. The horse seemed even quicker now on the flat land, and Evie lumbered along behind him. Piper felt as if she were soaring. She whinnied at Nick and quickened her pace into a faster gallop, daring him to stay even with him. Tori had shot i front of her before but Piper loved a challenge. If there was one thing that Piper loved, almost more than anything, it was challenge. Whether it be in dancing, running or even drinking, she liked to think that she wold never back down from a challenge if it didn’t threaten her life. And, right now, Piper was looking to win. Her legs stretched out into a gallop, the wind sweeping past her and taking any bad memories or thoughts with the gust. She picked up the pace, increasing the speed of her gallop.

Emma Lee perked up when the beta moved outside the den. Standing up, she padded over to the entrance, tossing a quick glance at Sav before poking her head out of the den. At the sound of Scarlett’s call, Em dashed outside, her eyes focused on the area surrounding them. Had she spotted Harley? Colt? A threat? What? Her senses picking up none of the above, she turned curious eyes on the beta.

Shiloh swung her head to Flynn, licking the side of his muzzle. She'd looked away only a second later to have Thom on top of her suddenly, the white wolf letting out a bark and nipped back before rolling away herself and padding closer to the trees. Her head lifted up, taking in the moon and it was clear the supermoon did a number on her. She felt more connected to her wolf side, completely freed of the human half of her. She pressed her nose close to the ground a moment later. Shiloh could feel the urge to hunt and right now that instinct was winning over play time. The 'wolf turned slightly, letting out a whine.

Ash crouched low and ready to pounce the minute he saw an opening, he growled lightly back at them - at her. His ears were alert and listening, all he could hear was the heartbeat of the two 'foxes, fast and loud. As the Alpha started shouting at him he listened, growling and hissing back at him. Were he in human form he'd have thought better of it, given up the chase. Were it not the supermoon maybe he wouldn't have shifted on them and focused so hard on Harley in the first place, but it was. As they started to ran he chased. He liked the chase. He was keeping close behind them, finally free, happy that he was actually able to hunt for the first time in 4 months.

Erick breathed loudly as he turned off the road, the asphalt seemed to have slowed the 'bear down, but the shock was harsh on his legs and the stallion found the open field much more appealing. He leaped off the cement into the grass gracefully, eager to put more distance between himself and the 'bear, but stumbled after a few strides, his front hoof getting caught in what was some kind of terrier- rabbit or groundhog perhaps- causing the stallion to crash forward on his knees and face.

Colt continued to dart forward, weaving in and out in an attempt to distract the 'cat. He made sure that Harley was ahead of him, intent on leading the 'cat in a different direction from where his Troop was safely hidden. "Get to the girls." He growled loudly to the delta ahead of him, his human voice sounding huskier than normal as it came from his 'fox body.

Flynn let out a low growl when Thom jumped on Shiloh, almost baring his teeth but the wolf didn't make a move toward the other male. Instead, he took a step toward Indiana, his large body tense and eager to hunt. His energy when hunting was limitless and for someone with such an explosive and impatient temperament as a human, he looked forward to it. He took a step away, his ears pricked forward and his nose scenting even the littlest things at the moment.

Bianca was almost dancing, fleetly moving about the woods in the moonlight, her heart soaring with joy. She'd stop every now and then, ears moving like satellites for any sign of danger, nose twitching cautiously scenting the wind for predators before moving on. Lights in the distance caught her attention- the town no doubt, but the doe hadn't noticed her progressive disconnect with her human mind and somehow she found herself drawn to them intrigued, leaving the forest behind. She was near an apartment block now and the 'deer's natural curiosity drew her closer. She froze suddenly at the sight of two humans standing outside and she tilted her head curiously, tail half-raised at the shiny object in the girl's hands.

Harley heard the rough rumble of Colt's voice as he spoke, his human voice reaching her ears when they flicked up to catch what he was saying. She glanced back at him before digging in deeper to the soft soil. The muscles in her slender legs flexed and her heart thudded in her chest, green eyes flicking around the forest as she ran.

Evie followed the horse onto the grass, grateful for the changed from the asphalt and catching up a little. When the horse stumbled into the grass, Evie's hunting senses heightened and she growled, reaching up with one paw to swipe at the horse's body.

Indiana nudged Flynn with her muzzle, almost laughing at how protective he was over Shiloh. It really was very cute. As Kinsey took them off into the woods to hunt, she kept her nose to the ground sniffing around for prey. She hoped they would find something good tonight to celebrate the wedding and the supermoon, her spirits higher than they had been in awhile.

Lucas started to say something Harmony, to say that driving around wasn't a good idea on the moon when he spotted a movement in the corner of his eyes. He turned his head slowly, blue eyes spotting the deer standing across the parking lot. He stayed still, just watching it as his eyes flicked down to Harm. "Or..they can just come to you."

Louis could hear the sound of animals on the forest floor behind him, and he took the chance. He turned, stopping his half-limping jog to catch sight of the first 'fox bounding in his direction. He didn't know if it was Colt or the girl they'd brought from the barn, but distress was clear in the way the animal was maneuvering. His yes narrowed curiously, knowing that it couldn't have been the 'bear that was after her. That beast had made a point to keep on the horse's tail. What was chasing it?

Scarlett waited till the other two were outside the den before she started forward, a slow walk down the path while making sure the others were behind her. A moment later she started to run, the dirt kicking up beneath her little paws while she kept her nose in the air to search for any scent of the others. Where was her brother? Where was Harley? For all she knew, they could be alone with another lycan, possibly a dangerous one.

Nick was trying his hardest to keep up with Piper and keep a watchful eye out, but when he heard a crash far off, Nick pulled up to a quick stop and pounded his hoofs into the ground and whinnied loudly at the two. Turning his head, he caught sight of a far off into the distance with a what looked like a bear chasing another horse. He looked back to Piper and Tori, motioning them to stay as he went to quickly check the scene. As he approached the pair he realized it was Erick who was on the ground. Frightened for the stallion, Nick galloped up to him standing between him and the bear.

Amelia looked into the kitchen, past the window, and she could see the illumination from the moon showering down on the outside world. Eyebrows furrowing, Amelia straightened up, and immediately, the brunette felt something slowly rip through her insides. The sounds of cars kicking up the rain's mud made Amelia twist towards the front door. "What the f-" Refraining from cursing in front of the cub's even though they wouldn't be able to understand her, Amelia grit her teeth. Through blinding pain, Amelia looked down at her ankles, then realizing what was going on. Scooping the two cubs up, Amelia hobbled into their room, ignoring the pain. Closing the door, she didn't bother with putting them in their cribs. They would only climb out and end up hurting themselves. Closing the door behind her, Amelia ran for the living room. "Oh.. Oh no, oh no." Throat thick, Amelia gripped for the chair beside her, which crashed down, sending her with it. The painful waves reached her chest, then blossomed to her head. A searing pain reached her eyes, making her cover them. "No," she screamed, digging her fingers into the sides of her face, she scratched downwards. Amelia let out another scream and thrashed forward, knocking down what she assumed was a bookshelf. Fur began to sprout unevenly on her forearms. "No, no," Amelia gasped, clawing at the carpet. Tilting her head back, the brunette let out a loud growl, which sent her into a upward motion of getting the fuck out of there. The cub's wouldn't safe, especially because from what Dustin had told Amelia about his first shift; she would be hungry. Getting up, Amelia stumbled for the door. Opening it, she quickly dug the key out of her pocket, trying to stay coherent long enough to lock the place up. Dropping the key under the mat, Amelia took off down the steps, moving past her truck and into the outside world. Shredding her clothes off as she ran into the woods, Amelia felt the beast erupt within her. Tossing herself down to the ground, Amelia grabbed at the roots from the trees, holding onto them for an anchor. Tilting her head back, Amelia let out a scream before it slowly turned into a harsh growl. Teeth jutting their way further out of her gums, she opened her mouth to relieve the pressure. Digging her fingers, which slowly formed into claws, into the dirt packed earth, Amelia growled and pushed herself off the ground once the bear finally took control. Rearing up on her hind legs, Amelia swiped at the air. Fear, anger and confusion resonated from the brown bear, and as she took off into the forest, dirt kicked up behind her. New problems arose, by the names of wolves, hunters, and of course other bears who would be confused by a new bears arrival and possibly feel threatened if not with realization that it was Amelia.

Erick panicked as he hit the ground immediately trying to find purchase. He couldn't get up on time before the bear caught up to him and the stallion squealed as she swiped her paw at him, her claws ripping 5 strikes across the side of his neck, causing him to bleed. The stallion reared turning on his haunches and lunging for her face with his sharp, hard hooves, desperate to distract her before taking off again.

Piper heard a crash but she didn't even realize it could have been Erick until Nick let out a loud whinny. She pulled up short and galloped in a circle around Tori, her gaze toward the running Nick and what appeared to be another horse and a bear. She recognized the horse and she pranced forward in tense, quick movements but when Nick gave the order to stay, the delta in her obeyed though she wanted to run after him and connect her hooves with the bears head. She gave a short whinny to Tori, to make sure the other mare stayed with her.

Evie felt the impact of the horse's hooves to her face, a hard kick that knocked her off balance. Blindly, she swiped her claws at the new arrival, not knowing if she would make contact or hit nothing but air. She shook her head to clear the pain, blood matting the fur of her cheek where she had been kicked.

Harmony ‘s brow wrinkled with confusion. “What?” She asked, her eyes following Lance’s line of sight. She gasped when she saw the deer in the parking lot. “Oh my god,” she whispered, her eyes widening with excitement. She looked back up at Lance, a bright smile on her face. “You must be good luck or something.” Slowly, she reached for the camera around her neck, hoping to get a picture without frightening the deer.

Erick dropped to his forelegs and turned on a dime bolting away from the 'bear, heading blindly across the field. Anywhere, it didn't mattered where he went so long as he had open spaces to run to. Blood streamed down his neck, mixing in with his silvery grey hair and he leaped over a fence, rushing past some sleepy sheep. He didn't think he'd ever run this fast in his life, the adrenaline numbing out the pain of his injury and when he would come back to his human self he'd be grateful for the fact his leg hadn't been hurt beyond a bruise.

Bianca took a hesitant step forward. Her ears twitched lightly in the direction of the human's voice and she took an other step forward, trying to scent them out. She froze as the female rose the strange object in her hands but was fascinated by the way the light captured the front of it... The light... Her eyes locked on the lens and she stopped moving as if hypnotized.

Shiloh ran into the woods with the others, her paws moving swiftly over the ground and navigating through the scents that were left behind. She stayed close to Flynn, occasionally moving a bit closer and pressing her nose to his side before going back to her nose pressed to the ground. After some time she picked up on a scent, her nose following it even though it was taking it away from the pack. Deer. Much better than rabbits, really. Shiloh brought her head up and started running, following the scent and ignoring everything else. The forest fell away from her, the town in front of her and the deer close enough now she didn't need to follow the scent so closely. Shiloh stopped in the shadows of a building for a moment, eyes shining in the moonlight as she targeted them on the deer. It was barely a second later she came running out of the shadow, back legs bracing and launching the small wolf at the deer as her lower jaw fell open and she dug her canines deep into the back hind of the deer.

Ash licked his nose as he chased running, quickly darting in between the trees as the 'foxes ran ahead of him. He didn't care which he chased after now, a fox was a fox. Food was food. As he darted after the Alpha in between the trees he was gaining on him. As he moved to pounce though,the jolt that went through is shoulder caused it to jar, toppling him over and he yelped in pain as he fell, hissing and growling.

Emma Lee took off to catch up with Scarlett, happy the beta was letting them out of the den. Judging from the direction they were headed, the beta had apparently come to her senses and was leading them to Harley and Colt. Em’s body amped and alert, her ears listening for any signs of her missing troop mates.

Harley shot past the human without even stopping, without even slowing. She barely even noticed him until after she'd run past, his scent causing her to skid to a stop before she was running again. Find Scar, find Emma, find Sav. She found them by, literally, running into them.

Colt noticed the 'cat lag behind and felt relief rush through him as he continued to bolt forward, swiftly catching up with Harley and directing her towards the quickly approaching den. Alert eyes darted around them, careful to seek out any predator and finally landing on the rest of his troop. A troop that was supposed to be in the den and safe from any harm. A loud growl rumbled from his chest, his anger clear as he snapped his teeth at the girls. "DEN. NOW." His human voice tore from him.

Evie picked up the chase again, charging straight through the wooden fence and after the horse. Even though it was injured, her prey had gotten ahead of her while she had been dazed from the kick to the face. Something that smelled even more tasty caught her nose then, as she found herself surrounded by slow moving sheep. Much easier targets than the horse which kept evading her, and Evie was tired from chasing it. She clamped her jaw around the neck of the nearest sheep and ripped into it with her claws, tearing off bites as blood dripped from her muzzle.

Tori looked at Piper, knocking her head into the mare's neck before following after her, far, far away from the bear and into the arms of safety on the other end of the spectrum.

Louis watched both the foxes dart past him, and he watched them before staring back the way they'd come. He heard the stumble of what had been chasing them and immediately drew his gun from it's holster, cringing at the intense sting of his leg. He didn't have time for this, not now. He began to slowly back up away from the sound, gun aimed into the darkness of the forest underbrush. If the beast came after, he didn't know what he would have to do. He continued, though, moving as much as he could backwards with one leg slowly loosing feeling in the other.

Scarlett was running, her ears listening to everything it could and she picked up on something but suddenly there was a lot of noise. Harley. Sarlett whipped around when the 'fox ran past them and she was on them a second later. Scarlett pranced on top of the 'fox licking her face till Colt's voice scared Scarlett and she nudged the others along, making her way back to the den and purposely keeping herself close to Savannah. And away from Colton. She'd left the den with the others when she wasn't suppose to and she wasn't sure just how she'd explain that to her brother without him yelling at her to oblivion. Once back at the den, Scarlett cautious walked up to Colton, head low before she got in front of him and laid down, head up to run her tongue over him.

Erick heard the panicked cries of the sheep and supposed one of them had gotten caught. He only paused to find out once he'd jumped the fence at the other side of the pasture, seeing the 'bear feeding. The stallion snorted noisily before taking off again, just hoping to head... head where? He eventually slowed down to a trot, in a familiar place until he found himself near the shady grove he'd met with the other 'horses earlier on, though he had no recollections of that

Harley bolted into the den with her ears still flat to her skull and went straight to the back. Her entire body was trembling, heart still thudding heavily in her chest. She flopped onto her side, tongue lolling from her mouth as her sides heaved, sucking air back into her winded body. Quiet small town her ass. Laying there, Harley breathed in the familiar smell of the other foxes, feeling herself finally beginning to relax now that she was around her family.

Ash moved to recover his lost ground, trying to work through the pain. Scrambling to stand again and chase back after them, but the sound of gun fire near him made him freeze for a split second before crouching as low as he could, ears as close to his skull as they could be. His mind went off the 'foxes, he'd learnt from the last time, if there was a gun he had to run. His own safety was more important. He slowly creeped forwards in the direction of one of his small dens and ran when no more shots were heard.

Indiana noticed Shiloh wandering off in the corner of her eye, lifting her head up and watching the younger 'wolf. Suddenly the girl must have smelled something because she was off like a shot, away from their hunting grounds and off into other territory closer to town. Indiana barked up at Kinsey to let her know what had happened before taking off after Shiloh, her status as the fastest 'wolf in the pack coming in handy at that moment. Chasing the girl as fast as she could, she felt a sharp pain in her shoulder where it hadn't completely healed yet and almost stumbled, catching herself but coming up somewhere farther behind Shiloh than she would have liked to be. As they hit the asphalt of Pickens proper, Indiana saw Harmony and that guy Lance staring a 'deer, just as Shiloh launched herself for the attack. She needed to get the girl away from the humans so nothing worse happened, so she reared back and launched herself at the delta, tackling her away from the 'deer and rolling with her across the pavement, getting up to stand between Shiloh and Harmony with her teeth bared.

Louis sent off a warning shot in the direction of the predator, which was still shrouded in darkness. He heard it move again, but this time in a different direction. After a moment of not hearing it come back, relief flooded him. For now, he could feel okay about turning his back to the trees. Reholstering his gun, he began the agonizing journey to find some kind of civilization. He wanted nothing more than for this night to be over.

Colt ceased his growling as soon as everyone was safetly back in the den, his entire body practically trembling from the exertion of outrunning the 'cat. He fell to his belly, crawling his way over to Harley's still form. He nuzzled her softly, breathing in the familiar scent of her as his tongue darted out to gently swipe her fur. His head lifted as Scarlett approached and he let out a low growl, his anger still evident. Regardless, he leaned forward to push his head against hers, grateful that she had made it back in one piece

Lucas opened his mouth to say something just as he saw the wolf launch out at the deer. His gun was in his truck, resting in it's case on the floorboards and there was a smaller hand gun beneath the front seat but that wasn't important. What was important was Harmony. The appearance of a second wolf only confirmed that. "Get inside, now!" Lucas snapped, pulling her towards the stairs.

Flynn was not amused when he realized that Shiloh was no longer by his side, but he had reckoned that she had just dropped back to join the others. He hadn't thought she would leave the hunting grounds. He saw her flash of white fur taking off and then black fur taking off after as Indiana's status as fastest wolf in the pack became more pronounced. He let out a bark before taking off after Indiana but he was no where near as fast as Indiana. Rather, he was slower, built for power and not speed but he followed his ears and the scent of them, dark eyes taking in Indiana's tackling of Shiloh. His hackle threatened to rise at the movement but at this moment, Indiana was now the sigma and it was her wants that the wolf in him placed first so he let out a growl toward Shiloh, moving to attempt to nose her to the side away from Indiana and back to the hunting grounds.

Ash continued to run, working through the pain. Survival was his main goal, pain could be dealt with later. He knew Rae had a den around here somewhere, she wouldn't liked that he stayed in there without her, but he knew more that she'd dislike it if he was dead. Reaching it panting he he darted inside and slumped, succumbing to the pain and the sound of his rapidly beating heart. He may not have fed, but now he was safe, not hurt and more importantly alive.

Emma Lee ‘s feet propelled her forward, keeping her on Harley’s heels. Once inside, she followed the ‘fox to the back of the den, brushing her face up against Harley’s. She reveled in the scent she’d been longing to smell for days now. Harley. She looked around at the other ‘foxes before plopping down next to Harley, refusing to leave her side.

Evie The horses were both completely forgotten as Evie ate her fill of the sheep, chasing them around a little before going in for the kill. Once her hunger was satisfied, Evie settled onto the the long grass of the field, catching her breath. Her face stung from the horse's kick and the fence she had charged through, but she paid it no mind as she licked her muzzle. She looked around the surrounding area, realizing that she wasn't in the sleuth's usual hunting ground, and therefore not safe. She couldn't stay out in an open field alone. She sniffed at the air, not for prey but for the familiar scent of her sleuthmates, but could smell nothing. She must be too far away from them. Evie stood up on all fours and headed in the direction the horse had gone. Not to chase it, but hoping that it would lead to the woods and a more secure area.

Harley lifted her head as Emma Lee stretched out beside her and Colt crawled over. Her eyes flicked to the Alpha's as she made herself sit up long enough to brush her muzzle back against his, the air in her lungs huffing out in a quick puff as if to give a relieved sigh. The 'fox was happy to be with her troop again, happy to have them back around her as she pressed her head into Emma Lee's side.

Scarlett could sense the anger off her alpha with no trouble, but she was happy to have him safe. Scarlett just kept herself laying on the ground, eyes on the rest of the 'foxes and she hoped things would be okay now. Scarlett wanted to make sure she spoke to Colton about keeping Harley at the Hollow for a few days and away from everyone. Right now, Harley needed to be with the troop after everything.

Amelia ran forward, paws sinking into the muddy soil, causing it to splash up behind her and coat her pelt with twigs, leaves, and dirt. Sniffing at the air, Amelia sensed something not too far away - blood. Blood from what? Mel had no clue, but she was about to find out. Breaking out into a clearing, Amelia came up on the carnage of several sheep cascaded across the grounds. The others moved away in order to find safety. Digging her paws into the ground, Amelia moved forward quickly, nearly tackling the sheep in a haste to devour what was left of the creature.

Harmony managed to snap a few photos of the deer before the poor thing was attacked by a wolf. She let a small scream and her hand flew to cover her mouth at the sight. Another wolf, leapt out and tackled the first. A wolf that looked like Indiana. But what would the pack be doing over here in her apartment complex? She felt Lance’s hand tugging her toward the stairs. Her feet propelled her backward, but her eyes were glued to the scene unfolding in front of her.

Colt finally allowed himself to relax, the warm bodies of his troop pressed against him as they cuddled around Harley, their missing puzzle piece. He rested his head against her, refusing to break contact as he felt his large eyes begin to drift shut, a low rumble of contentment pouring from him.

Harley let out a contented sigh as Colt's head rested against her side. She tilted her own back against, mouth opening to briefly, and lightly, nip at Emma Lee's sigh before she let her head drop back to the ground. A low sigh rumbled from her throat again, green eyes half-closing as her tail flicked lazily. All she wanted now was for Jesse to be safe and that would be that.

Shiloh felt herself being ripped away from her prey before she could go for another bite, the one to kill. She felt the pavement come in contact with her body hard, rolling across it before she could get herself back on her paws, growling. The 'wolf jumped back when Flynn came around, inching forward toward the prey for a moment before she moved back, her eyes flickering from the deer to Flynn before she turned and made her way around the apartments and back to the grass. Blood stained her white muzzle, the 'wolf running her tongue along the outside and she did her best to ignore the hunger beating through her inside.

Evie stopped at the tree line when she heard the sound of something feeding on the sheep behind her. It was another bear, ripping into the remaining sheep with vigor. Evie huffed air through her nose and stomped her foot; those were /her/ sheep. She went at the other bear at a run, grunting in challenge.

Bianca tilted her head and approached as the camera made clicking sounds, spurring her curiosity further. She was so distracted, so hypnotized she didn't really react to the sound of an animal coming in behind her until it was too late and sharp pain tore through the ligaments of her hind legs, razor like teeth ripping through skin and flesh. She bleated helplessly trying to kick back with her other leg until the pressure was released and she stumbled forward, her injured hind hanging limply, uselessly and the flash of her human mind influenced her deer's instinct, causing her to hobble forward towards the humans, and away from the 'wolves.

Scarlett got up from where she'd been laying, ears high up and tail flicking back and forth with excitement. She smelt a mouse. More than likely one of the forest mice that ran all around the parts and were easy to catch. The 'fox went to the opening of the den, eyes looking out and she spotted it not too far away, crouching low and pouncing to trap it between her paws and lock her jaws around the neck. Scarlett brought it back in her mouth, stopping by her brother and looking at him as if with permission to give it to Harley. Alpha generally ate first.

Amelia glanced up, blood dripping from her muzzle. The human in Amelia told her to run. To get the hell out of there due to another bear coming towards her, but the bear in her? It told her to stand her ground. That bear, though, Amelia recognized to be Evelyn. Elated that her "sister" got out okay, Mel went to speak, but it only came out in a harsh growl. Backing up, Amelia scratched at the dirt, trying to show that she was submitting to Evelyn.

Indiana growled harshly when Shiloh deferred to Flynn instead of herself, not appreciating the disrespectful notion. She was the Beta, and now she was the Sigma, and her word would always be law over a Delta's. She was not upset with Flynn, he was only trying to help, but she was in charge of this situation and refused to let either of them believe otherwise. Fixing Flynn with a look reminding him of that, she rushed towards Shiloh and grabbed her by the scruff with her jaws like she was a young pup being disciplined. Dragging her away from the deer and pushing her towards the farm, she released her and hovered over her, growling quietly in her human voice out of earshot of the humans, "You listen to ME, little girl. /Always./ I am your superior, not him. Do you understand me?"

Emma Lee snuggled closer to Harley and felt the other ‘fox’s light nipping of her side. She returned it in kind, happy as fuck to have Showgirl back and safe. Happy to have her whole troop safe, even if it meant riding out the remainder of the moon confined in the fucking den. Her head perked up when she spotted Scarlett go outside. She looked to Colt wondering if he’d let her out too. She was still amped and ready to hunt if she could.

Lucas "Keep going!" Lucas ordered, giving her a firm but gentle push towards the stairs before looking back to the scene. The deer stumbled forward away from the wolves and he swore at himself before sprinting back to his truck. Jacob was going to kill him if he fucked up. Unlocking the door, he pulled the handgun from beneath the seat before closing the door. The wolves were gone by then but he kept the gun out, watching the deer before glancing back to Harmony. "Go inside and get some towels. Call a vet or something like that!"

Colt 's eyes snapped open as he felt Scarlett move away from them. He watched, eyes flashing, as she made her way the the edge of the den and relaxed when she quickly trotted back, a dead mouse dangling from her muzzle. He ducked his head slightly when she silently requested to give it to Harley, indicating that it was alright.

Harley 's eyes opened soon as well, the smell of the mouse luring her out of her sleepy state. Her stomach rumbled, green eyes flicking to Scar. She'd been well fed over the last week but the events of the whole night had left her starving.

Flynn could only watch as Indiana grabbed Shiloh, having grown up knowing that what she was doing was for the best for Shiloh. So he followed the two wolves, not interfering, only watching. Hell, he'd been in Shiloh's position once or twice, having gotten into deep shit with the betas when he had been younger. Flynn had been a shit starter then.

Evie slowed when the other bear didn't show any signs of attacking back, and she came to a stop right in front of the newcomer. There was a familiar scent to the bear, though Evie didn't recognize her. She took a step forward and sniffed, letting out a whine when the realization hit her. It was Amelia. But what was she doing as a bear? And where were the cubs? Evie's human thoughts got lost underneath her bear's overwhelming consciousness, and she nuzzled her head against Amelia's to greet her sister.

Shiloh found her eyes on Indiana, realizing she wouldn't be hearing the end of it for a long time. The 'wolf let out a yelp, finding herself being dragged and trying to keep her footing underneath her. They were closer to the farm and when she was finally let go, Shiloh nearly stumbled on herself but caught her footing. As soon as Indiana was yelling at her, Shiloh flattened her ears to her head and kept her head lower itself as she let out a sound of agreement. Shiloh didn't even look to Flynn at the moment, her eyes flickering from the ground to Indiana.

Harmony stood poised on the steps, watching the three wolves head way from them. Her eyes flicked over to the deer, bloody and staggering toward them. “Oh my god,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. She went to run toward the deer, but Lance’s words stopped her. “Yeah, a vet. Good idea,” she said, frantically nodding her head in agreement. “Wait, why do you have a gun?” she exclaimed, confusion etched in her face.

Scarlett dropped the mouse in front of Harley, trotting back to where she'd been laying before and kept herself busy with keeping her eyes on everyone. Scarlett felt exhausted and rested her head against her front legs. Even in her fox form, she still felt the emotional toll of everything and felt much better about keeping tabs on everyone--including her brother--than doing anything else.

Amelia let out a huff of relief at Evie's change of mood. Nuzzling her sister, Amelia pawed at the dirt again. So many thoughts were running rampant in her head, and she couldn't say any of them. The newly-infected bear let out a slow groan before pushing away from Evie. Going back to the sheep, she knew that she was testing fate, but the girl bit into the carnage anyways, figuring that quenching her thirst for the blood of her not-so-enemies was better than not eating at all and coming up on something alive and with a human brain.

Bianca suffered silently as most prey animals do, hobbling closer to the two humans until she was within reach of them, and looked up with pleading eyes, fear and pain mixing in her big velvety black gaze as blood dripped off her hind leg.

Lucas glanced over his shoulder, brows rising incredulously. "The gun is your concern? Harm, my dad's military, it's the fucking South and it's fucking Pickens. It's for protection." His gaze flicked back to the deer before he opened the door to his truck. Putting the gun away, he used his body to block the rifle case when he opened the second door to pull a sweatshirt from the seat. Closing the doors, Lucas locked them again before tugging the sweatshirt on. "Go get some towels, Harm. Seriously. Boil some water, cut some towels up and stick them in it. Find any bandages you have." Jacob was so going to kill him. Turning back to the deer, Lucas crept closer slowly, hands up and out towards the deer.

Evie let Amelia pull away and go back to her sheep. She knew how hard the first shift was, and she was going to stick close to Amelia for the rest of the night to help her through it however she could. She could sense that Amelia was scared, and she wouldn't leave one of her family to face this alone. Evie circled around to nudge the dead sheep closer to Amelia with her nose, urging the other bear to eat. It was better for her to fill the bear's hunger.

Harmony ‘s eyes stayed fixed on the gun in his hand until he put it away. She’d never seen one in person before, and it was a bit disconcerting to know that Lance had one. His words pulled her from her thoughts and her eyes followed him to his truck. “Towels. Got it.” She spared one look at the injured deer, her heart hurting at the thought that it had almost been eaten. Tearing her gaze from the creature, she ran up the steps, taking them two at a time. She burst through her door and dashed into the kitchen to get the supplies.

Harley tore into the mouse without hesitation, devouring it in just a few bites. It wasn't quite enough to satiate her hunger but it was enough for now. She wanted sleep more than she wanted to eat anyways. With a grateful whine in Scarlett's direction, Harley lowered her head to the ground and closed her eyes again.

Bianca the adrenaline was now beginning to recede causing her heart to pump through her chest so hard, knocking against her rib cage it felt like it might explode, and her entire body began shaking, trembling from the shock, on the verge of a heart attack. The doe could barely stand, let alone on three legs, and she breathed hard, noisily. Her ears registered the sound of human voices but her mind was too harshly under the effect of trauma to decipher the human language in its current state. She wanted to lay down but fought to stay up a little longer, knowing if she laid down now she wouldn't get back up any time soon and if they wouldn't help her... god knows what would happen to her then.

Amelia tightened her hold on the sheep as Evie came around to nudge it forward. Ripping off the meat, Amelia tore into the flesh like it was a birthday cake. Pressing her paw down onto the ribcage, it cracked underneath the pressure of her weight. Muzzle thick with blood, Mel moved across to another sheep, then looked back at Evie if to say, 'you just had to eat the whole damn thing didn't you?' before moving to the third, finding that there was a little bit of meat left on the bones.

Indiana watched Shiloh press herself close to the ground and listened and she let her features lighten up somewhat. She hated having to discipline the kids, but it was necessary sometimes and that's why Kinsey had made her Sigma, or at least part of it. She could take care of their family and would always be willing to do so. Nudging Shiloh's muzzle and licking it, she cleaned the girl's fur all the way up to her ears before explaining, "We need to go back the pack. We'll find you something to eat, Shi. Come on." Tipping her head to Flynn as well, she herded the 'wolves back towards the farm, making sure they couldn't run off again by staying behind them.

Lucas stared at the doe and hated himself for a minute, hated that he'd put himself in his situation, before growling to himself. Jacob was definitely going to kick his ass. Gritting his teeth, he tugged the sleeves of the sweatshirt over the palms of his hand before wrapping his arms around her body carefully. At least it was a doe and not a buck so he didn't have to deal with the antlers. "I swear to God I will strangle you if you scratch me somehow," Lucas muttered under his breath, uncaring if it was a lycan or not. Carefully and slowly, he lifted the doe from the ground and turned back to Harmony's apartment.

Bianca tensed for a moment as the man leaned over her but relaxed as she felt his arms around her body carefully picking her up. It was weird not having her feet on the ground but it was a relief, her three legs no longer straining to support extra weight. She calmed down a little in spite of the fact she was still shivering and she turned to look at the man as he spoke to her, before growing still, as if she were just a newborn fawn.

Lucas glanced down at the deer as she turned to look at him before quickly looking away. "Don't look at me like that. It's fucking weird." He moved carefully as he climbed the stairs to Harmony's apartment, careful not to jar her leg and send her kicking and jerking everywhere. If she did, he'd fucking toss her over the side. Reaching the top of the stairs, he made his way to Harmony's door, relieved to find that she'd left it open. "Harm? You got those towels right?"

Shiloh closed her eyes when she felt Indiana licking her muzzle and felt a little bit better. Although for the rest of the night she doubted she'd even stray a few feet from the pack. Shiloh dropped her head when she could, beginning the rest of the walk back to the rest of the pack. Her head stayed low, her eyes in front of her while dealing with her hunger still. Now she just wanted a nice rabbit in front of her and to lay down and just be a wolf--out of trouble--for the rest of the night.

#event #script #mysteryplot

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killingmoon-rp-blog · 12 years ago

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Chat Event 06: Full Moon

Summary:

The dance of life and death. Two were killed and two were born, all on the same night. The 'bears welcomed in Jasmine's twins by the light of the moon as the 'wolves were attacked by a hunter. In Fox Hollow, all who had gathered for last-minute drinks before moonrise encountered (MP #5 drop) a nervous man being puppeteered by a stranger. Explosives failed to go off and cost him his life, which consequently saved the bar. Harmony discovered Naomi's secret.

Full Script:

The Hollow: That's right bitches, the Hollow can clear out a room. Anyway. While I type up the intro/setting, anyone new to this shindig, give this a read: http://killingmoon-rp.tumblr.com/post/37...

The Hollow [OOC] This chatzy will occur in 3 "places" as far as location, and as far as time, it's on EST time, so it's currently 7:56. I know time moves more slowly in chatzy, but basically keep in mind that it is "early evening" so the moon isn't yet fully up; it's just dusky right now. As the chat progresses, the moon will rise. [Con't.]

The Hollow [OOC] All of the 'bears will be headed to Josh's, as per usual before they head out for their full moon fish hunt. However, follow Rachel's lead. All of the 'wolves will head to Kinsey's (who don't live there already) for their usual hunt on pack acreage—for now, just keep it social. More will come to interrupt. Lastly, everyone else, make your way to the Hollow. Assume that the moon isn't high enough yet for the 'foxes to have closed it and left for their own full moon hunt.

The Hollow [OOC] Feel free to begin!

Indiana had made her way down to the Hollow for the first time since the attack, wondering if there was anything she could do to help get things back up and running. She had a good conversation with the 'foxes and felt good about the renovations that had been done to get things cleaned up, more than ready to get back to work and start feeling useful again. She loved spending time around the farm and with her family, but she felt like she was simply squatting there if she wasn't working to help contribute to all the expenses involved in housing so many people in one place. Walking out of the restaurant, she twisted her body around to give one last smile and wave to the 'foxes through the window.

Colt leaned against the bar, his bright green eyes narrowed as they surveyed the busy room. The Hollow was back to normal, almost as if nothing had happened but the Alpha wasn't going to forget as easily as the rest of the town. He practically buzzed with nervous energy, the 'fox inside of him aching for the rise of the moon. The man tapped his fingers against the bar, chewing slowly on his bottom lip as he thought about what was in store for them tonight.

Sav couldn't begin to understand her butterflies for this full moon until she let it sink in. There was someone out there that was trying, very hard, to mess with the lycans. Just the thought of that made the girl want to hurl all over again. In reality, she felt bad that nobody had told her. Especially Colton. Sav didn't care if she was sick. She wanted to help as much as she could. Unfortunately, that meant letting it go for now. Her eyes darted towards Colton's casual form, watching from afar with concern.

Aine: had been to the Hollow a lot over the past few weeks. The lycans were stupid for essentially drawing a huge target on a restaurant in the middle of town, but the huntress was grateful for it. With her aconite blades placed securely in their hip holsters, Aine snuck around to the back of the building, watching Indiana, the wolf waitress, like a hawk about to swoop down on it’s prey. As the woman waved goodbye, Aine slid around the corner coming to stand face to face with the beast. “Oh pretty lass, shouldn’t be out walking when the full moon’s on the rise.” She moved closer just as Indiana turned towards her. “Don’t you know there are dangers afoot in this town.” Before the other woman could even respond, Aine’s blade was out and coming down on the wolf’s shoulder. It wasn’t a killing blow, but Aine always preferred to make them suffer a bit first.

Jasmine had been feeling like complete crap today and new that it was only a matter of time when the cubs were to be born. It wasn't like she had any chance to go to the hospital considering the full moon so it was better just to meet with everyone at Josh's and just see where things were going to go next. There wasn't a question that she was going to have the cubs tonight. Her annoyance at every little thing was a clear indication of it as she waited with Josh for everyone else to arrive to think of a plan of action. Jasmine wasn't thinking very clearly considering the amount of pain she was in.

Josh wasn't sure he was ready for this moon. Jasmine was in pain, that much was evident and it worried him. The hunters were still at large and now he needed to protect both the sleuth and the new cubs that could appear at any moment. Josh moved closer to Jasmine and placed a calming hand on her shoulder. "How are you feeling? Should we take you straight to the cave first? I can leave Ivan with you and bring you both fish for the night?" Out in the open, she was in danger and her cubs weren't safe, at least in a cave with Ivan, Jasmine could be somewhat protected if anything happened.

Evie had spent the afternoon with Dustin at the Rookery while her boyfriend worked her shift, talking about the apartment he had found for them. They hadn't made a decision on it yet, but the prospect made Evie both excited and nervous. She would be leaving the protection of living at Josh's house, and though she didn't doubt Dustin's ability to protect her, the impending move was on her mind. As Dustin drove them back to their alpha's property for the full moon, Evie began worrying about everything else, too. She knew Dustin was right, and Jasmine would have her babies tonight. They would all have even more to protect than usual. Evie took her boyfriend's hand as they parked the car in Josh's driveway. "I love you," she told him with a nervous smile.

Colt noticed the Delta's eyes on him from across the Hollow and raised a hand in greeting, waving it slightly. He wanted nothing more than to gather his troop and make their way to the hunting grounds but closing early would only place more suspicion on them. Doing what they always did was crucial at a time like this. The 'fox ran a nervous hand through his hair, tugging gently on it in frustration before pouring himself a shot and knocking it back quickly. Just one wouldn't hurt.

Sav could see how agitated Colt was, and she was across the room. It took her sucking in a small breath before she went over to him, placing a hand gently on his back. "Hey." she said, letting a small smile form on her lips. "Y'ok?"

Indiana turned back around after catching Colt and Savannah's eyes in a goodbye to hear an Irish brogue washing over her. Before she could open her mouth to respond, a large aconite blade was slammed down into her shoulder and her nerve endings were screaming in agony. She couldn't help the scream that erupted from her chest, the sound echoing around the square. Reaching up, she ripped the woman's blade out of her arm and threw it forcefully out of reach, headbutting her as hard as she could. She knew rationally that she needed to get the hell out of here and back to the pack where it was safe, but her vision was blurred from the pain of the wound which was pumping blood down her back and side, her arm hanging limp and useless at her side. Eyes changing over to yellow, she snarled, "Who the fuck are you?"

Nick had made his way into the Hollow earlier in the evening. After everything that had happened recently he thought it would be best for him to keep up appearances, let people see him out and about, and then when the time came, he would slip quietly out and escape to the woods. Even after all the damage to the Hollow it was still brimming with activity. Nick had carved out himself a booth near a corner and had been sipping on a glass of water for the past ten minutes or so. He could feel tension slowly building in the pit of his stomach as the moon rose higher and he knew it wouldn't be too long until he had to leave to find a safe place to turn.

Colt felt his muscles tense slightly when Savannah's warm hand rested on his back and forced himself to relax. He turned to look at her, attempting a comforting smile at the other 'fox. "Of course I am, darlin'. Just waitin' to get this show on the road. How're you?"

Kinsey was on the porch out back with some sweet tea, still waiting for everyone to arrive or come in from the fields. Spring was a busier time than winter, one which Kinsey generally welcomed. She herself hadn't changed out of her work clothes or showered yet, seeing little reason to given the evening's festivities. The eyeballs that Gabby had brought home concerned her and had her hyper-aware for the evening, keeping them to pack land for hunting again. Kinsey hated to restrict them, hated it more than she let on, but safe was better than sorry where her pack's well-being was concerned.

Jasmine shook her head at Josh as she looked up at him. She had too much pride sometimes to admit that she needed help, but this wasn't the place to act that way. " How do you think I feel Josh?" Jasmine replied in a matter of fact voice, still obviously not having a good time. "It's not like I'm dying Josh. I'll be okay. We can just wait for everyone to get here, then I'll go over to the cave. " Jasmine didn't think she'd ever want to give birth in a cave, but it was the safest place for the night and considering their luck lately, better safe than sorry.

Sav felt the muscles tense the second her hand touched him, and drew her arm back like it was on fire. It was far to pushy of her, and she began to scold herself internally. His answer was so... Colton. "Ah, you know... Better." She sighed, running a hand through her dark hair.

Piper was not in the best mood. She had returned from a long overdue visit to Wyoming to visit her parents and help out a bit after her mother had broken her arm but returning to her home to find a raccoon had scratched it's way through her porch had not pleased her. Despite being tired, she had felt the sudden urge to visit Fox Hollow before the moon rose high enough in the sky to change. Despite having arrived fifteen minutes ago - long enough to take someone else to get comfortable - Piper was still on edge. She could feel the horse inside her wanting to get free but she had to wait. She lifted her fingers up to rub her temples, massaging them to get rid of the ache before sighing and dropping her hand. She straightened up, eyes roving around to try and distract herself.

Colt nodded his head, turning his gaze back to the restaurant. "It's gonna be fine, Vannah. It'll be a good moon. Any idea where my sister ran off to? She should be here by now." It was easier for the Alpha to focus on other things, to ignore the slight hurt look that crossed Savannah's brown eyes at his reaction to her touch. The moon was definitely not the time to delve into that.

Aine had been expecting the wolf to fight back, it would’ve been boring if she hadn’t. The huntress took the head butt like a champ, stumbling back and drawing her other blade. A grin spread across her face as her tongue darted out to lick the blood spilling from her nose. This was what Aine had been waiting for, the moment of the fight, adrenaline pumping through her veins so fast that her body hardly registered the pain from the blow. “What’s that cliche’ famous line... your worst nightmare? Something like that, love.” Aine flick a smaller dagger out of her belt and threw it straight at the wolf’s head, expecting her to duck, because when she did, Aine’s other curved blade was ready to drive straight through the woman’s gut. There were times to play around with your prey and there were times you should just end it quickly. Indiana had spunk and Aine wasn’t willing to waste time with just one wolf when she knew she could spend hours enjoying her evening destroying a whole whole pack.

Thom had been anxious all day, as he usually was the day of the full moon. Normally it was a good kind of jittery, the wolf hiding beneath his skin itching to get out and run and be free. After all the unnerving things happening around town lately, he knew the pack had to be extra careful. After a phone call to his Pop--just a normal conversation, though the sound of his father's voice calmed him a bit--Thom hopped on his bike and sped toward's Kinsey's farmland. The quicker he got off the streets and safely in pack territory, the better.

Dustin Dustin’s shift had gone by with relative ease. He split his time between serving food, cleaning tables, and talking over his shoulder at Evie. Dustin couldn’t help but smile to himself from the thought of finally moving in with her. After everything that had happened to the Sleuth and Mel, he deserved something to look forward too, and now things were looking up for him. He held Evie’s hand as he drove them down the familiar road to Josh’s, only letting go when he had to hop out of his car. When she grabbed it again he sent her a smile. “And I love you too,” he said kissing her hand. “Come on, let’s go see Jas. I’m sure she’s ready to get tonight over with.”

Harley had walked to Fox Hollow rather than driving and leaving her Jeep there. She didn't visit the Hollow often and with the latest attacks on the place, she was leery of the idea of leaving her Jeep there. Even if that sounded paranoid, it worked for her. It was finally warm enough anyways that walking wasn't a hassle. She slipped inside the Hollow, green eyes skimming around the faces in the room. She spotted Colt and Sav up at the bar and headed that way.

Jesse had the silver Mustang pulled to the side of the road, woods surrounding him on both sides. He was a few miles away from the farm, the engine rumbling softly at a stand-still as he gazed out into the slowly darkening night from the open driver's side window, cigarette smoke slowly drifting up into the early summer air. Resting his arm on the window pane, the 'wolf flicked ash off the tip of his cigarette and brought it back between his lips. Casually gripping the steering wheel with one hand, Jesse eased the car back onto the road again, his free arm dangling out from his window and fingers drumming against the door as he began to drive towards Woodmere. His hazel eyes flickered to his cell phone on top of the dashboard, but he forced himself to rip his gaze away, an agitated, disappointed sigh escaping through his nose. He shifted his focus back to the road, taking the final turn towards the farm. He drove up to the main building and cut the engine, rising out of the vehicle and slamming the door shut with a loud thud.

Madison walked through the forest at a leisurely pace, enjoying the last few moments of daylight before the sun would slip away, replaced by the moon's 'light'. She couldn't help but smile when she saw Kinsey sitting up on her porch sipping sweet tea. It took her back to a simpler time, a time before the wolves got eyes in the mail and everything seemed so... shaky. "Hey Big Bad." Madison climbed the few steps up onto the porch and leaned against the post, smiling at her alpha.

Harmony glanced around the parking lot of the Hollow as she exited her car, taking in the dusky orange of the horizon. It was the night of the full moon, and she knew the Suttons would be closing up shop soon. Amelia hadn’t felt like cooking, so Harmony she sped her way over to the restaurant to order some food to-go for her roommate and herself. The parking lot was packed, so she had to park across the street, but she didn’t mind. She was just glad the restaurant was open again. Harmony loved the Hollow: the food, the atmosphere, the people. Everything. So it made her smile knowing that a little vandalism couldn’t stop it from retaining its Hollow-ness. But her smile quickly faded when she heard a scream. Her pace quickened along with her heartbeat as she hurried toward the front of the building where she spotted Indiana and another woman ahead of her. “Hey Indi,” she called out as she began walking toward the pair.

Sav shook her head, and turned it away. "No, and I haven't seen her all day, actually." A frown spread across the dark haired 'foxes face, turning to look around the Hollow but only saw Harley approaching them. "Hey, Harl." She called out, glad for the sudden distraction.

Flynn carefully set down his guitar, too amped up to focus on playing at the moment. He had picked up the guitar with the intention of playing a few chords to pass time instead of washing up after working all day, and now he was looking for something to do or see. Even so, a relative uneasiness slid over him like a cold chill, a feeling that had lingered on the edge of his emotions ever since Gabby had received the eyes at the Hollow. Scowling, he ambled out of his room and down the steps. A flash of red caught his eye from the window and let him know that the first of the pack had started to arrive. He figured he might as well join them on the porch.

Colt nodded stiffly at the revelation, his jaw clenching slightly. Tonight was not the night to lose track of time and his sister knew that. He noticed Harley's approach and nodded in her direction, crossing his arms across his chest. "Harley." The stiffness in his voice was obvious. After all the information that had been revealed to him about his newest member's doings, he had been debating different strategies to deal with her.

Josh placed a soft kiss on the top of her head, a friendly gesture, trying to calm the blonde's obvious nerves. "Everything is going to be alright. You'll be safe tonight and nothing will go wrong. I'll make sure of it. I know you're ready for these little guys to be out of there.... I was reading that the full moon might... help that process along." Josh bent down and placed his hands on either side of Jasmine's very round stomach. "You two need to get here already so Mama bear can be somewhat nice to me again." He smiled up at Jasmine, hoping at least for tonight she could take a joke and not smack him for it.

Shiloh was pacing so hard that the dirt below her feet was almost certain to cave in if she didn't snap out of it. Lately her mind had been focused on so much other than herself, which wasn't all that out of the ordinary. The main worry of it was the constant and repetitive torments going on from an unknown individual. Shiloh was more worried for the pack now than she'd ever been before, but that worry was still overpowered by her need to be there with them. Leaving her room by closing the door behind her, Shiloh approached the porch area and smiled at the members who had already arrived.

Kinsey smiled at Madison as she greeted her with 'Big Bad,' which was a nickname that had grown on Kinsey quite a bit. "Hey Little Red," she called as her friend came up to her. Kinsey's green-gold eyes search Madison's face for any traces of distance between them. It may have been months ago now, but Kinsey just had to know that some things were going to be normal. She couldn't lose Madison again; it was hard enough the first time. If she left now, though, it'd be Kinsey's fault. None of this showed on her face, though, beyond the penetrating gaze. She heard Jesse's car off in the distance, knowing he'd be along soon. Her brother slipped outside shortly after, followed by Shiloh. Her gaze flickered between the two of them, as well: she knew there'd been something between them in December, but she hadn't heard much since. Not that Flynn was any more forthcoming than she herself was.

Indiana grabbed at her shoulder, trying to stem the flow of blood as the woman stumbled backwards from her headbutt. Her heart was pounding and it was hard to focus, but her instincts were screaming at her to get away as soon as possible. She was in no shape to fight this woman off on her own and she needed to get somewhere safe. "That's a really stupid line for a hunter. I thought you were supposed to be smart?" Suddenly a knife came flying at her head and she ducked, only to find another stabbed into her gut. Her mouth formed a perfect O at the impact, her 'wolf growling and snapping inside of her to come out. Shifting her claws, she reached up and slammed her hand into the side of the woman's face, claws digging in and tearing at her skin with enough force to send her sailing to the ground. Bolting away as quickly as she could, she rushed towards Harmony and snapped, "Do you have a car? I need to get the farm. NOW!" She was still partially shifted and bleeding profusely, running on adrenaline alone.

Zachary The Delta was far more stressed out than he’d let on. Between the events happening in town, some psychopath on the loose, and more personal troubles there was very little time to relax. It felt stifling but Zach pushed through, keeping his duty to his pack at the forefront of his mind. After easing the Harley onto Woodmere property he cut the engine but remained seated, wanting to enjoy one last cigarette first. The smokes seemed to come and go with more frequency those days and he grumbled to himself while shaking the first of two last cigarettes out of the box. Afterwards, Zach simply posted himself up on the porch to the farmhouse like a sentry, keeping a careful eye out for any and everything while his family gathered.

Harley cocked her head to the side at Colt's greetings, the corners of her eyes narrowing slightly. She let the look disappear though and split her lips in an easy smile at Colt and Savannah for appearances. She kept an eye on Colt as she lifted herself onto a bar stool, legs crossing as she leaned her side against the counter. "Hey, Sav. Colt." Her eyes flicked to Sav and back to Colt before she shook her dark hair back. "How've things been around here?"

Nick did not mean for his eyes to connect with the girl sitting nearby in the Hollow but when they did he couldn’t help but smile. He was not for sure why he got up and walked over to her, instincts maybe, but as he approached her, he caught a whiff of lycan. It did not make him want to flee, so the chances of her being a predator were slim. Nick sat down beside her extending his hand. “Hi, I’m Nick. I cannot help but feel like I know you. Have we met before?”

Jasmine let out a sigh of breath as she tried to keep her breathing normal. She just needed to wait a little bit longer and then the cubs will be out. It meant shed be able to take care of the sleuth better again and shed be a mama bear. "I know I'll be okay," Jasmine said with a small smile at the thought of what all this trouble and pain was worth. She looked down at Josh and rolled her eyes. " Shit, now I wont have an excuse to be mean to you. " The slight humor was slowly calming her, but she knew she needed to get somewhere safe soon.

Sav noticed the awkwardness between Colt and Harley, confusion automatically flickering into mind. Best to leave it until after the moon. "Busy, as usual." She huffed, proving her fact by gesturing to the full tables.

Ash had spent the whole afternoon with Rae, getting the final supplies for their trip tomorrow before the full moon tonight. They had finished early enough and decided to go to The Hollow on their way home. Ash sat with the small plate of onion rings he'd bought mostly for keeping up appearances than the need to eat. Although he had miss his favourite Hollow's food. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Indiana leave, and thought about the time, "Maybe we should head back soon, X?"

Madison pushed down the lump in her throat and tore her eyes away from Kinsey's. It may have been a while back, but rejection always cuts deep, especially when you care so much, correction, cared so much. Madison shook the fleeting feelings from her system and focused on Zach stepping up onto the porch. She moved over towards him, greeting the delta with a soft nuzzle of his stubbly neck, breathing in his scent and letting it calm her again. "Howdy darlin".

Evie smiled as she and Dustin made their way over to the rest of the sleuth, the sight of Jasmine's big belly filling her with delight. She couldn't wait to meet to little cubs that would soon be part of their family. She pulled Dustin over to their Beta, trying to focus on the happiness these cubs would bring and not on how worried she was about the night. "You look about ready to pop," she teased Jasmine, reaching out to touch the older woman's forearm.

Colt pushed himself away from the bar, his eyes darting towards the clock hanging on the wall. He listened to the two girls talk, not really giving anything to the conversation. He was in complete Alpha mode, which left little time for small talk. "Ya'll heard from Emma today?" He questioned, not even realizing he had interrupted their conversation.

Emma Lee normally didn’t frequent the Hollow, preferring to not have her day ruined by the chance of running into the owners. But tonight was the full moon. And she’d have to see the other ‘foxes anyway, so what the hell. Emma Lee was feeling rather lazy tonight and didn’t want to have to hoof it all the way to their normal meeting spot, so she went to the restaurant instead, figuring she could catch a ride with someone. She’d entered the restaurants and made a beeline for the bathroom to mentally prepare herself for the night ahead of her which would no doubt be full of troop interaction. After her mental pep talk, she exited the bathroom and her eyes were automatically drawn to her troop mates. Taking a deep breath, she made her way over to the other 'foxes. "Ask and you shall receive," she smirked as she sauntered up beside them.

Zachary “Mads. Hey.” He caught scent of the Beta before she’d approached him but remained vigilant, scanning the perimeters by force of habit as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. When she was closer he angled his body slightly, extending an arm so that when she moved in to nuzzle him he could rest it lightly around her back, his hand barely resting on her hip as he kept her close against him. Angling his head to blow smoke over his shoulder, he nodded out at nothing in particular. “Ready for this rodeo?”

Thom parked his Harley next to Zach's, hopping off and striding towards his friend with a goofy grin. "You keep frownin' and your face'll stick that way," he called out to him.

Piper tensed as someone approached it and she glanced up at the man in front of her, canting her head to the side. She'd seen him around a couple of times but she didn't actually know him that well. Granted, she didn't know quite a few people in this town well. She eyed his extended hand before relaxing slightly. The full moon had put her on edge, which led to a slight dip in her manors. She reached out to grasp his hand and shake it. "Nice to meet you, Nick. I'm Piper, and I think I talked to you once but, I'm a little bit forgetful."

Rae F had spent the entire day in anticipation for the full moon and what would come of it. Due to the injuries Ash had sustained two months prior, they wouldn't be having their monthly full moon run, but that didn't interrupt the fact that they spent the day in preparation for their trip to California. Sitting across the table from Ash, gingerly sipping on a sweet tea, Rae stared across at the blonde, watching as his eyes followed Indiana leaving the Hollow. "That actually wouldn't be a bad idea," she mumbled, keeping a firm gaze on the brunette until she disappeared outside. Drawing a ten dollar bill from her pocket, she threw it to the middle of the table, motioning with her head for Ash to follow as she stood from the table.

Zachary looked up and away from Madison at the sound of Thom’s voice, mischief creeping into his smirk as it widened a fraction. Leave it to the Fathead to still find a way to get him in better spirits. He pulled his arm away from Madison temporarily to flip the other Delta off, the gesture intentionally immature. “Yeah? It’ll still look better than that mug of yours so I’ll count my blessin's.”

Shiloh smiled at the bickering, crossing her arms over her chest and listening to them. Nothing was ever boring when it came to the pack.

Harley took a moment to glance around at the tables at Sav's comment and nodded slightly. "Glad to see everything is going good here again," she replied after a moment. There wasn't a chance to even reply to Colt's question because Emma Lee popped up at that moment. She turned, green eyes slipping over the other 'fox as a smirk crossed across her lips. "Speak of the devil."

Kinsey smiled as Zach came up the walk as well. Kinsey trusted Zach and thought he would make a good Beta; she was always glad to have him around with his keen insight and background, even if he dealt with some difficult things in his private time. Didn't they all? As she looked around, she saw mostly everyone—except Indiana. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled. "Any of y'all heard from Indi recently? She was supposed to be off work by now."

Harmony “Holy shit!” The words slipped from Harmony’s mouth as she took in the bloodied state of her friend. Her eyes darted between the wolf’s injured shoulder and the blood stain on her abdomen. “What the hell happened? Are you…” She was frozen in shock, but the urgency in Indi’s voice snapped the human out of her stupor. “Uh, yeah. C’mon.” She slipped her arm around the ‘wolf, ignoring the yellow eyes and the all the blood. “I’m parked across the street.”

Colt allowed his eyes to move between each of his 'foxes, relaxing a little more now that at least three of them were present. He couldn't help the frustration he felt towards Scarlett for being late but Colt suspected it had to do with her fear of another Full Moon after being hurt so badly the last time. "We'll give it a bit more time and then close on up here and head out. It's already gettin' late."

Zachary turned a bit more, craning his neck to catch a glimpse of the younger Delta and he smiled, raising his free hand in greeting. “Howdy, Miss Shiloh. All set, darlin’?” The sound of his alpha’s voice pulled his attention away momentarily and he shook his head, instinctively pulling Madison closer against his side. “No, sir. I ain’t heard a peep from Miss Indi today, tell you that.”

Flynn 's eyes bounced from Madison to Thom to Zachary before giving most of them a slight nod. His eyes lingered on Shiloh for a couple moments longer before his gaze returned to Kinsey as she talked. His brow furrowed slightly before shaking his head. "Haven't heard from her either."

Aine laughed as the claws hit her face, the force knocking her away as she fell to the ground. She was bleeding, but it only made her laugh harder as she watched the wolf stumble away. It didn’t matter. She knew exactly where the bitch was going, if she made it there in one piece. Aine stood up and collected her discarded weapons, bending down to run her hand in the wolf’s puddle of blood on the concrete. Aine laughed again as she smeared the blood across her chest, not even caring that it could infect her. Aine had passed the point of caring a long time ago. The ticking noise started in the back of her head and she shook it hard, trying to make the sound just fall out, but it only grew louder. She needed to kill and she needed to do it soon. The hunter took off in the direction of the famous Woodmere Farms, excited to have finally found what she was looking for.

Jasmine gave a small smile to Evie and Dustin as they approached. " Honestly, I'm about ready to," she admitted with a laugh, before putting a hand to her stomach. It was nice to take her mind off things for a bit, but that didnt mean she wasnt ready to have the cubs in the next few minutes, " I should probably go now. I can't put this off any longer," Jasmine replied as she felt another sting hit her.

Jesse sauntered towards the porch with the cigarette still hanging loosely from the corner of his mouth, his surface irritation draining away at the sight of his family. He greeted Zach first, finally removing the Marlboro from between his lips and flicking it away, blowing the last of the smoke out of his nostrils. He brushed his forehead against the other 'wolf's in a casual albeit affectionate greeting and then moved to the redheaded female, leaning towards her to rub his stubbled cheek against hers. A smirk sketched across his lips as he nodded at the younger members, gently running his hand over Shiloh's back and moving closer to Kinsey to brush his head against her neck before taking a seat next to her on the porch. He frowned at the mention of Indiana and shook his head, finding it unsettling that she hadn't arrived yet. ”No. I thought she'd be here by now.”

Dustin chuckled as he trailed behind his girlfriend, coming over the Jasmine. He sent the soon to be mother a wave. He was happy for Jas, and the excitement of having the cubs around. While he was nervous of babysitting them, he never had been around babies before, Dustin knew between Evie and the rest of the Sleuth they would be well taken care of. “Don’t tease the woman Evie, I’m sure she must be in a lot of pain, and no I’m not covering my ass cause I’m afraid she’ll try to kill me later or anything…”

Shiloh let her grin widen more at Zachary's words, nodding her head gently. "Darn right I am." She stated, turning her head to look at Kinsey. "Erm, no. Surely she's on her way, I bet."

Indiana wheezed, "Thanks, just drive fast, champ. I'm sure that bitch will be after us. I need to get to my family, then you get the hell out of there." Rushing both herself and Harmony over to the woman's car as quickly as she could manage in her state, she climbed inside and snarled, her voice half woman and half 'wolf. She would have just shifted and ran there herself if her arm wasn't in such a state. It would only impair her running on four legs and make her easier to catch. "Go! Now!"

Ash picked up a couple of the onion rings and cradled them in his hand, as Rae threw the cash on the table. "I didn't mean right now," He laughed. Although he wanted to get home before the full moon, he was sure they'd have plenty of time to do so. He stood anyway and threw a thankful glance to the 'foxes at the bar.

Josh nodded at Jasmine's comment. "We should drop you off there... escort you and leave Ivan to guard the entrance. We'll be back as soon as we finish fishing. I'll bring you the biggest ones I find." Josh began tugging off his clothes as he continued to speak to the rest of the group. "We'll get Jasmine situated at the cave, Ivan will stay with her and the rest of us will go to the river, a bit farther upstream, closer to Jasmine. Eat fast and then we go to the cave. Everyone has to carry one fish back each for Ivan and Jasmine since they will be missing out on the festivities. Understood?"

Madison instinctively leaned into Zach's embrace, sliding her arm around his waist and tugging him tightly. With everything that had been happening lately the last thing the pack needed was all the threats to become realities. "Haven't seen her either. If she ain't here by the time that sun drops over those hills, I'll go looking for her." Madison offered, knowing that Kinsey couldn't leave the pack and definitely couldn't take the whole group with her.

Rae F chuckled, flipping her hair over her shoulder, shooting a playful glance in Ash's direction. "Oh no, I knew exactly what you meant. I was simply getting up to have a drink with you at the bar. Take the edge off before the moon rises later," her voice dipped to nearly an inaudible state, her ears tweaking to catch the strand of her own words. Walking towards the bar, she smiled at the 'foxes, leaning against the counter top. "Whiskey on the rocks," glancing back at Ash as he stood from the table, she grinned. "Make that two."

Kinsey was discontented with their answers, but had figured before she'd even heard them. It was more likely for Indiana to reach out to Kinsey directly... and since she hadn't, Kinsey was unsettled. She was twenty minutes late, which was unlike her, even for getting off a Hollow shift. She set down her tea and looked over to Madison, who offered to go look for her. It made Kinsey's heart twist because she'd go after Indiana herself—and she would have to give the job to her ex-lover, they both knew. So she simply nodded and got up, starting to strip off her clothes as she waited.

Jasmine knew she probably shouldn't have waited around for as long as she could, but to be honest part of her was scared. It wasn't like she had given birth to cubs before. The beta had to get somewhere safe as soon as possible as she started to pull off her clothes. Hopefully it would be easier to move as a bear like this than her current state. " Let's try to hurry, yeah?" Jasmine said with a sigh .

Emma Lee nodded in greeting to her fellow troop mates. “And here I thought I was the only fashionably late one,” Emma quipped, nudging Colt playfully. “Is that sister of yours plannin’ on joinin’ us or do we just get only one half of the Wonder Twins tonight?” Her eyes scanned the room in search for signs of the redhead Beta.

Colt couldn't help but roll his eyes at the brunette though her words sparked the familiar fear in him over his twin's safety. He sighed loudly, his hand going back to his hair. "She ain't here yet but she damn well better be. Reckon she's still spooked about last time."

Jesse stood when Kinsey did, his eyes measuring her for a moment, a certain kind of tightness in his hazel eyes, a sign of growing suspicion and concern. Yet he remained silent and slid his jacket off his shoulders and grabbed his shirt, shrugging it off of his body as well and tossing it on the porch before he began to remove the rest of his clothing.

Nick shook her hand briefly before sitting down across from her. “Piper…I think we may have talked once online, but I afraid I’m a bit forgetful too.” He smiled at her trying to diffuse some of the tension that the full moon was not causing. The Beta took a sip of his drink and looked at her with a curious expression. “I hope you don’t mind me being frank, but,” he leaned in closer to whisper, “you wouldn’t happen to be a lycan would you?” Nick was endangering himself by just talking to Piper, but something in him was urging him to ask her.

Josh finished getting undressed and waited patiently as the rest of the bears did the same. Josh wouldn't feel comfortable until the whole sleuth was safe within the confines of the cave. "Everyone ready? Besides Jasmine who is always ready these days." He winked at her and stretched his neck, preparing for his shift.

Scarlett Scarlett let out a sigh as she strolled over to the rest of her troop, "Sorry, y'all. I got held up, but I'm here now. And, for the record, I'm not spooked. I was just exercisin' a little caution."

The Hollow A man walked into the Hollow—an average man, is all that could be said for him. A man of average height, average build. Wearing an average jacket and an average baseball hat, not unlike half of the people in there. But he was fidgety. Anyone who was lycan who got too close to him would probably smell the sweat on him. He flexed his hands, once, and exhaled before sitting at the bar.

Ash laughed at Rae and followed his best friend to the bar. He was hardly going to turn down a drink. Full Moon's recently just weren't as fun as usual. Part of him wish their flight had been yesterday. He nodded with a smile back at Rae.

Flynn felt that uneasiness again, before promptly shoving the feeling away with a scowl. Despite the fact that Indiana often, at times, reminded him of his mother with some of her gestures, Flynn busied himself with beginning to strip for the change.

Colt reached over for his sister, his arm going around her shoulders as his lips dropped to the crown of her head. "Worried about you, darlin'. Don't go runnin' off again, okay?"

Sav sighed with relief at Scarlett's entrance, bringing her forward and pulling her into her arms. "Y'scared me, fool." She whispered before pulling back.

Harmony quickly got situated in her car, her hands shakily fastening her seatbelt and sticking the key in the ignition. She shot a quick glance at Indi and thanked the universe that she had ample practice speeding through the streets of Pickens. The car was well on its way toward the farm before she found her voice again. “Are you okay? I mean are you going to be okay? What the hell happened? Who did this to you?” She hadn’t meant to bombard the ‘wolf with questions but her fear left no room for clear thought. She’d never seen so much blood in her life. Harmony took her eyes off the road to glance at the injured ‘wolf again. The sight of the blood made her stomach roll and her foot press down harder on the accelerator.

Scarlett took comfort from being surrounded by her twin and her best friend. "I won't, scout's honor," she said to Colt before pulling Sav into another quick hug. "Didn't mean to scare no one, just wanted to make sure I'd be safe this time."

Dustin shook off his shoes and strips quickly. He sent Josh a nod waiting for the group to leave for the river. It wasn't long afterwards he fell to his knees, feeling the shift hit him.

Sav frowned at that. Vannah partically blamed herself for Scarlett's injury; a best friend should take better care of the other. "You'll be the safest, darlin'. I won't let ya get hurt again."

The Hollow The man kept his jacket on but rapped on the bar, gently, once. If he was going to do this, he was going to do it with some alcohol in him. No one could blame him for that. He cleared his throat and looked around for the bartender, or a waiter.

Erick had decided to head out that night to Fox Hollow before moon rise. It was always simultaneously a scary and exciting night for him and he'd picked up a few habits, while always trying to change his patterns for his own safety. But he tried to maximize the few hours of full control he had before nightfall and the Hollow might have been the most interesting place to go that night. He walked in right behind a man who smelled strongly of sweat but didn't seem out of breath as if he'd run. The 'horse didn't think too much of it though and sat down at a table not too far, curiously scanning the bar for familiar faces.

Piper forced her lips to curve in response to his smile, feeling guilty for her abrupt rudeness. She took a deep breath and then another, forcing more of the tension from her taut body. However, tension shot right back into her when he mentioned being a lycan. Her eyes flared slightly, a wariness filling them. "Why do you want to know?" The air conditioning brought new scents to Piper, a familiar one at that but she wasn't necessarily sure who to trust in this town.

Scarlett smiled reassuringly at Sav. "I know that, hun, but I just needed to remind myself of that before headin' over here."

Shiloh couldn't help but let her eyes slowly stray towards Flynn, watching as he hastily removed his clothing before she blushed and turned her head, ashamed.

Harley was relieved to see Scar show up. Her green eyes watched the red head get greeted first by Colt and then by Sav. She just nodded at the red head and grinned slightly before she glanced around the Hollow to see who was left. The 'cats, Piper and Nick, as well as a few other patrons. The man who entered though, average looking, caught her attention because of how fidgety he was. Licking her lips, Harley watched as he sat down and rapped on the bar for Colt's attention. After a minute, she looked away and over at Colt.

Jasmine finished pulling off her clothes as quickly as possible without making exerting herself more than she needed to. She nodded her head at Josh and allowed herself to shift, hoping that shed be in less pain than she was before.

Colt felt himself tense again at his sister's words. 'This time' echoed through his mind, a constant reminder of his failure to keep her safe. All he had wanted his entire life was to keep her safe and since becoming Alpha, that had extended to the rest of his troop. They were all family and he would sooner die before letting anything else happen to them. He raised his head, hearing the customer at the counter rap on the counter. "Be right back." He murmured to the troop, making his way over to the man. "What can I get ya?"

Rae F watched as the bartender prepped two glasses on the counter for the 'cats. She needed to get some alcohol in her system before her 'cat clawed its way out. Out of the mere corner of her eye, she noticed the man at the end of the counter, sitting on the bar stool. Rae kept her vision pointed at the back wall but couldn't help as her interest piqued.

Indiana gritted her teeth, the sting of poison running through her body and making her head swim. Add to that the fact that she was rapidly losing blood and Indiana wasn't exactly in the best frame of mind, her light skin becoming pastier by the second. Answering Harmony's questions to the best of her ability, she growled, "I'm fine, just gotta get home. She jumped me, I think she's crazy. Seen her at the Hollow before, Irish chick, that's all I know. She's after the 'wolves." Inhaling sharply, she pushed herself up when she saw the farm in sight. "Just let me out and get the hell out of here. She's coming."

The Hollow The man resisted the urge to quote 5 O'Clock Somewhere at him because it seemed like, while he was going to need something tall and strong, a hurricane wasn't going to do it. "Jack, double, with ginger. No ice." His hands fidgeted with the napkin as he looked around the room with a cursory glance. "And a new york strip. Medium rare."

Colt began to prepare the man's drink, surveying him with narrowed eyes. The smell of sweat was apparent in the air surrounding him and he was nervously fiddling. Colt felt his suspicions arise but forced them back, shooting the man a smile as he handed him the glass. "Of course. Comin' right up."

Erick 's gaze landed on Piper who was sitting with a man and he couldn't help the little side smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. They had gotten fairly friendly after she'd joined FC. He left his table before having ordered and walked over to them, tapping her shoulder in a friendly manner. "Hey, fancy seeing you here."

Scarlett kept an eye on Colt as he dealt with a customer. Something wasn't sitting right with her, but she tried to chalk it up to nerves. Still, her eyes stayed glued on Colt in case something happened.

Ash leant on the bar, half turned to Rae, he looked around the Hollow as he waited, it was definitely busy, people had clearly missed the place. "Looking forward to tomorrow?" He asked Rae casually.

Nick saw the tension set in her shoulders and he realized at how stupid he’d been .Who would outright admit they were a lycan to a complete stranger. He held his hands up meaning her no harm. “I’m pretty sure I know a lycan when I smell them. Granted smell was never really my best sense.” Nick’s eye went up to the man who walked over to their table. Obviously, he knew Piper, so Nick was content with just sitting there and watching him.

Piper frowned at the hands that Nick lifted up but for some reason, it was the horse in her that relaxed first, something that surprised her a bit. Normally the horse was her main source of instinct so she reckoned if the horse wasn't too threatened by Nick then she might as well relax. Piper heard Erick before he placed a hand on her shoulder, turning her head up toward him with a small smile on her lips. " 'Lo, Erick." She felt slightly comforted by the presence of the other horse, especially seeing as he was the guy that had been teaching her to fight. She gestured toward Nick. "Dunno if you two know each other but Nick, this Erick. Erick, this is Nick."

Rae F could barely tear her senses away from the man who had suddenly arrived at the Hollow. The smell of sweat filtered into her nose, a pungent odor of sorts. Rae quickly glanced up at Colt, giving a firm smile and nod to him. Without knowing it, Ash was at her side, asking her something about tomorrow. "What'd you say?" She stammered, keeping one ear focused on the man at the end of the bar.

Harmony continued to take deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself down. She could feel the adrenaline taking over her body. “Irish? I met her once at the Hollow. I think her name is Aine. Why would she be after the wolves?” Harmony mused as she pulled up into the long driveway of the farmhouse. She wasn’t the type to leave a friend in the lurch, so she damn sure wasn’t going to let Indi walk all the way to up to the farmhouse alone and bleeding. “I’m not just going to toss you out of the car, Indi. Especially when there’s a psycho after you.” She threw the car into to park and unbuckled her seatbelt. Flinging her car door open, the girl ran to the other side to help Indi out of the car.

The Hollow The man licked his lips and said "Thank you," in a voice that didn't sound too deep nor too high and waited for his food to come. He could feel eyes on him, but that was to be expected. He looked out the window, straining to see something, anything, but saw nothing at all.

Flynn paused, his nose twitching slightly as a familiar coppery smell reached his nose. He knew that smell and right away, his inner hackles began to rise as his eyes flicked to Kinsey. "Do you smell that?" He tensed even more as a car barreled down the drive and out ran Harmony. He frowned, wondering what she was doing on the property before he saw Indi through the front shield. He shot down the porch steps towards the car.

Erick extended an arm out towards Nick and nodded politely. "Nice to meet ya'." The Silver stirred inside of him, a mixture of tension and excitement. He looked Nick over curiously, his gut was that this guy was more than met the eye. And the comment about smell definitely caught his attention. He interjected. "So are you a lycan then?" He had to suppress his urge to curl his upper lip over his teeth to get a better scent, cause that would look weird as hell in public.

Shiloh darted her eyes back to Flynn, sniffing the air under his instruction. The deep, strong scent of copper was unmistakable. It didn't take much thinking before she too was running towards the car.

Kinsey was on her feet before Flynn could finish getting the words out. Josh's pet human shouldn't be anywhere near here, but she saw Indiana in the front and that nullified her initial frustration. Something was off. Something was definitely off. She smelled blood and nearly tore off the door handle in her haste to get to Indiana, not caring if she barged into Harmony.

Colt returned back to the front of the bar after giving the man's order to the cook. He kept a close eye on the stranger, his arms crossed at his chest. He shot a look over at the troop, urging them to stay where they were before looking back at the man. "You new in town? Reckon you must be. I know just about everyone here."

Zachary “Somethin’s wrong.” He whispered to the Beta at his side while keeping his eyes glued on Harmony’s car, his shoulders tensing and the hairs at the back of his neck standing on edge. Blood. All he could smell was blood.

The Hollow flicked his brown eyes up once to the barkeep–and owner, if memory served—with his hands across his chest. "No sir. Lived here all my life." His words rang of truth because under other circumstances, he had been in this establishment before.

Indiana threw herself out of the car as soon as it stopped moving, grateful for Harmony's help but needing to do things her way. Clapping her good hand on Harmony's shoulder she explained, "Thanks for the ride, but you gotta listen to me. I'm with my family. Get the hell OUT of here." Suddenly Kinsey was in front of her and she found herself leaning heavily into her girlfriend, speaking hurriedly. "That Irish chick is a hunter, she's coming for us. I'll take the kids into the woods, but you gotta fight her off." Stepping back to reveal her lifeless arm, she explained brokenly, "I can't help you, I'm sorry. Best I can do is get the kids out of here."

Madison nodded at Zach's words and took off after Kinsey, sensing danger and definitely smelling blood. She felt the hair spike up on the back of her neck and tried to shake off her shift for the moment. As Kinsey made her way to Indiana, Madison's eyes darted around their surroundings, looking for something, anything, the air was too tense, as if the calm before the storm.

Colt nodded at the man, the 'fox inside of him shifting uncomfortably. "My mistake then." Colt bit down on his bottom lip before stepping away to gather the man's food for him.

Harley kept her attention on Colt and the man the entire time, hands resting in her lap. She could smell sweat and was fairly sure that it was coming from Average Joe down there. Licking her lips together, she tilted her head to the side and listened while checking her phone. Her 'fox didn't like this. Hell, she didn't like this.

Ash smiled with a small shake of his head, "Are you looking forward dot tomorrow?" he repeated, noticing where Rae's focus had previously been.

Josh needed to get Jasmine in the cave as soon as possible. He began to shift, motioning for the rest of the group to do the same. It was time to hunt and possibly time to bring new life into this world. If Josh knew anything, it was that with his luck, Jasmine would go into labor right after they left the cave.

Flynn unconsciously took a step closer to Shiloh while simultaneously moving back from Kinsey and Indiana to give the both of them room. His gaze roved around Indiana and he almost bared his teeth, fists clenching.

Kinsey was surprised, in her own way, when Indi told her what had happened—surprised Indiana hadn't high-tailed it elsewhere, anywhere, alone, at the mention of a hunter. The fact that she'd made it all the way back was something in and of itself, and it brought a grim smile to Kinsey's lips. "You'll take 'em, but not yet." She glanced around, smelling, seeing more acutely than before, and coming up empty so far. They had time. Little time, but time enough. She shifted her fangs and knew it would scar, but she didn't care: she tore into her own wrist and shoved her bleeding arm at Indiana. It was the moon—Kinsey was strong, it would help her heal.

Scarlett grew more and more uncomfortable the longer Colt stayed with the customer. She had always prided herself on customer service but tonight she cared more about all of them staying safe. She inched closer to Sav, "Is it just me or are things a little suspect over there?"

Shiloh was watching the scene unfold with her eyes bulging as wide as they could go. It was almost enough to distract her from noticing how Flynn took a step closer to her, but Shiloh dismissed it as an attempt to get out of the way, which she followed by stepping backwards to make room.

Nick shook his hand, making sure to keep his grip firm. “You too, Erick.” The tension his stomach doubled the longer Erick stood in front of him. He raised an eyebrow when he asked him about his lycanthropy. Nick sent a questioning glance over to Piper, and then flicks his gaze back over to the man. “In matter of fact, I am,” he said confidently. His eyes harden slightly. “Got a problem with it?”

Rae F turned her head towards Ash, giving him her nearly full attention. "Oh, yes, I am. Looking forward to your parents and Skylar hammering us about being a couple, why you decided to bring me instead of coming solo, there's a laundry list full of what I'm excited for," she smirked, prodding him gently in the side with her elbow. "But a vacation, with you? Color me excited." Her lips tweaked into a smile as she channeled into the conversation on the other side of the restaurant.

Sav leaned in to hear Scarlett's words, nodding her head in agreement. "Mhmm." She whispered, watching as Colton interacted with the odd stranger. "Do ya know him?"

Grace strode through the front doors of the Hollow, shrugging her jacket off and laying it over her forearm. She had a little while before the moon rose, and thought she'd enjoy herself a little with good food and a fresh scene for once. After being stuck by herself, except for her evening drink with Nick a while back, due to her ankle had been pure hell. She smiled, looking around the scene of the familiar building.

Emma Lee wasn’t used to waiting, especially on the full moon. Waiting made her antsy, so she tended to show up to the troop gatherings as late as possible. But tonight didn’t seem to be her night. Emma sidled up to Harley, her eyes attempting to catch a glimpse of the ‘fox’s phone. “Damn, I shoulda brought my phone. That way I could play Angry Birds or somethin’ while we wait for the chief to close up shop.” Her eyes slid from watching Colt over to the man sitting at the bar. “I ain't seen him before, but I reckon Jethro over there best be a fast eater.” She announced, feeling her inner ‘fox already clawing to get out. "I'm ready to get the fuck outta here."

Piper arched an eyebrow as her gaze flicked between Erick and Nick before a grin broke out on her face. The first grin she'd worn since she'd left Wyoming yesterday. Horses. More horses. Just a few months ago, she'd barely run into horses and now there were two others in town. Whether it was a good or bad thing was yet to be decided but so far, it seemed like a good thing to her.

Madison was at Indi's side in an instant, giving her and Kinsey space, but hovering protectively over both of them. Whoever did this would pay with their life, Madison could guarantee that. She watched as Kinsey gave Indiana her blood, glad that it would at least help the other beta somewhat. "I want to stay, you shouldn't take on this hunter alone." Madison wasn't sure if Kinsey would argue with her, but the beta didn't care, she needed to be by her friend's side. It was where she belonged and she wouldn't feel comfortable knowing her alpha was facing this threat alone. "Jesse can take Indi and the pups."

Indiana looked up into Kinsey's eyes with urgency, her whole body humming with fear and a desire to run that she was pushing down as hard as she could. She didn't question the blonde when she was offered her wrist, simply taking it up to her own mouth and drinking quickly and hungrily, hoping it would give her enough strength to keep her babies safe until this was all over with. As much as she wanted to just pass out from pain and exhaustion, to just lay down until everything stopped burning, she knew she had a job to do and there was no time for anything else. Pulling her mouth away and licking her lips, she reached up and kissed Kinsey quickly before saying more firmly, "I gotta get the kids into the woods. The shift will help some, and the blood. Hurry, before she gets here."

Scarlett shrugged before responding, "I haven't the faintest who he is, but he sure is making my fox mighty nervous though." She took her eyes off Colt for a minute to glance over at Emma Lee and Harley before nudging Sav, "Looks like we aren't the only ones feelin' that way either."

Jasmine finished shifting and once she was completely a bear, she still felt the pain. It wasn't as unbearable as it had been, but it was still painfully obvious that she was having her cubs soon. She waited for everyone to finish shifting before letting out a small growl over the fact that she needed to get to the cave soon.

Jesse His eyes cut to the approaching car, his nostrils flaring. He leaped down from the porch after Kinsey, Flynn and Madison, the smell of blood inflirtating his nose as he approached them. He flicked his eyes to Flynn, resting his hand firmly on the younger 'wolf's shoulder for a moment. ”Be cool, brother,” he said, his eyes returning to watch Kinsey as she sank her fangs into her wrist and offered her arm at the injured Beta. Then he let his eyes drift towards the woods, his irises shifting from their natural hazel to deep, golden yellow as he took in their surroundings, his every instinct straining to hear any disruptions from around the area. He turned his head to Madison and Kinsey. "I'm staying. Let her fucking come." The words morphed into a near-growl in the end, his teeth lengthening inside his mouth, the muscles in his arms flexing slightly.

Erick sat down confidently and suppressed the urge to snort at Nick's reaction, relaxing immediately. Typical. He shook his head sincerely. "I don't. Just wanted to confirm what I already thought I knew."

Kinsey nodded as Indiana urged her to hurry; her wrist was already healing over, slowly knitting itself back together. She looked around at her brother and her heart ached; she looked at Shiloh, too, her little pup. Yes, they couldn't stay. This wasn't something they could all tackle together, not the Deltas and not Indiana. But there were too many Deltas for just Indiana to handle, founded as she was. One of the other Betas had to go. She flickered her fierce eyes between Jesse and Madison before finally saying, "Well, you two pissing contest it out. One of you needs to go with Indi." And take care of her, was the unspoken sentence, as much as it was to watch over the pack. Then she left them there, sputtering if they did, and headed inside to reinforce the house. The hunter wouldn't be using her own home as a base, that was for damn sure. On her way out, she picked up the shotgun. Sure, she was 'wolf, but she also wasn't going to give up the element of surprise. Hunters never thought they'd be facing guns—like they were the only ones who had them.

Dustin raised his head to look around at the Sleuth. He moved closer to Evie, wanting to be near her, and waited patiently for Josh's orders to move along.

Colt returned with the man's food, placing it in front of him. "Hope that's to your likin'. Better eat up, though. We're closin' early tonight." He kept his eyes trained on the human, waiting for some kind of reaction at the statement.

Flynn Despite his anger and want to help, Flynn listened to Jesse and kept his temper in control. For the moment. He looked up to all the betas but he felt he could relate more to Jesse than to Madison and Indiana. Hell, if Flynn even believed in role models, it would have been Jesse. He gnashed his teeth slightly at the feeling of uselessness. He wasn't the type to just sit around, so this feeling pissed him off even more.

Harley lifted her head as Emma Lee slid up to her side. One brow lifted at the 'fox before she finished the message she was sending. Locking the screen, Harley leaned back against the bar. "Probably should have with this guy," she replied with a loose shrug. Her attention still remained split between Colt and the stranger while listening to the other 'foxes. "But you aren't the only one ready to go either." With everything that had happened at Fox Hollow as of late, she wanted to get out of the building. And the stranger did nothing but make the hairs on her neck stand on end.

Titus: accompanying the extension of the 'rabbit's arm was the unfurling of his fingers from his palm; their delicate lengths touching upon Grace's shoulderblade, gently, as he sidled up alongside her;; pressing lips boldly yet nevertheless cautiously to her temple. "Hellooo, gorgeous."

Sav agreed with Scarlett 100%. It was odd that she'd never seen the stranger before... Sav usually made it her business to know everyone in Pickens. "Can you blame them? He's sketchy as hell."

Zachary fell back when the others approached the car, looking immediately for Shiloh and when he caught sight of her he moved to make sure he was between her and whatever danger was approaching. He felt his wolf pushing fast for the surface, but did his best to stave off the inevitable. “Got you, sweetness. Stay quiet, stay still, hear?”

Ash laughed at Rae's comments, "It won't be that bad. Sky'll be too busy with Drake to even care." Ash prodded Rae back in the arm, "Holidays with me are always great," He winked at his fellow 'cat, "Maybe if we have the time we can go to Six Flags."

The Hollow The man grunted his appreciation and little else, downing the drink in one fell swoop. Even if it was odd, even if a man shouldn't be able to hold all of a double at once, he did it. Not because he was more or less than human—mostly because he had no alternative. He shifted his weight and lifted the steak knife to the cut of meat, eating a chunk and thinking about how good it tasted.

Grace blinked and jumped a little, her lips soon spreading into a gentle smile at the sight of Titus. "Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes?" She breathed, laughing lightly as she caught his greeting. "I didn't expect to see you around here, Mr. March," she piped with a witty glimmer in her eyes. "You up for a drink and something to eat?"

Nick shrugged letting himself relax again. “You never can be too sure anymore. So I can assume you’re one as well…Smells like it.” Indeed, Erick smelled the same as Piper, and Nick put two and two together. "Lemme guess, horses right? Aren't I lucky then."

Madison stepped up to the other beta. "Go with Indi, you're strong, you can carry her if you have to. Take care of the pack. My place is at Kinsey's side. There will be time to fight later, I'm sure of it." Madison placed a strong reassuring hand on his shoulder. Jesse had been in too many fights recently and his size and strength would be a greater asset to the pack than to Kinsey at the moment. Speed is a better defense against hunter's than strength. "Take them into the woods, there is a cave at the north side of the property, it will be safe there."

Harmony nodded. All she could do was nod, her fear catching her voice again. She took minor comfort from her friend’s assurance and quickly moved to the side to let Kinsey get to Indi, backing up until her back was pressed against her car. Her eyes took in all the ‘wolves that had gathered outside and she itched to have her camera. Pushing down her inner filmmaker, she turned to shut the passenger side door and her eyes landed on all the blood in the seat. Holy shit. She turned back toward the ‘wolves just in time to see the blonde feeding Indi her blood. Holy shit. Her stomach rolled again and she was sure she was going to vomit or faint. Or both. “I’m gonna be sick,” she announced to no one in particular before doubling over and retching into the grass.

Piper gave a slight nod to Nick's question, confirming the question. She leaned forward in her chair and folded her hands on the table. "Lucky as all hell, Nick." Her lips twitched slightly.

Colt stepped back, busing himself with looking through the book of figures he kept by the register, though his attention was still completely focused on the man eating before him. His 'fox was anxious, practically clawing inside him to be released.

Indiana didn't wait around for Jesse and Madison to decide who got to fight, knowing neither one of them would want to be stuck playing babysitter to her and her wounds. Stumbling up to the house, she grabbed a roll of gauze and moved towards Zach, pushing it into his hand. "Wrap me up, okay champ? I'm gonna shift, then you wrap me up so I'll stop bleeding for a bit and we can get the hell out of here." Ripping her clothes off, she bit back a howl as black fur sprouted from her skin and she stood in front of Zach as a 'wolf.

Scarlett tried to restrain herself from reacting too strongly to watching the stranger use a knife, but she was more than a little scared now. "You ain't lying," she said to Sav, "I'll just be happy when we've closed up shop. Then all we gotta worry about is whatever's out there hunting us and not people coming here to do it." Her voice shook as she spoke, betraying her attempt at a cool facade.

Josh nodded at the group and shook out his shifted fur, padding slowly into the forest towards the cave, Jasmine right behind him and Ivan taking up the rear. They made there way to the cave, Josh's senses completely alert. He checked behind him every few minutes, sensing the pain Jasmine was feeling. Maybe tonight would be the night, from the looks of it, the bears may not even get to the river.

Ash 's eyes glanced down the bar, noticing the man down his drink in one and mentally commended him, but there was something off. He could sense the faint murmur of something not being right and he looked back to Rae as the guy tucked into his food.

Harley let her gaze flick from Colt and the stranger to Sav and Scar. "You two do realize we're sitting right here and can hear everything you're saying?" She lifted a brow at the two female 'foxes before folding her arms across her chest. She was ready to go but the guy down there seemed content to eat his food at a regular pace.

Flynn took advantage of he resulting debate and shifting to step even closer to Shiloh. Under his breath, he murmured softly to her. "Stay near me. Listen to Zach too but just stay near me, a'right?"

Sav watched how Scarlett tensed at every move the mystery man made, and wrapped a arm around her shoulders in comfort. "And then we'll have ourselves a grand full moon, just like your bro said." In a way, she was trying to fool herself, too.

Rae F shrugged as Ash mentioned Sky, knowing full well she'd be similar to Bridezilla on the days leading up to her wedding. Groaning at the whispers coming from the other side of the restaurant, she had wished she could tell the 'foxes to quite themselves before they led the man on. "Ah, now you've piqued my interest. Six Flags is exactly what I need," she smirked, "maybe an impromptu swim in the bay?" Clutching her slender fingers around the chilled glass, she tilted the rim to her lips, taking a firm sip. Looking to the side, she took a quick glance at the mystery man.

Jasmine wanted to just sit and stop making her way to the cave, because she knew the cubs were practically coming now. She followed behind Josh keeping as alert as possible, this wasn't the night to lose anyone else, especially considering her condition. Once they made it to the cave Jasmine realized that there wasn't going to be anything to do tonight other than give birth to the cubs.

Evie stayed alert as they sleuth made their way into the woods, close by Dustin and keeping an eye on Jasmine. Her biggest priority for the night was making sure their beta and her cubs made it through the moon safely.

Scarlett chuckled softly, happy to see that the stranger hadn't shaken Harley too much. "Yeah, 'course we know that. But the goal is to appear human and humans can't hear as well as us. Tonight of all nights is a good time to keep up appearances. We don't know what'll happen when we step outside."

Erick looked at them both silently with a little smile. Lucky? He wasn't really sure if there was such a thing. "So how do you know each other if you don't mind my asking? I think I've seen you around town before, but I'm surprisingly out of the loop."

Rae F noticed Ash's gaze following down the bar, focused on the man sitting at the end. Rae tilted her head, finishing off her drink, staring at the man. There was an obvious awareness in the air, making the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. "Something's off about him," she murmured under her breath only for Ash to hear.

Shiloh was getting all different kinds of demands from two men, but chose to calmly listen to both of them. Nodding once to Zachary, she turned her attention to Flynn and looked up at her comforting eyes. "Yes, sir." She whispered, lowering her head down.

Flynn fidgeted for a moment. "Don't worry, Shi. Gonna take care of you. The pack will too." Flynn wasn't big on open displays of affection but he discreetly moving his hand toward hers, gently brushing his fingers over hers.

Harley smirked briefly, green eyes watching the red head. "Well when we stand around like a little chick gang at Fox Hollow and half of us look antsy as hell, we don't look normal, do we?" She didn't bother to hide the dry tone to her voice, didn't care to. The guy wouldn't hear them and the other humans in the place weren't close enough to hear either.

The Hollow Ate half of his steak before he knew he wouldn't be allowed to swallow another bite. The buzzing in his ear was at him, whispering. Under his breath, he cursed. His hands shook, ever so slightly, as he reached for the steak knife. He had other weapons on him, of course, but he had to be specific about this. Brandishing the Fox Hollow steak knife, he stood up and said, "One of you will sacrifice yourself to me or all of you will die." He didn't have to specify what he meant by 'you.'

Nick let out a small chuckle, and shook the hair out of his face. He had met other horses in the past, but he sure wasn’t expecting meeting any here in Pickens. “To be honest, we haven’t really met before this, just talked on the internet once or twice. I work at the Rookery if that helps. Tall, male barista that works mostly mornings, that’d be me.”

Shiloh could feel her heart flutter at his words, and even more so when he allowed his skin to touch hers. It was a small, brief touch, but it still meant more to her than he could know. "I know, Flynn. I trust you."

Colt clenched his jaw when the man suddenly stood, holding one of his own knives out threateningly. This was /his/ place and it was bad enough that it had been attacked twice and he'd be damned if it happened again. He raised his eyes, locking them on the human. "You don't want to do this, brother. In fact, I think you'll be wantin' to leave right now."

The Hollow The man snorted. "I don't want to do this. But I have to. Do I need to repeat myself? One, or done."

Scarlett had opened her mouth to reply to Harley, when the stranger stood up and all the air left her lungs. She was really and truly scared now and didn't know what to do. Her heart hammered in her chest as she watched the exchange between Colt and the customer, terrified of the outcome.

Piper "He pretty much covered it." Piper chuckled before s paused for a moment, a slight shiver rolling over her before her eyes immediately flicked to the man at the bar, her entire body stiffening. She remained still, mind working over what he had said. Sacrifice or death. She looked to the owner of the bar and her fists balled instinctively.

Colt exhaled a long breath, his hands clenched into fists at his side. "And why's that? Ain't nobody gotta get hurt here." He attempted to keep the man engaged, stepping sideways along the counter.

The Hollow The man shook his head. "Someone has to get hurt here."

Jesse His gaze followed Indi as she climbed up to the house and then returned to Madison. It was his duty as much as it was hers to stay at Kinsey's side and defend their territory, but his protective instincts were drawn towards the rest of the pack. ”Got it,” he growled, pressing his forehead against Madison's for a brief moment as a signal of trust. He turned around to face the Deltas, his hands unbuckling his belt buckle and pushing the denim down his legs, the beginning of the transformation already racing through his spine. ”We're heading north,” he announced. ”Keep it tight and stay together. Follow Indi's and Zach's lead. Me and Flynn are bringing up the rear.” When he finished talking, Jesse dropped down onto all fours, the change coursing through him, fur coalescing over his human skin, as he waited for the pack to assemble and start moving towards their destination.

The Hollow: He swung his gaze around the room and called out, more loudly. "So who is it going to be? Who gets to play martyr?" He swallowed thickly, barely able to get the words out.

Erick nodded, placing him in his mind. Right, he was one of Layla's coworkers. "I'm Layla's roommate. And one of the bar tenders at The Outlaw," he commented with a smile. Before he could keep going though, the man he had followed in earlier and that smelled like sweat stood up. Erick immediately stood up in response to his words. He was used to defusing situations at the Saloon maybe he could handle this. He walked cautiously towards the man. "Hey now... I don't know what's the matter, but I'm sure it's something we can talk it out." He glanced at Colton and gestured with his chin. Teamwork?

Colt nodded his head stiffly. "I guess so, sir." The Alpha reaches below the counter, pulling out the fully loaded shotgun that he kept there in case of emergencies. He leveled it with the man's chest, his hands steady. "But it ain't gonna be any of us."

Rae F took in a sharp breath as she carefully listened as the gruff man began making demands. "Easy, Scar," she muttered, wanting the other red head to remain calm, even though Rae had no tie to the fox troop. "Don't make sudden movements."

Harley looked over at Colt and the man when she saw Scar freeze. Her jaws pressed together, biting down a growl. Her body straightened slowly so that she was no longer leaning against the counter. Her 'fox was all for leaving now but she didn't want the guy to lose it. For now, she bit down on the urge to run as her hands curled into fists. When he called for a martyr, her eyes flicked over to Colt before looking back to the man.

Ash smiled, knowing that the mention of the amusement park would get that reaction. He returned her smirk, "And maybe I can teach you how to surf?" The older cat nodded and was just about to whisper back when, as if right on que the man stood up and began brandishing his steak knife. Ash watched carefully as the man and Colt spoke, his glass forgotten in his hand.

Thom followed Jesse's lead after a curt nod, fear heavy like lead in his belly. He had to do his part to protect his packmates, so after a look to Zach he stripped down and left his baggy clothes in a heap on the ground. He gazed up at the moon, feeling the beginnings of the transformation prickle along his skin and willing his wolf to come out.

The Hollow The eyes were on him again and the buzzing in his ears was louder than ever. He looked down the barrel of that shotgun and never wavered with his knife. "You don't know what you're doin. You're only hurtin yourself." There was fear in his eyes, but oddly, it wasn't focused on the shotgun, if Colt cared to look. His fear went beyond the man in front of him. He paid him no mind and repeated the question. "Who will be my sacrifice?"

Flynn gave Jesse another nod to show that he understand before he followed the beta's lead. The change came naturally to him, having been doing it all his life. Silver-grey fur sprouted over his skin and he gently nudged Shiloh toward the middle before taking up his post in the rear.

Rae F clenched her hands into fists at her side, preparing to protect Ash and herself, ready to shift at the drop of a dime. Forgetting Ash's questions, Rae shifted from leaning on the counter to standing straight, blocking Ash.

Colt spoke, a growl vibrating through his voice. "Reckon I know exactly what I'm doin'. Ain't nobody gonna get hurt here. This is my place and it ain't gonna happen so why don't you just go on and drop the knife." He desperately wanted to shift his focus to his troop, to shoot them reassuring looks, but he dared not take his eyes off the man.

Nick didn’t have time to answer Erick before he saw the man stand up. Immediately he moves himself in front of Piper, shielding her from any harm. Now that he’d found out there were other ‘horses around he wasn’t going to let anyone hurt them. “Piper, stay behind me okay, and don’t make any sudden movement. He watched carefully as the exchange kept going on. Now was not the time for this, he thought.

Kinsey watched as Jesse took off with Indiana and the pack and part of her heart went with them, trusting the two of them with her life's work. But as soon as they were out of sight, Kinsey knew she had to keep to that trust and forget them. At least it was one hunter, the way Indiana told it. Just one. She could manage that. She had to manage that, on her home turf, to keep her people safe. With level breathing, she kept the vantage point by staying on the porch, keeping distance and able to see from all angles who might be coming along. Farm was arranged with good reason, being in the family so many generations. All the wilds were out back, but all the trails Indiana could have left would lead to the front. Kinsey kept the house to her back; she never put her clothes back on, but there she stood, ready with her shotgun loaded and levelled.

Erick tried to think quickly, looking between Colt and the strange man, who didn't seem like he would relent. He didn't know Colton enough to determine if he'd actually pull the trigger but no one had to get hurt, including the lunatic. He looked to the owner of the Hollow from behind the man and mouthed silently 'will you back me up?' If he could take this guy outside he'd have a chance to disarm and neutralize him. He'd been training in martial arts precisely for this sort of thing.

Scarlett kept her eyes on Colt but tried to calm her breathing. Panicking wouldn't help the situation at all. Being the hero had never been her style and for the first time in years, she wished it wasn't her brother's style too.

Emma Lee could feel her ‘fox on the brink of taking over. The second the guy pulled out the knives and ranting about martyrs and sacrifices, the ‘fox urged her to run. To shift. An impatient Emma Lee was one thing, but an impatient and scared Emma Lee was something entirely different. And wouldn’t be good for anyone. Emma reached out and grabbed Harley’s wrist to get her attention. She had to get out of there before her ‘fox decided to do it for her.

Harley stared at the man before pushing herself off the stool. She was standing, green eyes focusing on the man and Colt, when Emma Lee's hand wrapped around her wrist. Glancing over, Harley saw the younger girl's eyes and swore under her breath. Getting over it without the guy losing it was going to be next to impossible. "Hang on, sunshine, I got you."

Madison nodded as the group left the house. Madison moved outside to join Kinsey on the porch. "Just you and me, darlin'." Madison's hands shifted, large claws jutting out from her fingertips. They must've been quite the sight, two stark naked women standing on the porch, one with a shotgun leveled and loaded. If this didn't sum up Madison and Kinsey, the redhead wasn't sure what would.

Piper looked from Nick to Erick, a part of her indignant at being told to stay back but most of her was relieved that she had people protective of her. The horse in her was currently fighting with the flight or fight instinct, though and it took everything in her power to simply stay still. Gritting her teeth, she felt a new flash of fear for the other horses. She just found them, and she wasn't keen on watching them die.

The Hollow The buzzing in his ears was a hiss now, ever louder. And in one fell swoop, he stopped talking. There was no way no one could get hurt here. He had a family to protect. A little girl. He couldn't let her down. Couldn't let his wife down. He swerved and, so fast, buried the knife in Colt's shoulder.

Scarlett fought her fox's impulse to run to her brother and help him out. The human side of her mind urged her to be rational and that meant putting aside the anger and the pain and keeping quiet while her brother suffered for being a good Alpha. Tears gathered at the corner of her eyes but she refused to let them fall.

Jasmine let out a small growl towards Josh and the rest of the group. There wasn't going to be any waiting around for the night. She was going to have her cubs right now. The beta sat down once they reached the cave signalling that she wasn't going to wait any longer.

Erick 's horse reflexes kicked in at the sudden movement. He wasn't able to prevent the man from stabbing colt, but he immediately swerved to the side in case Colt pulled the trigger by accident. He took this opportunity to sock one of his best right hooks to the side of the aggressor's head before jabbing him in the back of the head with his left fist.

Ash placed his hand on Rae's arm as she moved in front of him. Although a part of him appreciated the danger of the situation and the adrenaline rush that would soon come, he was also ready to hold Rae back if it came to it. His initial thoughts were his own survival and that of Rae. Neither of them were at their max health and it just wasn't wise to make a move, which would put them in more danger. The 'cat blinked as the man lunged at Colt with the knife and stared. This was a little more than a bit of danger.

Harley jumped when the man turned and buried the knife in Colt's shoulder. "Scar, take Em and get the fuck out of here," she snapped before lunging forward. She didn't care if it was stupid, didn't care if Colt was mad at her for something. He was still her Alpha, still had to be protected.

Harmony wiped her mouth, glad no one was paying attention to her. They had bigger things to worry about and so did she. She had to leave. Fast. Hurrying toward the driver’s side, she couldn’t drive away fast enough. She sped away from the farmhouse, but had to pull over on the side of the road when she was a safe distance away. The psycho killer, the urgency, the blood. This was way above her pay grade, and it was catching up to her. Her meal at the Hollow forgotten, she sat in her car until she was calm enough to continue driving.

Evie went to Jasmine's side, trusting the men to guard the cave while she tried to help her Beta in whatever way she could. She nudged her head against Jasmine's shoulder, urging the pregnant bear to lie down so the cubs could get on their way.

Colt let out a holler as the knife ripped through the muscles in his shoulder, pushing the man back at the same moment that Erick landed a punch across the man's head. He lifted the shot gun again, pain flaring through his wound at the movement and hit the man in the head with the butt of the gun. The 'fox noticed Harley rush over and let out a loud growl. "Stay back."

Rae F held steady in front of Ash even though she wanted to push forward and knock the psychotic man out of the way, but Ash's hand was soon on her lower arm, holding her back, reminding her that he came first before any of the 'foxes. A low growl tore through her chest, demanding this man be taken down.

Aine made it to the farm in no time. She could taste the tension in the air and it was fucking delicious. She pulled out both blades, wiping the bitch’s blood off on her pants, letting the edges shine like freshly polished silver. The property was nice. If Aine had been more of a home body, she would’ve seen herself at a place like this, settling down. Maybe she’d hang around after she cleared out the vermin. Slaughtering a whole wolf pack would stop the ticking for at least a month, she thought as neared the farm, eyes darting around for any signs of movement. If that girl had made it back, the wolves may have been expecting her. She stood at the edge of the forest, binoculars pointed at the small home. She was low and to the ground, remaining out of sight from anyone on the property. From the looks of it, there were two wolves, one armed, standing on the porch, a blockade of sorts. “I guess I have to go through them first. Seems like good craic, don’t you think?” Aine said to no one in general. The hunter didn’t like guns, but she always carried two revolvers just in case. She slowly approached the house from the side, out of direct view from the two women, guns pointed at them. When she was in hearing range she spoke up. “Now surely you two bitches would much rather rip me throat out than blow me brains out? What’s the fun in that?” she had one revolver pointed at each of them, even if the one with the shotgun managed to fire it off, she’d probably be able to get at least one aconite bullet in either the blonde or the redhead before she breathed her last breath. If she knew anything about wolves, they’d much prefer to protect their packmates than risk that.

Scarlett focused on the words coming out of Harley's mouth to help keep her from freezing up. The other fox was right, Emma Lee needed to get out of here and it was best if she took her. Not waiting to see what unfolded between Harley, Colt, and the customer, Scar grabbed Emma Lee's hand and took off running as if the hounds of hell were chasing her. She prayed her brother would be alright.

Dustin came to a halt near the front of the entrance to the cave. He knew he wouldn't be of much use to Jasmine, so he decided to help Ivan out with the watch. He sent Evie a quick glance before he moved closer to the other Beta, keeping his eyes peeled out for any danger.

Piper shot to her feet behind Nick, taking a few steps forward as Colt was stabbed and Erick lashed out. She didn't even realize that was gripping the knife from the table she had been sitting at - nor did she remember picking it up. Piper had been taught to protect herself at all times, by both her brother and most recently by Erick but she forced herself to stop before she moved past Nick. Instead she hovered behind Nick and glowered, her knuckles white from holding the blunt knife.

Harley made herself stop when Colt growled at her, though a growl of her own rumbled in her throat. She knew Scar and Em would be fine, the Beta fox would be able to take care of the younger girl. But she still didn't like the fact that Scar had been the one to freeze. Glaring, the 'fox let her hands hang at her side with her fingers curled into loose fists.

Emma Lee closed her eyes and concentrated on the sound of Harley’s voice and then on the familiar smell of her Beta as she was passed over to Scarlett. Colt’s voice grabbed her attention and she opened her eyes to see that he had been stabbed. She wanted to help him. She wanted to rip the crazy guy’s face off. But she also didn’t want to shift in front of everyone and put her troop in further danger. The tell-tale signs of her impending transformation were starting to take hold of her, and she felt powerless to stop it. A whispered “Scar?” was all that she could manage to get out. She hoped it would be enough to alert the Beta of the urgency of the situation.

Josh heard her growl right as they entered the cave. I guess his gut feeling was right again. He shifted his voice box so the others could hear him. "No fish tonight. Jasmine's going into labor. Evie and Bonnie will help me, the rest head to the entrance and keep watch." Josh turned towards Jasmine and nuzzled her neck. "You're going to be okay, let's get those babies out." He could feel the nerves inside him building, but he couldn't let them show.

Indiana tried her best to run with her wounded front leg, knowing that getting the pack to safety was the most important thing. With Zach beside her she headed north, as far away from the from as they could get for the time being. The run was long and terrible, making her grit her teeth and snarl more than a few times, but eventually they were up deep into the woods to a point they may not even have been to before. Once she deemed them safe, she immediately collapsed on her good side, breathing heavily and giving a soft whine. She was being as strong as she could for the Deltas but she truly wasn't in great shape. Shifting her vocal chords, she ordered, "Jesse, take 'em for a hunt. You all need to settle down and get food in your systems. Don't stray far and if you do, only go north. I'll get something around here and keep an eye out, I'm just tired."

Emma Lee let out a breath of relief as she felt the cool outside air hit her face. Scarlett had gotten her out in time but she wanted to go back in. Instead, she ran to the side of the building, hopefully out of sight of anyone else, and let the transformation run its course. She hated being sidelined like this, but her ‘fox wanted what her ‘fox wanted. And there was no way she could go back into the Hollow like this. Emma Lee would have to do one of the things she hated most. She'd have to wait.

Nick made a step forward before he realized he needed to stay put and protect Piper. He looked over his shoulder looking at her as she shot up behind him. His held his arm out in front of her, trying to keep her behind him. Nick did a double take when he saw the knife in her hands. “Piper, don’t.”

The Hollow He wasn't quick enough to dodge Erick's punch, which sprawled him out onto the bar floor, knocking over stools as he went. The steak knife went flying from his grip, but as he flew, his jacket fell open, revealing a ring of explosives strapped to his chest. There was no trigger button. His eyes went wide and he said, "If I don't kill one of you now, he will kill all of us."

Erick could feel The Silver agitated and aggressive but he refused to let the situation out of his control. He called out to Nick, who was much taller and probably heavier than himself. "Nick, pin him down, I'm gonna try and get the explosives!"

Scarlett urged her feet to move faster as she tried her best to get Emma Lee to safety. She hoped that Sav was following close behind, but her priority was Emma Lee. "Everything's gonna be okay," she said to Emma Lee as she saw the other girl head off to shift. Her own fox was itching to get out but she was scared of what would happen when it did. She wanted to kill that man for hurting her brother and in her current state of mind, her fox would try its best to do it. After taking a few more calming breaths, she shifted and focused on Emma Lee. The other fox's safety was more important right now, vengeance could wait.

Jasmine listened to Josh and got as comfortable as possible as she found a spot in the cave and laid down on her side. It was now or never and Jasmine despite her nerves was ready to become a mama bear. Hopefully nothing bad would happen tonight while this was happening. Jasmine let out a small growl before she knew it was time and pushed for the first cub to come out.

Colt felt the anger rise within him, glaring down on the man before him. He hopped over the bar, keeping the gun trained on the man's head. "You sick son of a bitch." He growled, his eyes raking over the exposed explosives. "No, Erick. Don't touch them. You have no idea what you're doing and you could blow the whole place up." He allowed himself a quick moment to glance around before yelling to the rest of the patrons. "Everybody out. NOW!"

The Hollow "Don't! He'll pull the trigger! No one leaves."

Rae F eyes narrowed in anger as her gaze fell upon the man falling to the floor, his jacket falling open, exposing the explosives hidden beneath the coat. "Ash," she growled, shoving him with her arm. "Get out of here, just get out of here," she hissed.

The Hollow He looked to the redheaded man. "I don't want to die, no more than you do. I got a girl at home, she's six. I want to get back to her. So we have to give him what he wants. We have to." The last came out like a whisper.

Evie nuzzled her head against Jasmine in an attempt to soothe her through the labor pains, her complete attention on the beta.

Harley stayed where she was, her eyes watching Colt now. She didn't do explosives. There was no way to beat up explosives. Her eyes flicked to the man on the ground as he spoke before she swallowed. Gritting her teeth, she looked at Colt again. "Pull the trigger, Colt."

Colt "You're not calling the shots anymore, brother. Ya'll get out of here. Now." Colt inhaled sharply at the man's words, his knuckles white as they clutched the gun. "Who?"

Erick was losing patience and echo'd Colt's inquiry, extending it "Who the fuck is 'he' that you keep talking about, what does he want, and why the hell does he want it?"

Josh moved to one side of Jasmine, not really able to help much since it wasn't like he had human hands to catch it or anything. "Deep breaths, you can do this."

Rae F glared at the man, a sharp growl passing over her lips. "Who the hell are you talking about?" She growled.

Piper sucked in a harsh breath at the sight of explosives, her wide eyes fixed on the man's face. Who was he talking about? What had happened make him so wretched.

Jesse kept up the rear, flanked by Flynn, as Indiana led the pack deeper into the woods with Zach. He knew it was his main priority and responsibility to keep the pack safe, but he wasn't even remotely comfortable with the idea of leaving his Alpha and the other female Beta behind to deal with the hunter. His hackles bristled and his shoulders moved stiffly, rigidly, under his tawny blond fur while the pack traveled further into the woods. Making his way to Indiana, he lowered his large head and let out a low, throaty whine, his ears flattening against his skull. Nodding at her words, he let out a deep bark to encourage the rest of the 'wolves to continue northbound. He trotted after them, his ears erect once again, eyes beginning to scan for potential prey.

Nick immediately moved to pin the man down but stopped abruptly at the Hollow’s owner yelling. He stood there frozen trying to fight the urge to flee. The Buckskin fought it out though, and moved to stand behind Erick. He looked back Piper worried, he nodded her head to leave, hoping to get her out of the Hollow. “Erick’s got a point. Who the hell is he talking about?”

The Hollow "I don't know! I don't know his name. He took me from my house and all I can tell you is he's got this strange voice, like a little too high, it ain't right. I don't know. I don't know who he is. But he's watching me, talking in my ear." He couldn't indicate the bug in his ear without the man outside in the distance noticing.

Rae F clenched her jaw, shaking her head. "There probably isn't even anyone out there! You're a psychotic fuck, dude."

Colt "Look, we can help you. If someone is trying to hurt you, we can stop them." Colt allowed a soothing tone to enter his voice, despite the way his muscles remained tight and ready to spring into action should the man even twitch. "Disarm that thing and we'll get you some help."

Dustin could hear the sounds the commotion in the back and he had to force himself to keep looking forward. He was worried for Jasmine and wished that everything was going alright.

The Hollow The man shook his head in derision. "I don't know how to undo this mess, do you?"

Rae F kept a steady eye on the man, silently chuckling as he painted himself as a victim of some loony guy. Stepping forward, ignoring whatever restraint Ash had on her, she kept a firm distance but wanted Colt to know he wasn't alone. She was too involved now to leave, or so she felt. However, she wanted Ash out of there.

Colt exhaled loudly, biting down on his bottom lip. "Can't say I do." The Alpha lifts his gaze to the rest of the customers. "I thought I told ya'll to get on out of here. It ain't safe and I'm not having ya'll blow up. Someone dial 911 and tell the police we've got a bomb in here and need a team to disarm it."

Erick was trying to think of a way to help at least some of the innocent bystanders. It would effectively appear they had a hostage situation, no cops. Time was against them: it was a Full Moon, and time was trickling away. And there was someone watching them. "No, nobody move. Whoever is giving this guy orders is probably watching us, and I would bet my right hand that he has the trigger for the explosives."

Flynn stayed beside Jesse as the wolves delved deeper into the woods, his ears pricked forward and his nose scenting even the littlest things at the moment. Occasionally his eyes strayed to Shiloh but for the most part he remained alert. For the moment, as Indiana spoke, the silver wolf stood still for a moment before following with Jesse.

Harley bit back a snarl at Rae coming closer, mostly out of the fact that she didn't want the freak on the ground to freak out and kill them all. "Seeing as how he said if we leave we all get blown to hell, I figured I'd stay." She couldn't help the dry, sarcastic tone that came with her words as she looked at Colt.

Piper tilted her chin up at Colt's gaze, longing to stand closer to the other horses but she listened to Erick and stayed put, despite how it grinded on her nerves. The chestnut flexed her hands slightly at her sides but she furrowed her brow, despite the tense situation. She didn't know how long they could stay like this, didn't know what could happen. Her eyes bounced to Harley, and despite all that was happening, her lips twitched in amusement.

Jasmine steadied her breaths. It wasn't going to do her any good to get worked up about anything when she was supposed to be giving birth. Jasmine let out a growl and pushed again till the first bear cub came out.

Rae F glanced around at the other lycans at the Hollow, a sarcastic thought passing across her mind. Who would've thought that on a full fucking moon they'd be here, some fuck on the ground threatening to blow them to pieces. Crossing her arms over her chest, she glanced at the man. "So you don't know who is manipulating you, but I'm assuming you know your own name?"

Colt allowed another growl to pass his lips. "So we're all gonna stand here starin' at each other until this place blows up? That's a brilliant idea." He shook his head, his eyes flashing. "Harley, go out the kitchen through the back door. Stay out of sight and off the road and go get us help. And that's an order, darlin' so move."

Kinsey was underestimated by the human, but it wouldn't be the first time. It amused Kinsey that hunters seemed to think they knew so damn much about their kind, only to botch it so badly. She could hear the hunter coming from the side—how could she not? And swung to fire before she got close enough to mouth off. The shotgun riddled two bullets into the hunter; but at that distance, it was likely she ducked. The shotgun wasn't exactly a long-range weapon, but it might be enough to scare her off. Instead, she kept coming, close enough to mouth off. Kinsey just laughed. She could wave the revolvers all she liked, made no difference. The Alpha was more worried about Madison than herself, so she Aura Lashed her Beta hard enough to get her to move and muss up any aim the hunter might have; simultaneously, she shot again, this time at close range, aiming for the woman's thigh. She had one thing right: this wasn't going to be done quickly. Kinsey was going to make it hurt.

Erick knew one thing. The important part was to get everyone safe. To get this guy and the bombs as far away from everyone else as possible. "If someone gave themselves up, would you let everyone else in this place leave the building?"

The Hollow "I ain't nobody. Sam Marshall, god's truth. It's in my wallet." He moved to stand up, more to show he was in control of the situation to the man watching, to make it look like he wasn't fucking this all up.

Colt narrowed his eyes at Erick, not liking where this was going.

Piper 's eyes flew to the other horse and couldn't help the words that flew from her mouth. "Erick, don't." She'd be damned if he was going to play martyr without her getting a few words in.

Nick eyes widened. "Erick, don't."

Colt "No" Colt pushed the man back down with the toe of his boot, the gun trained at his head. "You ain't movin' until we got this all fixed. And no one is givin' themselves up. This is my place and it's my job to keep ya'll safe."

Erick "I'm just trying to figure out what it is that the mastermind wants. Any of us do a wrong move and we're all BBQ + fried." He looked back at the man. "Okay Sam. Is he just givin' you orders or can he hear what's going on in here?"

Rae F looked to Erick, shaking her head. She knew the guy had training in self defense, but that didn't mean anyone had to give up their lives. "No body is going to be blown up in here while everyone else gets to live," she muttered. "So Sam Marshall, tell us about that bug in your ear."

Harley glanced over at Colt, her lips pressing together. Orders were orders. If they all ended up as well done steaks, it wasn't her fault. Well, technically. She licked her lips together before boosting herself over the counter and into the back. With her eyes on the windows and feeling like she was sneaking out of Benedict's house all over again, she crept back through the kitchen and out the back door. It was darker out now, getting close to time for the moon to rise. But who the fuck was she going to find to come help?

Madison heard the footsteps coming, but before she could make a move she felt her wolf being tugged painfully, so much so that her body was forced to move. "Fuck," Madison growled. Kinsey better not be planning on keeping her out of the fight, she wasn't here to sit on the sidelines. Madison stayed out of the hunter's aim while Kinsey fired another shot, taking this time to fully shift, ready to just the strange woman the minute she put her guard, and those guns, down.

The Hollow Sam exhaled and looked like a deer caught in headlights, keeping his back to the window so his puppetmaster couldn't see his face. "He can't hear—" and that's when there was a sound like the world was on fire, but it was so much smaller than he had thought, and only part of his body was on fire. Not all of them had gone off, but he was delirious, laughing in shock, not able to see what else might have caught fire or been hurt by the small explosion.

Aine wasn’t scared of gunshots, hell she wasn’t even scared of gunshot wounds. What did she have to lose? She had no family, no friends, nothing. If she died, no one would mourn her death. Her purpose was to end the lives of the disgusting vermin that were trying to inherit the earth. They needed to die, these women needed to be killed and cleansed. Aine moved enough that the second shot only grazed her thigh, ripping the skin, but not hitting anything major. She laughed, wickedly and tossed the guns to the side. “Come on pretty puppy. Don’t hide behind that metal. Face me like the mutt you are.” Aine pulled out her blades. If this wolf wanted to shoot her dead, she could, but Aine had a feeling that wasn’t the case. This blonde looked ready for a fight, just the way the Irish lass liked them.

Jasmine realized she was only halfway done as the first cub squeaked once he was out. It was a weird relief, but also slightly shocking at how real thing's were. Instinct dictated that she wanted to be close to her first cub already and turned slightly to pull her cub close to her and nuzzle the tiny bear before she tried to push the second bear cub out.

Rae F jumped backwards as the small explosion set fire to the man. Turning around towards the window, she glared out into the distance, trying to see if there was anyone, or anything, standing beyond the Hollow.

Colt "Fuck." Colt hollered as the loud sound echoed through his restaurant. Instinctively, he reached over and grabbed Erick's arm, throwing him backwards and away from Sam. The pain in his shoulder amplified, as burns appeared on his other arm. He dropped the shot gun, his green eyes darting around. "Out. Everybody out. They could all go off."

Emma Lee strained to hear what was taking place. Colt and Harley were still in there with that asshole and she was stuck in ‘fox form outside. There was no gunshot, and that worried her. What the hell, Colt. Shoot that fucker, she thought to herself. She wanted to know what was going on. Emma ventured around to the back of the restaurant, in hopes of being in better earshot. She froze when she heard the door creak open, knowing the shadows would hide her from sight. Her eyes raked over the figure that stepped out of the doorway, and she trotted over to the other ‘fox. She looked up at Harley as if to ask, What the hell is going on? Hopefully the other woman knew her well enough to understand her tacit question and could fill her in.

The Hollow That was about the time a silent shot came straight through the window his back had previously been towards, creating a small cracked hole where the bullet passed through, and went straight into Sam's head. He fell down, dead.

Naomi had heard gunshots. She wasn't a moron, this was standard shit, and she knew her firearms. Quickly shouldering a bag, the leopard took faster steps from her small apartment to her truck, realizing she only had little time left to get the hell out of here before the real heavy hitter set off. It was a mistake, to come back to this damn town.

Colt yelled again at the sound of a gun, dropping to the ground to grab his own. "Everybody down."

The Hollow Then the phone to the Hollow rang.

Piper stumbled back a step, clasping a hand over her sensitive ears as the frightful sound swept through the place. As if that wasn't enough, she was almost floored by the sight of Sam falling forward, before tripping over her own feet to drop to the ground. She pushed the mass of hair from her eyes, looking for Nick and Erick.

Colt hears the phone ringing and shakes his head. Who the hell would be calling now?

Rae F sprang into action, shoving Ash to the ground and falling down beside him. Her inner 'cat was itching to break loose and she knew the moon was rising high into the night sky. "Cover your head, guys," she called out, putting one hand over her head, reach out to Ash with the other, covering his hand with her own.

Harley hadn't decided where she was supposed to go when she heard the first explosion. She jumped, startled, and almost stopped on Emma Lee as the 'fox came up to her. Licking her lips, she looked down at the 'fox and tried to ignore the shaking in her hands. Don't shift, don't shift, don't shift was the mantra she played in her head. "Get back in the shadows and stay there, wait for Colt," she hissed before slipping off as quick as she could while staying in the shadows. She was running by the time she was a few blocks away, almost terrified that the entire place would go up behind her. So she risked it by yelling, "I need some help!"

Nick jumped at the man being shot. He moves back towards Piper reaching out for her.

The Hollow Ring ring ring...

Colt growls as the phone keeps ringing, crawling towards it and pulling it down to the floor with him. "What?!" He demanded into the receiver, his 'fox clawing inside of him.

Naomi threw the bag in the trunk, but as she opened up the car door, her ears perked at the sound of... "Harley?" glancing to the side, her eyes widened and she backed up, crouching down by the back towards her house. "Har... Harley!" She whispered-yelled as loud as she could. No, this was a mistake, a big mistake. She was supposed to be out of here.

Josh was surprised at how fast the bear seemed to slip out. He nuzzled Jasmine. "One down, just one more to go... hopefully." The first cub was beautiful, even if he looked less like a bear and more like a rat of some sort. Josh nudged the little guy towards Evie, while his attention went back to the mama bear.

The Hollow "No huntsman's kiss will bring that one back to life." Then a bit of a high-pitched laugh, short, choppy, before the burn phone on the other end went dead.

Colt "You son of a bitch. I'm going to find you. I swear it--" The phone went dead and Colt slammed it into the ground, shattering it into pieces.

Madison wasn't one to just sit on the sidelines and Kinsey aura lashing her, pissed the beta off, so she acted on instinct. Now that the hunter's guns were gone, the wolf leaped off the porch and at the woman, paws flying towards her. Madison took a swipe aiming for the woman's already scratched face, while trying to get out of the way of her swinging blades. No one was allowed to hurt Indi and get away with it, she was family and Madison would put her life on the line every single time if someone hurt them.

Jesse herded the pack further up into the forest, making sure the group stayed on the northern side of the acreage. He caught the scent of deer after a couple of minutes and instinctively began to track it, his snout snuffling close to the ground. With Flynn by his side, he joined the front of the group alongside Zach and Gabe, the smell of their prey growing stronger in the air. Jesse knew the Deltas, particularly the younger ones, felt distraught by the situation, but he also knew the instinct to hunt would soon take them over. He wanted the group to focus on bringing the deer down together and then get the rest of them to a more secure location. He would make sure everyone got their fill before setting course towards north again, bringing the pack to the cave Madison had mentioned. After leaving Flynn and Zach in charge, Jesse immediately turned around and broke into a long-strided sprint, his paws beating against the earth in rapid succession as he raced back towards Indi.

Harley slowed when she heard her name, green eyes flicking around before she came to a stop. "Naomi?" She stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, peering into the dark before spotting her. Her chest heaved slightly, sweat starting to glisten on her skin from her wild run. "Nay, Jesus Christ, please tell me that's you."

Naomi nodded and raised herself a little, her eyesight giving her a keen look at the woman. "Don't fuckin' stand in the middle of the damn street," she hissed. "Get over here, crouch and run. What the hell is going on?"

Colt squeezed his eyes shut, hissing slightly in pain. Blood was still pouring from the wound in his shoulder and the burns on his other arm throbbed. He need to shift. He needed to find his troop and get the hell out of here. "Reckon it's over."

Rae F cringed at the painful hissing coming from Colt. She knew those feelings, for she had been in his shoes just a few weeks prior. "Go, I'll rid of the body?" She muttered.

Kinsey [OOC: MOON RISE IN 10 IRL MINUTES, SO 11:45 EST]

Jasmine wanted to laugh at Josh's comment, except for the fact that she was really hoping that she didn't give birth to more than two cubs. Twins she could handle, but more? Jasmine didn't know if she had the patience for that. A low rumble of noise left her as she prepped herself to push again for the second cub. The beta started to push again,this time the task proved to be a little more difficult this time around. Of course her cubs were already stubborn Jasmine thought to herself as she pushed again hoping this would be enough for her second cub to greet the world.

Piper lifted her head slightly, her gaze going to the phone and to Colt. In a brief moment of emotional hysterics, Piper pressed her fist against her mouth, forcing herself to stay silent. It seemed almost surreal now, but Piper couldn't forget that thought that had run through her mind when the bomb had gone off. That thought that her parents were going to have to bury another of their children. She clenched her eyes shut before sitting up. She didn't have time to waste at this moment, the moon waited for no one.

Harley did as Naomi ordered, ducking into the shadows and slinking over. She was pushing her luck now, the moon would be up soon and she'd shift in the middle of fucking town. "There's a fucking guy with a bomb strapped to him in Fox Hollow." She spit the words out fast, blurring half of them together as her hands shook. "What are you doing hiding in the fucking shadows?" She forced out between clenched teeth as she curled her hands into fists. Don't shift, don't shift, don't shift.

Emma Lee watched Harley make a run for it and if she could’ve she would’ve rolled her eyes at the ‘fox’s commands. She knew Scarlett and Sav would be safe, but Harley needed someone to watch her back. In ‘fox form, Emma could do that and more. Sticking to the shadows, the little ‘fox tailed the woman as she ran down the street calling for help. She heard a voice call Harley’s name and watched as she ran to the source. Who the fuck is that? Emma didn’t trust anyone right now, and didn’t expect Harley to either. Emma stalked toward the two women, a growl rumbling in her chest as she assessed whether the newcomer was friend or foe.

Rae F could feel the itching turning into a frenzied clawing, digging at her from the inside out, begging her to just shift already, but Rae knew she had to get out of the Hollow before doing so. She had to get herself, and Ash, out before the moon hit its peak in the night sky.

Naomi 's face dropped. "A bomb?" she whispered, swallowing. Looking up and past her, she shook her head. "Harley, we don't have much time. I would ask you who is in there but I don't wanna know. We need..." Squeezing her eyes shut, she bowed her head, looked at her watch, and shook her head quickly. "I need to go. I can't stay here. You can come with me but you have to... you have to leave the car and shift, but we can't help them. We can't."

Erick was profoundly rattled. He could feel the pull of the moon and knew it wouldn't be very long before he shifted. He headed towards Piper first to check up on her and held out a hand to help her sit up "you okay?"

Colt pushed himself off the floor, his hand reaching up to grasp the wound at his shoulder. "Everybody out. We gotta move. Now." The moon was almost completely risen and the Alpha felt his 'fox quaking within him. He needed to shift desperately and he could only imagine how the rest of the Lycans felt.

Kinsey cursed under her breath as she saw Madison sprint from the damn porch. She was valiant, but she was all instinct. Taking on responsibility—living not alone in the wild for eight years, but instead having to be more human, more interactive even than she'd like—had given Kinsey certain perspectives. Like the fact that you don't leave your porch with your goddamn shotgun when you have the advantage to headshot the bitch. But with Madison going at it the best way she knew how, she had obscured Kinsey's shot and there was no way she was firing a shotgun point blank range with Madison in the way. So she let instinct take over, let the 'wolf take over, and then there was a ruthless mass of tawny fur heading for the hunter. It was good Madison and the pack had already shifted, because her going over would force them. And like lightning, Kinsey was on the hunter from the side that Madison wasn't, her jaw coming down hard lock around the woman's right arm, aiming to sever the hand or, at the very least, get her to drop her weapon, hoping Madison would do the same on the other side.

Josh was glad the bears had come on the moon, because at least they couldn't shift into crying humans just yet. It was one less issue to worry about and the alpha was thankful for that. He waited patiently, trying to use his presence to calm the beta as much as she could. He'd never know what this was like, but he could assume it wasn't the best feeling in the world to say the least.

Indiana closed her eyes briefly as the pack ran off to hunt, taking a moment to stop being a Beta and just be a woman, terrified and in pain. Hunters were her worst nightmare, in the most literal sense. They had taken everything from her once, made her life a living hell for so many years, and she wasn't about to let one do it again. She was exhausted, both from the blood loss and the fear, but she wasn't going to run. Not this time. Not when she finally had a family to call her own. Opening her eyes, she suddenly heard footsteps approaching and managed to get herself to her feet and growl out a warning to who or whatever was approaching.

Erick could feel The Silver's restlessness. "I reckon we should get out of here because it won't exactly be pretty or comfortable when the full moon hits."

Rae F growled, lashing out for Ash's hand, pulling him to his feet. "I have to get out of here," she growled at him, taking it into her own hands to get Ash out of there before it became a territorial frenzy once they were all shifting. Running out the backdoor, she fell into a quick pace alongside the road towards the woods, glancing up to see the moon in the sky.

Colt shot a last look at the crumbled body of Sam before shaking his head. He stumbled his way towards the door, shoving it open and stepping into the cool night air. His eyes darted around, searching for anyone in his troop.

Harley stared at Naomi for a minute before licking her lips. Before she could answer, she smelled the all too familiar smell of another 'fox. Emma Lee. She swore. "Go, go, I'll be fine. You go," she hissed before darting out of the shadows. A growl rumbled from her throat as she snatched up Emma Lee by the scruff. If the other 'fox didn't like it, so be it. She was across the street in seconds and diving into the shadows before she felt the shift kick in. Shit.

Nick closed his eyes the feeling to change taking hold of him. He looked over at Erick and Piper and nodded his head. Nick felt trapped in the Hollow's walls and he needed to get outside to the open space. "I figure we have a few minutes at best. Driving somewhere is defiantly out of the question."

Aine had a grin on her face a mile wide as the black wolf charged her blindly. She looked like a powerful beast, but nothing the huntress hadn’t dealt with before. Aine’s blade swung down on top of the woman’s back as the wolf’s paw connected with the side of her face, claws digging into the same spot the other wolf’s had just a short hour ago. Aine reveled in the feeling of the blade sinking into the wolf’s skin, but she couldn’t push it any deeper, because the other wolf was on her, jaw clamping around her right forearm. The pain caused Aine to cry out and drop the blade in that hand, withdrawing the one from the black wolf to try and drive it into the blonde’s side.

Colt clenched his fists, holding back his shift as he slammed the Hollow's door shut now that everyone was out of the building. The last thing he wanted to do was shift and force the entire troop into it. He didn't know where they were, or who they were with. It was too dangerous.

Jasmine knew it wasn't going to be all that easy and she was at least glad she had the entire sleuth around to keep her mind focused on the task at hand. She couldn't be the protective Beta she normally was before she got the second cub out. Jasmine pushed again as hard as she could until a second tiny brown bear cub was out. The tiny cub scrambled blindly across the floor as Jasmine rolled slightly over to the second cub and nuzzled her lightly. It was a weird state of being, but her entire world had changed when it really hit that she was a mother.

Naomi "No-- No, Harley, Harley you can't go that--" But then she smelled the new fox, too, and she quickly rushed to the driver's seat of her car. Jumping in, she tried to start it, but she could feel the shift start to crawl up her skin. She couldn't stop the moon, but she also couldn't have a panic attack in the car. Gasping for air, the leopard quickly kicked open the door and ran on foot as fast as she could towards the road she always used to drive at night to get to Liberty. It was only a matter of time before she could no longer fight it.

Piper "I'm fine." She muttered. Her gaze flicked from one horse to another before continuing on. "I live in the woods, which ain't too far from here if you wanna hightail it specifically."

Erick there was no more time to waste, he sprinted out of the the Hollow motioning for Nick and Piper to follow him. "No need to drive, I know plenty of good places here just follow me. Forest is no good either, we're 'horses not deer" he winked somehow managing humour even with time against them. He sprinted off towards the left of the hollow, off the road and cutting in to land. It seemed within a few strides he was no longer human: he'd shifted in to a magnificent grullo stallion, galloping out of town

Rae F began to feel the familiar intoxicating notion creeping into her veins, filling her with a freeing feeling. She was only a few feet deep into the woods when she began to shift, starting with the patches of fur breaking skin, her ears becoming pointed with the black tufts sticking from the top. Before she had another moment to sort her thoughts, she dropped to all fours and fully shifted, her razor sharp claws ripping into the ground as she ran, ignoring the pain tearing through her stomach.

Jesse slowed down his pace as Indi's scent - mixed with blood – wafted into his nostrils. His large, muscular body weaved through the trees and across the ground, jumping over fallen branches and other obstacles, determined to find his way back to his wounded packmate. Hearing the female's growl, Jesse responded with a low, subterranean growl of his own, knowing that she would recognize him. He came out the trees and appeared in Indi's vision field, hurrying to the other Beta's side, and nuzzled his head under her chin. Pressing his body close to Indi's, he propped his shoulder against hers to support her, a faint whine slipping past his teeth.

Colt steps away from the street and towards the brush, shedding himself of his clothes. The only thought on his mind was shifting and embracing his true form. The shift only took a moment and the 'fox practically sighed in relief as the pain eased from his body. He set out, his nose to the ground, searching for the rest of his troop.

Josh let out a happy noise, something in between a bark and growl, when the second cub came out, alive, looking healthy. He pressed his nose into Jasmine's neck, pawing at her lightly. "That's my beta." He growled out, relieved and excited more than anything. At least for one night his burden felt a bit lighter. He stepped back, letting Jasmine see both of her babies. It was quite an amazing sight, a little beautiful moment a midst such chaos and evil. This was why he was an alpha, this was why he'd come to Pickens to try and make things better for lycans.

Flynn smelled that copper smell again and he nudged Shiloh toward Indiana, coming to a halt as Jesse supported the other beta. He side stepped, turning his silvery body to face the front in alertness again. With Jesse supporting Indiana, Flynn took it upon himself to act as a lookout. His senses became alert, his ears pricked for any sort of sound. This was his family. This was closer than family. This was pack, and he'd be damned if some other hunter got the drop on him. He focused on the now, instead of the fact that Kinsey and Madison were fighting a crazed bitch.

Emma Lee Jesus Christ. There was a bomb in the Hollow. She hoped everyone got far away to be safe if that shit decided to blow. Emma yipped in indignation as Harley hauled her into the air by the scruff. Put me the fuck down, showgirl. She started to squirm a bit, but held still when Harley started running, not wanting to be dropped on her ass. When they reached the shadows, the other ‘fox put her down and shifted. Emma wondered if it was of her own will or if it meant Colt had shifted too. Once Harley was fully ‘foxed out, Emma nudged her wanting to know what they should do. Normally, Emma Lee would run off on her own. But this wasn’t a normal situation. The older ‘fox seemed to know what to do when it came down to a crisis, so she was content to let her take the lead.

Indiana relaxed slightly when Jesse responded to her growl, glad to see a familiar face. She was surprised he had come back for her, worrying her that something might have happened to the others, but she was grateful for his presence and someone to lean on. As he brushed his head under her chin, she licked and tugged gently on his ear before leaning some of her weight on him. She wanted to hunt and she needed to eat, but she was surprised she was still standing at this point. Her voice came out in a rasp as she asked, "Could you get me a rabbit, champ? I'm starving and I can't hunt like this." Pausing, she bit his muzzle hard admonishing, "And you're a damned idiot for leaving those kids alone. Take me to them and then go hunt with them like I told you to."

Flynn nudged Shiloh away from the entrance of the cave, side stepping. He turned his silvery body to face the front in alertness again. With Jesse gone, Flynn took it upon himself to act as a lookout. His senses became alert, his ears pricked for any sort of sound. This was his family. This was closer than family. This was pack, and he'd be damned if some other hunter got the drop on him. He focused on the now, instead of the fact that Kinsey and Madison were fighting a crazed bitch. He - and Zachary- were in charge in Jesse's absence and Flynn took this very serious.

Nick sprinted after Erick, his long legs easily keeping pace with the other horse. It wasn’t long until they were outside putting more distance between them and the craziness that had taken over the Hollow. Nick laughed as he ran, the feeling of the turn rushing through him. Seconds later, the man changed and in his place was a Buckskin galloping after Erick.

Madison felt the blade in her back and her wolf cried out, falling backwards just as Kinsey leaped over her, grabbing onto the huntress' arm. She may be injured, but adrenaline carried her through. While the Irish woman was distracted and down one blade, Madison pounced forward, claws aiming for the legs while her jaw opened up to try and wrap the free arm. This bitch wasn't allowed to lay a hand, or sword for that matter, on her alpha.

Rae F ran until she felt content, which was at the point where her side was aching so terribly she thought she would look down and find the nearly healed wound starting to open again. But, to her pleasure, there was no blood on her side. Running to the nearest den she had set deep in the woods, she trotted inside, burying herself in the small bed of dead leaves, pressing her head against the floor, waiting to see Ash.

Piper wondered how the other horse could even manage humour. Where they were going, Piper had no clue but she followed him anyway. It didn't take more than a few easy strides before she was full-out running, her hair kicking back from her face. And as Erick changed before her eyes, she felt a small sense of wonder at the sight of him changing, the same sense of wonder she felt when Nick changed before her eyes too. She picked up speed, her body changing before the Chestnut burst out, her hooves hitting the ground as she joined her fellow horses.

Naomi could only run so fast. Her legs were feeling heavy, but she kept going anyway, zipping through until she reached the side of the road. Taking a detour to the right, she ducked and, unable to control it anymore, shifted into the large panther she worked so hard to keep down. Sniffing around the area, she decided to be tactical with her movements, her brain still gear-shifted towards getting as far away from Pickens as possible.

Harley felt her legs shaking by the time she was fully shifted and sat still for several seconds as the shaking continued. Her heart was pounding in her chest while she glanced up and down the street. If someone had seen her...shit. Emma Lee's nudge made her turn to look at the other 'fox, eyes narrowing slightly into the best glare she could manage. Pain in my fucking ass. Staying in the shadows for a few more minutes, Harley finally pushed herself upright. They needed to get back to Colt. She nipped at the 'fox's ear and gave it a gentle tug before slowly moving from the spot while doing her best to stay in the shadows.

Dustin fidgeted at the sounds Jasmine was making. He could hear everything that was going on and he was completely happy for the Beta. Nudging Ivan to keep watch, Dustin turned to took a couple of steps further into the cave. He approached cautiously, looking on curiously. His lips pulled up over his teeth into a smile as he spotted the cubs laying near their mother.

Kinsey was grateful for the interference from Madison which caused the blade to subside, as Kinsey had hoped. Not that she would have minded a hideous scar on her back, but, you know, better not to have one. It didn't fail to remind Kinsey how well the two worked as a team, and something twinged inside of her, just for a moment—and that's when she realized things were as they should be. Madison was a fighter and Indiana was the mother, and the choice was justified. Oddly, it rippled a sense of joy through her, and so the attack on Aine changed from one of just deadly calm certainty to one that gloried in blood. When Madison took her out at the knees, Kinsey pounced on top of the hunter's chest and bit down on her neck, a jugular kill if she could do it, revelling in the rusty sweetness.

Erick had spent a lot of time when he initially arrived scouting out good places to be during the full moon. There was a question of looking out for predators, as well as humans. The forests were no good since they didn't give much escape room to a horse and weren't the best place to see or hear danger coming from afar. He lead them just outside the outskirts of town where the farmlands were. Wide open spaces. He bucked happily, revelling in the freedom and power he felt in this form.

Jasmine felt completely happy. The beat hadn't felt like this since she had told Gage she loved him for the first time. Even when he was gone her cubs father still had found a way to make her happy. Jasmine pawed back at Josh, feeling in a good mood, for even her. She moved to keep both of her cubs close to her and nuzzled them before pushing them close to her with her paws. She hadn't been the type that wanted to be a mother six months ago, but she knew this was something she wanted deep down. The bear part of herself dominated everything and she knew this was something she was meant to do as the small sounds of her cubs sounded like music to her ears.

Gabby stirred from behind Shiloh, pacing up and down the cave impatiently, paws quick and showing anxiety. She wanted action. To fight for her cousin, her Alpha, her Betas, her family. There was no doubt that they could take care of themselves, but she couldn't just sit around. She moved in front of Shiloh and towards Flynn, grunting and nudging his side, pacing impatiently and pointing her snout outwards to motion leaving the cave. She whined, dragging her paw quickly against the ground several times. It was clear she wanted action.

Jesse grunted in response, tilting his head slightly to the side as Indi tugged on his ear. He couldn't leave the pack unsupervised for long, he knew that, but he trusted in Zach and Flynn to maintain order and safety while he was gone. He'd had to return for Indi before reuniting with the rest of the pack. He tucked his ears back when she bit his muzzle, letting out another whine, the sound something akin to an apology. Letting out a huff, he gently pushed Indi on the move, back toward the direction where he had traveled from, and then dipped his head back to the ground to locate prey for her while keeping an eye on her, checking any signs of her health suddenly deteriorating or worsening.

Aine wasn’t fast enough. This had never been an issue before. She’d always been able to catch them off guard. She was getting old, slow and losing her touch, obviously. It figures that she’d finally crack in the middle of a fight. The ticking was so loud, so fucking loud it was hard to think. Upon seeing the end, looking at her life in reverse, the woman smiled as the wolves dug their claws and teeth into her. It was fitting, the circle of life. A hunter of wolves, consumed by the very beasts she hunted. There would be more. More hunters, more wolves. Eventually these two would die and the earth would swallow their bodies just like it would take what was left of hers into the soil. It was how it was meant to be. The perfect ending to a horror story. So as the tawny wolf sunk her teeth into the huntress' jugular, ripping it wide open, Aine smiled, happy to finally have a wee bit of peace and quiet.

Flynn knew that he and his cousin were alike in a few aspects. Sure, they didn't get along at times, but it was probably because their personalities clashed. However, at this moment, Flynn could empathize with his cousin. She wanted action and Flynn craved it too. He craved going back to Woodmere and helping his alpha and beta fight that damned hunter. But, he had been ordered to go and he had been placed in charge so Flynn kept himself where he was. A low rumble started in his throat toward Gabby, turning his body to point his snout toward the back of the cave where the other wolves were before returning to his position before, eyes fixed on the entrance and his ears trained.

Piper quickened her pace, propelling her forward with the sort of freedom that could only come from running. What she was feeling right now - the unrivaled joy of running in the open farms - was like a therapy to her. Running was what she did when she felt overwhelmed by the world, and she had never felt as overwhelmed as she did at this moment.

Harmony ‘s head rested on her steering wheel, her eye trained on the road in front of her. She still hadn’t calmed enough to drive like a non-crazy person, so she was content to sit and stare out her window. Sudden movement caught her eye, and she saw a woman running down the street. A woman that looked like… Naomi? She wasn’t sure, but who would be out running at this hour? And on the full moon? Maybe she needed help. Harmony slipped her keys in her pocket as she stepped out of her car and ran to catch up with the woman to where she’d turned off into the woods. “Hey, ma’am?” she called out, as she trekked deeper into the foliage. She froze when she spotted the woman hunched over near a tree. It was Naomi. And now Naomi was transforming. Holy shit.

Indiana gave a huff that would have been a characteristic pointed look had she been in her human form, knowing that if she were in better shape this wouldn't have happened. She needed to protect the pack no matter what, both her 'wolf and mothering instincts strong on that point, so she trotted to the best of her ability as she followed the scent trail of the pack up towards the cave where Jesse had left them. She stumbled and swayed briefly, her front right leg still numb and unmoving, but she managed to right herself against a tree and keep going until finally made it to the cave. Noticing Flynn and Gabby at the entrance, she made her way up to them and nuzzled them both exhaling, "Go. Stay together as a group and hunt something down. Come right back here after and if you don't, so help me I will hunt you all down and drag you back by your scruffs, bad leg or not."

Flynn returned the nuzzle, brushing his cheek against hers. Despite all his bravado, Flynn was relieved that Indiana was going to be okay and secretly relaxed. He started forward, pausing his large body near the entrance to wait for Gabby. Now that Indiana was safe, and so was Shiloh, Flyn was ready to huntand try and enjoy the night like he had originally planned.

Gabby had been an only child at home, making life with cousins Kinsey and Flynn at first odd. But she liked them, respected them, usually agreed with them - which made this harder. She whined from deep in her throat, as much a growl as it was a protest. And shook her head and neck roughly, bending her head down, snorted and did a circle, coming back to Flynn without even looking at the back of the cave. She only diverted her gaze from the grey wolf when she spotted Indiana, and if she had been in human form her eyes would have been wide. She leaped to get closer to Indi, nuzzling her furiously at all sides, under her chin, whining in protest when she said to leave. Gabby by far was fight over flight, but seeing Mama Indi hurt - there was no leaving now.

Naomi would have continued on, but she broke one of her first rules: always keep moving. When she heard someone call out ma'am, she snarled and turned back around. This was it. This was the hunter, and she was going to have to kill them. She'd have to cover up the murder, hide the body out here in the morning, sleep on it until she shifted back. There was no way she was dying tonight, not fucking now. But she didn't want to kill someone. Growling once more to tell her she was a threat, Naomi took a small step back, paws firmly in the dirt.

Emma Lee flinched away when Harley tugged at her ear, but she followed her nonetheless. They were headed back the way they had come, back toward the Hollow. Presumably, back toward the rest of the troop and toward the bomb. It was against the young ‘fox’s better judgment to be heading toward the danger, but the rest of the troop would be there. Colt would be there, and he would know what to do. Following Harley’s lead, she stayed to the shadows, hoping they didn’t come across any humans or worse, any predators.

Harley stuck as much in the shadows as possible. Human eyes weren't all that great in the dark and while night time wasn't their best time either, it was easier for them. And, at the most, they'd hopefully just look like two 'foxes that had wandered in town looking for something to eat. It wouldn't be too uncommon. The closer she got to Fox Hollow the more nervous she got though. She didn't really like the fact that they were having to go back to Fox Hollow if there was a bomb but they didn't have much of an option at this point. They needed to find Colt, plain and simple.

Kinsey felt the hunter die beneath her and let out a howl of triumph, so that the others would hear that they were safe. She ripped out the rest of the woman's throat and ate it, since obviously this was going to be her hunt tonight. It would be hard to get rid of the body, but then again, easy to leave in the woods and make it seem as though animals had gotten her. Because they had. But that meant not taking too much. Besides, human was stringier than Kinsey preferred and not as tasty as rabbit. With her paws, she broke open the woman's chest and tore out her heart, carrying it in her mouth. She looked to Madison and nudged a knife with her paw, clearly making a gift of them, before running off and following Indiana's scent. Nothing would keep her from Indi and finding how she was, so when she did find them, she laid the bitch's heart at her feet.

Indiana nuzzled Gabby back, her heart warming at the affection she received from the younger 'wolf. Licking the top of the blonde 'wolf's head, she nudged her with her nose reassuring, "Get something to eat, champ. I'll stay with Shiloh, you go take something down with the boys." Settling down at the entrance of the cave, she sat patiently waiting for Kinsey and Madison to reappear. Suddenly she heard a familiar howl, her ears perking up at what that sound could mean. It wasn't long before her 'wolf was in front of her, soaked in blood but seemingly unharmed, with a human heart as a gift for her. She wanted to get up and nuzzle Kinsey but she didn't think she had the strength anymore, so she licked the bigger 'wolf's paws before beginning to eat the heart, making sure none of her precious gift went to waste.

Erick slowed down to an easy canter, his ears pricked forward as he heard a distant neigh. They were regular horses, domestic, but they were good company on a full moon and a good place to hand around. Predators didn't dare come so close to humans for the most part, and those who did got ran off by the farm dogs. And because it was the middle of the night, no one usually noticed his presence. It was the perfect spot to graze, to roll, to play or run. He slowed down as they neared the fence and looked over his shoulder at Piper and Nick, his long forelock hiding one of his eyes. He question Piper silently as horses do, asking her if she wanted to jump to fence and visit his horse buddies, or if she'd rather stay out of the paddock and in to the field.

Harmony ‘s heart stopped at the sound of the animal’s rumbly growl. She didn’t dare move, knowing a warning when she heard one. “Naomi?” Her eyes couldn’t see all that well in the darkened shadows of the woods, but she could tell the animal was large, black, and had sharp teeth. It wasn’t a ‘wolf. Her eyes strained to make out the dark form. A cat maybe? For its size it had to be some kind of jungle cat. Jaguar? Panther, maybe? “Easy there, Nayo. It’s just me, Harmony. Your friend,” she said, in a soft, sing-song voice, hoping to seem as non-threatening as possible. She didn’t think Naomi would hurt her, but it was a possibility. “I’m not going to hurt you, okay?”

Gabby leaned into the affection. She had whined again, but was grateful to hear her voice. She was furiously encircling Indi's body to check for injuries, walking next to her worriedly until she settled down. She gave another lick to the top of her head and turned to Flynn, eyes flashing in a question of readiness. When she received the mutual go-ahead, she howled and took off, a loud snarl stealing out of her as she followed scents. She had too much pent up aggression and adrenaline now, she had to kill something. Maybe she'd bring something back for Indi, since she seemed so weak. When she heard the familiar howl, she paused from the kill she had just made, ears perking. She exposed her neck and bayed to the moon, a victory howl, turning to the pack before racing after Kinsey's scent, back to the cave.

Naomi was dumbfounded that she knew her name, but then it made sense. Harmony. Heart racing a mile a minute, the panther kept her temper flaring, making sure there wasn't any funny business going on. The voice was soothing enough, but when she got a good look around, she saw no weapons, no backup. Was she really that stupid to come out here on her own? Her growls ceased, but it was a look of almost fear spread across her face as she took two more steps back for caution. She didn't want to hurt Harmony, but anyone could have been an attacker her. But she knew. Harmony was here, she had managed to find her, and now she was in grave danger.

Madison howled when the hunter breathed her last breath. Her teeth ripping the woman's flesh open. When she was sure the fight was over, Madison looked up at Kinsey, watched as her alpha ripped out the woman's heart. She stepped back when Kinsey nudged the blades towards her. Before Madison could celebrate with her friend, Kinsey was gone, darting off into the woods. The choice obviously made. Kinsey might as well have ripped out Madison's own heart with the hunter's and tossed it into the woods before reaching Indiana. The wolf padded slowly over to the porch. With the adrenaline leaving her body, the pain from the aconite blade finally sinking in causing the wolf's body collapsed onto the planks in front of the old bench swing Madison used to share with Kinsey. She wanted to howl, to cry out, but instead she remained silent, exhaustion and blood lost taking over. They'd won, but for some reason Madison still felt like she'd lost.

Flynn joined Gabby in the hunt, only to still, his ears going forward as a howl sounded in the air, triumphant and strong. He knew that howl as well as he knew his own and if Flynn had been human, he would have grinned. Hunting seemed like a forgotten intent now knowing that Kinsey had triumphed over the Irish bitch. He paced closer to Indiana and Gabby, a soft bark escaping him. As was expected, his eyes found his sister as he returned to the cavem and seeing the heart, he too wanted to howl in joy.

Piper circled around back to him, slowing her pace like the other horse. It was a warm, spring night and with each gentle gust of wind, it was like a caress over her. Out here, in the field, it seemed so natural for her to be here that it eased her, allowed her to give control to the instincts of the horse. And right now, the horse in her wanted to jump over the fence. She started forward, picking up speed before she pushed her body up into the air, jumping over the fence. Like running, the was a strange sense of freedom.

Kinsey was happy to see her pack safe and whole and happy, and would want for them to hunt. She knew Indiana would need cared for, but that would mean getting her back to Nolan, which also meant carrying her unconscious body, most like, after the two had shifted back. It would be easier, that way. Only after she had nuzzled each of her Deltas in turn, she realized Madison hadn't come up behind her as she had expected her to. Could the other 'wolf be more injured than Kinsey realized? She was torn between heading back to the farm and staying with the pack; the pack was primary, but Madison just defended them. She should be there. Kinsey howled out, questioningly, for her distant Beta.

Erick watched the chestnut mare leap over the fence and he immediately followed her example. He had jumped this specific barrier many times and it was like second nature at this point. His muscles tensed then released as he soared over the wooden pannel and landed beside the mare. One of the domestic horses whinnied and he answered their call, as they trotted over to him. One of the youngsters, a yearling ran up to him, recognizing the stallion as his once a month playmate. The Silver playfully bolted after the youngster, chasing him in play.

Harmony stood as still as she could. She’d been around enough shifted lycans to know that in their animal forms, their instincts took over. And Naomi wasn’t acting very happy to see her. She watched as the lycan backed away from her. Admittedly, her feelings were a little hurt, but at least the lycan wasn’t charging at her. Naomi was probably as scared as she was to have run into each other in the woods. So Harmony would give her the benefit of the doubt and try to put her at ease. She smiled as best she could at her friend and slowly held her hands up in a placating gesture. “Dude, you’re a freaking lycan. Why didn’t you say anything?” she asked, not expecting to get an answer, at least not until tomorrow. “You probably wanted to keep it secret, huh?” she mused out loud, her voice still as soothing as she could make it. “Don’t worry, Omi-wan. Your secret’s safe with me.”

Gabby jumped onto her hind paws at seeing Kinsey, nuzzling her with an almost aggressive vigor, elated at seeing her bloodied but no worse for ware. No one messed with their Pack. She gave a playful growl to her Alpha, bending her front legs to lower her head to the ground, giving a small bark. The rough gesture was Gabby congratulating her kin on the kill; an appreciation of the ferocity she had surely shown - something like the 'wolf equivalent of a playful punch-in-the-shoulder. Gabby had trotted over to Flynn on happy steps, jumping and nipping at him in joy of their safety when she heard Kinsey's call and paused. Her ears perked up and she stepped towards the front of the cave, for the first time realizing Madison was absent.

Indiana finished the heart and looked up at Kinsey in confusion, wondering where Madison was. Surely the redhead wasn't hurt or dead, Kinsey would have never left her there if that were the case. Reaching up with her muzzle, she bit down on some of Kinsey's thick fur to help get herself up and growled slightly at the action and the pain it caused. She could tell Kinsey wanted to go back and see what was going on, so she readied herself for the trip to the farm. Gesturing to Flynn with her nose, she leaned some of her weight on him so Kinsey could go on ahead and do what she needed to, allowing her and Jesse to bring up the rear with the kids.

Naomi This was insane. She was acting like this was an amazing discovery, not a horrible one. She looked at her like she wasn't some kind of monster, a big ol' liar from someone she called 'friend'. She wished she could produce any sort of vocal chord reassurance, but her thoughts were clouded and muddled. Allowing herself to relax just a tad, the leopard took those three steps forward -- hesitant, of course, but she moved nonetheless. Sniffing Harmony, she did the best she could do communicate by bowing her head in gratitude. Tomorrow she would end up grilling her the minute she woke up in the woods, but for now? She'd look her in the eye and give a small purr before taking off the opposite direction, goal still in sight.

Josh laid down next to Jasmine and the cubs, letting them stumble around him and Jasmine. They were probably hungry, but Josh wasn't sure how this worked. He moved back, hopping Jasmine's maternal instincts would kick in, because he sure as hell didn't have paternal ones... especially since he wasn't even the father. A tinge of guilt hit him in the stomach as he looked at the cubs, the ones who would never know their father because of him. He tried to shake it, knowing there were more important things, but that feeling was certainly there.

Madison heard the call and she mustered up the remaining strength she had to call back, a sign she was fine, but resting. She couldn't really move her back, the aconite slowly paralyzing a large part of her body. They'd all be back eventually. The hunter was dead, the pack was safe. That's all that mattered.

Jasmine 's eyes followed her twin cubs around as she made sure they were okay. The noises they were making made her feel warm inside. It was the sort of thing she loved to hear already. She assumed that her babies were hungry. After all they were just born and were experiencing the world for the first time. It was a busy day for them. Jasmine let her natural instincts take over as she guided the cubs towards her with ease. She knew that bear cubs who were born in hibernation were fed for the first few months from their mother and it was easy to pick up that was what she needed to do for babies. The beta pushed them close so that they could nurse.

Harmony watched, riveted at the sight of the giant cat began to pad toward her. Her breath caught in her throat and her body stiffened. She had to fight the urge to close her eyes or brace herself for the feeling of gnashing teeth and claws ripping through her flesh. Sure, she hadn’t met Naomi in lycan form, but she knew her. And Naomi wouldn’t hurt her. Those words repeated in her head as the ‘cat drew closer and sniffed her. “Dude, you don’t know how awesome this is,” Harmony said as she slowly kneeled down beside the ‘cat and fought the urge to reach out and pet her, thinking that was probably pushing it too far. This close up she was able to see that this was indeed a jungle cat of some sort. She’d have to ask when Naomi could actually answer. A wide smile broke out on her face when she noticed the dip in Naomi’s head and heard the faint purr she emitted. The girl gasped and nearly fell back onto her butt when the 'cat turned and took off into the trees.

#event #script #mysteryplot

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